Volume 22 | Number 7431 | 2 RiyalsThursday 8 February 2018 | 22 Jumada 1 I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

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BUSINESS | 17 SPORT | 35

Qatar to promote ties with Ingushetia

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with the President of the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, Yunus-bek Yevkurov, at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. The two sides reviewed aspects of cooperation between the two countries and means of enhancing them in a number of fields, especially agriculture. → SEE ALSO PAGE 2

QNA

DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met the Pres-ident of the Russian Republic of Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov, yesterday.

At the beginning of the meeting, the visiting President handed the Emir a written message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, including an invitation to His Highness to visit Russia. The Emir welcomed the President, hoping that the visit would further enhance bilateral relations. The Emir also welcomed the Russian President’s invitation.

The visiting President expressed hope that the visit will enhance ties between Qatar and

Ingushetia in wider fields and invited the Emir to visit the Republic. The two sides also reviewed aspects of cooperation between the two countries and means of enhancing them in a number of fields, especially agriculture.

They exchanged views on a number of regional and interna-tional issues of common concern and the latest developments in the region. A number of their Excel-lences the Ministers attended the meeting. Members of the official delegation accompanying the Pres-ident also attended the meeting.

Later, the Emir hosted a luncheon banquet in honour of the President and his accompanying delegation.

H H the Emir holds talks with the President of Russian Republic of Ingushetia. The visiting President handed H H the Emir a written message from Russian President Vladimir Putin inviting H H the Emir to visit Russia.

QCB warns against Bitcoin trading

DOHA: Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has issued a circular warning against any form of trading or exchanging of Bitcoin in the country. The circular sent to banks, a copy of which is available with The Peninsula, noted that the banks operating in the country are not allowed to deal in any way or fashion with this currency.

The virtual currency should not be used for opening bank accounts or making any other transactions for buying or selling the virtual currency, the central bank circular said. It noted that the transactions of Bitcoin has no legal tender in

the country. Bitcoin is very volatile and

indulging in its transaction is very risky, the circular said. The com-modity is subjected to electronic hacking. There is no guaranty for its value as an asset class, the reg-ulator said.The central bank will impose penalties in accordance with the provisions of the Qatar Central Bank law and regulation of financial institutions issued by Law No. (13) for the year 2012 in the event of any violation of this circular. It’s not clear whether the regulator’s warnings has come in the wake of a brisk ‘cryptocurrency trading’ busi-nesses going on unauthorised online trading platforms in Qatar.

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

SATISH KANADY

THE PENINSULA

8 new schools to be opened in next academic yearTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Educat ion yesterday announced that eight new schools will be opened in the next academic year.

Also, efforts are in progress to fill vacancies in new schools and provide them with educational cadres of expertise and competence. The academic year will also witness the opening of Qatar School of Science and Tech-nology on STEM system in September.

The Qatar School of Science and Technology is a secondary school for boys from the ninth to twelfth grades and its students were selected from preparatory schools’ eighth grade stu-dents, who excelled in the subjects of science and mathematics.

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Real estate transactions increase

DOHA: Showing resilience, the real estate transactions in Qatar have increased during the last quarter of 2017 despite the unjust siege imposed on the country.

The transaction volume has shown an increase of 8 percent and 12 percent in October and November last year respectively compared to corresponding months in 2016.

“Total sales value in October was QR6.52bn. This was the highest monthly total since July 2015,” said Johny Archer, Asso-ciate Director, Consulting and Research, DTZ Qatar, a real estate consultancy company, while addressing a seminar organised at Hilton Hotel

yesterday. “Qatar (real estate) market

has shown considerable resil-ience as compared to other markets in the region. For example, Abu Dhabi seeing res-idential rents fall by 13 percent and Bahrain by 16.2 percent during 2017,” he said, while releasing a report on real estate sector.

Prime residential rents have softened by up to 10 percent over the past 12-month period but the secondary market has shown more resilience over the past year with Ezdan Oasis setting the benchmark in terms of newly built middle-income apartments, noted the report.

“Whilst there continues to be a softening in the residential and commercial rental market, this has been driven by supply

pipeline and not a result of the ongoing blockade,” said the report.

The total hospitality inventory is approaching 25,000 keys and whilst 70 percent of properties are 4 and 5 star, there have been some new 3 star entries, including the Holiday Inn and Premiere Inn.

A further 10,000 hotel rooms and 2,000 serviced apartments are at various stages of planning and construction, the report stated.

Tawar Mall, Doha Mall, La Gallaria and Katara Mall are likely to open this year, added the report.

“Total organised retail supply in Qatar is almost 1.3 million square metre (sqm), dis-tributed amongst the country’s 20 principal shopping malls,

almost doubling the supply from 2014,” Archer told The Peninsula.

The recent lifting of visa restrictions to the Nationalities of 80 countries has yet to filter down into any quantifiable impact on retail performance, however, DTZ believes that this will be very much dependent on the country of origin of the visitors.

“Expectation that measures taken to expand and diversify the economy will begin to take hold, and increase real estate demand,” said Archer.

The impact of enabling visa on arrival / visa free access to Qatar for visitors from 80 coun-tries will be more quantifiable during 2018 as travellers are able to incorporate Qatar in their travel plans.

SACHIN KUMAR

THE PENINSULA

Kahramaa signs QR1.9bn contracts for power cables supply

DOHA: Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation ( K a h r a m a a ) y e s t e r d a y announced business opportu-nities worth about QR7bn to local companies for manufacturing basic materials and equipment required for infrastructure devel-opment projects during the next five years (2018- 2023), said Kahramaa Chief.

Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Kahramaa, was speaking at a ceremony held here to sign contracts with two local companies - Doha Cables and Qatar International Cables Company - for manufacturing and supplying of electric cables for a stretch of 10,000 kilometre at a total cost of about QR1.9bn.

“The business opportunities include manufacturing cables,

transformers, switchgears, pipes, water pumps and other various equipment,” said Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari. He said that electric sector is growing and Kahramaa is trying to attract more investors to invest in this field.

“Kahramaa gives priority to national products as per the pri-ority rules and provides technical support to local factories to help them meet the standards required from suppliers.” He said that Kahramaa is working to diversify its sources of importers and local suppliers to bring inno-vation in the economy and it encourages local companies by giving them priorities as per the state strategy to promote local sector.

Kahramaa signed two call-off agreements for supply of LV, 11 KV & pilot power cables with Doha Cables and Qatar

International Cables Company (QICC) for two years at a total cost of QR1.9bn, yesterday. Under the call-off agreement, the supplier will provide materials to Kah-ramaa within two days of the order. The ceremony was attended by Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Doha Cables, Sheikh Fahd bin Hamad Al Thani of QICC, and a number of Kahramaa officials and suppliers.

The value of the contract Kahramaa signed with Doha Cables exceeds QR1.24bn while the contract with QICC values QR640m. The total cost for the two contracts is QR1.88bn. The total length of the cables is 10,000km. The agreements aim at meeting Kahramaa’s needs of cables under the high electricity demand and the development of Qatar. Kahramaa floated the

tender in August 2017, and awarded in January 2018. The two companies were selected as the best offers.

“The cables to be supplied by two companies will be used in coming phase of infrastructure development especially in

providing electricity connection to the plots of land allotted to the citizens for housing purpose, new industrial areas and other projects,” said Al Kuwari. “The annual growth in the demand of cables in local market is recorded 12 percent,” he added.

He said that Qatar is self-suf-ficient in the production of medium and low voltage cables adding that self-sufficiency in high voltage cables is yet to be achieved as local companies have promised to bring the tech-nology from next year for the production of high voltage cables.

“Many manufactures have joined this business and soon we will be covering 100 percent requirements of all types of cables in local market and we will be looking for export the surplus production,” Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Doha Cables Company said.

“Kahramaa had made similar contract with local companies for supplying medium voltage cables during past five year,” Ahmed Nasser M Al Naser, Director of Technical Affairs Department at Kahramaa said.

SANAULLAH ATAULLAH

THE PENINSULA

Kahramaa President Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari (centre), Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani (right) and Sheikh Fahd bin Hamad Al Thani during the ceremony.

02 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018HOME

Emir receives President of Ingushetia

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the President of the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, Yunus-bek Yevkurov, at the Emiri Diwan yesterday.

Cabinet welcomes Qatar-US dialogueTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Cabinet which met yesterday with Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani in the chair, approved the extension of rent contracts in some areas for purposes beside residence related to Law No. 4 of 2008 for two more years starting February 15.

Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Dr Hassan bin Lahdan Saqr Al Mohannadi said that at the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet welcomed the outcome of the first strategic dialogue between the State of Qatar and the United States of America, which was held in Washington at the end of January with a high level partic-ipation from the two sides and in a friendly, positive and con-structive atmosphere reflected the depth and strength of the relationship between the two friendly countries and their common understanding, trust, mutual respect and joint keenness on developing and expanding the relations in various fields.

The Cabinet underlined that the discussions that took place during the dialogue, the agree-ments and the memorandums of understanding that were signed within it and the joint statement issued at the end of it, establish a new stage in the bilateral relations and open wider horizons for the interests of the people of both countries and the interest of peace and stability in the region.

The Cabinet valued what the joint statement contained about the Gulf crisis and the need to resolve it in a way that respects the sover-eignty of the State of Qatar.

The Cabinet expressed appreciation for the American side’s praise during the dialogue for the humanitarian role of the State of Qatar throughout the world and its cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism in all its forms, as well as the US assertion on its readiness to work jointly with the State of Qatar to deter and counter the external threats to the territorial integrity of Qatar that is inconsistent with the United Nations Charter.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet praised the active and distin-guished participation of the del-egation of the State of Qatar in the 48th session of the World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 23 to 26, where the delegation, through its sessions and bilateral meetings, presented Qatar’s vision with clarity and trans-parency towards various political, economic and security issues.

The Cabinet expressed sat-isfaction with the understanding and support of the State of Qatar in this important international forum, especially with regard to the unjust siege imposed on the country for more than eight months, without justification and without respect for the prin-ciples of good neighbourliness, in a clear violation of interna-tional laws, religion teachings and humanitarian norms.

Afterwards, the Cabinet dis-cussed the subjects on its schedule and took the following decisions.

The first decision was to take the necessary measures to issue several draft laws proposed by the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Judiciary Council, and the public prosecution to enhance the

justice system. The cabinet also examined the recommendations of the Advisory Council on a total of seven draft laws. The first draft law was amending some provisions of the law on judicial authority, no. 10 for 2003. The second draft law was amending some provisions of Law No. 13 of 1990 known as the Civil and Commercial Procedure Law. The third draft law was amending some provisions of Law No. 12 of 2005 on Non-penal Cassation Appeals. The fourth draft law was amending some provisions of Law No. 19 of 2008 on determining Diya in manslaughter. The fifth is a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 10 of 2002 regarding the Public Prosecution. The sixth was a draft law amending some provisions of the criminal pro-cedures. The seventh draft law was regarding conciliation in civil and commercial disputes.

The second decision was approving the extension of rent contracts in some areas for pur-poses beside residence related to Law No. 4 of 2008 for two more years starting February 15.

The third decision was approving a total of four agree-ments. The first was a draft agreement signed with the gov-ernment of the Republic of Par-aguay on encouraging and pro-tecting investments. The second was a draft agreement for cul-tural cooperation signed with Hungary.

The third draft agreement was on aerial services, signed with the Kingdom of Lesotho. The fourth approval was for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on financial investigation between Qatar Financial Infor-mation Unit and its counterpart in South Africa.

03THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 HOME

PM meets President of Ingushetia

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met with President of the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, Yunus-bek Yevkurov, on the occasion of his visit to the country, at his residence yesterday. They discussed cooperation between the two countries and regional and international developments.

Australia Day celebrated in DohaRAYNALD C RIVERA

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Australian Embassy yesterday celebrated an auspicious occasion marking the first-ever Australia Day in Qatar with Australian food and music at Shangri-La Hotel Doha.

Speaking at the event, Australian Ambassador Dr Axel Wabenhorst underlined the vast potential of fur-ther bolstering bilateral ties between Qatar and Australia in many fields such as education, food security, tourism and trade and investment.

He underscored Australia Day as a significant occasion when “Australians come together and celebrate our nation.” “Australia is a diverse country, and the most successful multicultural society in the world. Through this diversity, Austral-ians are united by our values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. We rec-ognise the complexities and challenges of our history,” said the envoy.

As Qatar Airways further spreads its wings launching Canberra as its fifth destination to Australia next week, Ambassador Wabenhorst was optimistic it would further strengthen bilateral relations in the field of tourism.

He also underlined the potential

for more Qatari students to avail of Australia’s high quality education system, which makes Australia the world’s third most popular destina-tion for foreign students.

He said Qatar is home to about 3300 Australians working in diverse sectors.

There are about 30 Australian companies in Qatar, the biggest of which are in the engineering and con-struction field, participating in the construction of Hamad Port and the Qatar State Mosque, the hydrocarbon sector, the expansion of Khalifa Sta-dium and shopping centres.

“Official visitors to Qatar from Aus-tralia included the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who opened our Embassy, the Minister for Defence, a parliamentary delegation, and the South Australian Minister for Investment and Trade accompanied by senior government officials. University professors, researchers and student groups further helped develop links. We will build on these visits in the coming year,” he said.

The ambassador was of the view that global challenges such as climate change, terrorism and human trafficking can only be resolved through interna-tional cooperation.

“Australia and Qatar are working together to counter-terrorism, through the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL and Qatar’s hosting of the Al Udeid Air Base. At the start of this year, Australia joined the Human Rights Council, providing another avenue for cooperation. We value and continue to seek the views of Qatar on regional and global challenges,” he said.

Amid the challenges brought about by the ongoing blockade, he lauded Qatar’s welcoming attitude towards all residents, including Australians, stressing Australia supports the medi-ation by Kuwait to resolve the dispute.

He reaffirmed Australia’s support for Qatar as it moves forward in its efforts towards self-sufficiency.

“Looking to the future, Qatar has embarked on a comprehensive program of development through its National Vision 2030. And due to the GCC dispute, self-suf-ficiency has become more important. Aus-tralia is already contributing to Qatar reaching these goals, through the expertise of its citizens and the work of its companies in Qatar, and through our strength in agri-culture. There is scope to expand these areas of cooperation in future,” he said.

“Australia is the world’s driest conti-nent. As a result, Australians have become experts in dryland farming. As food secu-rity becomes a higher priority for Qatar because of the regional dispute, Australia is well-placed to support Qatar to grow more of its own food,” he said.

He added: “The investment of Hassad Food in Australian farms, worth approximately A$450m has benefited both countries by improving the pro-ductive capacity of the farms, and con-tributing to Qatar’s food security.”

“Qatar has other investments in Australia, including in electricity distri-bution infrastructure and real estate. Both countries benefit from this rela-tionship, and I hope to see even more Qatari investment in future,” he said out.

He said total trade between Qatar and Australia is A$1.77bn per year and the new shipping line between the two countries can further facilitate trade.

In the field of education, Australia is working with Qatar on school curric-ulum design, including via provision of a vocational finance course in two Qatari high schools.

H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Municipality and Environment (second right) cutting a cake with Dr Axel Wabenhorst (second left), Australian Ambassador to Qatar; and H E Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Chief of Protocol (right) during the reception on Australia Day celebration in Doha yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Ooredoo official sponsor of Al Khor Fly-In eventTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo announced yesterday that it will be the official sponsor of the 2018 Al Khor Fly-In event.

The popular event, which is now in its 10th year, is designed to encourage aviation enthusiasts and families from across the region to visit Qatar, and see the range of planes and aviation technology available.

This year, the event will take place from February 9 to 10 2018, and is expected to draw large crowds from across Qatar, due to its family-friendly activities. The Al Khor Fly-In will take place at Al Khor Airport and visitors can see a range of light aircraft on display, as well as interact with the pilots.

The event will be open to the public from 8am to 5.30pm and entrance will be free of charge.

As part of its sponsorship, Ooredoo

will host a booth at the event, offering information and services, such as Mobile Money, Hala Top-Ups and more.

Talking about the event, Manar Kha-lifa Al Muraikhi, Director of PR and Cor-porate Communications, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “The Al Khor Fly-In is a great family day out and a perfect way to interest your young ones in the field of aviation.

“As well as a host of aircraft on dis-play, you’ll be able to interact with the pilots and find out more about the pos-sibilities of learning to fly in Qatar. We’re proud to once again be supporting such a diverse community event and hope eve-ryone enjoys it”.

This is the latest in a line of commu-nity events Ooredoo will support in 2018, as the company continues to invest in keeping Qatar’s traditional and cultural events alive.

04 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018HOME

62 entities to participate in Sport Day activities at Katara

DOHA: The Katara Cultural Village is set to receive thousands of visitors on Tuesday who will attend the seventh edition of the National Sport Day (NSD) in which around 62 public and private sector organisations will participate.

Along thousands of people, a number of Ministries, sports federations, public and private institutions and com-panies will participate in Sport Day activities at Katara.

A total 62 entities including 10 sports federations, 11 Ministries, 14 health insti-tutions and 10 food companies will take part in the activities.

The details of Sport Day at Katara were shared in a press conference held yesterday and addressed by Ahmed Al Sayed, Deputy General Manager of Operations, Katara and Vice-Chairman

of the Organising Committee for the Sport Day Events, Katara; Abdul Rahman Jassim Al Tamimi, Vice-Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Sport Day Events, Katara and Director of Pro-curement Department.

Addressing to media, Ahmed Al Sayed said that Katara’s preparations for the Sport Day were complete and Katara would open its playgrounds, facilities and

beach for young and adults of all nation-alities to play their favourite games.

The 7th edition of the NSD at Katara focuses on community participation which allows participation of all seg-ments of society whether general public, athletes, children, women or persons with special needs.

He said that it was in line with Katara’s efforts to spread sports awareness, promote healthy lifestyles and achieve Qatar National Vision 2030, which has made sport a vital part of the lives of every individual living in Qatar. For public there will arrangements for medical examina-tions and health advices.

For his part, Abdul Rahman Jassim Al Tamimi said: “The number of partic-ipants in the events of the 7th edition of the Sports Day has reached 62 including both public and private sector entities.”

He said that health and wellness facilities would attract thousands of cit-izens and residents to participate in this

important annual event at Katara and enjoy all kinds of physical activity and sports, in a healthy and entertaining atmosphere.

Al Tamimi further said that 10 sports federations including boxing, wrestling, tennis, volleyball, table tennis, rugby, kayaking etc would participate in Sport Day activities at Katara.

He pointed out that there were many ministries, government bodies, com-panies and institutions which would hold their activities and provide various sports opportunities suitable for all ages, in addition to the participation of 24 health and food institutions and companies which would provide free counseling and other services to the visitors.

Defence Minister attends ‘Meqdam’Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah attended the tactical exercise “Meqdam” for the National Service recruits at “Jao Al Salama” Camp. The camp was organised by National Service Authority at the Ministry of Defence. Head of the National Service Authority Brigadier Saeed Hamad Al Nuaimi said that the exercise is part of a series of professional military exercises aimed at developing physical fitness and combat efficiency for all recruits of the National Service.

IRFAN BUKHARI

THE PENINSULA

Abdul Rahman Jassim Al Tamimi (left) and Ahmed Al Sayed and at the press conference.

The 7th edition of the NSD at Katara focuses on community participation which allows participation of all segments of society whether general public, athletes, children, women or persons with special needs.

300 schoolchildren to take part in ‘Fun Run’ at Aspire Park todayDOHA: Team Qatar united 300 schoolchildren to participate in an inspirational ‘Fun Run’ today at Aspire Park at 9.30am.

The event organised by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) in coordination with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is part of an official Asian Games Fun Run programme being held across Asia to promote the continent’s biggest sporting event.

During a press conference, QOC Secretary General Jassim Al Buenain said: “As directed by HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the QOC President, we are delighted to support the Olympic Council of Asia in its promotional campaign for the 18th Asian Games which will be held this year in Indonesia by organising the Fun Run event tomorrow at Aspire Park. 300 schoolchildren

will participate in the event, joined by our own Team Qatar champions”

“We carry beautiful mem-ories from the 2006 Asian Games which were hosted in Qatar and we are very proud of the legacy it left for us. This legacy had a great impact on the development of the sport movement in the country that has now become a

global sport hub,” he added.In a message from the OCA

President, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said: “Asian Games promotes Fun and Friendship around the continent. 18th Asian Games will be taking place in Indonesia in August 2018,but the fun starts in Doha. There is much more to the Asian Games than just gold, silver and

bronze medals. There is friendship, team spirit and cama-raderie, all qualities that are in evidence at our Asian Games Fun Runs around the continent.”

“Starting from August 18 to September 2, 2018, some 10,000 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees will be competing in 40 sports and 462 events in the co-host cities of Jakarta and Palembang, Indo-nesia. Qatar has played its role by participating in Asian Games Fun Run,” he added.

In addition to 300 school children, QOC employees, Qatari team athletes, OCA rep. Director General Husain Al Musallam will attended the Fun Run.

“Jointly, teams from the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia pre-pared are working together to organise the promotional event “Fun Run” for the 18th Asian Games. 300 schoolchildren,

professional athletes, Qatari Artists are invited to participate in this special event which includes two running competi-tions, one for 2kms for the stu-dents, and the other for 1 km for the rest of the participants,” said Director of the QOC Sport Affairs Dept, Khaleel Al Jaber.

On Qatar’s preparations for the Asian Games in Indonesia he said:”The National Sport Feder-ations have already started last year to prepare very well for the Games. 500 female and male athletes are expected to partic-ipate in the upcoming edition. Qatar have achieved 10 gold medals in the 2014 Asian Games and the QOC is working closely with its sport federations to achieve more in this year’s event.”

The series of runs are organised to raise awareness of the Asian Games.The first Fun Run event was hosted by

Pakistan NOC in December 7th 2017.The 18th Asian Games will take plan from August 18 to Sep-tember 2, 2018 with ten thousand athletes from 45 countries in 40 sports and 462 events.

Doha’s Fun Run will be the fourth to be hosted so far fol-lowing events in Lahore, Dhakar and Dubai.Team Qatar athletes to compete at the Asian Games also joined the schoolchildren today for the run.

Al Musallam thanked H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani for hosting this important event to the Olympic Council of Asia to help promote for the 18th Asian Games which will take place from 18th August to the 2 September.

Al Musallam said: “Qatar hosting this event reminds us of hosting the 15th Asian Games in 2006 in Doha which had a great positive impact on the sport movement not only in Qatar, but in the Middle East.”

Officials during a press conference.

AMNA PERVAIZ RAO

THE PENINSULA

Media campaign on PISA test rules launchedTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education launched yesterday a media campaign on the timing and details of 2018 PISA tests, which will be held on March 5.

PISA is the largest international comparative study which was developed to monitor the outcomes of the educational systems and stu-dents achievement according to an agreed intentionally framework.

Assistant Under-secretary for Edu-cation Affairs Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater stressed the importance of stu-dents’ participation in the PISA tests which reflect the development of edu-cation in Qatar and its international status, saying that the participation in this international tests is important to assess skills of students from both Qatar public and private schools.

Al Khater said the PISA tests assess students at the age of 15 years old and who are therefore approaching the end of compulsory schooling in most coun-tries and are prepared to meet the

challenges of today’s societies. They assess the students’ knowledge in Science, Math and reading, she said.

She stressed the need for Qatari

and non-Qatari parents to cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, urging students to participate in the contests.

Khalid Al Harqan, Director of the Evaluation Authority at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said that more than 15,000 students from 188 public and private schools will take part in the PISA tests, which are conducted every three years.

Al Hargan pointed out that Qatar has made significant progress in PISA TESTS, where in 2006 received a score of 312 points in reading test and in 2015 achieved 402 points.

Qatar also scored 318 points in 2006 at the level of mathematics and 402 points in 2015, while the rate of achievement in the level of science in 2006 is 349 points and 418 points in 2015.

Hassan Abdullah Al Mohammadi, Director of Public Relations and Communication at the Ministry of Education, spoke about the media campaign for these tests and its logo, and reviewed many messages addressed to parents and students to participate seriously in these tests, which will be performed in the name of Qatar.

Hassan Abdullah Al Mohammadi (left), Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater (centre) and Khalid Al Harqan during a press conference.

QCB warns against Bitcoin tradingContinued from page 1

An online research shows that a section of traders are busy doing business online. For instance, an online domain yesterday put ‘the current floating price’ of Bitcoin at QR35,937.42 for a piece. They said the trade value is limited between QR500-QR60,000.

The meeting point of the traders and pro-spective investors are mainly shopping Malls. “Please make request only when you can complete the payment within 12 hours,” reads an instruction posted on another domain. It also claims that it sells Ethereium, Ripple XRT, Litcoin etc. The trader claims that the money can be transferred through banks and money exchanges.

05THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 HOME

QM launches 2nd phase of marine archaeology survey THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Museums (QM) has launched the second phase of an advanced marine archaeology survey that is set to make a major contribu-tion to the preservation and celebra-tion of the country’s cultural heritage.

The project is based on an inno-vative partnership with leading fig-ures from the University of York, who have worked closely with a team of experts from QM’s archaeology division

The second phase of the project focuses on surveying areas near the beach of the Unesco World Heritage site at Al Zubarah. The site was an important point of contact for people both inside and outside the Arabian Gulf, which has made it a significant archaeological, historical and eco-nomic point of reference. The second phase of the survey was carried out using remote sensing technology, which helped select sites best suited for exploration.

The archaeologically rich area may potentially contain shipwreck remains and other historical artefacts linked to the trade routes used in the past. The area also provides a rich source of information on ancient living environments as well as the sea levels of the Gulf from prehistory to the present time.

“The submerged landscapes and shipwrecks around Qatar represent an unexplored cultural resource and require specialised scientific studies and research to study further. Exploring them will help establish his-torical and archaeological resources about marine life in Qatar, as well as

highlighting Qatar’s heritage and the customs, behaviours, and architectural characteristics of the country’s tradi-tional coastal habitats. This will instill a sense of national belonging for the people of Qatar, promote general knowledge, and provide a chance for audiences to discover Qatar’s culture and archaeology,” said QM’s Acting Chief Archaeology Officer Dr Ali Jassim Al Kubaisi.

During the first phase of the project which was launched last May, the team conducted surveys of known submerged marine archaeological heritage sites, identifying a number of shipwrecks in many areas using state-of-the-art technologies on board the RV Janan vessel. The results included discovering shipwrecks in the north of Qatar which were recorded and documented on 3D high resolution images.

These results contribute to the enhancement of marine archaeolog-ical sites both in Qatar and across the region. Additionally, they help increase

the awareness and interest of Qataris in the sunken monu-ments and marine heritage, while at the same time; enhance the tour-istic experience in Qatar through cre-ating open marine museums. In addi-tion, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization (Unesco) encour-ages States to focus

studies on submerged monuments and the significant implications that they show about ancient people and settlements.

Describing the survey, QM’s Dr Ali Al Kubaisi, said: “Qatar’s rich and extensive maritime past is an impor-tant feature of our country’s progress and development. This maritime archaeology survey will shed new light on key aspects of our cultural heritage. It is the latest example of the steps we are taking to preserve and protect Qatar’s proud history, and celebrate and share it as widely as possible with the local community.”

Archaeological projects of this nature fulfil QM’s aim to manage, con-serve, protect and enhance a wide range of sites of historical significance across the country. They also support QM’s vision to turn heritage sites into an inspiration for future generations by allowing them to re-visit their past, and helping them remember their ancestors’ skills, wisdom and heritage.

A team conducting maritime archaeology survey.

Six jewellery pieces crafted by Qataris to be auctioned at DJWE RAYNALD C RIVERA

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Six bespoke jewellery pieces crafted by young Qatari designers will be auctioned at the upcoming 15th Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) in partnership with AlBahie Auction House, organisers announced yesterday.

Starting bid for each piece is QR30,000 and all proceeds will go to Education Above All (EAA) foundation, Jennifer Bishop, Director of AlBahie Auction House, told reporters at a press briefing yesterday at AlBahie Auction House.

This is the first time AlBahie is taking part at DJWE through the charity auction to be held on February 25 as a way of sup-porting the six participants of the Young Qatari Designers (YQDs) initiative which is now on its second year.

“One of Al Bahie’s main cul-tural missions is to contribute to education and to the cultural

scene in Doha so to partner with DJWE for this charity auction and working with the Young Qatari designers fit so well with our cul-tural mission,” said Bishop.

Asked on the choice of charity to benefit from the auc-tion, Bishop said: “Education Above All was selected because DJWE and Al Bahie share the same mission of education, to start nurturing creative talents at a young age and helping them establish themselves on the international market. All of us involved share that commitment to education,” she explained.

One of the interesting pieces, which will be auctioned, is a pair of earrings by Ghand Jewellery called “Mihrab”, which is inspired by the Qibla wall. The diamond and white gold earrings were designed as tops of curving archways with suspending lines of baguette and round-cut dia-monds set in 8.61 grams of white gold with 2.74 carat white diamonds.

“This piece is called ‘Mihrab’ because it is inspired by the Qibla

wall. The first word in the Holy Qur’an is ‘iqra’ which means ‘read’ and all of the proceeds of the auction will be going to edu-cation,” said Hissa Al Mannai, who together with her sister Jawaher will be joining YQDs for the first time.

Al Ghla Jewellery will present “Tiara” as their signature piece, set in yellow gold with the out-line of the State of Qatar in mother of pearl amongst star-bursts of rubies. Leila Issam Fine Jewellery will showcase “Ombres”, a pair of white gold diamond and pink sapphire ear-rings each designed as tops of round and petal-shaped sap-phires with yellow diamonds suspending a line of white dia-monds and terminating in round- and petal-shaped pink

sapphires. “Qatar,” is Nouf Jew-ellery’s item for the auction, a Qatari flag inspired white gold hinged-bracelet with 2.05 carat round-cut diamonds and 11.80 carat rubies, totalling 684 stones set in 36.85 grams of white gold. Hairaat’s “Sleeping Beauty,” is a pair of drop earrings each designed as tops of oval-cut nat-ural turquoise framed by round-cut diamonds suspending a single Tahitian pearl. And finally, Ghada Al Buainain Jewellery has designed “Pipe in Gold,” a white gold necklace erupting in a spec-tacular cluster of pearls and diamonds.

The Young Qatari Designers initiative is patroned by Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, and returns to DJWE 2018 as part of its com-mitment to nurturing young talent and creativity.

The YQDs eagerly awaiting their opportunity to shine along-side exclusive pieces from the world’s most prestigious jewel-lery and watch brands include

Nada Al Sulaiti (Hairaat); Nouf Al Meer (Nouf Jewellery); Ghada Al Buainain; Leila Abu Issa (Leila Issam Fine Jewellery); Shikha Mohamed (Al Ghla Jewellery); and Jawaher & Hissa Mohammed Al Mannai (Ghand Jewellery).

DJWE 2018 will take place

from February 21 to 26 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), featuring more than 400 brands from over 10 countries bringing an extensive display of classic and contem-porary luxury collections by internationally-recognised brands and designers.

Graduation of new recruits

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah attended the Colleges and Institutes Authority Graduation of new recruits. The Chief of Colleges and Institutes Authority, Major General Hamad bin Ahmed Al Nuaimi, and senior officers of the Armed Forces were also present. The institute celebrated the graduation of 941 students who attended the 88th founding course. The Commander of Recruits Training Institute, Brigadier Rashid bin Nasser Ali Al Fuhaid Al Hajri, said the course has availed training for the new recruits and focused on discipline, obedience to orders, equipping with knowledge and fighting skills, and put emphasis on endurance, fitness and archery.

FROM LEFT: Nada Al Sulaiti, Leila Abu Issa, Hissa Al Mannai and Ghada Al Buainain. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

Starting bid for each piece is QR30,000 and all proceeds will go to Education Above All (EAA) foundation.

HMC cautions public on heating practicesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has cautioned the public on heating practices to help them stay warm and safe, during the cold weather.

“With the cold weather, some residents have begun using additional means to stay warmer at home and at bath time. Unfortunately, this may lead to a rise in the number of patients with inju-ries from their heating systems. These include scald injuries, electrical or contact burns from fire or gas heaters and even serious flame burns from house fires,” said Dr Rafael Consunji, Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Pro-gram (HIPP), which is the community outreach arm of the Hamad Trauma Center.

According to Dr Consunji, electrical burns and fires are more likely to happen with the incorrect use of electrical appliances for heating, while scald burns most often happen when bathing or cooking with hot liquids. He said, “Most victims of scald burns are very young or the eld-erly, because they are unable to physically remove themselves from the scalding liquid’s path, and because their skin is generally much thinner and more sensitive to high temperatures.

They can sustain severe scald burns within a few seconds, and in recent weeks we have seen an increase in the number of infants seeking treat-ment for scald burns.”

The HIPP recommends some precautions when using electrical or space heaters, including to purchase an electrical or space heater from a reputable store and check it is ‘UL’ certified or equivalent to ensure it meets international stand-ards for safety.

Plug only one heat-producing appliance (such as a space heater or portable radiator) into one electrical outlet at a time; electrical heaters are high-power devices that must be plugged directly into a wall outlet. Plugging them into an exten-sion cord can cause the fuse to blow, or worse, overheat and melt devices or wiring, which can lead to a house fire.

Have a one-meter wide designated ‘kid-free zone’ around open fires and space heaters and make sure that automatic timers on heaters are working properly and remember to always turn portable heaters off when leaving any room or before going to bed. Dr Consunji also says that parents and caregivers should avoid carrying a child and a hot beverage at the same time to avoid scald burns.

MoI tips to avoid fire accidentsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: With the aim of raising awareness among community and mini-mising fire accidents during the winter as many people use electric heaters or wood and coal for heating purposes which may lead to fire breakout, the Ministry of Interior has issued some safety tips and requirements.

During a purchase of a heater, people should

choose one with good quality and make sure the quality of its electrical fittings.

Also to avoid over-loading of the heater than its capacity, said the state-ment from the Ministry of Interior.

Do not place the heater in the corridors, near quick flammable materials, or at easy reach of the children, and do not leave the heater switched on when you go to sleep,

it further says.During the camping

trip, setting the fire inside the tent or the mobile accommodation unit for the purpose of heating is one of the reasons of fire incidents.

For this reasons, the Ministry of Interior has advised people to not leave the source of fire turned on while sleeping in the tent and the need to take all necessary fire pre-vention measures.

06 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018HOME

Qatar, Vietnam celebrate 25 years of tiesRAYNALD C RIVERA

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Critically acclaimed Vietnamese film “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” was screened on Tuesday at the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara to kick off the year-round celebration of the 25th anni-versary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Qatar.

Vietnam’s entry to last year’s Oscars, the 2015 film directed by Victor Vu was based on a on the award winning and best- selling novel “I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” by Nguyen Nhat Anh. Set on a breathtaking Viet-namese countryside village, this coming-of-age film tells the story of love, friendship and brotherhood. “On February 8, 1993, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the State of Qatar established diplomatic relations. Today, the screening of “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” is the first activity to open the year

of celebration of 25th anniversary of the establishment diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Qatar,” said Vietnamese Ambas-sador Nguyen Dinh Thao.

Addressing the audience including Katara General Manager, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, representatives of dip-lomatic missions and members of the community, the envoy outlined the various events planned out throughout the year-long celebration.

“As part of the 25th year cel-ebrations, a wide variety of cul-tural activities including movie screening, photo exhibitions, Vietnamese cultural and cuisine Festival, cultural performances will be organised throughout of the year to promote cultural diversity and artistic collabo-ration between the two countries. On this occasion, allow me to extend my sincere thanks to Katara for supporting us in organising these events,” he said.

He stressed that bilateral ties had made significant improve-ments in the last 25 years and

that he looks forward to more further steps in time to come.

He cited important high level exchange visits which had been instrumental in further strengthening the relationship between Vietnam and Qatar including the official visit to Vietnam of Father Emir H H

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2012 and the official visit to Qatar in 2014 of Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Prime Min-ister, who is now the Prime Min-ister of Vietnam.

“A number of agreements and MoU have been signed which have created framework

for bilateral cooperation in many fields such as politics, economic, investment, labour, and education. With the attention of leaders of the two countries, the relations between Vietnam and Qatar will be more developed and strengthened in the coming years,” he added.

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Thao (third left), Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (fourth left) and other officials at the screening of “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” at Katara on Tuesday.

Ashghal launches campaign for External Road NetworkTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Public Works Authority, ‘Ashghal’ in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior has launched an educational campaign for the new completed External Road Network.

The campaign aims to introduce to road users the new options for mobility and high traffic flow as well as short-ening the journey times from one area to another. The network will eliminate the need to pass through the internal roads of Doha through providing addi-tional option to travel between the southern and northern areas in Qatar.

This awareness campaign aims to promote and encourage road users to identify alternative new routes to their usual destinations and to experience the new developed roads, said a statement.

The external expressway road network, opened over the past year, is witnessing an increase in the traffic volumes, especially with the roads in Doha undergoing extensive construction work recently such as Umm Lekhba Intersection (Landmark).

This will ease the pressure on these roads within Doha, especially during the coming period, which will witness an increase in the pace of implementation of the construction work in order to improve the traffic flow within Doha and

reduce the journey times between dif-ferent areas.

Ashghal aims to encourage the use of new roads to travel between the southern and northern areas in the country. The Orbital Highway act as one of the most important routes in this network with the high traffic flow, direct access to vital destinations, and link with most of expressways within the network in addition to reducing the journey times significantly.

Ashghal is currently working to increase the efforts on the directional signs, which will facilitate access to the new external expressways and thus to the desired destinations. This will be implemented through a new committee formed by Ashghal in coordination with other concerned parties.

The committee will review all the directional signs installed in the com-pleted and ongoing road projects as well as the planned signs for future projects

that are yet to be executed, to ensure the precision of the written names and locations of signs and the importance of signage and destinations written on the signs.

Positive feedback received from road users regarding shortening the journey times, enhancing traffic flow, road safety level has been shared by Ashghal in which commuters are com-mending the External Road Network.

Engineer Azizi said: “I use the New Orbital Highway daily to reach the precast yard I manage which is located on Wukair road 1, I found a great improvement in the new layout (Wukair Road 1) as it is wider and safer as well since it became 2 lanes in each direction instead of 1 lane with proper street lighting, I used to drive through Al-Wukair road old layout at 5:00 pm and there was always heavy traffic con-gestion before, but after the new layout, the congestion was really reduced as

well as the travel time. I can thank Ashghal for Wukair road 1 enhancement, as currently our trucks can transfer the segments in shorter time and safer trip.”

Another resident Samir Sabry said: “I stay in Ezdan Al Wukair, I am an engineer in Hamad Port, I travel daily using Mesaieed road heading to Hamad Port, the new entrances to the port saved our time and cars, before it was only one entrance and uneven road, we used to access in a long queue of cars and waste our time, but the new layout of 4 lanes in each direction eases the traffic flow to the Port, it is a real positive improvement and change, I see it will help Hamad Port to achieve its goal.”

“I work in Qatar Petroleum and I use Hamad Port road on daily basis to reach our farm, I would like to thank you for that new constructed road because we used to drive through the desert to reach the farm in the darkness, Hamad Port road provided us 4 lanes in each direction and enough street lighting and guardrails for safe driving, now we reach our farm safely and faster,” said Salem Al Marri.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Jassim Al Thani said: “I stay in Al Wukair, I was not using Al Wukair road to reach Al Kharrara, I would like to say that we can feel and touch a great positive change in the road network, I recently used Al

Wukair road 1 to Al Kharrara, and I found that the new layout helped a lot in saving our time by reducing the travel time and distance as well, there is a great improvement in all the safety conditions on the road with making the new layout 2 lanes instead of 1 lane as well as pro-viding it with enough street lighting for optimum vision during the night, we are waiting for the remaining part of the road. I have also got a positive response from my camps’ managers in Al Wukair regarding the new layout, because it saved the time of the labours to reach their camps safely as well.”

Engineer George Samy, a resident of South Wukair Ezdan compounds said: “The new established project of the southern part of Doha Highway is ben-efiting all the south Al Wukair area res-idents. Ezdan compound residents are waiting for the full opening of IC-11A Exit towards Al Wakra. This opening will enable road users to have smooth access to South Al Wakra area.”

Abdullah Ismail from Al Waseef management of Barwa Village said: “The Public Works Authority Ashghal played a pivotal role at improving traffic flow and connectivity from Barwa village to the old airport area and F-Ring Road as well as to the southern area of Wakra. The signs and direction for all accesses from and to Barwa village are clear.”

Discover Qatar and QTA enhance city & desert toursTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Discover Qatar, the desti-nation management subsidiary arm of Qatar Airways, has announced a new selection of pre-bookable city and desert tours for passengers transiting through Qatar, making it one of the world’s leading inbound tourism providers for transit passengers.

The Discover Qatar Transit Tours allow all passengers with a transit time at Hamad Interna-tional Airport (HIA) of five–12 hours to choose from a range of activities to help them experience Qatar during their stopover.

The renowned city tours, ini-tially launched in 2015, have been hugely popular with passengers transiting through HIA. In a move to provide more options, Discover Qatar has revamped and enhanced its transit tours, offering a wide variety of new exciting excursions. They now include the popular Doha City Tour, in addition to a ‘Monster Bus Desert Experience,’ Private Desert Safari, Stop & Shop and chauffeur services for passengers who wish to explore Qatar at their own pace.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “As the national carrier of the State of Qatar, we are very proud to be playing our part in the growth of Qatar’s tourism industry, in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA). With our new and enhanced pre-bookable Discover Qatar Transit Tours, Qatar now offers one of the finest transit packages glo-bally to suit every traveller’s taste”.

“The city and desert tours will allow our passengers to enjoy every step of their journey with us, and we hope to see more of our passengers booking and taking part in these tours, to experience Qatar’s renowned hospitality, culture and heritage,

and the vibrant city of Doha, before connecting to one of more than 150 destinations that we serve on our expanding global network.”

Qatar Airways passengers who wish to take the advantage of the Discover Qatar Transit Tours can pre-book on Discover Qatar’s web-site: http://discover-qatar.qatarairways.com/transit-tours or visit the Discover Qatar Transit Tours desk at Hamad International Airport with their valid passports and boarding passes for their onward travel.

Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting Chairman of QTA, said: “Our partnership with Qatar Airways to introduce these transit tours, as well as the 96-hour free transit visa which was brought into effect last year, all come as part of our efforts to diversify and grow Qatar’s visitor source markets. New developments such as these are guided by the next chapter of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2017-2023, which is focused on enhancing the end-to-end expe-rience for travellers who are either en route to another country or have chosen Qatar as their destination”.

An image of the promotion.

Music takes centre stage at QNL this monthTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar National Library (QNL), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has a full schedule of events planned throughout the month of February, including an evening of classical music with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra is also a member of QF and flutist Aleksandr Haskin, along with an ensemble of string players, will perform a variety of music including tangos, flute show-pieces, and Michel Legrand’s exquisite song ‘You Must Believe in Spring’ at QNL’s special events area on February 15. The concert is part of the ‘Philharmonic at the Library’ series.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Qatar Phil-harmonic Orchestra to give the community an opportunity to hear the music of some of the greatest composers in history, played by Doha’s world-class musicians,” said Dr Nouf Khashman, Outreach and Community Engagement Manager, QNL.

Aspiring musicians can also take advantage of QNL’s ‘Intro-duction to the Music Studio’ course on February 24, which will offer QNL members the chance to play musical instru-ments, and make use of the recording equipment and software at the library’s ‘Inno-vation Station’. On February 9, young musical talent from Qatar Music Academy will perform at QNL, showcasing their skills in both Western and Arabic music.

In addition to the music-themed events, QNL will con-tinue to advance its mission to expand librarianship across Qatar when it hosts several workshops for elementary and secondary school librarians. The courses will help school librarians acquire new skills to better assist students and advance their careers. On Feb-ruary 23, QNL will also host a public forum exploring the role of public libraries in facilitating environmental-related sus-tainable development goals in Qatar. In this regard, QNL recently signed a Memo-randum of Understanding with the Joaan Bin Jassim Joint Command and Staff College Library.

The campaign aims to introduce to road users the new options for mobility and high traffic flow as well as shortening the journey times from one area to another. The network will eliminate the need to pass through the internal roads of Doha through providing additional option to travel between the southern and northern areas in Qatar.

Eight schools to be opened in next academic year

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The announcement came in

a meeting chaired by Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater with the principals of middle and high schools on the occasion of the start of the sec-ond semester of the academic year and preparation for the next academic year.

Al Khater explained that stu-dents who are candidates for Qatar Science and Technology School will be qualified through a programme that includes studying English in the Brit-ish Council, then improving their performance in science and mathematics and sending them to the United States to visit Thomas Jefferson School as one of the outstanding schools in STEM system.

Director of School Affairs Department at the Ministry, Khalifa Al Durham, said that an electronic system, which will be adopted as a new service for parents and schools and the system will introduce the pres-ence and absence of students on the National Student Infor-mation System (NSIS) starting from the second semester. He said the ministry would also

activate the service centres rais-ing their number to five centres and would also issue a direc-tory of inquiries concerning the transfer and registration of stu-dents and their dissemination to schools.

Director of Teacher Affairs, Ahmed Jumaa Jassimani, said that the administration is work-ing to fill the teaching positions, which remained vacant for vari-ous reasons such as the opening of new schools or the resigna-tion of a number of teachers, or reaching retirement age, termi-nation or transfer of the services of some teachers for poor per-formance and other reasons.

Director of Special Edu-cation and Gifted Students Department, Hanadi Al Khater, spoke about a number of developments in the area of competence management and the addition of 13 schools to the existing 50 schools.

Al Khater noted that the registration of students with disabilities, according to the regularization of their proce-dures is issued annually by the Department of Schools Affairs as well as the completion of the organisation of school support teams.

07THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Seeking travel permit

Saudi, UAE betrayed Yemen: Nobel laureateREUTERS

DUBAI: Yemeni Nobel Peace laureate Tawakkol Karman called for an end to what she says is a mili-tary occupation of her country by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), powerful Arab states she accuses of repressing democratic change in the region.

An outspoken rights advo-cate and activist with Yemen’s main Islamist party, Karman won the prize in 2011 after camping out in a tent for months in pro-democracy protests that eventually forced Yemen’s vet-eran autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

As in other lands shaken by Arab Spring uprisings that year like Syria and Libya, Yemen descended into a war which drew in foreign powers, seeming to dash the dreams of progress by the thousands who took to Sanaa’s makeshift “Change Square.” A Saudi-led military coa-lition, backed by US weapons and intelligence, joined the Yemen conflict after Iran-aligned Houthis seized much of the country in late 2014 and eventually drove the government into exile in Saudi Arabia.

“The Saudi-Emirati occupa-tion ... betrayed the Yemenis and sold them out, exploiting the coup of the Houthi militia backed by Iran on the legitimate govern-ment, to exercise an ugly occu-pation and greater influence”, Karman said by phone in an inter-view from her base in Istanbul.

She alleged that the President, Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, along with other top officials, were being kept under “house arrest”

by Riyadh and prevented from governing on the ground in order to preserve Saudi and UAE influence.

Officials from the Saudi-led coalition and the UAE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Yemeni govern-ment official denied her charges.

The coalition says their cam-paign was launched at Hadi’s request and aims at restoring his rule and Yemen’s future as a uni-fied state in line with UN resolu-tions. But Karman says Saudi Arabia and the UAE, monarchies where the state and ruling fami-lies are intertwined, seek to seek to turn back the clock on political progress in Yemen and abroad.

“They regard the Arab Spring as their first enemy and this is a strategic error they have fallen into ... I call on the two countries to reconcile with the Arab Spring, not to clash with it, because the future is a future of change, and the wheel of history does not roll backward.”

Brooking little public dissent at home, the two Gulf countries watched the region’s upheavals in 2011 with concern and sought

to deny any political advantage to the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist party with branches across the Arab world they had designated as a terrorist organisation.

Karman was a top official of the Islah party, seen as Yemen’s branch of the Brotherhood, until her public break with the coali-tion in a speech on Friday led it to freeze her membership.

“Who’s freezing whom?” she asked. “The vast majority of our people agree with me.” Perhaps paradoxically, however, Yemen’s Islamist Islah is the Saudi-led coa-lition’s main ally in the war against the Houthi movement, in a conflict which has laid bare some of the region’s most knotted struggles over ideas and geopol-itics. Karman has in recent years lived in Qatar and now in Turkey. Politics at home may be even more vexing than the struggles abroad, however, as deadly clashes divided the Saudi-led coa-lition’s main Yemeni allies against the Houthis this week.

Chemical weapons watchdog voices concern over SyriaANATOLIA

THE HAGUE: An international chemical weapons watchdog expressed “grave concern” yesterday over the alleged use of such prohibited weapons in Syria.

In a statement, the Organi-zation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the agency’s fact-finding mis-sion would continue investi-gating “all credible allegations and provide reports” over the alleged used of chemical weapons in Syria.

The mission’s report will take into account corroboration between interviewee testimo-nies, open-source research, medical reports and other rel-evant documentation as well as

the characteristics of any sam-ples obtained by the mission, it said.

OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu said: “Any use of chemical weapons is a viola-tion of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the hard-won international norm prohibiting these weapons. “Those respon-sible for their use must be held accountable. These abhorrent weapons have no place in the world today,” Uzumcu added.

On Monday, the US State Department said it is “gravely alarmed” over reports of chem-ical attacks by the Syrian regime.“The United States is gravely alarmed by continued allegations of the use of chlo-rine gas by the Syrian regime

to terrorise innocent civilians, this time in Idlib province near Saraqib,” it said in a statement.

Emphasizing that the attack is the sixth reported instance in the past 30 days in Syria, the State Department urged the international community to demand Syria cease using chemical weapons.

Located in northern Syria near the Turkish border, Idlib was declared a de-escalation zone, according to a cease-fire agreement last May reached in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

The Syrian regime, however, has repeatedly violated the deal and has targeted residential areas in opposition-held, no-tension zones like Idlib.

Nigeria to send troops to restive central statesAFP

ABUJA: Nigeria’s army yesterday said it would send troops into the country’s volatile central states to quell violence between farmers and herders that has killed hundreds in recent weeks.

Major General David Ahmadu said the deployment from February 15 would crack down on “herdsmen/farmers clashes and attacks on innocent members of our communities, particularly in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa state by armed militias”.

The operation will also target “armed banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling” in Kaduna and Niger, plus other crimes in Kogi, he added.

Ahmadu, who is the army’s head of training and operations, said criminal activities had “con-tinued unabatedly in these states despite the efforts by sister secu-rity agencies to curb them”. There was no immediate indication of the number of troops involved.

But Ahmadu said operations would include “raids, cordon and search operations, anti-kidnapping drills, road blocks, check points

and show of force as well as humanitarian activities”.

Amnesty International said last week that 168 people had been killed in communal violence between herders and farmers this year alone, with about a hundred in Benue state.

The global watchdog warned the violence was “spiralling” out of control. The International Crisis Group warned in a report pub-lished last September said some 2,500 people were killed on both sides in 2016.

It warned the conflict was becoming “as potentially dan-

gerous as the Boko Haram insur-gency in the northeast”.

Political opponents of Presi-dent Muhammadu Buhari have seized on the issue because of his perceived inaction towards the violence -- and his own ethnicity. Like the herders, Buhari is an ethnic Fulani from the mainly Muslim north, while the farming communities are in the largely Christian south.

The police have also been accused of not doing enough to end the violence, which has seen tit-for-tat attacks between farmers and herders.

Kenya’s chief justice warns government to respect the lawNAIROBI: Kenya’s chief justice yesterday criticised the government’s recent defiance of a series of court orders — actions that he said “threaten the rule of law.” In a rare public statement, David Maraga — who rose to interna-tional attention last September when he annulled Kenya’s presidential election -- warned that government’s refusal to comply with various court orders over the last week undermined the constitution. “In the last few days there have been worrying developments in the administration of justice that threaten the rule of law,” Maraga said. “The recent disregard of court orders is an act that is not only inimical to the rule of law but is also completely at odds with Kenya’s constitutional outlook.” “Compliance with court orders is not an option for any individual or insti-tution. Neither is it a favour to be doled out to the Judi-ciary. Rather, it is a crucial matter of constitutional and civic obligation,” he said. Maraga did not specify the orders that have been defied. But since opposition leader Raila Odinga had himself sworn-in as “people’s president” during a mock inauguration ceremony on January 30 the government has ignored court orders on media freedom and the arrest of an opposition figure.

Turkey okays extended force in Gulf of AdenANKARA: Turkey’s parliament yesterday okayed the extension of Turkish forces serving in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia, and the Arabian Sea. Parliament ratified a motion extending authorisation of the deployment through Feb. 10, 2019. Since it was first approved by parliament in 2008, the Prime Ministry motion for the deployment has been extended 10 times. The Gulf of Aden — near Yemen and close to the world’s fourth-biggest chokepoint for oil transit, the Bab el-Mandab strait — is a strategic energy route for Middle Eastern crude oil.

Turkish police arrest 58 FETO suspectsANTALYA: At least 58 people were arrested for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in counter-terror operations across the country, police sources said. FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, according to the Turkish government.

In southern province of Antalya, police arrested 25 suspects as part of a probe into FETO by Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

A man runs after an airstrike in the besieged town of Douma in eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria, yesterday.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman

A Palestinian man cries as he asks for a permit to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing after it was opened by Egyptian authorities for humanitarian cases, in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday.

Palestinian martyred in West Bank knife attackANATOLIA

HEBRON: A Palestinian was martyred by Israeli forces after an alleged stabbing attack in the Israeli-occupied West Bank yesterday, according to Palestinian Health Ministry.

Hamzah Zamara, 19, was martyred after he was shot dead by Israeli sol-diers near the southern West bank city of Hebron, the ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli army, for its part, said the Palestinian was killed after he stabbed and lightly wounded a security guard in the com-munity of Karmei Tzur in Hebron. The Palestinian territories have remained dogged by tension since US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on December 6.

The move has trig-gered world outcry and sparked angry protests in the Palestinian territories — and multiple clashes

with Israeli troops — that have left at least 25 Pales-tinians dead.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces rounded up 17 Pal-estinians in overnight raids in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to a Palestinian NGO.

Seven people were arrested by Israeli forces after raiding their homes in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement.

“Ten others were detained in raids on their homes in the northern West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem, it added.

The Israeli army fre-quently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns in the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

According to Pales-tinian official figures, more than 6,400 Palestinians are currently held in detention facilit ies throughout Israel.

Endgame looms for Jacob ZumaJOHANNESBURG: African National Congress (ANC) leader Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday that he was holding direct talks with Jacob Zuma over a transition of power, the strongest indication to date that the South African pres-ident will step down after years of scandal. Zuma, in power since 2009 and beset by corruption allegations, has been in a weakened position since Deputy President Ramaphosa replaced him as ANC leader in December. Ramaphosa has talked of a transition of power since he took over as leader of the ANC. The 75-year-old Zuma has been South Africa’s most controversial president since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, overseeing a tumultuous nine years marked by economic decline and numerous allegations of corruption. In a statement, Ramaphosa said he and Zuma began the talks on Tuesday night and hoped to conclude their discussions and report back to country “in coming days” - the first official confirmation of the talks between the two leaders. Ramaphosa said the process was an opportunity to conclude the matter without causing discord in the country.

“The Saudi-Emirati occupation ... betrayed the Yemenis and sold them out, exploiting the coup of the Houthi militia backed by Iran on the legitimate government, to exercise an ugly occupation and greater influence”, Karman said in an interview from her base in Istanbul.

The real estate sector in Qatar is gaining momentum. The approval of a draft law that allows non-Qataris to own real estate as well as the entry of a large number of

citizens from foreign countries has helped boost the sector in a huge way. Qatar’s real estate sector witnessed a high growth rate, both in terms of value and numbers last year despite the unjust blockade imposed since June last year. The blockade has helped Qatar undergo an economic transformation which resulted the state establishing the foundations of a flexible, independent and open economy.

Leading real estate developer SAK Holding Group noted in a report that the FIFA 2022-related projects are progressing according to the original schedule. The report said the market is expecting an increase in the inflow of investments into the real estate sector, especially housing. The activities in the construction sector will witness a peak during the second half of this year. Continued demand for real estate units is still considered by a large segment of investors and savers as a safe haven because it is an investment capable of protecting initial investment value of assets.

Moreover, construction works for the first phase of Al Mutahidah Towers at The Pearl Qatar has

been completed and United Development Company, the master developer of The Pearl Qatar, has already started selling out the apartments and retail spaces at the iconic towers. Al Mutahidah Towers project consists of 450 high-end apartments and retail space, which is located at Viva Bahriya. Currently, the number of residents in The Pearl Qatar is between 25,000 and 30,000, which include expatriate communities from 54 countries. The number of residents is growing every month with the completion

of new projects. Citing a series of positive macroeconomic

indicators, the report by SAK Holding Group noted that there is a 13.4 percent growth in the number of companies established in Qatar last year. The establishment of 14,639 new companies last year will increase the demand for a variety of units and areas of land, particularly commercial. The post-blockade period witnessed registration of 27 foreign companies. With large number of commercial complexes in various areas nearing completion, growth in commercial areas and retail trade business by about 70 percent is expected.

The real estate sector has weathered the blockade. The market is giving enough signals that it has overcome the impact of the siege. Investors have reposed their faith in Qatari economy. The sector, supported by a series of policy-driven decisions, is staging a turnaround with residential properties expected to increase in the years ahead.

The establishment of 14,639 new companies in Qatar last year will increase the demand for a variety of units and areas of land, particularly commercial.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

08 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018VIEWS

EDITORIAL

Resilient real estate

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I want us to open a new chapter of

our history. I want everyone in the

(French) Republic to be able to claim their identity, their

specificity.

Emmanuel Macron French President

‘Fake news’ and the Trumpian threat to democracy

ISHAAN THAROOR

THE WASHINGTON POST

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

When President Donald Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, his jabs at the

“nasty,” “vicious,” “fake” media earned him audible groans and hisses - even from some non-American reporters in the room. It may have been a new experience for them, but journalists in the United States have become rather depressingly inured to Trump’s diatribes.

That wasn’t always the case.But, starting early in his presidency,

Trump seized upon the words “fake news” and shaped them into a cudgel he inces-santly wields. He has routinely tweeted against the “fake news” media when it has the temerity to fact-check a multitude of erroneous claims he has made; doled out “fake news” awards to outlets whose cov-erage he thinks is helplessly biased against him; and looked on as a series of autocrats and strongmen abroad aped his rhetoric, invoking “fake news” to argue away docu-mented reports of ethnic cleansing, torture and war crimes.

Trump tweeted “So much Fake News is being reported. They don’t even try to get it right, or correct it when they are wrong. They promote the Fake Book of a mentally deranged author, who know-ingly writes false information. The Mainstream Media is crazed that WE won the election!” Trump tweeted “I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in vari-ous categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!” Trump tweeted “FAKE NEWS — A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” A new study, though, restores a bit of clarity to what “fake news” actually represents. Researchers at Oxford University’s Inter-net Institute spent 18 months identifying 91 sources of propaganda from across the political spectrum on social media, which spread what they deemed “junk news”

that was deliberately misleading or masquer-ading as authentic reporting. They then did a deep analysis of three months of social media activ-ity in the United States, stud-ying 13,477 Twitter users and 47,719 public Face-book pages

that consumed or shared this fake news between November 2017 and January 2018.

What they found was a profound imbalance.

“Analysis showed that the distribution of junk news content was unevenly spread across the ideological spectrum,” the insti-tute said in a news release. “On Twitter, a network of Trump supporters shared the widest range of junk news sources and accounted for the highest volume of junk news sharing in the sample, closely fol-lowed by the conservative media group. On Facebook, extreme hard right pages shared more junk news than all the other audience groups put together.” Right-wing critics of mainstream media in the United States would likely recoil at this character-ization and point to what they see as anti-Trump hysteria in mainstream or lib-eral outlets. But the study shows there is no symmetrical equivalence.

“We find that the political landscape is strikingly divided across ideological lines when it comes to who is sharing junk news,” said Oxford researcher Lisa-Maria Neudert in a statement. “We find that Trump supporters, hard conservatives and right-wing groups are circulating more junk news than other groups.” The phe-nomenon is not limited to the United States. Late last year, a team of German research-ers at Hoffenheim University created a fake far-right news site that shared fabricated, sensationalist stories on Facebook about refugees and immigrants. These pieces reached thousands of far-right supporters in Germany, many of whom recirculated the stories. It reflected the willingness of people in ideological echo chambers to believe what they want to believe rather than check or evaluate sources.

It also exposed a problem with social-media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which critics have lambasted as not doing enough to curb the scourge of fraudulent content and “bots” that amplify fake news. “It was striking that our Facebook profile was never questioned — not by Facebook, that is, the institution itself, nor by other users,” said Wolfgang Schweiger, the lead researcher in the project, to the BBC.

Studies like this and the Oxford Inter-net Institute investigation may add to the pressure on tech companies to do better at fighting misinformation spread through their platforms. Facebook and other com-panies are working to better identify fake accounts and stem the damage they might

cause. In Italy, Facebook has contracted a team of independent fact checkers to monitor and debunk fake news ahead of elections next month. On Tuesday, Face-book agreed to a similar arrangement with Mexico’s National Electoral Institute.

But while social media may help rein-force tribal divisions, the “fake news” moment reflects a deeper, intensifying polarisation in the United States and else-where, one that predates Trump’s political rise or even the era of social media as a prime vehicle for delivering information. As Vox’s Matt Yglesias noted in a gloomy essay on the prospect of a looming crisis in American democracy — written well before Trump was elected — the country’s political system is being fundamentally weakened by intensifying ideological divi-sions. Those gaps have made compromise more difficult and emboldened presidents to expand their executive powers.

“Over the past 25 years, it’s set Amer-ica on a course of paralysis and crisis — government shutdowns, impeachment, debt ceiling crises, and constitutional hardball,” Yglesias wrote. “Voters, under-standably, are increasingly dissatisfied with the results and confidence in Ameri-can institutions has been generally low and falling. But rather than leading to change, the dissatisfaction has tended to yield wild electoral swings that exacerbate the sense of permanent crisis.”

In this climate, the proliferation of “fake news” — and the arguments over it — are a mark of a dangerous political degradation. For Trump, it serves as an extension of the same demagogic mind-set that saw him labeling Democrats who did not clap dur-ing his speech as “un-American” and “treasonous.” Analysts point to how such unravelings led to coups and chaos in countries as disparate as Chile and Turkey.

“Some polarisation is healthy, even necessary, for democracy. But extreme polarisation can kill it. When societies divide into partisan camps with pro-foundly different worldviews, and when those differences are viewed as existential and irreconcilable, political rivalry can devolve into partisan hatred,” wrote Har-vard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, authors of the new book “How Democracies Die.” “Parties come to view each other not as legitimate rivals but as dangerous enemies. Losing ceases to be an accepted part of the politi-cal process and instead becomes a catastrophe.”

The unlawful crackdown in KenyaKenyan President

Uhuru Kenyatta could have presided over a

landmark consolidation of democracy last year that would have positioned Kenya for political leadership in Africa. Instead, he is leading the country back toward the autocracy it thought it had left behind. By shutting down media, ignoring court orders and charging peaceful oppo-nents with treason, he is dangerously raising tensions in an already polarized soci-ety and inviting ostracism for his government.

Kenyatta appeared to handily win a presidential election last August against longtime opponent Raila Odinga, but then accepted a ruling by the supreme court invalidating the vote because of procedural irregularities. So far, so good: Kenyatta could have fixed the problems with the voting process, ensured a

free and fair vote, and defeated Odinga again. Instead, he embarked on a vindictive campaign, sponsor-ing legislation to prevent the supreme court from censur-ing future elections and intimidating electoral officials, one of whom fled the country. Odinga and his supporters ended up boycotting the elec-tion, depriving Kenyatta of a convincing mandate.

The situation deteriorated further last week when Odinga elected to stage a demonstration in which he swore himself in as the “peo-ple’s president.”

It was a political stunt that, had Kenyatta ignored it, would have served only to discredit Odinga. Instead, the president warned Kenyan tel-evision stations not to cover the event, then shut down four of them when they did. That was a clear violation of the country’s constitution, and

when a court ordered the sta-tions reopened, the government did not respond. Only on Monday, four days after the court order, were two of the stations allowed back on the air, and there were reports that they had been forced to agree to cover-age restrictions.

Kenyatta meanwhile launched a campaign against key supporters of Odinga. Law-yer Miguna Migunawas arrested in his home on Friday and held incommunicado over the weekend even after a court ordered his release. On Tues-day he was brought before a court outside Nairobi and charged with the crime of attending Odinga’s mock inau-guration, which was characterised as “a capital offense, namely treason.” The passports of 14 other opposi-tion leaders were suspended.

The wave of repression has prompted demonstrations

among Odinga’s supporters in the Luo community. It risks reigniting ethnic violence that killed more than 1,000 people following a 2007 presidential election. That tragedy led to important constitutional and other democratic reforms that Kenyatta is disregarding.

Kenya’s African neighbors and Western donors ought to be demanding that the presi-dent reverse course before it is too late. Last week the State Department issued a statement criticising both Mr Odinga’s auto-inauguration and the shutdown of television stations.

It urged Kenya’s leaders to begin “a national conversa-tion” about “long-standing issues.” That’s a good idea, but it can’t happen if Kenyatta con-tinues his unlawful crackdown. The Trump administration should warn him of US puni-tive actions, including sanctions, if he does not stop.

While social media may help reinforce tribal divisions, the “fake news” moment reflects a deeper, intensifying polarisation in the United States and elsewhere, one that predates Trump’s political rise or even the era of social media as a prime vehicle for delivering information.

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Ethnic politics is not a necessary evil that Ethiopia must live with - it is rather an existential threat. And now, more than ever, it is the time to think about the possible institutional mechanisms that can contribute to transforming politics away from it.

WHEN Lenin Moreno won the presidential election in Ecuador last April, no one expected a political

miracle. The former vice president to Rafael Correa, he won by a narrow margin and seemed to harbor no ambitions beyond warming the throne for his jefe’s presumptive return to the palace in 2021.

What Ecuador got instead was an insur-rection. Just ask Correa: Having done pretty much as he pleased with the impoverished Andean nation for the last decade, the cash-iered caudillo has since watched his protege pick apart his “Citizens Revolution,” reform by reform.

The assault deepened on Sunday, when voters weighed in on a multi-question bal-lot to alter key articles of the constitution, on matters from mining to corruption. The centerpiece of the referendum? Restora-tion of the term limits that Correa, in the tradition of Latin American strongmen, had engineered away in a referendum of his own in 2015. Partial returns Monday morn-ing confirmed polls that renewed term limits were set to pass by a landslide, effec-tively barring Correa from the presidency for life.

Apostasy was the last thing

Ecuadoreans might have expected from Moreno, who is as understated and concil-iatory as Correa was volcanic and brash. But Ecuadoreans like what they’ve seen so far.

Just 10 months into his term, Moreno has reached out to business leaders and opposition parties, ended the feud with media, and cracked down on corrupt offi-cials. Tellingly, he did nothing to protect Vice President Jorge Glas, a Correa confi-dant, who was convicted in December for allowing bribes from the ubiquitous Bra-zilian contractor Odebrecht -- an unmistakable flag to the ethically chal-lenged political establishment.

“The Glas case was a signal to every-one else that they can expect no quarter or special treatment under Moreno,” Aristo-dimos Iliopulos, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told me. “Moreno has shown he’s a brilliant politician. No one expected him to do what he’s done as quickly as he has.” The referendum gave Ecuadoreans the opportunity not only to reset term limits but also to reverse key mileposts of the Bolivarian socialism -- the late Hugo Chavez’s them-against-us, gringo-thrashing political brand -- that enchanted Andean populists even as it poi-soned politics and corroded national institutions. Voters signed onto provisions barring mining and oil drilling in protected zones, blocking officials facing corruption charges from seeking office and curbing the power of the Correa-friendly Citizen Participation Council.

Moreno’s victory on all counts suggests how badly his predecessor’s cachet has faded. Correa once famously answered rumored death threats by tearing open his shirt to offer his chest on a balcony; last month he ducked behind umbrellas as protestors pelted his anti-referendum cam-paign swing with eggs.

Yet don’t hold your breath for an out-burst of Morenismo, a Thermidor of ideological counter-reform. While Moreno has eased tensions with the markets and international lenders, he is no counterrev-olutionary. Rather he’s more of a soft-spoken left-winger, who saw an open-ing and moved quickly to gather power and void Correa’s stranglehold on national institutions.

Morenismo has improved Ecuador’s political outlook, upgraded from a “hybrid regime” to a “flawed democracy” on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Democracy Index. Yet no one is touting Moreno to order public-sector layoffs or aggressive public spending cuts, despite a gaping fiscal deficit amounting to 5.9 percent of gross domestic product, Fitch Ratings reported in a client note. Indeed, by pumping up the national debt, adding another $3 billion just last month, Moreno signaled he has no plans to sacrifice the timid economic recovery to fiscal retrenchment, according to Eurasia Group.

With national debt rising to half of gross domestic product and $8.25 billion in new financing needed through 2018, Ecuador arguably needs more than gradualism. Yet Ecuador’s creditors should bear in mind that Moreno also is struggling against a for-midable political deficit, and he knows that more aggressive adjustment could threaten the fair-weather political alliance he’s relied upon to change course and keep Cor-rea’s camp at bay.

“Moreno took office as a weak presi-dent sitting atop two very strong factions of hardcore Correa supporters, both of whom want power and independence,” Andres Mejia Acosta, a political analyst at King’s College, London, told me. “He’ll have to work hard to avoid becoming a hostage.” Just don’t call him a placeholder.

Ecuador strikes a blow for common sense

MAC MARGOLIS

BLOOMBERG

09THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 OPINION

Moreno has shown he’s a brilliant politician. No one expected him to do what he’s done as quickly as he has.” The referendum gave Ecuadoreans the opportunity not only to reset term limits but also to reverse key mileposts of the Bolivarian socialism.

Managing Ethiopia’s political crisis

ETHIOPIA has been experiencing recurrent mass protests, riots and ethnic conflicts over

the past two years that have claimed the lives of thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

These events have led observers and members of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revo-lutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) to conclude that the very survival of the Ethiopian state is at stake.

State collapse is so far an extreme and unlikely scenario given that the conflicting par-ties are internal actors in the system and have a vested inter-est in its survival. A more likely but still dangerous scenario is a long-term vicious cycle of political conflict and economic stagnation that cripples state and society.

Much of Ethiopia’s appeal to global investors lies in the high-level political commitment to economic growth. Political instability risks eroding the hard-won economic gains it has registered over the past decade.

Analysts and the interna-tional community have often attributed the current crisis either to Ethiopia’s ethnona-tional federal system or the near total curtailment of politi-cal space since the disputed parliamentary elections in 2005.

While political liberalism is a moral imperative on its own accord - and long overdue - it is, nevertheless, an insufficient solution to the political

quagmire that the Ethiopian state finds itself in. The ethnon-ational federation is also not the primary source of the prob-lem, and its abolishment is neither desirable nor a realistic proposition.

The government’s response to the problem has also been inadequate. It has primarily attributed this to corruption and a stalled democratic proc-ess. Based on this diagnosis it has taken important yet inade-quate measures such as releasing political prisoners, initiating dialogue with opposi-tion groups and demoted officials.

Managing Ethiopia’s current political crisis requires going beyond democratic reform and instead thinking about the political economy and institu-tions that shape elite competition along ethnic lines. The two most important reform measures that should be embarked upon immediately in this regard are devolving more power to the regional states in accordance with the Constitu-tion and de-ethnicising elite competition at the federal level.

Ethiopia is suffering from a political economy crisis at the heart of which is the contradic-tion between the EPRDF’s developmental state model and the constitutional ethnona-tional federation. The Constitution grants the regional states extensive rights to self-determination in economic, cultural and political matters even to the extent of secession.

In terms of fiscal autonomy, it provides them with the power to levy a wide range of taxes on economic activities occurring within their territories.

The EPRDF’s governance

model, on the other hand, has been characterised by rigid long-term planning and cen-tralised policy-making. Its primary purpose has been the pursuit of a structural transfor-mation of the economy from an agriculture-dominated to one wherein industry holds a sub-stantial share.

The contradiction between the developmental state and federalism has resulted in the objectives of the latter being compromised.

Regardless of the great lengths to which the Ethiopian constitution goes to grant regional states access to a number of tax instruments, the revenue generating capacity of the regional states has been consistently low due to the cen-tralising tendencies of the developmental state.

This has led the regions to heavily rely on subsidies from the federal government to finance public goods. Moreover, through its many parastatals, the government is encroaching upon what could have been the tax jurisdiction of the regional states.

Regional officials accused the federal government of denying them the right to par-ticipate in devising an urban development plan that had eco-nomic implications. This dispute sparked the protests, which eventually led to a u-turn on the plan by the gov-ernment, but only after a great human, political and economic cost had been incurred.

A combination of a lack of transparency and corruption scandals has led to an increas-ing feeling that Ethiopia’s wealth is not fairly distributed or properly managed at the federal level.

In pursuing a highly cen-tralised development policy-making process, the EPRDF has underestimated the potential consequences of resistance from the general population and officials in regional states that feel disen-franchised by particular policies.

The current quagmire shows that there is a need to balance economic ambitions with political realities. Ethiopia needs to devise a more dynamic approach to

decentralisation that is more responsive to changing political economy conditions.

The regional states currently have virtually no capacity in tax legislation. The federal govern-ment should work with the regional states to remove legal, administrative and political con-straints that have prevented the regions from fully exploiting their powers of taxation. This policy would also contribute to holding the leaderships in the regional states more accounta-ble by their own constituencies.

Competition for power and resources at the federal level has taken place along ethnic lines and much of the violence that shook the country has been tied to disputes between groups within the ruling party. This political elite competition is not an inescapable function of the federal structure, but rather, an outcome of the nature of politi-cal party organisation and practice.

State rents tied to political and bureaucratic appointments have, particularly after the con-troversial 2005 parliamentary elections, been an important incentive for increasing the membership of the ruling party from around 700,000 in 2005 to seven million in 2015.

Given that the four consti-tutive parties of the front are organised along ethnic lines, the distribution of economic and political resources have also taken place through eth-nic-based patronage structures (this includes both the legal dis-tribution of official posts in the government, as well as the illicit benefits accrued through some of these positions).

The distribution of power and resources in everything from seats in the cabinet to leadership positions in univer-sities are often based on an informal ethnic quota system. Any form of inequality that emerges in access to adminis-trative positions, state rents and illicit benefits, therefore, assume a communal ethnic character.

Ethnic politics have in gen-eral also come at the expense of meritocracy and economic effi-ciency. Most importantly, it has also provided the four EPRDF parties with ethnic constituen-cies whose support are almost

guaranteed through the perpetua-tion of a discourse of “ethnic-interests” and fear of other groups. Both conflicts within the EPRDF and with opposition parties are increasingly becoming devoid of substantive policy and ideologi-cal differences and revolve around ethnic group privileges. Sustaina-ble economic development and a functioning democratic and federal governance arrangement will be difficult to achieve in the current ethnicised framework of political competition.

The way forward must, there-fore, involve a de-ethnicisation of competition for resources at the federal level. This is difficult but not impossible. The first and most important step in this direction must be to reorganise the ruling EPRDF from a front composed of four ethnonational organisations into a cross-ethnic and unitary party.

The EPRDF had in its origins an extensively formulated class-based ideology, which explicitly priori-tised the interests of Ethiopia’s peasantry. Over the last decade, its ideological commitment has weak-ened, and it has transformed into a party that tries to cater to various and contradictory interests. This first step will necessitate a different resource and power distribution mechanism within the EPRDF, which will encourage new patron-age structures and alignments within the party that cut across eth-nic lines.

It will thus tame communal con-flicts caused by competition between party officials and it will encourage the formation of opposition to the EPRDF that is cross-ethnic and based on a different ideological platform than nationalism.

GOITOM GEBRELUEL &

BINIAM BEDASSO AL JAZEERA

10 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018ASIA

Bathing a giant A mahout bathes his elephant in the River Yamuna in New Delhi, yesterday.

‘Congress-free India was Gandhi’s idea’IANS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday launched a bitter attack on the Congress party in the Rajya Sabha, saying those opposing the dream of ‘New India by 2022’ want to live with their baggage of the past, and added in a taunt that even he wanted an India of Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams who had envisaged a “Congress-free India”.

Modi also took digs at the Congress party over various alleged scams of distant and recent past and for blocking the triple talaq legislation in Parliament.

“The President has spoken of a New India in his address. Swami Vivekananda also dreamt of a New India. Mahatma Gandhi would also speak of a Young India. I don’t know what is the (Congress party’s) problem with the New India. They say ‘we don’t need New India. We want our older India’,” Modi said as he started his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Pres-ident’s address.

“They say ‘we need Gandhi wala Bharat’ (India of Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams). Even I want Bharat of Gandhi’s dreams,

because Gandhi said after Inde-pendence that now there is no need of the Congress party and it should be dissolved.

“Congress-mukt Bharat Gandhi ka vichar hai hamara nahi (Congress-free India is the idea of Gandhi not ours). We are only trying to walk in his foot-steps,” Modi said in sarcasm, amid thumping of desks and laughter by the treasury members.

“If not New India, do you need India of army jeep scam, of submarine scam, of Bofors scam, of (Agusta) helicopter scam, of Emergency when the country was turned into a jail? Do you need India of the time when thousands of innocent Sikhs were massacred after a

‘big tree’ fell? Do you need India of the time when the culprit of thousands of deaths was pro-vided an airplane to fly out of country (after Bhopal gas tragedy)?” Modi said, in an attacking mode.

The “big tree” jibe was a reference to former Prime Min-ister Rajiv Gandhi’s remarks who, reacting to the anti-Sikh violence in Delhi in the wake of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, reportedly said that when a “big tree falls”, the ground beneath was bound to shake. “Is this why you don’t need New India?” Modi said.

He said his government was being labelled as “name changer not game changer”, but actually it was an “aim chaser” government that works hard and mobilizes resources to achieve its targets in a given timeframe.

Raking up the triple talaq Bill that is pending in the Rajya Sabha, Modi said that the Con-gress now wants changes in the Bill but it never brought such legislation while in govern-ment. “You now want changes in Bill. You had got an oppor-tunity to bring this legislations 30 years ago,” Modi said.

India ‘not occupiers, but liberators’: NasheedIANS

MALE: In a rebuff to China for warning India to keep off from interfering in the Maldives, the Indian Ocean nation’s exiled ex-President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday reiterated his appeal to India to intervene, saying his countrymen view New Delhi’s role “positively” and during the 1988 crisis India were “not occu-piers but liberators”.

Nasheed said in a tweet: “Saying ‘resolve things internally’ is akin to asking us to escalate the revolt, which can lead to chaos. Maldivians see India’s role positively: in ‘88 they came,

resolved the crisis, and left. They were not occupiers but libera-tors. This is why Maldivians look to India now.” The tweet by Nasheed, a friend of India, came as China, in apparent reference to India, on Wednesday cau-tioned against outside interfer-ence in the Maldives’ internal affairs, saying it would “compli-cate” the situation.

On Tuesday, Nasheed, who lives in self-exile in Britain, had asked India to intervene mili-tarily to help resolve the bur-geoning crisis in his archipelago nation which is under a state of Emergency clamped by Presi-dent Abdulla Yameen.

“On behalf of Maldivian people we humbly request: 1. India to send envoy, backed by its military, to release judges and political detainees including President Gayoom. We request a physical presence. 2. The US to stop all financial transactions of Maldives regime leaders going through US banks,” he had tweeted on Tuesday.

India had in a strong state-ment said that it is “disturbed” by the situation in the Maldives where the Supreme Court Chief Justice and another senior judge has been jailed and emergency clamped. Yameen clamped emergency days after the apex

court in a ruling last Thursday ordered the release of nine polit-ical prisoners, including Nasheed, and the reinstatement of 12 legislators who were unseated for defecting from the ruling party and annulled the apex court’s previous ban on floor-crossing.

In more tweets on Wednesday, Nasheed said: “President Gayoom and the Judges must be released imme-diately. I am told President Gayoom is not taking food, while (jailed Supreme Court) Justice Ali Hameed has been ill treated.” He said “Hon Qasim’s son, Ibrahim, has been arrested. This is clearly

politically motivated. This dis-graceful, illegal arrest must be reversed and he must be imme-diately freed,” Nasheed posted.

Turmoil in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation began when President Yameen refused to release Nasheed along with other nine high-profile political dissidents, in defiance of a Feb-ruary 1 apex court order, sparking protests.

On Monday, Yameen declared a 15-day state of emer-gency, giving sweeping powers to troops to arrest and detain individuals while curtailing the powers of the judiciary and the legislature

Taiwan quake: Seven dead, 67 missingREUTERS

TAIWAN: Rescuers combed through the rubble of collapsed buildings yesterday, in a search for 67 people missing after a strong earthquake which killed at least seven near Taiwan’s popular tourist city of Hualien.

The magnitude 6.4 quake, which hit near the coastal city just before midnight on Tuesday, injured 260 people and caused four buildings to collapse, offi-cials said.

Hualien Mayor Fu Kun-chi said the number of people missing was now close to 70, although an exact figure was not provided. As many as 150 were initially feared missing.

Many of the missing were believed to be still trapped inside buildings, some of which tilted precariously, after the quake struck about 22km northeast of Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast.

At the city’s Marshal Hotel, rescuers trying to free two trapped Taiwanese pulled one out alive, but the other person was declared dead, the govern-ment said. Mainland Chinese, Czech, Japanese, Singaporean and South Korean nationals were among the injured.

“This is the worst earthquake in the history of Hualien, or at least over the past 40 years that I’ve been alive,” said volunteer Yang Hsi Hua.

“We’ve never had anything like this, we’ve never had a

building topple over. Also, it was constantly shaking, so everyone was really scared, we ran to empty open spaces to avoid it.”

Aftershocks with a magni-tude of at least 5.0 could rock the island in the next two weeks, the government said. Smaller tremors rattled nervous resi-dents throughout the day.

Residents waited and watched anxiously as emergency workers dressed in fluorescent orange and red suits and wearing helmets searched for residents trapped in apartment

blocks. Hualien is home to about 100,000 people.

Its streets were buckled by the force of the quake, with around 40,000 homes left without water and around 1,900 without power. Water supply had returned to nearly 5,000 homes by noon, while power was restored to around 1,700 households.

Emergency workers sur-rounded a badly damaged 12-storey residential building, a major focus of the rescue effort. Windows had collapsed and the

building was wedged into the ground at a roughly 40-degree angle. Rescuers worked their way around and through the building while residents looked on from behind cordoned-off roads. Others spoke of the panic when the earthquake struck.

“We were still open when it happened,” said Lin Ching-wen, who operates a restaurant near a damaged military hospital.

“I grabbed my wife and chil-dren and we ran out and tried to rescue people,” he said. A video showed large cracks in the road.

Rescue workers are seen by a damaged building after an earthquake hits Hualien, Taiwan, yesterday.

Bangladesh oppn leader claims innocence ahead of graft verdictAFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh opposi-tion leader Khaleda Zia yesterday proclaimed her inno-cence on the eve of a verdict that authorities fear could spark violence if the former prime minister is jailed for corruption.

Police have banned street protests and rounded up what opposition figures say is thou-sands of their supporters in a crackdown ahead of today’s court ruling in the capital Dhaka.

A guilty verdict could pre-vent Zia, a former ally turned arch-nemesis of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, from contesting a general election slated for December.

Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for Zia — a two-time former prime minister and head of the Bangladesh Nation-alist Party — for allegedly embezzling 21 million taka ($252,000) through a charity trust fund.

On the eve of the verdict the 72-year-old decried the charges as “false” and insisted “not a penny” had been stolen.

“This is an attempt to use the court against me, in an effort to sideline me from pol-itics and elections and to iso-late me from the people,” Zia

said. “I am ready to face all out-comes. I am not afraid of jail or punishment. I am not going to bow down my head.”

Her party’s spokesman Rizvi Ahmed told AFP that “approximately 3,500” oppo-sition activists and officials had been arrested in a sweep by police and other security forces.

A former minister has been detained and a senior official has vanished, raising fears that security forces could be “dis-appearing” key opposition fig-ures in the lead-up to the ver-dict. The national police chief described the arrests as “rou-tine work”.

Political demonstrations by Zia’s centre-right BNP and its Islamist allies in 2014 and 2015 left nearly 200 people dead.

The BNP boycotted 2014 polls in which Hasina was re-elected but is expected to con-test the upcoming general elec-tion. Zia faces dozens of separate charges related to vio-lence and corruption. Her son Tarique Rahman, who is in exile in London, is a co-defendant in the case. He was convicted of money-laundering in 2016. Last month prosecutors sought the death penalty for Rahman over his alleged role in a deadly 2004 grenade attack that injured Hasina.

Quack held for infecting 46 with HIVAFP

NEW Delhi: Indian police yesterday arrested an unli-censed doctor accused of infecting at least 46 people with HIV by re-using a syringe.

Police in Uttar Pradesh tracked down Rajendra Yadav, who provided cheap door-to-door medical serv-ices to poor villagers, after a filing a criminal case against him over the spread of the infection in the northern state’s Unnao district.

“He was arrested on a tip-off and is being questioned about his role in the case,” Unnao police chief Pushpan-jali Devi said. Yadav is facing initial criminal charges of impersonation and endan-gering human lives, the officer said.

Medical instruments were recovered from his posses-sion are being sent for forensic tests.

India has only limited public healthcare services and that, combined with a lack of regulation, has allowed unlicensed doctors to thrive, particularly in rural areas.

PM’s wife injured in road accident; one kin dead ANI

Rajasthan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wife Jashod-aben, got injured in an accident after her car collided with a truck in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district yesterday. Jashodaben’s relative Basant Bhai Modi, 67, died on the spot. Jashodaben was rushed to the hospital, where her condition was said to be stable. The accident took

place while she was returning to Gujarat after visiting her rel-atives in Baran district. According to the police, “The accident took place at around 10am near Katunda area in Chittorgarh district. There were seven people in the car, most of them were believed to be her relatives.”Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said, “Sad to learn about the road accident near Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.”

Modi also took digs at the Congress party over various alleged scams of distant and recent past and for blocking the triple talaq legislation in Parliament.

11THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 ASIA

31 convicted in Pakistan over lynching of studentPESHAWAR: A Pakistani court yesterday convicted 31 people over the campus lynching of a university student who was falsely accused of blasphemy, and sentenced one of them to death, a defence lawyer said.

The killing of student Mashal Khan, 23, last year sparked an outcry and raised fresh questions about the misuse of a blasphemy law, which carries a death sen-tence for insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Barrister Ameerullah Cham-kani said one of the 31 accused had been sentenced to death, five were jailed for life and the other 25 were jailed for four years.

The court acquitted 26 others out of a total of 57 people indicted by a court late last year.

Chamkani said one of the convicts, Imran Ali, had been sentenced to death because he had shot Mashal three times.

The accused were students, teachers and some officials of Abdul Wali Khan University named after a political leader in northwest Pakistan.

They all pleaded not guilty in the trial conducted at a high-security prison due to threats to defence lawyers and government prosecutors, Chamkani said.

Khan was known as an intel-lectually curious and religious student who liked to debate con-troversial social, political and religious issues.

He was attacked and killed by a mob on the campus on April 13 after a dormitory debate about religion.

Blasphemy is a highly sensi-tive issue in Pakistan, where insulting Islam’s Prophet is pun-ishable by death. Even a rumour of blasphemy can spark mob vio-lence and there have been cases of people misusing the law to

settle scores. At least 67 people have been killed over unproven blasphemy allegations since 1990, according to human rights groups.

In 2011, a bodyguard assas-sinated Punjab provincial gov-ernor Salman Taseer after he called for the blasphemy laws to be reformed. His killer, Mumtaz Qadri, who was executed last year, has been hailed as a martyr by religious circles.

A political party founded in Qadri’s honour has made blas-phemy its central issue in the run-up to a general election later this year.

The party last year forced the government to retract within a day a change in electoral laws that it deemed blasphemous.

Party supporters also blocked the main road into Islamabad for nearly three weeks last year in a protest against a law minister they accused of blasphemy. The government eventually gave in, agreeing to an army-brokered deal that included the resignation of the minister.

Khan’s younger brother,

Aimal Khan, told reporters he was not happy about the acquit-tals and his family would decide

whether to challenge the court decision. Khan’s family say they have been threatened since his

death and his two sisters have had to drop out of school while police guard his grave.

REUTERS

Journalists take images of the court verdict against suspects accused in a blasphemy lynching case outside the central jail in Haripur district yesterday.

Duterte again slams EU after criticism of drug warMANILA: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has angrily turned down an invitation to an Asia-Europe summit in Brussels as he again lashed out at the EU and accused the bloc of insulting him over his deadly war on drugs.

The maverick leader labelled the 28-country European Union - the Philippines’ second most important trading partner - ‘stupid’ and warned he would not stay silent in the face of Western condemnation of his anti-crime crackdown.

Europe has been vocal in its criticism of Duterte’s hallmark policy, which has left nearly 4,000 drug suspects dead and seen human rights groups claim he was responsible for a crime against humanity.

Duterte hit out after saying European Council President Donald Tusk had invited him to the biennial Asia-Europe meeting in October.

“I’ve been invited by the EU, that stupid organisation,” Duterte told government workers late Tuesday.

“I said, ‘For what? You thought of me as that kind of

person then, so why change your assessment?’” He continued: “So you get to insult me? I will use that talk on you too. Don’t ever do that to me.” Despite wide-spread criticism over alleged ‘extrajudicial killings’ in the drugs war, Duterte has vowed to pursue the campaign until the end of his six-year term.

The issue had risked threat-ening the duty-free privileges of billions of dollars in annual Phil-ippine exports to the EU, but Brussels announced last month Manila will retain the trade perks.

The EU mission in Manila

confirmed yesterday that Duterte had been ‘invited like other leaders from Asia and Europe’ to the summit, but declined to comment on the president’s latest outburst. Duterte said he was “not like other presidents” and would not take perceived slights in his stride, adding he also disliked travelling.

He recalled an invitation from President Donald Trump to visit the United States, which he said provoked a threat from American senators to protest if he stepped foot on US soil.

“I said, you know guys, you are too presumptuous. Whoever

told you that I would visit your place? What is there to see?” he added.

Duterte has branded Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama with names for criticising his drugs campaign, but enjoys a better rapport with the current Amer-ican leader who also has a rep-utation for being outspoken.

Trump declared at a Manila summit in November he had a ‘great relationship’ with his Phil-ippine counterpart.

However, Duterte also said Tuesday he preferred not to visit places where he would be criti-cised as ‘sexist’ for speaking out.

AFP

One of the 31 accused had been sentenced to death, 5 were jailed for life & the other 25 were jailed for 4 years.

US strikes kill 25 Daesh militants in AfghanistanANATOLIA

KABUL: At least 25 suspected Daesh fighters were killed in US air strikes in Afghanistan’s northern Jawzjan province bordering Turkmenistan, offi-cials said yesterday.

Mohammad Reza, spokesman for the provincial government in Jawzjan, told this news agency, hideouts of Daesh militants in Darzaab district of the province were targeted.

“Twenty-five [Daesh] militants were killed. They included Uzbek, Chechen and Arab militants,” he said, adding there were no civilian casualties.

The strikes were carried out by Boeing B-52 Stratofor-tress, an American subsonic bomber aircraft.

This is the second northern province targeted by the US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) with this mighty bomber this week.

The campaign has been dubbed as “expansion of the US air campaign to the North” by Nato.

The bomber has also been used to hit the Taliban’s alleged poppy processing fac-tories in Helmand province.

Besides the eastern Nan-garhar province bordering Pakistan’s restive tribal belt, Jawzjan has recently emerged as a second strong bastion of pro-Daesh militants in Afghanistan.

Child’s suspected murderer in custodyPakistani police and commandos escort a suspect (centre) who is accused of raping and murdering a minor girl, as they leave an anti-terrorist court in Lahore yesterday, after the case hearing. Pakistani police on January �� arrested a key suspect accused of raping and murdering Zainab Fatima Ameen in a case that enraged the country.

US vows new North Korea sanctions

SEOUL: US Vice President Mike Pence vowed tough new sanc-tions against North Korea and called it the world’s most tyran-nical regime yesterday, two days before he is due to attend the Winter Olympics, along with two of the North’s most senior officials.

Speaking in Tokyo on his way to South Korea, which is hosting the Games over the next three weeks, Pence said he would soon announce the stepped-up sanctions in an effort to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear and mis-sile programmes.

The Games, being staged 80 km from the heavily militarised border between the two Koreas, is set for an awkward political encounter, with Pence as well as the North Korean leader’s younger sister attending Fri-day’s opening ceremony.

South Korea wants to use the event to re-engage with the North and pave the way for talks to resolve a political crisis widely regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous, with US President Donald Trump and Pyongyang swapping nuclear threats.

“I’m announcing today the United States of America will soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of eco-nomic sanctions on North Korea ever,” Pence said after meeting Japanese Prime Min-ister Shinzo Abe. “We will con-tinue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile program once and for all.” Washington is taking a much tougher line on the North than its allies in Seoul, exposing tensions that South

Korean President Moon Jae-in could struggle to conceal at the Olympics.

Pence has voiced scepti-cism that the North, which is participating in the Games, will use the event for crude propa-ganda. As his guest at the opening ceremony, he is taking the father of Otto Warmbier, an American student who died last year after being imprisoned in North Korea for 17 months.

Sitting in the same stadium as VIP guests will be Kim Yo Jong, 28-year-old sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yong Nam, the North’s nominal head of state.

Japan’s Abe, whose nation has been within range of North Korean missiles for decades, will also attend the ceremony.

Kim Yo Jong would be the first member of the Kim family to cross the border to the South. She is a propaganda official and was blacklisted last year by the US Treasury Department over alleged human rights abuses and censorship.

“It shows the North’s resolve to defuse tension on the Korean peninsula,” Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a news briefing.

Pence has not ruled out the prospect of meeting North Korean officials during the Olympics but President Trump has cast doubt on US negotia-tions with Pyongyang any time soon.

“We will not allow North Korea to hide behind the Olympic banner the reality that they enslave their people and threaten the wider region,” Pence said. The White House has also cautioned against reading too much into remarks Pence made en route to Japan.

REUTERS

Canada sells 16 helicopters to Philippines MANILA: The Philippines has bought 16 new Bell helicopters from Canada for about $235m to strengthen its fight against Islamic militants and other domestic insurgencies, defence officials said yesterday.

The two governments announced the deal less than three months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clashed with host President Rodrigo Duterte over Philippine drug war killings, on the side-lines of a Manila summit.

The Philippine defence department signed the 12bn peso ($234.8m) Bell 412EPI deal with the state-run Canadian Commercial Corp, with

deliveries set to start in nine months, ministry spokesman Arsenio Andolong said.

“These are multi-purpose aircraft for anti-terrorism as well as HADR,” he said, using military lingo that refers to dis-aster response and humani-tarian missions.

Philippine troops and police, beset by Islamist and communist insurgencies, fought a five-month battle last year against IS group supporters in the southern city of Marawi.

It is also faced with rising tensions over rival territorial claims in the South China Sea and has been upgrading its navy and air force in recent years. The country is also reg-ularly battered by typhoons.

“These (helicopters) are a real benefit to Filipinos,” Cana-dian ambassador John Holmes said on the mission’s Facebook page, adding it would boost Manila’s “search and rescue and disaster relief capabilities”.

The Philippine defence department acquired eight of the same Bell aircraft model in 2015, which it said went mostly to an air force unit assigned with providing air transport for the Philippine president.

The Filipino military also uses derivations of the Bell-UH-1H helicopter, which first saw service for the US military in the Vietnam War in the early 1960s.

The two governments announced the deal less than

three months after Duterte and Trudeau clashed.

Trudeau said during the November summit that he called out Duterte over “human rights, the rule of law, and spe-cifically extrajudicial killings”. Duterte, who has overseen a crackdown that has left nearly 4,000 drug suspects dead at the hands of the police, later described Trudeau’s comments as “a personal and official insult”, adding he would only answer to his Filipino electorate.

The Philippine government says police only shot the sus-pects in self-defence and rejects human rights monitors’ description of the crackdown as a crime against humanity.

AFP

12 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018EUROPE

German parties reach deal on coalitionAFP

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats sealed a deal yesterday on a new coali-tion, officials said, potentially ending four months of political deadlock in Europe’s top economy.

The parties ironed out their final differences and were ready to sign an agreement for Mer-kel’s fourth term, her chief of staff and acting finance minister Peter Altmaier said, calling it a “good day for our country”.

“We have a coalition agree-ment that will do a lot of positive things for a lot of citizens,” Alt-maier said after he emerged from more than 24 hours of conten-tious talks.

The breakthrough will come as a relief to Germany’s EU part-ners as the bloc faces tough negotiations on migration and Brexit.

Merkel, Europe’s most expe-rienced leader, has seen her standing at home and abroad weakened by the longest stretch of coalition-building in the coun-try’s postwar history.

But before she can be sworn in, a final hurdle looms: the hard-fought “grand coalition” pact between her CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party must still be approved by the SPD’s sceptical rank-and-file .

Germany has been stuck in political limbo since September’s inconclusive general election saw mainstream parties bleed support to the far-right AfD, which tapped into anger over Merkel’s liberal refugee policy.

Merkel, in power for over 12 years, at first tried to cobble together a novel three-way coa-lition with the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats, but those efforts collapsed in November.

Faced with snap elections that could further boost the AfD or the prospect of heading an unstable minority government, she opted to woo back the SPD .

SPD leader Martin Schulz then abandoned his post-elec-tion vow to renew the party in opposition -- a U-turn that angered many.

But a copy of the coalition agreement indicated that he was able to extract major concessions from the conservatives in the final round of talks including control of the powerful finance and foreign ministries, as well as the labour, family affairs, justice

and environment remits. Media reports said Schulz, a

former European Parliament chief, was now set to take over the foreign ministry and would give up the party chairmanship in return.

Meanwhile, the finance job could go to the popular mayor of northern port city Hamburg, pro-business centrist Olaf Scholz, who has often been eyed as a potential SPD chancellor candidate.

The change could mean a mild shift away from the aus-terity imposed at home and abroad by former finance min-ister Wolfgang Schaeuble, although the parties have agreed on sticking to a balanced budget policy.

Merkel’s fate now lies in the hands of the SPD, as Schulz has promised to give his party’s 460,000 members the final say on whether to accept the coali-tion pact.

Observers expect the refer-endum to be tight, with the SPD’s left and youth wings fiercely opposed to another four years governing in Merkel’s shadow.

The yes-or-no referendum will be held by postal ballot, with the result expected to be announced around March 4.

A green light could see a new Merkel-led government in place by the end of next month.

A thumbs-down could see

the country headed for fresh elections or leave Merkel heading a minority government -- a prospect she has baulked at.

Schulz put a fairer Europe at the heart of his negotiating efforts, insisting that Berlin must join French President Emmanuel Macron’s push to deepen euro-zone integration.

According to the coalition deal, the parties agreed to

support Macron’s reform drive and tentatively backed his idea of a eurozone investment budget.

On the hot-button topic of migration, the two camps said they would aim to limit the annual intake to 180,000-220,000 people, a key CSU demand.

CSU leader Horst Seehofer is also set to take control of a revamped homeland security

ministry.The SPD however won

assurances that family reunifi-cations for refugees would resume in August, restricted to 1,000 people a month.

An SPD push to overhaul the two-tier healthcare system also yielded results, with a new com-mission set to examine levelling out doctor pay under statutory and private insurance schemes.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (centre), Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz (right), giving statement after coalition talks, in Berlin, yesterday.

Skiers swish down snow-covered Paris streetsAFP

PARIS: Skiers swished down the hilly streets of Montmartre in Paris yesterday, taking advantage of heavy snowfall that otherwise spelled misery for thousands of travellers.

Nearly 2,000 people in the Paris region had to spend Tuesday night in their cars, according to police, after the snow caused traffic jams that stretched a record 740km and left hundreds of others stuck at airports and train stations.

The icy roads of Paris were unusu-ally quiet as police urged people to leave their cars at home after 12 centimetres was dumped on the French capital over-night, with up to 20 cm reported in nearby suburbs and rural areas.

The snow played havoc with public transport, halting almost all buses in the capital along with some tram and com-muter rail lines, while heavy goods vehi-cles were banned from major roads due to the high risk of an accident.

But the wintry weather was a delight

for schoolchildren as well as a gaggle of skiers and snowboarders who gathered at the Sacre-Coeur basilica at the top of Montmartre, the hill in the north of the city.

They managed to get in about an hour of runs in the morning on the steep slopes of the park that descends from the church before being chased off by the police.

“The snow is good, a little powdery, not as great as in 2010 but 2010 was his-toric,” said Gilles Prunevielle, founder

of the “Montmartre Ski Club”, bearing a sweatshirt with the club’s logo and alti-tude -- 130 metres above sea level.

Tourists in the City of Lights found the Eiffel Tower closed for a second day, while the capital’s airports were hit with delays and cancellations.

On the outskirts of Paris, rescuers worked to evacuate nearly 2,000 people who were stranded overnight on the N118 highway, prompting anger from drivers who said the route should have been closed off.

The parties ironed out their final differences and were ready to sign an agreement for Merkel’s fourth term, acting finance minister Peter Altmaier said.

UK House renovation a step closerAFP

LONDON: Major renovation of the Houses of Parliament came a step closer as Britain’s upper chamber backed plans for poli-ticians to move out of their historic home while the work is done.

The House of Lords agreed without a vote to a “fully and timely decant” from the Palace of Westminster, throwing their weight behind a similar decision by MPs last week.

Politicians’ support for the move paves the way for a multi-billion-pound renovation of the complex, which includes the Houses of Parliament and the

clock tower housing the Big Ben bell.

Complaints within the cor-ridors of power include every-thing from mice infestations to sewage problems and fire haz-ards, but politicians have for years struggled to agree on how to move forward with the major works.

Speaking during the House of Lords debate, Baroness Tina Stowell likened the refurbish-ment to “major surgery to fun-damental organs” and said doing the work in stages was unfeasible.

One estimate for a gradual project found it would take 32 years to complete and cost $8bn,

compared to a spend of £3.5bn over six years if lawmakers move out.

There have been various proposals for a temporary home, with opposition Labour peer Meghnad Desai suggesting the politicians move to Buckingham Palace. “It’s the only building large enough to contain all the facilities we have with room to spare.”

He was followed by Lord William Inglewood, who joked they could instead transfer to France’s Palace of Versailles.

The next stage in the resto-ration project is the establish-ment of bodies to start making more detailed plans.

A zoo keeper poses with penguins during the annual stock take at the ZSL London Zoo, in central London, yesterday.

Macron offers Corsica constitutional recognitionREUTERS

BASTIA: French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured) said yesterday he was open to adding a specific mention of Corsica in the French Constitu-tion but rejected several other demands for autonomy made by the island’s nationalist leaders.

Corsica’s relationship with mainland France has long trou-bled French presidents. For 40 years, separatists waged a mil-itant campaign, blowing up police stations and mansions owned by mainlanders and car-rying out assassinations, before laying down their arms in the year 2014.

During his first visit to the island since his election last year, Macron attempted to tread a middle ground, con-demning in strong terms past acts of militancy while playing up the need for close coopera-tion between the island and the mainland.

He offered the unexpected, symbolic move of a recognition in the Constitution while saying the Corsican language would not be given official status and said local authorities would not be allowed to veto property-buying by non-residents.

Corsica’s nationalist leaders have demanded a special status for the island in the constitu-tion but also greater autonomy, as well as equal status for the French and Corsican languages and amnesty for Corsicans jailed for pro-independence violence.

Macron already said on

Tuesday that there would be no amnesty.

He said mentioning Corsica in France’s supreme law would both recognise its identity and anchor it within the French Republic.

He added that further talks would determine what the move would entail.

“Corsica is at the heart of the (French) Republic,” Macron said on a podium flanked by the French and EU flags, but not the Corsican one, while adding that he was nevertheless willing to show some flexibility.

That would include not only mentioning it in the Constitu-tion but also prolonging an investment plan and looking into simplifying construction rules on the Mediterranean island, he said.

Macron said mentioning Corsica in France’s supreme law would both recognise its identity and anchor it within the French Republic.

Dutch judges refer UK expats case to EU courtAFP

THE HAGUE: Dutch judges yesterday referred a land-mark case brought by British expats over their rights as European citizens after Brexit to the EU’s top court.

“We refer the questions to the European Court of Jus-tice,” judge Floris Bakels said in a written verdict issued by the Amsterdam District Court.

The judges are referring two preliminary questions to the Luxembourg-based ECJ for an answer about the group’s rights as EU citizens after Brexit, their lawyer Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm said.

The questions are: “Does Brexit mean that Britons automatically lose their Euro-pean citizenship or do they maintain their rights, and if so, under what conditions?” Thijm said.

Five British expats and two expat organisations last month took the Dutch gov-ernment to court, arguing they have independent rights as EU citizens, over and above being citizens of any specific EU member country.

The group insist their legal rights as EU citizens should therefore remain and be protected by The Nether-lands even after Britain with-draws from the 28-member body on March 29, 2019.

They asked the Dutch judges to refer the matter to the European court for clar-ification “as to what exactly being a European citizen means,” said one of the plain-tiffs, Stephen Huyton.

Close-up

Children playing in the snow-covered Palais Royal garden, in Paris, yesterday.

13THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 AMERICAS

Trump’s military parade plan sparks backlashAFP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s dream of hosting a military parade in Washington was met with almost universal derision yesterday, with critics seeing evidence of creeping authori-tarianism.

White House and military officials confirmed that planning for the event was already underway, but a date had not yet been decided.

Support for the idea appeared to be thin on the ground, even from Trump’s erst-while supporters.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers described it as “authoritarian” idea from a “Napoleon in the making.”

Top Trump ally Republican Congressman Jim Jordan sug-gested further deliberation was needed.

“We’ll have that debate,” he said. “Our focus is making sure our military gets what it needs to defend this great country.”

“Whether we need a parade or not, I’ll leave that up the commander-in-chief.”

In a sign of possible tensions between Trump and his own staff, White House officials stressed the parade was still a “discussion.”

As commander-in-chief, Trump could order the military to carry out the parade without any further debate.

The last major military parade in Washington took place in 1991 after the Gulf War, with missiles and tanks rolling through the streets of the capital.

Americans enthusiastically attended, but Bush was pilloried by Democrats for the move.

Trump’s parade would be a showcase of American muscle, but would also undoubtedly focus on his own role as commander-in-chief.

Since taking office, Trump has frequently touted his sup-port for the US military and placed high ranking generals in top White House and cabinet posts.

Even before being president he had mulled the possibility of a parade for his inauguration in January 2017, but the plan was scrapped.

The idea appears to have been rekindled when Trump visited Paris last July for Bastille Day, when the 45th president made no secret of his awe for the pomp and ceremony of the occasion.

Sitting on the Champs-Elysees, Trump marveled at the Republican Guard on horseback, jets flying overhead, and warmly greeted President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in an open-topped camouflaged mil-itary jeep.

Months after that meeting, Trump publicly remarked: “So we’re actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength.”

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump’s intention was rather to have “a celebra-tion” of the military.

Still, Trump’s request imme-diately fueled comparisons to similar events in more auto-cratic countries.

Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison described it as “the Exalted Leader’s latest idiot (and authoritarian) idea.”

“We have a Napoleon in the making here,” said Congress-woman Jackie Speier.

Trump has already prompted fears about his respect for dem-ocratic freedoms once this week by suggesting Democrats were “un-American” and “treasonous” for not applauding his State of the Union address.

The White House claimed Trump was joking.

US passes budget; avoids shutdownAFP

WASHINGTON: US Senate leaders said yesterday they had reached a bipartisan budget deal for 2018 and 2019 -- a move which, if approved by Congress, would avert a looming govern-ment shutdown.

The agreement, months in the making, was a major achievement for both the ruling Republicans and opposition Democrats in a deeply divided Congress.

It would lift caps on military and non-military spending that were congressionally mandated back in 2011, and which both parties warned were ham-stringing the US military.

The elusive deal comes on the eve of a Thursday deadline for federal spending, with the government hours away from tumbling into another shutdown

if lawmakers do not pass a tem-porary spending bill.

“The compromise we’ve reached will ensure that, for the first time in years, our armed forces will have more of the resources they need to keep America safe,” Senate Majority Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor.

It would also ensure funding for domestic priorities like dis-aster relief, infrastructure, and fighting a surging opioid epidemic.

McConnell and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said the deal was the product of

extensive negotiations between both parties and the White House.

“Later this week, let’s pass this budget into law alongside an extension of government funding,” Schumer said. “I hope the House will follow suit and President Trump will sign it.”

The White House reacted positively to the news from Cap-itol Hill.

“We’re certainly happy with the direction that it’s moving,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said, adding that the White House would need to see the final components.

The expectation is that the agreement’s language would accompany a stopgap spending measure to fund government for the next six weeks, allowing fed-eral appropriators to work up the official budget language.

But the compromise could face stiff blowback in the House, where fiscal conservatives may balk at greenlighting what is reported to be some $200bn or more in new federal spending.

Liberal stalwarts might also revolt, over the sensitive issue of immigration.

Lawmakers and the White House have negotiated at length over the fate of millions of undocumented migrants, but the immigration issue is not in the latest compromise agreement.

Instead, McConnell has pledged to allow an open debate on possible immigration solu-tions on the Senate floor, begin-

ning as early as next week.Before the deal was

announced, the House had passed a partisan bill that would fund government for six weeks -- but fund the military through the remainder of fiscal year 2018.

The Senate is now expected to rewrite that measure, pass it and send it back for House approval today.

But President Donald Trump’s provocative outburst that he would “love to see a shut-down” if he did not get his way on immigration -- just as law-makers sought to reach an understanding that would keep the lights on in Washington -- sent aides scrambling to down-play his remarks.

“We are not advocating for the shutdown,” insisted Sanders. “The president wants a long-term deal, and he wants to get a deal on immigration.

36 indicted in global cybercrime ring

War on drugsSuspects are detained and handcuffed by Rio’s Civil Police during a joint operation, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday. More than 3,000 soldiers were deployed yesterday to provide backup to Rio’s police during an operation to search and arrest suspects related to drug trafficking activities.

Former Honduras officer faces five-year jail termREUTERS

NEW YORK: A former Honduran police officer was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.

Victor Oswaldo Lopez Flores, 45, was sentenced by US District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan. The judge said the sentence was the minimum allowed under federal law.

“It makes me very sad and it is very difficult for me to be standing on this side of the law,” Lopez Flores said in court before he was sen-tenced. “I am very sorry for having committed this action.”

Lopez Flores was one of six members of the Honduran National Police who were indicted on US drug charges in July 2016. Two of the others, Mario Guillermo Mejia Vargas and Carlos Jose Zavala Velasquez, also pleaded guilty.

Lopez Flores pleaded guilty to one count of con-spiracy in April 2017. He admitted that in 2014, he met with two people representing themselves as Mexican drug traffickers and showed them a map of possible police checkpoints on a road in Honduras in order to help them transport cocaine.

Prosecutors have said that Lopez Flores was promised about $100,000 for his assist-ance, and that the two pur-ported drug traffickers were in fact undercover informants working for US authorities.

The bipartisan budget deal would lift caps on military and non-military spending. It would also ensure funding for domestic priorities like disaster relief, infrastructure, and fighting a surging opioid epidemic.

A file photo of US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Macron, as they attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue, in Paris.

BLOOMBERG

WASHINGTON: The US charged 36 people in a take-down of an international cyber-crime ring that prosecutors say used the slogan “In Fraud We Trust” and stole $530m with the help of pilfered identities and malware.

The Justice Department announced the racketeering conspiracy along with the arrest of 13 people, eight of whom the government will seek to extra-dite from Australia, the UK, France, Italy, Kosovo and Serbia. Five members of the group, known as the Infraud Organi-zation, were arrested in the US.

“Today’s indictment and arrests mark one of the largest cyberfraud enterprise prosecu-tions ever undertaken by the Department of Justice,” said Acting Assistant Attorney Gen-eral John Cronan. “Infraud operated like a business to facilitate cyberfraud on a global scale.”

Prosecutors in the case, which was unsealed in Nevada, allege that the group was cre-ated in October 2010 by Svyat-oslav Bondarenko, a Ukranian who sought to create “the pre-mier destination” for purchasing retail items on the internet with counterfeit or stolen credit card information.

Brazilian minister hopeful on pension reform amendment REUTERS

BRASILIA: Brazilian minister in charge of polit-ical affairs said yesterday that the government believes recent amendments to a pension reform bill will result in 314 members of the lower house voting in favour of it, five more than required to pass it.

Brazil’s Minister of the Government Secretariat Carlos Marun told reporters yesterday that the measure should be voted on this month and head to the Senate, where he forecast a vote in March.

The Brazilian government under Michel Temer’s admin-istration is pressing hard to trim social security to rein in surging public debt.

Los Angeles Times sold to local billionaireAFP

LOS ANGELES: Billionaire physician and investor Patrick Soon-Shiong agreed yesterday to buy the Los Angeles Times, in a move aimed at reviving the fortunes of the newspaper amid recent turmoil.

Publishing group Tronc Inc. said it reached a deal to sell the LA Times and San Diego Union-Tribune to Soon-Shiong’s Nant Capital for $500m plus the assumption of $90m in pension liabilities.

The move comes after months of newsroom unrest at the storied Los Angeles daily that has seen three editors in the past six months, and a vote to

unionise the journalists. “We are pleased to transi-

tion leadership of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune to local ownership, and we are certain that the journalistic excellence in Southern California will con-tinue long into the future,” said Justin Dearborn, chief executive of Tronc, the name adopted for the group previously known as Tribune Publishing.

Soon-Shiong, a surgeon whose biotech investments have boosted his net worth to some $7.8bn, said in a statement: “We look forward to continuing the great tradition of award-winning journalism carried out by the reporters and editors of the Los

Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune and the other California News Group titles.”

The LA Times, like many newspapers, has been down-sizing its staff as readers turn away from print to online news platforms. The Los Angeles daily was family-owned for more than a century before being sold to the Chicago-based Tribune Co. in 2000.

Tribune Co, which split off its broadcast division and renamed its publishing arm Tronc (, will continue to own the Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sen-tinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Baltimore Sun and the New York Daily News.

The LA Times Guild, which

recently won the right to repre-sent employees, welcomed the news, saying it “looks forward to working with a local owner

who can help us preserve The Times as a guardian of our com-munity and as the voice of the American West.”

Pedestrians walk past the Los Angeles Times office building in Los Angeles, California, yesterday.

14 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018HOME

Banana Island Resort Doha offers Italian culinary arts classesDOHA: Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara is offering its valued guests culinary arts classes in the Italian cuisine through its program - ‘Spice Spoons School’. Following the huge success of its Thai cuisine cooking classes, Anantara now invites its patrons to learn the art of authentic Italian cooking.

Commenting on this occa-sion, Area General Manager for Qatar, Thomas Fehlbier said:

“Anantara is passionate about sharing its love of food with guests staying at

Anantara hotels and resorts. Doha’s only island sanctuary now invites its guests to indulge in a unique experience of Italian cooking. Guests can roll up their sleeves and cook their favourites in a step by step class at Riva the Italian inspired restaurant, and then savour the creations. Learn the tricks of crafting a perfect pizza from the very basic. Master the art of dough making and pair tantalising toppings from classic ingredi-ents in Riva restaurant.”

Also, relish the handmade authentic Italian dish al fresco on the balcony of Riva restau-rant overlooking luxury yachts

in the marina and soaking up an Italian Riviera atmosphere. Guests can also enjoy authentic homely lunches of delicious pastas and salads.

Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abun-dance of different flavors, and known to be one of the most popular cuisines of the world. More than a meal, Italian food is an event, and is not only about pastas and pizzas.

Gourmet dinners at Riva begin with antipasti delights, leading into scrumptious fresh seafood and meat dishes, fol-lowed by imported cheeses and irresistible desserts. The range and quality of food, beverages

and unique concepts such as the Salt Guru will offer guests addi-tional insight into the fasci-nating world of Italian cuisine.

The Spice Spoons School is a novel concept initiated by Anantara to offer its guests a unique experience to hone their culinary skills.

Anantara now brings this experience to Italian cooking. Nestled amidst a relaxing beach environment, accented with ocean blues and sandy beaches, guests can enjoy a delicious array of palate-tantalising dishes from the heart of Italy, while spending a laid-back night with their family and friends.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Mitsubishi Elevators & Escalators recently carried out a ‘Safe Rider’ awareness program at the Pak Shamaa School, Doha for primary school students with an aim to help children under-stand basic safety rules while using elevators and escalators.

The current lifestyle in Qatar allows more people than ever the

opportunity to use elevators and escalators in places like office buildings, schools, hospitals, air-ports and shopping malls. More-over, people are moving from independent houses to apart-ments in Doha. With the growing usage of elevators in schools and other public places, ETA-MELCO, the local representatives of Mit-subishi Elevators felt the need to create awareness especially

amongst young children to elim-inate preventable accidents and injuries caused by misuse.

The awareness program was well received by the students and included series of video presen-tations apart from interactive ses-sions by ETA-MELCO staff. Also, illustrative handouts were given to the children to remember and share the safety awareness with their parents and guardians.

‘Safe Rider’ awareness program held at Pak Shamaa SchoolTHE PENINSULA

Teenagers take part in Division H Inter-Gavels Contests by Toastmasters

DOHA: The gavel clubs wing of Toastmasters Division H, recently organised the Annual Inter-Gavels Contest. Contests were held in four categories: Humorous Speech, Inspirational Speech, Table Topics (Impromptu Speech) and Speech Evaluation. The jury consisted of veteran toastmasters and star speakers from various toast-master clubs in Qatar. The

choice of topics, language usage and delivery by the gaveliers left the judges impressed. It was a daunting task for even such experienced toastmasters to pick three winners out of eight contestants in each of the four categories.

The event was organised by chief counselors Aparna Ranish, Prathibha Ramesh and Surya Narayanan under the leadership of Div H Special Programs Officer, Susan Mathews and with

guidance from Div H Director, Joseph Stanley. Div E Director, HPS Bhullar and Div J Director, Venkatesan Kulandaivelu also graced the occasion.

Ali Bin Ali and Homes R Us supported the event with gifts and goodies. Sampath Balaji, General Manager-Finance, Ali Bin Ali FMCG Business was the guest of honor and addressed the gathering. Susan Mathews, Special Programs Officer, Div H delivered the vote of thanks.

THE PENINSULA

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

PADMAN

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

The 15.17 To Paris (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnightDen of Thieves (2D/Action) 10:30am, 1:00, 2:00, 3:30, 6:00, 7:00, 8:30, 11:00pm & 12:00midnight Winchester(2D/Horror) 10:00, 11:45am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 4:45, 6:00, 8:00, 9:45, 10:00pm &12:00midnight All The Money In The World (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 3:30 & 9:00pm Maze Runner: The Death Curve (2D/Action) 12:45, 6:15 & 11:45pm Pad Man (2D/Hindi) 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle(2D/Action)10:00am, 2:15,6:30&10:45pm Space Chicken (2D) 12:15, 4:30 & 8:45pm Phantom Thread (2D) 11:00am, 3:45 & 8:30pm The Post (2D/Biography) 1:30, 6:15 & 11:00pmBraven (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnightMaze Runner: The Death Cure (2D IMAX/Action) 10:15am, 1:00, 3:45, 6:30, 9:15pm & 12:00midnight

Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 5:15pm Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2D/Action) 2:30 & 8:45pmPad Man (2D/Hindi) 3:00, 9:00 & 11:30pm Daivame Kaithozham K Kumarakanam (2D/Malayalam) 4:30pm Braven (Action) 7:15pm Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2D/Action) 5:30pmWinchester (Horror) 7:00 & 11:30pm The 15.17 To Paris (2D/Drama) 7:30pm Den of Thieves (2D/Action) 9:15pm Kalakalappu 2 (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Pad Man (2D/Hindi) 2:30, 6:00 & 11:00pm Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:15pm Daivame Kaithozham K Kumarakanam (2D/Malayalam) 3:00pm Winchester (Horror) 7:30 & 9:15pm Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2D/Action) 5:00 & 8:30pmJumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2D/Action) 6:00pmThe 15.17 To Paris (2D/Drama) 8:00pm Braven (Action) 9:45pm Kalakalappu 2 (2D/Tamil) 11:00pm Den of Thieves (Action)11:30pm

Pad Man (2D/Hindi) 2:30, 8:45 & 11:30pm Throne of Elves (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 5:00pm Daivame Kaithozham K Kumarakanam (2D/Malayalam) 2:15pm Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2D/Action) 4:30pm Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2D/Action) 5:00pmDen of Thieves (2D/Action) 7:30pm The 15.17 To Paris (2D/Drama) 9:45pm Braven (Action) 7:00 & 11:30pm Winchester (Horror) 7:00 & 11:45pm Kalakalappu 2 (2D/Tamil) 9:00pm

Pad Man (Hindi) 1:00, 3:45, 6:30, 9:15pm & 12:00midnight Toli Prema (Telugu) 12:30pm Kalakalappu 2 (Tamil) 3:15, 6:15, 915pm & 12:15amCarbon (Malayalam) 12:30, 6:00 & 11:30pmQueen (Malayalam) 3:15, 8:45pm & 02:00am Daivame (Malayalam) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00pm & 01:00am

Pad Man (Hindi) 11:30am, 2:30, 5:30, 8:30 & 11:00pm Kalakalappu (Tamil) 11:15am, 2:15, 5:15, 8:15 & 11:15pmWinchester (Horror) 11:00am, 3:15, 7:30 & 11:45pm Braven (Action) 1:15, 5:30 & 9:45pm

Throne of Elves (Animation) 10:30am, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 & 6:30pm Aadhi (Thriller) 10:30am, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30pm

The 15:17 Paris (Action) 1:20, 3:20, 7:20 & 9:20pm

Pad Man (Hindi) 10:30am, 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 8:30,10:20 & 11:20pm

Braven (2D/Comedy) 10:30am, 5:20 & 11:20pm

Upon realising the extent to which women are affected, a man sets out to create a sanitary pad machine and to provide inexpensive sanitary pads to the women of rural India.

15THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018 HOME

16 THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2018MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

04.56am06.14 am

ZUHRASR

11.48 am02.59 pm

MAGHRIBISHA

05.25pm06.55pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 09:45 – 00:00 LOW TIDE 04:15 – 17:15

Hazy to misty / foggy at places at first

becomes fine with some clouds,

cold by night.

WEATHER TODAY

COURTESY: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 14oC 25oC

‘African Mona Lisa’ mesmerises after surprise rediscoveryAFP

LONDON: “I think of it as the African Mona Lisa,” said award-winning novelist Ben Okri, gazing at the long-lost portrait of a Nigerian princess which recently turned up in a London flat.

Ben Enwonwu’s 1974 painting of Adetutu “Tutu” Ademiluyi, daughter of a Yoruba king, has taken on almost mythical status in the painter’s native Nigeria.

It was last seen in 1975 but is now up for sale after its surprise rediscovery.

“It has been a legendary painting for 40 years, everybody keeps talking about Tutu, saying ‘where is Tutu?’,” the Booker Prize-winning writer Okri said.

As a prominent Nigerian cultural figure on the world stage, Okri viewed the painting at prestigious London auc-tion house Bonhams, where the work will be sold on February 28.

“He wasn’t just painting the girl, he was painting the whole tradition. It’s a symbol of hope and regeneration to Nigeria, it’s a symbol of the phoenix rising,” he said.

“I spent hours looking at it, making up for the time that we hadn’t seen it. It’s been a work of rumour, but here it is, crystallised.” The work was uncov-ered by Giles Peppiatt, Director of Modern African Art at Bonhams, after a north London family contacted him fol-lowing lucrative recent sales of Nigerian artworks.

“It was quite remarkable when I walked into this flat in north London and saw it hanging on the wall, it was about the last thing I expected to see,” he explained.

“As soon as I saw it I knew it was authentic, but I couldn’t say that at the time to the owners because you can’t just blurt that out.”

After confirming the search for “Tutu” was over, the family “were, not surprisingly, pretty astounded,” he revealed. “It’s a missing masterpiece.”

Enwonwu, who died in 1994, is considered the father of Nigerian mod-ernism. He made three paintings of

“Tutu”, the locations of all of which had been a mystery until the recent discovery.

The works became symbols of peace following the clash of ethnic groups in the Nigerian-Biafran conflict of the late 1960s. “The sitter is Yoruba and Ben Enwonwu was Ibo, so they were of dif-ferent ethnic tribes,” said Eliza Sawyer, specialist in Bonhams’ African Art department.

“It was an important symbol of rec-onciliation.” Enwonwu was from a polit-ically-connected Ibo family and his father was a traditional sculptor. The painter stumbled upon his most famous muse by accident.

“He would go around local villages and sketch local scenes and figures, and he encountered this young woman whom he thought was just entrancing and requested to paint her, not knowing her stature,” explained Sawyer.

“She was a little taken back by the request,” she added.

“It is the peak of the artist’s career, there’s also the sitter’s status as a prin-cess and thirdly the painting had been

lost. That all creates an awful lot of mys-tery.” The rediscovered painting was last displayed at the Italian embassy in Lagos in 1975, and was bought by the father of the north London family during a business trip.

“It was pretty much regarded as his prize work,” explained Peppiatt.

“I think he was secretly in love with the sitter. She is a very pretty lady.

“It’s pretty audacious, with the light under the chin, which focuses you on the head. As a bit of painting it stands on its own anyway, without any of the other stories,” he added.

The painting is expected to sell for around £250,000 ($347,000, ¤282,000) when it goes on sale jointly in London and Lagos on February 28, but Okri argued that its worth was more than financial.

“It gives us a glimpse of an impor-tant African reconfiguration of the art of portraiture,” he said.

“It’s going to start a fire, start a debate. Never have they given proper due to African painters. This is the per-fect work to start” to ask why, he added.

Nigerian author Ben Okri poses with a work of art by Nigerian painter and sculptor Ben Enwonwu entitled ‘Tutu’ expected to realise 200,000-300,000 GBP (278000-417,000 USD) at an auction in Bonhams Auction House in London, yesterday.

IANS

TORONTO: Millions of viruses daily circle around the Earth’s atmosphere as well as get deposited on the planet’s surface, a team of interna-tional scientists have discov-ered.

The study has for the first time quantified the viruses being swept up from the Earth’s surface into the free troposphere, the layer of atmosphere beyond Earth’s weather systems but below the stratosphere where jet airplanes fly.

These viruses can also be carried thousands of kilome-tres there before being depos-ited back onto the Earth’s surface.

“Every day, more than 800 million viruses are deposited per square metre above the planetary boundary layer — that’s 25 viruses for each person in Canada,” said Curtis Suttle, virologist at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

The researchers also found the majority of the viruses carried signatures indicating they had been swept up into the air from sea spray. This may explain why scientists, from 20 years ago, began finding genetically similar viruses occurring in very different environments around the globe. “This pre-ponderance of long-residence viruses travelling the atmos-phere likely explains why — it’s quite conceivable to have a virus swept up into the atmosphere on one continent and deposited on another,” Suttle said, in a paper detailed in the ISME Journal.

Millions of viruses fall from sky daily: Study