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SUNDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11293 September 1, 2019 Muharram 2, 1441 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Hurricane Dorian changes course First Qatari plane carrying fl ood aid lands in Khartoum zAirlift of relief materials on Amir’s instructions zSecond plane to reach Sudan capital on Tuesday

QNA Khartoum

atar’s fi rst plane carrying 60 tonnes of relief materials to Men remove the awning protecting the front of their restaurant in Hollywood Beach, Florida, as they prepare for Qfl ood-aff ected people arrived Hurricane Dorian yesterday. Hurricane Dorian changed course slightly yesterday, possibly putting it on track to hit in Khartoum yesterday as part of an the Carolinas rather than Florida as previously forecast, after a dangerous blast through the Bahamas. Meteorologists airlift aimed at easing the suff erings of said Dorian has grown into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm as it heads toward land. Page 9 thousands of Sudanese families in sev- eral areas. Upon the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad In brief al-Thani, the fi rst relief fl ight to sup- port Sudan fl ood victims took off from Doha yesterday morning. The plane ARAB WORLD | Confl ict Qatar World Cup belongs to the Amiri Air Force of the US strikes militants in Ministry of Defence. Syria, leaving 40 dead logo to be displayed Qatar Charity launches US forces attacked militant leaders relief campaign The first flight carrying relief materials for Sudan flood victims landed in Khartoum in northwestern Syria yesterday, the yesterday. (Picture courtesy: Qatar Fund for Development’s Twitter page) Pentagon said, in what a battlefield Qatar Charity has launched an monitor called a missile strike that around the world urgent campaign to help those The aid is part of an emergency grant dan due to the fl oods and rains that left at least 40 dead. The US strike aff ected by floods in Sudan and allocated by the Qatar Fund for Devel- have hit the country recently. came as renewed Syrian regime Nepal. The campaign aims to opment worth $5mn. A Qatari Search The ambassador said that the Qatari bombardment of Idlib province zLaunch of the logo set Hotel), Algeria (Opera House), Tu- provide people aff ected by floods and Rescue team of Lekhwiya has also aid includes foodstuff s as well as sup- killed one civilian — the latter a for September 3 nisia (Hammamet), Rabat (Corniche with food, shelter, health, and been dispatched to assist in relief op- port for the health and environmental first violation of a Russian-backed Rabat), and Iraq (Baghdad Tower, education. Qatar Charity seeks to erations. sanitation sectors, pointing out that truce for the region that came into QNA Tahrir Square). provide food baskets consisting of The Standing Committee for Rescue the second plane will arrive in Khar- eff ect just hours before, the Syrian Doha The committee also announced eight types of basic food supplies, and Relief Works and Humanitarian toum on Tuesday. Observatory for Human Rights said. that the logo of the World Cup will in addition to providing health Aids for Affl icted Areas in Brotherly He noted the strong relations be- The US Defence Department said be displayed on giant screens in a services for people injured by the and Friendly Countries headed by Le- tween Qatar and Sudan, adding that its own attack targeted leaders of he Supreme Committee for number of countries of the world, se- floods. It also aims to provide safe khwiya was responsible for preparing Qatar is keen to respond promptly to Al Qaeda in the north of the same Delivery & Legacy (SC) which lected from the Americas: the United drinking water to the aff ected the relief materials and co-ordinating all urgent humanitarian needs all over province, but did not say what kind Tis responsible for organising States of America (Times Square, people. Last week, Qatar Charity with the authorities concerned to de- the world based on its vital role in this of weapon was used. Page 8 the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, has Broadway, between the streets of 44 sent an aid convoy to those aff ected liver them to the aff ected areas. regard. set a date for the launch of the fi rst and 45, and New York), Argentina by floods in Sudan’s White Nile state, Ambassador of Qatar to Sudan Ab- Al-Kubaisi explained that Qatar REGION | Politics World Cup’s logo in the Arab region (General Pazy 15 de Augusto, and which has seen the worst flooding dulrahman bin Ali al-Kubaisi con- Charity and Qatar Red Crescent Soci- Rouhani warns Macron and the Middle East. Bowens Iris), Brazil (Metro Domini- in years, causing severe damage sidered this assistance a sincere ex- ety earlier sent relief convoys to several The committee announced in an can Sea Station, So Paulo), Chile (A to the population. The convoy pression of the interaction of Qatar’s aff ected areas in brotherly Sudan in co- of looming nuclear step offi cial statement that it will un- Kennedy, Padre Hortado, Santiago), benefited 20,000 people. Page 2 leadership, government and people operation and co-ordination with the President Hassan Rouhani spoke veil the Qatar 2022 logo on Tuesday and Mexico (Principe Street, Mexico with what happened to brotherly Su- competent Sudanese authorities. Page 2 with French counterpart Emmanuel (September 3) at 8.22pm (Doha time), City). Macron yesterday, warning him through an international digital cam- It will be screened in Europe; in Iran would take the next step in paign , accompanied by displaying England (London, Westfi eld Strat- reducing its nuclear commitments the logo on the prominent landmarks ford City, Four Dials, Westfi eld Tensions high on Israel-Lebanon border unless Europe lives up to its own in Qatar and 23 countries around the Square, Westfi eld), France (Gare du undertakings. Tensions have spiked world, in addition to displaying it on Nord, Paris), Germany (Berlin Train Hezbollah said yesterday its field are dominated by Hezbollah. navy and intelligence forces improved in the Gulf since May last year when giant screens in a number of world Station), Italy (Sempione, Acropolis commanders were ready to respond to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan their preparedness for various President Donald Trump unilaterally capitals simultaneously. and Madrid de Espana), and Kayao, an attack a week ago that the Lebanese Nasrallah said in a televised speech that scenarios in the northern command withdrew the US from a nuclear deal The Supreme Committee stated and Russia (Novy Arbat 2, Moscow). group blamed on Israeli drones, after all options were open to counter Israeli area.” between Iran and world powers. that the logo of the World Cup will The World Cup logo will be dis- Israel’s military ordered extra forces to drones violating Lebanon’s sovereignty. It posted on Twitter footage of tanks Macron has been leading eff orts be revealed by displaying it on the played in Turkey via giant screens in deploy near the border. Drones like the ones used in the Beirut and ground forces being deployed. to de-escalate the situation and he facades of buildings and landmarks Yildiz, Zuharat Baba, Bachisir Kism, Tensions have heightened between attack last weekend “open the door to Without claiming responsibility for expressed hopes of bringing together in the Qatari capital Doha (Katara, Tasdelin, Mimar Sinan, Kafi rga, the Iran-backed Lebanese movement assassinations” if left unanswered, he the drone attack, the Israeli military Rouhani and Trump for a meeting Souq Waqif, Sheraton Hotel, Al Harbay, Markaz, Barbados, Levazim, and its old enemy Israel – who fought said. “This matter will not be tolerated ... has published what it said were during a G7 summit days ago. Shoula Tower), Kuwait (Kuwait Tow- India (Babulnath, Mumbai), South a month-long war with each other in Israel must pay the price.” details about the Iranian campaign to ers), Muscat (Opera House), and Bei- Korea, South Africa (Alice Street, 2006 – since two drones crashed in Israel’s army said on yesterday that in boost Hezbollah’s missile capabilities. ARAB WORLD | Vote rut (Raouche Rock), Amman (Royal Sandton, Johannesburg). the southern suburbs of Beirut which the past week its “ground forces, air, (Reuters) Tunisia reveals fi nal candidates for poll Tunisia’s electoral commission yesterday announced a final list of 26 presidential candidates to stand Over 1mn people used Doha Metro in last two months in a September 15 poll to elect a successor to late leader Beji Caid Essebsi. “There are 26 candidates he Doha Metro set a “rider- a single day. Yet another record was set Mowasalat, provides transportation for the 2019 presidential election,” ship record” as it carried some on the fi rst of Eid al-Fitr, when some to commuters around a specifi c area electoral commission (ISIE) head T1,082,112 passengers during 75,940 people used the metro. to and from the stations. They halt Nabil Baffoun said. Candidates to July and August, Qatar Rail said yes- While many commuters use the only at designated stops as a safety have been given the green light terday. metro to travel to and from offi ce , the measure. include Prime Minister Youssef While 518,535 people used the metro service has also seen high passenger Metroexpress off ers “convenient, Chahed, interim parliamentary in July, the number increased to 563,577 number during special occasions such stress-free, shared travel” services, speaker Abdelfattah Mourou and in August, according to an infographic as the Eid holidays. currently covering the West Bay areas. former defence minister Abdelkrim tweeted by Qatar Rail, thanking the Currently, 13 stations are open on Qatar Rail has also announced retail Zbidi. public for “choosing Doha Metro to the Red Line South: Al Qassar, DECC, opportunities at various Doha Metro travel” and stressing that it “always QIC West Bay, Corniche, Al Bidda, stations, covering the Red, Green and ASIA | Unrest look forward” to welcoming passen- Msheireb, Al Doha Al Jadeda, Umm Gold lines, aimed at supporting local Fire, petrol bombs as gers on board. Ghuwailina, Al Matar Al Qadeem, enterprises and promoting economic Operations on the Doha Metro’s Red Oqba Ibn Nafi e, Economic Zone, Ras activities in the country. HK engulfed by chaos Line South were launched on May 8 Bu Fontas and Al Wakrah. The closing date for applications Chaos engulfed the heart of Hong and the service was met with an excel- There are two “fi rst and last mile is September 12, according to infor- Kong late yesterday, as police fired lent response right from Day 1. A total services” available for Doha Metro mation available on the Twitter page teargas and water cannon at pro- of 86,487 passengers travelled on the passengers looking to travel to and of Qatar Rail. For more information, democracy protesters who defied a Doha Metro on the fi rst two days of from the stations - Metrolink and, for those interested can visit retail.qr.com. ban on rallying, set fires, and hurled its launch, and the service has since those in the West Bay area, Metroex- qa. petrol bombs in some of the most emerged as a favoured mode of travel press. Also, people can use Karwa Taxi The retail opportunities span 16 sta- intense clashes in months. Police on for many people in Qatar. to reach Metro stations at discounted tions and include 74 retail units, eight Friday arrested several key activists Then, on the day of the Amir Cup rates. retail kiosks and 46 ATMs. The 16 sta- and legislators in a dragnet on pro- fi nal, the metro carried 68,725 passen- The Metrolink feeder bus service, tions are located across three lines - 10 democracy figures. Page 10 gers, setting a new ridership record for being operated in association with in Gold, fi ve in Red and one in Green. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, September 1, 2019 QATAR Najah Qatari Festival hosts Statesmen Forum he third edition of the Na- Dr Fakhro talked about the be- HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin jah Qatari Festival hosted ginning of public education and Nasser al-Ali speaking at a forum. Tyesterday the Statesmen the challenges of girls education, Forum at the Doha Exhibition who had become a major partner and Convention Center to dis- today, where she became a min- cuss their experiences and suc- ister, ambassador and director cess stories in order to boost the in all fi elds and successful in all ‘Ministry empowering nation and inspire and set an ex- government and private sectors. ample for the younger generation. Saad bin Mohamed al-Ru- Speakers underlined the im- maihi talked about the story of youth to take leadership portance of education and nur- his joining media fi eld, prais- turing high ambitions, over- ing HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim coming diffi culties and not al-Thani and his great role in positions at centres’ to fear the pitfalls in order to guiding him in his academic and shape the future and achieve the career path. E the Minister of Cul- being appointed by the minister desired goals. Al-Rumaihi said, “I started ture and Sports Salah bin of culture and sports as a step The forum was moderated by my journalism career during my HGhanem bin Nasser al-Ali towards the empowerment of Mohamed al-Ansari. studies in Kuwait and when I said that the ministry is working young people. HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qas- returned home, I started work- to empower and support Qatari He added that the selection sim al-Thani, chairman, Aamal ing at Al-Arab newspaper and youth by taking leadership posi- of the directors of the centres Company, praised the value of then Al-Duri newspaper, then tions in youth centres in order to will continue in stages through community solidarity of the HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani flanked by dignitaries. Arrayah newspaper, and then be active and involved in formu- elections, stressing that the state people of Qatar, recalling that took over as editor-in-chief of the lating strategies that help them enacts laws and legislation and after coming out of World War youth to seize opportunities, “Anyone who sees himself in the Dr Yusuf Obaidan Fakhro Al Saqr sports magazine. achieve their goals and aspirations provides funds and all forms of II, life was very diffi cult and pointing out that the prospects private sector has to break into, spoke about education in Qatar, Al-Rumaihi stressed that any in the fi eld of youth work. support in youth centres and hard. “However, because of sol- are open to them with state’s make a name for himself and both in the past and now, not- creative work should be com- The minister revealed in a other centres that enable raising idarity, determination, Qatar is encouragement, wondering why serve his country.” ing the harmonious and loving bined with study and diligence speech yesterday during a fo- of competencies and youth skills now better than before and has vast majority of young people are Sheikh Faisal said he sustained relations prevail between the and love and dedication to work, rum where he spoke to young in various fi elds. the best hospitals and schools turning to the government sector. his hobby in collecting antiques ruler and the ruled, adding that urging young media people to people within the activities of He called on young people to in the world and that would not He noted that the biggest op- and collectibles until it became the determination of the people develop themselves, noting that Najah Qatari Festival that next work to achieve self-develop- have been possible without toil portunities are in the private the largest private museum, of Qatar and their solidarity and this development would only be September will witness the elec- ment before institutions in order and diligence.” sector, and that the opportuni- which he considers a pride for were able to overcome the prob- achieved through education and tion of three directors of youth to help in building and advancing Sheikh Faisal called on the ties today are favourable to them. Qatar. lems and diffi culties they faced. experience. (QNA) centres (not specifi ed) instead of community. (QNA) Sudan QC launches relief campaign for Inventors’ success council stories highlighted lauds Qatar fl ood victims in Sudan, Nepal he ongoing Najah Qa- vision, which contributes to tari Festival highlighted the growth of the national support atar Charity has Tthe success stories of economy. launched an urgent a number of Qatari inventors Khaled Mohamed Abu Jas- Qcampaign to help those who have achieved interna- soum presented during event QNA aff ected by fl oods in Sudan and tional success and their inven- his invention, a fully automat- Khartoum Nepal. tions have become a reality. ic and intelligent cooking de- The campaign aims to as- The innovators reviewed vice compatible with a special r Al-Siddiq Tawer, a sist people aff ected by oods,fl their success stories, the ideas mobile application, and con- member of the Sover- including food, shelter, health, that inspired their innovations tains pre-programmed recipes Deignty Council in Sudan and education. Qatar Charity and the most important ob- created by professional chefs. has lauded the Qatari support for seeks to provide food baskets stacles they encountered dur- Qatari inventor Mohamed al- the Sudanese people in the face consisting of eight types of ba- ing the production process, Jufairi talked about his inven- of the heavy rains and fl oods. sic food supplies, in addition while calling on young people tion, an interactive robot that In remarks yesterday to Sudan to providing health services for to start their ideas and experi- provides innovative instruc- Radio, Dr Tawer praised Qatar’s people injured by the fl oods. It ment and work to achieve their tions to teach sign language to immediate response in this regard also aims to provide safe drink- ambitions. deaf children at an important by providing humanitarian and ing water to the aff ected people, The participants stressed stage of their growth. relief assistance to the aff ected in addition to providing shelter that it is not a requirement for Another inventor, Jaber people and running an air bridge which includes tents, a living an inventor to be an engineer Mohamed al-Sulaiti ex- in support of the Sudanese peo- room bag, and fl oor mats and or technology researcher, but plained the idea behind his ple. supporting the educational through careful observation “Fine Posture” invention, “The immediate assistance is not process. around us the invention is saying that ‘this device moni- strange from the brothers, as they Last week, Qatar Char- made, whether in the form of a tors the position of your back have been present with the Sudanese ity marched an aid convoy to new product we need or in the and alerts you if sitting in an people at every turn,” he added. those aff ected by fl oods in Su- form of an existing product incorrect way’. For his part, Mohamed Fadlal- dan’s White Nile state, which development. They appreci- Inventor Saleh Saeed Sa- lah Sirag, Deputy Commissioner- has seen the worst fl ooding in Qatar’s first plane carrying 60 tonnes of relief aid to help the flood-aff ected people in Sudan ated the existence of a number fran introduced his invention, General of Humanitarian Aid in years, causing severe damage to arrives in Khartoum yesterday. of entities that support the a self-operating system that Sudan, announced that the High the population. projects of inventors such as detects the leakage of cooking Emergency Committee and the The convoy benefi ted 20,000 tion, and brotherhood between A total of 32,815 houses were cent. The number of victims the Qatar Science Club, Qatar gas and automatically shut it technical committee charged with people and the aid amounted to the two countries. He said that completely or partially demol- reached 78, the number of Business Incubation Center, off to prevent the fl ow of gas receiving humanitarian assist- QR1mn. the convoy will contribute to ished and 59 people were killed, missing persons reached 22, Qatar Science and Technology and prevent the occurrence of ance and UNHCR, the Civil De- Major General Haidar al- the shelter of citizens aff ected according to a report by the and the total number of houses Park and others. fi res, explaining that the idea fence and the Emergency Health Turaifi , Governor of the White by fl oods and rain. United Nations Offi ce for the that were totally or partially af- At the same time, the par- of the device came after an ac- Committee received yesterday Nile, praised the level of rela- Several Sudanese benefi ciar- Co-ordination of Humanitar- fected was 18,694. ticipants called for more sup- cident in Doha in 2016, while the support of Qatar through the tions between the Qatari and ies expressed their thanks and ian Aff airs (OCHA). Qatar Charity called on the port for the inventors, as the innovator Mohsen Hussein fi rst plane of the Qatar Air Bridge Sudanese peoples. gratitude to Qatar and Qatar In Nepal, 384,950 people people of Qatar to interact with success of the Qatari inven- Sheikh presented his inven- for the Sudanese people. He pointed out that that Charity. have been aff ected by floods the campaign and donate and tions in reaching international tion, a tank water cooler that The Deputy Commissioner- this convoy is the fi rst to reach A total of 245,700 people and mudslides caused by heavy provide urgent assistance to markets contributes to the re- cools the surface and bot- General of Humanitarian Aid, the state, adding it refl ects the were aff ected by fl oods and monsoon rains, according to a alleviate those aff ected by the alization of the State of Qatar’s tom of the tank water at high said : “The Sudanese govern- spirit of co-operation, integra- rains in 15 of Sudan’s 18 states. July report of Nepal Red Cres- harsh conditions. (QNA) knowledge-based economy speed. (QNA) ment and people value and ap- preciate the support provided by the sisterly State of Qatar, which it has always returned to be a forerunner of the good and stand HMC lines up programmes to raise with the Sudanese people in all crises and tragedies that have Aman’s campaign gone through.” awareness about Alzheimer’s He stressed that relations with Qatar were extended and deeply rooted, and that this is not the Hamad Medical Corporation for Healthy Ageing, added, to improve early detection fi rst time that Qatar stands with aims to promote (HMC) is participating in “Here in Qatar we now have of the condition. We are the Sudanese people. World Alzheimer’s Month, the Qatar National Dementia organising sessions for the the international campaign Plan, which was launched by general public as well as events held each September to raise HE the Minister of Public Health that are targeted at educating awareness and challenge Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, healthcare professionals,” values in children the stigma that surrounds in November 2018 as part of added Dr al-Hamad. dementia, with a series of a plan to enhance services She noted that the highlight Fuel prices rotection and Social have annually, will be imple- laws and international con- public events taking place and care for people living of this year’s campaign is a Rehabilitation Centre mented through the provision ventions, the most important throughout the month. with dementia and to provide National Dementia Training P(Aman), part of Qatar of awareness messages and of which are care and proper Dr Hanadi al-Hamad, senior support to caregivers.” Programme led by a team drop in Sept Social Work Foundation, has fl ashes through social media education, communication consultant and chairperson of She noted that stigma of trainers from Alzheimer’s launched “Drop off your kids” platforms, and SMS. and constant rapprochement Geriatrics and Long Term Care associated with Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), atar Petroleum (QP) an- awareness campaign to coin- This campaign is divided with his parents and protec- at HMC, said, “There is a limited disease continues to be a Singapore and ADI Indonesia. nounced yesterday the cide with the start of the new into many phases, with sev- tion from threats that may be understanding of the signs major factor delaying the early The programme includes a day Qdiesel and gasoline prices academic year. eral illustrated messages for exposed to them. and symptoms of Alzheimer’s diagnosis of the disease and of training designed especially for September 2019. Gasoline of The campaign, which lasts parents during the fi rst week Aman Center will launch, disease. Many people think it is appropriate care. for family caregivers and both types decreased by more for a year, aims to urge parents of the new school year. soon, distinctive applica- a normal part of ageing. In many She said the eighth World will coincide with the launch than 5%, and diesel prices fell by to get closer to their children Mansoor al-Saadi, execu- tions that can be down- cases, family and friends simply Alzheimer’s Month campaign, of HMC’s annual dementia 2.6%. and invest getting to school tive director, Aman Center, loaded through mobile and do not know how to talk about which is being held under awareness campaign. QP set the diesel price at time in having a dialogue, dis- said that the core of the cen- other smart devices, in an someone they care about when the theme ‘Let’s talk about “I am immensely proud of the QR1.85/litre for September, cussion and promote the pos- tre’s activities is to protect eff ort to contribute to the that individual is experiencing dementia’, is a call to action members of my team who compared to QR1.9/litre in Au- itive values to the children, by children and women, and that enhancement of protection a significant decline in memory, for everyone to tackle fear and contribute their knowledge and gust, a decline by 2.6%. encouraging parents to take awareness is one of the most of children, educating him reasoning, and thinking abilities. stigma surrounding dementia. time toward educating others It set the price of Super Gaso- their own children to school, important ways of protection with the skills of defending Stigmatisation and lack of “In recognition of World about Alzheimer’s disease and line (95) at QR1.8/litre, 5.2% and highlight the positive and prevention, the hence the himself, adding that one of information surrounding this Alzheimer’s Month this year, dementia. Only by encouraging lower than the August price of impact on the child who feels main idea of this campaign, the most important coming disease, and dementia in the Qatar National Dementia people to talk about dementia QR1.9/litre. safe and proud with his or her which targets parents and initiatives is the launch of general, remains a global health Plan team has planned a series can we hope to fight stigma Premium Gasoline (91) price has parents. children on the one hand, and the application “Belghni”, problem.” of events to raise awareness of and improve the lives of those been set at QR1.7/litre in Septem- The campaign, which is employers on the other hand, and games such as Aman Dr al-Hamad, who is also the the symptoms of Alzheimer’s living with Alzheimer’s disease,” ber, compared to QR1.8/litre in one of the awareness ini- especially that the child has robot safety game, al-Saadi National Health Strategy Lead disease as part of a wider eff ort added Dr al-Hamad. (QNA) August, a decline by about 5.6%. tiatives that Aman is keen to rights as required by national added. (QNA) Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 3 QATAR 10 Qatari cadets graduate from Polish Naval Academy he Ministry of Interior (MoI) the prestigious Polish Naval has celebrated the gradu- Academy and appreciates its Tation of the fi rst batch of co-operation in transferring its candidates at the Polish Naval long-standing expertise to the Academy in Gdynia, Poland. ministry’s cadres in a way that The batch featured 10 stu- will help achieve its objectives dents with scholarships from the to develop modern police offi c- MoI who received qualitative ed- ers who keep pace with the latest ucation over four years to obtain developments in the fi eld of po- a bachelor’s degree in marine licing and security and improve science, the offi cial Qatar News performance at all levels. Agency reported. He said the graduates of the Colonel Dr Mohamed Hamad fi rst batch constitute a qualita- al-Ghayatheen, assistant di- tive addition to the ministry, es- Qatari student Humaid Mohamed al-Humaidi was awarded a distinction. rector of the Human Resources pecially in the fi eld of maritime Department at the MoI, praised tasks carried out by the General the service of their country. Qatari student Humaid Mo- the eff orts exerted by the acad- Directorate of Coasts and Bor- Lt Col Abdulaziz Ali al-Mo- hamed al-Humaidi was awarded emy in educating and training ders Security. hannadi, assistant director- a distinction and honoured dur- the scholarship candidates, and On behalf of the leadership general of Coasts and Borders ing the ceremony among the equipping them with the knowl- of the MoI, Col al-Ghayatheen Security, praised the partnership outstanding graduates of the edge required to perform their congratulated the graduating between the Ministry of Interior academy. duties in the service of Qatar students, lauding their per- and Polish academy, noting that The ceremony was attended with high scientifi c capabilities formance during the study there are many areas of co-oper- by Qatar’s ambassador to Po- and competencies. period and their levels of disci- ation between the parties in the land Ahmed bin Saif al-Maadadi, He noted that the MoI was pline, which would later refl ect fi eld of training and everything a delegation from the MoI and Off icials with the graduates. proud of its partnership with in their fi eld performance in related to marine science. parents of graduating students.

QRCS provides shelter for Syrian orphans in Turkey atar Red Crescent Soci- fuel, fi rst-aid kits, hygiene kits. and embroidery courses were horrible experiences amid the ety (QRCS) has complet- To help 42 neediest Syrian held for 53 women and young atrocities of war”. Qed phase two of a relief families with no breadwinners, women. He emphasised QRCS’s com- project to secure shelter and em- QRCS’s representation mis- The children attended the mitment towards such projects powerment for the Syrian fami- sion in Turkey off ered protec- play, education, and rehabilita- for Syrian refugees, inspired by lies with orphans in Gaziantep, tion, social care, education, and tion sessions, while the moth- its strategy to mobilise human southern Turkey. entertainment to mitigate the ers attended life consulting and and fi nancial resources to make a At a total cost of $142,000 psychological impact of war on stress management sessions. real change in their lives. (QR518,300), the project was 137 women and children, as well Dr Mohamed Salah Ibrahim, Dr Ibrahim called upon eve- done in partnership with Kuwait as to integrate them into their executive director of relief and ryone in the Qatari society to be Red Crescent Society (KRCS). community. international development divi- compassionate and lend a hand The eight-month-long Concerning education, 93 sion at QRCS, said, “I would like to those who have been hun- project involved renting two under-six kids were enrolled in to thank KRCS for making this gry and homeless for too many shelter premises, operating a a kindergarten. Teachers were humanitarian project a success. years. (QNA) kindergarten, holding vocational hired to help the students with It meets the needs of the most training activities, and secur- their studies and help the moth- vulnerable Syrians in Turkey, Right: Ninety three under-six ing other requirements (such as ers with Qur’an memorisation who are desperate for any form kids were enrolled in a transportation, food, cooking and recitation. Sewing, makeup, of assistance, following their kindergarten. Gulf Times 4 Sunday, September 1, 2019 QATAR Sheehaniya cracks down on illegal street vendors

l Sheehaniya Municipal- Cleanliness Department. ity conducted a joint cam- Jaber Hassan al-Jaber, director Apaign with various other of Al Sheehaniya Municipality, authorities on Friday evening, said the campaign was imple- targeting street vendors and vio- mented following direct co-ordi- lations of the public hygiene law. nation with all the participating The initiative was imple- entities. mented in co-operation with the A work plan and mechanism Ministry of Commerce and In- was adopted to spot unlicensed dustry, the security department street vendors and violations of concerned at the Ministry of In- the public hygiene law. terior and the Internal Security The offi cial stressed that such Force (Lekhwiya), the Ministry of campaigns would be carried out Municipality and Environment on a regular basis to eradicate (MME) said in a statement yes- illegal activities and deal with terday. violations of the public hygiene The campaign resulted in law due to their negative impact the issuance of 45 reports to a on the environment and public number of street vendors for var- health. ious types of violations. Further, he noted that such These included violations of phenomena could be completely Law No 18 of 2017 on public hy- eradicated when violations are giene, encroachment of State removed from various farms lo- property and handling food Jaber Hassan al-Jaber cated in the area, which are the products in unhygienic condi- cause of such problems. tions — pertaining to Law No 8 eliminate the phenomenon of il- After the detection of viola- He added that around 70% of of 1990 on the regulation of hu- legal street vending and the re- tions, Al Sheehaniya Munici- the violations on 10 farms in the man food control, the statement sultant violations of health and pality cleaned the area of vari- municipality have been removed noted. hygiene laws as well damage to ous types of waste materials in since the launch of the campaign The joint initiative aimed to the environment. co-operation with the General in July. A snapshot of the campaign in Al Sheehaniya Municipality. Municipality cracks down on errant farms

l Rayyan Municipality continues to implement a campaign to remove all violations from farms within Aits jurisdiction, as part of a comprehensive nation- wide plan of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) in this regard. The campaign is being conducted in co-operation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Ad- ministrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs, and the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), the MME has said in a statement. The campaign has resulted in the elimination of a large number of violations over the past few days, including the unlicensed construction of warehouses, shops, labourers’ accommodation, garages and workshops. In addition, a large quantity of waste materials, debris as well as abandoned vehicles, equipment and trucks were re- moved, the statement noted. The campaign targets the removal of all violations from 16 farms within the municipality, which include various il- legal commercial activities, construction of storehouses and workers’ accommodation, the use of agricultural land for non-farming purposes and non-compliance with own- ership and licensing terms. The MME stressed that the campaign would continue un- til all violations are corrected. The campaign comes within the framework of the MME’s keenness to amend the conditions of farms in order to ben- efi t from them to achieve food security in the country. Al Rayyan Municipality has called on all owners of farms, companies and individuals to co-operate with it in imple- menting the campaign, and not to exploit farms illegally. It has also highlighted to them the need to remove all vio- lations in order to avoid legal accountability. The municipality has also thanked all farms and compa- nies that have co-operated with it so far.

A bulldozer clears debris in Al Rayyan Municipality.

Gulf Times 6 Sunday, September 1, 2019 QATAR

Ooredoo, Atos join hands to enhance cybersecurity services

oredoo and Atos have an- Ooredoo Qatar COO Yousuf Abdulla the world’s fi rst joint charter for greater nounced a partnership to launch al-Kubaisi said: “Our partnership with cybersecurity. Oenhanced ‘industry-leading’ Atos on enhancing our cybersecurity Francis Meston, Atos Group EVP and cybersecurity solutions to support se- solutions aims to protect the informa- CEO Middle-East, Africa & Turkey, said: cure digital transformation for Qatar’s tion security of our business customers “With Qatar’s cyber threat landscape organisations. and to protect critical national infra- evolving in scale and complexity, cyber- From its Qatar Data Centre, Ooredoo structure. Qatar’s organisations of all security is now one of the top business is leveraging Atos’ experience to en- sizes and industry verticals can enhance risks. Atos is exchanging global best prac- hance the capabilities of its Security Op- their defences against cyber threats, re- tices with Ooredoo to ensure that Qatar’s erations Centre, the central unit that can duce their risk, and comply with security organisations can fi nd a seamless security investigate security incidents, perform regulations.” strategy with Big Data, high-perform- incident response and forensics, and Ooredoo’s business customers can ance computing, and automated security maintain business uptime 24x7. also benefi t from Ooredoo’s Security responses for end-to-end protection.” Atos, which has a team of 5,000 secu- Operations Centres’ service-level agree- Atos counts more than 110,000 em- rity specialists, runs 14 Security Opera- ments, disaster recovery and customer- ployees in 73 countries worldwide and tions Centres worldwide. centric security dashboards for real- has reached the third position worldwide Ooredoo’s Business customers can time threat insights. in Managed Security Services for the cy- also benefi t from Atos’ support for new Thanks to Ooredoo’s opex-based sub- berspace, according to Gartner. levels of Managed Security Services. scription model, business customers can Atos is the worldwide IT partner of the Solutions include Domain Name Sys- also fi nd fully transparent and regular International Olympic Committee since tem security, Database Security, Email billing options, the company has said in 2001 and ensures the IT security of the Security, Endpoint Detection and Re- a statement. Olympic Games. sponse, Firewall Management, Threat This partnership builds on the recent Business customers can leverage the Intelligence services, Web Application announcement between Ooredoo and Ooredoo Advantage, “making Ooredoo Firewall (WAF-as-a-Service) and Web Atos to support Qatar’s organisations in ‘Best for Business’, thanks to its breadth Security. their digital transformation. and depth of talent, best fi xed and mo- Ooredoo is the region’s leading ena- Ooredoo’s business customers can bile networks, broadest portfolio of ICT bler of digital business innovation, while also benefi t from the global best prac- services and solutions, and for being a (From left) Ooredoo Qatar COO Yousuf Abdulla al-Kubaisi, Francis Meston, Atos Group EVP and CEO Middle East, Africa Atos is a global leader in digital transfor- tices being exchanged as part of Atos be- trusted partner for 60 years”, the state- & Turkey and Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, Ooredoo Qatar CBO. mation and cybersecurity. ing a co-founder of the Charter of Trust, ment adds. Alfardan Premier Motors unveils special Jaguar Land Rover off ers

lfardan Premier Motors Co, the of- fi cial retailer of Jaguar Land Rover in AQatar, is off ering customers special deals on Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. Customers can benefi t from “unmatch- able off ers by getting the easiest payment plans and extra benefi ts” in collaboration with First Finance, Alfardan Premier Mo- tors Co has said in a statement. The off ers include no down-payment for nationals, 10% down-payment for expatri- ates, no salary transfer required, up to six months’ grace period and up to six years fi nancing plans. The off ers come on top of vefi years’ warranty/150,000km (which- ever comes fi rst), up to fi ve years’ maintenance/65,000km (whichev- er comes fi rst) and fi ve years’ roadside assistance/150,000km (whichever comes fi rst), the statement adds. The Jaguar range. Samer Bou Dargham, general manager for Alfardan Premier Motors, said: “At Al- fardan Premier Motors, we are dedicated to provide the very best in customer satis- faction and fi rst-class service. These new deals mean that our customers will not only drive away in exceptional vehicles but will also be able to take advantage of outstand- ing off ers to purchase their dream cars.” These exclusive off ers will be available until October 17 at Alfardan Premier Mo- tors showrooms in Qatar. For further information on these off ers or to book a test drive, one can contact or visit the nearest Jaguar Land Rover showroom between Saturday and Thursday, from 9am until 9pm, and on Fridays from 5pm until 9pm. The Land Rover range.

QIIB names winners of fi rst summer off er draw

IIB announced that three win- Qners were se- lected during the fi rst draw of its special off er for the summer of 2019, which allows its Visa (credit and debit) cardholders to win cash prizes when using their cards within and outside Qatar between August 1 and September 25. Each of the following winners, Ali Saif al-Fadala, Abdulla Ali al-Maadheed and Suheer Mohamed al-Kordy, received a cash prize of QR10,000. The winners were chosen through an electronic draw in the presence of QIIB offi cials and under the supervision of a representative from the Quality Licence and Market Con- trol Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Many cash prizes and the fi nal prize still await custom- ers, who may be lucky to win one of the weekly prizes of QR10,000 each once they spend a minimum of QR100 through their Visa cards (credit or debit) inside or outside of Qatar, QIIB has said in a statement. The total customer spend that entitles a customer to win the QR100,000 prize shall not be less than QR20,000 dur- ing the off er period. QIIB announced its summer off er in recognition of its customers and in order to provide them with the best off ers and opportunities. This off er provides QIIB customers of Visa credit and debit cardholders with an opportunity to win weekly prizes of QR10,000 and a fi nal grand prize of QR100,000. As part of the off er, every payment made using QIIB Visa cards inside Qatar, amounting to QR100, provides the cus- tomer one chance to win prizes on off er. In the case of payment made outside of Qatar using QIIB Visa cards, each transaction provides a customer with two chances. A highlight of the off er is that every time a customer uses his/her Visa card (credit or debit), his/her chances of win- ning one of the prizes increase. There is no minimum or maximum limit set on card us- age for customers to enter the draw. Any payment made by Visa (credit or debit) cards from QIIB, subject to the terms set out in the off er, will automati- cally qualify for the draw, without any specifi c action re- quired from the part of the customer. Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 7 QATAR/REGION

QAC supplies Qatar market with Fuso vehicles, directly from Japan

atar Automobiles Com- manager of QAC, said: “Qatar The Fuso brand is known for accommodate up to 26 seats, Also, the accelerator interlock pany (QAC), the author- Automobiles Company and Fuso its “trusted quality, economic including the driver. A Japa- and pre-warning buzzer pre- Qised distributor of Mit- have a longstanding and strong effi ciency, solid and functional nese minibus manufactured vents the vehicle being driven subishi Motors Corporation and relationship. We will continue design and committed serv- by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and with the passenger door open. Fuso in Qatar and a subsidiary to supply the Qatari market with ices”. In the segment of light- Bus Corporation, the Rosa is Other facilities include seatbelts of Nasser Bin Khaled Group of Fuso products that meet the de- duty trucks, the Mitsubishi Fuso equipped with “class- leading on every seat and a rear air-con- Companies, continues to supply mands and expectations of our Canter is the fl agship product of features” and is “perfect for all ditioning system with integrated the Qatari market with reliable customers. Fuso vehicles, trucks the company and has the highest kinds of transportation, includ- roof vents located throughout Fuso trucks and buses, directly and buses are well-known for market share in Qatar, the state- ing entertainment trips, school the cabin. from the brand’s Japanese pro- their durability and modern ment pointed out. transportation and staff and VIP The fl eet and diff erent ap- duction facilities. technology, and we will stay In Qatar, the Canter has transport”. plications are available at the Fuso vehicles are avail- committed to present this brand achieved “huge success thanks The Rosa uses Michelin tires showroom, with various pay- able at the QAC showroom on in Qatar in the best way ever and to its safety standards, high per- and is equipped with a high- ment plans and a wide range of Salwa Road, Doha, and includes provide our market with reliable formance, low cost of operation performance 4.2-litre 4-cylin- off ers for companies and corpo- the Fuso Canter light-duty ‘Made in Japan’ vehicles.” A Fuso truck. and lifetime value”. In terms of der diesel engine and independ- rate deals. trucks and Rosa buses, the only QAC “continues to supply design, the Fuso Canter is set for ent front suspension. Its Dual Customers can visit the show- 26-seater available in the mar- the Qatari market with buses petitive market”, the statement ous sectors, and provide services light-to-medium operations, caliper front disc brakes with room on Salwa Road from Satur- ket, the company has said in a and light trucks that combine noted. The Fuso trucks are “per- for passenger and staff trans- with its rigid cab and chassis. electronic wear indicator warn- day-Thursday, from 8am-9pm, statement. durability and reliability, while fectly suited to meet the de- port, commercial operations and In the bus category, the Rosa ing maximise the safety of the and on Friday from 5pm-9pm. Hisham al-Sahn, general remaining aff ordable in a com- mands and requirements of vari- other kinds of business”. is the only bus in Qatar that can bus while moving and stopping. Samsung Galaxy Note10 goes on sale at select ‘Vodafone Qatar’ stores

odafone Qatar has announced that the all-new Sam- sung Galaxy Note10 is available at select Vodafone Vstores and online. “Vodafone Qatar is delighted to launch the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note10 as part of our commitment to bring- ing our customers the latest in innovative communication solutions to meet their needs. We are confi dent that Voda- fone Qatar customers will appreciate the revolutionary tech- nology features and design of this device and enjoy a host of benefi ts that positively enhance their lifestyles, whether in meeting their work demands or for leisure,” said Diego Cam- beros, chief operating offi cer, Vodafone Qatar. Vodafone Qatar customers purchasing the new Samsung Note10 will also receive a free exclusive Vodafone launch of- fer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0 2019 LTE worth QR579. In addi- tion, customers will also enjoy 20% discount for six months when they sign up for any Red Plan and up to 24GB of free data for three months, Vodafone Qatar has said in a state- ment. The new line of premium smartphones “combines elegant design with powerful performance and productivity tools to help users make the most of every moment”, according to a press statement. Inspired by a generation that “fl ows seamlessly between work and life”, the Galaxy Note10 gives users the freedom to work the way they want and showcase their creative spirit, cus video adds depth-of-fi eld adjustments so you can blur all on-the-go. the background to focus on your subject. Zoom-In Mic am- “It is an honour to announce the launch of the newest plifi es the audio in frame and pushes background noise aside version of the ultimate power phone; the Galaxy Note10 de- to help focus on the sounds that you want. signed for users who demand the best, for those who want to The S Pen now supports intuitive gesture recognition with achieve more,” said Tarek Sabbagh, head of the IT & Mobile S Pen Air Actions so that one can always be completely in (IM) Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics. control. “Whether they are viewing and editing documents and S Pen Air Actions let users take pictures, zoom in and out presentations, watching a favourite show or playing games, and switch camera mode with a simple gesture, as well as Galaxy Note10 will help them do it faster and better. Packed change content and volume in multimedia apps and manage with exciting upgrades, the Galaxy Note10 is a testament to PowerPoint presentations with ease and without the need of our commitment to provide the consumers with a powerful touching the device. device that helps to bring their new ideas to life with pro- For the fi rst time ever, Samsung is introducing not one but ductivity, performance, design and creativity tools, as well as two new Galaxy Note models. off ering them a connected experience across our portfolio of The 6.3-inch Galaxy Note10 is 0.1 inches smaller than the products.” Galaxy Note9, and perfect for those who want all the power With the Galaxy Note10, content creators and everyday and performance that comes with the newest Note, but in a users alike can use state-of-the-art tools to capture stunning more compact form. video and photos—allowing their channels, stories and posts The 6.8-inch Galaxy Note10+, meanwhile, is a full 0.4 to stand out and make an impact. inches bigger than last year’s Note, and boasts of the largest The Galaxy Note10 enables users to capture pro-grade display. For details on where to purchase the Samsung Galaxy video without having to carry around any extra gear. Live fo- Note10 from Vodafone Qatar, visit www.vodafone.qa Yemen separatists arrest dozens of government loyalists in Aden

Reuters Aden

outhern Yemen separatists said they arrested dozens of govern- Sment loyalists in Aden yesterday after President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s forces withdrew from the port city following air strikes by the United Arab Emirates. The outbreak of hostilities between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the UAE-backed separatists is the latest twist in a multi-faceted war in A southern Yemeni separatist security member checks a truck at a checkpoint in Yemen pitting several factions and ar- Aden, yesterday. mies against each other. The separatists and Hadi’s govern- After the pull-out, forces of the sep- security source denied this, saying ment are nominal allies in a Saudi- aratist Southern Transitional Council dozens of “terrorists and outlaws” had led coalition fi ghting Yemen’s Houthi raided homes and businesses, arrested been rounded up. movement in a broader regional con- “scores” of pro-government activists, Though a key part of the anti-Houthi fl ict. politicians and clerics, accusing them coalition, the UAE has been hostile to On Thursday, UAE warplanes of “terrorism”, STC offi cials and wit- Hadi as his government includes hard- bombed Yemeni government forces in nesses said. liners, which the Gulf state has sought Aden, shifting the balance of power in Yesterday, an edgy calm returned to to neutralise cross the Middle East and a month-long battle between the sepa- Aden but separatist fi ghters were pa- North Africa. ratists and Hadi for control of the city trolling the streets and seen carrying Abu Dhabi has armed and trained and southern Yemeni provinces. out more arrests across the city, four tens of thousands of separatists who Hadi’s forces withdrew from Aden residents told Reuters. seek to restore the South Yemen re- after the air strikes, which killed at Hadi’s government said the arrests public which merged with the north least 45 soldiers. were “politically motivated”. An STC in 1990. Gulf Times 8 Sunday, September 1, 2019 REGION/ARAB WORLD/AFRICA

TRIAL Bashir charged with illegal use of At least 40 dead as US foreign funds Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir was charged in court yes- terday with illegal acquisition and use of foreign funds, off ences that could strikes militants in Syria land him behind bars for more than a decade. Bashir, who was deposed AFP in April following months of mass Idlib protests against his rule, appeared in court in a black metal cage wearing the country’s traditional white attire S forces attacked mili- and turban. Judge Al-Sadiq Abdelrah- tant leaders in north- man outlined the charges at what Uwestern Syria yester- was the third session of the trial, say- day, the Pentagon said, in what ing cash in multiple currencies was Relatives of Badreddin Abu Musa mourn during his funeral in the city a battlefi eld monitor called a uncovered at his home. Authorities of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday. missile strike that left at least had “seized 6.9mn euros, $351,770 40 dead. and 5.7mn Sudanese pounds at The US strike came as re- (Bashir’s) home which he acquired newed Syrian regime bom- and used illegally”, said Abdelrahman. bardment of Idlib province Speaking for the first time in court, Palestinian dies of killed one civilian — the latter 75-year-old Bashir said the seized a fi rst violation of a Russian- funds were the remainder of the backed truce for the region equivalent of $25mn that he had wounds from clashes that came into eff ect just hours received from the Saudi crown before, the Syrian Observatory prince. “My off ice manager...received for Human Rights said. a call from the off ice of Saudi Crown AFP Palestinians hit by live fi re, he The US Defence Department Prince Mohamed bin Salman say- Gaza City said in a statement. said its own attack targeted ing he has a ‘message’ that will be There was no immediate leaders of Al Qaeda in the north sent on a private jet,” Bashir said.. word from the Israeli army. Mass of the same province, but did “We were told that the crown prince Palestinian wounded protests began along the Gaza- not say what kind of weapon did not want his name to appear during clashes with Is- Israel border in March last year was used. (in the transaction)...and if the funds Araeli troops along the demanding the easing of Israel’s That attack targeted leaders were deposited with Sudan’s bank or Gaza-Israel border died yester- more than decade-old blockade of militant groups and allied the finance ministry, the source would day, the health ministry in the of the territory and the right for factions near Idlib city, the Ob- have to be identified,” he said. blockaded coastal enclave said. Palestinian refugees to return to servatory said. Badreddin Abu Musa, 25, was their ancestral homes in what is The US missile attack “tar- “hit by a bullet to the head (in now Israel. geted a meeting held by the UNREST Friday’s clashes) and died this At least 306 Palestinians have leaders of Hurras al-Deen, An- Boko Haram kills morning”, ministry spokesman been killed since then by Israeli sar al-Tawhid and other allied Ashraf al-Qudra said in a state- fi re, the majority of them during groups inside a training camp”, Members of the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the “White Helmets”, walk in the rubble outside a four in Nigeria ment. demonstrations. said Rami Abdel Rahman, head health facility that was hit by a reported Russian air strike after midnight in town of Urum al-Kubra in village raid Abu Mussa was taking part Seven Israelis have also been of the Observatory. the western countryside of northern Aleppo province just before a truce went into eff ect, yesterday. alongside hundreds of Palestin- killed over the same period in It killed at least 40 militant Boko Haram militants have ex- ians in demonstrations near the Gaza-related violence. Gaza is leaders, the Britain based mon- Ambulances rushed to the yesterday, after the regime stronghold in Idlib since April. ecuted four people and abducted border with Israel, he said. ruled by the Hamas which has itor said. site of the attack, which was agreed to a Moscow-backed Al Qaeda-linked Hurras al- two others in a raid on a village in At least 75 Palestinians were fought three wars against Israel The US Central Command closed off to journalists, he ceasefi re following four Deen was established in Feb- northeast Nigeria, residents said wounded, including 42 other since 2008. said in a statement that the at- said. months of deadly bombard- ruary 2018 and has some 1,800 yesterday. Fighters stormed into tack targeted leaders of Al Qae- It was not immediately clear ment, the monitor said. fi ghters, including non-Syri- Balumri village, 15 kilometres from da in Syria (AQ-S) “responsible if the missiles were launched Yesterday’s truce is the sec- ans, according to the Observa- the Borno state capital Maiduguri for attacks threatening US citi- from war planes or positions on ond such agreement between tory. on Friday evening, slaughtering zens, our partners and inno- the ground, the monitor said. the Syrian regime and militants The group and its ally Ansar four male residents and abducting cent civilians. Centcom declined to say since August 1. al-Tawhid both operate in the two others, inhabitants said. “They Iran shows off undamaged “Additionally, the removal what kind of weaponry was But regime bombardment on Idlib region and are members of (Boko Haram) slit the throats of of this facility will further de- used.On July 1, the US said it the town of Kafranbel late in a joint militant operation room four people and took away two grade their ability to conduct had carried out a strike on Hur- the day left one civilian dead, that also includes Al Qaeda’s others,” Balumri resident Bura Ab- satellite after failed launch future attacks and destabilise ras al-Deen in northwestern just hours after the latest truce former Syria affi liate, Hayat diye said. “They sneaked into the the region.” Syria, in its fi rst such operation came into eff ect, the monitor Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Most village on foot after leaving their An AFP correspondent saw there in two years. said. of Idlib province and parts of vehicles at some distance,” he said. Reuters for such development. clouds of black smoke rising Syrian government air Russia-backed regime forces neighbouring Aleppo and La- The militants looted food supplies Dubai On Friday, Trump posted on over the area after blasts rocked strikes on the militant-run have been pressing an off ensive takia provinces are controlled before withdrawing an hour later, Twitter a photo of what ap- the militant stronghold. Idlib region had halted early against the major opposition by HTS. Abdiye said. Umara Kyari gave peared to be the site of a failed the same account, saying Balumri ran showed off an undam- Iranian satellite launch, raising residents were leaving the village aged satellite yesterday, days questions about whether he had for fear of renewed attack. Iafter a rocket exploded on disclosed US surveillance se- “After burying the four slain its launchpad in the third failed crets. Reporters were shown the victims of the attack, residents of launch of the year, which US Nahid 1 (Venus 1) satellite at a UN chief expresses solidarity with Ebola-hit Congo Balumri are fleeing,” Kyari said. President Donald Trump had state-run lab yesterday, Iranian tweeted about hours earlier. news agencies said. POLITICS The United States has warned Asked about the explosion AFP to express his support “with bush under the illusion that by than 11,000 people were killed in Iran against rocket launches, that led to the failed launch, Goma the armed forces of DRC in the being in an armed group they Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia Botswana to fearing the technology used to Mohamed Javad Azari-Jahromi, fi ght against terrorism” which could have a better life. between 2014 and 2016. put satellites into orbit could the communications minister, represents “a threat not only The reality, he insisted, was Containment eff orts have hold elections help it develop the ballistic mis- said the defence ministry should N chief Antonio Gu- for the Congo but the whole of that meant “a tragic life, a life been hindered by the confl ict in on October 23 sile capability needed to launch announce incident details, terres started a three- Africa.” without a future.” According to the country’s east, as well as at- nuclear warheads, though Te- Iran’s semi-offi cial Mehr news Uday tour of the Demo- The UN peacekeeping mis- the Group of Experts on Congo tacks on health workers tackling Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi hran denies its activity is a cover agency said. cratic Republic of Congo sion in the country known by from New York University and Ebola. Guterres will visit the Masisi has ordered general elec- yesterday, expressing “soli- its French acronym Monusco Human Rights Watch, armed remote area of Mangina in the tions on October 23, as tensions darity” with a region ravaged comprises some 16,000 troops groups killed 1,900 civilians bush outside Beni, where the ep- rise with his estranged predeces- by violence and an Ebola epi- and has an annual budget of over and kidnapped more than 3,300 idemic fi rst broke out at the end sor, Ian Khama, the man who put Oil tanker ‘no longer has Turkish destination’ demic. $1bn. A total of 130 militias and people in the region between of July 2018, visiting a treatment him in the top job. The UN secretary general armed groups roam the North June 2017 and June 2019. centre and meeting survivors Khama, whose father led the An Iranian oil tanker at the centre of a dispute between Washington fi rst visited Goma, the capital and South Kivu provinces of DR The demobilisation of militias and health workers. southern African country to and Tehran is no longer heading towards Turkey’s Iskenderun port of North Kivu province which is Congo, a vast country the size of is a priority for Monusco, which As the battle against Ebola independence, has accused and now has no specified destination, Refinitiv ship tracking data trying to roll back an epidemic western continental Europe. has been present in the DR Con- continues, former health min- Masisi of becoming an autocrat showed yesterday. of Ebola that has claimed more At a centre for demobilised go since 1999. Today, Guterres ister Oly Ilunga, who stepped and threatening the country’s The US Treasury Department on Friday blacklisted the tanker, Adrian than 2,000 lives in a year. former militia fi ghters in Goma, will visit Beni, one of the epicen- down after criticising plans reputation as a beacon of stability Darya 1, which was detained by Britain off Gibraltar in July due to Guterres was received by Guterres appealed to the militias tres of the Ebola epidemic, about by the UN’s World Health Or- in a troubled continent. Masisi British suspicion it was carrying Iranian oil to Syria in violation of Leila Zerrougui, his special to choose peace. 350 kilometres north of Goma. ganisation to introduce a sec- has called for “the holding of the European Union sanctions. Refinitiv tracking data registered the ship’s representative in DR Congo. “It’s always possible to choose DR Congo health offi cials said ond, unlicensed vaccine to the 2019 General Elections to fill the 57 destination as “for order”, after previously listing it as Iskenderun.”For The two did not shake hands, peace,” he said, urging all com- late Thursday that there have country, has been banned from National Assembly vacancies and order” usually means a vessel is available for charter. in line with health protocols batants to come “to a centre been “2,006 deaths (1,901 con- leaving the country pending a 490 local government vacancies,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif accused the United aimed at curbing the spread of like this (for) a new life in peace fi rmed and 105 probable)” since probe into improper use of pub- Osupile Maroba from the national States on Twitter of engaging in “piracy and threats” to stop Tehran the highly infectious and very in their home community.” He August 2018. lic funds, according to migration election commission said late Fri- selling oil to traditional clients. often fatal disease. added he had heard moving tes- It is the second-worst Ebola service documents seen by AFP day. The last date for nominations Guterres said he had come timony from people living in the outbreak in history after more yesterday. is September 26.

Music star DJ Arafat gets royal send-off with grand funeral concert

AFP as the “king” of coupe-decale For instance he was inspired Abidjan (cut and run), an Ivorian form of by African traditional music, but dance music. also by Nigerian Afrobeat, by rap News of his death led to scenes and by Brazilian funk,” Kacou ens of thousands of fans of of hysteria among some of his said. “He was also an exceptional Ivorian singer DJ Arafat, fans and Twitter tributes from dancer and he linked the music Tstar of the hugely popular fellow artists. he made to new dance forms.” musical style “coupe-decale” President Alassane Ouat- Such broad interests were who died this month in a motor- tara called him “a youth icon refl ected on DJ Arafat’s last al- bike accident, gave him a spec- and ambassador of Ivorian mu- bum “Renaissance”, released in tacular send-off at the country’s sic and culture”. Coupe-decale December 2018 and featuring main stadium early yesterday. originated in the bars of the live- Maitre Gims, Dadju, Davido and The overnight funeral con- ly Rue Princesse in the working- Fally Ipupa. cert at the 35,000-capacity Felix class Yopougon district of Abid- The Ivorian star could also be Houphouet-Boigny stadium in jan and clubs and spread across prone to controversy. Abidjan began on Friday evening West Africa. “He had a divisive personality. and ended early yesterday when DJ Arafat was due to be buried He was very sensitive, which ex- Arafat’s body was brought for a in the Williamsville cemetery plains his ‘unfi ltered’ reactions fi nal farewell. in the working-class Adjame and clashes with other artists, Placed in the centre of the Ivorian Culture Minister Maurice Bandaman confers on singer DJ Arafat district. His fi ve children were which formed part of his musical football pitch, it drew wild ap- the national order of cultural merit for “his immense contribution to the present at the concert. Relatives of late Ivorian singer DJ Arafat react during his funeral at career,” Kacou said. plause. Then the mood turned artistic radiance” of Ivory Coast, during his funeral ceremony at the Felix There was tight security at the the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium in Abidjan, yesterday. “But this was also a matter of sombre with fans bursting into Houphouet-Boigny stadium in Abidjan, yesterday. venue with some 6,500 security marketing. Arafat was a genius tears. forces deployed across the sta- With a professional recording a subsidiary of the multinational for communication, he used so- “The ceremony was really Sidiki Diabate, Fally Ipupa and national order of cultural merit dium overlooking Abidjan’s pic- engineer for a father and a singer Vivendi, which produced DJ Ara- cial media very well.” moving,” said Raymonde Ngues- Serge Beynaud sang for the mu- for “his immense contribution turesque lagoon. for a mother, the young DJ Arafat fat’s work from 2013. Working as Twice winner of the best artist san. “We have lost a great man.” sic sensation, who died aged 33 to the artistic radiance” of Ivory State radio and televi- was well placed to discover mu- a disc jockey on Rue Princesse, of the year in the Coupe-Decale Another fan, Samuel Kablan, on August 12 after a motorbike Coast. sion broadcast the event live sical techniques on the job. DJ Arafat made his breakthrough Awards of 2016 and 2017, Arafat was in tears as he declared: “Ara- crash in Ivory Coast’s main city DJ Arafat, whose given name and giant screens installed in “He toured the studios to with “Jonathan” in 2003, which already had recognition across fat was my life, my source of in- Abidjan. was Ange Didier Houon, was Yopougon and other working- learn, he was curious about eve- he followed with a string of other the continent in 2012, when he spiration.” Before the ceremony, Ivorian one of the most popular African class areas, as well as the up- rything,” said Franck Alcide Ka- hits. He “revolutionised coupe- was named “Best African Artist” Throughout the night, A-list Culture Minister Maurice Ban- musicians in the Francophone market Cocody-Angre district cou, label and publishing man- decale by mixing sounds and in the pan-African Kora Music African stars such as Davido, daman conferred on him the world, and had been referred to where DJ Arafat lived. ager of Universal Music Africa, rhythms. Awards. Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 9 AMERICAS

Trump Iran photo Dorian sets sights on Georgia, tweet raises worries about disclosure of both Carolinas and Florida surveillance secrets By Zachary Fagenson, Reuters Jacksonville, Florida By Steve Holland, Reuters Washington urricane Dorian yesterday spun west, putting Geor- resident Donald Trump on Friday posted on Twitter a Hgia and the Carolinas in the photo of what appeared to be the site of a failed Iranian path of a possible landfall as well as Psatellite launch, raising questions about whether he had Florida, where some beaches were disclosed US surveillance secrets. all but deserted on the holiday The black-and-white photo showed the fi re-blasted launch weekend as visitors braced for the site at a space centre in northern Iran including a damaged dangerous category 4 storm. gantry service tower and a downed mobile erector launcher. The Miami-based National Trump, in his tweet, cited the specifi c location of the site, Hurricane Center said there had saying the United States was not involved in the “catastrophic been a “notable change” since Fri- accident during fi nal launch preparations for the Safi r SLV day night, with the latest forecasts Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran.” showing the eye of the storm could Speaking to reporters at the White House later on Friday, veer north and stay out at sea. Trump defended his posting of the photo and reiterated that But it warned that its course re- the United States had nothing to do with the incident. mained unpredictable. “We had a photo. I released it, which I have the absolute right to Dorian still poses a threat to do,” Trump said. He said the Iranians “were going to set off a big millions of people, as well as holi- missile and it didn’t work out too well. Had nothing to do with us.” day attractions such as Walt Dis- The rocket exploded on its launch pad on Thursday, an Ira- ney World, the Nasa launchpads nian offi cial said. along the Space Coast, and even A US offi cial also said Iran suff ered a satellite launch failure. President Donald Trump’s Mar- “I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. happened at Site One,” Trump said in his tweet. The NHC said Dorian was Patrick Eddington, a former CIA satellite imagery analyst, packing maximum sustained said the photograph tweeted by Trump appeared to be a classi- winds of 240kph and is expected fi ed image taken by a US spy satellite. to pass north of the southeastern “If the president simply tweeted out an image from classifi ed and central Bahamas today and be briefi ng that utilises our most advanced overhead collection near Florida’s east coast late to- capabilities, it is no doubt welcome news to our adversaries,” morrow through Tuesday. said Eddington, now a research fellow at the CATO Institute. Of immediate concern were “While he has the authority to declassify any federal docu- Bahamas tourist hotspots Great ment, Twitter is not a legitimate or responsible way to do so.” Abaco and Grand Bahamas, where A US defence offi cial told CNBC that the picture, which ap- up to two days of hurricane-force Workers board up an apartment building in Fort Pierce, Florida. peared to be a snapshot of a physical copy of the satellite image, winds are expected to start today was included in an intelligence briefi ng on Friday. as Dorian slowed to a 3.2kph crawl. “Georgia, North Carolina and while locals worked on putting dents to remain on alert. North Carolina and Georgia could The Pentagon did not have any immediate comment. “This is a very dangerous situ- South Carolina have got to pay at- up hurricane shutters and buying “It should be noted that the all be hit harder by the storm than The United States has warned Iran against rocket launches, ation for the Bahamas,” NHC di- tention as well,” he said. supplies ranging from water to new forecast track does not pre- had been previously expected. fearful the technology used to put satellites into orbit could rector Ken Graham said in a Face- The governors of Florida, power generators. clude Dorian making landfall on “It’s moving around and very enable Tehran to develop the ballistic missile capability needed book Live video. Georgia and North Carolina have “It’s pretty slow, there’s not the Florida coast, as large por- hard to predict, except that it is to launch nuclear warheads. Tehran denies the US accusation After so much focus on a possi- all declared states of emergency. many people on the beach,” said tions of the coast remain in the one of the biggest and strong- that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development. ble Florida landfall, Graham said On Florida’s east coast, popu- Alex Hendricks, a saleswoman at track cone of uncertainty,” the est (and really wide) that we have The Trump administration has ratcheted up economic pres- other southeast US states now lar surfi ng spot Cocoa Beach was the Cocoa Beach Surf Company. centre cautioned yesterday. seen in decades. Be safe!” Trump sure on Iran this year with economic sanctions to try to force it had to be on alert. quiet as tourists stayed away, The NHC urged Florida resi- Trump said South Carolina, wrote on Twitter. to renegotiate a pact reached with world powers in 2015 limit- ing its nuclear program. Trump withdrew the United States from the pact in May last year. He has off ered to hold talks with Iran but Tehran says first Airbus drops out of it must get relief from US sanctions. race to replace Canada Convicted RFK fi ghter aircraft fl eet assassin stabbed AFP recent revision of industrial tech- in prison: reports Ottawa nological benefi ts (ITB) obliga- tions does not suffi ciently value the binding commitments the Ty- By Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters erospace giant Airbus has phoon Canada package was willing Los Angeles announced that it is with- to make, and which were one of its Adrawing from a Canadian major points of focus,” the state- Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian refugee found guilty of shooting government call for proposals to ment said. US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy to death in 1968, replace 88 ageing fi ghter jets. Airbus’s withdrawal leaves the was wounded in a stabbing at a California prison on Friday, ac- The contract is reportedly fi eld open to three other candi- cording to media reports. valued at a minimum C$15bn dates: Saab’s Gripen, Lockheed Celebrity website TMZ, citing unnamed sources, was first to (US$11.4bn). Martin’s F-35 and Boeing’s F/A-18 report that Sirhan, 75, had been stabbed. The company announced in a Super Hornet. Replying to a request for confirmation that Sirhan was An August 26, 2019 file photo of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg smiling during a statement with Britain’s Defence France’s Dassault Aviation wounded, Jeff rey Callison, a spokesman for the California reception where she was presented with an honorary doctoral degree at the University of Buff alo Ministry that the Typhoon fi ghter took its Rafale out of the running Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said an inmate School of Law in Buff alo, New York. presented by the Eurofi ghter con- in November because of techni- had been stabbed at the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility sortium would no longer be among cal requirements tied to Canada’s near San Diego. Ginsburg says she on her way to ‘being very well’ the candidates. membership in the ‘Five Eyes’ in- The wounded inmate was taken to a hospital outside the The statement cited two factors telligence sharing group of nations prison and is listed in stable condition, Callison said in a state- US Supreme Court Justice I am alive. And I’m on my way cerous nodules in her left lung for the decision, the fi rst of which that the company could not meet, ment, and a suspect has been identified in the assault. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is to being very well,” she said at removed last December. She was was that security requirements sources told AFP. In a follow-up email, Callison declined to identify the on the court’s liberal wing, told the National Book Festival in previously treated for pancreatic from the joint US-Canadian North The Five Eyes group comprises wounded inmate as Sirhan, citing department policy on not a packed audience yesterday Washington. cancer in 2009 and colon cancer American Aerospace Defense Canada, the United States, Britain, naming victims. that she was on her way to She indicated that she had no in 1999. Command (NORAD) were too ex- Australia and New Zealand. A jury in 1969 found Sirhan guilty of assassinating Kennedy “being very well” after cancer plans to step down, and was get- If Ginsburg, one of the nine- pensive. The defence contractors have the previous year by opening fire with a.22-calibre pistol into treatment, and will be prepared ting ready for the next term. member court’s four liberal “NORAD security requirements until the spring of 2020 to submit a small crowd surrounding the Democratic candidate in the when the court’s next term “I will be prepared for when justices, were unable to continue continue to place too signifi cant of initial proposals with a contract pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. begins in October. the time comes,” she said. “I love serving, Republican President a cost on platforms whose manu- award due in early 2022 and deliv- Kennedy, a US senator from New York, was hit three times Ginsburg, 86, who was my job. It is the best and hardest Donald Trump could replace her facture and repair chains sit out- ery expected in 2025. and died the next day. recently treated for pancreatic job that I ever had.” with a conservative, further shift- side” the United States and Cana- After a trade dispute with Boe- He was later buried at Arlington Cemetery, near his brother, cancer, seemed sharp but ac- The oldest justice, Ginsburg ing the court to the right. da, the statement said. ing, Prime Minister Justin Tru- President John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. cepted assistance coming on was appointed in 1993 by Demo- Trump has added two justices The new aircraft’s central role deau’s government announced Sirhan has said he fired at Kennedy because he was enraged to the stage and spoke from a cratic President Bill Clinton. since becoming president in will be to patrol North American in 2017 that, instead of buying 18 by his support for Israel. sitting position. In addition to pancreatic January 2017, cementing its 5-4 air space with the US Air Force un- new Super Hornets, it would buy He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was changed to “This audience can see that cancer, Ginsburg had two can- conservative majority. der NORAD. 18 used F-18s from Australia as a life in prison after California banned the death penalty for a time. Additionally, “the signifi cant stop-gap measure.

Leave room for the fi retruck: Insurers help design mansions to tame disaster losses

By Suzanne Barlyn, Reuters tractors,” Gendelman said. “But “People don’t naturally think as a stand-alone business at The home design process typi- layouts, help design hurricane- ures required by building codes. New York (the AIG program) brought them of insurance as the fi rst place to some major property-casualty cally begins with an insurance proof storage rooms to protect Others cost very little money systems they never used and re- go,” said Jennifer Naughton, head insurers, as more clients worry risk specialist scoping out a site valuables, vet the adequacy but can prevent extremely ex- sources they never heard of.” of North American personal in- about extreme weather. to assess possible dangers. of sprinkler systems, measure pensive damage. ruce Gendelman wanted a Fires, fl oods, hurricanes and surance risk consulting services AIG started marketing its For instance, if there is a high driveway entrances and make For instance, there is a $100 mountainside retreat when other catastrophes have cost US at Chubb Ltd. service as “Smart Build” in 2015. water table underground or a sure there is a hydrant nearby. sensor that shuts off water sys- Bhe bought 12 acres in As- insurers more than $170bn in “But an insurance company Initially, only residential con- nearby body of water, they may Cameron Strothman, a sen- tems after detecting a leak. pen, Colorado. But forest fi res property losses since 2016, ac- can give you an advantage of the struction projects that cost more suggest elevating the home or ior risk manager for AIG Private Adding these features at the that have torched nearby land in cording to Property Claim Serv- loss potential and might save you than $5mn were eligible, but AIG choosing another place to build Client Group, said he once had time of construction is also recent years left him concerned. ices (PCS), part of Verisk Ana- the pain of loss in the future.” lowered the threshold to $1mn to avoid the risk of fl ooding. to fi gure out how to protect a site cheaper than doing so once the So Gendelman, who runs an lytics Inc, and the US Bureau of Chubb’s risk managers make two years later. Ken Vona, who heads KVC that was four miles away from home is built, risk experts said. insurance brokerage, tapped into Economic Analysis. sure homeowners who request AIG would not say how many Builders LLC and frequently the nearest hydrant. A protective storage room a programme that American In- Few actuaries expect the trend the service have water storage on homes it has helped design in teams up with Pure, recalled a He liaised with the local fi re for fi ne art may run less than ternational Group Inc off ers to to ease as climate change acceler- the property to supplement the total, but a spokesman said there couple who decided against a lo- department and advised the $100,000 if designed into the help design luxury properties in ates, and the swell of claims has local fi re department’s resources, were 20% more projects enrolled cation because the house would client to install a 30,000-gal- plans compared to millions of ways that mitigate disaster risk. prompted some insurers to get and recommend devices that al- during the fi rst six months of have to be raised some 5.5m off lon tank under the driveway so dollars later, said Steve Bitter- A risk specialist made sure his involved in the design process for low emergency workers to open 2019 than in the prior-year pe- the ground to guard against fl ood that fi re trucks could tap a pri- man, Vault’s chief risk services home had a lightning-repellant lavish residential properties. electronic entry gates, among riod. risk. vate water source instead. It cost offi cer. system, cisterns to hold water Insurers and industry groups other measures. Cincinnati Insurance Compa- “A perfect example of ‘bad $35,000. Gendelman would not disclose run-off and ceramic shingles that said they do not track data on the The trend is not entirely new: nies joined the fray more recent- piece of property, nice view,’” he Risk specialists’ suggestions the costs associated with build- look like wood. service, which is still a tiny part Pure Insurance has off ered the ly, as did Vault, a high net-worth said. generally represent 10-15% of ing or protecting his home, but Just in case a blaze does break of the property-casualty insur- service since its founding in 2007, insurer launched in 2017 by a Once a site is selected, special- total building costs, insurance said AIG did not charge him for out, his driveway was designed to ance industry. and others have quietly made risk group of former AIG executives. ists review architectural plans, experts said. the advice. accommodate a fi re truck’s ma- But executives, real-estate de- specialists available to custom- W R Berkley Corp is also look- making sure designs are resistant Some of the features are things “Providing this service free noeuvres. velopers and brokers, builders and ers who are designing a home and ing to off er the service as it ramps to water and fi re damage, among homebuilders would likely install is smart for everyone,” he said. “It’s a very high-end home and analysts who spoke to Reuters said know to ask for the service. up business with wealthy clien- other risks. anyway, like a sophisticated fi re “They help me with ideas and we’re dealing with very good con- they believe it will only expand. But it is now picking up steam tele. They scrutinise plumbing alarm or sprinkler system, or meas- they get a loyal client.” Gulf Times 10 Sunday, September 1, 2019 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Australia Hong Kong police fi re tear gas, moves Lankans to detention water cannon at protesters centre AFP “I needed an ice pack for the Hong Kong wound,” Ryan said. “But I feel AFP ok, think I will continue the Melbourne fi ght tonight,” he said. haos engulfed the heart The months-long protests of Hong Kong yesterday were sparked by an attempt by Tamil family of four – in- Cnight as police fi red tear Hong Kong’s government to cluding two Australian- gas and water cannon at protest- pass a bill which would have al- Aborn toddlers – has been ers who set large fi res and threw lowed extradition to China. moved to a remote island off petrol bombs, defying a ban on But they have expanded into a the coast of Indonesia, despite rallying to take to the streets for wider pro-democracy push. a court order blocking deporta- a 13th straight weekend. Earlier yesterday, police fi red a tion, their lawyer said yesterday. Police had banned the dem- water cannon and rounds of tear The family – who is fi ghting onstration on security grounds gas to disperse protesters massed to remain in Australia because and on Friday arrested several in front of the city’s parliament, it fears persecution in Sri Lan- key activists and legislators in known as the Legislative Council ka – were moved to Christmas a dragnet on pro-democracy (LegCo), which was stormed in Island detention facility over- fi gures. July during the early days of the night, lawyer Carina Ford said, But yesterday afternoon, protest movement. speaking in Melbourne. tens of thousands of protest- “Peaceful protest doesn’t The island is a remote Australian ers under a colourful canopy of work,” 22-year-old demonstra- territory around 350km (225 miles) umbrellas – many in their sig- tor Stone said, giving one name. south of Java. The detention centre nature black T-shirts – defi ed As protesters streamed into a there had been closed for years. the order and marched through nearby metro, graffi ti on a pil- “I don’t really understand the Hong Kong island chanting “re- lar inside the station read: “We motive,” Ford said, adding that it claim Hong Kong, revolution of shall never surrender.” made adequate legal representa- our times”. Xinhua, Beijing’s state media tion more diffi cult. “The family is As evening fell, violence rico- service, posted a video on Twit- obviously distressed.” cheted through the city’s com- ter of armed Chinese riot po- The family’s case has become a mercial centre, with a minority lice holding “anti-riot drills in new fl ashpoint over the Austral- of hardcore protesters unleash- Shenzhen”, a city which borders ian government’s hardline immi- ing a barrage of petrol bombs Hong Kong. gration policies, which include and rocks at riot police. Opposition to the extradi- turning away refugees arriving Thick, black smoke swirled tion bill – now suspended but by boat and de facto off shore from a large fi re started by not permanently withdrawn detention, both measures con- masked demonstrators at a bar- – has brought much of Hong demned by the United Nations. ricade on a major thorough- Kong to the streets, with mil- The family’s neighbours fare, close to Hong Kong police lions marching peacefully but from rural Queensland have headquarters. also groups of radical protesters campaigned for them to stay. The fi re was extinguished as clashing with police. The department of home af- demonstrators were pressed Protesters were in a defi ant Riot police use water cannon to disperse anti-extradition bill demonstrators during a protest in Hong Kong yesterday. fairs and minister Peter Dutton’s into the neon-lit shopping hub mood throughout yesterday, offi ce did not respond to request of Causeway Bay, under a hail which marked the fi fth anni- countant who gave her surname to the safety of everyone”. unauthorised assembly”. economic pressure on China was for comment. of tear-gas rounds and sporadic versary of Beijing’s rejection of as Wong. At least fi ve high-profi le Police denied the sweep was forcing Beijing to take a more Dutton had earlier ordered fi ring of rubber bullets. a call for universal suff rage for “I’m a mother-of-two. They activists and three lawmak- timed specifi cally to weaken the moderate line on Hong Kong. the family to be sent to Sri Lan- Police – some undercover, Hong Kong that sparked the didn’t come today but their ers were arrested on Friday in weekend’s protests. The weeks of violence have ka but a dramatic call from a dressed as protesters – made 79-day “Umbrella Movement” grandmother did. We’re defend- a sweep that rights groups said More than 900 people have damaged Hong Kong’s reputa- judge grounded the aircraft they numerous arrests as the night in 2014. ing the right of assembly for the was taken directly from Beijing’s been arrested since June in con- tion for stability and prosperity. were travelling on before it left deepened into a cat-and-mouse Many demonstrators are next generation in Hong Kong.” playbook. nection to protests. In an attempt to sidestep yes- Australian airspace. chase across the city. determined not to let the new Hong Kong police said in a Two of the Umbrella Move- The European Union’s diplo- terday’s protest ban, crowds The two girls, Kopika, aged Ryan, a 19-year-old protest- movement fi zzle out like the statement that “radical pro- ment’s leaders, Joshua Wong and matic chief Federica Mogherini earlier sang “Hallelujah” in reli- four, and Tharunicca, aged two, er, needed fi rst aid after he was Umbrella protests did. testers” threw “corrosives Agnes Chow were among those said the developments were gious gatherings – which do not were born in Australia but do hit by what he believed to be a “It’s ‘now or never’ for Hong and petrol bombs” at offi c- arrested, charged and bailed for “extremely worrying”, while US require the same stringent per- not have citizenship. They have rubber bullet. Kong,” said a 33-year-old ac- ers, “posing a serious threat “inciting others to take part in President Donald Trump said his mission from authorities. never been to Sri Lanka.

S Korean Royal honour Pompeo’s remarks make talks lawmakers with US more diffi cult: N Korea

Reuters “Pompeo has gone so far in and missile programmes have on a visit to Seoul his language and it made the stalled since a failed second opening of the expected DPRK- summit between US President US working-level negotiations Donald Trump and North Ko- disputed recent remark by US more diffi cult,” Choe said in rean leader Kim Jong-un in the Secretary of State Mike statement.” Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in A Pompeo about “North Choe also warned that North February. islands Korea’s rogue behaviour” will Korea’s expectations of talks Trump and Kim met again in make talks with the Unit- with the US are gradually dis- June at the inter-Korean border ed States more diffi cult, the appearing and the country is and agreed to reopen working- Reuters North’s KCNA news agency being pushed to re-examine all level negotiations, but that has Tokyo/Seoul yesterday quoted its vice for- measures. not happened. eign minister, Choe Son Hui, as “The US had better not put Since the Vietnam sum- saying. our patience to the test any mit, North Korea has demand- group of South Korean “We recognised that North longer with such remarks ir- ed that Pompeo be replaced lawmakers visited is- Korea’s rogue behaviour could ritating us if it doesn’t want to with a “more mature” person, Alands disputed with Ja- not be ignored,” Pompeo said have bitter regrets afterwards,” while lauding the rapport built pan, sparking a protest from on Tuesday, while speaking at Choe said. between Kim and Trump. the Japanese foreign ministry the American Legion Nation- North Korea has stepped up North Korea has fi red a se- as the countries’ already tense al Convention in the state of its criticism of Pompeo lately, ries of short-range missiles in relationship deteriorates further. Indiana. calling him a “diehard toxin”, recent weeks in protest against Six Korean lawmakers yes- Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, left, inspects the guard of honour during the Pompeo’s comment was un- and casting doubt on attempts US-South Korea joint military terday fl ew to the islets, known country’s National Day celebration parade in Putrajaya yesterday. Malaysia yesterday celebrated reasonable and provocative, to restart talks. exercises and the adoption of as Dokdo in Korea and Take- its 62nd National Day marking the country’s independence from British colonial rule. Choe said, according to the Negotiations aimed at dis- new weapons, complicating the shima in Japan, in part to protest news agency. mantling the North’s nuclear reopening of the talks. Japanese curbs on shipments of essential components for mak- ing smartphone chips, South US imposes curbs Korea’s chief export. “Regardless of the South on people, firms for Korean government’s eff orts, helping N Korea Japan has not only dropped Indonesia dispatches 2,500 extra South Korea from the “white The US has imposed sanctions on list”, but also, it is claim- two people and three firms and has ing Dokdo as part of its ter- identified a blocked ship that it says ritory, worsening the South helped North Korea evade sanctions, Korea-Japan relations,” said forces to Papua to quell unrest the Treasury Department has said. Sul Hoon, a ruling Democratic The sanctions target a shipping Party lawmaker. network that the Treasury Japan’s foreign ministry has DPA security forces and protesters in the re- Department says engaged in lodged a “stern” protest over the Jakarta gion’s Deiyai district, authorities said, ship-to-ship oil transfers with visit. In its statement, the min- while activists said that seven civilians North Korea to help Pyongyang istry said the Korean lawmakers were killed. circumvent sanctions imposed by had ignored Japan’s previous de- he Indonesian government sent The anti-government protests be- the United Nations. mand that the plan be scrapped, 2,500 police offi cers and sol- gan on August 19 following perceived The Treasury Department says and called the visit “extremely Tdiers to Papua province as unrest heavy-handed and racist treatment of two Taiwan-based individuals used regrettable”. in the region sparked by alleged racist Papuan students by security forces on the ship, which had previously The islands are Japan’s inher- treatment of Papuans showed no signs the main Java island. conducted at least two ship-to-ship ent territory in terms of both of abating, a police spokesman said The government has imposed an in- transfers with North Korea-flagged history and international law, yesterday. ternet blackout since August 21 in an vessels, to transport 1.7mn litres the ministry said. The reinforcements were going to be attempt to restore order in the region of petroleum products to a North Relations between South deployed in the regional capital Jayapu- after mobs torched buildings during Korean-flagged ship. Korea and Japan are at the ra, where tensions between indigenous protests involving thousands of people The two people have interests in lowest in years after a row Papuans and migrants from other parts in the neighbouring province of West the three companies targeted by over compensation for war- of the country have been rising since Papua, where an additional 1,500 police the sanctions, according to the time forced labourers during violence on Thursday. offi cers and soldiers were also deployed. Treasury Department. Two of the Japan’s occupation of Korea “They are tasked with restoring order On August 17, police forced their companies are Taiwan-based while until end of World War Two. and guarding vital facilities,” national way into a Papuan student dormi- a third was located in Hong Kong. Ties soured further when Ja- police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. tory in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second- Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Aff airs pan removed South Korea from On Thursday, protesters torched gov- largest city, and briefl y detained 43 said yesterday that the case was a “white list” of countries with ernment buildings and a shopping cen- students for allegedly desecrating an under investigation. In a statement, fast-track export status, and tre in Jayapura, prompting police to fi re Indonesian fl ag. it urged its citizens and companies Korea followed by scrapping a tear gas and rubber bullets. The mainly Melanesian Papua and not to engage in commercial military intelligence-sharing A day earlier, a soldier and two ci- West Papua provinces make up the In- Indonesian police display collected evidence and suspects from a riot in Jayapura, activities that violate UN Security pact with Japan. vilians were killed in clashes between donesian half of New Guinea island. Papua province yesterday. Council resolutions. (Reuters) Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 11 BRITAIN Javid allays settled status Britons protest PM’s scheme fears Brexit ‘coup’ move Campaigners point to rise in They all have until December grants for pre-settled status, 2020 at least to use that pro- DPA/AFP/Reuters which has fewer rights gramme. London “Until then, nothing will By Nadeem Badshah change in terms of their status Guardian News & Media and rights. This is well set out. ens of thousands of people “There shouldn’t be a single took part in noisy protests person that should be concerned Tacross Britain yesterday ajid Javid has responded to about their status. over Prime Minister Boris John- concerns raised over thou- “We are very lucky to have al- son’s suspension of the British Ssands of EU citizens in the most 3.5mn EU citizens contrib- parliament just two months be- UK having no legal rights after uting so much to the economy fore the country is scheduled to October 31, by saying that “there and culture, and we want them depart from the European Union. shouldn’t be a single person that all to stay and nothing will get in The government says it is usual should be concerned about their the way of that.” for parliament to be suspended status”. Although people have at least before a new prime minister out- The settled status scheme has until December 31, 2020 to apply, lines his policy programme in a been running since March for EU interest in applying surged after Queen’s speech, now scheduled nationals living in the UK to es- the home secretary, Priti Patel, for October 14. tablish their permanent right to announced that free movement His supporters also say parlia- live in Britain. would end on October 31 in the ment usually breaks in late Sep- However, the proportion be- event of a no-deal Brexit, law- tember, when the main political ing granted pre-settled status, yers said. parties hold their annual confer- which has fewer rights, rose to The online system experienced ences. 42% in July compared with 32% technical issues last week with But his critics say the suspen- during the testing phase. long delays. sion, known as a prorogation, is Campaigners have questioned It comes after the pro-Brexit unusually long and describe the whether the system is designed Conservative MEP Daniel Han- move as a thinly-veiled attempt to favour awarding pre-settled nan said that he was seeing EU to reduce the time that lawmak- status in complex cases, so the nationals being denied settled ers will have to debate before Home Offi ce can avoid hav- status, despite their years of resi- Britain leaves the EU at the end of ing to refuse any applications, dence in the UK. October. while numerous long-term UK He called on the home secre- Demonstrations were held un- residents said they were wrongly tary to address this “before we der the slogan “stop the coup”, given pre-settled status. end up with another Windrush including in London, Manches- Javid, the former home sec- scandal “. ter, Newcastle, Bristol, and Bel- retary, told the BBC’s Today The Home Offi ce said it has fast. programme that the system was not rejected anyone who has ap- The anti-Brexit initiative “An- working “incredibly well”. plied for the scheme, and to date other Europe Is Possible” had is- Demonstrators hold up placards at a protest outside Downing Street He added: “It has already seen had granted either settled status sued the call to protest and hoped in London against the move to suspend parliament in the final weeks more than a million EU citizens or pre-settled status to more for hundreds of thousands of before Brexit. in the UK use this programme. than a million applicants. participants. Opposition leader Jeremy Cor- ship,” said Bridie Walton, 55, in wants to secure a deal with the Javid says he has fantastic relationship with PM byn of the Labour Party took part Exeter, who added Brexit had EU for Britain’s departure from in a protest in Scotland, while prompted her to demonstrate for the bloc, he is willing to coun- Britain’s finance minister Sajid Javid shadow home secretary Diana the fi rst time in her life. “These tenance leaving with no deal if said yesterday that he had a “fantas- Abbott addressed the crowd in are the actions of a man who is Brussels does not off er him con- tic” relationship with Boris Johnson London’s Whitehall, saying that afraid his arguments will not cessions, specifi cally on the so- after reports of a furious argument Corbyn sent his support for the stand scrutiny.” called “backstop” arrangement with the prime minister after the demonstration. “He [Johnson] was not elected to avoid a hard border on the is- sacking of one of his aides. In London, they gathered by the people,” said 26-year-old land of Ireland. British media had reported that outside the gates protecting Mia among the crowds of over- Northern Ireland is set to leave Javid was “livid” about the firing the prime minister’s London whelmingly young people. “We the EU along with Britain, while A child holds up a placard reading ‘stop the coup’ as people gather to of his press aide by Johnson’s top residence at 10 Downing Street, cannot allow such a politician to the Republic of Ireland remains join a protest in Manchester, northwest England. adviser Dominic Cummings, who chanting and carrying placards lead us into a disaster.” in the EU, placing at risk the open was looking into whether govern- and European Union fl ags. Johnson was elected leader border between the two parts of week is lawmakers’ “last chance” An online petition calling for ment off icials had helped opponents “For me it is all about democ- of the Conservative Party by its the island, which was hard won to act. the government to reverse its of the premier’s Brexit plans. racy,” Audrey, a 23-year-old stu- membership in July to replace during negotiations for a peace “We will do absolutely every- suspension has garnered nearly Javid said that though it would be dent, Theresa May after she resigned deal that ended decades of con- thing we can to prevent a no-deal 1.7mn signatures. inappropriate to directly discuss told DPA above the chants. in May when parliament repeat- fl ict between the pro-British and Brexit,” Corbyn vowed during a In the courts, a Scottish judge personnel issues, his views were Javid: The Labour party, they’re She was carrying a placard that edly rejected her Brexit deal with pro-Irish sides in the North. three-day visit to Scotland. is expected to hear a legal chal- “well understood” after the media our opponents and they will say read “I am just so angry”. the EU. Many fear the reimposition of Johnson on Friday cautioned lenge against the suspension on reports. all sorts of nonsense all the time, “Whether people voted for or He automatically became a border with checks and uni- MPs against trying to hamper Tuesday – the same day MPs re- However, he said he got on well with and I’m used to it. against Brexit, I respect that, but prime minister. formed offi cers could reignite his plans, saying that a decision turn from their summer break for Johnson. you cannot just shut down par- “Brexit is a national disgrace”, the confl ict that ended in 1998 to delay Brexit again would do their shortened parliamentary “The relationship is fantastic with the prime minister,” Javid told BBC ra- liament,” she said. one other placard read, while an- with the Good Friday, or Belfast, “lasting damage” to public trust session. dio. “(He’s) someone I’ve always got on with incredibly well, and it’s been “I’m absolutely disgusted by other pictured Johnson as Pinoc- Agreement. in politics. There will be a separate court a real privilege to work with him so closely.” what’s happening here,” said at- chio with a growing nose and the Some 3,500 people were killed He said the opposition’s ef- hearing on Thursday for another Javid would not be drawn on how well he got along with Cummings, but tendee Maya Dunn, 66, a Dutch words “Don’t trust him”. in the confl ict, known locally as forts could in fact help lead to a challenge that is being supported denied assertions by the opposition Labour party that Johnson’s aide was citizen living in Britain, who ac- Britain remains deeply divided The Troubles, and around 50,000 no-deal Brexit as EU counter- by John Major, a former Conserv- eff ectively running the Treasury. cused Johnson of “riding rough- over Brexit between those for and were injured. parts would be less likely to of- ative prime minister and staunch “The Labour party, they’re our opponents and they will say all sorts of shod over everybody”. against it, but even within the The EU refuses to drop the fer a compromise if they believed opponent of Brexit. nonsense all the time, and I’m used to it,” he said. “You just can’t trust him,” she pro-Brexit camp, there are sharp backstop and is waiting for John- Brexit could be stopped. A court case being heard in Johnson gave Javid the finance portfolio when he came to off ice in July, said. divisions between those who fa- son to come up with concrete Queen Elizabeth II gave her Belfast next week aims to block and the apparent tensions between Downing Street and the Treasury Protesters chanted “Boris vour a departure with no deal and suggestions as to how Britain can approval to Johnson’s decision Johnson’s suspension of parlia- come at a delicate time. Johnson, shame on you”, those who want an orderly exit maintain an open border in Ire- to suspend parliament for mid- ment on the grounds that a no- Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the European Union with or “Trump’s puppet, shame on with a transitional period. land once it leaves the bloc’s sin- September until October 14 on deal Brexit would breach the 1998 without a transition deal on October 31, heralding a showdown with you”, “Liar Johnson, shame on Johnson maintains Britain will gle market and customs union. Wednesday, sparking widespread Good Friday Agreement that parliament, while his government also seeks to outline new domestic you”, the Press Association leave the EU on October 31 no The backstop would keep outrage, legal challenges and brought peace to the British-run priorities. (PA) reported, adding that matter what. Northern Ireland largely aligned promises of resistance from par- province of Northern Ireland. Javid is due to announce a one-year government spending plan on protesters rang a bell, blew whis- Although the London parlia- with the EU, removing the need liamentarians. Protesters said the government Wednesday with a focus on more funding for education, health and the tles and beat a drum. ment is regularly suspended, or for a border. Yesterday fi nance minister had failed to take into account the police. Participants heard speeches prorogued, Johnson rejects this as it would Sajid Javid defended the move, importance of the border issue. Johnson announced details of the rise in schools spending on Friday, from opposition politicians on a Johnson’s decision last week split Northern Ireland from the despite saying during the recent “The thing that scares me while Javid announced £400mn ($491.08mn) of investment yesterday for stage erected on Whitehall before to do so for four weeks is highly rest of the United Kingdom. Tory leadership contest when most is they have no appreciation further education. marching through Westminster. controversial so soon before the Corbyn has threatened to hold he stood against Johnson that of what is important for North- Javid said such moves were a sign of the smooth operation of govern- Some held hand-written signs October 31 Brexit deadline as the a no-confi dence vote in the gov- “you don’t deliver democracy by ern Ireland. We are not on their ment, which has a majority of just one in parliament. reading “defend democracy: re- opposition and rebel lawmak- ernment – which has a parlia- trashing democracy”. radar,” said Graham Glendinning, “From the moment this new government was formed, how much activity sist the parliament shutdown” ers within his own party fear it mentary majority of just one – if “It doesn’t usually sit for some 49, a software worker. “The bor- and focus has taken place, just in the last few weeks ... that only happens and “wake up UK! Or welcome to will prevent them from stopping MPs fail to pass a law to prevent a time in September and early Oc- der means nothing to them and when you have a government that is working well together,” he said. Germany 1933”. Brexit happening without a deal. no-deal Brexit. tober,” the chancellor told BBC they don’t give two hoots about “Nobody voted for a dictator- While Johnson has said he He said yesterday that next radio. it.” English schools to get 3-year £14bn funding boost

Figure is in line with leaked Sajid Javid, has insisted there will terms before passing judgment. cuts, let alone matching Labour’s secretary of the National Educa- that only one out of 10 schools on tackling poor behaviour in draft education strategy be no blank cheque for any gov- “It is clear that the major plans to invest in a national edu- tion Union, said: “This schools would see a signifi cant benefi t. schools, a measure apparently that included behaviour ernment department, schools funding crisis that has blighted cation service. funding announcement should The Institute for Fiscal Stud- informed by recent polling that crackdown funding is widely regarded as a schools and post-16 provision “Instead it is yet another con really come with a note of apol- ies (IFS) estimates that school suggested strong public support pressing priority and a chance for is now being taken seriously by trick by a politician who has ogy; the government has for so spending in England has fallen by for tougher disciplinary meas- By Heather Stewart Boris Johnson to show that his the government,” White said. shown time and again that you long derided our campaign and 8% in real terms since 2010. ures. and Richard Adams government will drop the auster- “But while the government’s just can’t trust his promises.” said there was no problem with Luke Sibieta, research fellow The paper included explicit Guardian News & Media ity policies of its predecessors. headline fi gure is for £14bn, the Johnson has made schools education funding. at IFS, said: “This package repre- support for headteachers who Johnson said: “When I became actual increase in total spending funding a domestic priority. “Nevertheless, the funding sents a large increase in spending used “reasonable force” in their prime minister at the start of on schools may be half of this, at A nationwide backlash against announced today is positive.” per pupil, taking it back [by 2022- eff orts to improve discipline. he government has an- the summer, I promised to make £7.1bn. school funding cuts became one A number of headteachers that 23] to about the same level it was Johnson said: “My govern- nounced a £14bn cash in- sure every child receives a superb “We also need to know how of the key diffi culties for many the Guardian spoke to were wary in 2009-10. ment will ensure all young people Tjection over three years for education regardless of which our real-terms spending power Conservatives in the 2017 general of the government’s fi gures, cit- “However, a 13-year period of get the best possible start in life. England’s schools, setting out school they attend or where they will be aff ected by rising student election, with many MPs report- ing previous occasions when no net growth in school spend- That means the right funding, a key aspect of the chancellor’s grew up. numbers and other infl ationary ing back to Downing Street that funding announcements had ing per pupil, after infl ation, still but also giving schools the pow- plans before next Wednesday’s “Today I can announce the costs.” they had not anticipated the level been less generous than fi rst pre- represents a signifi cant squeeze ers they need to deal with bad spending review. fi rst step in delivering on that The government said per-pu- of anger they encountered. sented, and some said the extra on school budgets when consid- behaviour and bullying so pupils The funding boost is in line pledge: funding per pupil in pri- pil funding would rise at least in Theresa May hoped to an- cash would not be enough even if ered in historical terms.” continue to learn eff ectively.” with the new education strategy mary and secondary schools will line with infl ation. nounce a new education funding delivered as advertised. The new education strategy The document suggested that leaked to the Guardian this week, increase and be levelled up across Labour said the increase would settlement in the fi nal days of her Some heads suggested that few including the funding settlement the Treasury had “fi rmly” re- with £2.6bn for schools in 2020- the entire country.” not be suffi cient to reverse long- administration, but the plan was schools – mainly those concen- was leaked to the Guardian in full jected a radical attempt to im- 21, compared with £2.8bn in the Jules White, a headteacher term spending cuts. vetoed by her chancellor, Philip trated in the most poorly-funded this week, including plans for a prove recruitment by making draft document. who launched the Worth Less? The shadow education secre- Hammond, who was cautious regions – would benefi t from crackdown on pupil behaviour. teacher training courses free for The additional funding will in- campaign by school leaders for tary, Angela Rayner, said: “This about opening the spending taps the minimum funding pledge of It was greeted with a mixture students – an idea understood to crease to £4.8bn in 2021-22 and higher funding, said schools in comes nowhere close to meet- while a no-deal Brexit remained a £5,000 per secondary pupil and of scepticism and indignation by have been popular with the pre- £7.1bn in 2022-23. England would need to see how ing the prime minister’s pledge possibility. £4,000 per primary pupil. the education sector. vious education secretary, Dam- While the new chancellor, much they would receive in real to reverse the Tories’ education Kevin Courtney, joint general One senior head estimated The leaked paper put a focus ian Hinds. Gulf Times 12 Sunday, September 1, 2019 EUROPE Italy’s new coalition negotiations back on AFP and angered the PD. economist with RaboResearch, Russian opposition figure Lyubov Sobol attends a rally in Rome He had warned that “either warned that “plenty of (M5S) Moscow to demand that the authorities allow opposition we are in agreement on carrying voters are expected to oppose candidates to run in the upcoming local election. through the points of our (M5S) a tie-up, while M5S also wants alks between Italy’s an- programme, or we stop here”. technocrats in important min- ti-establishment 5-Star Should the PD – which was the isterial positions rather than the TMovement (M5S) and the M5S’s bitter enemy until just a PD’s preferred option of politi- Democratic Party (PD) resumed couple of weeks ago – not agree cians”. Russians defy ban yesterday after a quarrel that had to the M5S’s key policy demands, The parties are also divided on threatened to stop the nascent “it would be better to go back to issues such as migration laws and coalition in its tracks. the polls as soon as possible”, he a high-speed railway between The parties, former foes who said. Italy and France. on protests to have agreed to govern together “We’re not looking at a gov- Salvini’s League, the smaller, to prevent Italy going to early ernment just to get by, we con- far-right Brothers of Italy party, elections, were tentatively up- sider some of the points of our and former prime minister Silvio beat after the policy discussions, programme indispensable,” Di Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza demand free polls which were also attended by pre- Maio added. Italia party, have all insisted the mier-designate Giuseppe Conte. “We’ll see over the coming country hold fresh elections. “We have taken some steps hours,” M5S’s Senate chief Ste- However, on Friday Salvini ex- Reuters blaming it on the city govern- forward,” said Graziano Delrio, fano Patuanelli told reporters cluded any future alliance with Moscow ment and Putin’s offi ce. lower house leader of Italy’s PD. yesterday, but the preliminary Prime Minister Conte: to unveil his cabinet next week. tycoon Berlusconi’s Forza Italia “Sobyanin must resign,” she There would be further talks talks had gone well, he added. – predicted to win 7% of votes – said at the rally, referring to with the M5S in the coming The party’s lower house leader Political watchers have said She said that Di Maio was telling a rally near Padua that “we few thousand Russians Moscow mayor and Putin ally hours, he added. Francesco D’Uva denied press re- that Di Maio, 33, is fi ghting for sending “clear warnings” to don’t need anything or anyone”. took to the streets of Sergei Sobyanin. Conte has been tasked with ports that some deputies within his political life after the previous Conte, including his insistence Salvini dismissed the ongoing Acentral Moscow yester- The Kremlin has shrugged forming a new government fol- the M5S were irritated by Di M5S-League coalition saw him that any programme accord be- coalition talks as “a squalid spec- day to demand free elections off the protests as insignifi - lowing the collapse of Italy’s Maio’s Friday ultimatum, saying: reduced to an extra in what es- tween the M5S and PD would tacle” and repeated his demand to the capital’s city legislature cant, but supported the heavy- populist coalition earlier this “I haven’t heard any whining.” sentially became Salvini’s show. have to be voted on online by the that President Sergio Mattarella on September 8, defying a ban handed police response. month. Italy has been in political Di Maio has reportedly de- Movement’s members. call elections. which has been enforced with Russia’s state communica- On Friday the M5S – which has turmoil since hardline interior manded he be kept on as a deputy That vote is expected to take A Quorum Youtrend poll pub- violent detentions during pre- tions watchdog this month far more seats in parliament than minister Matteo Salvini, head of prime minister – something the place only once Conte has un- lished by SkyTG24 on Friday vious protests. asked Google to stop advertis- its new ally – had warned that the the far-right League, pulled his PD is set against. veiled his team next week. found the League still far out- Weeks of demonstrations ing “illegal mass events” on its deal could still fall apart, should support from a coalition with the “Luigi’s most bellicose advis- The M5S is fl exing its muscles strips the other parties despite over elections for the city YouTube video platform. the PD not agree to a list of its key M5S. ers are entertaining the idea of because it was the biggest win- a recent decline, bagging 32% legislature have turned into Although the protests have demands. The PD-M5S tie-up would pulling the rug on the deal if the ner in last year’s general election, of voter intentions, compared to the biggest sustained protest failed to achieve their main ob- The suggestion by the M5S keep the far-right out of power, negotiations for cabinet posts with more than 33% of the vote, 22% for the PD and 19% for M5S. movement in Russia since jective, those who showed up chief, Luigi Di Maio, that he was while a return to the ballot boxes go badly for their chief,” Simone while the PD came in second with Should the talks break down, 2011-2013, when protesters yesterday said that they were ready to pull the plug and return would likely favour the popular, Canettieri wrote in the Messag- nearly 19%. Italy could hold an election at the took to the streets against per- important as an expression of to the polls alarmed the markets anti-immigrant Salvini. gero newspaper on Friday. Michiel van der Veen, an beginning of November. ceived electoral fraud. further civil resistance. Chanting “Russia will be “If we stop going out (and free!” and “This is our city!”, protesting) there will be no protesters marched through hope left at all,” said protester one of Moscow’s thorough- Alexandra Rossius, 23. “We fares. must show the authorities we Phoenix reimagines arch-villain in new Joker fi lm Reuters witnesses estimated are not just going to give up their number at a few thou- and accept the fact that inno- sand, while Moscow police said cent people are being jailed and AFP only 750 attended the event, elections are being stolen.” Venice which has not been sanctioned Artyom, a 16-year-old by the government, making it school student, said it was illegal. “indignation and fear” that ctor Joaquin Phoenix said The demonstrators have brought him to the rally. yesterday that he wanted been demanding that opposi- “I do not want ... to have Ato create a unique Joker for tion candidates be allowed to my legs broken, to be killed, to his star turn as one of cinema’s stand in the election. be thrown in prison,” he said. most recognisable villains, with Around 30 of them – mostly “The authorities are refus- an unidentifi able psychological running as independents – ing to compromise, they have profi le and an “almost painful” have been dropped from the started dispersing people, take on his trademark cackle. race by the election commis- throwing them in jail. I think Todd Phillips’ gritty origin sion which said they had too this is unacceptable.” story, Joker, which premiered at many fake voter signatures. Yesterday’s protest, the last Venice fi lm festival yesterday, The city council is domi- before the vote, was smaller traces the story of Arthur Fleck nated by President Vladimir than some of the previous ones as he transforms into DC Com- Putin’s allies. attended by tens of thousands ics’ volatile criminal on the mean Protesters are now also call- of people. streets of Gotham. ing for the release of activists Although police asked the Instantly identifi able for his detained over earlier rallies, protesters through loudspeak- green shock of hair, white face Phoenix: described the cackle he and yesterday opposition ac- ers to disperse, they did not paint and unnaturally stretched created for the Joker as ‘some- tivist Lyubov Sobol described make any attempt to detain grin, the Joker has been played by thing that’s almost painful’. the arrests as “mayhem” them. a host of Hollywood stars includ- ing Cesar Romero, Jack Nichol- son and Heath Ledger, who won One dead in French knife attack Greece launches a posthumous Oscar for the role in 2009. A 19-year-old man was killed and another eight people were measures to deal But Phoenix said he did not wounded, three seriously, in a knife attack yesterday in the with migrant flows “refer to past iterations” of the Australian Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett poses for photos as she arrives for the screening of the film French city of Lyon, a regional off icial and emergency services character, who fi rst appeared as a Joker, presented in competition during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido. said. Greece said yesterday that it mischievous Batman foe in com- A man armed with a knife and a skewer carried out the attack in would step up border patrols ics in the 1940s. ity in the realms of fi ction. pose to bring laughter and joy to comedies including the Hango- Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, in southeastern France. and move asylum-seekers on “The attraction to make this “I didn’t want a psychiatrist to the world.” ver trilogy and Road Trip, set Police have arrested the suspected attacker and placed its islands to the mainland in an fi lm was that we were going to be able to identify” his personal- Phoenix described the cackle the fi lm in the 1970s as a nod to him in custody for murder and attempted murder, the Lyon eff ort to deal with a resurgence in approach it in our own way,” he ity type, said Phoenix. he created for the character as the brooding atmosphere in the prosecutor’s off ice told AFP. migrant flows from neighbouring told a press conference yesterday While the fi lm is a departure in “something that’s almost painful tough cinematic character stud- A police source said the man was an Afghan asylum-seeker, Turkey. ahead of the hotly-anticipated style from the blockbuster comic ... it’s a part of him that is trying ies of the time, like De Niro’s Taxi unknown to both the police and the intelligence services. The government’s Council for fi lm, which also stars Robert De franchises of recent years, it is al- to emerge”. Driver, Raging Bull and The King While initial reports from local off icials suggested police were Foreign Aff airs and Defence Niro and is in competition for the ready generating a buzz and trail- “I didn’t think I could do it. I of Comedy. looking for a second man, a police source and the prosecutor’s (KYSEA) convened for an Venice top prize. ers for the movie have had more asked Todd to come over to au- He said the fi lm refl ects the off ice subsequently said the suspect acted alone. emergency session following the Phoenix researched politi- than 80mn views so far. dition my laugh,” he said, calling “lack of empathy we were see- The reasons for the attack were still not clear. simultaneous arrival on Thursday cal assassins in his eff orts to pin The clips released show Phoe- the process “uncomfortable”. ing in the world”, but insisted the The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s off ice has been of more than a dozen migrant down the elusive Joker and said nix as Fleck, a vulnerable man But he said the dramatic movie was not political. informed but has not taken charge of the case at this stage. boats, the first of its kind in three he had an idea of a “particular working as a street clown and weight loss he needed to play the Fleck does not want “the world An AFP journalist at the scene witnessed a body being taken years. personality, a particular type”. being a victim himself, harassed role was his biggest challenge. to burn”, he said. “His goal is away in an ambulance and traces of blood on the ground. Yesterday the government said But the star of Walk the Line and assaulted on a subway train. “You really go mad when you genuinely to make people laugh The attack happened around 4.30pm (1430 GMT) at a bus stop it will move asylum-seekers to and Her said that he wanted to “My mother always tells me to lose that much weight in that and bring joy to the world and he near the local station. mainland facilities, increase maintain the freedom of keeping smile and put on a happy face,” amount of time,” he said. made a few bad decisions along Of the eight people wounded in the attack, three were in a border surveillance together the character’s volatile personal- he says. “She told me I had a pur- Phillips, known for frat house the way.” critical condition, said the prosecutor’s off ice. with the European Union’s border patrol agency Frontex and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), and boost police patrols across Greece to identify rejected asylum-seekers WWII veteran breaks his own scuba diving record at 96 who have remained in the country.

Reuters ing to dive with me I hope I can do it again Larnaca, Cyprus next year,” Woolley told Reuters after the event organised by the Larnaca municipality Merkel receives and the town’s tourism board. her 17th doctorate 96-year-old celebrated his birthday Woolley, who lives in Cyprus, was a radio yesterday by breaking his own record operator in World War II, has successively German Chancellor Angela Aas the world’s oldest active scuba broken two previous records he held in 2017 Merkel has received an honorary diver for the third year running, plunging to and 2018. doctorate from the HHL Leipzig the depths of the equivalent of a 15-storey He is originally from Port Sunlight in Graduate School of Management. building to explore a shipwreck off Cyprus. northwest England. The 65-year-old leader, who World War II veteran Ray Woolley, who The Zenobia, a cargo vessel laden with was honoured for her political turned 96 on August 28, plunged to a depth trucks that sank off of Larnaca in 1980, is a leadership style, accepted the of 42.4m for 48 minutes, the event organis- popular dive site. award yesterday at the Opera ers said. Underwater images showed Woolley and House in the eastern German He beat his previous record of 40.6m for other divers sitting on the hull of the sub- city that is home to the business 44 minutes. merged ship as fi sh, and the occasional tur- school. Woolley: I refuse to accept the fact “It’s just unbelievable. I’ve been diving tle, swam by. For the chancellor, a member of that I’m getting old. now for 59 years and these are the sort of A documentary on his life, Life Begins at the Christian Democrats (CDU), dives that you remember because there are 90, will be shown at the Bosnia-Herzegovi- it is already her 17th honorary Right: ,Woolley is seen underwater so many divers with you,” Woolley said, of na fi lm festival in September. doctorate. at the Zenobia, a cargo ship wreck the other 47 divers who swam with him. “I refuse to accept the fact that I’m getting She acquired her own doctorate off the Cypriot town of Larnaca. “If I can still dive and my buddies are will- old,” Woolley says in the trailer. in physics in the 1980s. Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 13 INDIA Two ex-ministers among 48 jailed in housing scam

IANS Congress Party’s former minis- whether they had anything to say. with the intention to profi t from by the Supreme Court to Dhule Khandesh Builders which was ous localities in the city in north- Dhule, Maharasthra ter was sentenced to fi ve years The lawyers pleaded that their public money. to prevent infl uencing witnesses awarded a prestigious aff ordable ern Maharashtra. By 2001, the ir- with Rs500,000 fi ne. clients were not guilty, had noth- Besides Jain and Deokar, there and to ensure fairness. housing project for slumdwellers regularities running into crores of Among the others, 30 munici- ing to do with the scam, many were a total of 52 accused in the Jain was arrested in March 2012 under the Gharkul scheme worth rupees, unreasonable delays in the Maharashtra court yes- pal councillors and offi cials were were ill or aged, and should be sensational case, including Pra- for the scam perpetrated when around Rs30 crore, in 1999. project, lack of action against the terday sentenced 48 peo- given fi ve-year jail terms with pardoned. deep Raisoni, Jagannath Vani, he was a minister in the previous Of the planned 11,000 homes, builder and contractors, and other Aple, including two former fi nes, and one was awarded three However, Special Public Pros- Raja Mayur and several munici- Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party only 1,500 were completed and aspects were exposed. state ministers, to jail terms be- years plus fi ne. ecutor Pravin Chavan demanded pal councillors and offi cials. government (1995-1999), and was the then municipal commis- After the original complaint tween seven and three years and Judge Srishty Neelkanth of the punishment for all the accused, Three accused died during the jailed for over a year before being sioner of of Jalgaon, Pravin Ge- was lodged, the Jalgaon po- slapped fi nes in the Rs110-crore Dhule Special Court convicted and forcefully argued they had trial and one is still absconding. released on bail. Former NCP min- dam, lodged a police complaint lice investigated the case for six Jalgaon Gharkul housing scam. all the 48 and ordered police to conspired and committed the All the 48 were present in ister Deokar was arrested in May in February 2006. years and it emerged that the Shiv Sena leader and former take them into custody. crime in a cohesive manner, the court when the judge pro- 2012 and spent around three years The Jalgaon Municipal Coun- payments made to the builder minister Suresh Jain was given Before delivering her much- passed a resolution for promot- nounced her verdict. behind bars before getting bail. cil had taken a loan of Rs110 crore were routed to companies actu- seven years in jail and a Rs100 awaited judgment, the judge ing a housing scheme when there The case, which was originally The duo, along with the oth- from HUDCO for the housing ally controlled by Jain, his family crore fi ne, while Nationalist asked the lawyers of the accused was no suitable space available tried in Jalgaon, was transferred er 50 accused, had favoured scheme, slated to come up in vari- and associates. Hope turns to despair for many as NRC is unveiled

IANS in the fi nal NRC. The NRC was Guwahati updated through a legal proc- ess, monitored by the Supreme Court. We have faith in the court he fi nal National Register and we will move it for the rem- of Citizens (NRC) seems edy,” said AASU chief adviser Tto have failed to bring in Samujjal Bhattacharyya. the expected joy to the people The Assam Public Works, a of Assam, who were waiting for civil society organisation, which over three decades for the reso- had fi led the fi rst petition in the lution of the vexed problem of Supreme Court seeking update infi ltration. of the NRC, expressed its disap- As the fi nal NRC was published pointment and said it would seek People check their names on the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at a roadside shop in Pavakati village of Morigoan district, some 70km from Guwahati, yesterday. yesterday, political and non- the president’s intervention. political organisations in unison The NRC assumes signifi - condemned the document that cance as the state had witnessed excluded 1.9mn people. six-year-long anti-foreigners’ Expressing its unhappiness, agitation seeking detection and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party deportation of Bangladeshi infi l- in Assam said the fi nal NRC had trators. Spearheaded by the stu- excluded many genuine citizens dents’ community, the agitation and included many illegal for- between 1979 and 1985 claimed Nearly 2mn people left off eigners. over 855 lives and left thousands “Former Assam chief minister maimed. Hiteswar Saikia had said there Meanwhile, some prominent were 3mn illegal Bangladeshis in faces of Assam are among those Assam. Union Minister S P Jaisa- who have fl unked the citizenship wal had claimed 5mn illegal for- test. Assam register of citizens eigners in the state. If that is so, Among them are Ananta how can there be only 1.9mn il- Kumar Malo, a sitting All In- legal foreigners,” said Assam BJP dia United Democratic Front Reuters “Any person who is not sat- records to her voter identifi ca- ladesh as refugees prior to 1971 publicly assured Hindus left off chief Ranjit Kumar Dass. (AIUDF) MLA from Abhayapuri, Guwahati isfi ed with the outcome of the tion and the Aadhaar card. have not been included in the the list India would give them The fi nal NRC excluded and former AIUDF legislator claims and objections can fi le Some of the two dozen people NRC,” Assam’s Finance Minister refuge. 19,06,657 people, and found Ataur Rahman Mazharbhuyan an appeal before the foreigners’ at the centre said offi cials had Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a To establish citizenship, peo- 3,11,21,004 eligible for inclusion. who represented the Katigora early 2mn people have tribunals,” Hajela said in a state- asked them to go to court to get Twitter post, adding that some ple in Assam have had to furnish The Congress said there was constituency in the assembly been left off a list of citi- ment, adding that everyone had included on the register. illegal migrants had been wrong- proof of residence in India go- suffi cient circumstantial evi- between 2006 and 2011. Nzens released yesterday in received an adequate hearing. “They are saying go to court,” fully added. ing back decades, before March dence to indicate that those “I and my brother fi led the the northeastern state of Assam, Those excluded have 120 days said car mechanic Ritesh Another BJP lawmaker, Shila- 24, 1971, the year in which hun- dubbed illegals included many same data. But while the NRC after a mammoth years-long ex- to prove their citizenship at hun- Sutradhar, 45, who had been left ditya Deb, said he did not expect dreds of thousands of people fl ed genuine citizens, cutting across document included my brother’s ercise to check illegal immigration dreds of regional quasi-judicial out, along with his wife. the list to be fair. Bangladesh, as it split off from linguistic and religious lines. name, my name was excluded,” from neighbouring Bangladesh. bodies known as foreigners’ tri- “But who will pay for all that?” “It will not have the names of Pakistan. “The names of some were Malo said and added he would Resentment against illegal bunals. If ruled to be illegal im- Critics accuse Prime Minister many Bengali Hindus,” he said. State offi cials say they do not included and others excluded soon approach the foreigners’ immigrants has simmered for migrants there, they can appeal Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Ja- The Supreme Court, which know the eventual fate of those despite belonging to the same tribunal. years in Assam, with residents to higher courts. nata Party of stoking sentiment has monitored the process af- fi nally adjudged foreigners. family and submitting the same “There are some problems with blaming outsiders, many said to “Everyone in my family is against illegal immigrants, and ter it ordered preparation of the Bangladesh has not commit- legacy data,” said Debabrata Sai- the system, otherwise how can come from Bangladesh. on the list but not me,” said misusing the register to target list, this month denied a request ted to accepting them. kia, leader of opposition in the they exclude my name,” Malo said. Offi cials checked documents Munwara Khatun, accompanied even legal Muslim citizens. for more time from the govern- More than 1,000 people are Assam assembly. Mazharbhuyan also expressed submitted by roughly 33mn peo- by two grandchildren and her Home Minister Amit Shah has ment, which it said was needed being held in Assam’s six de- The All Assam Students’ Un- shock on not fi nding his, his two ple for a draft released last year husband Sahar Ali, at a registra- previously vowed to weed out il- for a partial re-verifi cation after tention centres for illegal immi- ion (AASU), which had been daughters and a son’s names in of a National Register of Citizens tion centre in Assam’s central legal immigrants. many Bangladeshis produced grants and the state wants to set vocal to get the NRC updated, the NRC. “The draft NRC in- (NRC) in Assam, which left out district of Nagaon. But the BJP, which also rules false or fabricated documents. up more centres. expressed dejection over the ex- cluded my entire family, but for more than 4mn residents of the “How can that be?” the state, has had to change tack Separately, the BJP has been Human rights activists have clusion of only 1.9mn from the me, two daughters and the son. state. Her 65-year-old spouse, a in recent months, because a large planning legislation to ease the criticised conditions at the cen- fi nal list and said it would soon As we received summons, we But 31.1mn people now make up farmer, said the draft list had number of Hindus fi gured on the way for non-Muslim minorities tres, and lawyers and activists approach the Supreme Court for went to the NRC Seva Kendra the fi nal list, with 1.9mn excluded, also omitted her, prompting previous list. from neighbouring countries to point to problems with the func- a remedy. and submitted all the relevant said Prateek Hajela, the co-ordi- them to provide authorities with “Names of many Indian citi- become citizens. tioning of the foreigners’ tribu- “We feel there is some error documents,” he said. nator of the state’s register. documents ranging from land zens who migrated from Bang- Some party members have nals.

Water ride Delhi boy ‘excited to watch’ Govt looks to junk Chandrayaan-2 landing plastic water bottles IANS not be imposed on the sale of New Delhi water. Therefore, fi nding an IANS have been selected from across boards to encourage children in alternative solution to plastic New Delhi the country to watch India’s schools to take part. This quiz was water bottles was necessary. ambitious moon mission Chan- conducted to promote awareness fter Prime Minister According to sources, the drayaan-2 landing on the sur- among children about India’s am- Narendra Modi’s appeal government wants to get rid elhi student Manogya face of moon with Modi at ISRO bitious space programme. Ato eliminate single-use of bottles used for packaged Singh Suyansh has been headquarters in Bengaluru. The landing of Chandrayaan-2 plastic, the government is look- water as well as sealed plastic Dselected by the Indian “ISRO has great pleasure in will make India the fourth nation ing to fi nd alternatives to plastic glasses fi lled with water in a Space Research Organisation informing that you have been in the world to land a spacecraft water bottles on a priority basis. phased manner. (ISRO) to watch the landing of selected to watch the historical on the moon, thus putting the Minister for Consumer Af- “Alternatives should be found Chandrayaan-2 on the surface Chandrayaan-2 moon landing in country in the league of the US, fairs, Food and Public Distri- to plastic packaging. We should of moon with Prime Minister the early hours of September 7, Russia and China. bution Ram Vilas Paswan has see how we can take a lead in this Narendra Modi. 2019 at the ISRO Tracking Centre Delhi boy to watch Chan- asked his offi cials to come up fi eld. The prime minister had on The class 9 student aspires to (ISTRAC), Bengaluru in the pres- drayaan-2 landing with Modi with alternatives to plastic wa- August 15 appealed to the na- be an astronaut. ence of Prime Minister Narendra (15:02) New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) ter bottles. tion to put an end to the single- Speaking to IANS, Suyansh who Modi. You are requested to reach Delhi student Manogya Singh The minister has also called use plastic which is extremely could not hide his glee, said: “I am Bengaluru by 1400 hrs on Friday Suyansh has been selected by a high-level meeting with of- harmful to the environment. excited to watch Chandrayaan-2 September 6, 2019 along with the Indian Space Research Or- fi cials of various departments This will aff ect the water sold landing on the moon’s surface as one parent/guardian,” said the ganisation (ISRO) to watch the to prepare a strategy to put an in plastic bottles,” the minister well as to meet the prime min- letter sent by ISRO to Suyansh. landing of Chandrayaan-2 on the end to single-use plastic water said on the sidelines of an event. ister. Since childhood, I had the The space agency conducted surface of the moon with Prime bottles. Sources said the govern- curiosity to know about space and a ‘Space Quiz’ for students from Minister Narendra Modi. Representatives from various ment is also preparing a list of related developments. I want to the classes 8-10. The student Suyansh is among the 60 stu- manufacturing units of plastic products that utilise single- get admission to an IIT and be an with the most number of correct dents who have been selected bottles as well as suppliers of use plastic in large quantities astronaut in the future.” answers in 10 minutes emerged from across the country to watch packaged drinking water will to ban their usage. Suyansh, a student of Ken- the winner. India’s ambitious moon mission be invited to the meeting for a India generates approxi- driya Vidyalaya, has taken up a The Human Resource Develop- Chandrayaan-2 landing on the A boy rides along a flooded road on the banks of the river brainstorming session. mately 26,000 tonnes of plas- four-year preparation course for ment (HRD) ministry had written surface of the moon with Modi Ganges as the water level of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers The government believes tic waste daily, which makes it engineering entrance exams. to the Central Board of Secondary at the ISRO headquarters in Ben- rose in Allahabad, yesterday. since access to water is a fun- the 15th largest plastic waste He is among 60 students who Education (CBSE) and other state galuru on September 7. damental right, a ban can- generator globally. Gulf Times 14 Sunday, September 1, 2019 INDIA

AVIATION CRIME TRAGEDY POLITICS INVESTIGATION 30 more daily flights from Plane burglar held Man dies in Delhi Shiv Sena keen to field TMC MP appears before Kerala airports soon for impersonation road rage incident Aditya Thackeray from Worli CBI in Narada case

Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola A man was arrested on charges of impersonation In an alleged incident of road rage, a 23-year-old Shiv Sena activists have urged Yuva Sena Trinamool Congress MP Prasun Banerjee yesterday said 30 more daily flights would at the Delhi airport on Friday, police said man was beaten to death in Delhi, police said leader Aditya Thackeray to take the electoral yesterday appeared before the Central Bureau operate from four airports in Kerala starting this yesterday. According to them the Vistara Airlines yesterday. The incident happened on Friday night. plunge and contest from the Worli assembly of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata in connection winter. He said this while addressing a meeting duty manager on Thursday complained a Police have arrested two people, one of them constituency in the upcoming state elections, with the Narada sting operation probe even as of airline off icials called by Kerala Chief Minister passenger, identified as Rajesh Kapoor, travelled a juvenile. Sahil Singh, a resident of Maujpur, a senior party leader said yesterday. Anil he accused the agency of harassing him and Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram. Vijayan on its flight from Delhi to Srinagar and returned was beaten up by the two suspects over the Parab, a close confidante of the Thackeray his fellow party leaders. The CBI on August reminded the off icials that at a meeting last year, to Delhi by impersonating himself as Sachin issue of giving way. “We got the information at family, said a majority of the party workers 29 issued summonses to several Trinamool the aviation industry had demanded a reduction Gupta. During interrogation, Kapoor revealed his around 1.30am today from GTB Hospital that and leaders in the Worli constituency desire Congress ministers and leaders in the Narada in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) tax. Though it involvement in several case of theft at railway one person, who was rushed to the hospital, has that Aditya should throw his hat into the ring sting footage case, in which the politicians was done, no decision was taken to increase stations, planes and airports and that he had been declared dead. During investigation, it came for the assembly polls scheduled later this were purportedly seen taking cash from the number of flights. “We are ready to further been blacklisted by airlines, the police said. As to light that Singh was returning home around year. “We shall make all efforts not only to give representatives of a fictitious company for reduce the tax on ATF if the airlines are ready to he was barred by some airlines, he bought a 10.30pm on Friday. He had a quarrel with some him a grand victory, but also to ensure that all extending favours. The agency will conduct a increase flights to the various Kerala airports,” Vistara ticket in the name of Sachin Gupta. He people over giving way to the motorcycle. During opposition parties taste a resounding defeat voice sample test of the people purportedly the chief minister said. Vijayan also raised the also had an Aadhar card in that name. He said the quarrel, he sustained injuries,” the police and even lose their deposits,” Parab told IANS. seen in the sting footage. “I submitted my voice issue of various airlines hiking fares on the his intention was to commit theft. The police said. Following the scuff le, he went home but felt However, he made it clear that a final decision sample. I had already submitted all details when Gulf routes, and even as the issue was raised said Kapoor, a class XII dropout, initially sold unwell. He was rushed to the hospital where he will be taken only by Sena president Uddhav I was interrogated two years back. There was numerous times, no action has been taken. imported goods in diff erent markets. was declared dead, police said. Thackeray. nothing new for me to tell them,” Banerjee said.

Banks’ merger will not help recover bad Top Congress loans, say employees leader being IANS Chennai

he real agenda of the govern- ment in merging banks is to Thelp big corporates as con- probed over solidation of banks will not result in recovery of huge bad loans, a top offi cial of the All India Bank Employ- ees’ Association (AIBEA) said. Opposing the merger of 10 pub- lic sector banks into four, C H Venkatachalam, general secretary of ‘bags of cash’ AIBEA, said in a statement the gov- ernment is enabling banks to help IANS people on the directions of the He said, the fi rst summons corporates in the name of banking New Delhi Karnataka Congress leader. was issued on January 17 this reforms. He said the agency questioned year, but he ignored it. Venkatachalam said in the last fi s- Shivakumar about the conduits “The agency again summoned cal year public sector banks posted a he Enforcement Directo- he had hired to send the money him on February 15 and then also gross profi t of Rs150,000 crore. Ow- rate (ED), which is ques- full of bags in Chandni Chowk he did not join the investigation. ing to the provisions towards bad Ttioning former Karnataka and other areas of the city. Finally he responded to the agen- loans, there was a net loss of about minister and senior Congress The offi cial said that Shivaku- cy’s recent summons on Thurs- Rs66,000 crore. leader D K Shivakumar in a mar is being questioned under the day and joined the investigation According to him, the merger of money laundering case, is prob- Prevention of Money Laundering after the Karnataka High Court banks will not result in recovery ing the “bags full of cash” deliv- Act (PMLA), 2002. The Income rejected his bail petition,” he said. of bad loans. On the contrary, the ered to some people in Chandni Tax department in its probe against The offi cial said that dur- merger of fi ve associate banks of the Chowk in New Delhi which the the Congress leader has found that ing his questioning since Friday State Bank of India has resulted in Income Tax department un- his close associate S K Sharma evening, Shivakumar has been increased bad loans. earthed during raids at his home transported huge amounts of un- non-cooperative as he is not Referring to the Punjab National in the national capital in 2017. accounted cash on a regular basis willing to give answers to ques- Bank which failed to detect the Nirav Shivakumar, considered to be through ‘hawala’ channels with tions related to the people to Modi fraud, Venkatachalam won- the Congress’ troubleshooter, the help of three other accused. whom the money was sent and dered how banks can be monitored was instrumental in keeping the “We are trying to identify who the source of the money. more eff ectively if they become big- party’s legislators from Gujarat were the persons who received He further said that the agen- ger. from being poached in 2017 ahead those amounts and for what cy was likely to “arrest” him if he “The need of the hour is to come of the crucial Rajya Sabha polls in purpose,” the offi cial said. continues to adopt his approach out of the economic crisis, rather which Ahmed Patel was the par- During questioning the ED of stalling the investigation. than experimenting with anything,” ty’s candidate. He won narrowly. also asked him about details of The ED case has been fi led he said. Shivakumar had arranged for his properties in several parts of based on a charge sheet fi led by According to him, the proposed the stay of the Gujarat Congress the country. the IT department against Shiva- merger would result in the closure of MLAs at a luxury resort in Kar- “We gave him a set of ques- kumar last year in a special court a large number of branches as it hap- nataka at that time. tions pertaining to the details in Bengaluru on charges of alleged pened in the case of State Bank of In- He has also been instrumen- of his properties and source of tax evasion and hawala transac- dia, aff ect banking services and re- tal in keeping the fl ock together those properties, whether it tions worth crores of rupees. ducing employment opportunities. by holding talks with rebel party was inherited from the family or The IT department has ac- Yesterday members of the AIBEA MLAs during the previous Janata bought later,” the offi cial said. cused Shivakumar and his as- staged a protest. Dal – Secular and Congress coa- He said that the agency also sociate Sharma of transporting Employees of all public and pri- lition government in the state. confronted Shivakumar with the huge amounts of unaccounted vate sector banks wore black badges A senior ED offi cial related to documents of those properties cash on a regular basis through as a mark of protest. the probe told IANS: “The I-T de- to fi nd the source of the income ‘hawala’ channels with the help Venkatachalam said the govern- partment has unearthed a money from which they were bought. of other accused. ment’s move was “ill timed” and trail, which led to the recovery of The fi nancial probe agency had in Shivakumar has been on the needed a review. over Rs8.59 crore in 2017 from his September last year registered a ED and IT department’s radar A rally opposing the decision was Safdarjung Enclave residence and case of money laundering against after demonetisation. The al- also planned by the association, other places. So we are focusing Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an leged money laundering came to Venkatachalam said. on the source of the money.” employee at Karnataka Bhavan in light after IT sleuths raided Shi- “The government may call it a The offi cial said, during in- New Delhi, and others. vakumar’s home in New Delhi merger... six banks which have been vestigation it was found that The offi cial said that ear- on August 2, 2017 which led to built up over the years will disappear Shivakumar’s close associates lier, the agency had issued three the seizure of unaccounted cash from banking scenario”, Venkatach- Bank employees shout slogans during a protest against the merger of 10 state-owned banks, in delivered bags full of cash in the summonses to Shivakumar after of Rs8.59 crore without any evi- alam said. Kolkata, yesterday. Chandni Chowk area to some registering the case. dence about its source. Police push for murder 13 killed, 64 hurt charge against Tharoor in factory blasts Agencies yet to confi rm on the cause of the Mumbai accident. IANS of the charge sheet. The charges Srivastava, during the course The explosions were so loud New Delhi pressed are absurd and prepos- of hearing also told the court that they were heard in a ra- terous.” that the forensic analysis of t least 13 people were killed dius of 5km, its tremors shaking The prosecutor read the evi- the statements has opined that and 64 were injured after houses and buildings in the vi- he Delhi police yesterday dence in bits and pieces and tried Pushkar was distressed, felt Aexplosions ripped through cinity, reports said. pushed for murder charge to connect with the charges pro- betrayed in marital life, hadn’t a chemical factory in Maharash- News channels showed foot- Tagainst senior Congress posed by him, contrary to the set- eaten in the last few days and tra yesterday, police said. age of clouds of black smoke bil- leader Shashi Tharoor in con- tled principles of law, Pahwa said. had suicidal tendencies prior to The blasts at the plant located lowing from the factory. nection with the death of his Srivastava didn’t read the opin- death because of a disturbed re- on the outskirts of Dhule city “The fi re was brought under wife Sunanda Pushkar. ion of experts who conducted the lationship with her husband. were followed by a huge fi re on control by early afternoon. Po- However, the murder charge is psychological autopsy, Pahwa said The prosecution said that ac- the factory premises. lice and disaster management being pushed alternatively to the and added, they categorically held cording to a doctor of the All In- “Thirteen bodies were found personnel are inside the premis- charge of abetment to suicide. it’s neither a case of homicide nor dia Institute of Medical Sciences and 64 were injured. Most of es conducting search, but we Concluding his arguments, suicide, but due to some unidenti- “the cause of death to the best them were factory workers, some think most of the workers have Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava fi ed biological reasons. of my knowledge is poisoning, victims were farmers and resi- been accounted for,” Pandhare told the court, “Charges against “If there is no evidence of which was ultrazole poisoning. dents in nearby areas,” regional added. Mr Tharoor be framed under sec- suicide, where is the question of All the injuries were caused by police chief Vishwas Pandhare The death toll could rise as the tion 498A (cruelty), 306 (abet- abetment to suicide,” Pahwa said. blunt force which came up dur- said. condition of some injured was ment of suicide) or in an alterna- “I can say every bit of evi- ing a scuffl e except one injection The blast took place in the said to be serious, he added. tive section 302 (murder).” dence collected by the SIT (spe- mark and a teeth mark.” Mumbai-based Rumit Interna- Federal Home Minister Amit However, Tharoor’s lawyer cial investigation team) speaks Srivastava said three things tional’s Rumit Chemisynth fac- Shah off ered condolences as Vikas Pahwa said: “Now my just the opposite to what the could have happened. “Pushkar tory in Waghadi area, around state authorities announced a friend is becoming adventurous, prosecutor argued,” the lawyer might have taken the same or 5km on the outskirts of Shirpur. compensation of Rs500,000 his inferences are now beyond said and added, “I will argue on someone administered it orally There were an estimated 100 each to the relatives of those the charge sheet. In four years, the next date, rebutting each and or injected or was forcibly given.” workers present in the factory at killed. they couldn’t even prove the every point.” Citing a Supreme Court judg- the time. “Anguished to learn about the cause of death.” Special Central Bureau of Inves- ment, he said, “Even mental tor- “There was an explosion in loss of lives due to explosion at a Pahwa said the charge was tigation judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar ture may amount to cruelty. This a barrel containing chemicals chemical factory in Dhule. Spo- “absurd” and “preposterous”. has now set October 17 as the next was the third marriage of both that apparently set off a series ken to Fadnavis and the state “The prosecutor’s arguments date of hearing, when the defence parties. The mental torture has Clouds of black smoke billowing from the factory after the blast of similar explosions,” he said, government is providing relief to are contrary to the bare reading will commence its arguments. led her to the suicide.” yesterday. adding the forensics team was the people,” Shah said. Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 15 LATIN AMERICA Colombian troops kill 9 Farc rebels in raid

AFP nal structures that seek to the accord, under which most “and those comrades who have “Colombians must be clear Bogota challenge Colombia.” of the Farc’s 7,000 fi ghters dis- not folded up their fl ags.” that we are not facing a new Friday’s operation was “a clear armed after half a century of The United States, a key ally guerrilla, but facing the crimi- message” to the group to lay confl ict. of Duque’s conservative govern- nal threats of a gang of narco- olombian troops killed down their weapons, he said. The whereabouts of Marquez, ment, denounced Marquez and terrorists who have the shelter nine Farc dissidents in a Defence Minister Guillermo the Marxist Farc’s number two his allies. and support of the dictatorship Craid on Friday in what the Botero, who said the operation leader and chief negotiator of “We strongly repudiate re- of Nicolas Maduro,” Duque president said was “a clear mes- had taken place in the San Vi- the 2016 peace agreement, have cent calls by some individuals said. Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo speaks during an sage” to their leaders who have cente del Caguan region, wrote been unknown for more than to abandon the Farc’s commit- Duque, on a visit to Sincelejo interview with Reuters in Bogota. formally rejected a 2016 peace on Twitter: “The criminals are a year. ments under the 2016 peace ac- in northern Colombia, said in agreement and announced a warned: they surrender or they Marquez and a fugitive rebel cord,” Secretary of State Mike Friday’s statement on the raid return to arms. will be defeated.” colleague, Jesus Santrich, have Pompeo said in a statement. that the Farc unit’s leader, who President Ivan Duque said On Thursday, Duque said he distanced themselves from the “We stand resolutely with the went by the name Gildardo he had authorised the mili- would send a special army unit peace deal. government of Colombia, Presi- Cucho, was among those killed. Colombia’s fi ght tary operation in rural areas of “with reinforced intelligence, Santrich, who went under- dent Duque and the Colombian He described Cucho as “a Colombia’s south. investigation and mobility capa- ground earlier this year after the people in their eff orts to ensure criminal dedicated to drug- In a statement welcom- bilities” to hunt down dissident United States sought to have him justice and the lasting peace traffi cking, kidnapping, in- ing the raid, Duque dis- leader Ivan Marquez and other extradited on drug charges, also and security that the people timidation of social leaders against rebels missed the group as “a gang holdouts. appeared in the video. deserve.” and who intended to be part of narco-terrorist criminals That same day, Marquez an- Marquez said his forces would Although most of the Farc of that threatening structure who are residuals of what nounced a return to arms in a co-ordinate with Colombia’s fi ghters laid down weapons to that yesterday was presented to was known as the Farc, and video message, accusing Du- last active rebel group, the Na- return to civilian life, around the country as a new guerrilla, would be easier who are part of the crimi- que’s government of betraying tional Liberation Army (ELN), 2,300 have refused to do so. which it is not.” without Maduro, Mexico Brazil agents raid illegal says minister president’s Reuters indicators; there is a hypothesis: Bogota that’s the information that we key address miners in Amazon have.” The United States also be- here is “no doubt” it lieves the Maduro government today Reuters would be easier to combat is providing shelter to dissident Altamira TColombia’s rebel groups Farc and ELN groups, a senior if Venezuelan President Nico- State Department offi cial said. Reuters las Maduro were no longer in Venezuela’s foreign ministry Mexico City ederal agents in Brazil power, Colombia’s foreign min- on Friday blamed the dissident exchanged gunfi re with ister said, amid accusations that rearmament on Duque’s failure Fillegal miners in the Caracas is providing the groups to follow through on the peace exican President An- Amazon state of Para yester- with shelter. accords. dres Manuel Lopez Ob- day, according to witnesses, On Thursday, former leaders Maduro later tweeted his gov- Mrador gears up for his in a dramatic example of how from the Revolutionary Armed ernment was committed to pro- fi rst state of the union address Brazil has stepped up envi- Forces of Colombia (Farc) an- moting peace in Colombia and today with the economy fl irting ronmental enforcement in the nounced a new off ensive in a would advance eff orts to rees- with recession, murders reach- wake of rainforest fi res. video believed to have been tablish conversations between ing record levels – and his popu- Federal police and agents fi lmed in Venezuela. the two sides. larity riding high. with environmental enforce- Ex-Farc commanders Ivan Neither mentioned the issue After taking offi ce in Decem- ment agency Ibama were Marquez and Jesus Santrich ap- of rebel presence in Venezuelan ber vowing to revive a sluggish carrying out a raid on illegal peared surrounded by armed territory. economy and bring down vio- wildcat miners near the Itu- fi ghters in a YouTube video, say- Trujillo said the neighboring lence, the veteran leftist Lopez na/Itatá indigenous reserve, ing a 2016 peace accord had been Venezuelan government was a Obrador has so far fallen short of which crosses into several mu- betrayed. “dictatorship.” the goals he set himself. nicipalities including the city The announcement was con- “The end of this dictatorship, But he has fi rmly installed of Altamira, according to two demned by President Ivan Du- of this tyranny, would be the best himself at the centre of public Reuters witnesses. que’s government, the United for Venezuela, the best for Co- consciousness with two-hour “They (the miners) hid Nations and the Farc political lombia, the best for the region,” daily news conferences and in the forest and shot at the Federal Police off icers shoot suspected loggers during an operation conducted jointly with the party, whose leadership said the Trujillo said. rallies around Mexico which team,” said Hugo Loss, Ibama’s Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) at an illegal gold majority of ex-rebels remain Venezuelan opposition leader he uses to discredit adversar- national coordinator of en- mine near the city of Altamira, Para state, Brazil. committed to peace despite Juan Guaido, who is recognised ies and blame previous gov- forcement operations, who “diffi culties and dangers.” by more than 50 countries as his ernments for the country’s accompanied the mission. company Ibama on potentially tional criticism that Brazil was “Only now with the recogni- Combating the dissidents, country’s legitimate leader, is woes. The agents returned fi re, but dangerous operations. not doing enough to protect tion of alarming deforestation who are estimated to number committed to the fi ght against Throughout, he has rammed all of the miners escaped into That came on top of eff orts the world’s largest tropical and fi re data and with the (jus- more than 2,200, and separate illegal armed groups, Trujillo home a message that the chronic the woods and no suspects by the government of right- rainforest. tice minister’s) decree, did we rebel group the National Libera- said. inequality, gang violence and were apprehended. No-one wing President Jair Bolsonaro Following several days of pub- have conditions allowing us to tion Army (ELN) would be easier Maduro says Guaido is a pup- tepid growth affl icting Mexico was injured, according to the to weaken Ibama, including lic outcry, Bolsonaro authorised operate in this area,” he said. were Maduro no longer in power, pet of the United States. are the product of decades of offi cial. Ibama and the federal prohibiting agents from de- the military to support fi refi ght- “In this area we had op- Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Colombia will seek Interpol government by a corrupt po- police destroyed two back- stroying machinery used to ing eff orts, with his justice min- erations planned for June and Trujillo said in an interview late red notices for anyone involved litical and economic elite still hoes and three other pieces of commit environmental crimes ister further issuing a decree al- July, but we weren’t able to ex- on Friday. with dissident groups who may trying to resist his promise of mining equipment. and grounding the agency’s lowing federal police to support ecute them... because of lack “This regime protects them: be based in Venezuela, Trujillo change. Ibama had largely rolled special forces unit used on environmental operations. of support.” it has opened its doors to them. said. “We’re going to put a stop to back its fi eld operations in riskier raids, according to a That federal support al- Illegal mining contributes to This regime facilitates their ac- “The ELN is there, com- corruption and the luxuries of Para state so far this year, over Reuters investigation. lowed for Ibama-organised overall deforestation in Brazil, tions from its territory,” said manders of the ELN, and those government,” he told a crowd in failure to reach an agreement But news broke last week raids such as the one on Friday with roughly 10% of the area Trujillo. commanders are going to work the northern town of Concep- with police at the state-level that fi res in the Amazon surged to be carried out, Loss said. of the indigenous reserve near Asked what proof Colombia in co-ordination with this nar- cion del Oro this month. “These to off er support, according to to their highest level since The raid was not directly re- the raid having been deforest- has of rebel presence in Ven- co-terrorist group that was an- show-off , arrogant politicians, Loss. State police generally ac- 2010 and provoked interna- lated to the fi res. ed this year alone, Loss said. ezuela, Trujillo said: “There are nounced (Thursday),” he said. surrounded by bodyguards, they’re heading to a faraway place, like when you hit balls for a home run over the fence.” For now, problems that dogged the previous adminis- Mothers of Colombia’s missing vow to keep searching tration have only continued to grow. AFP disappearances, which were a Gallego says telling strangers Homicides hit record levels Cali, Colombia feature of Colombian life during about her experience is a kind of in 2018. During the fi rst eight a half-century of confl ict. balm against uncertainty. months of Lopez Obrador’s ad- Every day, they board buses “At least we go out, we shout, ministration, 19,642 murder hey clamber onto buses carrying their children’s por- we talk, we cry! It’s an outlet! It’s investigations were opened, up and stand among the traits, distributing handwritten therapy! But the pain, we take it more than 4% from the same Tjostling commuters, letters recounting their poign- with us everywhere,” she said. period a year earlier, according portraits of missing loved ones ant, unceasing searches. A campaign called #Reconoce- to offi cial data. hanging from their necks, their “Mothers of missing people mosSuBusqueda (We recognise This week 28 people died in presence a reminder that de- carry eternal pain,” says one your search) was launched this an arson attack on a bar in the spite a 2016 peace agreement, missive. year to highlight the work of these southern port of Coatzacoalcos, for some, Colombia’s confl ict Offi cial fi gures put the “dis- women, who have taken on the one of the worst mass killings of has never really ended. appeared” at nearly 83,000 – weary task of investigating the the administration. The women are on the bus to almost three times the number disappearances alone. Lopez Obrador has acknowl- beg, not for money, just for a missing under the dictatorships The initiative is supported edged his government must moment of their fellow passen- of Argentina, Brazil and Chile by Colombia’s Missing Persons do more to improve security, gers’ attention: “Have you seen combined. Research Unit and the Truth though he is adamant the new my daughter?” or “Have you “Where is She?”, “Where is Commission, created as part of National Guard he established seen my son?” He?” – the questions are writ- the 2016 peace agreement that will contain the violence. These are the self-styled ten in bold lettering over the ended the armed confl ict be- Meanwhile, the economy “Searchers” of Cali, a city that ageless portraits of the long lost: tween the government and the posted no growth in the second has known more than its share civilians and soldiers, men and Revolutionary Armed Forces of quarter and shrank by 0.3% in of violence during Colombia’s women, but mostly the young. Colombia (Farc). the January-March period. half-century of civil strife. Gallego says she knows lit- Though Colombian offi cials Fernando Belaunzaran, a Their faces lined with worry, tle about what happened to her have never given her any leads leader of the centre-left Party of they haunt its public transport daughter Sandra Viviana Cuel- in the search for her daughter, the Democratic Revolution and stations, brandishing giant por- lar, an environmental activist. Gallego believes Sandra disap- Relatives of victims with the photos take part in the commemoration of the International Day of the staunch critic of Lopez Obrador, trait photos of their children, She left her home on February peared because of her environ- Disappeared in Medellin, Colombia. said the president’s permanent missing victims of the country’s 17, 2011, heading to Palmira, a mental work. She still believes campaigning and control of the many-sided confl ict. town around 30 kilometers (19 that her daughter is alive. tured her, and left her for dead. ing at the image. Hope propels her at least 82,998 people were for- news agenda had kept problems “It’s like a cry that we are miles) from Cali, and never re- Luz Edilia Florez, 57, paid a These days, she rides the buses forward, though she admits: “My cibly disappeared between 1958 at bay. launching, so that the world turned. She was 26. heavy price for wanting to know of Cali, distributing her message son could be in a grave.” and 2017. “Even though his rhetoric is will know, so that it becomes “I got down to the task of in- what happened to her son, Jose and brandishing her son’s por- Part of the diffi culty she and Only in 52% of cases do author- very simplistic, it’s eff ective,” aware,” said Maria Elena Galle- vestigating her disappearance, Ernesto Moran, kidnapped by a trait. In her letter, she lambasts other mothers face is the many- ities know who was responsible. he said. “People are still giving go, who has spent the last eight going from here to there, even far-right militia in the south- the “indiff erence” of society to- sided aspect of Colombia’s con- Florez’s wish on the Inter- him the benefi t of the doubt. But years looking for her missing attending workshops to learn western area of Jamundi. wards the women’s stories. fl ict, in which around 30 armed national Day of the Victims of a time will come when reality daughter. how to look for my daughter, When paramilitaries found Hanging onto a bar over- groups were involved, both pro- Enforced Disappearances, held bites.” Gallego is one of a group of because what I want most is for out she was investigating his head, the picture of her son hung and anti-government. on August 30 each year, is that Lopez Obrador has not had it 35 women seeking to draw at- her to reappear,” she says in her 2002 disappearance, she says around her neck, she sings a la- According to the National “there will be no more missing,” all his own way. tention to the victims of forced letter. they seized her, raped her, tor- ment to the other passengers gaz- Center for Historical Memory, and that she’ll fi nd her son. Gulf Times 16 Sunday, September 1, 2019 PAKISTAN

Banks to use PM: Situation in Kashmir offi cial system to should alarm the world verify „ Time for Pakistan to pull an op-ed by Khan, where the ularly the Pak-American com- violating them today in Kash- accounts out of OIC, says former former cricket star warned of munity, has played a key role mir,” he added. Senate chairman rising hostilities between the to internationalise the issue,” The former Senate chairman „ Pakistan welcomes US countries. Qureshi said, adding that Paki- said Pakistan should ask the UN Internews House Committee decision to “World War II happened be- stan is highlighting the Kashmir Commission on Human Rights Islamabad discuss Kashmir cause of appeasement at Mu- issue across the globe which is to convene a meeting on the nich. A similar threat looms over why the issue is being discussed matter and call upon the world Internews the world again, but this time on every forum. body to send observers to Kash- he Federal Ombudsman Islamabad under the nuclear shadow,” he The foreign minister added mir. Secretariat of Pakistan wrote. that Prime Minister Khan will “We should now focus on Thas directed the State The prime minister lamented also raise the Kashmir issue dur- Asia and end our alignment with Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to is- rime Minister Imran Khan that the international commu- ing his speech at the UN General Washington,” he added. sue instructions to all banks to has alleged that the “il- nity remains silent when Mus- Assembly session this month. In his speech, Senator Rehman use the National Database and Plegal annexation of occu- lims are being oppressed. The US House Foreign Rela- Malik said that crimes against Registration Authority’s (Nadra) pied Kashmir” is part of a wider “The whole world is watching tions Committee said on Friday humanity committed by the In- Verisys system instead of per- strategy by the Indian govern- what is taking place in Kashmir. that it will soon hear the issue of dian forces made Prime Minister sonal biometric verifi cation for ment to target Muslims. I want to tell you that if Kash- Indian-administered Kashmir in Modi liable to trial by the Inter- non-resident Pakistanis or the In a post on Twitter, the prime miris were not Muslims, the en- its upcoming meeting. national Criminal Court. Pakistanis who are temporarily minister said: “Reports in In- tire world would have stood with Chairman of the House Sub- “I have already prepared a pe- residing outside Pakistan. dian and international media on them.” committee on Asia, Brad Sher- tition for fi ling with the ICC,” he “This initiative will resolve the Modi Govt’s ethnic cleansing of Last month India revoked the man, announced that the sub- said. problems of millions of Overseas Muslims should send alarm bells autonomy of Indian-adminis- committee will soon hold a Prime Minister Khan: The annexation of Kashmir is part of a wider He said that the revocation of Pakistanis,” read a statement ringing across the world that the tered Kashmir. hearing on the deteriorating policy. Articles 370 and 35-A of the In- issued by Ombudsman Secre- illegal annexation of Kashmir is Pakistan has reacted to New situation in Kashmir, which has dian Constitution by the Indian tariat. part of a wider policy to target Delhi’s move by downgrading been under a clampdown since or any other Muslim country Rabbani said that parliament parliament was a violation of UN It said that the SBP assured Muslims.” diplomatic relations, halting August 5. faced a diffi cult situation, he re- needed to inform all human resolutions. that it would take action in case He shared a recent report from bilateral trade and suspending “The hearing will focus on the ferred to the 1990s genocide in rights organisations about the “It is unfortunate that the UN any violation of the said decision the Indian state of Assam where cross-border transport links humanitarian situation in Kash- Bosnia and the situation in Pal- uninterrupted curfew and the has failed to implement its own or unnecessary inconvenience almost 2mn people were denied with India. mir, where many political activ- estine. state of human rights in Indian- resolutions on Kashmir,” the caused to the overseas Pakistanis citizenship yesterday (see re- Muslim-majority Kashmir ists have been arrested and daily “The world has become too administered Kashmir. senator observed. in this regard. port on Page 13), risking mass has long been a fl ashpoint be- life, the Internet and telephone profi t-oriented and focused on “Pakistan should move an Mushahid Hussain of the Pa- The statement said that a deportations of Muslims from tween nuclear-armed India and communications have been in- economic interests,” Rabbani emergency motion at the general kistan Muslim League – Nawaz number of overseas Pakista- the area. Pakistan. terrupted,” Sherman said. said. assembly of the Inter-Parlia- underlined the need to have a nis had lodged their complaints On Friday the government led Both countries rule parts of Meanwhile, former Pakistan He cited as examples a $15bn mentary Union (IPU) in Octo- three-pronged strategy to deal with the Federal Ombudsman mass demonstrations around Kashmir while claiming it in full. Senate chairman Raza Rabbani deal signed recently between ber and raise violation of human with the challenge posed by In- regarding the blocking of their the country in solidarity with Two of the three wars they has said that it is time for Paki- Aramco, the Saudi-owned oil rights at the IPU’s meeting in dia’s “irresponsible” actions as, bank accounts for want of bio- the people of Indian-adminis- have fought have been over it. stan to pull out of the Organi- giant, and India’s largest con- Maldives next month,” he sug- ironically enough, New Delhi’s metric verifi cation. tered Kashmir. Yesterday Foreign Minister sation of Islamic Co-operation glomerate Reliance, confer- gested. measures off ered an opportunity Their claim was that Nadra At the rally in Islamabad, led Shah Mehmood Qureshi hailed (OIC), “as it is worse than the ment of the UAE’s highest civil Rabbani said parliament as well. verifi cation system and National by the prime minister himself, the US House Committee on United Nations”. award on Indian Prime Minister should try to convene special “India’s claim of being a dem- Identity Card for Overseas Pa- Khan told the thousands in at- Foreign Aff airs’s decision to dis- Taking part in a discussion on Narendra Modi, and the signing meetings of the Commonwealth ocratic and secular state stands kistanis (Nicop) already had tendance that “we are with them cuss the prevailing situation in Kashmir in the Senate, he said of memoranda of understand- Parliamentary Association and exposed now. I have read 30 ar- their biometric record; therefore in their testing times. The mes- Indian-administered Kashmir. the “bubble of an Islamic Um- ing (MoUs) during the fi rst-ever the Asian Parliamentary Asso- ticles on the issue, 27 of which blockage of accounts due to this sage that goes out of here today Speaking to Geo News, the mah [community] had burst” visit to Bahrain by an Indian ciation to raise awareness about were against India,” Hussain reason was unjustifi ed. is that as long as Kashmiris don’t minister said that the meeting and that Pakistan should reap- premier last week, to drive home the Kashmir issue. added. They requested intervention get freedom, we will stand with of the US House Committee will praise its relationship with the the point that Muslim countries “Parliament should prepare a He suggested that the strategy to resolve their grievances. them”. prove to be quite useful regard- Ummah. were too busy minding their own list of all international treaties with regard to India should now Grievance Commissioner of Friday’s protests came as ing the Kashmir dispute. Recalling that the OIC had business to bother about issues and covenants signed by India, be “Modi-specifi c and expose Overseas Pakistanis of Federal the New York Times published “Overseas Pakistanis, partic- failed to act whenever Pakistan like Kashmir. and inform the world how it’s him as fascist and racist”. Ombudsman Hafi z Ahsaan Ah- mad Khokhar sought a report from the State Bank governor in this regard, the statement said, which added that the SBP sub- All in a day’s work mitted that an state regulatory Massive violations order (SRO) had been issued by them advising all banks of Paki- stan to use the Nadra’s data and Verisys for biometric verifi ca- of building bylaws tion of non-resident Pakistanis’ (NRP) bank accounts. Moreover, for those custom- ers who are not NRPs but resid- in Islamabad ing outside Pakistan temporar- ily, the bank may conduct fresh Nadra Verisys checks and retain Internews building owners had commit- the same in place of biometric Islamabad ted violations of building plans verifi cation until their return while almost all high-rise (within six months). buildings were being operated Biometric data of such cus- survey of commercial without getting completion tomers shall be done immedi- buildings carried out by certifi cates – a prerequisite to ately on customer’s return to the Athe Capital Develop- occupy a building. country. ment Authority (CDA) of Pa- Building Control director The SBP further informed that kistan has pointed out massive Faisal Naeem said the survey in case of joint accounts, where violations of building bylaws. had been completed and soon one account holder is outside of The authority’s building the market-wise data would be Pakistan, the biometric check control directorate-I complet- fi nalised to determine the ac- should be done for the resident, ed the compilation of data re- tual violations. while the above stated procedure garding commercial buildings, “We will ensure implemen- be adopted for the other partner. including those in Blue Area, tation of the building bylaws,” marakiz and Class-III shop- he said. ping centres in urban areas. The statement issued by Sources said the survey was CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar related to buildings which were Ali said that prior to the survey, located on allotted and auc- there was no consolidated data 24 people tioned plots, as the agency had of commercial buildings with no record of commercial build- the building control directo- ings in the fast growing rural rate-I, resulting in violations feared dead areas. of building bylaws, non-ob- “In line with the instruc- taining of completion certifi - tions of the CDA management, cates, and non-submission of DPA a survey was conducted by the building plans to the authority. Islamabad staff of the building control He said the lack of data was Fruit vendors are seen among stacked mounds of melons at a fruit market in Peshawar. directorate-I and inspectors of ultimately aff ecting revenue the respective areas. generation and building sym- ore than 20 people, “During the survey data re- metry in the city. including 11 children, garding all commercial build- “As the data has been com- Mwere killed when a ings of Blue Area, marakiz and piled, action against violations pick-up truck carrying passen- class-III markets was collected would be taken,” he said. gers plunged into a stream in and compiled,” said a state- According to CDA Ordi- Govt to launch app for tax return fi ling northwestern Pakistan, an offi - ment. nance 1960, the civic agency is cial said. In the light of the data, the supposed to regulate buildings The accident took place on building control section will for the entire Islamabad. Internews be made part of Tax Asaan Mo- Currently, two private parties The move is in line with the Friday evening in Upper Ko- serve notices on owners of the However, the authority re- Islamabad bile next week. have their own apps, which are FBR’s ongoing drive to bring histan district’s subdivision premises for violations of the stricted itself to urban areas, He said that the app will fa- being used for return fi ling. educational institutions and of Kandia, in the province of bylaws. resulting in the mushrooming cilitate fi ling of e-returns and These returns fi led through hospitals under the tax net. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police Notices would also be served of unauthorised buildings in ith the introduc- will be available on the Google these apps are submitted online The spokesperson said the spokesman Shamsur Rehman on the owners of buildings who rural areas. tion of new tax re- Play store. at the FBR system, he explained. FBR is also working on devising said. have not yet obtained comple- Until 2017, the CDA did not Wturn forms for tax However, Ateeq did not dis- Under the proposed rules, the simple return forms for jewel- He said that the 32 people tion certifi cates from the au- make any serious attempt to year 2019, the Federal Board of close whether the app will also FBR will allow licence holder to lers, which will address their were travelling when the pick-up thority. regulate housing societies. Revenue (FBR) of Pakistan has support key tools like income submit returns in bulk through specifi c issues in order to fa- truck, used for travelling in rug- It said the survey indicated However, in 2017, it formed a decided to launch “Income Tax tax calculator, house rent al- the FBR system. cilitate them in fi ling their tax ged mountainous area, plunged that building plans of some separate directorate of building Return App” next week to help lowance calculator, rent receipt To further facilitate taxpay- returns. into a stream. commercial buildings were not control-II which is currently individuals and businesses fi le generator, or any other tools to ers, the spokesperson said the He said the draft for these re- Eight people managed to jump approved by the authority. dealing with buildings in hous- their tax returns. facilitate taxpayers in e-fi ling of FBR is working on coming up turn forms will be made public out of the vehicle, he said. Therefore, it has been de- ing societies. The new electronic form for tax return. with sector-specifi c return on the FBR website next week. “The dead include three wom- cided that notices would be However, there is still no individuals, salaried individu- The spokesperson, however, forms to facilitate fi ling. The FBR expects that the sec- en and 11 children. The search for issued to the owners of such mechanism to regulate build- als and association of persons said that an online tutorial will He said the draft return forms tor-specifi c return forms will bodies was still on as only four buildings. ings in the rural areas. for tax year 2019 will also be up- be available to guide fi lers. for various sectors will be noti- encourage bulk of returns from bodies have been recovered so Similarly, it was observed The CDA spokesperson said loaded on the FBR website after The new app will make tax fi ed by next week, which will these sectors. far,” he said. that some building owners had the fate of the already-con- making necessary amendments. fi ling handy and less time con- also include small manufactur- The government expects total Local media reported that committed violations after the structed unauthorised com- The deadline for the submis- suming, he added. ers and educational institutions. number of tax returns to reach passengers were from the same issuance of completion certifi - mercial buildings would be de- sion of returns has been set on The spokesperson said the At the same time, he said sim- 4mn during the tax year 2019. family and were travelling to at- cates. cided by a commission formed September 30. FBR is also drafting new rules plifi ed return forms will be in- However, during the last tend a wedding party. However, sources said that by the federal government to FBR spokesperson and Policy to issue licences to certain in- troduced for small hospitals and tax year, the FBR received over Rehman said that the cause of during the survey it was point- review the master plan of Is- Inland Revenue Member Hamid dividuals for submission of bulk clinics to facilitate them in fi ling 2.5mn returns – the highest ever the accident has not yet been de- ed out that a large number of lamabad. Ateeq said that a new icon will e-returns. their tax returns. in the country’s history. termined. Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 17 PHILIPPINES Sotto seeks revamp in corrections bureau

By Javier J Ismael Sanchez was sentenced to a crimes and had not exhibited Manila Times maximum penalty of seven re- good behaviour behind bars. clusion perpetua, each equiva- Prison authorities had seized lent to 40 years in prison for P1.5mn worth of crystal meth, enate President Vicente what Sotto described as “one locally known as shabu, and Sotto 3rd yesterday urged of the most sensational crimes marijuana on two occasions Carlwyn Baldo: court relief SPresident Rodrigo Duterte of the 1990s.” In June this year, from Sanchez’s cell, as well as to implement a massive revamp the Supreme Court allowed the a TV set and air-conditioning at the Bureau of Corrections retroactive application of the unit in his small kubol (rest (BuCor) as he questioned the law to cover inmates convicted house) at the New Bilibid Pris- release of 22,000 prisoners, of prior to its enactment in 2013. on (NBP) in Muntinlupa City. Legazpi City which 1,914 were convicted of The GCTA is earned as a re- President Rodrigo Duterte heinous crimes. ward for an inmate’s good be- has ordered the Justice de- “PRRD (President Rodrigo haviour and deducted from the partment and the BuCor not to Roa Duterte) must revamp jail term that a prisoner needs release Sanchez. court releases the entire BuCor offi cialdom. to serve. Sotto’s resolution di- Lacson said among those Their travesty of justice is con- rected the Senate Committees released under the GCTA were demnable,” Sotto said in a text on Justice and Human Rights, five Chinese drug lords im- message. The Senate chief also Constitutional Amendments, prisoned also at the NBP. mastermind in sought a review of the imple- Revision of Codes and Laws The senator said three drug mentation of a law that would and other appropriate com- lords from Taiwan were also allow the release of more con- mittees to review, in aid of leg- freed from the Davao Penal victs. islation, the implementation Colony. lawmaker’s killing Under Senate Resolution 107, of RA 10592. “There are suspicious and Sotto said the implementation The Senate justice and hu- continuous releases of Chi- of Republic Act (RA) 10592, in- man rights committee headed nese drug lords under the By Ma RL Tolentino is not enough to convince the creasing the good conduct time by Sen. Richard Gordon will GCTA rule,” Lacson said. Manila Times Court that evidence against the allowance (GCTA) for prisoners, start tomorrow its investiga- Sotto: call for revamp “Out of the 1,914 drug relat- accused is strong enough to deny “is now being put to the test by tion and possibly determine ed cases, 48 had availed of the his motion for bail,” the court reason of the possible release of culpability for the question- Senate Minority Leader had said Sanchez is not quali- GCTA rule,” he said. court in Legazpi City has said. It pointed out that it merely former Calauan, Laguna mayor able parole of Sanchez, who Franklin Drilon, Sen. Pan- fied for early release because Lacson added that 48 for- released former Daraga, resolved Baldo’s petition to post Antonio Sanchez.” has served 24 years. filo Lacson and other senators he was convicted of heinous eign convicts had been freed. AAlbay Mayor Carlwyn bail. Baldo, who was tagged as the “This is but a preliminary mastermind in the killing last matter and should not be con- year of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. sidered by anyone as conclusive, Rodel Batocabe. or as a bar, that would prevent Bike squad The Legazpi City Regional the court from making a fi nal as- Call to complete Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10 al- sessment of the evidence of the lowed Baldo to post bail, accord- parties after a full-blown trial,” ing to the Batocabe family. the court said. projects by 2020 Baldo is facing two counts of Baldo was allowed to post murder for the killing of Bato- P3mn for each count of murder. cabe and his police escort, Sen- Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Al- By Catherine S Valente fore his term ends. Involved in the ior Police Offi cer 1 Orlando Diaz, fredo Garbin Jr also opposed the Manila Times project are Cavite Holdings, China on Dec 22, 2018. ruling. Communication Construction Batocabe was shot dead after “We have put our faith in the Co and China Airport Construc- giving gifts to senior citizens and system, but such an unjust rul- resident Rodrigo Duterte tion Group Co Ltd. Duterte said he disabled persons in Daraga. ing deserves to be called out. We wants major government wanted the infrastructure projects “Our family feels a mix of an- strongly disagree with the grant Pprojects under its Build, fi nished before his term ends, as ger, shock and dejection by the of bail and hope that the judge Build, Build Programme complet- he was a “man in a hurry.” decision of the Legazpi City RTC reconsiders her decision so that ed before his terms ends in 2020, The Palace said construction to release Carl ‘Alwin’ Baldo,” justice may ultimately prevail,” Malacanang said yesterday. industry delegates from the Phil- Justin Batocabe, the late law- he said in a statement yesterday. Duterte met with several busi- ippines also paid the president a maker’s son, said in a statement Baldo surrendered to police ness groups, including compa- courtesy call and expressed their yesterday. offi cials in May, days after Judge nies involved in the Sangley Point full support for the administra- “The evidence is clear. There Maria Theresa San Juan Loquil- International Airport project, in tion’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ pro- is no doubt that it was Awin Bal- lano issued a warrant for his ar- Beijing, China on Friday. gramme. “At the same time, (they do who ordered the killing of my rest. The president said the Sang- suggested) the crafting of a law father,” he added. Baldo was tagged as the mas- ley Point International Airport that will ensure continuity in the Baldo had denied involvement termind in the Batocabe slay by should be fi nished in two years, implementation of major govern- in the killing. Henry Yuson, the alleged gun- according to Malacanang. ment infrastructure projects,” the In its order dated Aug 29, man, who also surrendered. “Whatever your plans, do it Palace said. 2018, the court said it granted Yuson claimed the plot to kill fast,” Duterte told Cavite local of- “They renewed their commit- Baldo’s petition for bail because Batocabe was hatched after the fi cials and companies involved in ment to help sustain the admin- the prosecution failed to present former lawmaker announced the airport project. istration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ suffi cient evidence against the that he would run for mayor of Police off icers of Manila ride bicycles during a demonstration and training on ways to repair Duterte, who is in China for programme and told the president accused. Daraga in the May 2019 elec- bikes. The police off icers were given bicycles to improve their mobility. an offi cial visit, added that the that they look at China as a source “The evidence presented tions. project must be completed be- of new technologies,” it added. Recto wants probe into Beijing hopeful on passage sand dredging by fi rms of South China Sea code By Javier J Ismael countries, particularly and foremost of which ap- Manila Times pears to be China.” By Catherine S Valente Recto said Chinese individuals and fi rms, at Manila Times times in cahoots with Filipino individuals and n appropriate committee or committees of companies, had been accosted for illegal black the Senate should inquire into the dredging sand mining in provinces such as Cagayan, Ilocos hina is hopeful that ne- Aof sand and other aggregates from various Sur, Camarines Norte, Akian and Zambales. gotiations on the code of bodies of water in the Philippines toward strength- He added that the sand mining operations Cconduct in the South Chi- ening government mechanisms to enforce Philip- in Akian River were allegedly masqueraded as na (West Philippine) Sea would pine mining laws, Senate President pro tempore “zero-cost” fl ood control projects, where a local be completed during President Ralph Recto said in Senate Resolution 118. company contracted a foreign vessel to dredge Rodrigo Duterte’s term as both In the resolution, Recto over the weekend noted the river in exchange for the right to purchase the countries agreed to maintain that Executive Order 292, or the “Administrative aggregates that would be collected. their non-confrontational poli- Code of 1987,” stipulates that the State shall ensure, The senator also mentioned that dredging cy on the long-standing dispute for the benefi t of Filipinos, the full exploration and projects in other bodies of water appear to follow over the resource-rich waters. development as well as the judicious disposition, a similar scheme, where a company would off er Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, utilisation, management, renewal and conservation “free” dredging services in exchange for the ma- who held a bilateral meeting of the country’s forest, mineral, land, waters, fi sh- terials extracted or the preferential right to pur- with Duterte on Friday, said Bei- eries, wildlife, off -shore areas and other natural re- chase the collected aggregates from the govern- jing would work together with sources, consistent with the necessity of maintain- ment. A botched dredging project in Lobo River the Philippines and other Asso- ing a sound ecological balance and protecting and by Seagate Engineering and Buildsystems in April ciation of Southeast Asian Na- enhancing the quality of the environment and the 2019, according to Recto, would have dredged tions (Asean) members to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang shake hands during their meeting at the objective of making the exploration, development 2mn cubic metres of aggregates from the river the Code of Conduct (CoC) in Great Hall of the People in Beijing. and utilisation of such natural resources equitably and other nearby estuaries, which the company the South China Sea. accessible to the diff erent segments of the present would reportedly sell for $2 per metric tonne to “It is our hope that during the cemented traditional friend- of them are Asean countries. The invalidated China’s massive sea as well as future generations. Synergy Plus Holdings Ltd. The provincial gov- Philippines’ tenure as the coun- ship between our two countries biggest urgency really comes claims in his meeting with Xi. Also, pursuant to Republic Act 7942, or the ernment of Cagayan entered into an agreement try co-ordinator of China-Asean on the basis of mutual respect, from the Western world,” Du- Palace spokesman Salvador “Philippine Mining Act of 1995,” the State shall with Pacifi c Off shore Exploration Inc in June relations, we will conclude CoC equality and mutual benefi t,” he terte said. In June, Duterte said Panelo said the Chinese presi- promote the rational exploration, development, 2019 to dredge Cagayan River in exchange for the consultations so as to maintain told Duterte. the US should stay out of the sea dent was “not off ended by the utilisation and conservation of all mineral re- aggregates to be collected there. peace and stability in the South “We will continue to strength- row, believing it would end up president raising that issue.” sources in order to enhance national growth in a There are other public sector projects in the China Sea,” Li told Duterte. en our bilateral relationship and engaging in a “shouting match” “Obviously, what the presi- way that eff ectively safeguards the environment pipeline incorporating similar activities that The Philippines is the co- together we will achieve win- with China. The president had dent wanted was for them, for and protect the rights of aff ected communities. would be funded by the private sector and the ordinator of the Asean-China win results and maintain secu- proposed the tapping of a neutral the Chinese government to rec- Despite the noble intents of the law, Recto said government through general appropriations or dialogue until 2021, leading ne- rity and stability in our region third party to fast-track the talks ognise the arbitral ruling,” Pan- unscrupulous individuals and companies had by foreign entities through offi cial development gotiations on the drafting of an and peace in the world,” Li said. on the code. elo said. been circumventing the Philippine mining laws assistance. Recto said two of the 75 infrastructure eff ective code of conduct in con- Duterte said the Philippines During his meeting with Chi- On July 12, 2016, the Perma- at the expense of the Filipinos, particularly those fl agship projects of the Duterte administration tested waters. would never confront China, and nese President Xi Jinping on nent Court of Arbitration ruled in proximity to the country’s mineral resources. incorporate dredging, desiltation and extrac- Li said the Philippines was an would work to push forward ne- Thursday, Duterte cited the need in favor of Manila’s case against He added that some local and foreign indi- tion of more than 11mn cubic metres of materials “important co-operation part- gotiations for a binding Code of to fi nish the Code of Conduct, Beijing’s claims to almost the viduals and companies reportedly conduct min- from the rivers of Ambal-Simuay, Rio 4 Grande ner” of Beijing in Southeast Asia. Conduct. saying it would help resolve nu- entire South China Sea. ing operations in the Philippines with incomplete de Mindanao and Pulangi. Spartan Mining and “Since you took offi ce as the He said the passage of a sea merous confl icts. China has refused to recognise licenses and permits, particularly on mining sand Development Corp is scheduled to undertake president of the Philippines code “is the least concern” of the Xi agreed, expressing hope the ruling. and other aggregates. dredging and construction works along Maloma three years ago, the bilateral United States. that it would be crafted within Since 2017, the Philippines A former Justice secretary also noted the pro- River in Zambales at no cost to the government, relations has started to turn “I have been the recipient of the last remaining years of Du- and China have held talks on liferation of illicit black sand mining, where black in exchange for extracting an estimated 12.12mn around and continue to enjoy so many requests regarding the terte. maritime disputes through the sand is “mined illegally in the Philippines, and cubic metres of lahar from the silted river that steady progress and sound de- progress of the Code of Conduct Duterte also raised the rul- Bilateral Consultation Mecha- exported, likewise illegally, to smelters in foreign would be sold to local and international buyers. velopment. Together, we have that China is preparing for. Most ing of an arbitration court that nism on the South China Sea. Gulf Times 18 Sunday, September 1, 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 Daunting task for India to put economy back on high-growth path India recently announced a merger of more public sector banks as part of its eff orts at creating a “strong financial system” towards achieving a $5tn economy by 2024. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced a series of mergers involving 10 state-owned banks, as the country moves to strengthen a sector struggling under a mountain of debt and ensure stronger balance sheets to boost lending and revive economic growth. The mergers cut the number of state-owned banks to 12 from 27 in 2017, and aimed at cleaning up the banking sector and reducing the number of state-run banks, a Reuters Westernisation vs Easternisation: report said. The government has injected roughly $36bn of taxpayers’ money into state-run banks over the last fi ve years to revive the sector. Sitaraman said the Oriental Bank of Commerce and United A tale of two worlds Bank would be merged with New Delhi-headquartered Western societies wish they had Asians’ 2023 as the sixth biggest. Vietnam, one a democratic system, but in the long run Punjab National Bank, creating the country’s second largest By Darim al-Bassam stability and far-sighted leadership? of Asia’s fastest-growing economies, a sophisticated modern economy would lender after the State Bank of India. Are we ready to see the world, and the has overtaken 17 countries in a ranking have to become democratic. For them The government also announced that two lenders based in future, from the Asian point-of-view? of economies in PPP terms since 2000, the Chinese are marching in the road southern India, Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank, would be lmost Are we going to see a fi erce competition including Belgium and Switzerland. The towards capitalism and, therefore, the amalgamated. 30 between Westernisation and Easterni- Philippines is now a larger economy West could relax about the rise of China In addition, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank are to years sation? than the Netherlands while Bangladesh because it has no other alternative but ago Listening to speeches of Modi of India has overtaken 13 other economies in the to choose economic development and merge with Union Bank, A democracy and therefore would lead to (1992) I was in and Xi of China, one can see that right past 20 years. while Indian Bank will Tokyo tak- now there is an emerging sense in Asia By 2030, Asia’s economy is esti- a kind of convergence. This meant that The government merge with Allahabad ing part in the of a historical balance being readjusted, mated to be larger than that of the the rise of China would not be a threat Bank. Arab-Japanese dialogue committee and that creates all sorts of questions, United States and the European Union to Westernisation. has injected The banks’ merger sponsored by the Arab Thought Forum both about the West’s rather rosy view combined. Asia is the world’s largest I think the West has missed a couple of things. When Chinese political initiative comes at a time and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign of its own role in world history and and most populous continent, compris- roughly $36bn Aff airs. At that time the prevailing de- about the durability of the West’s period ing more than 4.2bn people (60% of the fi gures speak about the market-led when India’s economy velopment thinking was about the Asian of dominance. I think those questions world population) living in 46 diff erent world order and capitalism or rule- of taxpayers’ expanded at its weakest Miracle, the Asian Tigers Syndrome, are perhaps now being asked, but they countries or territories. It is the fastest- based multilateralism, they are speaking pace in more than fi ve the Coming Age of Asia, and the 21st weren’t asked three decades ago when growing economic region. about the world they want to see, not money into years in the April-June century if it will be Asian. The West on we met with the Japanese scholars and “The west’s two-century epoch as the liberal world that exists today. fi rst quarter. its part was blessing, after the fall of decision-makers in Tokyo. global powerhouse is at an end,” argues Unsurprisingly, the world they want is state-run banks the Berlin Wall, the birth of a unipolar The Asians, in my opinion, have Kishore Mahbubani in his latest book one in which they have a greater share of Recently, India new international order led by the USA. come to realise that history is reach- Has the West Lost It? Over the past fi ve power than they have now. over the last fi ve released data showing During the rounds of our meeting, I ing full circle. As they see things, Asia’s decades, hundreds of millions of people China and other Asian countries’ its economic growth in asked one of our Japanese counterparts recent sweeping surge represents for in Asia have been lifted out of poverty view of their own history would to some years to revive the April to June quarter if he believes that the global power shift them a return to a historical norm. Asia and many Asian economies have gradu- extent inevitably place them at odds fell to 5%, the weakest in to the East is possible and if Easternisa- dominated the world economy for most ated to middle-income or advanced with the established powers in the West the sector more than six years. tion could compete with Westernisa- of human history until the 19th century. economic status, according to World , because their interpretation of history tion in ruling the globalised world? Around the end of the 17th century, Bank defi nitions. is they were exploited by the West. A Reuters poll showed His answer was a clear no. World Europe was looking with admiration “The future is Asian,” claims the China has its “Century of Humilia- India’s consumer demand and private investment have leadership, according to him, is a and envy at a region of the globe which geopolitical strategist Parag Khanna. tion”. Even the Indians, who are still in a weakened at a time global trade frictions dampened business complex and intertwined process of concentrated more than two-thirds of In his new book with the same title, he democratic system, are very conscious sentiment. international integration arising from the world’s gross domestic product, and argues that we are witnessing a tectonic of colonialism and imperialism. The median fi gure from the poll of economists is for the enforcement of a world view (liberal three-quarters of the world’s popula- shift in global power. If the 19th century The form that Asia’s soft-power story annual growth in gross domestic product of 5.7% in the or otherwise), spread of products, ideas, tion. The industrial revolution in the belonged to Europe, and the 20th cen- required for marketing the world view and other aspects of culture. The world West and the renaissance move made tury to the United States, then the 21st of Eastrenisation will remain a work in quarter, compared with 5.8% in the previous three months view, in his opinion, leans towards the the tilt. Asia was transformed from the century now belongs to Asia. progress for the emerging multi-polar and 8% for the same period of 2018. Western culture. When people talk of world’s manufacturing centre into clas- Seemingly, the Anglo-American international order: The Belt and Road Many economists say India’s economic slowdown could ‘Westernisation’, they are referring to a sic underdeveloped economies export- narrative of history explained things Initiative (BRI) as a global infrastruc- continue for the next two to three years as the economy faces whole range of things: modern values, ing agricultural commodities. wrongly. They told us that industriali- ture development strategy and invest- serious structural issues of a slowdown in consumer demand liberty and freedom of expression, But after World War II that trend has sation and capitalism led to more mass ments in 152 countries and in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and and decline in manufacturing growth. human-rights-based rule. Moreover been gradually reversing. The dramatic democracy which then led to globalisa- reference is made to the consumer rise of Japan and South Korea, the fi rst tion, internationalism, and multilater- the Americas will not be only bricks and Many indicators - automobile sales, rail freight, petroleum culture of Western capitalism with its countries in Asia to catch up with the alism. They went far enough to claim at mortar. Asia’s intellectuals still need to product consumption, domestic air traffi c and imports - are now all-too-familiar icons (McDonalds, West, has been steadfasted by China’s one time that this is a way of no return forge that vision. They have to tell the signalling drops in domestic consumption. Coca-Cola, Levis Jeans, and Malboro, take-off following the country’s intro- or the End of History. world that Euro-centric societal vision In July, auto sales tumbled 31% from a year earlier, the etc). duction of market-oriented reforms Asia’s rise seems to challenge this of Modernity and Modernisation could biggest decline in nearly two decades, resulting in the loss of We in Asia, he continued, cannot eas- under Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in narrative. Japan and South Korea be matched by Confucianism and Bud- ily commodify our culture and market the late 1970s. In just a couple of gen- developed in diff erent ways from the dhism which embraces modern values hundreds of thousands of jobs. it internationally, therefore one cannot erations, a winning mix of integration West. China, under the single rule of and principles. In some sociological The unemployment rate rose to 7.51% in July from 5.66% talk about Eastrenisation competing with the global economy via trade and the Communist Party and its politi- writings Confucianism and Buddhism a year earlier, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian with or replacing Westernisation. The foreign direct investment, high savings cal system of socialism with Chinese have been considered the ‘Protestant Economy, a private think tank in Mumbai. economic hardware power we were able rates, large investments in human and characteristics, obviously defeats the ethic’ of the East. They are secular, Industry chambers including the Ficci are lobbying for a to developed, he goes, is not enough for physical capital, and sound macroeco- Western discourse. I think India does because they are not monotheistic cut in Goods and Services Tax rate on passenger vehicles and us to lead the world, we need software nomic policies contributed to Asia’s to some extent as well. The question is: religions, and they are characterised by power and that is cultural. We need to economic leap forward, according to the What might has the West missed in try- bureaucratisation, which means they cement to revive growth, warning that falling sales could have stories to tell the world. Global IMF’s regional outlooks. ing to apply a history based on Western are rational systems in nation building. force more job cuts. leadership will come when our region The world’s imminent entry to an experiences to that part of the world? In all traditional Confucian countries, To boost investment in the country and aid sectors such as has amassed enough soft power to Asian age is coming not just because of To the extent that they did notice it the selection for the national bureauc- banking and auto manufacturing, the government has been weave an Asian narrative that com- its largest economies, but also thanks in the 1990s, they told themselves a racy is strictly based on merit. This is taking steps such as approval for 100% foreign investment in mands respect. The currency of soft to growth among smaller and midsize story derived from what had just hap- the essence of modernisation theory. coal mining and eased rules in contract manufacturing and power is culture, political values, and countries. Indonesia is on track to be- pened in Eastern Europe about how As Max Weber pointed out, bureaucra- foreign policies. come the world’s seventh-largest econ- economic development was linked to tisation and selection by achievement single-brand retail sectors. In this article I want to re-address omy at Purchase Power Parity (PPP) by democracy. Maybe in the fi rst stage instead of on a hereditary basis (as in But whether these measures will help put the Indian the question after almost three decades 2020, and will have overtaken Russia by countries could grow very fast without traditional societies) are characteristics economy back on a high-growth path and achieve the and dive deep, trying to understand of modern, rational societies. country’s targeted $5tn economy in fi ve years remains to be how Asia, with the emergence of China Buddha holds that though people’s seen. and India in the new millennium as beliefs about values may change over world-class economic powerhouses, time, there are certain values which is about to reoccupy the centre of the have universal validity. There is a system global economic stage? Historically, this of core values which can be discovered To Advertise is happening at a time that the world is by human intelligence and experience, witnessing the relinquishing of liberal and these have to be upheld at all times [email protected] values and the disintegration of the lib- if human beings are to lead a decent Display eral world order. Also, it is taking place form of life. where the world leadership became In fact all these Eastrenisation values 44466621 44418811 a vacant post. Does Asia in this cross which are based on Collectivism fi nd section of history has a story to tell the social acceptability and resemblance in Classified world and pave the way to Easternisa- majority of societies worldwide com- 44466609 44418811 tion? pared to individualism that prevails in As we all know, the world has got the Euro-centric West. Subscription used these days to hearing “America All these modernisation views can First”— but is it ready for “Asia First”? constitute the soft power required to [email protected] What happens when Asia no longer just weave an Asian narrative that com- produces for the West but the West pro- China’s emergence in the new millennium as world-class economic powerhouse is mands respect worldwide. They sit © 2019 Gulf Times. All rights reserved duces for Asia? And when Asians don’t about to reoccupy the centre of the global economic stage. Via https://www.good- easily with and, indeed, are on ample aspire to live like the West but rather freephotos.com/ off er in Asia. Gulf Times Sunday, September 1, 2019 19 COMMENT The Trump narrative and the next recession

By Robert J Shiller ated with a recession. New Haven During a recession, people pull back and reassess their views. Consumers spend less, avoiding purchases that can S President Donald Trump be postponed: a new car, home renova- concluded his remarks at the tions, and expensive vacations. Busi- recent G7 summit by invit- nesses spend less on new factories and Uing the assembled leaders to equipment, and put off hiring. They hold next year’s meeting at his Doral don’t have to explain their ultimate country club near Miami, describing reasons for doing this. Their gut feel- a fantasy-like world of “magnifi cent ings and emotions can be enough. buildings” whose “ballrooms are So far, with his fl ashy lifestyle, among the biggest in Florida and the Trump has been a resounding inspira- best.” It was yet another instance of tion to many consumers and investors. Trump’s public narrative, which has The US economy has been exception- been on a rising growth path for nearly ally “strong,” extending the recovery a half-century. from the Great Recession that bot- One can observe this by searching tomed out just as Barack Obama took Trump’s name in digital news sources, over the US presidency in 2009. The like Google Ngrams. His narrative has subsequent US expansion is the long- been slow to grow by contagion, but it est on record, going back to the 1850s. has been growing for a long time, such Ultimately, a strong narrative is the that his domination of public discourse reason for the US economy’s strength. in the United States almost seems But motivational speakers often end implausible. up repelling the very people they once Part of Trump’s genius has been to inspired. Witness the reactions of stu- pursue for a lifetime the features that dents at Trump University, the fraud- have sustained narrative contagion: based school its namesake founded in showcasing glamour, surround- 2005, which shut down by multiple ing himself with apparently adoring lawsuits a half-decade later. Or con- beautiful women, and maintaining the sider the sudden political demise of US appearance of vast infl uence. Senator Joe McCarthy in 1954, after he Trump had fi rmly embraced this US President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speak before a working breakfast at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, on August 25. Trump’s carried his anti-communist rhetoric career strategy by 1983, when an article public narrative has been on a rising growth path for nearly a half-century. too far. in the New York Times entitled “The There is too much randomness in Empire and Ego of Donald Trump” show in 2004 called The Apprentice, ensuring that no one of independent to do anything and everything, to dice, principal thing, ignorance; secondly Trump’s management of the presi- reported that he was already, in that which featured real-life business stature remains part of his administra- to drink deep, to live high and keep recklessness, and thereto eff rontery dency to make persuasive predictions. year, “an internationally recognised competition. He immediately saw the tion. This has established a new form mistresses, or at all events to boast of and shamelessness. Modesty, respect- He will surely try to stick to his public symbol of New York City as a centre for opportunity of a lifetime to advance his of arbitrariness in the US government, it even if you do not do it, telling eve- ability, self-restraint, and blushes may narrative, which has worked so well for the world’s super rich.” Consider his public persona, becoming famous for the Trump whim, which, given the ryone about it and showing notes that be left at home, for they are useless and so long. But a severe recession may be interest in professional wrestling – a a tough-love narrative. “You’re fi red!” linkages of the US and global econo- purport to be written by women. You somewhat of a hindrance to the matter his undoing. And even before eco- form of entertainment that attracts he would bark at losers on his show, mies, can aff ect the entire world. must aim to be elegant, you know, and in hand … If you commit a solecism or nomic catastrophe strikes, the public crowds who by some strange human while also showing some warmth to None of this is original. Trump take pains to create the impression that a barbarism, let shamelessness be your may begin paying more attention to his quirk seem to want to believe in the au- winners and losers alike. has been pursuing a variation on a women are devoted to you. This also only remedy.” aberrations – and to contagious new thenticity of what is obviously staged. Now that Trump has established a recurrent narrative that dates back will be set down to the credit of your Of course, in an era when people counternarratives that crowd out his He has mastered the industry’s kayfabe contagious narrative, he continues to thousands of years. The ancient cynic rhetoric by the public, who will infer usually did not live as long as they do own. -Project Syndicate style and uses it eff ectively everywhere live out his TV show persona. At the Lucian of Samosata, in a second-cen- from it that your fame extends even to today, Lucian could not have imag- to increase his contagion, even going Republican Party’s 2016 convention, tury essay on oratory, “A Professor of the women’s quarters.” ined that one could plan to maintain O Robert J Shiller, Professor of Eco- so far as to participate in a fake brawl after portraying the US as a declin- Public Speaking,” describes to would- For Lucian, this narrative does not narrative consistency for 50 years. But nomics at Yale University, is the author in 2007. ing power, he declared, “I alone can be leaders how one can exploit a power describe reality, but creates it. What nor can such a narrative be sustained of the forthcoming book Narrative Trump had the good luck to be fi x it.” Accordingly, he has fi red his narrative by acting it out in one’s own matters is not substance, but consist- forever. And the end of confi dence in Economics: How Stories Go Viral and invited to host a new reality television top offi cials at an unprecedented rate, life: “ ... In your private life, be resolved ency: “Bring with you, then, as the Trump’s narrative is likely to be associ- Drive Major Economic Events. Brazil committed to protecting environment Three-day forecast

TODAY By Roberto Abdalla Maximum Temperature : 420c Ambassador of Brazil to Qatar Minimum Temperature : 320c

MONDAY egarding the fi res currently Maximum Temperature : 390c taking place in the Amazon Minimum Temperature : 310c rainforest and its repercus- TUESDAY sion in the global media, the Maximum Temperature : 390c R Minimum Temperature : 310c embassy of Brazil in Doha would like to Minimum Temperature : 310c clarify that: Fisherman's forecast O Forest fi res happen every year in Brazil, especially during the dry season, which comprises July, August WARNING and September. Almost all the fi res Inshore : Nil registered in 2019 are level 1, the low- Offshore : Nil est in a scale that goes up to 3; WEATHER O The fires in the Amazon are Inshore : Hot daytime with some not out of control. The Brazilian clouds and slight dust Government is actively engaged at times Offshore : Misty at first with some in combating the fires through a clouds comprehensive inter-agency opera- tion (“Green Brazil Operation”). A WIND Inshore : Northwesterly-North- total of 2,500 firefighters and other easterly 06-16 KT military personnel are on the field Offshore : Southwesterly-North- in close co-ordination with state- westerly 03-12 KT level authorities in this complex and Visibility : 4-8 KM enduring task. Approximately 15 Offshore : 1-3 FT military aircraft, 10 navy ships and other modern firefighting equipment have been used in this endeavour; Around the region O In order to prevent damages to the Weather Amazon — which is an essential part Weather Weather tomorrow Max/min of our history, our territory and eve- today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Sunny 44/28 rything that makes us feel Brazilians Baghdad Sunny 44/27 Sunny 44/28 Sunny 48/33 - the Federal Government of Brazil Handout picture released by the Communication Department of the State of Mato Grosso showing firefighters combating a Kuwait City Sunny 47/33 Sunny 48/33 Sunny 41/32 is devoting considerable resources fire in the Amazon basin in the municipality Sorriso, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on August 26. Manama Sunny 42/33 Sunny 41/32 M Sunny 34/27 to combat the fi re spots. The level Muscat Sunny 36/27 M Sunny 34/27 Sunny 32/22 of fi nancial resources dedicated to vegetation (approximately nine times original vegetation on their properties. Nations Framework Convention on Tehran Sunny 33/22 Sunny 32/22 fi refi ghting remains similar to that of the total area of Qatar) and replanted Additionally, the Federal Govern- Climate Change (UNFCCC) with a previous years, in spite of the ongoing forests in another 2mn hectares; ment not only has established public view to fi nance deforestation reduc- economic crisis; O Brazilian agriculture is a clear ex- conservation units and indigenous tion and reforestation activities, such O Brazil is a world reference in ample of how environmental protec- reserves amounting to more than 50% as the REDD+, the Green Climate the fi eld of on-the-ground opera- tion and economic development can of the Amazon, but also protects areas Fund and the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean tions to combat forest fi res. As the go hand in hand. Only 30% of Brazilian amounting to more than 2.6mn kna2. Development Mechanism. Any new co-ordinator of the South American territory is dedicated to agriculture The country is among the cleanest initiative with similar purposes may Forest Fire Network, Brazil provides and ranching, while in some other energy producers in the world - using be, therefore, redundant; assistance and capacity-building to countries these fi gures usually range over 40% of renewable resources in its O Brazil will continue to implement other countries; between 45% and 65%; energy mix — and over the last dec- concrete actions to combat deforesta- O Brazil remains fi rmly commit- O Brazilian environmental legisla- ades it has developed the capacity to tion and forest degradation, particular- ted to protecting the environment. tion is extensive and considered to be reconcile agricultural production with ly in the Amazon region, in accordance Brazil has reduced deforestation in the one of the most modern in the world. environmental preservation; with the international instruments Amazon by 72% over the past 15 years, Laws require landowners in the Ama- O There are several instruments to which we are party, as any other having regenerated ‘9Am’ hectares of zon to preserve at least 80% of the already available under the United respectable sovereign nation would. Around the world Weather Weather today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Athens Sunny 32/22 Sunny 34/22 Beirut Sunny 31/26 Sunny 31/25 Bangkok T Storm 31/26 T Storm 31/25 Live issues Berlin P Cloudy 28/15 P Cloudy 22/11 Berlin P Cloudy 28/15 P Cloudy 22/11 Cairo Sunny 37/24 Sunny 36/23 Cape Town P Cloudy 17/11 Sunny 18/11 Motivational text messages may help diabetics Colombo T Storm 29/26 S T Storms 29/26 Dhaka S T Storms 35/27 S T Storms 34/27 Hong Kong T Storm 28/25 T Storm 27/25 IANS researcher Xiqian Huo from Fuwai randomly assigned to the text messag- cantly lower in the intervention group Istanbul P Cloudy 28/22 Sunny 29/23 Paris Hospital in China. ing intervention or a control group for compared to the control group (6.7% Jakarta Sunny 33/24 Sunny 33/24 “Capitalising on the exponential six months. versus 7.2%). Karachi S T Storms 32/27 S T Storms 31/27 growth in mobile phone usage over the The intervention group received six On average, HbA1c fell by 0.2% in London P Cloudy 20/09 M Cloudy 21/12 esearchers have found that past decade, a simple text messaging messages per week, at random times of the intervention group and rose by Manila T Storm 28/25 T Storm 30/26 a low-cost text messaging programme could increase the reach of the day, from an automated system set 0.1% in the control group - a diff er- Moscow P Cloudy 25/13 P Cloudy 24/13 programme improves blood diabetes self-management support,” up by the researchers. ence of 0.3% between groups. New Delhi S T Storms 32/27 S T Storms 34/28 Rsugar control in patients she added. The messages were designed to The change in fasting blood glucose New York P Cloudy 26/21 I T Storms 27/20 with diabetes and coronary heart It may provide a means to better provide information and motivation was larger in the intervention, com- Paris P Cloudy 23/11 M Sunny 23/09 disease. address the burgeoning healthcare and help patients set goals and manage pared to control, group (-0.5 versus 0.1 Sao Paulo P Cloudy 26/16 S Showers 22/17 “The eff ect in this study was not demand-capacity imbalance. stress. mmol/L, respectively). Seoul M Cloudy 29/19 Cloudy 28/19 only statistically signifi cant but also For the study presented at the ESC The control group received two The intervention was acceptable to Singapore M Sunny 32/27 I T Storms 32/27 has the potential to be clinically Congress 2019 in France, the research- thank you text messages per month. participants, 97% found the text mes- Sydney Sunny 20/10 Sunny 19/09 relevant by reducing risk of diabetic ers enrolled 502 patients from 34 At six months, blood glycated sages useful, readable and an appro- Tokyo Clear 29/24 Cloudy 31/25 complications and death,” said study clinics in China and the patients were haemoglobin (HbA1c) was signifi - priate method of contact. Gulf Times 20 Sunday, September 1, 2019 QATAR Afghan envoy hails Qatar role in US-Taliban peace parleys z Intra-Afghan dialogue The ambassador is hopeful that soon to follow US-Taliban talks after the ongoing peace talks, an intra- Afghanistan dialogue will take pace. Tamuq welcomed about 140 new students for orientation during the three-day Aggie Life 101 orientation. “Both the US and the Taliban say By Mudassir Raja that after they fi nished their round Staff Reporter of talks, there will immediately be an intra-Afghanistan dialogue. For the dialogue, the government’s delegation bdul Hakim Dalili, the newly- will include around 15 delegations rep- Texas A&M at Qatar says appointed ambassador of Af- resenting all sections of the Afghan so- Aghanistan to Qatar, has hailed ciety – religious scholars, civil society the role of the government of Qatar in members, youth and women. It will be the ongoing peace talks between the an inclusive delegation. We will try and Taliban and the US in Doha. Ambassador Dalili.... lauds Qatar’s role convince them to stop the war. We are ‘Howdy’ to new Aggies In an interview with Gulf Times, the as an impartial facilitator. ready to talk to them.” ambassador appreciated the govern- The ambassador, however, expressed ment of Qatar for playing a “construc- ity of the country under its control. The his disappointment over yesterday’s exas A&M University at Qatar tive role” in the talks. government has been elected by the peo- attack by the Taliban on Kunduz. (Tamuq) welcomed about 140 “I would like to thank the wise leader- ple and has made great achievements.” “All eff orts are for peace and such Tnew students for orientation ship of Qatar (for hosting the talks). The The ambassador highlighted that his acts of violence are very detrimental for during the three-day Aggie Life 101 positive side of the mediation is that the government has put no pre-conditions peace and stability.” orientation. government of Qatar is impartial. They for the peace talks with the Taliban. Speaking very high of bilateral ties Students and graduates of Texas are not taking sides. They are just the “Since President Ashraf Ghani took with Qatar, Dalili said Doha has been A&M University are called ‘Aggies’ facilitators. Qatar’s role is fully appreci- the offi ce (in 2014), he has removed all supportive of the people of Afghani- and that tradition continues at Texas ated by the Afghan government.” pre-conditions for the sake of bringing stan since the Soviet invasion. “Qatar A&M’s branch campus in Doha. Dalili said that his government has in peace. He has said that the govern- has been continuously supporting the Aggie Life 101 is a series of seminars, keenly been following the talks. ment has no conditions. The Taliban, Afghan people in their just cause. Qatar workshops and activities designed to “Though we wanted to be a part of however, has to accept the constitution has been accommodating Afghan expa- teach students about Texas A&M and the talks, the two negotiating sides fi rst of Afghanistan that is an Islamic consti- triates from diff erent walks of life.” its unique traditions, as well as what it wanted to sort out some issues before tution. It says that no law can be passed The ambassador said there are numer- takes to succeed at a world-renowned the withdrawal of the US forces.” in Afghanistan that is against Islam. ous Qatari businesspersons who have engineering institution, according to a The ambassador believes that the most Anyone acceding to the constitution, invested in Afghanistan. “There are lots press statement by Tamuq. important round of talks would be be- they are welcome. They will enjoy same of opportunities to enhance economic The orientation also showcased the tween the Afghan government and the rights and privileges that any Afghan en- and cultural ties between the two coun- opportunities Texas A&M at Qatar of- Taliban. “Of course the Taliban are a joys within the framework of our current tries.” He added: “In Afghanistan, there fers to students to help them become group in Afghanistan. We have an elected constitution. Even our president invited are great investment opportunities that engineering leaders — from social clubs and legitimate government with a major- the Taliban to open their offi ce in Kabul.” can be benefi cial for our neighbours also.” and activities to transformative educa- tional experiences, such as internation- Aggie Life 101 includes a series of seminars, workshops and activities. al service-learning trips, study abroad and undergraduate research. who serve as ambassadors of Tamuq during your experience at Texas A&M During this time, students registered and answer questions the new stu- University at Qatar are unparalleled for classes, attended academic advis- dents might have about college life. and can’t be found anywhere else. You ing sessions, toured the Texas A&M The groups also allowed new stu- will become leaders in your respec- Engineering Building, met with faculty dents the opportunity to get to know tive fi elds and that’s an experience you and engaged with student leaders. one another as they begin this new ex- should be excited to pursue.” Dr Hazem Nounou, assistant dean perience together. Aggie Life 101 also gave current stu- for academic and student services, The orientation leaders introduced dents a chance to develop their skills welcomed the new students, including the Aggie Core Values and the Aggie in leadership and service, two of Texas the freshmen of the Class of 2023. Code of Honour, two driving principles A&M’s core values. “I congratulate all of our new stu- that set apart an Aggie education. Orientation leader Omar Aly, Class dents for joining Texas A&M Universi- At the end of these sessions, orienta- of 2022, said: “It was a great honour ty at Qatar, one of the most prestigious tion leaders quizzed the new students to welcome new members to our Aggie engineering universities in the world,” on their knowledge of Texas A&M’s family and hope they feel at home. The Nounou said. traditions, including the university’s amazing experience taught me how to “I wish our new students nothing offi cial greeting (Howdy!), its mascot be a leader not just in orientation, but but success as they strive to become (an American collie named Reveille) or in life as a whole.” part of the rising generation of engi- its colours (maroon and white). Another orientation leader, Rand Ala- neering leaders who will drive Qatar to Speaking to the new students, Stu- gha, Class of 2022, added: “Being an ori- achieve its goals.” dent Government Association presi- entation leader taught me how to engage, During the week, students were split dent Abdul Sattar Alkahala said: “The show loyalty, teach, guide, and most im- into groups led by current students mentality and skills you are set to gain portantly, how to lead by example.”

Qatar to mark National Day early at Beijing Expo 2019

atar’s pavilion at the ongoing International Horticultural Ex- Qhibition in Beijing (Expo 2019) will host a symbolic celebration of Qa- tar National Day tomorrow in co-oper- ation with the entities concerned at the Ministry of Municipality and Environ- ment (MME) and the Qatari embassy in China. Offi cials from both Qatar and China are expected to take part in the event, according to a statement by the MME. The National Day celebrations will include a speech by Qatar’s ambassador to China, an artistic presentation on Qatari folklore and heritage, and a short fi lm on Qatar’s past and present. The logo for Expo 2021, which is to be held in Doha, will also be launched dur- ing the event. The MME said that about 1.54mn people have visited the pavilion be- tween April 29, when the event began, and August 27. The expo concludes on October 7.