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Qatar will be able to keep current account surplus in 2020-21 published in QATAR since 1978

WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11407 December 25, 2019 Rabia II 28, 1441 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

In brief PM honours Ashghal staff QATAR | Offi cial Sharq Crossing Amir, Cuban president exchange greetings His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and construction set Cuban President Miguel Diaz- Canel exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic to start in third relations between the two countries, which falls in December this year. The Amir and the Cuban president expressed in the congratulatory quarter of 2020 messages their satisfaction with the level of the strong Qatari-Cuban relations in the past decades. onstruction of the Sharq Cross- Crossing project with the aim of form- They also aff irmed their joint HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani attended a ceremony ing, one of the most important ing alliances with international com- determination to support and honouring staff of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday evening. The event was held at the La Cigale Cinfrastructure projects in Qatar, panies with regard to the implementa- consolidate them in various fields Hotel within the framework of encouraging and supporting competent cadres that are keen to implement the is scheduled to start in the third quar- tion. for the good of the peoples of the country-led infrastructure projects to achieve sustainable and high-quality projects in line with the Qatar National ter of 2020, according to the Public The session included a presenta- two countries. Vision 2030. The Ashghal president said: “We are proud to honour Qatari cadres who have proven their efficiency Works Authority (Ashghal). tion on the project details and the by their commitment and keenness to provide the best for the State of Qatar.” The prime minister honoured a This was announced at a briefing timetable for launching the project QATAR | Transport number of distinguished staff in implementing “Ashghal” projects for 2019. session convened as per the direc- and its implementation so that local Education City Tram tives of HE the Prime Minister and contractors can start their prepara- Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah tions and submit requests to tender starts service bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, ac- through forming a partnership and al- cording to a statement from Ashghal liance between local and international yesterday. companies. The Sharq Crossing, linking Ras Bu On the occasion, Ashghal president Doha Metro introduces Abboud Street and the West Bay area, Dr Saad bin Ahmed al-Muhannadi is considered a strategic hub for the said: “We trust local contractors and main roads in the country. It is to con- their ability to form an alliance to im- sist of bridges spanning a total length plement this project with the required of 12km above sea level and connecting quality and time, as this is the fi rst of 3 new metrolink routes to each other through an underwater its kind in Qatar, which will cause a tunnel of 1km. qualitative shift in traffi c.” The underwater tunnel, to be built Engineer Yousef al-Emadi, Projects The Education City Tram is now By Joey Aguilar Al Salah, Al Mansour, and Tihama Many car owners also prefer to under the navigation channel, will en- Aff airs director, confi rmed that the open for business, Qatar Foundation Staff Reporter streets. take these feeder buses/vans saying it sure smooth passage of ships over it. contractors were invited to enter and tweeted yesterday. The Blue Line is Pick up and drop off points include saves them time and money, and the Once the project is complete, mo- compete for the Sharq Crossing project operational, serving the Education QIB, LuLu Hypermarket (D-Ring hassle of looking for parking slots. torists from Ras Bu Abboud will be able and to defi ne the required schedule for City Stadium, Qatar Academy Doha oha Metro has added three Road), Aster Hospital, Hassan Bin Qatar residents and visitors hope to reach the West Bay in about seven the project. and VCUarts Qatar. Other lines will be new metrolink routes to its Thabit Ind’t School, Alhammad In- that more routes will be introduced in minutes. Sharq Crossing will also serve Local companies are to form an alli- opened soon, according to the tweet. Dnetwork for Al Matar Al Qa- ternational School, Spring Field Kin- the future to cover more areas under many vital areas, including the 2022 ance with international companies and deem station on the Red Line, giving dergarten, and Qatar Charity. the Red, Gold, and Green Lines. FIFA World Cup stadiums, such as the provide a list of those alliances in mid- ARAB WORLD | Politics Qatar residents and visitors hassle- The third route, M122, travels be- Metrolink is a feeder bus network Ras Bu Abboud stadium and Lusail sta- January to start off ering the project to Iraq’s parliament okays free rides and more options to get to tween Family Food Centre and Jaber providing fi rst and last mile connec- dium. tender in February, and start imple- and from metro stations. Bin Hayyan St, with pick up and drop tivity to Qatar Rail customers within Ashghal invited local contractors to mentation in the third quarter of 2020, new elections law The M120 route (to Al Hilal South off points at Hassan Bin Thabit In- 2-5km radius of Doha Metro stations. the meeting on the launch of the Sharq the statement added. Iraq’s parliament yesterday passed and Nuaija), travels between Doha dependent School, Airport Health Metro passengers also benefi t from a new electoral law, one of key Rocks and Al Nuaija St, with pick up Centre, Al Karama, Al Mutasim, and Qatar Rail’s Metroexpress service op- demands made by protesters, and drop off points at Al Safeer Cen- Tadmur streets. erating at West Bay, which covers West aiming to ensure a fairer vote. tre, Abdul Qadir Al Jaziri St, UPS, As- All three routes under the Al Matar Bay QIC and DECC station areas. The new election law approved ter Medical Centre, Woqod, Al Emadi Al Qadeem station (along Old Airport According to Qatar Rail, a fl eet of by parliament will allow voters to Hospital and passing along Alfardan Road) have a frequency of 12 minutes. metrolink-branded buses and vans elect individual lawmakers instead Gardens. It is learnt that these metrolink operate on 12 Red Line, two Green of choosing from party lists, with Marked as M121, this route travels services will benefi t a large number of Line, and four Gold Line stations. Fare each lawmaker representing a between Al Matar Al Qadeem Station commuters who have no cars or had is free and they operate between Sat- specific electoral district instead of (Family Food Centre at Old Airport been previously spending more on urday and Thursday, from 6am-11pm; groups of MPs representing entire Road) and The Mall, and passes along other forms of transportation. and on Friday, from 2pm-11pm. provinces. The parliament voted this month to approve a law requiring the formation of a new election QP to change crude pricing methodology from February commission consisting of judges, not parties, as is currently the case. Qatar Petroleum (QP) has announced basis to a prospective pricing basis.” The change to the pricing BUSINESS | Aviation that from February 2020, pricing for As a result, the new Qatar Marine methodology will improve the overall 737 MAX documents the crude oil grades of Qatar Marine and Qatar Land crude pricing competitiveness of Qatar Marine and and Qatar Land, marketed and sold by methodology will be “based on the Qatar Land, and allow existing and show ‘disturbing’ picture Qatar Petroleum for Sale of Petroleum averages of readily available and new customers to better align and Boeing Co documents under review Products Company Ltd (QPSPP), will transparent regional crude oil pricing compare the Qatari crude grades with by a US congressional panel appear be changed from a “retroactive pricing benchmarks,” QP said yesterday. other crude grades. Artist’s impressions of the Sharq Crossing. to point to a “very disturbing” picture of commentary from the planemaker’s employees over the grounded 737 MAX aircraft, a congressional aide said yesterday. The documents were submitted GPPC Press of Arrayah, Gulf Times awarded ISO certifi cations to the House of Representatives transportation infrastructure committee and the Federal Aviation he Gulf Publishing & Print- The GPPC Press prints the com- the production tools to attain the Administration on Monday, the same ing Company (GPPC) Press has pany’s two dailies Gulf Times and Ar- highest possible international levels day Boeing announced the firing of Tbeen awarded ISO certifi ca- rayah in addition to off ering extensive of quality and environmental safety chief executive Dennis Muilenburg tions in Quality Management Sys- commercial printing services covering standards. amid a crisis over the handling of the tems (ISO 9001:2015), Occupational various books, magazines and other Accordingly, work towards ISO cer- aftermath of two fatal crashes. Health and Safety Management Sys- publications that serve the needs of the tifi cation in these fi elds was initiated, tems (ISO 45001:2018), and the Envi- local market. which also involved attaining the best ronmental Management Systems (ISO It was seven years ago, that the results of customer satisfaction about 14001:2015). GPPC forayed into the packaging print the company’s products and services. Guardian Independent Certifi ca- industry, followed by the paper prod- Engineer Ezzaldin Musa, quality tion, London, England, conducted the ucts industry three years ago. These controller at GPPC press, said that the respective audits and awarded the cer- required a stringent and high quality company employs an eff ective man- tifi cations. management system in place, espe- agement mechanism to achieve cus- “The GPPC Press has become an cially for the materials used in food tomer satisfaction and professionally integral part of the print and packag- packaging. fulfi lling their demands. ing industry in Qatar,” stated manager, Al-Zaghl stressed that GPPC has This is done through full co-opera- engineer Abdulnasser al-Zaghl. GPPC now become a key contributor and tion among the various departments of has introduced the most sophisticated main partner in the packaging indus- the press and a strict system of control machines and technology in the fi eld try in the Qatari market. He pointed and follow-up with special focus on while maintaining the highest quality out that all the necessary measures the use of environment friendly ma- and ensuring environment-friendly An exterior view of the Gulf Publishing & Printing Company Press in Doha and upgrades were taken to develop terials and practices in the industry, he processes and products. Industrial Area. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil the products, the management and added. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 QATAR

Qatar-France military ties reviewed

HE the Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces Lieutenant General (Pilot) Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem attending the signing ceremony in Doha.

HE the Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces Lieutenant General (Pilot) Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem met the Chief of Staff of the French Air Force General Philippe Lavigne, in Doha yesterday. During the meeting, they reviewed the Leading missile systems developer MBDA existing bilateral relations, especially in the field of military co-operation between the two sides, and ways to enhance and develop them. named golden sponsor of Dimdex 2020

he Organising Com- General (Pilot) Ghanem through interactive ex- extremely grateful for the mittee of the Doha bin Shaheen al-Ghanem change of capacity building confi dence that the Qatar TInternational Mari- and the General Delegate and strengthening our po- Armed Forces have placed HMC Burns Unit at Al Wakra Hospital time Defence Exhibition of MBDA in Qatar Bertrand sition in the global defence in our products over the and Conference (Dimdex) Dumoulin, who signed the industry”. past forty years of partner- revealed MBDA, the world’s agreement with Staff Brig- The Chairman of the ship. to introduce new services soon leading developer of missile adier (Sea) Abdulbaqi Saleh Organising Committee of Key sponsorship agree- systems as golden sponsor- al-Ansari, Chairman of the Dimdex said: “MBDA has ments with industry lead- ship of the event for the Organising Committee of always been an essential ers are an integral part of atar’s only dedicated patients received recon- disciplinary team. Patients seventh time. Dimdex. part of Dimdex’s successful Dimdex’s strategic business Burns Unit at Ha- structive burn treatment at treated at the Burns Unit at This disclosure comes Commenting on this career since its inception in objectives. Qmad Medical Cor- Al Wakra Hospital’s Plastic Al Wakra Hospital are sup- within the framework of occasion, HE Lieutenant 2008, and we are delighted A survey for the partici- poration’s (HMC) Al Wakra Surgery Division. ported around the clock by the continuous prepara- General (Pilot) Ghanem bin to have the support of this pants showed that 95% of Hospital, plans to introduce “Caring for patients who physicians from more than tions for the 7th edition Shaheen al-Ghanem said: industry leader as a golden them found in it an added new services soon. have been burned is com- a dozen medical and surgi- of the exhibition, whose “This refl ects our continu- sponsor and exhibitor for value for their compa- “These will specifi cally plex as a burn injury can cal specialities, including activities are scheduled ous and fi rm commitment the seventh time in a row, nies and institutions, include fat grafting and la- be one of the most severe neurosurgery, vascular sur- to start on March 16 over to the highest international and our joint eff orts allow while 75% said that they ser therapy to treat patients forms of trauma. Patients gery, and psychiatry, as well three days. standards in the fi eld of us to provide unparalleled achieved their commer- with burn scars,” said Par- with burn injuries often as nurses, physiotherapists, The signing ceremony infrastructure for the de- business opportunities to cial goals through their waneh al-Shibani, assistant present with unique clini- occupational therapists, di- was held to offi cially an- fence and security sector, the participants in each participation and it is ex- executive director of nurs- cal, psychological, and so- etitians, psychologists, and nounce the golden sponsor which refl ects the direc- edition”. pected that this edition ing at Al Wakra Hospital. cial challenges,” said al- Parwaneh al-Shibani social workers,” added al- of the Doha International tion in which the State of Bertrand Dumoulin said: of Dimdex will witness an While the focus of the Shibani. Shibani. Maritime Defence Exhibi- Qatar is moving towards “MBDA is pleased to con- expansion in its commer- work is caring for those who The offi cial explained “The complexity and The Burns Unit at Al tion and Conference (Dim- strengthening its position tinue its long-term com- cial scope, which will en- have been burned, prevent- that caring for patients with rarity of burn injuries Wakra Hospital was relocat- dex) at the Ministry of De- as a global centre for trade mitment to Dimdex and hance its position on the ing burns from happening burn injuries is so complex makes delivering burn ed from Rumailah Hospital fence in the presence of HE and knowledge exchange, Qatar has always been a global agenda of the mari- is also part of the service because, in addition to the care a specialised service. in 2014 as part of HMC’s the Chief of Staff of Qatar and therefore to achieve major partner of the com- time security and defence provided by the Unit, she serious nature of the injury To achieve the best pos- eff orts to transform many Armed Forces Lieutenant our national strategic goals pany, and the company is industry. - QNA explained. and the patient’s discom- sible clinical outcome for of its key clinical services in The Burns Unit, has cared fort, and recovery, can be patients with burn inju- response to managing the for over 6,400 patients at its challenged by psychological ries, their care must be healthcare requirements of outpatient clinics this year. and social factors, such as delivered by expert multi- Qatar’s growing popula- As of November 2019, staff fears around their employ- disciplinary teams who are tion. Situated across two at the unit cared for more ment being comprised, the specialised in burn serv- fl oors, the Burns Unit has a than 80 paediatric patients loss of income, and uncer- ices,” said al-Shibani. dedicated operating room, at the Paediatric Intensive tainty about the future. She “The care, a patient needs inpatient rooms, an oc- Care Unit. said Al Wakra Hospital’s depends upon the severity cupational therapy room, Over 180 patients re- Burns Unit is unique as it of the burn. More serious consulting rooms for out- quired surgical interven- provides patients with mul- injuries will require treat- patients, and reception and tion, and more than 200 ti-disciplinary care. ment by a larger multi- recovery spaces.

20 staff from HMC’s Centre for Patient Experience receive Planetree Fellowship

total of 20 staff from Person-Centred Care Pro- applying that knowledge evidence for a range of ac- Hamad Medical Cor- gramme’ designation at the to make healthcare better,” tivities based on the three Aporation (HMC) have Planetree Person-Centred said al-Naimi. domains of learning, do- been awarded a Fellowship Care Conference held in Or- He said HMC is honoured ing, and sharing. Dr Su- in Person-Centred Care by lando, Florida, USA earlier to be associated with the san Frampton, president of US-based healthcare organ- this year. Fellow in Person-Centred Planetree International said isation Planetree Interna- Nasser al-Naimi, deputy Care credential as it dem- the fellowship programme tional. The 20 staff ers from chief of quality, CPESE and onstrates the priority the was not just a fi rst for Qatar, HMC’s Centre for Patient director, Hamad Health- organisation places on but internationally. Experience and Staff En- care Quality Institute said providing person-centred “Working together, Plan- gagement (CPESE) are the the fi rst group of Fellows care. “In 2018, HMC signed etree and HMC’s dedicated fi rst in the world to receive at HMC have forged a new a three-year partnership CPESE team have devel- the fellowship. path. “Becoming a Fellow with Planetree to strength- oped a unique recognition The Fellowship was signals not only their con- en CPESE’s capabilities by of excellence. The Fellow in awarded to the CPESE staff viction that person-centred providing strategic direc- Person-Centred Care cre- during Qatar’s inaugural care is the right thing to do, tion and support to further dential not only signifi es a Patient Experience Fo- but also their profession- enhance our commitment thorough knowledge base rum in Doha in November. al track record of putting to putting the patient fi rst,’’ of person-centred care, but HMC’s CPESE has also been person-centred care into said al-Naimi. requires evidence of the honoured as the world’s fi rst action. The process for be- The fellowship pro- practical application of that ‘Planetree Professional De- coming a Fellow focuses on gramme is based on the knowledge to one’s work partment’ and was present- expanding one’s knowledge principles of person- to advance the fi eld of pa- ed with the ‘Early Adopters about person-centred ap- centred care and requires tient experience,” added Dr of the Planetree Fellow in proaches to care, and then participants to provide Frampton.

HMC staff become world’s first Planetree International Person-Centred Care Fellows Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 3 QATAR Major sporting events boost Qatar hospitality sector

By Joey Aguilar Staff Reporter Owners and other dignitaries at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Lounge at Doha Souq. atar’s hospitality industry PICTURE: Nasar K Moideen got a further boost with the Qcountry’s hosting of major sporting events this year, including the recently-held FIFA Club World Cup 2019, a number of hotel ex- JP’s Delizia’s second outlet ecutives in Doha have said. Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, W Doha and Belal al-Kadry Wassim Daaje Georges Akar The Ritz-Carlton Doha are among opens at Doha Souq the many hotels in Qatar which Al-Kadry added that hotels (23rd fl oor), along with a meeting tors,” the hotel’s general manag- witnessed a surge in occupancy have set up lounges and used room, for its guests, he added. er, Wassim Daaje, stressed. during these competitions, par- existing bar and entertainment “We anticipated their needs This year, Qatar hosted three he second outlet of JP’s Named Lounge, the fusion Sulaiti, Amna Saeed al-Sulaiti, ticularly the FIFA Club World Cup venues to screen all the matches from F&B (private area in B- major international sporting Delizia in Qatar has restaurant off ers Indian, Asian Mohamed Anush and Shafeek 2019, receiving a large number of in larger screens, as well as cre- Lounge) through several meet- events: The 2019 IAAF World Topened at Doha Souq, and continental recipes. The Abdul Basheer. players, delegations and foreign ating specifi c F&B menus to suit ings and assigning key dedicated Athletics Championships, held Al Nasr Street. A ribbon cut- fi rst outlet of JP’s Delizia in The signature menu at visitors from across the globe. the occasion. personal in each department to from September 27-October 6; ting ceremony was attended Qatar is in Najma. JP’s Delizia Lounge includes varieties of “Sheraton Grand Doha has Ritz-Carlton, Doha Sales and follow up on their wishes and the ANOC World Beach Games, by Saif Issa al-Sulaiti, Nasser has two restaurants in Kuala Momos, Kathi roll and tradi- seen a positive impact on oc- Marketing director Georges Akar needs,” Akar said. held from October 12-16; and the Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Moham- Lumpur, Malaysia. tional Muglai biryani. Also, the cupancy and F&B (food and echoed similar statements saying W Doha also received many FIFA Club World Cup, held from ed Anush and Shafeek Abdul The owners are Abdulla restaurant has a vast variety of beverage) uptake with a visibly that all Doha hotels with teams delegations and sports fans from December 11-21. Basheer. Saeed al-Sulaiti, Saif Issa al- hot and cold beverages. increased presence of interna- and fans were fully booked from around the world, welcoming “Qatar has grown into a major tional visitors,” said general December 12-23, providing gen- them to its cafes and restaurants sporting hub and has presented manager Belal al-Kadry. uine care and comfort. during the hosting of these com- one of the most successful FIFA He said many hotels in Doha Ritz-Carlton, Doha, dubbed as petitions. Club World Cup tournaments launched various off ers and ini- offi cial FIFA Club World Cup ho- “There is no doubt that these which was hosted a few weeks tiatives to create additional in- tel by hosting FIFA President and prestigious sporting events have after the country celebrated the ‘Mughal-E-Azam: centives for both locals and in- the Executive Committee, also created a positive impact on Qa- outstanding success of the 24th ternational travellers. created a FIFA Club exclusive area tar’s hospitality and tourism sec- Arabian Gulf Cup,” Daaje said. The Grand Musical Ooredoo adds new features for business customers a huge success’ oredoo, the region’s “In the face of increasingly Worldwide, Secure64’s DNS- Dr Tejinder Singh leading enabler of dig- complex cyber-threats, Oore- based security solutions pro- ughal-E-Azam: The raising the calibre of highly tal- Oital business innovation, doo’s partnership with Secure64 tect more than 1bn subscribers. Grand Musical, staged ented Indian artistes through all over the world both the has rolled out new security fea- provides our business broadband Its SecureOS is a DNS-focused Mon December 19 and producing massive cultural days in Doha. Directed by the tures for its business broadband customers with new levels of operating system that provides 20 at the Qatar National Con- events,” it was explained. renowned Feroz Abbas Khan, portfolio, in partnership with simple and robust security fea- service providers with scalable vention Centre was a huge suc- Singh, who has made it to the the musical was performed by Secure64 Software Corporation, tures. Our customers can reduce and virtualised DNS perform- cess and a fi tting fi nale to the Forbes Middle East’s prestig- 125 topnotch talents from In- a leading provider of security as a the risk of data loss, protect their ance and unmatched security. Qatar-India 2019 Year of Cul- ious list of Top Indian Execu- dia. The elegant costumes were service solution. ing out Secure64’s security solu- reputation, and provide simple “Qatar’s organisations need ture, according to a statement tives for fi ve consecutive years, by the avant-garde designer Ooredoo’s business broad- tions across its business broad- protection of all devices with- secure, reliable, and responsive from organisers. and a winner of a Lifetime Manish Malhotra. band customers, especially small band at no extra cost to protect out management overhead,” said broadband service. Ooredoo is Presented by Q-Tickets & Achievement Award & CEO As director Khan puts it, “A and medium-sized enterprises users from malware distribution Yousuf Abdulla al-Kubaisi, chief among leading global service Events, the Qatar premiere of of the Year worldwide recog- contemporary act in the form and small offi ce customers can sites. The service also neutral- operating offi cer, Ooredoo Qatar. providers that are pioneering Mughal-E-Azam was held un- nition, now leads the pack in of a narrative from the olden fi nd enhanced levels of protec- ises devices that can become Providing new levels of secu- Secure64’s protective security der the aegis of Qatar National bringing Indian cultural events days, Mughal-E-Azam gives tion from malware, ransomware, infected when not on the Oore- rity further enhances Ooredoo services that can shield business Tourism Council. to Qatar. people a vocabulary of love,” and malicious software on their doo network, to avoid them from business broadband as Qatar’s customers from cyber-threats,” “Mughal-E-Azam is a testa- Mughal-E-Azam received a that’s what it does for genera- networks and devices. causing harm to the business and most innovative and secure busi- said Steve Goodbarn, chief ex- ment of Q-Tickets founder Dr standing ovation from an audi- tions, and what it recently did The telecom company is roll- their network. ness fi bre product on the market. ecutive of Secure64. Tejinder Singh’s advocacy in ence comprising people from in Qatar.

Porsche Panamera, Cayenne models recalled QC building six QU Health, Royal College The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in co-operation with Al Boraq Automobiles Co, classrooms for announced the recall of Porsche Panamera models from 2017- of Surgeons in Ireland 2020 and Cayenne models from 2018-2020, due to a possible girls school in Gaza defect in the visual warning light on the instrument panel which alerts drivers when the brake atar Charity (QC) has operation with the Palestin- discuss collaboration pads are worn out. started the construc- ian Ministry of Education and The ministry confirmed the recall Qtion and furnishing Higher Education. The school campaign comes within the of six classrooms in the Fahd was built at a total cost of atar University Health framework of its ongoing eff orts Al-Sabah School in Gaza, to QR5.4mn, with fi nancial sup- (QU-Health) hosted to protect consumers and ensure benefi t more than 240 female port from ‘Qatar Cyclists’ Club QRoyal College of Sur- that vehicle dealers follow up on students. and several Qatari companies. geons in Ireland (RSCI) in its defects and repairs. The 350sq m project, val- Last year, QC opened the campus to discuss opportuni- The ministry has said that it will ued at QR781,500, is a part of Kamal Al-Ahoud Primary ties of collaborations. co-ordinate with the dealer to QC’s educational develop- School in Gaza to benefi t 600 RCSI is a world leader in follow up on the maintenance ment projects implemented in students in a remote area. health education, training and and repair works and will the Gaza Strip. It will contrib- It is worth mentioning that research and ranked among communicate with customers to ute to reducing overcrowding QC works on supporting the top 250 world universities. ensure that the necessary repairs in classrooms of the school, Palestinian education sector RSCI delegation started their are carried out. increasing literacy rates, and along with its other sectors. It visit to Qatar with a tour to providing an appropriate has worked on rehabilitating Aspire Zone, where they met learning environment for stu- the scientifi c laboratories of leaders from Aspire Academy Ford EcoSport dents. public schools, in addition to and Aspetar. They discussed Earlier this year, QC opened providing alternative energy mutual collaboration and ex- model recalled for the Al-Shaimaa Secondary to 60 schools, in light of the pressed their admiration of ‘welding defect’ School for Girls in Beit Lahia, continuous power cuts in the the capabilities and facilities north of the Gaza Strip, in co- Gaza Strip. available. The Ministry of Commerce QU Health, led by Dr Egon and Industry, in co-operation Toft- vice president for Med- with Almana Motors Company, ical and Health Sciences, Dr announced the recall of Ford Feras Alali - director of re- EcoSport model of 2017, due to search and graduate studies, a possible defect in the welds Dr Asmaa al-Thani - dean of on the front lower control College of Health Sciences, arms. Dr Mohamed Diab - dean of The ministry confirmed the recall College of Pharmacy, and the campaign comes within the associate and assistant deans framework of its ongoing eff orts for the three colleges (College to protect consumers and ensure of Medicine, College of Phar- RSCI delegation with QU off icials. that vehicle dealers follow up on macy and College of Health defects and repairs. Sciences) welcomed the del- meet leaders from QU Research mutual research interest and “We were delighted to meet The ministry has said that it will egation. and Graduate Studies Offi ce, Dr opportunities for MSc and PhD with the QU academics to dis- co-ordinate with the dealer to RSCI delegation presented Mariam al-Maadeed, vice pres- Dual or Joint Doctoral Degrees cuss potential synergies in the follow up on the maintenance the education and research ident for Research and Gradu- with RCSI. training and support of post- and repair works and will capabilities and outcomes of ate Studies Offi ce; Dr Aiman Dr Alali said. “We cherish graduate scholars. We were communicate with customers to Faculty of Medicine & Health Erbad, director, Research Plan- this opportunity to strengthen enormously impressed by their ensure that the necessary repairs Sciences, Schools of Pharmacy ning and Development Depart- ties with a worthy partner and impressive facilities, their dedi- are carried out. and Biomolecular Sciences, ment; Ahmed Elzatahry, dean world leader in health educa- cated staff and by the range and The ministry urges all customers Physiotherapy, Nursing & Mid- of Graduate Studies; and Dr tion and research. We have scope of current research at QU to report any violations to its wifery, Postgraduate Studies Abdelbary Elhissi, manager, agreed on several action plan and allied researchers,” Prof Consumer Protection and Anti- and the Institute of Leadership Research Excellence, Research items that will provide our Niamh Moran, head of RCSI Commercial Fraud Department, in Ireland. Planning and Development graduate students with more School of Postgraduate Stud- which processes complaints. The Qatar Charity funded project in progress in Gaza. The visitors had the chance to Department. They discussed options.” ies, said. Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 QATAR

Qatar celebrates GCC Statistics Day

The Planning and Statistics Authority off icial statistical production operations, yesterday celebrated the GCC Statistical with a focus on defining user needs. Day, which falls on December 24 every year. The centre’s eff orts focus on providing The celebration aims at emphasising the accurate statistical information, indicators AAB unveils Sakura Lounge importance of statistics in planning and and data that contribute to drawing valuing the eff orts of those working in this strategic plans for sustainable Gulf field. development, achieving contemporary A statement issued by the authority visions of the GCC countries towards aff irmed its keenness to integrate the enhancing economic growth, diversifying innovation methodology in all areas of its sources, and enhancing competitiveness. for its Lexus customers

bdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co (AAB) has Alaunched the Sakura Lounge, providing its Lexus customers with a sophisti- cated and tranquil environ- ment where they can feel at ease and anticipate the joy of owning a Lexus. Ambassadors of Japan, Cuba and Venezuela, along with AAB acting CEO R K Murugan and senior mar- keting manager Firas Mufti, inaugurated the Lounge, located at Lexus’ state-of- the-art showroom on the fi rst fl oor. The Lounge is inspired by the concept of Omotenashi, which is the Japanese spirit of hospitality that not only fulfi ls people’s needs, but anticipates them. The word Sakura means Cherry blossom. The Japa- nese cherry blossom, or Sakura, has long been Ambassadors of Japan, Cuba and Venezuela, along with R K Murugan and Firas Mufti, inaugurates the Sakura Lounge. adored by people across the globe and regarded as a home. True to the concept symbol of renewal, vitality, of Omotenashi, AAB strives and beauty. to do more than simply meet During the spring sea- the needs of Lexus owners. son of each year, thousands Firas Mufti echoed Mu- travel to Japan to view the rugan’s statement saying wondrous spectacle of that: “At AAB, we treat our these white or pink fl ow- customers as guests to our ers blooming. The fl ower home and have them expe- blooms for two weeks in rience true Omotenashi.” April. Being a member of the According to Murugan, Sakura Lounge, custom- Omotenashi is a key element ers and their accompanying that makes up Lexus dealer- friend/family member (a plus ship culture, customer serv- one) get the privilege to en- ice and the L-fi nesse design joy a host of benefi ts such as: philosophy for many Lexus unlimited Starbucks coff ee, models. free Wi-Fi, reading materials, Inspired by Lexus cov- dramatic racing simulations The Lounge is inspired by the concept of Omotenashi, which is the Japanese spirit of enant, AAB and Lexus are on the Gran Turismo Play hospitality that not only fulfils people’s needs, but anticipates them. determined to treat their Station Racing console, play- customers as they would ing billiards, and premium AAB also provides its option of using one of their with state-of-the-art Micro- treat a guest in their own massage chairs. Lexus customers with the two meeting rooms equipped soft surface hub.

Qatar’s envoy to Lanka presents credentials Ministry of health launches new electronic system for food labs

QNA to managing and controlling Doha the movement of sample analysis and related infor- mation as well as ensuring he Ministry of Public the attainment of more ac- Health announced curate and faster results and Tyesterday the actual facilitating the task of track- start of using the electronic ing data sequentially over programme of Laboratory time and across experiments Information Management to improve effi ciency. System (LIMS) in central This new programme is food laboratories, which will one of three interconnected allow the exchange of in- programmes that have been formation on food analysis in operation for about a electronically, as is the case year, namely the electronic in the prestigious interna- food control system for lo- tional laboratories. cal foods, and the imported This programme is im- and exported food control plemented through an elec- system, which is expected to Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs tronic system marked by be completed soon. of Sri Lanka Thushara Rodrigo has received a copy the ability to manage infor- The three programmes are of the credentials of Qatar’s ambassador Jassim bin mation related to analysing linked to each other, in ad- Jabor Jassim al-Suroor. The chief of protocol wished food samples from the fi rst dition to linking them with the Qatari ambassador success in his duties, and the stage of receiving samples other relevant electronic bilateral relations between the two countries further until transferring them to systems in the country such development and prosperity. the departments concerned as the single window system with high accuracy and ef- (Al Nadeeb) to form a whole fectiveness. tight food control system The electronic pro- that guarantees the highest gramme also automates possible level of food safety workfl ow tasks and specifi es through tracking it from the Shura Council’s legal standard tools and methods country of origin until de- to be followed, in addition livery to the consumer. committee meets

QNA No 15 of 2014 Regulating Doha Charitable Activities, in the presence of Director General of the Regulatory Author- he Legal and Legisla- ity for Charitable Activities tive Aff airs Commit- (RACA) Ibrahim bin Abdul- Ttee of the Shura Coun- lah al-Duhaimi, and Director cil held a meeting yesterday, of the Legal Aff airs Unit of chaired by its Rapporteur HE the RACA Saud bin Moham- Nasser bin Rashid bin Saree ed al-Athba. al-Kaabi. The committee approved During the meeting, the the draft law and submit- committee completed the ted its recommendations study of a draft law amend- regarding it to the Shura ing some provisions of Law Council. Qatar condemns attack in Nigeria

Qatar has voiced its firm position of Qatar on strong condemnation and rejecting violence and denunciation of the attack terrorism regardless of which took place in northeast motives and reasons. Nigeria, leaving a number The statement expressed of people killed and others Qatar’s condolences to the kidnapped. families of the victims and to In a statement yesterday, the government and people the Ministry of Foreign of Nigeria, wishing safety of Affairs reiterated the the kidnapped. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 5 REGION/ARAB WORLD

Aid agencies stop Strikes kill 8 in Idlib as Turkey work in Yemen and France urge de-escalation town after attacks Reuters ers are not a target. Those who AFP Dubai will suff er the most are inno- Maaret al-Numan, Syria cent Yemenis who benefi t from IRC’s...work,” IRC said. welve aid agencies in Yemen has suff ered from t least eight people, in- the Yemeni town of al- almost fi ve years of confl ict cluding fi ve children, TDhalea have stopped since the Iran-aligned Houthi Awere killed yesterday in work after attacks on their movement ousted President Russian air strikes on northwest buildings that the United Na- Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s Syria, as France and Turkey ap- tions called an “alarming esca- government in late 2014. pealed for an end to violence that lation” amid media campaigns The coup drew military in- has forced tens of thousands to against aid organisations. tervention in 2015 by a Saudi- fl ee. The majority of attacks oc- led coalition trying to restore Heightened regime and Rus- curred overnight Saturday. Hadi’s internationally recog- sian bombardment has hit the One more occurred on an nised government. province of Idlib since mid-De- unoccupied Oxfam offi ce on The southwestern province cember, as regime forces make yesterday morning, aid agen- of al-Dhalea lies on the main steady advances on the ground cies said. south-to-north road linking despite an August ceasefi re and Among the agencies hit over- the southern port of Aden — UN calls for a de-escalation. night on Saturday by rocket- controlled by Hadi’s govern- Nearly 80 civilians have been propelled grenades (RPGs) fi red ment — to the Houthi-con- killed by air strikes and artil- by unknown individuals were trolled capital, Sanaa. lery attacks over the same pe- Oxfam and the International A contested frontline runs riod, according to the Syrian Rescue Committee (IRC). across the province. Observatory for Human Rights, The attacks on Saturday “I urge a thorough investi- which estimates that more than wounded one person, dam- gation, and I express my ap- 40,000 people have been dis- aged property and caused 12 preciation to the Government placed in recent weeks. organisations to suspend aid of Yemen for the work they “These attacks should come programmes in al-Dhalea, af- have begun in this regard. to an end immediately,” Turkey Trucks carry belongings of people fleeing from Maarat al-Numan, in northern Idlib, Syria, yesterday. fecting 217,000 residents, I also remain gravely con- said yesterday after sending a United Nations aid chief Mark cerned by the continuation of delegation to Moscow to discuss The site of the attack was Since Thursday, regime forces “requires us to exert more ef- stop entering opposition-held Lowcock said on Monday. media campaigns in parts of the fl are-up. strewn with destroyed tents and have taken control of dozens of fort,” said HTS chief Abu Mo- parts of Syria from January un- Oxfam said their offi ce was Yemen that spread rumours Presidential spokesman Ib- smoking debris, said an AFP towns and villages in southern hamed al-Jolani in a statement less an alternative agreement is hit by two RPGs, but nobody and incitement against aid op- rahim Kalin said Ankara was correspondent there. Idlib following battles with ji- by his group’s propaganda arm. reached. was injured. Yesterday’s attack erations,” Lowcock said. pressing for a new ceasefi re to Standing amid the wreckage, hadists. The region hosts some 3mn France yesterday called on used an improvised explosive Yemen’s war has killed replace the August agreement. Hassan — who has been living in The clashes have killed 260 people, including many dis- member states of the UN Secu- device (IED). thousands and pushed mil- The French foreign ministry the informal settlement — said fi ghters on both sides, according placed by years of violence in rity Council, namely Russia and IRC said its offi ce and a lions to the brink of famine. called for “an immediate de- he was trying to leave when the to the Observatory. other parts of Syria. China, to renew the resolution. women’s centre were hit by Around 80% of the popula- escalation”. attack happened. Regime forces are now less than Despite a ceasefi re announced “It is more imperative than RPGs on Saturday, injuring tion needs humanitarian as- “The military off ensive by the “As we were packing the car 4km from the strategic city of in August, the bombardment has ever for the United Nations to one security guard. “Aid work- sistance. Damascus regime and its allies is an air strike hit us,” he said. Maaret al-Numan, Observatory continued, killing hundreds of maintain the most direct and ef- worsening the humanitarian cri- The United Nations children’s chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. civilians and fi ghters. fective access to populations in sis” in Idlib, it said in a statement. agency Unicef yesterday con- Idlib is dominated by the The latest spike in violence need through preserving cross- Sudan strikes deal with rebels Yesterday’s strikes targeted demned the violence in Syria’s country’s former Al Qaeda affi li- comes after Russia and China border assistance,” the foreign the village of Jubass near the last major opposition bastion. ate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. on Friday vetoed a UN Security ministry said in a statement. Sudan’s new government agreed yesterday to revive a long- town of Saraqeb in southern “Children are bearing the The head of the group urged Council resolution that would To help civilians in Syria’s dormant irrigation system in the country’s central farming region Idlib, killing civilians shelter- brunt of intensifying violence fi ghters and allied rebels yester- have extended for a year cross- northwest, it said it has released as the latest round of negotiations with rebel groups wrapped up ing in a school and nearby, said in northwest Syria,” it said in a day to head to the frontlines and border aid deliveries to 4mn Syr- additional emergency aid of just in Juba. the Britain-based Observatory, statement. The escalation came battle “the Russian occupiers” ians, many of them in Idlib. over 5mn euros to the UN cross- Progress between Khartoum and the rebels came as separate which has a network of contacts as Damascus loyalists advanced and the regime. The move raised fears that vi- border humanitarian fund based peace talks, also underway in Juba, but over South Sudan’s five- across Syria. on the ground. Their “ferocious” campaign tal UN-funded assistance could in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. year civil war, ended without ground being made. - AFP Algerians protest despite day of mourning for army chief

AFP Algiers

rotesters fi lled the streets of Algeria’s Pcapital yesterday, defying calls for a day of mourning for the deceased army chief seen as the guardian of the system they want dismantled. Powerful military chief of staff Ahmed Gaid Salah died of a heart attack at age 79 on Monday, and newly-sworn in president Abdelmadjid Tebboune called for three days of mourning. Nonetheless, students Demonstrators shout slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Algiers, Algeria, and other protesters held yesterday. their regular Tuesday dem- onstration as they have Algeria’s de facto strong- will be held on Wednesday, Previous protests had every week since February, man following the April res- the presidency said, add- slammed Gaid Salah, par- when protests broke out in ignation of longtime presi- ing that his body would be ticularly in the lead-up to the North African country dent Abdelaziz Boutefl ika in interred at the Al-Alia cem- a December 12 presidential against the political system the face of mass demonstra- etery in western Algiers, the election rejected by protest- in place since Algeria’s 1962 tions sparked by his bid for a fi nal resting place of other ers who demanded deep- independence from France. fi fth term. presidents and senior Alge- rooted political reforms be- Gaid Salah was seen as The army chief’s funeral rian fi gures. fore any poll.

Lebanon banks ‘trapping’ state salaries: minister Turkish parliament readying bill Lebanon’s caretaker finance minister accused the country’s to allow sending troops to Libya banks yesterday of “trapping” civil servants’ salaries with withdrawal limits that have Reuters government. This support military supplies to the fuelled public anger in the Ankara may be in terms of military Serraj’s government de- crisis-stricken country. “What is training, or other areas, spite a United Nations happening in some Lebanese urkey may need to such as political support,” arms embargo, accord- banks is unacceptable,” Ali draft a bill to al- Kalin said. ing to a report by UN ex- Hassan Khalil wrote on Twitter. Tlow for troop de- Turkey backs Libya’s perts seen by Reuters last “They are trapping the salaries ployment to Libya and internationally recognised month. of (state) employees that are its parliament is working government and has said Ankara says Fayez al- transferred by the finance on the issue, Presidential it could deploy troops Serraj’s Government of ministry every month.” Rocked by spokesman Ibrahim Kalin there if it receives such a National Accord (GNA) two months of anti-government said yesterday, after An- request. has not yet asked Turkey protests and a political deadlock, kara signed a military co- Libya’s Tripoli-based to deploy troops to Libya. Lebanon is also facing its worst operation agreement with government has been However, President economic crisis since the 1975- Tripoli last month. fi ghting off a months- Tayyip Erdogan said on 1990 civil war. A liquidity crunch “There might be a need long off ensive by Khalifa Sunday that Turkey would has pushed Lebanese banks to for an authorisation in line Haftar’s forces based in increase its military sup- impose capital controls on dollar with the developments the east of the country. port to Libya if neces- accounts, capping withdrawals over there. Speaking in Ankara sary and would evaluate at around $1,000 a month. Some The parliament is con- after a cabinet meeting, ground, air and marine have imposed even tighter ducting work on this is- Kalin added that Turkey options. restrictions. Some have also sue,” Kalin told a news would continue to provide A Turkish delegation capped weekly withdrawals of conference in Ankara. the necessary support to travelled to Moscow on the Lebanese pound at 1mn — the “We will continue to Fayez al-Serraj’s Tripoli- Monday to discuss de- equivalent of $660 at off icial support the internation- based government. velopments in Libya and rates. ally recognised Libyan Turkey has already sent Syria. Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 AFRICA

Tanzania Rhino poaching Nigeria orders release charges at record levels activist of Sowore and Dasuki with money in Botswana

Reuters kept a secret by government laundering Gaborone offi cials but the Department after court orders of Wildlife and National Parks Rhino Co-ordinator, Dr Mma- AFP hino poaching in Bot- di Reuben said in October that Reuters ordered his release, saying his Dar-es-Salaam swana’s Okavango Delta if the poaching ‘continued at Abuja detention was unlawful and ar- Rhas risen at an unprece- this rate there will be no rhinos bitrary. dented rate with 23 white rhi- in Botswana in a year or two, Sowore, who also founded Tanzanian court charged noceros and eight black rhi- especially the black rhino, a igeria’s attorney-general news site Sahara Reporters, was rights activist Tito Mago- noceros killed since October critically endangered species’. ordered the release on fi rst arrested in August. Ati with money laundering 2018, the Ministry of Environ- Botswana is believed to have Nbail of an ex-presidential He has pleaded not guilty to and other off ences after holding ment, Natural Resources Con- benefi ted in 2015 when South candidate and a former national charges of treason, money laun- him in custody for four days, the servation and Tourism said. Africa moved around 100 rhi- security adviser, in recognition dering and harassing the presi- organisation for which he works “Between April and October nos to neighbouring countries of court orders that they be re- dent. said yesterday. 2019, nine rhinos were killed. as part of eff orts to stem the leased. Video of Sowore screaming Prosecutors in Kisuto court The unfortunate incidents illicit slaughter of the animals The move followed growing and shouting as he was wrestled said Magoti and co-worker The- have increased with 13 more for their horns. internal and international pres- to the ground by security of- odory Giyan had been charged rhinos having been poached Widely regarded as a safe sure on the Nigerian government fi cials in court, only hours after with leading organised crime, from October to date,” the min- haven for wildlife, Botswana to abide by court orders. his initial release on bail, circu- money laundering and possess- istry said in a statement seen by has a strict anti-poaching State security had ignored lated widely on social media in ing computer programmes de- Reuters late on Monday. policy and says it has com- several court orders that former Nigeria and internationally. signed for the purpose of com- Despite heavy rhino poach- mitted immense resources to adviser Sambo Dasuki, who has Yesterday, the government’s mitting crimes. ing in neighbouring South combat poaching but poach- been held since 2015, be released, own National Human Rights Both were being held in cus- Africa, which has one of the ers have taken advantage of and controversially re-arrested Former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore talks to the media Commission called on the ad- tody to await a January 7 hear- world’s largest rhino popu- the large size of the Okavango activist and former presiden- after being released on bail by Nigeria’s government, in Abuja, ministration to respect court ing. lations, only six rhinos were Delta and its diffi cult wetland tial candidate Omoyele Sowore Nigeria, yesterday. rulings. Magoti, of the Legal and Hu- killed for their horns in Bot- terrain. hours after his release on bail Six US members of Con- man Rights Centre (LHRC), was swana between 2007 and 2017 Botswana said it has stepped earlier this month. in accordance with the laws of $68mn of defence spending. gress, including Senate minor- arrested by plain-clothed of- conversation organisation Save up eff orts to address poaching “The two defendants are en- the land,” Attorney General and He has pleaded not guilty. ity leader Chuck Schumer, also fi cers who bundled him into an the Rhino said on its website. with interventions leading to joined to observe the terms of Justice Minister Abubakar Ma- Dasuki has been granted bail wrote to Malami on December unmarked car on Friday, initially The actual size of the Bot- the recovery of some horns their bail and refrain from en- lami said in a statement. several times, but the govern- 20 that they were “deeply con- raising fears that he had been swana rhino population is and hunting weapons. gaging in any act that is inimi- The government has ac- ment had refused to release him. cerned that established legal abducted. cal to public peace and national cused Dasuki, who served un- In 2016, a judge at the court procedure and the rule of law” Although Dar es Salaam re- security as well as their ongoing der former president Goodluck of the Economic Community of were not being followed in gional police commander Lazaro US mulls pulling troops from W Africa trial which will run its course Jonathan, of fraud involving West African States (ECOWAS) Sowore’s case. Mambosasa confi rmed his ar- rest, family and friends were un- The Pentagon is looking into eff orts in Mali, Niger and Burkina Two killed, 13 injured in militant attack in Nigeria able to contact him until Tues- reducing or even withdrawing Faso in their war along with local day’s court appearance. US troops from West troops against Al Qaeda and At least two civilians were killed Civilians were caught in the However local residents said The militants were forced to A statement from the LHRC Africa, part of a worldwide Islamic State group militants. and 13 others injured when crossfire during the fierce two- three people from the same withdraw, civilian militia fighter, said the suspects were in good redeployment of military The Pentagon supports them by militants attacked a military hour battle that followed. family were killed during Mustapha Karimbe said. health but that Magoti appeared forces, the New York Times providing intelligence, logistical checkpoint in northeast Nigeria, “Two persons died,” Bulama the fighting when a rocket- There were no reports of very tired. reported yesterday. support and aerial refuelling at a local government spokesman Talba, a Borno government propelled grenade hit their combattant casualties on either They had been questioned There are between 6,000 and an annual cost to the Pentagon and residents said yesterday. spokesman said in a statement, home nearby. side, he added. about their relationship with 7,000 US troops in Africa, mainly of some $45mn a year, the Fighters from the Islamic State after visiting the Biu general “Two RPGs (rocket-propelled In recent weeks, ISWAP, an fellow activists Maria Sarungi in West Africa but also in places Times said. West African Province (ISWAP) hospital where casualties were grenades) hit two houses, killing off -shoot of Boko Haram, has and Fatma Karume and with op- like Somalia. The US presence France has had a major military in 14 trucks launched an attack being treated yesterday. three people in one and badly intensified deadly attacks in the position politician Zitto Kabwe, includes military trainers as well presence in Mali since 2013, on soldiers in Maina Hari village “Thirteen persons sustained damaging the other along with a northeast, targeting soldiers but the statement added. as a recently built $110mn drone when it launched an intervention near Biu Town, 180km southwest various degrees of injuries as a vehicle,” said Ahmad Babagana, also mounting fake checkpoints “We are closely following the base in Niger, the Times said. against Al Qaeda-linked militants of the Borno State capital, result of stray bullets while trying a local resident who visited the and killing and abducting case and will provide legal rep- A withdrawal would also end who had overrun the country’s Maiduguri. to escape,” Talba said. scene. civilians. ( AFP ) resentation,” said the LRHC. US support for French military north. ( AFP ) Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 7 AMERICAS

Few more days of Newseum

Two teenagers read a news report from a teleprompter and see themselves in action at the “Be a TV Reporter” stations at the Newseum, which will be closing down on New Year’s Eve after 12 years in Washington, DC. The Newseum was, for over a decade, a shining symbol for the press and free expression, a gleaming glass-and-steel structure steps from the US Capitol. The monument to the news media will be closing its doors on December 31 in a move that reflects the woes of the media industry which has been struggling financially as it faces repeated attacks from political leaders.Thousands of A boy looks at front pages of newspapers from the day after the September 11, 2001 attacks during a visit to the Newseum, American newspapers have closed amid financial troubles. which will be closing down on New Year’s Eve after 12 years in Washington, DC.

Former Trump campaign staff er sues over pregnancy US ready to deal with any North discrimination

A staff member of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign is suing the campaign for pregnancy dis- crimination, alleging she was Korean ‘Christmas gift’: Trump stripped of job responsibilities after being impregnated by Reuters tion talks ahead of Trump’s re- a fl urry of international diplo- her supervisor. In court papers Palm Beach, Florida election bid next year and said it macy aimed at preventing a com- filed on Monday in New York, was “entirely up to the US what plete breakdown of dialogue and Arlene Delgado said she Christmas gift it will select to avoiding a return to the heated learned she was pregnant in S President Donald get.” confrontation seen two years ago mid-November 2016, around Trump yesterday brushed US military commanders have that raised fears of war. the time Trump won the presi- Uoff North Korea’s warning said that the North Korean re- China, North Korea’s most dential election. Delgado was of a “Christmas gift”, saying the sponse could involve the testing important economic and diplo- a senior off icial for outreach to United States would “deal with of a long-range missile, some- matic backer, together with Rus- the Hispanic community. it very successfully,” amid US thing North Korea has suspend- sia, proposed last week that the Delagado named Jason Miller, concerns that Pyongyang might ed, along with nuclear bomb UN Security Council lift some a top spokesman for Trump’s be preparing a long-range mis- tests, since 2017. sanctions to break the current 2016 campaign, as the father sile test. Trump has repeatedly held up deadlock. of her child in the lawsuit. “We’ll fi nd out what the sur- the suspension of such tests as A US State Department offi - Miller was married during prise is and we’ll deal with it very evidence that his policy of en- cial responded by saying it was their relationship, Delgado successfully,” Trump told report- gaging with North Korea, which not the time to consider lifting told the Atlantic magazine in ers at his Mar-a-Lago resort. has involved unprecedented UN sanctions when North Korea a 2017 interview. Miller was “We’ll see what happens.” summits with Kim, was work- was “threatening to conduct an initially named as Trump’s first “Maybe it’s a nice present,” he ing. North Korea’s last test of an escalated provocation, refusing White House communica- quipped. “Maybe it’s a present intercontinental ballistic missile to meet to discuss denuclearisa- tion director but days later where he sends me a beautiful took place in November 2017. tion, and continuing to maintain declined to take the job. Miller vase as opposed to a missile test.” That involved a Hwasong-15 and advance its prohibited weap- said at the time his family took North Korea warned Wash- ICBM, the largest missile it has ons of mass destruction and bal- priority over career moves ington earlier this month of a ever tested, and which it said listic missile programs.” and that he and his wife were possible “Christmas gift” after was capable of reaching all of the North Korea has conducted expecting their second daugh- its leader Kim Jong-un gave the United States. repeated tests of short-range ter in January 2017. United States until the end of the Trump and Kim have met three missiles this year and this month Reuters was unable to reach year to propose new concessions times since 2018, but there has carried out what appeared to be Miller for comment. Delgado in talks over his country’s nucle- been no substantive progress in engine tests at a rocket-testing alleges in her lawsuit that after ar arsenal and reducing tensions dialogue. North Korea has de- facility US offi cials have said Kim letting the campaign know of between the two long-time ad- manded an end to internation- promised Trump he would close. her pregnancy, she immedi- versaries. al sanctions while the United Pyongyang said the tests were ately stopped receiving work In issuing the warning, North States says Pyongyang must fi rst aimed at “restraining and over- e-mails and was excluded Korea accused Washington of commit to giving up its nuclear powering the nuclear threat of US President Donald Trump makes a video call to the troops stationed worldwide at the Mar-a-Lago estate from projects on which she trying to drag out denuclearisa- weapons. Recent days have seen the US.” in Palm Beach Florida, yesterday. had been working. Delgado said her career suff ered after she was passed up on White Venezuela arrests House jobs following Trump’s inauguration. She “also suf- deserted soldier fered future pecuniary losses, after outpost Bolsonaro pardons security forces Chile president signs emotional pain (and) humilia- tion,” according to her lawsuit. attack Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman convicted of unintentional crimes off on constitutional for Trump’s 2020 re-election Venezuela has arrested a campaign, declined to com- deserted soldier among at least ment on the allegations. six people who the govern- AFP change referendum ment said were responsible for Rio de Janeiro an attack on a remote military Mexico accuses outpost over the weekend. The AFP ple in the formation of a new Bolivia of attackers stole weapons and razil’s far right President Santiago constitution assembly. The killed one Venezuelan soldier at Jair Bolsonaro has used government favours a com- intimidating a military facility in southern Bo- Bhis fi rst Christmas pardon mittee made up half of exist- livar State. Information Minister to excuse members of the police hile President Sebas- ing lawmakers and half by a its diplomats Jorge Rodriguez said in a state and military convicted of unin- tian Pinera enacted a new group elected directly by in La Paz television address on Monday tentional crimes during lethal Claw yesterday that will the public to draft the consti- that Darwin Balaguera, a former operations. allow the South American tution, while the opposition National Guard member who The 64-year-old was elected country to hold a referendum prefers a committee made up Mexico accused Bolivia of in- deserted in February and fled just over a year ago on a campaign on April 26 to change its mili- entirely of specifi cally elected timidating its diplomats while to Colombia, was among six in which he vowed to get tough tary dictatorship era consti- members. Bolivia said Mexico had hi- people detained over the raid. on crime. But he caused uproar tution. The decision to hold a ref- jacked a regional summit and The channel broadcast video of even before he was elected last Changing the constitution erendum to change the con- dragged its feet in recognising Balaguera answering authorities’ year when stating that security President Jair Bolsonaro enacted under former dictator stitution was reached follow- its new, conservative premier. questions in custody. forces accused of killing crimi- Augusto Pinochet, who ruled ing an agreement last month Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said Olnar Ortiz, an attorney with nals “should be decorated and ture, terrorism or corruption, from 1973-90, was one of the between the government and on Monday that it was “deeply nonprofit rights group Penal not have to go to court” to be held as well as serious disciplinary Bolsonaro released main demands made of Pinera left-wing opposition parties concerned” about “excessive” Forum, said at least seven mem- accountable for their actions. infractions. Bolsonaro has come from hospital as he bids to end two months and came just two days after surveillance of the Mexican bers of the Pemon indigenous It’s not known how many under fi re over several policies of protests against his govern- particularly violent protests. ambassador’s residence and group were arrested in connec- members of the security forces since assuming power in January. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro ment and inequality. Pinera signed the enact- Mexican embassy in Bolivia by tion with the incident. Ortiz said have been pardoned in the meas- One proposed law from his Jus- was released from the hospital “This reform opens the ment at the presidential pal- about 150 Bolivian intelligence four other Pemon individuals ure that was signed by Bolsonaro tice Minister Sergio Moro aimed yesterday following an overnight doors and defi nes a path to ace in the company of social- and security service person- were missing. on Monday night and published at preventing police from being stay after hitting his head in a fall achieve a great constitutional ist former president Ricardo nel. In a letter to the Organiza- Authorities on Sunday blamed in the Offi cial Journal on Tues- convicted over their actions dur- at his off icial residence, his off ice agreement,” said Pinera in Lagos, who 15 years ago intro- tion of American States (OAS), “extreme sectors of the op- day. ing anti-crime operations was said. The fall was the latest health signing into law a bill ap- duced a number of signifi cant Mexico said the Bolivians were position” for the raid. Venezuela, The pardon covers those con- rejected by Congress. scare for Brazil’s leader, who was proved last week by Congress. constitutional reforms. “intimidating” diplomatic staff whose economy has collapsed victed of “crimes committed Critics said it would give se- wounded in a knife attack in Many Chileans believe the Should Chileans vote to re- and attempted to “detain and under socialist President Nicolas unintentionally” by members curity forces impunity to commit September 2018 while campaign- constitution to be a source of draft the constitution, a new inspect” the ambassador’s Maduro, is undergoing a deep from all the diff erent branches unlawful killings. ing for president. Bolsonaro spent many inequalities aff ecting poll to elect those responsible vehicle on Monday. Bolivia has political crisis, with head of the of the security forces, the presi- Brazilian police, particularly the night in the Armed Forces them. for the task in hand would be tilted rightward since socialist opposition-held National As- dency said. It also pardons those in Rio de Janeiro state, have long Hospital in Brasilia under observa- They will be asked two held in October 2020, during former president Evo Morales sembly Juan Guaido assuming a convicted of crimes committed been accused of heavy handed tion and was released “with the questions on April 26: do they regional and municipal elec- resigned in November after rival presidency. when off duty but done so with tactics when tackling crime in recommendation that he rest,” the want a new constitution and tions. a presidential election which Ortiz said authorities raided the intention of “eliminating a poor neighbourhoods, known as statement read. A cranial CT scan who should draft it. The constitutional body the OAS said was rigged in homes in the Pemon village of present risk to the self or third favelas. taken after the president slipped The second question refers would then have nine months his favour. Bolivia is currently Kumarakapay near Venezuela’s parties.” In the fi rst quarter of the year, late Monday in a bathroom at to whether or not those tasked to come up with a new text, governed by interim President border with Brazil on Sunday Those excluded from the or- a record number of people — 434 the Alvorada Palace detected no with the redrafting should a deadline which could be Jeanine Anez, a former evening, searching for suspect- der include people convicted of — were killed by police in Rio anomalies, his off ice said. be specifi cally elected by the extended by a further three conservative senator and op- ed participants in the raid. “terrible crimes” such as tor- during such interventions. public to do so, for exam- months. ponent of Morales. Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 ASIA Vietnam seizes 27 killed as bus plunges two tonnes into ravine in Indonesia of ivory and

AFP Palembang pangolin scales

t least 27 people have died AFP Authorities in and more than a dozen Hanoi northern Hai Phong Awere injured after a bus city found 330kg (730 plunged into a ravine in Indone- pounds) of ivory and sia, offi cials said yesterday. ietnam seized more 1.7 tonnes of pangolin The bus careered into a 150m than two tonnes of scales aft er checking (500ft) ravine in South Sumatra Vivory tusks and pan- three container province just before midnight golin scales hidden inside shipments from (1600 GMT) yesterday and wooden boxes shipped from Nigeria ended up in a river, according to Nigeria, state media reported police. yesterday. for decorative and medicinal Head of the local search and The bust comes at the purposes. rescue team Berty Kowaas said end of a year of big wildlife The pangolin is considered divers were searching near the seizures destined for com- the most traffi cked animal on bus, which was half submerged. munist Vietnam, a hotbed the planet, and over one mil- Rescuers were also scouring of the illicit but lucrative lion have been snatched from nearby slopes for the missing. trade in animal parts from Asian and African forests in “The current in the river is elephants, pangolins, tigers the past decade. quite strong so there’s a possi- and rhinos. They are destined for mar- bility some victims were carried Authorities in northern kets in China and Vietnam, away,” Kowaas told Kompas TV Hai Phong city found 330kg where their scales are used in yesterday. (730 pounds) of ivory and traditional medicine and their The accident happened in a 1.7 tonnes of pangolin scales meat is bought on the black remote and steep area near the after checking three con- market. town of Pagar Alam, hampering tainer shipments from Ni- Hanoi has vowed to crack search eff orts. geria, according to Hai Quan down on the illegal wildlife Footage shared by the res- Online, the offi cial mouth- trade, but conservationists say cue team showed bodies being piece of Vietnam’s customs it persists thanks to weak law retrieved out of the river and department. enforcement. placed on stretchers. The manifest listed the In May, Vietnamese po- Local police chief Dolly Gu- goods as high-end lumber, the lice found 5.3 tonnes of mara earlier said the bus was online site said, adding that pangolin scales hidden in a carrying more people than ini- the haul was hidden in boxes shipment from Nigeria at a tially believed and several pas- at the back of the containers. southern port. sengers could still be missing. Published photos showed a Some two months later in No other vehicle was involved in Rescue personnel retrieving a victim after a bus careered into a 150m deep ravine and ended up in a river killing dozens, near Perahu Dipo rectangular wooden box full of July, authorities in Singapore the accident, she added. village in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, yesterday. pangolin scales, with elephant seized nearly 9 tonnes of ivory According to a passenger tusks mixed in. and a huge stash of pangolin manifest, the regional bus left ably added along the way so and the cause of the accident is In September, at least 21 peo- tried to wrest control of a bus Both items are highly sought scales destined for Vietnam. Bengkulu province for Pagar there’s a possibility some more being investigated. ple died when a bus plunged steering wheel following an ar- after on the multibillion-dol- During the same month Alam with 27 on board but some people are still missing in the Traffi c accidents are common into a ravine in West Java’s gument with the driver on the lar illegal wildlife market. dozens of live pangolins survivors told police there were river,” Gumara said, adding the in the Southeast Asian archipel- Sukabumi region. same toll road in West Java as Vietnam outlawed the ivory smuggled from Laos were dis- around 50 people inside when cause was being investigated. ago, where vehicles are often old Several months earlier, 12 Thursday’s accident. The bus trade in 1992, but the illegal covered dehydrated and weak the accident happened. Injured survivors have been and poorly maintained and road people were killed and dozens smashed into two cars, causing market still persists and shops on a bus in a central region of “Some passengers were prob- taken to hospital for treatment rules regularly fl outed. more injured when a passenger a truck to roll. sell items pre-dating the ban the country.

Thailand reporter jailed for libelling A Thai television journalist was 122 Chinese held in Nepal over suspected cybercrime sentenced to two years in prison yesterday on charges of libelling a chicken farm on Twitter, her lawyer Reuters Chinese and Nepali police had co-operated said. Kathmandu on the case and China was willing to in- Suchanee Cloitre, who was working crease law-enforcement co-operation with for Voice TV at the time, was its neighbour. convicted for a post she made olice in Nepal have detained 122 Chi- Chinese people are regularly detained in about a legal dispute over working nese men and women in its biggest Asian countries on suspicion of involve- conditions at the Thammakaset farm, Pcrackdown on crime by foreigners en- ment in various illegal activities, often lawyer Woraporn Uthairangsee said. tering the country on tourist visas, offi cials involving fraud back in China. “I’m shocked and did not think said yesterday. Last week, authorities in the Philippines the sentence would be so harsh,” The chief of police in the capital Kath- arrested 342 Chinese workers in a raid on an Suchanee said after the sentencing. mandu said the suspects were rounded up in unlicensed gambling operation. She said she was worried about what raids yesterday following information that In September, police arrested fi ve Chi- would happen to her eight-month-old they were engaged in suspicious activities. nese nationals on a charge of stealing son. The Chinese are suspected of cybercrime money by hacking bank cash machines. Her Twitter post centred on complaint and hacking into bank cash machines, the Chinese citizens were also arrested with that a group of migrant workers from police chief, Uttam Subedi, said, adding smuggled gold this year. Myanmar made to Thailand’s National that they were being held in diff erent police Nepal and China signed a treaty on mu- Human Rights Commission about stations and their passports and laptops had tual assistance in criminal matters dur- conditions at Thammakaset in 2016. been seized. ing a visit to Nepal by President Xi Jinping Thai courts this year ordered that the “This is the fi rst time that so many for- in October. workers should get compensation eigners have been detained for suspected China has been increasing its investment after earlier dismissing a defamation criminal activities,” he said. in Nepal in recent years in areas such as lawsuit that the farm had launched Another senior police offi cer, Hobindra roads, power plants and hospitals. against the workers. Bogati, said the Chinese embassy knew More than 134,000 Chinese tourists Thammakaset, which denied the about the raids and had supported the visited Nepal between January and Octo- accusations from the outset, has also detentions. ber this year, up 9.2% from the same pe- filed lawsuits against 20 journalists Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign riod in 2018, according to Nepal Tourism and activists over the case. (Reuters) Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Board data. A detained Chinese man reacts towards the media as he walks into the police station in Kathmandu yesterday.

Veteran climbers sceptical of Indonesians riding the waves proposed rules for Mt Everest

Reuters on the Nepali side and two on viral - caused fatal delays in the to beat tsunami trauma Kathmandu the Tibetan side. Many per- thin air in what is known as the ished when a rush to climb the “death zone” above 8,000m. AFP For Setyawan and others from of the disaster, Setyawan decid- mountain during a short win- That raised concerns that inex- Banda Aceh Lampuuk, just outside of Banda ed to face his fears. eteran climbers of dow of suitable weather in late perienced mountaineers were Aceh, surfi ng has become a way He went back into the water. Mount Everest are scep- May led to a “traffi c jam” near being encouraged to attempt to help them start again. Now a professional surfer, he’s Vtical that proposed new the summit. the climb by unscrupulous urfboard tucked under his “Water is part of our lives here. competed in international and regulations by the Nepalese “Most teams opt to go for the guide companies. arm, Dery Setyawan sprints This is where we live, interact domestic competitions, and or- government to tighten the per- summit when the fi rst weather Among the changes pro- Sinto the crashing waves. with family and others and make ganised last month’s Aceh Surf- mit process for adventurers will window is predicted,” Viesturs posed by the Nepalese gov- It is not just a physical challenge money for living,” the 35-year- ing Championships. address the root causes of this told Reuters in one of a series of ernment is a requirement for but an emotional one - most of his old father says as the disaster’s Today, Lampuuk has been re- year’s heavy death toll on the interviews by phone and email. climbers to submit a medical family and friends were swept to anniversary approaches. built with tsunami evacuation world’s tallest peak. “Everyone is afraid of miss- report by a certifi ed doctor dis- their deaths when a tsunami hit Of Lampuuk’s 7,000 residents signs everywhere. American mountaineers Ed ing what might be the one and closing their history and state these shores 15 years ago. - just 300 survived. Setyawan’s The population has grown to Viesturs and Alan Arnette said only perfect day. There are of health. Another suggested His hometown of Lampuuk Dery Setyawan holding his mother, two grandmothers and 2,000 - still a far cry from its planned new laws - if they are typically several good summit requirement was the climbers was almost destroyed entirely, surfboard after surfing on infant brother were all killed, original population, but Setyawan introduced at all - are unlikely days, but there’s pressure to go submit proof they had scaled but despite his devastating loss, Lhoknga beach in Banda Aceh. along with many of his friends. aims to transform the shores from to tackle the growing trend of when everyone else goes.” another 6,500m peak in Nepal. the father-of-two sees the water He remembers the water crash- a place of despair to one of hope. inexperienced climbers rushing Nepal has traditionally is- Arnette said the fi rst change as a way to heal. tries, including Thailand, Sri ing into his home the force dragging He also formed a local surf in packs to scale the 29,035ft sued climbing permits to any- was unlikely to be enough, giv- “Surfi ng has been the best cure Lanka and India. him some 200m till he hit some de- club and set up a beachfront res- (8,850m) Himalayan peak. one prepared to pay the $11,000 en the potential to forge medi- for my tsunami trauma. When I Reaching as far as East Africa, bris and clung on for his life. taurant, and is confi dent of the “I’ve seen this movie so fee, handing out a record 381 cal documents, while the sec- am on the waves, all my fears are the tsunami unleashed energy In years immediately follow- tourism potential. many times it’s totally predict- passes this year. With essential ond made little sense as many gone and I can embrace the past equivalent to 23,000 of the atomic ing, the surviving residents were “Surfi ng is one way of attract- able,” Arnette told Reuters in Sherpas and guides added, more climbers have scaled higher and be at peace with it,” he says. bombs dropped on Hiroshima - fearful of the water. ing people to come to this place a telephone interview. “Every than 800 people were trying to peaks elsewhere. On December 26, 2004, a and is considered among the dead- “We’d only look at the waves again after the tsunami,” Setya- year since 2013, something reach the summit during the The recommendations have monstrous 9.3 magnitude quake liest natural disasters in history. just to check whether the water wan explains. goes wrong and they (the Ne- short weather window. been submitted to the cabinet struck undersea off the coast of Indonesia was hardest hit with level had gone down,” Setya- Volcano-dotted Indonesia is one pal government) announce all The overcrowding - which for approval, Mira Acharya, Sumatra. It sparked a tsunami at least 170,000 killed, though wan said, referring to a tell-tale of the most disaster-hit nations in these new rules and never im- caught worldwide attention who oversees climbing activi- nearly 100ft (30m) high that the true death toll is likely to be sign that a tsunami may be ap- the world due to its position strad- plement them.” when a photograph of a queue ties for the Nepal government’s killed more than 220,000 across higher as many bodies have yet proaching. dling the so-called Pacifi c Ring of Eleven climbers died on of climbers stepping over bod- Department of Tourism, told a string of Indian Ocean coun- to be recovered or identifi ed. But after the fi rst anniversary Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Mount Everest this year - nine ies to reach the summit went Reuters last week. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 9 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA Typhoon Phanfone ruining festivities for thousands of Filipinos

AFP mas Eve in the mainly Catholic Samar province, told AFP, add- Reyden Cabrigas earlier told through the central islands the Christmas holidays have Strong winds and associated Manila nation, but early reports indi- ing there were no casualties AFP. The state weather serv- were ordered to stay in port and been stranded at ports as ship- dangers such as floods, land- cate there had been no casual- there. ice said homes made of wood, many commercial flights were ping shut down, the coast guard slides, and – more rarely – gi- ties so far. Just under 1,700 people were straw or bamboo risked “heavy cancelled, stranding thousands said yesterday. ant walls of seawater kill scores yphoon Phanfone It struck the southern tip of evacuated from coastal areas as damage”, though there were so of people who were trooping to The state weather service of people each year, wipe out smashed into the cen- the impoverished island of Sa- well as those prone to flood- far no reports of giant waves their hometowns. said Phanfone would bring harvests and destroy roads, Ttral Philippines yester- mar in the afternoon with gusts ing and landslides, according crashing onto coastal com- Though much weaker, Phan- moderate to strong winds over bridges, power lines and other day, leaving thousands of peo- of up to 150km an hour that to early official tallies seen by munities as the state weather fone was tracking a similar path the capital Manila on Christ- infrastructure. ple unable to get home for the snapped branches off trees and AFP. “Some families are re- service earlier warned. Phan- as Super Typhoon Haiyan – the mas Day. A July 2019 study by the Ma- Christmas holidays and forcing knocked down power pylons luctant to evacuate because fone, Laotian for “animal”, was country’s deadliest cyclone on The Philippines is the first nila-based Asian Development many others to evacuate in the and mobile phone relay towers. they want to celebrate Christ- forecast to cut across the cen- record which left more than major landmass facing the Pa- Bank said the most frequent face of the onslaught. “(There are) no signs of heavy mas at home, but local offi- tral islands through Christmas 7,300 people dead or missing in cific cyclone belt. As such, the storms lop one percent off the The tropical storm was up- damage except for houses made cials will force them out if they Day before roaring out to the 2013. archipelago gets hit by an aver- Philippine economic output, graded to a typhoon shortly be- of light materials,” Ben Evar- refuse to heed our warnings,” South China Sea. All boats More than 23,000 ferry pas- age of 20 storms and typhoons with the stronger ones cutting fore it made landfall on Christ- done, the governor of Eastern regional civil defence official on the storm’s projected path sengers trying to get home for each year. output by nearly 3%. China hosts Japan, S Korea with eyes on nuclear North

AFP made positive overtures at the Chengdu, China start of their bilateral meeting. The relationship between Japan and both Koreas is overshadowed hina hosted the leaders by the 35 years of brutal colonisa- China’s Premier Li Keqiang, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korea’s President Moon of squabbling neighbours tion by the Japanese – including Jae-in pose for pictures ahead of the 8th trilateral leaders’ meeting in Chengdu, Sichuan province, CSouth Korea and Japan for the use of sex slaves and forced China yesterday. their fi rst offi cial meeting in over labour – that is still bitterly re- a year yesterday, fl exing its diplo- sented today. “South Korea’s responsibility” matic muscle with America’s two Ties began a downward spiral to resolve the issues. “I urge the key Asian allies and seeking unity in recent months after a series South Korean side to get the ball on how to deal with a belligerent of South Korean court rulings rolling to regain the soundness of North Korea. ordering Japanese fi rms to com- Japan-South Korea relations,” he The gathering in the south- pensate wartime forced labour said. western city of Chengdu was victims. After the meeting with Chi- held with the clock ticking on These infuriated Tokyo, who na, both Japan and South Korea a threatened “Christmas gift” insisted the matter had been urged the resumption of talks from North Korean leader Kim settled by a 1965 treaty between between Pyongyang and Wash- Jong-un that could reignite glo- the two countries. Seoul then ington – which have been largely bal tensions over its nuclear pro- threatened to withdraw from a deadlocked since a second sum- gramme. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a news conference at the key military intelligence-sharing mit between President Donald Kim has promised the uniden- 8th trilateral leaders’ meeting between China, South Korea and Japan pact, although it reversed course Trump and North Korean leader tifi ed “gift” – which analysts and in Chengdu. in November and agreed to ex- Kim Jong-un in Hanoi collapsed American offi cials believe could tend it “conditionally”. at the start of this year. be a provocative missile test – if gling over Japan’s 1910-1945 oc- show its diplomatic presence to Abe said he hoped “to improve The leaders of the three coun- the US does not make conces- cupation of the Korean penin- the world by bringing the Japa- the important Japan-South Ko- tries also promised to help pro- sions in their nuclear talks by sula. nese and South Korean leaders to rea relations and to exchange mote dialogue to rid the Korean Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe shakes hands with South Korea’s President the end of the year. The gather- The United States has urged the same table,” Haruko Satoh, candid opinions”, according to peninsula of nuclear weapons. Moon Jae-in during their meeting in Chengdu, China. ing also featured the fi rst bilat- the pair to bury the hatchet – professor and expert on Chinese Japanese public broadcaster Also yesterday, North Korean eral meeting between South Ko- worried their poor relations politics at Osaka University, told NHK. Yesterday, Seoul’s presi- state media slammed Tokyo as would destroy Trump’s argu- warned the North posed an im- rea’s Moon Jae-in and Japanese were complicating diplomacy in AFP. dential Blue House said Moon a “political dwarf”, saying its ment that he had succeeded in mediate threat. “The risk to US Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 15 Asia – although it has held off on Before leaving for China, Abe described the two countries as weapons tests “pose no threat” reducing risks from North Korea. forces & our allies is imminent & months. Ties between the two direct mediation. China is ap- told reporters that links with “the closest neighbours geo- to Japan. Former US national security ad- more eff ective policy is required have hit rock bottom lately over pearing to fi ll that void with the Seoul remained “severe”. But Abe graphically, historically and cul- Still, if the North fi red an in- viser John Bolton, who was dis- before NK has the technology to trade issues and other disputes Chengdu event. “As the region’s and Moon were photographed turally”. But at a press conference tercontinental ballistic missile missed in September, on Monday threaten the American home- related to decades of bitter wran- major power, China hopes to smiling and shaking hands, and after the bilateral, Abe said it was in defi ance of UN sanctions, it criticised Trump’s strategy and land,” tweeted Bolton.

Australian PM under pressure North Korea anniversary as bushfi res fuel climate debate

Reuters Sydney

alls for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Cto resign have littered social media platforms after it was revealed he was holiday- ing in Hawaii while the country battled a bushfi re emergency and his return has failed to douse the criticism. Voters have taken to social media calling for leadership at a time of crisis, and along with some of the country’s political editors, have criticised Morri- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison comforts Jan Sienielink- son’s refusal to take tougher ac- Allen, the owner of Barrister’s Block Winery, in Woodside, Australia, tion on climate change. as he tours areas aff ected by the bushfires. Similar to the criticism of US President Donald Trump 4mn hectares (9.88mn acres) fi ghters who have battled blazes by American comedians, Mor- of land across fi ve states and for months. A series of photo Students take part in a dancing party marking the 28th anniversary of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s “assumption of supreme rison has been ridiculed on killed nine people since Sep- opportunities of Morrison with commandership of the Korean People’s Army” and the 102nd anniversary of the birth of North Korean anti-Japanese revolutionary icon social media, portrayed as a tember. Uncontrolled fi res are fi refi ghters and animals aff ected Kim Jong-suk at the plaza of the Monument to Party Founding in Pyongyang yesterday. deformed creature sitting in a still burning in South Australia, by the fi res was ridiculed on so- burnt out forest on Christmas after ripping through the state’s cial media yesterday. Morrison Day patting a lump of coal he prominent wine region, and stunned the nation in May by calls “precious” to a fl ying su- around the country’s largest winning an election, securing a perhero called “##$$@@ Man”. city Sydney. parliamentary majority, but his On Twitter yesterday, #Not- Hazardous smoke blanketed political capital six months later MyPrimeMinister, #Morrison- Sydney for days this month, is now being questioned. NZ suspends search for missing in volcano tragedy MustGo and #ScoMoResign heightening public anger and “He has lost any personal link were the top trending topics raising political pressure on to that deep, crucial, reservoir in Australia after a viral video the government to do more to of gravitas we confer, auto- Reuters two missing people have been severe bushfi res at home, but said name of Whakaari, were Austral- showed a volunteer fi refi ghter, battle climate change. When it matically, on our PMs simply Wellington informed of this decision. Police the New Zealand government had ian citizens or permanent resi- Jacqui, shaking hands with was revealed Morrison and his because of their position,” The remain ready to respond if new done all it could to recover the dents. Morrison as she said “not my family had slipped away to Ha- Canberra Times newspaper col- information comes to light,” he bodies. Police said on Monday one of prime minister”. waii for a holiday voters became umnist Nicholas Stuart wrote ew Zealand police said added. Those still missing, pre- “I have no doubt that they are those injured during the eruption “Jacquie is all of us,” Twitter angry. On his return Morrison yesterday. But some analysts yesterday they were end- sumed dead, are Winona Lang- exhausting every, every channel had died in an Auckland hospital user Yabba said. Another user further infl amed his political say it is too early to write Mor- Ning the search for the ford, a 17-year-old Australian available to them to recover those on the weekend, bringing the of- @bugwannostra tweeted “she’s critics by saying there would be rison’s political epitaph, but bodies of two people still missing tourist, and Hayden Marshall-In- remains,” Morrison said. “I can fi cial death toll to 17. only saying what more than no change to climate policy and concede Australia’s summer following the deadly eruption of a man, a 40-year-old New Zealand only say thank you, kia ora to New There has been criticism that 12mn think...” denied suggestions of a split bushfi res may eventually see a volcano earlier this month. tour guide. Zealand, and for everything that tourists were allowed on the is- The tweet prompted Morri- within his government after his change in climate policy. “The search for the two miss- Their bodies are thought to they’ve done to assist the Aus- land, a popular destination for son to issue a clarifi cation. “In- deputy agreed more action was In Australia, the world’s larg- ing victims of the Whakaari/ have been swept into the ocean tralians and Australian families,” day-trippers, given the risks of an deed, as Jacqui joked with me needed. est exporter of coal, climate White Island eruption has been around the uninhabited volcanic he said using a M’ori expression active volcano. yesterday, I’m not her PM, be- He also ruled out holding a and energy policy have infused suspended,” Bay of Plenty Dis- island. Australian Prime Minis- of thanks. That has led to speculation cause she’s British, Boris John- summit with the nation’s fi re politics for a decade, helping trict Commander, Superintend- ter Scott Morrison told reporters The majority of the victims the tragedy could lead to ma- son is,” he tweeted. Devastating chiefs and compensation for to bring down both liberal and ent Andy McGregor said in a he had not been updated on the the powerful eruption of White jor changes for New Zealand’s bushfi res have burnt more than thousands of volunteer fi re- conservative lawmakers. statement. “The families of the situation due to being focused on Island, also known by its Maori thrillseeker tourism industry. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 BRITAIN Travel chaos as Northern railways cancels trains

High levels of sickness chester, with passengers advised There are replacement buses veloping contingency plans for Liverpool Street and Ashford land, alongside 117 fl ood alerts, pute over pay and working con- blamed for disruption to check online before travelling. operating between Liverpool the replacement of the cur- International services will be which warn fl ooding is possible. ditions. aff ecting Lancashire, A spokesperson for Northern Lime Street and Wigan North rent franchise with either a new among those suff ering the worst An RAC survey indicated that Nexus, which runs the train Liverpool and Manchester said: “Alongside the annual leave West, a reduced service from short-term management con- disruption. 3.1mn drivers will make a leisure service, said members of the entitlements at this time of the Manchester Piccadilly and Had- tract with Northern or the Op- Motorists are also being trip by car yesterday, as many RMT union had agreed to strike By Aamna Mohdin year, we currently have unprec- fi eld, and a combination of both erator of Last Resort.” warned about “treacherous” people clock up the miles to be on January 6 and 7, coinciding Guardian News & Media edented levels of sickness. between Lancaster and More- Elsewhere in England, London driving conditions due to last with family and friends in time with the return to school and “That means we have some cambe. Paddington station is closed from week’s heavy rainfall, as millions for Christmas Day. work after the Christmas break. pre-planned cancellations on Earlier this month, passen- Tuesday until Saturday as Net- of people embark on a Christmas The busiest period is expected It follows a shutdown of the ail passengers faced chaos certain lines. gers protested against Northern, work Rail carries out track and getaway. to be between 2pm and 6pm. Metro last Friday and Saturday, on Christmas Eve due to “We are sorry for any disrup- calling for it to be stripped of its overhead wiring improvements A recent AA poll suggested Meanwhile, London Southend which aff ected Christmas shop- Rthe Northern’s cancella- tion customers may face. Please franchise. at Southall, as well as Crossrail 74% of motorists would risk Airport has confi rmed no fl ights pers and football fans attending tions and delays, which the fran- check our website before you Figures from the Offi ce of Rail upgrades. driving through fl ood water de- were cancelled on Christmas Eve Newcastle United’s home game chise blamed on “unprecedent- travel.” and Road show that only 56% of A total of 386 engineering spite the risk of being swept despite calls for strike action by against Crystal Palace. ed” sickness levels and drivers on The franchise said customers Northern services were on time projects are being carried out away. the GMB union. Drivers have turned down a leave. will have a range of alternative in the last quarter. across Britain’s rail network over As of 11am yesterday, 44 fl ood In the new year, passengers in 15% pay increase in return for The aff ected services include options available to them includ- A Department for Transport the festive period. warnings – where fl ooding is ex- Tyne and Wear will be aff ected by changing practices when a new Lancashire, Liverpool and Man- ing other Northern services. spokesperson said: “We are de- London King’s Cross, London pected – were in place for Eng- a two-day strike owing to a dis- fl eet of trains comes in.

Prince Philip leaves hospital in time to Queen says 2019 has celebrate Christmas

Reuters condition, the palace said on Fri- London day. The 93-year-old queen trav- elled to Sandringham on Friday. been a ‘bumpy’ year rince Philip, the 98-year- It was not clear if Philip will old husband of Queen Eliz- accompany her to a Christmas AFP to have been disappointed by her Pabeth, was released from a Day church service today, which London grandson Prince Harry and his London hospital yesterday and he missed last year. American former actress wife joined other members of the Philip retired from public life Meghan Markle. royal family for their Christmas in August 2017, although he has ueen Elizabeth II called The young couple made waves celebrations. occasionally appeared at offi cial 2019 “quite bumpy” in by speaking out about their Philip, whose offi cial title is engagements since. Qa Christmas message at struggle with life in the public the Duke of Edinburgh, had been He spent Christmas of 2011 the end of a chaotic year which eye and then suing three British receiving treatment at the King in hospital after an operation saw Britain feud over its split newspapers for prying into their Edward VII Hospital since Friday. to clear a blocked artery and he from the European Union and her private lives. He walked out of the hospital missed the end of celebrations to scandal-plagued son Prince An- Their faces were notably ab- yesterday morning, dressed in a mark his wife’s 60th year on the drew withdraw from public life. sent from the collection of family dark suit, and shook hands with throne in 2012 after being hospi- The 93-year-old monarch re- photographs on the queen’s desk a nurse before getting into the talised with a bladder infection. ceived good news when husband – as was Andrew’s. front passenger seat of a car and In 2013, the Greek-born Prince Philip checked out of a “With the queen, nothing ever being driven away. former naval offi cer had “an ex- London hospital after a four- happens by accident,” the Times The prince then travelled by ploratory operation following night stay in time to join the royal newspaper wrote. “It can be tak- helicopter to Sandringham es- abdominal investigations”. family for Christmas (see ac- en as read that the signifi cance of tate in eastern England where the He was admitted to hospital companying report). each picture has been carefully royal family traditionally gathers in 2017 for treatment for an in- However, the year was fi lled considered.” for Christmas. fection, also arising from a pre- with disappointments for the The queen has remained one “The Duke of Edinburgh has existing condition, and last year queen, a seminal fi gure in Brit- of Britain’s most popular fi gures today left hospital after being spent 10 days in hospital for hip- ish public life who assumed the despite the royal family’s travails. discharged by his doctor and is replacement surgery. throne in 1952 and is beloved by A poll by YouGov in November now back at Sandringham. His In January this year, the prince much of the nation. showed 72% of respondents had Royal Highness would like to was unhurt when his Land Rover None may have been more a positive opinion of the mon- thank everyone who sent their fl ipped over after a collision with bitter than a calamitous BBC in- arch. good wishes,” Buckingham Pal- another car near Sandringham. terview in which her second son The queen’s Christmas Day ace said in a statement. He gave up his driving licence Andrew tried to distance himself message also refl ected on the Philip had been taken to hos- after police gave him a warning from the late American paedo- heroism of British forces during pital as a precautionary measure for driving without wearing a phile Jeff rey Epstein. the D-Day landings in Normandy for treatment for a pre-existing seat belt. Andrew promised to “step that turned the course of World back from public duties” after War II in 1944. his denial of having sex with one Her trips abroad are becoming of Epstein’s alleged victims was increasingly rare, but she made ridiculed in the UK media and one in June to attend the 75th reportedly criticised in Bucking- anniversary commemorations in ham Palace. France. The queen’s traditional ad- “For the 75th anniversary of dress – to be aired in full on Queen Elizabeth is pictured after recording her annual Christmas Day message in Windsor Castle, in this that decisive battle, in a true Christmas Day – will point to undated image released yesterday. spirit of reconciliation, those the life of Jesus as an example of who had formerly been sworn “how small steps taken in faith ways smooth, and may at times The marriages of three of her parliament in August. enemies came together in friend- and in hope can overcome long- this year have felt quite bumpy, children fell apart and her belov- Critics claimed it was an at- ly commemorations either side held diff erences and deep-seated but small steps can make a world ed Windsor Castle nearly went tempt to silence opponents to his of the Channel, putting past dif- divisions”. of diff erence,” the queen will say. up in fl ames in that “horrible EU withdrawal plans. ferences behind them,” the queen The remarks were widely in- Royal commentators said the year”. The Supreme Court subse- will say in her message. “By be- terpreted as a reference to the queen’s use of the word “bumpy” The queen found herself quently ruled that Johnson’s ing willing to put past diff erences Brexit debate that has torn Brit- marked her most explicit ad- dragged into the tortuous po- request had been unlawful and behind us and move forward to- ain apart since it voted to leave mission of turmoil since her litical drama of Brexit when she many people blamed him for gether, we honour the freedom the EU in a 2016 referendum. headline-grabbing description of approved Prime Minister Boris making the queen look bad. and democracy once won for us “The path, of course, is not al- 1992 as an “annus horribilis”. Johnson’s request to suspend The queen was also rumoured at so great a cost.” Prince Philip leaves the King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.

PM urges Britons Meghan Sheeran ‘not to argue’ in and Harry says he’s Christmas message send taking

AFP greetings time off London

by e-mail DPA rime Minister Boris London Johnson has urged the Ppublic “not to have too By Sarah Marsh many arguments” over Christ- Guardian News & Media op icon Ed Sheeran an- mas in a festive message in Johnson: I hope you enjoy the nounced yesterday that he which he managed to avoid the next few days. Pis taking a hiatus from his word Brexit. he Duke and Duchess musical career, adding that he “Hi folks, Boris Johnson for months, Brexit did not get a of Sussex have opted to would return when he had “lived here, taking a moment to wish mention in his message – al- Tbreak with tradition and a little more to actually have you all a merry little Christ- though he urged Britons to “re- chosen a more eco-friendly way something to write about”. mas,” he said in a video mes- fl ect on the year, and celebrate of sending festive wishes, re- “The Divide era and tour sage fi lmed in front of a tree the good that is to come”. leasing an e-card with their son changed my life in so many ways, decorated with baubles and On a more serious note, Archie at centre stage. but now it’s all over it’s time to sparkling lights. Johnson highlighted the “in- The card reads: “Merry go out and see some more of the He added: “I hope you enjoy estimable importance” of Christmas and a happy new world,” the 28-year-old singer the next few days. Try not to Christmas Day to billions of year”, and at the bottom ends: wrote in a statement posted to have too many arguments with Christians around the world, “From our family to yours.” Instagram. the in-laws, or anyone else.” as the celebration of the birth The image on the card is black “I’ve been a bit non-stop Britain has been bitterly di- of Jesus. and white, and shows Prince since 2017 so I’m just gonna take vided over its future ever since He off ered his solidarity to Harry and Meghan beside a The e-Christmas card sent by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. a breather to travel, write and the 2016 referendum vote to those facing persecution. Christmas tree while their sev- read. I’ll be off all social media leave the European Union, and “For them, Christmas Day en-month-old son crawls to- Commonwealth Trust Twitter The tweet has since had more Gavankar, who is best known for until it’s time to come back,” he political wrangling has delayed will be marked in private, in wards the camera. account. than 34,000 likes and more than her TV roles. wrote. Brexit three times. secret, perhaps even in a prison It has been reported that the It said: “Just sharing the 5,000 retweets. In September, Harry and The pop star, who recently got But Johnson won a resound- cell,” he said. “As prime minis- greeting was e-mailed to friends sweetest Christmas Card from At the bottom of the card, it Meghan revealed they were married to his long-term girl- ing general election victory ter, that’s something I want to and colleagues on Monday, al- our President and Vice-Presi- reads: “This year we have cho- struggling with media atten- friend Cherry Seaborn, already earlier this month promising to change. We stand with Chris- though hard copies were sent to dent, The Duke and Duchess of sen to send our holiday card tion. took a year off in 2016. get it done, and Britain is set to tians everywhere, in solidarity, family. Sussex. electronically.” They are currently taking a Sheeran is best-known for hit leave on January 31. and will defend your right to It was not released offi cially “Very Merry Christmas, eve- The photo was taken by Meg- break from royal duties and are singles including Shape of You Despite speaking of little else practice your faith.” but appeared on the Queen’s ryone!” han’s friend the actor Janina spending time in Canada. and Castle on the Hill. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 11 EUROPE Gloomy Christmas Eve on 20th day of French strike

AFP She is obliged to take a dif- Paris ferent train from her usual one, with many inter-connections, Schaeuble: It’s certainly a making her daily commute three great pleasure to fly off to the hristmas Eve 2019 was an or four hours longer. Maldives or visit Venice. But in unusually gloomy one for Juno Dormevil, a 27-year-old future, we will have to indulge CFrance, as the 20th day chemist, said his usual one- that pleasure more sparingly. of a transport strike left many hour work commute now takes scrambling yesterday to reach three hours each way, on an as- their loved ones for the tradi- sortment of buses. “It’s a daily tional family feast, while others struggle.” simply gave up. Unions are hoping for a repeat ‘Lifestyles The protest against pension of 1995 when the government reform has led to thousands of backed down on pension re- trains being cancelled or de- form after three weeks of metro must layed, with taxis, ride-sharing and rail stoppages just before services and car rental agencies Christmas. unable to make up the shortfall. But the action is taking a change “We’re not sure what to do,” heavy toll on businesses, espe- said Joel Rossignon, 66, visiting cially retailers, hotels and res- Paris from the east of France to taurants, during what should be to help spend Christmas with his son, one of the busiest periods of the who lives in a far-fl ung suburb year. of the capital to which there will Industry associations have re- protect be none of the usual trains yes- ported turnover declines of 30- terday evening. 60% from a year earlier, and the “We even tried to book a taxi, SNCF said yesterday it had lost climate’ yesterday already, but there were €400mn ($442mn) in potential none,” he said, standing with his earnings so far. suitcase on the street. Non-transport workers have Reuters Kady Dao, 23, said she will stay also started joining the protest, Berlin at home in a suburb southwest claiming to have impeded pro- of Paris with her nine-month- duction at some oil refi neries, old daughter, as her usual public and interrupting power to thou- ermans will have to transport route has been cut off . sands of homes in recent days. change their lifestyles, “I have no choice.” The man leading the govern- Gcutting back on holidays Negotiations with unions Paris Opera dancers perform in front of Paris’s Palais Garnier against the French government’s plan to overhaul the country’s retirement ment’s pension reform project, and paying a real price to master last week failed to fi nd middle system. The banner reads ‘Paris Opera on strike’. Laurent Pietraszewski, told BFM the challenge of climate change, ground, and strikers vowed there TV yesterday that he believed the speaker of Germany’s parlia- would be no holiday truce unless is now impeding tens of thou- thirds of trains to some Euro- way lines yesterday afternoon, clusion of a so-called “pivot the government was “willing ment Wolfgang Schaeuble said the government scraps its plan sands of ticket holders who had pean destinations were running. with some reopening late this age” of 64 until which people to compromise” in the nego- yesterday. to merge the country’s 42 pen- planned to spend the festive sea- And in the capital, six of 16 morning, and others only to- would have to work to earn a full tiations, set to last throughout In a Christmas interview, sion schemes into one. son with family or friends. metro lines were closed, eight morrow. pension – two years beyond the January. Schaeuble, a conservative who Talks will resume on Janu- Rail operator SNCF provided provided a much-reduced serv- The government’s pension offi cial retirement age. A poll by the IFOP agency as fi nance minister during the ary 7, Prime Minister Edouard only 40% of its usual high- ice, and only two – which are overhaul, which it says would “This is horrible. These three published on Sunday showed eurozone debt crisis famously Philippe’s offi ce said on Monday. speed TGV and regional TER driverless – functioned as usual. create a fairer system, would see weeks have been hard for me,” public backing for the action urged austerity and fi scal disci- Since it started on December train services yesterday, and For suburb dwellers hoping to some public employees – no- said Ristic Nevena, 29, who dropping by three percentage pline on poorer southern coun- 5, the strike has hit daily com- 20% of inter-city and Paris sub- spend Christmas in the City of tably railway staff – lose early- works as a manager in Paris, and points, though 51% of respond- tries, said climate change would muters hard – especially around urban trains. Light, there was bad news too. retirement benefi ts. travels daily from Montfermeil ents still expressed support or demand sacrifi ces of Germans. Paris and other large cities – and Between a third and two- The SNCF closed several rail- But workers baulk at the in- about 17km (10.5 miles) away. sympathy for the strikers. “We will have to change our lives,” Schaeuble told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung newspa- per. “It’s certainly a great pleas- ure to fl y off to the Maldives or Ballerinas who retire at 42 kick up a fuss over pension reforms visit Venice. But in future, we will have to indulge that pleasure more sparingly.” Reuters Paris Symphony Orchestra, the two decades earlier than the av- teenage years, we’re getting re- strike alongside other public refuse to back down but will Popular in Germany for pre- Paris dancers performed their im- erage worker. curring injuries,” said ballerina sector workers, including per- resume negotiations with trade siding over years of economic promptu 20-minute rendition They stand to lose those ben- Heloise Jocqueviel. formers from the state-run unions in early January. growth, Schaueble became a before hundreds of onlookers. efi ts if Macron pushes ahead “Once you reach the age of Comedie Francaise, since De- The Paris Opera house said it bete noire for opponents like allerinas in white tutus Behind them were banners with a planned overhaul of a 42, you’re already suff ering from cember 5. had lost nearly €8mn in ticket then-Greek fi nance minister danced scenes from Swan reading “Culture in danger” and convoluted pension system that arthritis, stress fractures, her- Dozens of shows have been sales. Yannis Varoufakis, who accused BLake on the forecourt of “Paris Opera on strike”. he says will be fairer, incentiv- nias and in some cases titanium cancelled. “It’s important to defend the him of imposing needless aus- the Paris Opera yesterday to Paris Opera dancers have a ise workers to stay in the labour hips,” she said. The strikes have caused travel quality of the Paris Opera,” said terity on his recession-struck protest against President Em- bespoke pension plan dating force until 64 and balance the “It’s hard to maintain a level chaos, forced schools to close Jacques Peigne, the father of one country. manuel Macron’s plans to scrap back to the 17th century. pension budget. of excellence until 42, but 64 and prompted refi nery shut opera house ballerina. “It’s ob- Climate change has surged their special pension benefi ts. It includes the right to retire “We start classical dance seems impossible.” downs. vious they are not able to dance up the agenda of the German Backed by musicians from the on a full pension at the age of 42, at the age of eight. By our late The dancers have been on Macron and his government any older than 42.” government, led by Schaueble’s conservative ally, Chancel- lor Angela Merkel, since it took offi ce in 2017, helped by sev- eral extremely hot summers and also Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg’s “Fridays for Future” Putin says Poland movement. A climate protection package agreed earlier this year envisages sharp cuts to emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide colluded with Hitler over coming decades, as well as investment in railways, energy- effi cient housing and electric AFP Russia’s most advanced Su-57 jet suff ers fi rst crash vehicles. Moscow But Schaueble said that, even One of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jets crashed yesterday in the if the package will seek to mini- Far East during a test flight, the plane’s maker said, the first accident of its mise the direct cost to consum- resident Vladimir Putin kind involving what is the country’s most advanced warplane. ers, Germans will all pay a price upped the ante in a war of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which owns the factory which for the change. Pwords with Europe yes- makes the plane, said the incident took place in the Khabarovsk Region “We can manage the switch terday, accusing Poland of col- and that the pilot ejected safely. to a climate-aware life,” he said. luding with Hitler and of anti- The defence ministry will set up a commission to investigate the accident, “We have mastered far greater Semitism. which looked like it was caused by a failure in the steering system, the challenges in history. Tensions are running high be- Tass news agency cited two military sources as saying. “But it would be wrong to tween Moscow and Warsaw, with UAC said nobody was hurt on the ground. present the climate package as North Atlantic Treaty Organisa- The lost plane was one of the first of its kind to be mass-produced and an act of generosity: climate tion (Nato) and EU member Po- was due to be handed over to the Russian air force by the end of this year, protection is not free.” land fearing what it has described the Interfax news agency reported, citing a source. Heating and fuel would be- as Russian military adventurism Russia has previously tested the Su-57 in Syria. come more expensive, he said, and imperialist tendencies. A prototype of the plane, conceived as a rival for the US F-22 Raptor, first even if lower electricity prices Speaking to military top brass took to the skies in January 2010. and cheaper rail tickets would Putin and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visit an exhibition in Moscow before the annual and using bad language at one The Su-57 made its first appearance at Russia’s annual Red Square parade off set some of the increase. meeting of the defence ministry board. point, Putin said that Poland was in May last year when a pair of them roared over Moscow. in cahoots with Hitler during World War II. “Essentially they colluded like that who today are tearing linist totalitarian past, saying it with Hitler. This is clear from down monuments to the liberat- had lacked the same scrutiny as documents, archival docu- ing warriors, the Red Army sol- Nazi crimes. Over 100 horses culled on island off Istanbul ments,” Putin said in an emo- diers who freed Europe and the The Russian leader called this tional end-of-year speech at the European people from the Nazis,” “complete nonsense”, saying that defence ministry. Putin fumed. “Little has changed it was wrong to equate Hitler’s DPA Another 24 horses were put horses were being tested. checked for glanders. Resorting to bad language, and we should take this into ac- Germany with the Soviet Union. Istanbul to death on December 21, the There is neither a vaccine nor The carriages are a common Putin said a war-time Polish am- count when we build our armed At the weekend, Poland ex- district governor’s offi ce said treatment for glanders. mode of transportation on the bassador allegedly promised to forces, among other things.” pressed “concern and disbelief” yesterday. The district governor’s offi ce island, popular with tourists put up a statue of Hitler in War- Russia is developing state-of- over recent statements by Pu- total of 105 horses infect- So far, a total of 1,380 horses said it had fi led a criminal com- and locals alike. saw for his pledges to send Jews the-art weapons and is no longer tin and top Russian offi cials on ed with the fatal glanders have been tested for glanders, plaint at the local chief pros- Animal rights activists have to Africa. playing a game of catch-up with World War II. Adisease have been culled district governor Mustafa Ay- ecutor’s offi ce against 64 horse long demanded a ban on the “He expressed full solidarity the West, Putin said. Warsaw criticised Moscow for on an island off Istanbul in less han said, according to state owners for putting at risk hu- horse-drawn carriages, argu- with Hitler in his anti-Semitic “This is a unique situation “renewing Stalinist propaganda” than a week, according to local news agency Anadolu. man and animal health and the ing that the animals aren’t ad- views,” the Russian leader said. in our modern history: they are and “wasting” reconciliation ef- authorities. He said that “controls and environment. equately cared for. He slammed what he called playing catch-up with us,” he forts to improve ties. Authorities already said on tests continue”, but did not give Istanbul Governor Ali Yer- Life-threatening glanders attempts to erase the memory added. Last week, Putin blamed the December 19 that 81 horses had further details. likaya announced on Friday mainly aff ects horses, donkeys of Soviet victory in countries in The president once again Western powers and Poland for been culled on Buyukada, the The local directorate of agri- that horse-drawn carriages on and mules. Moscow’s former sphere of in- lashed out at the European Par- World War II, pointing to various largest of the Princes’ Islands culture and forestry declined to Buyukada would be banned It is caused by an infection fl uence. liament over a resolution it treaties signed with Nazi Ger- archipelago in the Sea of Mar- comment on the nature of the for three months and that the from the bacterium burkholde- “It is people like those who ne- passed in September urging Rus- many before the confl ict began mara. culling or say how many more remaining horses would be ria mallei. gotiated with Hitler – it is people sia to come to terms with its Sta- in 1939. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 INDIA

Govt okays funds for Security beefed up amid population survey

Reuters protests against CAA New Delhi Reuters Activists opposed to the law ndia’s federal cabinet ap- Lucknow/New Delhi said they were trying to keep up proved funds yesterday for a the momentum and were look- Icensus and population survey ing for ways to work around the to be conducted next year, amid ndian authorities stepped up police clampdown and internet fears that the database could be security and shut down the blackouts. used to build a controversial citi- IInternet in various places Senior members of Bharatiya zens register, against which there yesterday while members of Janata Party (BJP) leading rallies have been widespread protests. the ruling BJP planned marches to support the law said they were Hundreds of thousands of In- backing a new citizenship law determined to counter what they dians have taken to the streets to even though nationwide protests see as misleading criticism of it. protest against the Citizenship against it are escalating. “We want to explain that the Amendment Act (CAA) enacted A Ministry of Home offi cial law is not anti-Muslim and we by Prime Minister Narendra Mo- said the government expected want to expose that those who di’s government that provides all state security offi cials to be are leading the protests against non-Muslim minorities from Af- on duty on Christmas Eve and the law are misleading inno- ghanistan, Bangladesh and Paki- through the holiday week. cent, uneducated Muslims,” said stan who moved here before 2015 “We want the police to pre- BJP spokesman Gopal Krishna a pathway to Indian citizenship. vent an outbreak of violence but Agarwal. Some of these protests have we also realise that the situation At least 21 people have been led to clashes between the police can get out of control, hence killed since the law was passed in and demonstrators in which at paramilitary forces will be de- protests that represent the fi rst least 21 people have been killed. ployed in markets and public major opposition to Modi’s leg- Many Indians say the law dis- spaces,” said a senior security islative agenda since his party’s criminates against Muslims and offi cial in New Delhi. landslide re-election this year. violates India’s secular constitution At least 20 rallies in support Police in the northern state of by making religion a test for citizen- or against the new law were Uttar Pradesh (UP), which has ship. They say the law and a proposed scheduled in diff erent cities with seen the most deaths in the pro- national register of citizens could be protesters from both sides can- tests, suggested that extremists used against the Muslim minority. vassing on social media to get were stirring up the anti-CAA The government approved people out over Christmas and the demonstrations. Rs87.54bn ($1.23bn) for conduct- New Year. “We have proof that an Is- ing the census and Rs39.41bn for The Citizenship Amendment lamic group with its headquar- updating the National Popula- Act (CAA) aims to fast-track cit- ters in Delhi and its strongest tion Register (NPR), Information izenship for persecuted Hindus, base in the southern state of and Broadcasting Minister Pra- Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains Kerala is behind the violence in kash Javadekar told reporters. and Christians who arrived in the UP,” said senior police offi cer The census collects data on India before December 31, 2014, Kalanidhi Naithani. Police walk in front of a demonstration against the new citizenship law in New Delhi yesterday. population, economy activity, so- from Muslim-majority Afghani- In the last 10 days, police in cial and cultural aspects, migra- stan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. UP have taken nearly 900 people force against demonstrators. force,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, head and asked me to tell where West Lucknow, said the allega- tion and demography, down to the Its passing on December 11 into custody for violence, said The rights group said police the group’s South Asia director. were the men were hiding,” she tions were baseless and police lowest administrative level. triggered demonstrations in the an offi cial in the state’s police had only used excessive force In Uttar Pradesh’s capital said. were only searching for people The NPR is intended to create a eastern state of Assam, where control room. More than 2,000 only against those protesting of Lucknow, Tabassum Raza, “When I told them there was involved in the violence. comprehensive identity database protesters fear it will make illegal people have been arrested across against the law, including many a 26-year-old woman, said no one in they started beating He said the police would in- of every resident of India. migrants from Bangladesh legal India. students. she was beaten by police who me with batons and damaged vestigate if an offi cial complaint The census and population sur- residents. New York-based Human “The authorities should pros- stormed into her home. everything,” Raza said, showing is lodged. vey will start from April next year. Elsewhere, critics say the law Rights Watch criticised the po- ecute violent protesters, but they “After barging into my house, bruised forearms and legs. “So far the police have not Javadekar said the census ex- discriminates against Muslims. lice action and called on them also need to hold police offi cers one of the policemen immedi- Vikash Chandra Tripathi, received any complaints from ercise had no relation with the The government denies that. to stop using unnecessary lethal to account for using excessive ately pointed a gun at my fore- superintendent of police in anyone regarding,” he said. national register of citizens. Rahul, Maharashtra Muslims Cabinet gives Priyanka welcome Thackeray turned assurance on CAA-NRC nod to Chief IANS ing Indian laws or those whose back from Mumbai passports/visas have expired, before they can be sent back to their respective countries. of Defence Meerut rominent Muslim leaders “The detention centre has a have lauded Chief Minis- capacity of around 35. The CM IANS Pter Uddhav Thackeray for made it clear that it is not meant Meerut Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being stopped by police his statements reiterating that for Muslims as is being sought as they arrive to meet the victims of alleged police firing during the his government would ensure no to portray. Muslims in the state Staff ’s post violent demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act last injustice is done to a single Mus- having nothing to worry about ongress leaders Ra- week, in Meerut, 80km from Delhi, yesterday. lim in the state in the wake of CAA-NRC and should not fall hul Gandhi and Priya- the nationwide protests against prey to any kind of falsehoods,” IANS given to the political leader- Cnka Gandhi Vadra were “We told the police that only tion 144 and created tension. Citizenship Amendment Act Azmi said. New Delhi ship through integration of turned back from Meerut yes- three of us would go but they did It may be recalled that on (CAA) and National Register for NCP national spokesperson service inputs, and to develop terday where they had gone to not agree,” he said. Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi had Citizens (NRC). Nawab Malik also appreciated and foster expertise in military meet the victims of the anti- Rahul and Priyanka were ac- made a visit to Bijnor district “The CM has categorically Thackeray’s unequivocal assur- he Union Cabinet yes- aff airs. CAA protests. companied by former Member of and met families of two persons, given this assurance to a delega- ance to the Muslim community terday approved the “The CDS will work exclu- Congress leaders alleged that Parliament Pramod Tiwari. killed in recent violence over the tion of Muslim leaders on Mon- in the state which has seen huge TChief of Defence Staff ’s sively with military matters both Rahul and Priyanka were Senior Superintendent of Po- citizenship law. day, and also in the legislature protests, some violent, in the (CDS) post and its char- that fall within the purview turned back from Partapur, out- lice (SSP) Ajay Sahni said that the UP Congress president Ajay last week, and while interact- past nearly 10 days. ter and duties. The CDS will of the Department of Mili- side Meerut. Congress leaders had been shown Kumar Lallu said that Priyanka ing with a group of protesters in “The CM has said that there be a 4-star general who will tary Aff airs. The Department A heavy deployment of forces the copy of the prohibitory or- had also interacted with people Nagpur,” said state Samajwadi are no detention centres for head the new Department of of Defence will deal with was made as soon as the news ders clamped in the district and in the area. Party president Abu Asim Azmi. Muslims, as apprehended in Military Aff airs. larger issues pertaining to of the two leaders having left they “went back on their own”. Protests against the Citizen- Thackeray also cleared the air some quarters, nor will any such “He will be drawing a defence of the country,” the Delhi to meet the victims’ kin in Congress leader Imran Masood ship Amendment Act had broken on a so-called detention centre detention camps for Muslims salary equivalent to serv- offi cial said. Meerut spread. reportedly made a victim’s family out in several districts of Ut- for illegal migrants, which is al- be allowed to come up in fu- ice chiefs, and will head the Now, the armed forces will Rahul Gandhi told reporters talk to the Gandhis on phone. tar Pradesh last Thursday leav- legedly being readied in Mumbai ture. The so-called centre com- Department of Military Af- fall under the ambit of De- that they had not been shown The SSP said that the lead- ing at least 17 people dead and and said it was intended only for ing up in Navi Mumbai is for fairs to be created under the partment of Military Aff airs, any order but were asked to go ers’ visit to Meerut would moveable and immoveable assets temporary lodging of foreign entirely diff erent purposes,” he Ministry of Defence. He will which will have appropriate back. have led to violation of Sec- damaged, mostly in arson. nationals involved in break- pointed out. function as its secretary,” expertise to manage military Union Minister Prakash aff airs. Javadekar said during the The Department of Military Cabinet briefi ng. Aff airs will have the appropri- He will have all the pow- ate mix of civilian and military ers like other secretaries, offi cers at every level. Rajasthan police to train Protesters block governor including fi nancial. The CDS will also have a The CDS will act as the second role. He will be the Principal Military Adviser permanent chairman of the women in self-defence to the Defence Minister on Chiefs of Staff Committee. from attending convocation tri-services matters. The In this role, he will be sup- IANS while empowering them for three service chiefs will con- ported by the Integrated Jaipur self-defence. It will also make IANS the demonstration by members tinue to advise the Defence Defence Staff . them aware of their rights and Kolkata of Sara Bangle Sikhshabandhu Minister on matters ex- The CDS will assign inter- laws, and check crime against Samiti, who also displayed plac- clusively concerning their services prioritisation to capi- he Rajasthan police will women. ards reading No NRC (National respective forces. tal acquisition proposals based establish Mahila Shakti Singh said that any work- est Bengal Governor Register of Citizens), No CAA The idea of creating the on the anticipated budget and T(Woman Power) Self- ing woman, housewife, girl Jagdeep Dhankhar (Citizenship (Amendment) Act)’. CDS’ post is that India should integrate and rationalise in- Defence Centres in all the dis- student or any institute which Wran into fresh protests Dhankhar later called the ob- not have a fragmented ap- ternational cooperation plans. tricts of the state from January wants the female staff of their at the Jadavpur University (JU) struction “politically motivated” proach. “Our entire military He will prepare strat- 1 to ensure the safety of wom- organisation to be a part of this campus yesterday as a section and said the “rule of law is se- power will have to work in egy papers on military mat- en and girls by training them drive can enrol at the self-de- of the non-teaching staff af- verely compromised”. unison. All the three (services) ters for consideration of in self-defence, police offi cials fence training centres. fi liated to the ruling Trinamool “Events that have unfolded as should move simultaneously the competent authority, confi rmed yesterday. He informed that this train- Congress showed black fl ags and a result of politically motivated West Bengal Governor Jagdeep at the same pace,” said a senior bring about reforms in the Necessary instructions ing programme will be of seven blocked his car, thereby prevent- orchestration of obstruction of Dhankhar government offi cial. functioning of three serv- have been issued by Director days duration during which ing him from attending the an- my entry to JUA to preside over The CDS was planned after ices aimed at augmenting General of Police Bhupendra training will be imparted by nual convocation. the Convocation so that stu- structing is only around 50. looking into the changing na- combat capabilities of the Singh to all the range inspec- master trainers free of cost. After waiting at the university dents get fruits of their labour, System being held hostage and ture of warfare, security envi- Armed Forces. tor generals and district su- Registrations can be done at gate number fi ve for half an hour, leaves no manner of doubt that those enjoined with the task are ronment and national security “This may, inter-alia, entail perintendents of police in this these centres. Dhankhar – the ex-offi cio uni- rule of law is severely compro- oblivious of their obligations. challenges. rationalisation of facilities. regard. However, if someone misses versity chancellor – fi nally left mised,” he said on Twitter. A collapse that can only lead to The aim is to bring about Use of indigenous equipment Singh said the police will the deadline, the registration the premises around noon. In another post on his social unwholesome consequences. jointness between the armed across the whole spectrum. open self-defence centres can also be done during the There were continuous shouts media handle, the Governor al- Rule of law is nowhere in sight,” forces of the country in train- He will identify and end obso- from January 1 with the objec- training period which shall be of “go back” after Dhankhar’s car leged that those who obstructed he tweeted, tagging West Ben- ing, procurement, staffi ng lete practices, which may have tive of ensuring the safety of looked into by the nodal offi cer arrived at the gate amidst heavy his convoy numbered only 50. gal Chief Minister Mamata and operations, to enhance crept in due to the colonial women and girls in the state, of the district. security and got stuck due to “The number of those ob- Banerjee. the quality of military advice legacy,” the offi cer said. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 13 PAKISTAN

Road crashes claim Govt ‘uncertainty’ over 27,500 lives in Musharraf case appeal 2016 Internews special court that convicted “They are of the opinion that One section within the PTI Moreover, some government had given the government six Islamabad Musharraf and sentenced him to the move will be embarrassing has raised the question as to how offi cials want renowned lawyer months to carry out legislation. death on fi ve counts. for Prime Minister Imran Khan, the government can challenge Makhdoom Ali Khan to argue the He admits that a review pe- Internews This shows the level of in- who had all along been a vo- the special court ruling, when it case in the Supreme Court. tition has limited scope and it Islamabad he government of Paki- decision within the Pakistan cal proponent of Musharraf to is the complainant in the case. A former attorney-general of can only be fi led when clarity is stan seems to be of two Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) govern- be charged under Article 6 of They, however, say the fed- Pakistan says that only an ag- required and that larger bench Tminds whether or not to ment, as only days after the pro- the Constitution,” the sources eration will be the respondent in grieved person can approach the will be constituted to hear the ccording to the World fi le an appeal against the de- nouncement of the verdict, top added. case it fi les an appeal in the trea- apex court for the expungement matter. Health Organisation tailed judgment in the high trea- functionaries had told the me- Also, PTI leaders Ali Mo- son case verdict and can support of the special court’s remarks. Under the Supreme Court A(WHO), road crashes son case against former mili- dia that the ministry of law and hamed Khan and Nadeem Afzal its stance during the proceed- He wonders whether an ap- Rules, those judges who au- in Pakistan claimed 27,500 tary ruler Pervez Musharraf, it justice has commenced work on Chan are conspicuous by their ings. peal can be fi led in respect of thored the original verdict would lives and injured an estimated emerged yesterday. the reference to be fi led against silence over the main judgment It is learned that Musharraf’s Para 66 of the judgment, as it is also hear the review petition. 500,000 people in the year 2016. “Not only this, but it is also Justice Seth. against Musharraf, which can be lawyer, Salman Safdar, is ex- not the operative part of the ma- It is also learned that one sec- The statistics show that the undecided about fi ling a refer- The sources say one group in inferred as their tacit approval of pected to fi le an appeal against jority judgment. tion within the PTI has been number of casualties due to traf- ence against Peshawar High the PTI is vehemently opposed the judgment. the treason case verdict this A senior government offi cial, active against Law Minister Dr fi c accidents is three times high- Court Chief Justice Waqar to the idea of approaching the Even Prime Minister Khan has week. however, says that the Mush- Farogh Naseem and Attorney- er than other causes of death. Ahmed Seth for authoring par- Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) not yet given any statement on It is not yet clear whether the arraf case is not a big issue for General Anwar Mansoor Khan The 15-29 year age group was agraph No 66 of the detailed or fi ling an appeal on Mushar- social media or the mainstream appeal will be fi led by Mushar- the executive as compared to regarding their failure to deliver found to be the most vulnerable judgment,” sources said. raf’s behalf, citing legal hitches media against the special court raf or his political party – the All the army chief’s tenure exten- in high-profi le cases related to in traffi c accidents. Seth headed the three-judge as well as the political cost. verdict. Pakistan Muslim League. sion case wherein the apex court the security establishment. In middle-income countries, fi nancial losses due to traffi c ac- cidents are estimated to be more than 5% of the Gross Domestic Lit up Product (GDP). According to Pakistan’s min- Govt decides not istry of fi nance and the World Bank, Pakistan’s GDP is likely to increase by Rs360bn in 2020. Taking into account that 3% to introduce CSS GDP rise, traffi c accident casu- alties would hurt Pakistan’s economy by about $11bn next year. screening exam The government of Pakistan, on the recommendation of the National Highways and Motor- Internews separate for clusters. way Police, has consequently Islamabad The Prime Minister’s Offi ce approved modifi cations in fi nes had asked the Establishment imposed on national highways Division to reconsider the pro- and motorways for traffi c viola- he federal cabinet of posal in consultation with the tions. Pakistan has turned FPSC, to make it more palat- According to offi cial sources, Tdown a proposal for in- able and inclusive as adoption the revised twelfth schedule of troducing screening test prior of the proposal was tanta- the National Highway Safety to written examination for mount to exclude majority of Ordinance 2000 will be eff ective the Central Superior Services the candidates from competi- from January 1, 2020. (CSS), fearing that the majority tive process. The schedule will apply only of the candidates, belonging In another summary that the to national highways and motor- to the underdeveloped areas, prime minister had approved, ways, and will not be applicable would be out of the competi- the Prime Minister’s Offi ce had to highways or roads that come tion if the test was introduced. conveyed that screening test under municipal authorities of Sources said that the Estab- should be introduced by 2020 provinces, cities, and towns. lishment Division had submit- to give suffi cient time both to The current penalties have ted a proposal at a recent cabi- the prospective candidates and been modifi ed to better imple- net meeting chaired by Prime the FPSC to prepare for the ment traffi c rules. Minister Imran Khan to intro- change. The rate of modifi cation of duce screening test for candi- Since there is a tremendous the various traffi c violations has dates of the CSS-Examination increase in the number of can- been determined by taking into 2020. didates for the upcoming exam account serious errors commit- “However, the cabinet did of 2020, the FPSC had pro- ted by drivers on highways. not agree with this plan,” a posed that the screening test Similarly, the proposal to source privy to the meeting may be conducted in January/ impose heavy fi nes on public said. February 2020 and the main service vehicles has been imple- The Federal Public Service examination be taken months mented for the safety of passen- The foreground of Peshawar’s St John’s Cathedral is illuminated green on the eve of Christmas celebrations. Commission (FPSC) is the pre- later. gers. mier federal government insti- This, it believed, would tution for recruitment to cadre provide an ample time to the and ex-cadre posts in BS-16 candidates to prepare for the and above. screening test. The commission holds As the introduction of CSS competitive examina- the screening test required Graft court summons Shehbaz Sharif on January 7 tion annually for recruitment amendments in CSS competi- in twelve occupation groups/ tive examination rules 2019 services. after vetting by the Law and Internews Ten people, including Sharif, have been tif and Sons, was awarded the contract in The CSS examination com- Justice Division, the Establish- Lahore indicted in the case and six witnesses have December 2012, to develop the homes. prises presently four compo- ment Division sought approval recorded their statements. However, months later, concerns were nents: written examination, of the cabinet to the proposals The court added that the proceedings of raised about the bidding process, after medical examination, psycho- along with draft amendments. n accountability court has ordered the case were being aff ected due to con- which Sharif formed an inquiry commit- logical assessment, and viva However, members of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz tinuous non-appearance of the opposition tee headed by Tariq Bajwa, the then-fi - voce (oral examination). cabinet expressed concern over A(PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif leader before the court. nance secretary. It was being felt at that the introduction of a screening test to appear before it on January 7 in con- Sharif is currently in London with his According to the NAB, during this time current system does not take on the pattern of SAT/GRE, nection with the Ashiana Iqbal Housing brother Nawaz, who is seeking treatment. Fawad Hassan Fawad, the then-secretary into account domain specifi c and said such test would not Scheme case. Sharif was arrested on October 5 last for implementation to the chief minister, knowledge required to perform be in favour of candidates from Shehbaz’s lawyer Mohamed Nawaz year by the National Accountability Bu- “exerted undue pressure to have Latif and in various groups. underdeveloped areas. Chaudhry had fi led a plea seeking exemp- reau (NAB) in relation to the housing scam. Sons’ contract cancelled” and awarded to The prime minister’s task They further argued that in- tion for the PML-N leader and requested On February 18 this year, Sharif and the second-lowest bidder, a fi rm owned by force on civil service reforms, troduction of screening test for that the court postpone the hearing due to nine others accused were indicted by an Kamran Kiyani. headed by Dr Ishrat Hussain, the CSS exam 2020 at this late the ongoing lawyer’s strike. accountability court. Eventually, the contract was withdrawn had proposed reforms in the stage would be unfair to the The court in its written order said: “As In 2011, when Sharif was the chief min- from Chaudhry Abdul Latif and Sons in CSS examination system and candidates. per request on behalf of accused Shehbaz ister of Punjab, he launched an aff ordable 2013, on the recommendation of the probe suggested including screening This would not be legally Sharif, adjourn to January 7, 2020 for ar- housing project called the Ashiana Iqbal in committee. test for determining problem- tenable as candidates have guments on the application for dispen- Lahore. The company then went to court and solving and analytical abilities. already applied and such a sation of personal attendance and ap- Over 6,000 homes were to be built for received Rs5.9mn as a settlement by the It also wanted to include change would invite litigation. pointment of pleader of accused Shehbaz the poor and needy near Barki road in the Punjab government. psychometric evaluation to Later, the cabinet decided Sharif, as last opportunity.” city. As for the construction of the Ashiana determine the aptitude and not to approve the proposal “Accused Shehbaz Sharif shall also ap- Land measuring 3,100 kanals were al- homes, the project was then handed over Shehbaz Sharif: currently in London with motivation of candidates to- and draft amendments, sug- pear in person on next date,” the court or- located for the purpose. to Lahore Casa Developers, which is con- his brother Nawaz, who is seeking medical wards civil service and domain gesting that the matter should der stated. The lowest bidder, Chaudhry Abdul La- sidered a proxy of Paragon City Limited. treatment. specifi c written examination be considered the next year.

Disaster fund signs agreement to help fund projects in Kashmir The National Disaster Risk Management Fund sustain communication between adjoining and for- (NDRMF) has signed a Tripartite Grant Implementation ward areas, access for availing services, food transport KP moves to stop probe of Peshawar bus project Agreement with the government of Azad Jammu and and livelihood for income generation purposes, secure Kashmir (AJK) for extending grant financing of up to government and private properties, including land and Rs432.56mn for their project related to landslide risk machinery and forests from hazards of landsliding. Internews lenging the high court order. A high court bench consisting the mega project and act against mitigation in diff erent districts of Poonch Division. The total cost of the project is Rs619.91mn, out Islamabad Earlier this month, a fi ve- of Peshawar Chief Justice Waqar delinquents if found in the in- The agreement signing ceremony was held at the of which the NDRMF will finance 69.77% up to member special inquiry team Ahmad Seth and Justice Ahmad quiry report. NDRMF off ice here. Rs432.56mn, whereas AJK’s 30.23% contribution shall of the FIA started its probe into Ali had in November decided A high court bench headed by The agreement was signed between NDRMF general be Rs187.36mn. he Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alleged irregularities in the Pe- on three petitions related to the Justice Seth had also ordered the manager for projects and operations Khurram Khaliq The project will help protect 331,563 individuals. (KP) government and the shawar BRT, in line with the BRT project aff airs. National Accountability Bureau Khan, AJK Communications and Works Department In addition, 12.29 hectares of land (agriculture/non- TPeshawar Development court’s directives. Two petitioners, including (NAB) on July 17, 2018, to con- secretary Ghulam Bashir Mughal, and Dr Syed Asif Hus- agriculture) will be stabilised. Authority (PDA) have moved On December 6, KP advocate- Fazal Karim Afridi and Adnan duct a proper investigation and sain, the additional chief secretary for the Planning and The proposed interventions are in line with National the Supreme Court against the general Shumail Ahmad Butt Afridi, had challenged the rais- inquiry into the BRT aff airs. Development Department of the AJK government. Disaster Management Plan (NDMP). Peshawar High Court’s order, said the government had pre- ing of diff erent structures of the However, the KP government The project is designed to mitigate landslide risks that Previously, the NDRMF partnered with various govern- directing the Federal Investiga- pared a civil petition for leave to project adjacent to their houses and the PDA fi led the CPLA with existed on major roads of AJK in diff erent districts of ment and non-government entities for extending grant tion Agency (FIA) to look into appeal (CPLA) against the court in Hayatabad Township. the Supreme Court, requesting Poonch Division, besides providing an uninterrupted financing to their projects that focus on disaster risk alleged irregularities in the Pe- judgment delivered on Novem- Another petitioner, advocate that the said order be set aside. flow of traff ic, a safe journey to users, and strengthen- reduction and preparedness. shawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) ber 14, that would be fi led in the Isa Khan, had requested the As a Supreme Court bench ing tourism activities in the province. The NDRMF is committed for reducing the socio- project within 45 days. apex court next week. court to order the construction headed by the then-chief justice The duration of the project is 22 months, in which economic and fiscal vulnerability of the country and The KP government submit- He said that the CPLA had of overhead bridges or under- Saqib Nisar had suspended the various interventions shall be carried out including its population to natural hazards and climate change, ted a request in the Supreme raised diff erent legal points passes for pedestrians at dis- high court’s order on September decrease vulnerabilities to the negative impacts of through financing investments in disaster risk reduc- Court’s Peshawar registry while about the PHC order besides tances of not more than 100m. 4, 2018, fi ndings of the NAB’s landslides, secure land (agriculture/non-agriculture), tion and preparedness that have economic impacts. the PDA submitted another pe- questioning the suo motu pow- The bench had formulated 35 inquiry did not see the light of tition in the apex court, chal- ers of the high court bench. points, asking the FIA to probe day. Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar [email protected] 44350478 (News), 44466404 (Sport), 44466636 (Home delivery) 44350474 facebook.com/gulftimes twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar GULF TIMES Criminalisation of homelessness in America Imagine if sleeping were to get a person thrown in jail. Or sitting and lying down in public. Or camping. Or snoozing in one’s car. In cities across the United States, that is exactly what is happening to homeless people who engage in these activities. In an eff ort to clean up their cities and make residents and visitors more comfortable, lawmakers have taken an inhumane approach to homelessness and made all these actions illegal. So in addition to having no place to live and not enough to eat, homeless people also end up locked up and saddled Toward a privileged with criminal records and legal fi nes that push them further into an endless cycle of poverty. Civil liberties advocates have challenged these laws, arguing they violate the Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment. This month, they were handed a victory from the Supreme Court, which declined to let EU-UK partnership stand a lower court ruling that allowed people to sleep in public when shelters are full. The justices made their By Joschka Fischer Trump has cast doubt on America’s the EU could maintain constructive especially while Trump remains in Berlin longstanding security guarantee. relations with Turkey in the absence of offi ce. But, in any case, the EU and the decision with no comment or dissent in the case, which Nonetheless, Brexit will have little that country’s accession to the bloc. UK should pursue an institutionalised stemmed from a lawsuit fi led by homeless people in Boise, eff ect on European security policy. To be sure, this idea has not worked format structured along the lines of Idaho, who were ticketed for sleeping outside. ollowing Boris Johnson’s The two sides’ respective security out so well with respect to Turkey, the European Council or important One hopes the high court’s decision will make other landslide victory in the United interests have remained unchanged simply because the preconditions specialist councils within the EU. This Kingdom’s general election this during the Brexit drama. European for it did not exist on the Turkish would allow each side to keep the other cities think twice about month, Britain is now on track integration is based on the EU single side. But the British case is entirely fully apprised of its position on security adopting such laws, which F These laws that to leave the European Union on January market (the customs union and a different, because that country will issues. punishes people for their 31, 2020. Johnson has a clear parlia- common judicial area), not on joint have just left the EU after decades of Another question is whether the criminalise predicament. mentary majority with which to secure military arrangements. In the context membership. With the two parties’ UK’s future economic development will a deal for an orderly exit from the bloc. of Brexit, this distinction could prove interests already aligned, they need enable it to maintain its current level the homeless A study released last Although the UK and the EU now face advantageous, because although each only decide how close the future co- of defence spending within Nato. From week by the National Law long and diffi cult negotiations to estab- side will represent diverging interests operative relationship should be. I, for a European security perspective, this only mask the Centre on Homelessness lish a mutually benefi cial trade arrange- economically, they will still share the one, believe that it should be as close will probably be the most important & Poverty found the ment, Brexit itself is now a certainty. same security concerns. as possible, and that both sides should geopolitical question arising from problem – and do What will this mean for Europe? The But if either the UK or the EU were to let bygones be bygones. In designing Brexit. number of cities with such UK is the EU’s second-largest national include security questions in the Brexit a new relationship, we should make After a great deal of pain and nothing to help regulations is growing economy, one of only two European negotiations, it would create conditions full use of our close connections and confusion, the Brexit decision is now rapidly. In 2019, 83% of 187 nuclear powers, and a permanent, veto- for a lose-lose outcome. Anything that intimate knowledge of one another. eff ectively behind us. Looking ahead, people cities had at least one law wielding member of the United Nations threatens continental Europe’s security An EU-UK privileged partnership both sides will have to fi nd ways to co- Security Council (alongside France). or stability will also run counter to should comprise all areas of joint operate more closely, particularly when that restricted begging in public. Of these cities, 55% have The country has always been vitally British interests. Regardless of whether interest, from trade, scientifi c it comes to shaping a joint security one or more laws prohibiting sitting or lying down in public important to Europe, both culturally the UK is an EU member state, it collaboration, and climate change to and foreign policy. China and Russia’s and 51% had at least one law restricting sleeping in public. and historically. Whenever Europe’s will have to act in solidarity with the migration, terrorism, cyber security, geopolitical positions have not changed Currently, 72% of the cities have at least one law restricting liberty and security have been at stake, EU when confronting issues such as and joint foreign- and development- because of Brexit, nor has the threat of Britain has reliably come to its defence. migration and terrorism. policy initiatives. Any issue that terrorism diminished. The collective camping in public. There are even laws that prohibit people What Brexit will mean for the UK Likewise, a joint UK-EU approach touches on common interests should be challenges posed by migration, climate from sleeping in their cars. remains to be seen. Much will depend to Russia and China seems inevitable. included in the future arrangement, and change, and many other issues will In Baltimore, laws exist that prohibit sitting and lying in not on the exit agreement, but on how The only real question is what form of subject to procedures for collaboration. remain, and it will be up to both the EU public, loitering and loafi ng, begging in public and sharing the country navigates the changing institutional framework would best It remains to be seen if the UK will and the UK to manage them eff ectively. conditions of the twenty-fi rst century. facilitate trust-based co-operation structure its security policy around – Project Syndicate food, according to the national law centre data. Many of the As for the EU, the UK’s withdrawal on these increasingly important its common interests with Europe, or laws are not enforced, and homeless people are often seen obviously will not leave the bloc geopolitical fronts. One tool that springs whether it will reorient itself toward  Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign asking for money at some of the city’s busiest intersections. stronger. A geopolitical and military to mind is a “privileged partnership,” the United States. Balancing the minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 People see the need for some restrictions to protect the heavyweight is departing, and it is doing the concept previously advanced by the respective interests of each player in to 2005, was a leader of the German so at a time when US President Donald German Christian Democrats for how the North Atlantic area will not be easy, Green Party for almost 20 years. homeless – but without a criminal or monetary penalty. It’s just not safe for people to sleep on the streets with cars whizzing by. Widespread sleeping bans are cruel when homeless people have no choice but to sleep outside. If cities don’t have enough shelters they can’t get mad when people fi nd whatever patch of grass or sidewalk that is available. Otherwise, where exactly are people supposed to sleep? These laws that criminalise the homeless only mask the problem – and do nothing to help people. They are more about making an uncomfortable problem invisible to those who don’t want to admit it exists. On top of that, in many cities it just overburdens the jails and courts to have to process people for such trivial indiscretions. Law enforcement resources should be spent on other priorities, such as carjackings, burglaries and solving homicides. Some city offi cials have argued that shelters are dangerous and overcrowded. Hopefully, the Supreme Court’s decision will force cities into fi nally increasing their aff ordable housing stock – whether it is through tiny house programmes or aff ordable apartment buildings. – Tribune News Service

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© 2019 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Gulf Times Wednesday, December 25, 2019 15 COMMENT Argentina’s bright young hope

By Joseph E Stiglitz long-term, dollar-denominated from squeezing Argentina into more New York debt, all in the hope that market- austerity. They will spin a story about friendly signals would lead to a a profl igate country that lived beyond rush of growth-spurring foreign its means once again, even though they udging by his appointment of investment. Even at the time I encouraged Macri in his misconceived a fi rst-rate economist to his thought it was a foolhardy gamble. policies and gave him the money that cabinet as Minister of Economy, The rest is history. It didn’t work led Argentina into its current debt JArgentina’s new president, out, and as matters went from crisis. Presumably, they knew there Alberto Fernández, is off to a good start bad to worse, Macri compounded was a risk: that’s why they demanded in confronting his country’s economic the mistakes. More borrowing, and received such high interest rates. problems. Martin Guzmán, with whom including a $57bn programme with Some may be more thoughtful and I have frequently collaborated in recent the International Monetary Fund. understand that restoring Argentina’s years, is among the world’s leading Austerity. Misguided sterilisation debt-service capacity depends on experts on sovereign debt and the efforts to prevent inflation, which economic recovery. problems it can cause, making him the built up a debt overhang. The worst In recent months, many other right person in the right place at the of all possible worlds was soon countries in the region have confronted right time. at hand: more inflation (reaching political instability and economic After completing his PhD at Brown almost 60% in the current year), turmoil. It is in no one’s interest that University under Peter Howitt higher unemployment (already Argentina be added to that list. We (co-author with Philippe Aghion at double digits and rising), and should celebrate the orderly transfer of seminal work in modern growth the re-imposition of the exchange of power, and the commitment on theory), Guzmán obtained a coveted controls, the removal of which all sides to maintain and defend position at Columbia University, Macri had hailed at the outset of his democracy. We should also celebrate where he forged an academic career administration as the cornerstone of the shared vision that any eff ective and became an influential expert his economic policy. economic program must involve not on crucial policy debates at the As a result, Fernández inherits a only shared sacrifi ce but also shared domestic and global level. He has far worse economic situation than prosperity when the fruits of that testified before the US Congress Macri confronted: higher infl ation, programme are achieved. on Puerto Rico’s debt crisis and higher unemployment, and now, a Fernández, with Guzmán, appears spoken at the United Nations about debt beyond Argentina’s ability to to be formulating a program of the need for a better international service. Doubling down on a failed moderation, avoiding the extremes of system for resolving sovereign debt policy won’t work; nor will returning the past. Unlike Macri’s agenda, the crises. In recent years, he has divided to what preceded it. That’s why it’s Fernández programme is not based his time between New York and so important that Fernández has on big gambles and wishful thinking. Argentina, where he is a professor of appointed a knowledgeable, brilliant It is based on the hard realities of the macroeconomics at the University of economist who combines youthful situation that he has inherited. It Buenos Aires. energy with a wisdom well beyond his represents Argentina’s best chance to When former president Mauricio 37 years. achieve gradual restoration of growth. Macri took office, his economic Given the mess that Macri has Obviously, the more assistance the team openly admitted that while handed Fernández, there are no magic international community can provide, they had inherited many problems, bullets. It is easier to say what not Argentina’s president Alberto Fernández. the faster and more robust the recovery they started with one major to do. As Fernández has put it, one will be. - Project Syndicate advantage: a low level of debt. doesn’t solve a problem of excessive fl ows in the immediate future, no lending for investment projects that rate universities and large numbers They gambled on a set of policies – debt by taking on more debt. Nor does matter what policies the government spur growth and poverty alleviation of highly educated, entrepreneurial  Joseph E Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate making, for instance, untimely and one solve a problem of recession and enacts. (under Macri, poverty has once people. in economics, is University Professor unnecessarily large cuts in export unemployment by imposing more But Argentina must husband its again grown enormously, to more Bondholders won’t necessarily be at Columbia University and Chief taxes, paying off old, defaulted austerity, which in every recession limited resources, devoting them to than 35% of the population). There thinking, however, of Argentina’s Economist at the Roosevelt Institute. debt to so-called vulture funds always leads to more economic reigniting the economy. One hopes is enormous potential. Tourism, for people or of the country’s long-run His most recent book is People, Power, with unconscionably high returns, contraction. The reality is that there that the multilateral development example, boomed after the last major potential. Many of them will be and Profi ts: Progressive Capitalism for and taking on new high-interest, will be no substantial private-sector banks will provide countercyclical devaluation. Argentina has fi rst- thinking only of the short-run gains an Age of Discontent. Gauging retail performance in an online world Three-day forecast

Instead of simply asking shoppers items in-store or shoppers picking up A source with knowledge of the TODAY By Melissa Fares Maximum Temperature : 230c New York why they left a store empty-handed, online orders. matter said Nordstrom looks for analysts are probing the eff ect of “It is kind of synonymous with opportunities to launch new brands Minimum Temperature : 180c online giant Amazon.com Inc, the fact that retailers are reporting and expand existing partnerships with THURSDAY arshal Cohen has reli- asking whether customers started blended sales, which include sales limited distribution and emerging Maximum Temperature : 240c giously visited the same Christmas shopping in July on Prime online and sales in-store together,” brands to diff erentiate their product line. Minimum Temperature : 170c US holiday retail sales during stores every holiday Day, now a major event in the annual Field said. FRIDAY Mseason since 1999. retail calendar to rival Thanksgiving “I think what it really boils down to November and December are expected Maximum Temperature : 240c But rather than snapping up weekend’s Black Friday. is the customer journey has changed — to increase by around 4% from 2018 to Minimum Temperature : 180c bargains and favourite gifts for friends Calculation of sales per square foot it can start anywhere, in-store, online as much as $730.7bn, according to the and family, the chief retail industry is giving way to a tally of how many and end anywhere.” National Retail Federation (NRF) — a Fisherman's forecast adviser is there to scrutinise the Instagram-native, exclusive and When Marie Driscoll, Coresight percentage rise dwarfed by the 13.6% WARNING purchasing habits of others as online private fashion brands are off ered on Research’s managing director of annual jump Adobe Analytics has Inshore : Nil shopping upends the retail business. a retailer’s sales fl oor and website, luxury and fashion, received an email already seen in online sales between Offshore : Nil Major shifts in consumer behaviour and analysts — rather than simply from Saks Fifth Avenue less than a Nov 1 and Dec 19, to $125.6bn. WEATHER and preferences have forced Cohen, seeing how many bags a shopper week before Black Friday alerting her Smartphones accounted for 35.3% Inshore : Misty at some places at first becomes moder- who works for market research fi rm leaves with — are now counting how that several small leather designer of that revenue. ate temperature NPD Group, and other retail analysts many younger millennial and Gen Z goods such as wallets were on sale, she But analysts say retail companies daytime with scattered to approach their jobs very diff erently shoppers frequent a store and whether took note. are providing too little information too clouds and relatively The department store, she thought, late, forcing them to draw conclusions cold by night than two decades ago. they make a purchase. Offshore : Fine to some clouds “If you were to try and replicate Craig Johnson of Consumer Growth might have been struggling to sell such from very limited data. at times research methodology, or even store Partners says that traditional metrics items, which are often given as gifts. “You don’t get the full holiday WIND observation, in today’s world, you’ve got such as foot traffi c, average selling Saks, owned by Hudson’s Bay picture until months later...Until (the Inshore : Northwesterly-North- easterly 05-15KT a problem,” Cohen told Reuters. “It’s no price, and average basket size can Company, disagreed. retailers) actually report, you’re fl ying longer good enough to just look at store often still be highly indicative of “It would be fl awed to gauge blind,” said Charlie O’Shea, who has Offshore : Northeasterly-North- traffi c or parking lot counts.” what’s happening in stores. category performance based worked as a retail analyst for Moody’s westerly 03-12 KT Cohen and his peers need to But other retail analysts said online on customer emails, as the for 17 years covering Walmart Inc, Visibility : 4-8/3 KM get it right because their insights, shopping and a slew of services majority include personalised Target Corporation, and Best Buy Co reported to investors and retail clients, like “buy online, pick up in-store” recommendations derived from a Inc among others. Offshore : 1-3 FT infl uence marketing, move share can hinder the ability to estimate client’s shopping preferences,” a “All the retailers talk about is sales... prices and guide investment decisions. a retailer’s conversion rate — a company spokesperson said. we need to know how much money Around the region A record number of US consumers traditional measure of the proportion Consumer Growth Partners’ you made,” he added. Weather Weather spending more online, coupled with of visitors who make purchases. Johnson keeps close tabs on how many O’Shea says he sometimes uses third today Max/min tomorrow Max/min a condensed holiday shopping season Brian Field, senior director of global fashion brands born on Instagram party sales data and Adobe Insights Baghdad Cloudy 21/12 Sunny 21/11 and year-round discount wars among retail consulting for ShopperTrak, are on the sales fl oor when he visits data for online numbers. Kuwait City Sunny 22/13 Sunny 24/11 retailers, has forced analysts to get part of retail data fi rm Sensormatic Nordstrom Inc these days. “You’re looking at a stew here...with Manama Sunny 22/18 Sunny 23/18 creative, with many shifting away Solutions, said it was particularly That tells him whether the retailer is a bunch of diff erent ingredients, and Muscat Sunny 26/16 Sunny 26/17 from old-school tactics to measure a diffi cult to fi gure out if traffi c reported catering to young shoppers who search then you just try and frame a picture.” Tehran Sunny 14/04 P Cloudy 11/05 company’s overall performance. by retailers came from people buying for labels on their smartphones. - Reuters

Live issues Sleeping on your stomach: Is it bad for you?

Around the world By Heather Moore sleeping: In order to raise your head position correctly you want to put your legs to put your back in a neutral The Philadelphia Inquirer and shoulders enough to breath you several pillows under your stomach position. You also want to make sure Weather Weather need to have an arch in your lower so that you are almost sleeping on that your pillow allows your head just today Max/min tomorrow Max/min back. This causes compression in the your side. to lay fl at. Athens P Cloudy 14/07 P Cloudy 14/06 s stomach sleeping bad for you? spine and does not allow for proper Stomach sleeping and the three- When lying on your side, consider Beirut Rain 16/14 Rain 16/13 In a nutshell, yes. alignment of ligaments, muscles, quarter sleeping position also a side sleeper pillow. Nothing fancy Bangkok M Sunny 33/26 Sunny 34/26 Stomach sleepers often insist bones and joints. If you wake up with encourage you to have your arms but you need to fill the size of your Berlin S Showers 06/03 Cloudy 06/02 Ithat they are unable to sleep in a stiff back or sharp pain in your back overhead when sleeping. This shoulder to ensure your neck is in a Cairo Cloudy 19/14 Cloudy 21/12 any other position. But, changing or numbness and tingling in your legs puts tremendous pressure on your neutral position. You do not want to Cape Town S Showers 18/14 Showers 17/14 your sleeping position is essential, as or feet, stomach sleeping my bed to shoulders and nerves. Waking up with use 2 pillows, as they can slide and Colombo I T Storms 29/24 M Sunny 29/24 sleeping on your stomach can be the blame. hands that are asleep or shoulders that cause you to shrug your shoulders in Dhaka Sunny 23/14 P Cloudy 22/16 cause of neck, back, hip and shoulder You can alleviate these aches by are in pain is a very big sign that you order to keep them in place, ending Hong Kong P Cloudy 20/17 M Sunny 23/12 pain and even headaches. placing a pillow under your stomach. are causing injury to yourself. Even if in neck and shoulder pain. Also Istanbul Showers 10/07 Showers 10/07 In order to sleep on your stomach, Just make sure the pillow is thick you can shake the pain off quickly in put a pillow between your knees to Jakarta T Storm 31/24 T Storm 32/24 you must turn your head in one enough so that you can have a neutral the morning, overtime it can become a ensure a neutral spine. And if you Karachi Sunny 26/11 Sunny 26/11 direction to be able to breathe, spine. (This may require more than greater issue. have shoulder soreness, shoulder London M Sunny 08/03 Showers 11/10 leaving your neck in constant rotation one pillow.) So how should you sleep then? pain or recovering from surgery and Manila Showers 30/26 S T Storms 32/25 throughout the night. This causes Sometimes people will sleep with Lying on your back is the best are a side sleeper, hugging a pillow Moscow Cloudy 02/-1 Cloudy 01/-2 diminished blood fl ow to the head a leg up to the side - what I call a position to sleep, followed by lying on will help by allowing increased blood New Delhi P Cloudy 16/07 Sunny 16/06 and neck, which can cause headaches, “three-quarter position” - and not your side. But even if you chose the flow to the shoulder. New York P Cloudy 08/02 M Cloudy 07/05 kinks and pain. really consider it stomach sleeping back or the side there are things that While it is very hard to change Paris P Cloudy 09/03 Showers 09/08 If you must sleep on your stomach, because the position allows you you need to do to set yourself up with how you sleep it is important to Sao Paulo M Sunny 29/18 M Sunny 30/18 there are pillows with holes in the to turn to the side slightly. This correct posture. start trying, even just falling asleep Seoul P Cloudy 07/-2 P Cloudy 05/-7 middle that are made for stomach is better than stomach sleeping When lying on your back, you don’t in the proper position, but shifting Singapore S T Storms 31/24 S T Storms 31/24 sleepers. These will allow your neck to because it does take the pressure want to lay completely fl at as that throughout the night, can save you and Sydney M Sunny 24/19 Cloudy 25/19 stay straight while you sleep. off the lower back, but it can put will cause a slight arch in your back. your body some unwanted aches and Tokyo Cloudy 09/04 Cloudy 09/04 Another problem with stomach extra pressure on the hip. To do the Place two or three pillows underneath pain. — Tribune News Service Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, December 25, 2019 QATAR 184 offi cers fi nish security training for World Cup ’22 he Qualifi cation and The training included best courses included security and safety Major General Ali Mohamed al-Rashed, head of the Competitive Establishments Unit at SC, along with Training Unit, under the training in sports stadiums, was other dignitaries attending the graduation ceremony. PICTURES: Shaji Kayamkulam TSecurity Committee of run in co-operation with specialised attended by 70 persons spe- the Supreme Committee for De- cialised in securing stadiums. livery & Legacy (SC), yesterday agencies like the US Federal Bureau This internationally recognised hosted the graduation of 184 of- of Investigation (FBI) and security programme is run by accredited fi cers who completed security agencies specialised in provid- and safety training for the FIFA department of Turkish Police ing safety and security in stadi- World Cup Qatar 2022. ums. Major General Ali Mohamed Institute of Leadership and pare trainers for security train- Deputy head of the Security al-Rashed, head of the Compet- Management (ILM). ing, was attended by 19 offi cers Committee’s Qualifi cation and itive Establishments Unit at SC, The training was in protect- from various units of SC. Training Unit Abdulrahman Major General Khalifa Abdullah ing human rights, management The training included best al-Suwaidi said the eff orts are al-Nuaimi, director of National of major events and controlling courses run in co-operation aimed at achieving the highest Command Centre (NCC) and a crowds during sporting events with specialised agencies like levels of excellence and success number of directors and offi cers in addition to enhancing their the US Federal Bureau of Inves- in securing international sport- of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) abilities to interact with fans tigation (FBI) and security de- ing events in Qatar. and the Lekhwiya Force were from diff erent countries. partment of Turkish Police. He said that the offi cers at- present on the occasion. The graduated offi cers will These trainers will train se- tended training courses in en- The bronze-level programme join those offi cers who com- curity personnel and sporting suring security and safety as was attended by 95 offi cers from pleted the training in 2018 and events staff in order to help them per FIFA regulations, command the MoI, Lekhwiya and the Qatar secured the venues during the improve their skills and enhance skills, crowd management, ma- Armed Forces who completed World Athletics Championship their capabilities in crime detec- jor accident response and FIFA training in internationally ac- and the Arab Gulf Cup and the tion and prevention of security human rights. The participants credited safety and security pro- FIFA Club World Cup. The sec- issues during events. engaged in a number of practical grammes run by the UK-based ond programme, meant to pre- The third programme, which exercises and sports events. Graduates from various departments attending the graduation ceremony.

Home farming initiative at Mahaseel Fest

By Joey Aguilar Staff Reporter

he 4th edition of Ma- haseel (Arabic word Tmeaning ‘harvest’) Fes- tival at Katara has introduced a unique initiative aimed at rais- ing public awareness on the im- portance of home farming. “We are a voluntary, non- profi t initiative that comes within the promotion of social responsibility and aims to in- crease agricultural awareness of all women at all levels and engage them in the farming and food industries, as well as in- creasing the percentage of self- suffi ciency and domestic food security,” Maryam al-Dosari, The concerts attracted thousands of residents and visitors. founder of the initiative dubbed as ‘Gharsa’, said in a statement. “We work to support agricul- tural innovation, and we seek to revive the popular agricultural A large number of shoppers throng Mahaseel Festival at Katara. Qatar Live concerts dazzle heritage, even if it is simple, and to benefi t from the experiences of fresh produce and other ag- of our mothers,” she added. ricultural products from local Gharsa is a women’s association farms spread over 34 pavilions Doha with incredible shows in Doha that aims to enhance at Katara’s southern area (oppo- women’s approach to home gar- site of St Regis Doha). Items on dening and encourage its mem- off er are of high quality and sold lobal pop icons Katy Per- 21) to provide world-class en- December 13 and, in addition to bers to create a garden in their at competitive prices, attract- ry, Maluma, and Maroon tertainment for football fans, the Qatar Live concerts, Qatar houses. ing a large number of customers G5 wowed crowds with visitors and local residents. “We Airways and QNTC brought the Currently, al-Dosari noted from diff erent parts of Doha. sensational performances at the are delighted to have had the op- Daydream Festival to Qatar for that the initiative currently Local farm owners taking part Doha Exhibition and Convention portunity to welcome some of the fi rst time on December 12 and presents 10 products by several in the festival lauded Katara’s Centre (DECC) for the Qatar Live the biggest stars on the planet 20. women, and is constantly work- eff orts in supporting local farm- series of concerts on December to Qatar to share in the incred- The world-renowned festival, ing to develop their hobby and ers and their products, particu- 15, 16, and 19. ible Qatar Live festival of music hosted at the Ritz-Carlton, Doha, surround them with technical larly in this fourth edition of the The artists celebrated their and entertainment. To see so takes place each year at diff er- foundations, as well as encour- market. According to the or- fi rst appearances in the country many people coming together to ent locations around the world, age the transfer of experiences. ganisers, the number of partici- as part of the Qatar Live series attend Qatar Live alongside the bringing together the best DJs in While Mahaseel is Gharsa’s fi rst pants continuously increases of special music concerts and FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 dance and electronic music. public participation and meet- every year, which contributes festivals organised by Qatar Air- has fi rmly placed Qatar centre- Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, ing, she said the initiative re- in introducing locally-sourced ways and Qatar National Tour- stage in terms of entertainment Robin Schulz, Sam Feldt, Matt ceived positive feedback and has products. ism Council (QNTC), supported and sport,” Qatar Airways Group Sochon and Wankelmut are been lauded by festival-goers, Mahaseel, thru the “Farmers’ by Ooredoo as Platinum Spon- Chief Executive and Secretary- among the world-class DJ names thanks to Katara – the Cultural Forum”, also provides an oppor- sor. The concerts attracted thou- General of QNTC, HE Akbar al- who performed on December 12. Village and the Ministry of Mu- tunity for farm owners to fur- sands of residents and visitors. Baker, said. Afrojack, Lost Frequencies, Mark nicipal and Environment. ther develop their products and Qatar Live was organised to Earlier this month, Cheb Kha- Knight, Steff Da Campo and Matt The latest edition of the fes- address some of the challenges align with the FIFA Club World led and Hatim Ammor performed Sochon performed on December tival showcases a wide range they face. The festival off ers a variety of fresh produce from local farms. Cup Qatar 2019 (December 11- to hundreds of fans at DECC on 20. QNL celebrates nation’s culture, heritage

National pride is the powerful theme of Qatar National Library’s programmes in December and one particular event, ‘My Dream in Qatar’, celebrated these aspirations in a truly striking fashion. Young visitors aged 12-18, who gathered at the library during the event, were asked to inscribe their dreams for their future in Qatar on helium balloons. Together with library staff , they launched the balloons outside the library in a symbolic gesture. On December 16, visitors to the library learned about the traditional art of the Arabian Gulf and Qatar in a lecture, “The Young visitors launched balloons in the colours of national flag Journey of Qatar’s Traditional outside the library. Art,” by artist and researcher Mohamed Alsaygh. During a the country’s social and economic launched his first comic book, lecture, “Scripts from Qatar’s life. The lecture also discussed ‘Primeval’, and on December 6, History,” on December 15, Mus’haf Al Zubara, one of the Qatari artist Ahmed al-Maadeed leading historians and experts oldest examples of calligraphic took visitors through his creative highlighted personal letters and writing that has been found in journey as an artist and talked signatures from famous Qatari Qatar. On December 5, Qatari about the creation of his iconic historical figures, which reflect writer Jassim al-Mohannadi painting ‘Tamim The Glorious’. An array of local products on off er at Mahaseel.