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TUESDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11336 October 15, 2019 Safar 16, 1441 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Amir meets Algerian ambassador In brief

QATAR | Offi cial Amir holds phone Qatar launches fl u calls with Tunisian, Ecuadorian leaders His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held yesterday evening a telephone conversation vaccination drive with Tunisian president-elect Dr Kais O Staff can be vaccinated at their worksites O Free vaccination available at Saied. The Amir congratulated him on his victory in the presidential HMC, PHCC health centres and select semi-government and private clinics elections, wishing him success. The Amir aff irmed Qatar’s standing By Joseph Varghese Preparedness Committee. include elderly people above the age of with Tunisia since the beginning Staff Reporter He was speaking at a press confer- 65, young children below fi ve, preg- of the revolution and its support ence at Al Waab Health Centre an- nant women and people with chronic for the aspirations of the brotherly nouncing the launch of the campaign. medical conditions,” she noted. Tunisian people, hailing the success bout 200,000 people are ex- Dr Hamad al-Romaihi, manager, Thousands of staff across the Qatar of Tunisia’s democratic experience. pected to have seasonal fl u jabs Health Protection and Communicable healthcare system have already re- Dr Saied expressed his thanks to His Aunder the national vaccination Diseases at MoPH; Dr Khalid Hamid ceived the vaccine in readiness for the Highness the Amir and appreciation campaign offi cially launched yester- Elawad, manager, Health Protection, season. to Qatar’s leadership and people, day. Preventive Health Directorate at the “Initial laboratory data indicates an His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met at the Amiri Diwan noting the deep fraternally relations The campaign is a joint initiative of PHCC and Dr Soha Albayat, head, early start to this year’s fl u season and off ice yesterday with the outgoing Algerian ambassador to Qatar Abdulaziz Saba. between the two countries and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Vaccination Section, MoPH, were also also point to it being more severe than The Amir granted the ambassador Al Wajbah Decoration in recognition of his eff orts peoples. the Primary Health Care Corporation present. last year, so it is extremely important and role in contributing to enhancing bilateral relations, wishing him success in his O His Highness the Amir Sheikh (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corpora- “This year we have ordered that people take action and get vac- future missions, and the relations between the two countries further progress and Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held tion (HMC). 200,000 doses of vaccine as last cinated, especially those at high risk prosperity. For his part, the Algerian ambassador expressed thanks and appreciation a telephone conversation with “The infl uenza season starts with year’s campaign was highly success- for fl u complications. Flu is a serious to the Amir and the State’s off icials for the co-operation he received that contributed Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno the onset of winter months and peo- ful. Based on our experience from last disease that can lead to hospitalisation to the success of his work in the country. yesterday evening. The phone call ple get aff ected especially in the colder year we have planned for this year. If and sometimes, even death. Vaccina- dealt with the latest developments in months. This year, we had witnessed there is still demand for more, we are tion to prevent infl uenza is particularly Ecuador. President Moreno briefed a major attack of infl uenza a bit early ready to bring more doses,” explained important for people who are at high Sheikh Joaan honours Barshim the Amir on the current situation and the campaign aims to reach out to Dr al-Romaihi. risk for the fl u and its complications,” in Ecuador. The Amir expressed a good section of the public as early as Dr Albayat highlighted the eff orts explained Dr al-Khal. Qatar’s support for the eff orts made possible,” said Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, to reach out to more people. “Last Dr al-Romaihi said that this year the by President Moreno to maintain HMC’s deputy chief medical offi cer year we had ordered for more doses as ministry has brought in a new vaccine security and stability in his country, and head of Infectious Diseases and there was high demand. We are trying which is more eff ective. “The theme aff irming the depth of the friendship co-chair of the National Pandemic to reach out to high-risk people. They of the infl uenza vaccine campaign this relations and co-operation between year is fi ght the fl u and to make the the two countries. infl uenza vaccine easily accessible to everyone again this year; the vaccine QATAR | Dialogue is available for free across all PHCC health centres, and at private and Global Security Forum semi-governmental health centres. kicks off in Doha today Through this, the Ministry of Public Under the patronage of HE the Prime Health is building a strong partner- Minister and Minister of Interior ship with private healthcare provid- Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin ers to increase levels of immunisation Khalifa al-Thani, the Global Security against the fl u in our community,” Forum 2019 will kick off in Doha noted Dr al-Romaihi. today. The two-day forum will discuss Dr Elawad said vaccination has the security challenges posed by proved reduction in the risk of fl u ill- the current misinformation and the ness, and a growing body of research serious implications of this trend evidence supports the fact that vacci- and its impact on a world where nation also reduces the risk of serious HE the President of Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani communications are increasingly Off icials announcing the launch of the vaccination campaign yesterday. fl u outcomes that can result in hospi- honours Qatar’s high jump champion Mutaz Barshim at a ceremony in Doha evolving. PICTURE: Thajudheen talisation and even death. To Page 6 yesterday. Pakistan’s lone participant clinches wrestling gold

By Sahan Bidappa Doha

e was Pakistan’s lone participant at the ANOC World Beach Games. And he Hdidn’t disappoint his fans back home. Mohamed Inam produced a scintillating per- formance to clinch the 90kg gold in beach wres- tling, beating Georgia’s Dato Marsagishvili at Katara Beach yesterday. Inam lived up to his top billing as the two-time world beach wrestling champion by clinching a 5-2 win. He was dominant throughout as he won all his matches to top the Group A, before win- ning his semi-fi nal and fi nal bouts. Inam is a double Commonwealth Games gold medallist (2010, 2018) in 84 and 86kg freestyle and has received the Pride of Performance award from the government of Pakistan. He had qualifi ed for the Qatar Beach Worlds after fi n- Kevin Vinuela of Spain, gold medallist (centre) flanked by the silver and Spain’s Francisca Tous (centre), winner of the gold medal in Aquathlon ishing as runner-up in a qualifying tournament bronze winners in the Aquathlon (Men) at Katara Beach yesterday. (Women) flanked by the silver and bronze medallists. in Rio, Brazil, in May. In the semis, Inam recorded an easy 3-0 win ing myself, and then also teaching and training winner of the women’s race in 29:38. nestrina of Finland also making the podium in over Pedro Jacinto Garcia Perez of Spain. His other juniors at my gym is tough. I picked up an Belarus netted a full set of medals across second place after nailing a 49.3m jump. toughest bout was in the fi nal, where Marsa- injury almost two months ago and underwent the two Waterski Jump events, with a gold The men’s bouldering gold was won by Ja- gishvili looked to pull off a shock result. The surgery,” Inam said. and bronze in the women’s and silver in the pan’s 20-year-old world bouldering champion Georgian took a 2-0 lead with just a point more Meanwhile, Spain enjoyed another golden men’s. Kai Harada with a total score of 3,132 points at required to win gold, but Inam was not the one double yesterday after Kevin Vinuela and Fran- After a disappointing showing in the prelimi- the Aspire. His Japanese teammate Keita Wat- to give up so easily. cisca Tous won the men’s and women’s aquath- nary event, fi nishing bottom of the six qualify- abe took silver, while bronze went to Germany’s The Pakistani made it 2-2 with two throws, Mohamed Inam... champion wrestler lon events yesterday. ing skiers, Aliaksandra Danisheuskaya rallied to Philipp Martin. and with seconds remaining in the fi rst period, In a physically challenging event, which con- produce a spectacular winning jump of 49.5m The women’s bouldering event was also won produced a 3-point takedown to clinch a thrill- “I trained very hard for this after missing the sists a 2.5 kilometre run, a 750 metre swim and a to claim the water ski jump gold at the Leqtafi ya by a Japanese, with Miho Nonaka cruising to ing contest. Ahead of his trip to Doha, Inam had World Wrestling Championship in Kazakhstan second 2.5 kilometres on the pavement, the two Lagoon. victory with a total tally of 4,142 points. Swit- hoped to fulfi l his dream of winning a gold medal last month. It was not easy but I was confi dent Spaniards took the top honours. Her compatriot, 2018 European silver med- zerland’s Petra Klingler took silver, while Slova- at the World Beach Games, and he truly struck of winning gold at the World Beach Games. I Vinuela came home to win the men’s race allist Hanna Straltsova, managed 49.0m on her kia’s Urska Repusic bagged bronze. to his word. have been training hard at home too, but train- in 26min 55sec, while Tous was a convincing third attempt, fi nishing third, with Jutta Me- Sport Pages 1, 2, 3, 4 Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 QATAR

Amir condoles FM meets Antigua counterpart with president of Burkina Faso His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani Ministry of and His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday sent cables to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso, condoling the victims of the education signs attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa pact with NHRC al-Thani sent a similar cable of condolences to Prime Minister of QNA Burkina Faso Christophe Dabire. Doha HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Qatar condemns al-Thani met the Minister of Foreign Aff airs, Immigration and Trade of Antigua and Barbuda Paul he Ministry of Education assassination of Greene, who is currently visiting Qatar. The meeting reviewed bilateral co-operation relations as and Higher Education Afghan off icial well as issues of common concern. Tand the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) yes- terday signed a memorandum of Qatar has expressed its strong co-operation on the implemen- condemnation and denunciation tation of the Arab Plan for Hu- of the assassination of the district man Rights Education adopted administrative chief of Jaghatoo by the Arab League summit. HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohamed district of Wardak province in The MoU was signed by HE Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi and HE the Chairman of the NHRC Dr central Afghanistan, in a shooting QGBC all set to launch Qatar the Minister of Education and Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri signing the memorandum yesterday. incident in the capital Kabul. Higher Education Dr Mohamed In a statement yesterday, the Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi among students and establishes apply and integrate human rights Ministry of Foreign Aff airs and HE the Chairman of the them in the educational envi- concepts and principles into ed- reiterated Qatar’s firm stance Sustainability Week 2019 NHRC Dr Ali bin Smaikh al- ronment in an innovative and ucational curricula and school rejecting violence and terrorism Marri. systematic way, which contrib- activities. regardless of their motives and During the signing ceremony, utes to prepare them for the fu- In accordance with the provi- reasons. atar Green Building opment Goals and the objectives even the smallest individual educational materials on hu- ture on the values of tolerance, sions of the memorandum, the The statement expressed the Council (QGBC), a mem- set in Qatar National Vision contribution and we encourage man rights for the preparatory, justice, equality and respect for NHRC, in co-ordination with condolences of Qatar to the Qber of Qatar Foundation 2030. everyone to both showcase and primary and secondary stages others. the Ministry, are working on a family of the victim and the (QF), yesterday announced the QGBC will hold an apprecia- participate in the diverse ac- were presented in order to be in- HE al-Marri welcomed the plan to disseminate a culture of government and people of fourth edition of Qatar Sustain- tion event in mid-November to tivities we have planned over the tegrated into the curriculum for signing of the co-operation human rights in educational in- Afghanistan. ability Week (QSW) 2019 at a showcase all the activities that week.” he added. the three stages. agreement and the launch of ed- stitutions. press conference at Msheireb took place during the week and Throughout the week, spon- The signing of the memoran- ucational materials, hoping that Meanwhile, Assistant Under- Museums. to thank all the sponsors and sors and partners will present dum refl ects Qatar’s keenness to they will fi nd suffi cient attention secretary for Educational Aff airs Qatar condemns QSW 2019 will run from 26 partners for their participation. more than 200 events that off er meet its obligations at all local, from the teaching staff and that Fawzia Abdulaziz al-Khater ex- attack on October to 2 November 2019, QGBC Director, Engineer the public the opportunity to be regional and international levels teachers will receive assistance, pressed her happiness at signing and will serve as a unique plat- Meshal al-Shamari, said: “We part of the sustainability-ori- and the importance of human advice and training to commu- a memorandum of co-operation Mogadishu airport form to promote the nation’s are delighted to announce Qa- ented eff orts. rights education and its role in nicate human rights concepts to with the NHRC to represent a sustainability vision with rel- tar Sustainability Week 2019, a Al Wakrah Municipality, in establishing, disseminating and students in innovative and real- qualitative addition to the edu- Qatar has strongly condemned evant stakeholders. national campaign which have collaboration with QGBC, will promoting them. istic ways. cational community. the attack on Somalia’s QSW 2019 is an opportunity never been more important in launch the Green Home Guide in Speaking at the signing cer- He stressed the readiness of For her part, NHRC Secretary- Mogadishu airport, in which 9 for public and private sector light of pressing global environ- Al Wakrah. emony, HE al-Hammadi praised the NHRC to train teaching staff General Mariam bint Abdullah people, some of them United stakeholders to showcase their mental challenges.” Other activities include Future the active partnership with to use the materials. al-Attiyah said that educational Nations and African Union staff , innovative solutions to the en- “As part of the initiative, nu- Vision Botanical Art Exhibition; NHRC. As per the memorandum, manuals are an important part in were injured. vironmental challenges facing merous activities will take place beach cleaning activities; recy- He stressed that human rights the two parties will co-operate the context of the implementa- In a statement on Sunday, the Qatar and the wider region. to promote our nation’s progress cling, paperless, and water/energy are an essential part of the cur- to strengthen their relations in tion of the World Programme for Ministry of Foreign Aff airs It will further highlight the towards global environmental saving campaigns; awareness ini- riculum in Qatar, adding that the fi eld of disseminating and Education, by launching human reiterated Qatar’s firm stance country’s contributions and protection and the realisation of tiatives, and numerous technical the signing of the memoran- educating human rights culture, rights guides in schools for pri- rejecting violence and terrorism progress towards the implemen- our sustainability goals. talks; while QF food outlets will dum promotes the concepts integrating them in the curricu- mary, preparatory and secondary regardless of their motives and tation of the Sustainable Devel- “Advancing this vision needs not issue plastic bags. – QNA and meanings of human rights lum, and encouraging schools to levels. reasons. – QNA QU, QFMA sign MoU to enhance co-operation

QNA Authority Nasser Ahmad to establish co-operation in tive Offi cer of Qatar Finan- Doha al-Shaibi. the scientifi c, administrative, cial Markets Authority said The areas of co-opera- technical and research fi elds. that the MoU refl ects the tion provided in the MoU In his speech during the mutual interest in contrib- atar University (QU) include the exchange of signing ceremony, the QU uting to the enhancement and Qatar Financial experiences, information, president said that there is of the exchange of experi- QMarkets Author- including publications, pe- co-operation between the ences and information in ity (QFMA) have signed a riodicals, studies, statistics University and the Author- order to benefi t both parties Memorandum of Under- and general statements, ity, and under this agree- from their respective insti- standing (MoU) to enhance organisation of studies, ment this partnership will tutional experiences. co-operation between the conferences, meetings and increase and further deepen Al-Shaibi expressed his two sides, particularly in training, co-operation in it, because it is of particu- hope that the MoU will es- the fi eld of studies, re- research and studies, and lar importance for the QU tablish a new phase of con- search, training and fi eld in other areas of common in the area of co-operation structive co-operation be- surveys, and programmes interest. and in the fi eld of stud- tween QU and QFMA, which and events. The two sides stressed ies, research and fi eld sur- are “making great and con- The MoU was signed that this co-operation aims veys, and all areas related tinuous eff orts to play their by QU President Dr Has- at raising the effi ciency of to scientifi c, administra- role through added value and san Rashid al-Derham, and performance in accordance tive, technical and research quality that will enhance the Chief Executive Offi cer of with the standards of total fi elds. positive results both parties Qatar Financial Markets quality, as well as the need For his part, Chief Execu- aspire to.” QBRI in research partnership with global biotech company

atar Biomedical El-Agnaf, said: “Establish- Research Institute ing the QBRI-Sengenics Q(QBRI), part of Ha- platform within our lab mad Bin Khalifa University space serves the institute (HBKU), is partnering with especially well because it global biotech company, brings the technology clos- Sengenics, to establish a er to the researchers, thus platform for advancing re- increasing the prospect of search related to cancer, novel and impactful discov- diabetes, and neurological eries.” disorders. Commenting on the At a special event held Representatives from Qatar Biomedical Research Institute agreement signing, chief earlier in October to mark (QBRI) and Sengenics shake hands after signing the commercial officer at Sen- the partnership, represent- agreement. genics Johan Poole-John- atives from both organi- son, said: “Our funda- sations signed a fi ve-year provider of the service in dress the most pressing lo- mental aim going forward Platform Agreement that Qatar, with exclusive li- cal and global challenges is to translate the output will pair QBRI’s equip- censing rights for the Mena from novel perspectives. of KREX research directly ment with Sengenics’ KREX region, India, Pakistan, and Such empowering collabo- to patients, leading to ei- protein array technology Turkey. rations, align strategically ther earlier diagnosis of to facilitate autoantibody The vice-president for with our research, devel- life-threatening conditions disease biomarker discov- research, development and opment, and innovation or delivering the vision of ery research. The agree- innovation (RDI) at Qa- objectives, and help us cre- precision medicine. The ment covers QBRI’s three tar Foundation Dr Richard ate opportunities that have establishment of QBRI as research centres – Cancer, O’Kennedy, said: “Through the potential to shape our the Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, and Neurological partnerships with leading present and future.” Proteomics Research in the Disorders. international companies Speaking about the Middle East will enhance Through this agreement, such as Sengenics, we aim agreement, the executive QBRIs capabilities as a stan- QBRI will serve as the sole to build initiatives that ad- director of QBRI Dr Omar dalone centre.” – QNA Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 3 QATAR Shura Council speaker attends Doha hosts global IPU meetings in Belgrade

QNA his wishes to him and to Belgrade the Serbian people con- tinued progress and de- velopment. conference on he 205th Governing For his part, the Serbian Council of the Inter- president entrusted the TParliamentary Un- Speaker of the Shura Coun- ion (IPU) began in Belgrade cil to conveyed his greet- yesterday. The meetings ings to the Amir, wishing will be held until October him and the Qatari people 17. further progress and pros- mental health HE the Speaker of the perity. HE the Speaker of the Shura Council Ahmed bin Abdullah Shura Council Ahmed During the meeting, they bin Zaid al-Mahmoud attending the 205th Governing QNA bin Abdullah bin Zaid al- reviewed bilateral relations Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in Belgrade. Doha Mahmoud participated in between Qatar and Serbia the opening session which and ways to develop them. discussed a number of is- HE al-Mahmoud also he international con- sues, including proposals met the Secretary-General ference on confi den- for the election of the pres- of the Inter-Parliamentary Ttiality and informa- ident of the 141st Assem- Union (IPU) Martin Chun- tion sharing in mental health bly, approval of the sum- gong, on the sidelines of was held yesterday at Qatar mary minutes of the 204th the 141st General Assembly National Convention Cen- session of the governing of the (IPU). tre. council and the fi nancial The conference was held situation of the IPU. HE the Speaker of under the patronage of HE It also discussed the the Shura Council the Prime Minister and Min- draft unifi ed budget for Ahmed bin Abdullah ister of Interior Sheikh Ab- 2020 and the report of the bin Zaid al-Mahmoud dullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa president on her activities participated in the al-Thani. It was organised since the 204th session of opening session which by Mental Health Friends HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs Yousef bin the governing council and discussed a number of HE al-Mahmoud meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Association (Weyak), in Mohamed al-Othman Fakhro attending the conference. PICTURE: Nasar K Moidheen the activities of the execu- issues Vucic on the sidelines of the meeting in Belgrade. collaboration with Hamad tive committee, in addition Medical Corporation, Pri- events, programmes and ac- formation sharing from a patients and their families to to the local report of the During the meeting, they mary Health Care Corpora- tivities held by Weyak, on the legitimate ethical, social and talk about their challenges secretary-general on the reviewed relations between tion and Qatar Charity. occasion of the World Mental legal perspective. A session in the face of psychological activities of the IPU since the Shura Council and the The one-day conference Health Day that falls on Oc- on the challenges of confi - disorder. the 204th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union was attended by HE the tober 10 every year, came up dentiality and information The challenges of con- governing council and the (IPU) and ways of enhanc- Minister of Administrative with a recommendation to be sharing in mental health in fi dentiality, information discussion of a number of ing and developing them. Development, Labour and adopted as a national model Qatar was also held. sharing and regional and other topics. He also met Iran’s Islam- Social Aff airs Yousef bin for the sharing of mental During the session, lo- international examples and Several members of the ic Consultative Assembly Mohamed al-Othman Fa- health information. cal examples from Hamad experiences were addressed Shura Council attended the Speaker Dr Ali Larijani. khro, and the Deputy Chair- The recommendation will Medical Corporation, Sidra in this context. event. They reviewed the exist- man of the Mental Health be submitted to the compe- Medical and Research Cen- The conference targets Separately, Serbian ing parliamentary relations HE al-Mahmoud with Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly Friends Association (Weyak) tent authorities in Qatar. tre, Primary Health Care specialists and interested President Aleksandar between Qatar and Iran and Speaker Dr Ali Larijani and (below) with the Secretary- Hassan bin Abdullah al- The conference discussed Corporation and Naufar people and all sectors work- Vucic met HE al-Mah- ways of boosting them. General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Ghanim. the side eff ects of non-phar- Hospital were presented. ing in the fi eld of healthcare moud, on the occasion of They also discussed the Chungong. The conference, which is macological psychotherapy, The conference witnessed a in the public and private his participation in the topics on the agenda of the the culmination of a series of and confi dentiality and in- session to host a number of sectors. IPU meetings. General Assembly. During the meeting, HE The meetings were at- the Speaker of the Shura tended by a number of Council conveyed the members of the Shura Doha Metro greetings of His Highness Council and Qatar’s am- the Amir Sheikh Tamim bassador to Serbia Sheikh hours extended Al-Hammadi inaugurates foreign bin Hamad al-Thani to the Mubarak bin Fahd al-Tha- for Qatar-Oman President of Serbia and ni. football match ministry’s diplomatic portal

Qatar Rail has announced that E the Secretary- Doha Metro working hours General of the will be extended today in view HMinistry of Foreign of the Qatar-Oman football Aff airs Dr Ahmed bin Has- match taking place at Al san al-Hammadi yesterday Janoub Stadium this evening. inaugurated the Diplomat- Accordingly, the last train ic Portal of the Ministry of will leave Al Wakrah station Foreign Aff airs (dp.mofa. at midnight today, Qatar gov.qa). Rail tweeted, noting that The sections of the por- HE al-Hammadi with other off icials at the inauguration of this would facilitate the tal include information on the portal. transportation of fans diplomatic missions ac- attending the Asian Qualifier credited to Qatar, forms, accrediting the heads of also includes the mission’s between Qatar and Oman the diplomatic guide, cir- diplomatic missions, the headquarters and the am- for the FIFA World Cup Qatar culars of the Ministry of arrival of the heads of dip- bassador’s residence, pro- 2022 and AFC Asian Cup Foreign Aff airs and news. lomatic missions and the cedures and controls for China 2023. Information on diplo- presentation of their cre- the use of Hamad Inter- Qatar Rail has also informed matic missions includes dentials, departure and national Airport facilities, that it is providing a shuttle GCC, Arab, African, Ameri- end of tenure of the head traffi c procedures, secu- bus service between Al can, European, Asian and of the diplomatic mission, rity and communications Wakrah station and Al Janoub Pacifi c countries, as well the procedures of accred- procedures containing the Stadium “to ensure a seamless as precedence for heads of iting the diplomatic at- protection of buildings and travel experience”. mission, national days of taches (military, medical, persons, political events The bus timings will be as states, and events. cultural, commercial, etc), and offi cial ceremony pro- follows: The forms include cus- the staff of the diplomatic cedures for diplomatic zFrom Al Wakrah station to toms exemption, diplo- mission and their family missions. Al Janoub Stadium – 5pm, matic card, vehicles dip- members and entry visas The Diplomatic Portal 5.30pm, 6pm, 6.30pm, lomatic plate, events and to Qatar. includes sections for the 6.40pm, 6.50pm, 7pm, 7.10pm, ceremonies, visas, and It also contains diplo- circulars of the Ministry of 7.20pm, 7.30pm, 7.40pm and leave notifi cation. matic immunities, which Foreign Aff airs, another for 7.50pm. The Diplomatic Guide include exemption from news of the reception and z From Al Janoub Stadium to also contains members of customs duties, vehicle farewell of ambassadors, Al Wakrah station – 9.25pm, diplomatic missions and procedures and controls, news of the Ministry of 9.35pm, 9.45pm and 9.55pm. international organisa- and diplomatic pouch. Foreign Aff airs and diplo- tions, the procedures of The Diplomatic Guide matic missions. – QNA

Farewell ceremony for Algerian ambassador

HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi yesterday held a farewell ceremony in honour of the outgoing Algerian ambassador Abdulaziz Saba. Several heads of diplomatic missions and bureaus accredited to the country along with Foreign Ministry department directors attended the ceremony, which was held at the Diplomatic Club. Gulf Times 4 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 QATAR HIA to demonstrate second phase of Smart Airport technology at Qitcom

amad International screen and self-boarding, all of HIA chief operating offi cer, nowned on-time departure per- Airport (HIA) has an- which are biometric enabled. engineer Badr Mohamed al- formance at HIA and champion Hnounced its participa- HIA’s major digital transfor- Meer, said: “We are excited to its Smart Airport programme as tion at the Qatar IT Conference mation of the passenger journey, be participating at Qitcom 2019. a leading global transformation & Exhibition 2019 (Qitcom) as an through facial biometric recog- This event is a fantastic platform in airports. The successful com- offi cial sponsor of the biannual nition across all fi ve key passen- for knowledge-sharing between pletion of the fi rst major phase of event. ger touchpoints, attests that HIA sectors in Qatar, and a great op- HIA’s Smart Airport programme In line with Qitcom’s theme “is truly the airport of the future, portunity for HIA to showcase has proven to be extremely pop- this year, ‘Safe, Smart Cities’, whilst committing to ensure op- to the public its continued in- ular, with up to 40% of the home HIA plans to demonstrate the erational excellence.” vestment in cutting-edge smart carrier Qatar Airways’ passen- second phase of its Smart Air- HIA’s second phase of the technologies, to provide pas- gers preferring to self-check-in; port technology by inviting the Smart Airport technology, cur- sengers a seamless experience, and a further 20% opting for public to its exhibition booth rently under trial, is a central fuelled with choice and fl exibil- self-bag-drop. to experience paperless airport piece of the airports digital ity. The swift process vastly im- travel fi rst-hand for the fi rst time strategy and combines passen- HIA will also show to the pub- proves customer experience in Qatar. gers’ fl ight, passport, and facial lic the exciting use of robotics for and allows more passengers to During the event, HIA will also biometric information in a sin- passenger facilitation and ensure be managed without physical Hundreds of visitors enjoyed the performances, from toddlers to grandparents and every age in between, demonstrate the use of robotics gle electronic record at the self- a faster journey and enjoyable expansion of the check-in fa- in celebration of International Day of Older Persons. for passenger facilitation. The check-in kiosk or mobile app. travel experience.” cilities. HIA’s continued eff orts event is set to take place from Subsequently, only the pas- Biometric Identity Manage- and investment in cutting-edge October 29 to November 1 at the senger’s face is required for ment is also a vital piece of HIA’s technology through its Smart Qatar National Convention Cen- verifi cation at the self-service digital strategy, functioning to Airport programme are recog- tre (QNCC). bag-drop, automated security serve the terminal’s strategic pri- nised through its awards and ac- HIA is showcasing its break- gate, and the automated board- orities such as the improvement colades. Ooredoo-sponsored play through Smart Airport technol- ing gate. of customer experience, terminal The airport ranked the world’s ogy to the public by displaying This promotes a paperless capacity, and its security. ‘4th Best Airport’ by Skytrax its fi ve self-service touchpoints travel for passengers without the Knowledge of exactly where 2019 and was named the ‘Best consisting of; self-check-in, need to present their passports the passengers are in their jour- Airport for Passenger Experi- on elders ‘a huge success’ self-bag-drop, pre-immigra- and boarding passes, making the ney at the airport will also aim ence’ for the second consecutive tion, airport wayfi nding touch experience fast and seamless. to help further improve the re- year in a study by AirHelp.

oredoo yesterday said a ‘Tales of My Grandfather’ was pleased to see such a good turn- play it sponsored to cel- intended to honour senior citi- out for performances of ‘Tales of Oebrate International Day zens and share with the younger My Grandfather’. of Older Persons was “a huge generations the contribution The family unit is of such success”, as shown by the many of their elders to the society, critical importance to our com- photographs and social media bridging age gaps and bringing munities and our culture here shares of the event. community members together. in Qatar, and it was wonderful The leading telecommunica- Hundreds of visitors enjoyed the to see so many visitors from all tions operator was offi cial tele- performances, from toddlers to generations enjoying spending Get set for fi rst Doha communications sponsor for the grandparents and every age in time together acknowledging play titled ‘Tales of My Grand- between, in celebration of Inter- and appreciating the contribu- father’, which was presented at national Day of Older Persons, tion of our elders. “Supporting Mall of Qatar on October 10 and the statement noted. such community events is a key 11 by the Elderly Empowerment Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi, pillar of our strategy, and we and Care Centre (Ehsan) under director of PR and Corporate were delighted to work with our Asian Night Market the umbrella of Qatar Foundation Communications at Ooredoo, longstanding partner to bring the for Social Work. said of the event: “We were so play to life.” By Joey Aguilar ern production numbers, acous- Staff Reporter tic night and other live acts from Recall of Nissan Thursday to Saturday. Various community groups such as cho- Tiida models he fi rst-ever Doha City rale, theatre, dance crews and Asian Night Market is set singers will also entertain the The Ministry of Commerce and Tto kick off at Aspire Park crowd with their performances, Industry, in co-operation with Saleh Al on October 17, off ering a variety while an Acoustic Night will be Hamad Al Mana Co., has announced of Asian cuisines and products part of the regular weekend pro- the recall of Nissan Tiida models from that cater to families, foodies, gramme. 2010 to 2013, due to possible defect in and residents across communi- Led by professional groups the front passenger airbag inflator. ties in Qatar. and culinary experts, Magnipes The Ministry confirmed the recall The month-long event, or- said children will have the op- campaign comes within the framework ganised by DC Event Manage- portunity to learn cupcake (host- of its ongoing eff orts to protect ment and Services in co-op- ed by WASAHQ Culinary Arts), consumers and ensure that vehicle eration with Italian company and pizza making at the event. dealers follow up on defects and Innovative Hight-Tech Solu- Vendors will also be encouraged repairs. tions, will also feature cultural An array of Asian cuisines will be on off er at the upcoming Doha to decorate their stalls aimed at The Ministry has said that it will co- performances by students from City Asian Night Market. highlighting the countries they ordinate with the dealer to follow up on various schools in Doha during represent. The best food and the maintenance and repair works and the weekends. vide a platform for Asian busi- among the best Asian restaurants non-food stalls will be selected will communicate with customers to “The concept of DC Asian nesses in Qatar of varying scale in the country including Filipino, and awarded during the opening ensure that the necessary repairs are Night Market 2019 was born out to promote their ventures, espe- Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Korean, day. carried out. of an inspiration to gather the cially among Qatari and expatri- Turkish and Arab outlets,” Mag- “We are glad to partner with The Ministry urges all customers to various Asian communities in ate communities. It will be open nipes said. “We also have some DC Event for the Asian Night report any violations to its Consumer Qatar and share with the locals from 5pm to midnight. More local specialty cafes joining us, Market to showcase our fi rst- Protection and Anti-Commercial and other expatriate communi- than 30 food stalls will showcase as well as outlets selling des- class events equipment and Fraud Department, which processes ties the diverse and colourful a diverse menu of Asian delica- serts like ice cream, yogurt and technology and to provide qual- complaints, inquiries and suggestions cultures of Asia through food, cies that appeals to the interna- the hugely popular bubble tea ity entertainment to complete through the following channels: Call crafts and performances,” DC tional market while non-food drinks.” the memorable experience of Centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected]. Event CEO and managing direc- vendors will off er an array of For entertainment, he said shoppers and diners joining the qa, Twitter: @ MOCIQATAR, Instagram: tor Victor Magnipes told report- products such as apparel, cos- that diff erent schools and com- month-long bazaar,” said In- MOCIQATAR, mobile app for Android ers recently. metics, toys, and kitchenware, munity groups have been invited novative Hight-Tech Solutions and IOS: MOCIQATAR He said the event aims to pro- among others. “We are featuring to perform festival dances, mod- CEO Renato Febbraio said. Qatar Charity to mark World Food Day in three countries atar Charity (QC) has announced that it is all set to mark World Food Day, which is celebrated annually Qon October 16, by distributing 100,000 meals to ref- ugees and poor families in Palestine, Turkey and Lebanon at a total cost of QR1.5mn. The distribution of meals on World Food Day comes as part of Qatar Charity’s “continued com- mitment to achieving the second UN Sustainable Develop- ment Goal, Zero Hunger, by 2030, as food is a fundamental human right”, the organisation said in a statement. In Palestine, QC will distribute hot meals to poor families “most in need”. The distribution will take place in Ramal- lah, Gaza and Jerusalem, where people live in challenging circumstances and the poverty rate has increased to 80%, the statement notes. Qatar Charity will distribute meals to thousands of aff ected Syrian refugees, including women, children and the elderly, in Turkey. It will also deliver meals to low-income Turkish families who are unable to meet their daily food needs under diffi cult living and economic condi- tions. Turkey hosts the maximum number of Syrian refugees and is currently home to more than 3.6mn refugees, according to Turkey’s Interior Ministry statistics for 2019. Besides, QC will also provide meals to Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, as they are more impoverished and marginalised, living in camps under very diffi cult situations due to dis- placement and poverty, the statement adds.

File picture from a previous QC meal initiative. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 5 QATAR NMoQ hosts Magnifi cent Jewels of Jean Schlumberger exhibition

By Joey Aguilar Staff Reporter

ore than 125 pieces of jewellery and art ob- Mjects from the Rachel Lambert Mellon collection are on display at the Magnifi cent Jew- els of Jean Schlumberger: From the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Collection exhibi- tion, which opened yesterday at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ). The opening ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mo- hamed al-Kuwari, Qatar Muse- ums (QM) acting CEO Ahmad Works inspired by flora and fauna al-Namla, Alfardan Group vice of the sea. chairman and Alfardan Jewellery president Ali Alfardan, and sev- Dignitaries at the event. eral other VIP guests. “We are proud to present interpretations of animal and ours, exquisite craftsmanship, seashell motifs, and pieces infl u- A precious stone on display at the exhibition. Magnifi cent Jewels of Jean Sch- botanical subjects, particularly and natural inspirations – show- enced by his visits to the coasts lumberger as one of the fi rst marine life and fl owers, which case Schlumberger’s imagination of Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indo- temporary exhibitions at the combine precious metals and and clarity of vision.” nesia; and his elaborate designs recently opened NMoQ,” QM’s gemstones, as well as organic Highlights of the exhibition for cigarette cases, pill boxes and Exhibitions Director Sheikha materials. The exhibition is or- include Schlumberger’s fi rst vanity cases, which were fash- Reem al-Thani said. “Schlum- ganised by Dr Michael R Taylor, jewellery designs inspired by ionable items in the 1960s and berger’s dazzling jewellery and chief curator and deputy direc- objets trouves (found objects) recall the 18th and 19th century art objects, which were inspired tor for Art and Education, VMFA; that he acquired in the sprawl- fashion for snuff boxes, sold at by nature, will certainly captivate and Kristie Couser, curatorial as- ing fl ea markets of Paris in the Tiff any & Co and frequently visitors, just as the museum has sistant for Works on Paper, The mid-1930s (gold brooches), in- commissioned Bunny Mellon. through its organic design, re- Clark Art Institute. cluding an example featuring Schlumberger began his ca- sembling a desert rose.” From its debut in 2017 at stray porcelain fl owers made by reer crafting costume jewellery This unique exhibition, sup- VMFA, the exhibition travelled Meissen of Germany; one of a for the French fashion designer ported by Alfardan Group and to The Museum of Fine Art in kind and functional objects such Elsa Schiaparelli in 1930s Paris, Tiff any &Co, which will run until St Petersburg, Florida and The as an 18-carat gold “Salt Cel- before heading his own private January 15, 2020, is dedicated to National Museum of China in lar,” as well as candlesticks and salon at New York’s Tiff any & the vibrant and sculptural work Beijing. “This unparalleled col- tabletop clocks with a signature Co beginning in the 1950s. Sch- of Schlumberger (1907-1987), lection of Jean Schlumberger’s geometric design, many of which lumberger’s designs featuring who transformed 20th century Some of Schlumberger’s nature- iconic jewellery, accessories, and were created for Bunny Mellon’s precious stones would include The Rachel Lambert Mellon Collection is the largest and most fashion with jewellery and acces- inspired jewellery and art objects. other decorative objects was giv- home; and jewellery and objects diverse cuts, carat size, and col- comprehensive collection of jewellery and art objects by Schlumberger. sories inspired by natural forms. en to VMFA by Rachel Lambert that he created for Bunny Mellon. our – adding a multi-faceted dy- According to QM, the Rachel art objects by Schlumberger. Mellon, one of the most gener- The exhibition also showcases namism to each piece. A natural to maximise a gem’s brilliance. free for children under 16, Cul- Lambert Mellon Collection is the QM noted that the exhibition ous donors in our history,” said works inspired by fl ora and fauna lapidary (gem artisan), he shaped QM noted that admission to ture Pass Plus and Culture Pass largest and most comprehensive highlights the designer’s imagi- Dr Taylor. “These extraordinary of the sea, including works for minerals and gems using the the exhibition costs QR20 for Family Members, and visitors public collection of jewellery and native, witty and awe-inspiring works – with their vibrant col- Tiff any & Co that incorporated techniques of cabochon cutting adults; QR10 for students and with disabilities. Gulf Times 6 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 QATAR

Put your brain to AAB launches new luxury test at Mall of Qatar

all of Qatar is inviting people to discover Neu- Mroland, a “mind-blow- crossover 2020 Lexus RX ing experience” for children from fi ve years of age and adults. Class-leading hybrid electric “Live in Qatar for the fi rst model contributes to a more time, Neuroland really puts your sustainable future while brain to the test while being off ering elevated driving linked up to various games with dynamics diff erent tasks to complete, us- ing only your mind. Head moni- ringing an unparalleled tors measure heart rate and blood level of elegance and re- pressure, giving you the amazing Bfi nement to the high-end opportunity to drive, work, play crossover market, the new 2020 and move any object with only Lexus RX has been launched in the powerful force of your mind,” the Middle East, according to a Mall of Qatar said in a press statement issued by Abdullah statement. Abdulghani & Bros Co in Doha The activation will be held at yesterday. the West Gate 2 rotunda by Life The activation will be held from An array of interior and exte- with Cacao daily from 12noon to October 18 to 26. rior enhancements builds on the 4pm and from 5pm to 9pm, from iconic luxury crossover’s endur- October 18 until October 26. everyone’s visit to Mall of Qatar ing appeal, with reinvigorated “At Mall of Qatar, we consist- during the October half-term design and function elements ently strive to deliver the best break,” said Khaled Sam Hosn, that will exceed the expectations entertainment to excite and Mall of Qatar’s CEO. of the most discerning owners. thrill our customers. Neuro- The activation will be available First launched in 1999, the land is a truly unique and un- free of charge and no pre-regis- Lexus RX has created the blue- Off icials flank the new 2020 Lexus RX. forgettable experience, which tration is required, the statement print for luxury crossover utility we know will spread fun into adds. vehicles and set the tone in the ning looks with innovative blends more seamlessly into the segment ever since. technology to deliver a safe and front bumper. The 1999 Lexus RX 300 was comfortable ride for occupants. Prominent grille arrange- the world’s fi rst luxury crossover The 2020 Lexus RX is the lat- ments have been sculpted into while the 2006 Lexus RX 400h est step in our ongoing drive the bumper corners, with the fog was the world’s fi rst hybrid elec- to create amazing experiences lights now residing in the lower Flu vaccination drive tric luxury crossover. for owners and passengers by part of the front bumper. The 2020 model’s sleek new developing vehicles that truly Slender new headlamps add From Page 1 world millions of people get the fl u exterior retains a sporty and ignite their emotions, and off er an extra element of sharpness to “With fl u vaccination, it is also every year, hundreds of thousands powerful feel while the charac- them a highly engaging driving the frontal appearance. A similar essential to practise good hygiene of people are hospitalised and tens ter line that runs from the front experience,” Miyamoto said. re-think has been applied to the by properly and frequently wash- of thousands of people die from to the rear has been improved, “Lexus’ hybrid electric vari- rear, where the fog lights have ing hands and protecting others fl u-related causes every year. adding an exceptional fl ow and ant, the RX 450h, refl ects our been integrated more eff ectively from coughs and sneezes. Cough- “We encourage people to come consistency to the overall ap- continuous commitment to into the valance area, and the ing or sneezing into a tissue paper early to get vaccinated to protect pearance that emphasises Lex- providing environmentally- functions of the combination or an elbow can help prevent the themselves and their loved ones us’ new design language. friendly vehicles while off er- lamps are arranged in a strict spread of seasonal infl uenza. Peo- from fl u. The fl u season is gener- The new model also embraces ing customers the opportunity horizontal divide, increasing the ple who have fl u-like symptoms ally from October to April. In every Lexus’ reputation for engaging to experience the power and sense of vehicle width. should stay at home to avoid in- country around 10% of the popu- performance. The engineering The 2020 model’s sleek new exterior retains a sporty and powerful feel. pleasure of sustainable mobility The luxury crossover receives fecting others,” Dr Elawad said. lation is aff ected by fl u. Last year team scrutinised every part of through cutting-edge technol- several changes designed to en- According to Dr Albayat, the we treated about 7,000 to 8,000 the vehicle and made signifi - which enables drivers to trace “We are thrilled to launch the new ogy,” Miyamoto added. hance driving dynamics across annual seasonal fl u vaccine is the infl uenza cases,” she recalled. cant enhancements to the rigid- their desired driving line with RX in the Middle East – a ground- The 2020 Lexus RX represents the lineup. Both the front and rear best and safest way to reduce the Seven semi-government fa- ity of the body and suspension incredible precision. breaking vehicle that further el- a subtle evolution of previous stabiliser bars are now hollow to chances of catching the fl u and cilities and 44 private clinics will system, as well as adding a new Yugo Miyamoto, chief repre- evates Lexus’ status as a pioneer generations’ dynamic exterior reduce weight, yet their thicker potentially spreading it to oth- also off er free vaccination and the shock absorber and brake-con- sentative, Middle East and Cen- in the luxury crossover segment.” aesthetic, which begins with a diameters and reinforced bush- ers. Every fl u season is diff erent, names of the public and private trol system. The result is a vehi- tral Asia Representative Offi ce, “This exciting new model new L-patterned grille mesh ings help minimise body roll and and infl uenza infection can aff ect facilities are available on https:// cle with outstanding handling, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: blends brave design and stun- and a smoother surround that improve steering response. people diff erently, but across the fi ghtthefl u.qa Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 7 QATAR University Expo AFG College to take part opens tomorrow niversity Expo (UniExpo) Lebanese American University, 2019 opens tomorrow at among others. Uthe Doha Exhibition and A wide range of inspirational Convention Centre, hall 5, from and practical seminars guaran- 8am to 1pm, and from 5pm to 9pm. tees a rounded experience for in University Expo The two-day event is aimed visitors providing them with at students aged 16 and above, everything they need to know AFG College to promote academic their parents, school counsel- on university education from lors, principals and career ad- methods to help students adjust programmes at Doha exhibition visers, as well as profession- to change, identify their pas- als looking to advance their sion, and make the right deci- FG College with the new and returning students on academic credentials. sion, to practical and logistical University of Aberdeen campus this semester. It gives The expo will host inspi- aspects such as how to fi ll a uni- Awill take part in the me great pleasure to see that rational seminars and a huge versity application and life as an University Expo which opens over 70% of our current stu- number of exhibiting educa- international student. tomorrow at the Doha Exhi- dent body is made up of Qatari tional entities to support stu- In its ninth year, UniExpo re- bition and Convention Centre nationals, which is evidence of dents in making informed future mains a perfect platform for (DECC) to promote its under- our drive and determination career decisions. industry professionals as well, graduate and postgraduate in helping to fulfi l the capacity UniExpo 2019 will witness the with many entities showcasing programmes. building element of the Qatar participation of more than 100 executive education opportu- AFG College with the Uni- National Vision 2030.” leading universities and educa- nities and ways to nourish and versity of Aberdeen currently The University Expo is a two- tion providers from around the grow careers. has a total of 500 students day exhibition for students aged world including the largest con- Alan Kelly, commercial di- who have enrolled for this 16+, as well as their parents, tingents of universities based rector, Informa Tharawat, said: academic year. This includes school counsellors, principals in Qatar, such as; Community “UniExpo is the only event in 260 returning students, with and career advisers. There will College Qatar, Doha Institute Qatar that gathers such a varied a further 240 new students be inspirational talks, seminars, of Graduate Studies, College of range of educational institu- joining the programmes opportunities to discuss edu- North Atlantic – Qatar, Qatar tions under one roof. University across undergraduate and cation and career choices with Foundation, Education City uni- life can be a new, yet intimidat- postgraduate portfolio. local and international uni- versities such as Northwestern ing experience for most students The number of students versities and higher education AFG College with the University of Aberdeen off ers quality higher education. University in Qatar, HEC Paris in and their parents. That’s why represents the largest cohort institutions. Qatar, Carnegie Mellon Univer- we have created this platform to date and recognises the de- Staff of AFG College will dis- partnership between the Al Faleh ate programmes in Business the opportunity for those stu- sity Qatar and Qatar University. to make their journey easier, mand by the local population cuss with the expo guests the Group for Educational and Aca- Management and Accountancy dents living and working in Qa- Over 15 countries will also clearer, and more accessible.” for quality higher education. benefi ts of enrolling in its un- demic Services and the Univer- and Finance, as well as its post- tar to access a British degree be represented, including the The seminar programme this Brian Buckley, principal at dergraduate and postgraduate sity of Aberdeen which opened graduate programmes in MBA from one of the leading inter- US, France, the UK, Malaysia, year highlights educational expe- AFG College with the Univer- degree programmes. its doors to undergraduate stu- and MSc International Business national universities, currently Italy, India, Lebanon, the Neth- riences in UK, France, the US, and sity of Aberdeen, said, “It’s AFG College with the Uni- dents in September 2017. It is Management. ranked number 170 in QS World erlands, Qatar, Oman, Spain, sheds light on emerging new ca- been wonderful to see so many versity of Aberdeen is a unique currently off ering undergradu- The partnership presents University rankings 2020. Turkey, and Cyprus. Interna- reers. The full seminars programme tional universities showcasing is available on the website. at the expo include University UniExpo 2019 has Qatar of Aberdeen, Wright State Uni- Chamber as its strategic partner, versity, Virginia Tech, Swansea Akhlaquna as silver exhibitor, University, Middlesex Univer- and The Great Indian Education French agency to promote university sity, Durham University, and the Fair as the Indian partner. and higher education system at expo

rench Universities and tries. The exhibition will enable destination for higher studies. France said, “France welcomes tional students, with 72 Univer- Higher Education Insti- students, parents, school coun- Four French institutions – many international students and sities, 225 engineering schools, Ftutes as well as French sellors and career advisers to get “Campus France”, the French we are very pleased that for this 220 business schools, 120 art Agency “Campus France” will detailed information on studies agency for the promotion of the important event, students and schools, 20 architecture schools attend as exhibitors at the Uni- in France. French higher education sys- parents in Qatar will have the and 3,000 other specialised in- versity Expo Qatar 2019 starting It will also off er an opportunity tem, HEC Paris in Qatar, ESSEC opportunity to meet important stitutions (health, journalism, tomorrow at the Doha Exhibi- to launch in Qatar the new “Bien- Business School and CESI Engi- French institutions and discuss fashion, design, hospitality). tion and Convention Centre. venue en France/Choose France” neering School – will exhibit in- with them about the opportuni- French universities and col- University Expo Qatar 2019 worldwide campaign. This ini- ternational student services and ties of studying in France.” leges currently welcome more will gather more than 100 uni- tiative aims at reinforcing the international mobility. France is the fourth destina- than 340,000 international versities from 15 diff erent coun- position of France as a privileged Franck Gellet, ambassador of tion in the world for interna- students. Preparations underway for University Expo Qatar.

NBK to hold Mercedes-Benz Service Week QIC fi rst in Mena region to Nasser Bin Khaled (NBK) Ihab El-Feky, chief operations Automobiles, the authorised off icer – Automotive, integrate ‘WhatsApp Business’ general distributor of Mercedes- Nasser Bin Khaled Group, Benz in Qatar, has announced added: “Nasser Bin Khaled eading insurer, Qatar In- end encryption. This instills the Mercedes-Benz Service Automobiles is pleased to surance, is the fi rst in the a sense of assurance, that all Week from October 19 to 26. announce to Mercedes- LMena region to integrate customer communication is The campaign allows Mercedes- Benz car owners its annual WhatsApp Business for com- safe and secure. Benz owners to receive a campaign, the Mercedes-Benz munications, taking customer QIC deputy CEO Fahad al-Su- complimentary vehicle checkup Service Week. It is a good communications to a complete- waidi said, “A key aspect of our executed by Mercedes-Benz opportunity for them to have ly new level of engagement. strategy is to continuously strive trained technical experts to their vehicles inspected by Through this integration, QIC to expand our customer reach to ensure that their vehicles are in skilled technicians to ensure aims at building stronger con- build and nurture relationship good condition and maintained the best condition of the nection with customers, making with customers. With a very high to the best standards. vehicle. communications easier, swifter, smartphone penetration rate, The Service Week is a good “The Mercedes-Benz Service and more personalised. Fahad al-Suwaidi, deputy CEO, QIC. I am confi dent that WhatsApp opportunity for Mercedes- Week is an annual campaign Qatar Insurance has suc- Business platform has the capa- Benz owner to have a conducted globally by cessfully rolled out the inte- nel to enhance ways of engaging bility to enhance the way we in- complete checkup with a Mercedes-Benz to appreciate gration of WhatsApp Business with customers and enriching teract with our customers.” detailed report about their the relations with its loyal with its homegrown IT plat- overall customer experience. He added: “The integration vehicles, NBK Automobiles The campaign allows Mercedes-Benz owners to receive a complimentary customers. Through this form Anoud. Simultaneously, the app will of WhatsApp Business into has said in a statement. They vehicle checkup executed by Mercedes-Benz trained technical experts campaign, the brand always The integration facilitates be used for marketing QIC’s retail our operating module will add will also receive a voucher to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition and maintained to the makes sure of the comfort the insurer to leverage key fea- product off erings and services. more impetus to customer in- that enables them to avail of best standards. and safety of drivers”. tures of WhatsApp Business, Customers can now send teraction, making it more im- discounts on Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz service namely, its popularity, ability to a WhatsApp message to pactful. Not only that, but we genuine parts and labour Operations director – Auto, Nasser that always demonstrates centres located at Al support multimedia communi- 50000742 for any queries re- also envision that WhatsApp charges in case they need to Bin Khaled Group, said: “We, at Mercedes-Benz’s priority to Gharrafa petrol station, Al cations through transfer of fi les lated to QIC’s insurance prod- Business will be a key enabler do any repairs, in addition to Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, ensure the comfort and safety Mana petrol station and such as photos and documents, ucts and services. It can even in streamlining internal proc- a complimentary Mercedes- continue to accomplish our of customers. We will always Street 2 in the Industrial among others, while hosting facilitate in fi ling a motor claim esses, tracking timelines, op- Benz gift as a token of mission and vision in serving the stay committed to off er the best Area will be open from real time B2C conversations. after an accident. timising effi ciencies across all appreciation. community in Qatar. We are proud customer service to reflect October 19 to 26, including QIC will continue to use QIC WhatsApp profi le dis- operations, right from gener- Sheikh Faleh bin Nawaf al-Thani, to present this annual campaign the brand’s ethos and strategy.” Friday. WhatsApp Business as a key plays a green badge that en- ating a quote to fi ling a motor customer communication chan- sures privacy through end-to- claim.” Gifts and Homeware Festival Month begins at Doha Festival City

oha Festival City is cele- off ering something for everyone. vouchers, accessories, and bed- brating homeware, furni- All-time favourites that are dings to house appliances, trav- Dture, and home accesso- exclusive to Doha Festival City elling gear, and even furniture ries starting this month during including Ikea, Ace, Muji and for a truly inspiring and unfor- its Gift and Homeware Festival, the largest home section for gettable experience. it was announced. Marks & Spencer in the region, “We invite everyone in Qa- The best and biggest brands are all participating with a vari- tar to make the best out of the and retailers specialised in ety of unique and engaging pods exclusive Gifts and Homeware house decorations and fur- showcasing their latest and ex- Festival. Doha Festival City is nishings, will off er the wid- clusive collections. a destination for shopping and est collections, with valuable Customers will also fi nd pre- that includes everything cus- prizes, giveaways and vouchers mium selections from The One, tomers want for their homes, as from the Magic Buzz Box VR Daiso, Pasabache, W&B Home, we bring them the largest and game, exclusively for Festival Nest Home Living, Mothercare, biggest names all in one place,” City shoppers. Laura Ashley, Linens, Molteni Doha Festival City general From October 15 to November Home, West Elm, Pottery Barn, manager Robert Hall said in a 15, more than 20 home furniture Pottery Barn kids, HEMA, De- statement. and home accessories stores will benhams, Think Kitchen, and “We are proud of being able to feature the latest and trendiest H&M. constantly create unique experi- Home decors and furnishings will be on display at the festival. in-home designs. Shoppers can also win amaz- ences for our shoppers that cater Shoppers and visitors will ex- ing prizes and vouchers from to their needs, while adding val- est and biggest mall in Qatar, opment is also considered one perience state-of-the-art po- Doha Festival City homeware re- ue to our business partners who with a gross built area of almost of the largest entertainment and diums, across Festival City, dis- tailers when they play the Magic choose us as a home for their 500,000sqm, and a gross leas- retail developments in the Gulf Over 20 home furniture and home accessories stores will feature playing inspiring room setups, Buzz Box VR game. brands,” he added. able area of over 250,000sqm. with the best off erings for family the latest and trendiest in-home designs at the Gifts and Homeware home decor, and furnishings, Prizes range from discount Doha Festival City is the larg- The QR6bn mixed-use devel- and kids. Festival Month at Doha Festival City. Gulf Times 8 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 QATAR

Access to broadband QNB holds events to mark vital for sustainable development, says ‘World White Cane Day’ Ooredoo Group CEO oredoo is “passionate NB Group organised ability, and teach those who about mobile technol- various activities in col- are visually impaired about the Oogy as a tool to bring Qlaboration with the Qa- importance of using the white positive social and economic tar Social and Cultural Center cane to navigate safely and change across the communi- for the Blind to celebrate ‘World independently. ties in which it operates,” said White Cane Day’ at the bank’s QNB said it “is always keen Group CEO Sheikh Saud bin Mathaf Tower building. to contribute in supporting the Nasser al-Thani. October 15 of each year marks disabled in Qatar and across its He was referring to a new an international observance to international network in line report issued in New York by celebrate the achievements of with its diverse range of corpo- the Broadband Commission people who are blind or visually rate social responsibility (CSR) for Sustainable Development. impaired. initiatives and programmes Sheikh Saud said, “A philos- To commemorate this impor- launched with the aim of align- ophy that Ooredoo shares with tant day, QNB organised many ing it with Qatar’s National the Broadband Commission activities for its staff with the Vision 2030.” for Sustainable Development participation of members of QNB Group’s presence is that access to broadband is the Qatar Social and Cultural through its subsidiaries and as- vital for sustainable develop- Center for the Blind. The event sociate companies extends to ment. Ooredoo is passionate also included a showcase of the some 31 countries across three about mobile technology as tools and devices used to aid and continents providing a com- a tool to bring positive social support the visually impaired. prehensive range of advanced and economic change across The event aimed to raise products and services. the communities in which we awareness about blindness, The total number of bank’s operate. Across our footprint, educate people about the basic employees is more than 30,000 we are investing to help our Sheikh Saud bin Nasser al-Thani, skills to interact with those who in 1,100 locations, with an ATM networks reach the world’s Group CEO, Ooredoo. have vision impairment, remove network of more than 4,400 QNB Group organised various activities in collaboration with the Qatar Social and Cultural Center for the most remote and underserved negative stereotypes about dis- machines. Blind to celebrate ‘World White Cane Day’ at the bank’s Mathaf Tower building. communities, while working only slightly to 54.8% from to become digital enablers, 53.1% last year. In low-income empowering people with countries, household Internet access to digital services.” adoption improved by a mere Traditional approaches 0.8% on average. to driving Internet network Data on individuals using Project launches, Msheireb Properties to take roll-out and uptake are fail- the Internet also indicated ing to reach the remaining slowing global growth in 2018, half of the global population as well as a slowing growth in still lacking online access, ac- developing countries, which new-to-market part in Cityscape Qatar cording to a new report issued are home to the vast majority in New York by the Broadband of the estimated 3.7bn still un- Commission for Sustainable connected. sheireb Properties, a Msheireb Properties said: “We to visit our booth to know more Development. “Our collective ownership investment national real estate de- are excited to continue our tradi- about our business opportunities.” To counter slowing global to implement the Commis- Mvelopment company tion of participating in Cityscape Msheireb Properties was es- growth, the report advocates sion’s recommendations will and a subsidiary of Qatar Foun- Qatar. This year we join the event tablished as a commercial ven- for new collaborative strate- necessitate all of us to provide dation (QF), announced yester- with developments that have be- ture to support QF in achieving gies to drive the concept of resources – both fi nancial and opportunities day its participation in Cityscape come a reality including recent the Qatar National Vision 2030. ‘meaningful universal con- technical know-how – to cre- Qatar in its 8th edition, from Oc- residential, retail and commer- The company aims to en- nectivity’ through greater em- ate the much-needed impact tober 22 to 24 at booth D.25 at the cial openings in Msheireb Down- rich people’s lives and improve phasis on resource sharing and of our work,” noted Paula Ing- Doha Exhibition and Convention town Doha, as well as an exciting the overall quality of how they a more holistic approach that abire, Minister of ICT and In- to headline Centre. new project we are launching in live, work and thrive by creat- treats broadband as a basic novation, Republic of Rwanda, Cityscape Qatar is the only real wellness.” ing modern, innovative, and public utility and vital enabler representing President Paul estate event in Qatar off ering un- “We invite everyone in Doha authentic developments. of global development. Kagame, who co-chairs the paralleled investment opportu- The notion of ‘meaning- Commission. Cityscape Qatar nities for the local and interna- ful universal connectivity’ “Connecting the world’s tional real estate market. encompasses broadband that population to the Internet is The event enables investors, is available, accessible, rel- about collaboration, collective ityscape Qatar is gear- Resort & Spa, which will open its buyers and industry profession- evant and aff ordable, but approaches and partnerships ing up to host an array of doors in Interlaken, Switzerland als to engage and discuss busi- also that is safe, trusted, us- – among diff erent stakehold- Cnew local and interna- in 2021, will debut its upscale ness opportunities in a dynamic er-empowering and leads to ers, across diff erent sectors tional project launches when the vacation apartments that come environment. positive impact. The report and across borders,” said fel- three-day show opens on Oc- with a full suite of hotel services. Msheireb Properties is keen on advocates for this new con- low Commission co-chair tober 22 at the Doha Exhibition The resort’s Edwin Hanssen said being present at events that en- cept to underpin policy mak- Carlos Slim. and Convention Centre (DECC). Qataris are being targeted due to rich and support the sustainable ers’ new digital strategies, as “It is about understanding This year’s Platinum Exhibi- their proven preference for Swit- growth of the local real estate governments seek to fi nd new the needs of people in terms tion Sponsor, Qetaifan Projects, zerland as a vacation destination. market. ways to fi nance network roll- of connectivity, literacy, and will reveal its new Lusail City Owners and visitors of the At Cityscape Qatar 2019, out and reach unconnected access to content in diff erent mixed-use development – resort’s upscale apartments Msheireb Properties will show- populations. formats and languages, and Qetaifan Island North, the fi rst will enjoy proximity to famous case a number of its projects, The State of Broadband services. It is about bring- phase of which is due for com- winter-sports areas and will including opportunities in retail, 2019: Broadband as Founda- ing the costs of services and pletion by November 2021. The have access to a private marina commercial and residential, as tion for Sustainable Devel- devices down. And it is about island, designed to be Qatar’s on Lake Brienz. With a unique well as announcements on the opment reveals that global empowering people who lack future iconic destination, will 800m shoreline, off ering stun- launches of new development in growth in the percentage of standard basic ICT skills with off er a mix of entertainment, ning views of the lake and Alps, residential and wellness. Msheireb Properties is keen on being present at events that enrich households connected to the the means to participate in the residential, hospitality, and re- the resort will feature restau- Ali al-Kuwari, A/CEO of and support the sustainable growth of the local real estate market. Internet is slowing, rising digital ecosystem.” tail investment opportunities. rants, a spa, fi tness facilities and “The Island’s location and its a kids’ club. Buyers will benefi t distinctive waterfront represent from the resort’s rental concept a new and exciting way of life to ensure an interesting return that symbolises vision and fu- on investment. ture ambition, off ering its resi- Cityscape Qatar, organised Strong winds and rain forecast again today dents an integrated living expe- by Cityscape and Elan Group, rience,” said Sheikh Nasser bin will run for the fi rst time along- Strong winds are again expected says it will be relatively hot also a weak chance of light rain The season locally known as geranium, the statement notes. Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qetai- side Index Qatar, the only trade in some places along with during the daytime and local in some places. Al Wasmi, which is marked by Climate records indicate that fan Project managing director fair exclusively dedicated to the thundery rain by this afternoon, cloud formation is also likely. The maximum temperature spells of rain, begins today and the maximum temperature and Katara Hospitality deputy country’s interior design sector. today’s weather forecast shows. There is a chance of rain in some today is expected to be 36C in will last for 52 days, the Qatar decreases gradually in Doha chairman. “The show is a must-attend Similar conditions were reported places by this afternoon, which Abu Samra and 35C in Doha and Met department has said. during this season, going below Qetaifan Island North is also event for all looking to invest from parts of the country may become thundery, and Al Khor. Clouds move from the west 35C, while the minimum drops intended to serve as a central locally and overseas and those yesterday. slight to blowing dust is also Yesterday, a maximum to east during this period and to about 20C. Overall, mild entertainment and leisure des- wanting to gauge the opportuni- Thunderstorms were detected expected at times. temperature of 39C was rainfall at the beginning of Al temperature is experienced tination for the 2022 FIFA World ties, current and future, which in the central and western areas, The wind speed will be recorded in Batna and Karana, Wasmi is usually an indication during the day and it becomes Cup given its proximity to the exist for homeowners in the the Qatar Met department 5-15 knots, going up to 30 followed by 38C in Sheehaniya of a good rainy season, relatively cool at night, Lusail Stadium where the open- Qatar market,” explained Carlo tweeted yesterday, urging knots in some areas during and Jumayliyah, 37C in Abu according to a statement by the especially under the influence of ing match and fi nal will be held. Schembri, exhibition director. people to be careful and follow thundershowers, according to Hamour, Ghuwairiyah and department. dry northwesterly winds. Qetaifan Island North spans Cityscape Qatar will also its safety tips. Rain was also the weather report. Shehaimiya, and 36C in Doha This season is named so On a cautionary note, the Met approximately 1.3mn sq m, a feature an opening day confer- reported from the southwestern While there is no marine warning (airport area) and the Qatar because it coincides with rainfall department said flu and other 10th of which will be given over ence under the theme ‘Qatar’s parts of Qatar. today, off shore areas are likely to University area. that helps certain local plants diseases are common during to a water park. The island will Growth Story: Building Tomor- The detailed forecast for today see scattered clouds and there is Al Wasmi season begins: grow, such as helianthemum and this transitional period. be packed with family enter- row’s Legacy’, and the ‘Cityscape tainment attractions, distinct Talks’ series, which will run on neighbourhoods, luxurious ho- October 23 and 24. Attendance tels, pedestrian friendly streets, at the probing Cityscape Qatar gardens, a school, and medical conference is by invitation only. centre. The two-day, free-to-attend “It will have world-class fa- Cityscape Talks series will fea- Marriott International opens fi rst Four Points by Sheraton in Doha cilities that make it a modern, ture presentations covering a globally-competitive commu- range of themes from maxim- our Points by Sheraton place for business and leisure 120-room property includes nity with a unique design that is ising real estate investment, to Doha, part of Marriott In- travellers,” said Alex Kyriakidis, contemporary and stylish Su- inspired by the rich culture and market trends. Cityscape Qa- Fternational, has offi cially president and managing direc- perior and Deluxe rooms, as well nature of the region,” Sheikh tar is supported by Qetaifan opened yesterday, marking the tor, Middle East & Africa, Mar- as suites. Each room is equipped Nasser said. Projects as Platinum Exhibition brand’s debut in the country. riott International. with state-of-the-art facilities Also lining up for Cityscape Sponsor, Qatari Diar as Gold The rebranded property will “Qatar is an important market including complimentary Wi- Qatar reveals are second-home Exhibition Sponsor, and Barwa add some 120 rooms to the city for us, and we continue to look Fi, LCD TV, personal safe, and properties in Tunisia and a new as Offi cial Strategic Sponsor. To and will refl ect the brand’s prom- for opportunities to expand our minibar. The hotel also features a Swiss lakeside resort. register, visit www.cityscapeqa- ise of ‘travel reinvented’, provid- portfolio and support the coun- fi tness centre, spa, sauna, Turk- The upmarket Florens Lake tar.com ing everything that matters most try’s robust plans to develop the ish bath, Jacuzzi, and swimming to today’s independent travel- tourism and travel sector.” pool including dedicated chil- lers including timeless style and On the launch announcement, dren’s pool. comfort with genuine service. Amer Fares, CEO, Sharaka Hold- With conference and banquet Four Points by Sheraton Doha ings, the parent company of Le Four Points by Sheraton Doha being off icially inaugurated. space across four event rooms will operate under a franchise Mirage Real Estate, said, “It has equipped with the latest tech- agreement and will be managed by been a dream project for all of 20-minutes away from Ha- commercial and residential prop- nology and a dedicated events Le Mirage Real Estate, a member us at Le Mirage Real Estate right mad International Airport, Four erties, retail, cultural off erings team, the hotel is an ideal venue of Sharaka Holdings, the owners from the moment we signed the Points by Sheraton Doha is a and entertainment areas. for board meetings, business or and developers of the property. deal with Marriott Internation- short drive away from the city The Souq underpass, which social events, and weddings. “We are delighted to open the al. We believe that every hotel- centre and Doha Corniche. directly connects Musheireb The hotel houses four din- fi rst Four Points by Sheraton stay should include an element Steps away from the Musheireb Downtown Doha to the Souq ing venues including Mush- in Doha. The brand’s comfort- of comfort. At Four Points by Doha Metro station and across the Waqif provides easy access to eireb, an all-day dining restau- able hospitality experience and Sheraton, we go the extra mile to street from Musheireb Downtown shopping and entertainment. rant off ering an extensive menu Cityscape Qatar will feature an opening day conference under the the hotel’s location in the heart make your stay enjoyable.” Doha, it sits at the heart of the city Designed to suit the needs with popular Arabic, Thai, and theme ‘Qatar’s Growth Story: Building Tomorrow’s Legacy’. of the city will make it the ideal Conveniently located surrounded by a combination of of independent travellers, the international dishes. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 9 QATAR Qatar-Iraq sports ties reviewed HBKU holds seminars on cutting-edge medical topics

s part of its commit- ment to providing es- Asential educational and research training, the College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer- sity (HBKU) recently held public seminars covering topics at the cutting-edge of biomedical sci- ences and precision medicine. The series began on Septem- ber 25 with a session on the reg- ulation of human ageing genes and their association with frailty and clinical phenotypes. Delivered by Dr Imad Abuges- saisa from the Riken Centre for Integrative Medical Sciences, Japan, the seminar emphasised HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali met on Sunday that regulating human ageing The college regularly hosts public lectures and seminars that reflect its multidisciplinary projects and evening with Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Iraq Ahmed Riad, who is on a visit genes is essential for under- research activities. to Doha. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of co-operation between the two coun- standing ageing processes and tries in the field of sports and ways to develop them. discovering biomarkers for risk, research concerning the repair of examining photoreceptor regen- global reach and sets an ex- diagnosis and the prognosis of the vertebrate retina. eration in zebrafi sh. ample for like-minded aca- frailty in elderly adults. Delivered by Dr Peter Hitch- Sharing such research, in demic institutes to follow. This has inspired research- cock, University of Michigan, turn, reflects HBKU’s commit- These include HBKU, which ers at the Riken Centre to uti- Regeneration of Photorecep- ment to identifying molecular remains focused on devel- lise the CAGE method to profi le tors from Intrinsic Stem Cells mechanisms that regulate the oping the type of healthcare Media City workshops focus on transcription start sites from the was an opportunity for the birth, death and regeneration of required to fulfil Qatar Na- whole-blood of a cohort of old professor of Ophthalmology neurons and photoreceptors in tional Vision 2030. For that, adults. and Visual Sciences to outline the vertebrate retina. Speaking the country requires highly- co-operation with private sector Doing so, enabled Dr Abuges- his research on the function after the most recent seminar, trained and intellectually-cu- saisa to characterise, promote of the cytokine/growth factor, Dr Edward Stuenkel, dean, rious medical professionals. and enhancer activities within Midkine-a, and the inflamma- CHLS, said, “These seminars We are determined to develop QNA this cohort. tory protease, matrix metallo- were delivered by prominent these individuals through our Doha On October 2, the second proteinase-9. scholars in their respective academic programmes and seminar considered the state of His fi ndings were informed by fields. Their research has a seminars.”

he Media City Board of Directors, chaired by HE TSheikh Saif bin Ahmed al-Thani, began on Sunday organising workshops to ex- plain and clarify the ways of co-operation between the 100 impounded vehicles private sector and the Media City and its various compo- nents to encourage the Qatari private sector to participate in the various tenders in Media sold on fi rst day of auction City. This is in line with the first meeting between the private ome 100 vehicles were sold and public sectors and the Some of the participants in the workshop. on the fi rst day of the auc- Media City held in Lusail City Stion of impounded vehi- last Thursday. lic sectors and the Media City the participation of the Qatari cles, local Arabic daily Arrayah The tender brochure will be and its various components, private sector in the develop- reported, quoting an offi cial. sent this week to companies HE the Chairman of Media ment of the stages of the Me- Informing this, Captain Ha- that attended the meeting and City Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed dia City project. mad al-Nuaimi, head of the in- workshops. al-Thani underscored that the He also confirmed his con- vestigations section at the Traf- During the first meeting to Media City project is one of fidence in these companies to fi c Department and head of the discuss ways of co-operation the strategic projects in Qatar, be a key partner in the Media committee responsible for sell- between the private and pub- stressing the importance of City project. ing impounded vehicles, said the cars put up for sale at the auction have been impounded for more than three months and not been claimed by their owners. Accordingly, the vehicles are now being sold through the pub- lic auction following the legal grace period, he noted. The two-week-long auction started on October 13 and takes place at the impounded vehicles Snapshots from the auction venue. PICTURES: Ram Chand yard on Street 52, Industrial Area. For each vehicle sold, part of the price will be used to clear the fi nes for violations and pay for the expenses incurred on each vehicle on account of the im- pounding, according to Arrayah. The rest will go to the original owner of the vehicle. However, in case the price is not enough to clear the due fi nes and pay for other expenses on the vehicles, the remaining sum will be collected from the violators through the usual legal ways. As the fi rst day saw a consid- The function was attended by several Arab novelists, critics and academics. erable turnout of potential cus- tomers, the number of vehicles auction is expected to increase, hicles available in the auction committee of experts had put a that will be sold on a daily basis the daily adds. include motorcycles as well as minimum price for each vehicle Fifth edition of Katara Arabic throughout the duration of the Captain al-Nuaimi said ve- and light and heavy vehicles. A on display ahead of the auction. literary contest gets underway Nama holds meeting to prepare ‘Peer Education Manual’

QNA the award in the Arab world, he independence, transparency Doha added. and integrity at all stages of he Social Development the Qatari community. This year, the number of en- the award, starting from the Centre (Nama), in co- Al-Mannai noted that the tries reached 1,850. This is an opening of nominations and Toperation with the United Peer Education Network project he fi fth edition of Katara increase of 30% over the fourth the selection of the members Nations Population Fund (UN- is one of the main pillars that Prize for Arabic Novel edition, which received 1,283 of the jury to the announce- FPA), has held an expert meet- contribute to the empowerment Tkicked off at Katara Cul- entries. ment of the winners. ing to prepare a ‘Peer Education of young people through the de- tural Village on Sunday. Prizes are given in fi ve cat- “I express my sincere wish- Manual’ in Qatar in the presence velopment of their knowledge The function was attended egories. The categories are: es to the candidates in the five of representatives from the two and the promotion of positive by several Arab novelists, crit- Fiction in published category; categories of the prize. Those organisations. behaviours. ics and academics. The event fi ction in unpublished catego- who are not lucky in this ses- Nama is one of the centres The project aims to train and will run until today. ry; Qatari fi ction; young adult sion must continue their ef- operating under the umbrella prepare youth peers so as to Inaugurating the event, Dr fi ction, and literary research forts and sharpen their talent of Qatar Foundation for Social make them responsible for their Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, and criticism. and achieve their goals,” he Work. health and its protection; it is general manager of Katara Cul- The winners of this year’s said. In a statement, Nama said it based on eff ective learning that tural Village, said the Katara prizes will be announced at the Also, a seminar was held has signed a co-operation pro- requires meeting their needs, Prize for Arabic Novel has be- concluding ceremony today. on the late Tunisian novelist tocol with UNFPA focusing on those of others and society. come an important event in the At the function, Dr Khalid Mahmoud Massadi. Al-Mas- three main outputs: conduct- This project responds to the Arab literary calendar and its bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti pre- sadi was chosen as the Person ing a study to survey, document requirements of Qatar National popularity is increasing every sented Dr Mohamed Abdel- of the Year for the fifth edi- and analyse data on the status of Participants in the meeting. Vision 2030. Al-Mannai added year. rahim Kafoud, former Educa- tion. youth, youth policies, projects that Nama’s 2017-2022 strategy “Katara has become an in- tion Minister of Qatar and a Speakers at the seminar and actors involved in youth initiative supervised by UNFPA. cators in Qatar. aims at promoting qualitative cubator of Arab literary talent linguistics expert, with the Al said al-Massadi was one of projects; designing a national The aims of the expert meet- Maryam al-Mannai, director development and investing the and creativity. The world is Dhad Shield in recognition of the most influential writers curriculum to enhance life skills ing on the preparation of a Peer of Community Services at the creative energies of young pio- noticing our initiatives and we Dr Kafoud’s contributions to of Tunisia in the modern era, and citizenship; and designing Education Manual in Qatar were Social Development Centre, said neers, fuelling their ambitions are making constant eff orts to Arabic language. because of intellectual depths a national curriculum for peer to introduce and prioritise the within the framework of co-op- and aspirations and developing promote Arab novels and crea- Dr al-Sulaiti reiterated Ka- in his writings. education in Qatar. Peer Education Initiative in the eration between Nama and UN- their abilities through a set of tivity,” he said. tara’s full commitment to cre- A signing ceremony of The Peer Education Network country; present and discuss the FPA, the fi rst draft of the Peer carefully selected programmes The huge increase in the ate the right environment to books was held for last year’s is the third output of the co-op- fi rst draft of the Peer Education Education Manual in Qatar was to create a generation with the number of entries for the priz- achieve the vision and objec- winners. Thirty-one pub- eration protocol. Manual; and develop the work prepared based on international skills that enable it to interact es are proof of the increasing tives of the prize, through its lished books were available It is an international network, programme and format of the and regional experiences and in with the issues and needs of the popularity and acceptance of commitment to the values of for signing by the authors. an innovative youth-to-youth training workshop for peer edu- line with the values and needs of community. Gulf Times 10 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 REGION/ARAB WORLD/AFRICA Iran urges diplomacy to lower tensions, but decries tanker incident

Reuters Dubai

ran yesterday urged regional powers to use diplomacy to reduce tensions includ- Iing Yemen’s war, but cautioned that an Iranian tanker damaged in the Red Sea last week had been hit by rockets and there would have to be consequences. Addressing a news conference, President Hassan Rouhani reiterated policy towards the Trump administration, ruling out bilateral talks unless Washington returns to a land- mark nuclear deal and lifts crippling US eco- nomic sanctions. Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighters take pictures with mobile phones at the border town of Tal Abyad, Tensions in the Gulf have risen to new Syria, yesterday. highs since May 2018, when the administra- tion of President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 accord with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of sanctions. Turkey accuses Kurdish forces Rouhani said diplomacy was the way solve diff erences. “Ending the war in Yemen will pave the of freeing IS prisoners in Syria ground for de-escalation in the region,” Rou- hani told a news conference, broadcast live on state TV. AFP her infant son for the past 18 months. “We want peace and calm in the region... A handout picture provided by the Iranian Presidency yesterday shows President Hassan Istanbul For several days, the bombs were falling closer regional crisis can be resolved through di- Rouhani speaking during a press conference in Tehran. and closer to the camp, where there were no more plomacy and co-operation between the re- NGOs, no more help,” she added. gional countries.” Britain, France and Germany, all parties Iran also agreed to limitations on specific urkey yesterday accused Kurdish forces of President Donald Trump on Monday rejected Rouhani, restating Iran’s stance, said to the pact, have urged Iran to refrain from research and development activities for deliberately releasing Islamic State pris- criticism that his decision to remove US troops Tehran will continue to reduce its nuclear any concrete act breaching the pact. eight years. Toners held at a prison in the Syrian border from the region was risking a mass escape of IS commitments until European parties to the “The European countries have failed to Rouhani said an Iranian tanker, the Sabi- town of Tal Abyad. prisoners. “Kurds may be releasing some to get pact save it by protecting Iran’s economy fulfil their promises. We will continue to ti, damaged in the Red Sea on Friday had “Turkish forces raided a prison in Tal Abyad us involved. Easily recaptured by Turkey or Eu- from US penalties. decrease our nuclear commitments,” Rou- been hit by at least two rockets, and adding earlier today, expecting to take custody of Dae- ropean Nations from where many came, but they Iran has responded to US “maximum hani said. “We will start working on IR-7 that the incident had been caught on video. sh (Islamic State) terrorists held there,” a senior should move quickly,” he wrote on Twitter. pressure” by scaling back commitments and IR-9 centrifuges.” There has been no independent report on government offi cial told reporters. Meanwhile, Erdogan on Monday welcomed the since May and threatened to continue re- Under the deal, Iran is allowed limited the cause of the damage. “Before they got there, (Kurdish) PKK/YPG announcement by Washington that it was pulling moving curbs on its nuclear programme research and development on advanced Rouhani, speaking live on state television terrorists set free the Daesh militants in an at- 1,000 troops out of northern Syria. unless European parties to the pact did centrifuges, which accelerate the produc- yesterday, said the attack was undoubtedly tempt to fuel chaos in the area,” he said, claiming “This is a positive approach,” Erdogan told re- more to shield Iran’s economy from the US tion of fissile material that can be used to carried out by a government and that there that no doors had been broken in the prison. porters, when asked about Sunday’s statement penalties. make a nuclear bomb. would be consequences. “The folly of trusting a terrorist group for from US Pentagon chief Mark Esper. keeping watch over another is exposed for all,” Erdogan said he expected Kurdish forces to said the Turkish offi cial. withdraw from other key towns such as Manbij. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier hit out “When Manbij is evacuated, we will not go in at “disinformation” reports that Turkey was re- there as Turkey. Our Arab brothers, who are the sponsible for the escape of militants, “This is ac- real owners, the tribes...will return there. Our Sudan govt, rebels Air strike in Tripoli kills tually disinformation aimed at provoking Amer- approach is to ensure their return and security ica or the West,” he said, quoted by the Hurriyet there,” he said. daily. He also said Russia — a decisive actor in the meet for peace talks three young sisters Some relatives of the IS families in the Ain Issa multi-faceted Syria conflict as a key backer camp said that Kurdish guards had forced the of Damascus — was not putting obstacles in women and children to leave. the way of an offensive on another key town, Reuters member of the sovereign coun- Reuters ground and air campaign since “Today (Sunday), the Kurdish guards opened Kobani. “There is a lot of gossip now, but it Juba cil expressed optimism. “We Tripoli April. A Reuters reporter saw the doors to the foreign women and asked them seems...there won’t be any problem in Kobani shall start negotiations with a heavily damaged two-storey to leave the camp,” said the mother of a 24-year- with Russia’s positive approach as of now,” Er- open hearts and we are serious house which witnesses said old woman, who had been kept at the camp with dogan said. udan’s ruling council and about bringing peace to Su- hree children, all sisters, had been hit around midday. rebel leaders started peace dan,” he said. were killed, and their The family living there were Stalks yesterday to end the The council took over the Tmother and a fourth among those displaced from country’s multiple confl icts, a government in August when sister wounded in an air strike the outskirts of Tripoli since key condition for the country’s military and civilian parties that hit a house near a military the start of Haftar’s campaign, removal from the United States’ and protest groups signed a intelligence camp in Libya’s residents said. One neighbour, Troops arrest Palestinian offi cials sponsors of terrorism list. three-year power-sharing deal capital yesterday, a Reuters re- Walid Khamis, said he had The council, a transitional after months of strife following porter and health offi cials said. heard a single warplane before government, has made peace- the removal of president Omar The mother was in critical the strike. “It circled, dipped, AFP in Israeli-annexed east Jerusa- pied east Jerusalem in the 1967 making with rebels fighting al-Bashir in April. condition and her daughter then launched,” he said. Jérusalem lem, lawyer Mohamed Mahmud Six-Day War and later annexed Khartoum one of its main pri- South Sudan brought to- had emergency surgery to am- A taxi driver whose vehi- said. it in a move never recognised orities. gether members of the council putate a leg after the strike in cle was damaged said: “I was He said they were accused of by the international commu- Being designated a state and rebel leaders from several the Al Fornaj neighbourhood sleeping and when I heard the sraeli police arrested the engaging in activity on behalf of nity. It considers the entire city sponsor of terrorism cuts Su- areas for the latest talks. of southern Tripoli, the Tripo- strike I woke up. They’re our Palestinian governor of Je- the Palestinian Authority in the its capital, while the Palestin- dan off from desperately need- Thousands of people have li-based Health Ministry and neighbours. Then we started Irusalem and a local offi cial city. Israeli police spokesman ians see the eastern sector as ed debt relief and financing been killed in Sudan’s civil hospital offi cials said. to take out the children” from of the mainstream Fatah party Micky Rosenfeld said that “two the capital of their future state. from lenders such as the In- wars, including the conflict Libya’s internationally rec- the rubble.The spokesman for in dawn raids yesterday in the representatives were arrested by About 320,000 Palestin- ternational Monetary Fund and in the western Darfur region, ognised government blamed Haftar’s forces, Ahmed Mis- disputed city, their lawyer said. police and are being questioned”, ians live in east Jerusalem. Sen- World Bank. where rebels have been fighting the strike on forces of Khalifa mari, said yesterday that air Police arrested governor Ad- but did not confi rm their names ior Palestinian offi cial Hanan Removal from the list poten- the government since 2003. Haftar, the commander based strikes including one against nan Ghaith and the Fatah general or give any further detail. Ashrawi condemned Ghaith’s tially opens the door for foreign In August, Sudanese officials in the east of the North African a military intelligence camp in secretary for Jerusalem, Shadi PA activities in Jerusalem are arrest in a strongly-worded investment. and rebels set a two-month pe- country who has been trying Al Fornaj had “caused heavy Mutour, in raids on their homes barred by Israel, which occu- statement. Arriving in Juba yesterday, a riod for talks starting on Oct 14. to seize Tripoli in the west in a losses in lives and equipment”.

UNREST STRIFE At least 16 killed Three dead, seven by armed men hurt in DR Congo in Ethiopia Four protesters feared killed in militia ambush Armed men killed at least 16 Three people were killed and seven people and injured about two more wounded yesterday in an am- dozen others in a small village bush in eastern DR Congo blamed in northeastern Ethiopia, a local Guinea clashes with police on a notorious hardline-rooted police official said yesterday, in militia, local off icials said. one of the deadliest attacks seen Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) gun- in the region. The incident took AFP Several people were arrested men opened fire on a vehicle that place at around 1am local time Conakry and “the security forces are in was taking traders from the town of on Saturday in Obno, a small control of the situation and Oicha to a market in Eringeti, said village in the Afambo district in calm reigns in the majority of Donat Kibwana, administrator of the northeastern Afar region of our young demonstrators the country”, he said in a state- Beni territory in troubled North Kivu Ethiopia. “The armed men came were killed in clashes be- ment. An alliance of unions, province. The toll is “three dead, sev- via Djibouti and committed the Ftween security forces and opposition parties and civil so- en wounded and a number of miss- killings,” Afar’s deputy police thousands of protesters in the ciety groups called the Nation- ing,” Kibwana said. He added that the commissioner Ahmed Humed Guinean capital Conakry yes- al Front for the Defence of the militiamen disappeared into the bush told Reuters. “We’ve never seen terday, according to relatives Constitution (FNDC) had ap- after the army arrived. The toll was such an incident at this scale and a doctor, as authorities pealed for a massive turnout. confirmed by Noella Katongerwaki, a before where many civilians lost said a gendarme had also been Police yesterday surrounded representative of grassroots groups their lives. We are still investigat- killed during the unrest. the house of the opposition in the Beni area. Dozens of militias ing who these armed men are.” The deaths occurred during leader Cellou Dalein Diallo and operate in the North and South Kivu A local hospital admitted 28 pa- rallies called to oppose con- Sidya Toure, who heads the provinces of the Democratic Republic tients who suffered injuries from stitutional changes that could opposition Union of Republi- of Congo, a vast country the size of explosives and bullet wounds, enable 81-year-old President can Forces (UFR). western continental Europe. The ADF, Mohamed Hassen, head of Dubti Alpha Conde to seek a third Protesters burn tyres as they demonstrate in Conakry, yesterday. “I ask Guineans to continue a group that arose in western Uganda Hospital in Afar, told Reuters. term in offi ce. to protest and to block the way in 1995, has been blamed for massa- One woman injured in the attack Pockets of violence erupted only that a gendarme had to see the body at the hospi- embassies, was under lock- until the power understands cring hundreds of civilians in the Beni lost both her husband and four- around the outer districts of been shot dead in the town of tal mortuary because there is down and almost deserted. that you cannot impose a dic- area. In July, ADF men wielding guns month old son, Mohamed said. Conakry, with some demon- Mamou, east of the capital, no way through, the roads are Residents and reporters tatorship on us by force,” Toure and machetes killed 12 civilians, two of Ethiopia is undergoing political strators setting up barricades, adding that a resident in the blocked”, he said. in several other cities in the told AFP by phone. them children. The latest attack came and economic reforms under burning tires and throwing city had been killed in unclear Earlier a local doctor said country reported disruption, Alpha Conde is a former op- just four days after President Felix its Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stones. circumstances. a 16-year-old boy had been with schools sending pupils position fi gure who in 2010 be- Tshisekedi made a lightning trip to who took power in April 2018 fol- Hundreds of police and gen- Tely Oury Bah, the father of killed and several others in- home. came the West African state’s Beni, where he announced at a rally lowing three years of violent anti- darmes responded with tear one of the protesters, said his jured in the suburb of Sonfonia Interior Minister Bourema fi rst democratically-elected that the government was preparing government protests that led to gas, stun grenades and real son Mamadou Lamarana Bah Gare. Conde said the protests were president, but his tenure has to “launch the final attack against ADF the resignation of his predeces- bullets, an AFP reporter saw. had been “coldly shot by a po- The centre of the city, which marked by acts “that threat- been marred by a crackdown fighters in the coming days, to wipe sor Hailemariam Desalegn. The government confi rmed lice offi cer”. “I cannot even go hosts government offi ces and ened the lives of our citizens”. on protests. them out once and for all.” Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 11 AMERICAS Video of Trump slaying media

This file photo taken on October 10 shows Trump at a ‘Keep America Great’ rally at the Target Centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An Internet meme that depicts him shooting and stabbing media characters and shown at event political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters, the New York Times reported. White House condemns video people whose faces have been It called the image “vile and Trump wants whistleblower identifi ed, and compelled to testify before Congress of fake Trump attacking replaced with the logos of me- horrifi c” and called on Trump to media dia outlets including CNN, the denounce the video. Donald Trump has demanded that a whistle- she entered the secure meeting room in the US Trump repeatedly characterises his Zelenskiy Washington Post and NBC TV, The White House Correspond- blower whose warning about his call with Capitol for a deposition. call as “perfect”, but the whistleblower’s com- DPA/AFP/Reuters the Times said. ents’ Association (WHCA) also Ukraine triggered the impeachment inquiry With the impeachment inquiry charging ahead, plaint noted how some White House off icials Washington The Internet meme is taken called on Trump to denounce the against the president be identified and testify Trump lashed out at House Intelligence Commit- were so concerned about Trump’s actions on the from a scene in the 2014 spy meme. before Congress. tee chairman Adam Schiff after the Democratic call that they sought to severely restrict access comedy Kingsman: The Secret “The WHCA is horrifi ed by a As the president menaced the person who ex- lawmaker suggested the whistleblower might to its record. video depicting a fake Service. video reportedly shown over the posed his potential wrongdoing, Trump faced a not testify out of concern for their safety. The White House memo of the call shows Trump Donald Trump shooting, During the rampage, the weekend at a political conference new setback with his former top Russia adviser, Trump has repeatedly pushed for the unmask- sought a “favour” from Zelenskiy. Astabbing and assaulting Trump character strikes the late organised by the president’s sup- Fiona Hill, sitting for a closed-door deposition ing of the unidentified author of a complaint that Democrats say it was a demand to investigate members of the media was shown senator John McCain on the back porters,” Jonathan Karl, presi- before Capitol Hill lawmakers. said Trump may have abused his power on the Joe Biden – the president’s potential 2020 at an event for his supporters at of the neck and torches the head dent of the association, said in Hill served in the National Security Council but call by urging Ukraine to dig up dirt on his politi- election rival – and a Ukrainian firm that hired the US president’s resort in Mi- of Senator Bernie Sanders, a 2020 a statement. “All Americans left the administration shortly before Trump’s cal rival Joe Biden. Biden’s son Hunter. ami, the New York Times reported Democratic presidential rival. should condemn this depiction July 25 call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volo- Whistleblowers are protected by US law, and House Democrat Jamie Raskin said he believes late on Sunday. He throws Republican senator of violence directed toward jour- dymyr Zelenskiy. revealing their identity is a crime. Hill could shed light on what he described as “a High-profi le fi gures linked Mitt Romney to the ground and nalists and the president’s politi- Democrats expect her to share her concerns “Adam Schiff now doesn’t seem to want the very powerful shadow foreign policy being oper- to Trump had been scheduled strikes former president Barack cal opponents.” about Trump’s involvement in the Ukraine Whistleblower to testify. NO! Must testify to ex- ated out of Ukraine by the president’s lawyer to speak at the event, including Obama in the back and slams him In 2017, Trump tweeted a simi- scandal, including his ouster of the US ambas- plain why he got my Ukraine conversation sooo Rudy Giuliani” that bypassed normal channels in former White House press secre- against a wall. lar spoof video that showed him sador to Kyiv Marie Yovanovitch, who testified to wrong,” Trump tweeted. “Did Schiff tell him to order to apply coercive pressure on Kyiv. tary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and CNN, which is frequently body-slamming CNN at a wres- Congress last week. do that? We must determine the Whistleblower’s “I think that she would have a comprehensive his son Donald Trump Jr, accord- named in Trump’s tirades against tling match. Hill, under a congressional subpoena according identity to determine WHY this was done to the overview of that whole situation,” Raskin told ing to the Times, which has seen what he calls “fake news”, and Concerns over violent attacks to her lawyer, made no remarks to reporters as USA.” MSNBC. footage of the video. which is reportedly targeted in against journalists grew last year Neither Sanders nor Trump Jr the video, released a statement when a man shot and killed fi ve saw the video, the report said. condemning it. people at a newspaper offi ce in based upon everything he has the president’s Trump National “At a conference of Trump Media organisations have The video is said to feature “Sadly, this is not the fi rst time Maryland over a personal grudge heard, he strongly condemns Doral Miami resort – said the clip supporters, they played a vid- come under regular verbal attack Internet memes and the logo for that supporters of the President against the publication. this video,” White House spokes- was part of a “meme exhibit”. eo of our president murdering from Trump and his supporters. Trump’s re-election campaign. have promoted violence against The White House condemned woman Stephanie Grisham said “American Priority rejects all journalists in a church,” tweeted At rallies, the US president re- One clip shows the president’s the media in a video they appar- the video yesterday. in a tweet. political violence and aims to Democratic presidential hope- peatedly encourages the crowd to head superimposed on the body ently fi nd entertaining – but it is “The @POTUS @realDon- The organiser of last week’s promote a healthy dialogue about ful Beto O’Rourke, adding: “This boo and heckle journalists cover- of a gunman opening fi re on the by far and away the worst,” CNN aldTrump has not yet seen the three-day “American Prior- the preservation of free speech,” video isn’t funny. It will get peo- ing the event, calling them “fake “Church of Fake News”, killing said in a statement on Twitter. video, he will see it shortly, but ity” event – which was held at Alex Phillips told the Times. ple killed.” news” and “enemy of the people”.

US trio win Nobel Police shooting of Economics Prize for black woman in her work on poverty home fans anger

AFP aff ected,” the jury said. AFP standing inside the residence Stockholm Dufl o is only the second wom- Washington near a window”, according to a an to win the Nobel Economics news release from Fort Worth Prize in its 50-year existence, police. “Perceiving a threat the trio of Americans have following Elinor Ostrom in 2009. olice in the Texas city of offi cer drew his duty weapon won the Nobel Economics Dufl o, 46, told the Nobel com- Fort Worth are inves- and fi red one shot striking the APrize for their work in the mittee in a phone interview the Ptigating an incident in person.” fi ght against poverty, including honour was “incredibly hum- which a white police offi cer The offi cer, who has not Esther Dufl o, the youngest-ever bling”. shot and killed a black woman been named but who was iden- economics laureate and only the “I didn’t think it was possible as she sat in her home playing tifi ed as a white man with the second woman to win the prize. to win the Nobel Prize in Eco- video games with her nephew. local police since 2018, “did Dufl o – a 46-year-old French- nomics before being signifi cantly The shooting of 28-year-old not announce he was a police American professor who has older than any of the three of us,” Atatiana Jeff erson came less offi cer before shooting”, Lieu- served as an adviser to former she added. than two weeks after a white tenant Brandon O’Neil, a po- US president Barack Obama – Banerjee is 58 and Kremer is A computer screen displays the portraits of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences laureates – Abhijit police offi cer in another Texas lice spokesman, acknowledged shared the Nobel with her hus- 54. Banerjee of the US, French-American Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer of the US – at the Royal Swedish city, Dallas, received a 10-year during a news conference. band, Indian-born Abhijit Ban- Addressing the fact that so Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. prison sentence for the fatal In the body-cam video, the erjee of the US, and American few female economists had been 2018 shooting of a black man offi cer is heard saying – so rap- Michael Kremer “for their exper- honoured, Dufl o said this was “Our vision of poverty is dom- tention was thrown this way,” eases in the developing world. in his apartment, which the of- idly that the words almost run imental approach to alleviating also a refl ection of the fi eld in inated by caricatures and cli- Banerjee said. Unlike the other Nobels fi cer had mistaken for her own. together – “Put your hands up, global poverty”, the Royal Swed- general. chés,” she told AFP in a Septem- The son of two economists, awarded since 1901, the Eco- The Fort Worth incident show me your hands”. ish Academy of Sciences said. “There are not enough women ber 2017 interview. Banerjee grew up in Kolkata in nomics Prize was not created by sparked immediate protest in The words are followed im- “This year’s laureates have in the economics profession pe- French President Emmanuel eastern India, and has been a vo- the prizes’ founder, philanthro- that city of 900,000 and fueled mediately by the sound of a introduced a new approach to riod, so you see this problem at Macron hailed the “magnifi - cal critic of Indian Prime Minis- pist and dynamite inventor Al- fresh anger in black communi- gun fi ring. obtaining reliable answers about all levels,” Dufl o told the Nobel cent” Nobel awarded to Dufl o, ter Narendra Modi. fred Nobel, in his 1895 will. ties across the country after The victim’s eight-year-old the best ways to fi ght global pov- Prize website. writing on Twitter that her work Ahead of elections earlier this It was devised in 1968 to mark a series of police shootings of nephew was in the room with erty,” the jury said. In the past 20 years, more than “shows that research in this fi eld year – that saw Modi cruise to a the 300th anniversary of Swe- African-Americans. her playing a video game at The science academy said three-quarters of economics can have a concrete impact on the second term – Banerjee advised den’s central bank, and fi rst Several hundred people took the time of the shooting, said a that “more than 700mn people laureates have been American well-being of humanity”. the opposition Congress party on awarded in 1969. part in an emotional vigil on family lawyer, Lee Merritt. still subsist on extremely low white males over the age of 55. Dufl o said her husband and its proposed guaranteed basic in- Each of the Nobels comes with Sunday in Fort Worth to hon- Jeff erson, a college gradu- incomes”, and that around 5mn Dufl o has made her name con- fellow laureate had “gone back come guarantee scheme for tens a prize sum of 9mn Swedish kro- our Jeff erson and to protest the ate who worked for a pharma- children under the age of fi ve still ducting research, together with to sleep” after receiving the call of millions of India’s poorest, a nor ($914,000, €833,000), to be police action, the Fort Worth ceutical company, died at the die every year from preventable her husband, who was her PhD from the academy. programme akin to Universal Ba- shared if there is more than one Star-Telegram reported. scene. or curable diseases. supervisor, on poor communi- Banerjee in a later interview sic Income. winner in the discipline. Some shed tears, while oth- Merritt said Jeff erson had The three found effi cient ties in India and Africa, seeking confessed he was not “an early Banerjee and Dufl o are both But unluckily for recent win- ers cried out in anger. heard sounds in the backyard ways of combating poverty by to weigh the impact of policies morning person”. professors at the Massachusetts ners, the prize’s value has lost The shooting took place in and walked toward a window breaking down diffi cult issues such as incentivising teachers to Careful to add that he did not Institute of Technology (MIT) in around $185,000 in the past two the early hours of Saturday, when she was shot. into smaller, more manageable show up for work or measures to think other fi elds of economics the US, while Kremer is a profes- years, due to the depreciation of after a neighbour called police A GoFundMe page organ- questions, which can then be empower women. honoured by the Nobel were not sor at Harvard University. the Swedish krona. to report that a door in the Jef- ised to help the family with fu- answered through fi eld experi- Her tests, which have been lik- important, he said he was ex- In the 1990s, Kremer used fi eld This year’s Nobel laureates will fersons’ house had been ajar neral expenses said Jeff erson’s ments, the jury said. ened to clinical trials for drugs, cited that research into alleviat- experiments to test interven- receive their awards at ceremo- for hours. mother had been ill and Jeff er- “They have shown that these seek to identify and demonstrate ing poverty had received a nod, tions to improve school results in nies in Stockholm and Oslo on As seen on body-camera son was “home taking care of smaller, more precise, ques- which investments are worth given that this area “not always western Kenya. December 10, the anniversary of video released by police, two the house and loving her life”. tions are often best answered via making and have the biggest im- is the immediate focus of a prize He has also helped develop the 1896 death of Alfred Nobel. offi cers with fl ashlights walked “There was no reason for carefully designed experiments pact on the lives of the most de- like this”. programmes to incentivise the around the perimeter of the her to be murdered. None. We among the people who are most prived. “I’m delighted that some at- distribution of vaccines for dis- „ See also page 17 house before seeing “a person must have justice.” Trudeau says only he can stand up to Trump

Reuters Polls put Trudeau’s Liberals as a strong government with a clear that he would be open to a coali- ing hard to stop Conservative Windsor, Ontario level with the Conservatives of focus on standing up for Ca- tion government with the Liber- cuts and elect a progressive gov- Andrew Scheer and suggest they nadians, standing up to Donald als, who have struggled to open ernment.” will lose their majority in the Trump, standing up to the forces a clear lead over their rivals The Conservatives announced anadian Prime Minister House of Commons. of populism and chaos around since the emergence of photos their platform last week and out- Justin Trudeau, who looks This would leave them relying the world,” Trudeau told report- last month showing Trudeau in lined tens of billions of dollars in Cset to lose his majority af- on smaller parties to govern. ers in Windsor, Ontario, which blackface. spending reductions. ter an October 21 election, said Trudeau, campaigning on the sits opposite Detroit. Canada has had only one for- The New Democrats hold yesterday that he needed a strong Canadian Thanksgiving holiday, A Nanos Research poll re- mal coalition government ever, both of Windsor’s parliamentary government to continue stand- noted the Liberals had overseen leased yesterday put the Liberals in 1917. seats. ing up to US President Donald the successful negotiation of a at 32.3% public support and the The New Democrats have The Conservatives said a coa- Trump. new US-Mexico-Canada trade Conservatives at 32.1%. struck informal deals to keep lition between the Liberals and Trudeau’s remarks were unu- agreement last year. The left-leaning New Demo- minority Liberal governments in New Democrats would drive up sually forceful, especially since The talks were tough at times crats of Jagmeet Singh, the most power, most notably from 1972- taxes and kill jobs, telling sup- the two leaders looked to have and Trudeau said Scheer had obvious choice of partner for a 1974 and in 2005. porters in an e-mail that “Justin patched up relations after Trump favoured capitulating to the US Liberal minority government, Asked about a possible coali- Trudeau will pay any price to stay Trudeau and his wife Sophie at an election campaign visit to London, accused the Canadian of being side. were at 19.2%. tion with the New Democrats, in power. And it’s your money he Ontario. weak and dishonest last year. “We need to continue to have Singh indicated on Sunday Trudeau replied: “I’m campaign- will pay with”. Gulf Times 12 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 ASIA

Ex-LTTE National security will be top cadre held with fi rearms, priority: Lanka candidate explosives IANS IANS people friendly measures which Colombo Colombo we enjoy today. Mahinda Ra- japaksa became the president of this country twice representing former cadre of the Lib- ri Lankan presidential the SLFP,” he said. eration Tigers of Tamil candidate and former Asserting that national se- AEelam (LTTE) militant Sdefence minister, Gota- curity would be prioritised group has been arrested with baya Rajapaksa said that he was if he was elected as the new fi rearms and explosives in Sri committed to make his coun- president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lanka’s Eastern Province, a try a secure, prosperous nation said a Cabinet driven by neo- police spokesperson said. where all communities could liberal thinking and acting ac- On information received by co-exist in harmony. cording to the whims of the an offi cer of the Serunuwara Addressing a mammoth elec- NGOs would never be able to Army Camp near the Kiliweddi tion rally in Mahara yesterday, strengthen or uphold national Bridge, army offi cers on Friday the Sri Lanka Podujana Pera- security. arrested the suspect Joseph muna (SLPP) candidate stressed The former defence minister, Peter Robinson, the Colombo- on the need for a departure from who called the 21st century the based Daily Financial Times the present political culture knowledge driven, said he had newspaper reported spokes- in the greater interest of soci- planned his knowledge-based person S P Ruwan Gunasekara ety, reports the Daily Mirror economic policy. as saying on Sunday. newspaper. “We always believe in the de- During further investiga- He said there should be a velopment of human resources. tions, the police found a stock positive political culture in the We will introduce an IT-driven of weapons and explosives hid- country. economy,” he added. den in Robinson’s residence in “We cannot behave aggres- On October 9, Gotabaya Ra- Kilinochchi. sively. I don’t approve of in- japakse, who is also the brother Among the seized weapons decent, aggressive behaviour. of former president Mahinda were three SFG 87 hand gre- There are a number of parties Rajapaksa, formally launched nades, two Arges hand gre- that have teamed up with us his campaign for the island na- nades, a small amount of C4, because of our policies. Today, tion’s upcoming presidential 62 9-mm ammo, nine 7-mm the Ceylon Workers’ Congress election on November 16. ammo, one T-56 weapon, 154 (CWC) led by MP Arumugam A record number of 35 can- T-56 live ammunition, one Long Thondaman has decided to didates have so far fi led their Range Semi-Automatic Rifl e, support us. We are armed with a nominations for the polls, Supporters carry placards showing Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary and presidential candidate, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, as they gather one magazine, two detonator people-friendly vision,” he said. where Gotabaya is considered a for the presidential election rally in Kadawatha. cords, 62 diff erent types of det- Rajapaksa said the Sri Lanka favourite. onators, fi ve MGM live ammo, Freedom Party (SLFP) had been Four foreign teams to tion Commission, reports Peramuna (SLPP) led by former the fray is the current Minister The third important can- one knife, a GPS, a camera, bin- a source of strength for him, en- observe presidential poll: Colombo Page. president Mahinda Rajapakse, of Housing Construction and didate is leader of the Janatha oculars, a laptop, a dongle, an abling to increase the vote base Four foreign monitoring teams The fourth group of foreign has been considered a favourite Cultural Aff airs Sajith Prema- Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party, antenna, a mobile phone, four from 60% to 72%. have been granted permission observers was due to arrive in among the 35 hopefuls. dasa, who is the candidate of the Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. T-shirts with slain LTTE leader “We warmly welcome the to observe Sri Lanka’s presi- the coming few days. He formally launched his New Democratic Front. This will be the island na- Prabhakaran’s picture and a SLFP into our fold. The SLFP dential election on November A record 35 candidates have presidential campaign on Oc- Premadasa has been backed tion’s eighth presidential black mask. is the party founded by S W R 16, the island nation’s Election fi led their nominations for the tober 9. Gotabaya has been by the ruling United National election, with Sirisena’s Kilinochchi Police have also D Bandaranaike and D A Ra- Commission said yesterday. November 16 polls so far. backed by incumbent President Party, which has refused to con- term coming to an end in arrested a 23-year-old woman japaksa. It is the party that led Three of the teams have al- Former defence minister Maithripala Sirisena’s Sri Lanka test under its own ‘elephant’ January 2020. said to be suspect’s wife and the 1956 revolution. That is the ready arrived in the island Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the can- Freedom Party (SLFP). symbol for a third consecutive Sirisena has refused to contest another 28-year-old female party that introduced a host of on the invitation of the Elec- didate for Sri Lanka Podujana The other important face in time. for a second term in offi ce. identifi ed as Robinson’s sister.

Bangladesh Uber drivers strike for commission cut Eight charged with

AFP went public this year, has seen Among several demands, Dhaka as tens of thousands of in the country of 168mn. killing publisher Dhaka a backlash in many countries the drivers want Uber to cut its middle-class people depend on Uber Bangladesh apologised against its business practices commission to 12% and also re- ridesharing to commute to work. for the “disruption” caused by from regulators and drivers alike. move the daily 12-hour limit on Uber, the world’s largest ride- what it said was “due to a small DPA Both Deepan and Tutul angladesh’s already con- Two driver unions called a 24- their working hours. sharing company, launched op- group of individuals”. Dhaka published books by the secu- gested capital Dhaka was hour strike to protest against the “We called the strike because erations in the South Asian na- “We have processes in place larist US writer Avijit Roy, Bfurther disrupted yester- 25% cut they give Uber, as well as Uber has not paid any heed to tion in 2016, and some 100,000 for our driver-partners to ad- who was also hacked to death day as thousands of Uber driv- other restrictions in the mobile- our demands. If they don’t meet drivers have since signed up. dress concerns,” Uber said. ight suspected mili- by Islamists in February 2015 ers went on strike in the city based ridesharing app, union our demands we will announce Bangladesh transport au- Apart from Uber, homegrown tants have been charged at a book fair in Dhaka. of 20mn, demanding a cut in leader Kaiyum Ahmed Shuvo said. a new set of actions very soon,” thorities initially banned the motorbike ridesharing serv- Ein connection with the Muslim-majority Bangla- the commission they pay to the Another leader, Belal Ahmed, Shuvo said. app – terming it an “illegal taxi ice Pathao is hugely popular 2015 murder of a secularist desh experienced a wave of global ridesharing giant. said out of the 12,000 Uber driv- As part of their protest, scores service” – but later parliament among Dhaka commuters as it Bangladeshi publisher in Dha- attacks on secular writers, Uber, which has helped to ers active in Dhaka at least 7,000 of drivers formed a human chain passed laws allowing over half has already racked up 200,000 ka, offi cials said. bloggers, academics, priests shake up local transportation had joined the strike, due to end on a busy Dhaka road. a dozen local and international registered drivers and 100,000 An anti-terrorism court in and people from minority worldwide and whose shares early this morning. The strike wrought havoc in ridesharing fi rms to operate transactions per day. Dhaka accepted the charges faiths between early 2013 and against eight suspects belong- 2016. ing to the outlawed group An- The attacks were claimed sar al-Islam for the killing of either by Islamic State or Al Faisal Arefi n Deepan, court of- Qaeda or their local affi liates, Colour Run fi cial Ruhul Amin said. but the investigators main- Nepal and The court also issued arrest tained home-grown militants warrants against two fugi- were behind the attacks. tives, including a sacked army The deadliest attack was China ink offi cer, and announced that carried out on a restaurant the trial of the suspects would in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone begin November 18. where 20 civilians, mostly 18 MoUs Deepan, the owner of foreigners, were killed before publishing house Jagriti army commandos shot down IANS Prokashoni, was hacked to fi ve armed militants inside the Kathmandu death at his offi ce in central Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, Dhaka on October 31, 2015, the 2016. same day assailants attacked Bangladeshi security forces epal and China inked 18 Ahmedur Rashid Tutul inside killed more than 100 suspect- MoUs and two letters of his offi ce at the publishing ed Islamists in anti-militant Nexchange on Sunday dur- house Shuddhaswar. raids launched in response to ing the visit of Chinese President Tutul survived the attack. those attacks. Xi Jinping, the fi rst such high- level visit in over two decades. Offi cials from Nepal and Chi- na signed the agreements on various issues in the presence of Bangladesh confi rms Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Xi on Sunday. The instruments are related 12 more dengue deaths to the partnership between gov- ernment bodies including the IANS them died. The total number ministries of home; foreign af- Dhaka of dengue fever cases reported fairs; physical infrastructure and since the start of January so far transport; agriculture and live- reached 91,115. stock development and industry, he Bangladeshi govern- Dengue is fast emerging pan- commerce and supply. ment has confi rmed demic-prone viral disease in Foreign ministers from Nepal People take part in a 5km Colour Run in Jakarta. Thousands of people turned out to participate in run, aimed at promoting a T12 more deaths due to many parts of the world. Den- and China as well as fi nance, home healthier lifestyle for people in the city. dengue fever last week. The gue fl ourishes in urban poor and foreign secretaries, and sec- total number of deaths in the areas, suburbs and the country- retaries at related ministries and country since January climbed side but also aff ects more affl u- Chinese Ambassador to Nepal to 93, reported Xinhua News. ent neighbourhoods in tropical Hou Yaunqi signed and exchanged According to a report of and subtropical countries. the memorandums of under- the country’s Directorate Severe dengue (previously standing and letters of exchange, General of Health Services known as dengue haemor- the Kathmandu Post reported. Vietnam pulls fi lm over South China Sea map (DGHS), the deaths includes rhagic fever) was fi rst rec- Xi arrived in Kathmandu on two in April, six in June, 34 in ognised in the 1950s during Saturday in a fi rst visit by a sit- AFP called nine-dash line to justify Vietnam on October 4, but the “I will claim responsibility” July, 47 in August and four in dengue epidemics in the Phil- ting Chinese president to Nepal Hanoi its jurisdiction over most of the country’s main cinema fran- for the mistake, said Nguyen September. ippines and Thailand. Today it in over two decades. resource-rich sea, often to the chise CGV said it would no Thu Ha, the head of Vietnam’s Between October 1 and 10, aff ects Asian and Latin Amer- While addressing a banquet displeasure of Hanoi, which also longer show the fi lm after it was Cinema Department, quoted by according to the fi gure re- ican countries and has become hosted by Bhandari on Saturday ietnam has pulled the claims parts of the waterway. notifi ed about the map. Thanh Nien newspaper. ported by the DGHS under the a leading cause of hospitalisa- evening, the Chinese president animated fi lm Abomi- The U-shaped line appears “CGV seriously admit our Ha said she would remind her Ministry of Health, 3,162 more tion and death among children announced Rs56bn economic Vnable from theatres over on a map of the South China mistake due to negligence... department “to be very vigilant... dengue cases were recorded and adults in these regions. assistance for Nepal for the next a scene featuring a map of the Sea in a scene in the fi lm – re- this is a serious issue,” the to be more prudent” in the future. after 16,856 in September and The full life cycle of dengue two years – 2020 to 2022. South China Sea showing Bei- leased in Vietnam as Everest: South Korean-owned fi rm said. Photos of the faux pas circu- 52,636 in August, which were fever virus involves the role Before the banquet, Xi held jing’s claims in the fl ashpoint The Little Snowman – which is State media earlier quoted lated on social media, showing more than the total number of of mosquito as a transmit- talks with Nepali Congress pres- waterway, cinemas and state about a Chinese teenager help- the head of the censorship body the scene featuring the nine-dash patients in any past year. ter (or vector) and humans as ident and former prime minister media reported yesterday. ing a yeti return to his home. saying she was sorry for letting line crossed out with a red “X” The number of patients the main victim and source of Sher Bahadur Deuba. China has long used its so- The movie was released in the error slip through. along with angry comments. was 10,148 last year and 26 of infection. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 13 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

US senator warns Hong Kong becoming ‘police state’ as thousands rally

AFP reached “life-threatening lev- trading status – and potentially ing back to Washington before Beijing of chipping away at those trated why he believed the US and pose a “dictatorship” on the city. Hong Kong els”. Protests pushing for greater sanction some Chinese offi cials. yesterday night’s rally. freedoms, a gripe that has fuelled its European allies needed to take At a briefi ng yesterday, police democratic freedoms and police Yesterday’s rally was the largest Asked what his message would years of growing resentment a stronger line at Beijing’s grow- said they were facing increas- accountability have raged for the in weeks partly because it was be on returning to Congress he which exploded this summer. ing regional threat. He also said ingly dangerous attacks from ong Kong is sliding to- last 19 weeks and there is little end granted permission to go ahead by replied: “That Hong Kong is in China has accused “external Hong Kong protesters should es- protesters, including the fi rst use wards becoming a police in sight as Beijing and local lead- police. danger of sliding towards a police forces” of fuelling unrest in the chew violence and not “mimic the of a crude home made explosive Hstate, US senator Josh ers refuse concessions. “We are here to make an urgent state and that representative gov- semi-autonomous city and has behaviour of Beijing and (its) sup- device and a policeman who was Hawley warned yesterday, as tens Yesterday night a huge crowd call out to the international com- ernment in Hong Kong is at risk, seized on supportive comments porters”. slashed in the neck with a knife. of thousands fi lled the strife-torn fi lled Hong Kong’s commercial munity to support us, we have and that the one country two sys- by western politicians to back its Republican senators such as “Violence against police has city’s streets waving American district to show support for a US no other way,” a 24-year-old art tems model is at risk.” claims. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have reached a life-threatening lev- fl ags and calling on Washing- bill that could dramatically alter student, who gave her surname as One country, two systems is the “Anyone who attempts to split become some of the most vocal el,” Deputy Commissioner Tang ton to punish China over sliding Washington’s relationship with Chun, told AFP. deal China agreed to ahead of the any region from China will perish, supporters of Hong Kong’s de- Ping-keung said. But police freedoms. the trading hub. Among the bill’s sponsors is 1997 handover by Britain allow- with their bodies smashed and mocracy movement on Capitol have also been accused of using The international fi nance hub The Hong Kong Human Rights Hawley, a Republican senator for ing Hong Kong to keep its unique bones ground to powder,” Chinese Hill – although the proposed bill excessive force throughout the was battered by another week- and Democracy Act, which could Missouri who was in Hong Kong freedoms such as free speech and president Xi Jinping said Sunday. is rapidly gathering bipartisan summer. In the latest allegation, end of unrest as hardcore pro- be discussed and voted on by the on a two-day trip during which an independent judiciary for 50 Hawley, at 39 the youngest support, especially in the Senate. a driver for local news station democracy protesters and police House of Representatives as early he watched protests on Sunday. years. serving senator and a vocal China Cruz also made a visit to Hong NowTV accused offi cers of as- fought running battles with offi c- as this week, would require annu- “The situation here is urgent,” he Democracy activists inside hawk, described Xi’s comments Kong on Saturday during which saulting him in custody after he ers warning the violence had now al reviews of the territory’s special told reporters shortly before fl y- Hong Kong have long accused as “violent rhetoric” that illus- he accused Beijing of trying to im- was briefl y detained. Japan searches for typhoon survivors as toll rises to 56

AFP Tokyo

ens of thousands of res- cuers worked into the Tnight yesterday to fi nd survivors of a powerful typhoon in Japan that killed at least 56 people, as fresh rain threatened to hamper their eff orts. Typhoon Hagibis crashed into the country on Saturday night, unleashing high winds and torrential rain across 36 of the country’s 47 prefectures, triggering landslides and cata- strophic fl ooding. The death toll from the dis- aster has risen steadily, with na- tional broadcaster NHK saying yesterday night that 56 people had been killed and 15 were still missing. It cited its own tally based on local reporting. The government has given lower numbers but is still updating its Koriyama city off icials check the health status of evacuated residents at a shelter inside an elementary school information. in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis. “Even now, many people are still unaccounted for in the tinue watching for landslides Saturday night, a coast guard a Nagano hospital where some disaster-hit area,” Prime Min- and river fl ooding,” Chief Cabi- spokesman said. 200 people had been cut off by People walk past broken trees and fallen utility poles downed by Typhoon Hagibis in Marumori, Miyagi ister Shinzo Abe told an emer- net Secretary Yoshihide Suga Four others, from China, My- fl ooding. prefecture yesterday. gency disaster meeting yester- told a news conference. In Na- anmar and Vietnam, were res- Elsewhere, rescuers used hel- day. “Units are trying their best gano, one of the worst-hit re- cued when the boat sank and the icopters to winch survivors from ing commuter and bullet train to search for and rescue them, gions, offi cials said they were coast guard was still searching roofs and balconies, or steered services. By yesterday, most working day and night,” Abe working cautiously. “We are for a last crew member. boats through muddy waters subway trains had resumed said. concerned about the impact of Hagibis packed wind gusts of to reach those trapped. By yes- service, along with many bul- Later in the day, he pledged to the latest rain on rescue and re- up to 216km per hour, but it was terday afternoon, some 75,900 let train lines, and fl ights had “do whatever the country can” covery eff orts,” local offi cial Hi- the heavy rains that caused the households remained without also restarted. The storm also for victims and survivors, order- roki Yamaguchi told AFP. “We most damage. power, with water cut off to brought havoc to the sporting ing the defence ministry to call will continue operations while A total of 176 rivers fl ooded 135,000 homes. world, forcing the delay of Japa- up to 1,000 reserve troops to join watching out for secondary dis- — mainly in eastern and north- The disaster left tens of thou- nese Grand Prix qualifi ers and 31,000 active forces in search asters due to the current rain.” ern Japan — with their banks sands of people in shelters, with the cancellation of three Rugby operations. The death toll continued to collapsing in two dozen places, many unsure when they would World Cup matches. But rescue work that was con- rise into yesterday evening, with local media said. In central Na- be able to return home. “Every- But a crucial decider pitting tinuing into the night risked be- bodies pulled from fl ooded cars gano, a levee breach sent water thing from my house was washed Japan against Scotland went ing hampered by additional rain and homes, swollen rivers and from the Chikuma river gush- away before my eyes, I wasn’t ahead, with the hosts dedicat- falling in central and eastern Ja- landslides. ing into residential neighbour- sure if it was a dream or real,” a ing their stunning 28-21 win to pan that offi cials warned could The casualties included a hoods, fl ooding homes up to the woman in Nagano told NHK. “I the victims of the disaster. “To cause fresh fl ooding and land- municipal worker whose car was second fl oor. feel lucky I’m still alive.” everyone that’s suff ering from slides. overcome by fl oodwaters and at Television footage from the The storm brought travel the typhoon, this game was for “I would like to ask people least seven crew from a cargo area showed patients being chaos over the holiday week- you guys,” said Japan captain A helicopter flies over cars immersed in water in the aftermath of to stay fully vigilant and con- ship that sank in Tokyo Bay on transferred by ambulance from end, grounding fl ights and halt- Michael Leitch. Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano yesterday.

Aussie wrongly jailed for NZ creates unit to target, 19 years awarded millions Cyber-bullied K-pop star An Australian economist who wrongfully spent nearly two decades in prison for the assassina- tion of a high-ranking police off icer was awarded ‘disrupt’ online extremism more than A$7mn (US$4.75mn) in compensation found dead at her home yesterday. Former public servant David Eastman was convicted in 1995 of killing Australian Federal AFP streamed by the alleged killer. Police off icer Colin Winchester and sentenced to AFP Wellington Internal Aff airs Minister Tracey life imprisonment. Seoul Martin said response times from Eastman, who had always maintained his inno- authorities needed to be better cence and mounted several appeals, was freed in ew Zealand will estab- so objectionable material was 2014 after his conviction was quashed. popular K-pop star lish a team of investi- removed more quickly, denying The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Supreme who had long been Ngators dedicated solely extremists a platform. Court ordered the jurisdiction’s government to Athe target of abusive to tackling online extremism, “The ease and speed with pay him just over A$7mn. Eastman had sought online comments was found as it moves to address failures which the March 15 terrorist at- at least A$18mn in compensation. The 74-year- dead at her home yesterday, exposed by the Christchurch tack spread online showed we old told the court that not only had he lost the South Korean police said. mosques massacre, Prime Min- need to improve our systems opportunity to have a family and pursue his The body of Sulli, a ister Jacinda Ardern said yester- to respond just as swiftly,” she career, his mother and sisters died while he was former member of top girl day. said. Ardern said the latest move behind bars. group f(x), was discovered Popular K-pop star Sulli. Ardern has led global eff orts to New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern. complements her push to make The court also heard that he witnessed a mur- by her manager at her home force technology fi rms to clamp global tech giants more account- der during his incarceration and still suff ers vision on the outskirts of the capi- known for her outspoken- where celebrities discussed down on extremist material since we target child sexual exploita- able for online extremism and impairment in one eye after he was assaulted by tal, Seoul. ness and drive for women’s their experiences with on- a lone gunman killed 51 Muslim tion material, by working with more responsive to requests to another prisoner in 2006. Lawyer Sam Tierney Police said in a statement rights, for which she had line abuse. worshippers in March, streaming online content hosts to fi nd and remove it, which she has called told reporters outside the court in Canberra that that the 25-year-old had suff ered online bullying and Her death sent shock part of the atrocity on Facebook. remove harmful content.” the Christchurch Call. his client was “very happy” with the decision. been suff ering from “severe harassment. waves through the K-pop But she said the attack, which Ardern said the Internal Af- Companies such as Facebook, “He’s lost a significant chunk of his life and he’s depression”. She debuted in 2009 fan community. “I always targeted two mosques in the fairs department would hire 17 Amazon, Google, Twitter and obviously got some thoughts in mind as to what The exact cause of her for f(x), which quickly be- adored and respected you South Island city, also showed specialists in investigative, fo- Microsoft have all signed up to he might do with (the money),” he said. death was still under inves- came one of the top K-pop for your boldness. All I can her own government needed to rensic and intelligence work to the initiative. Ardern has also It was unclear whether the ACT government tigation. South Korea has girl groups worldwide. She say is rest in peace,” a fan improve resources to curb the focus on violent extremist con- tightened New Zealand’s gun would appeal the decision. The case had already one of the world’s highest suspended her career in commented on Sulli’s Insta- spread of online hate. “We will tent online. laws in the wake of the massacre cost the territory more than A$30mn, according rates of suicide which, ac- 2014 after struggling with gram account. “In heaven, have a dedicated team focused Within 24 hours of the and set up a judicial review into to public broadcaster ABC. Winchester was shot cording to recent govern- cyber-bullying and left the you don’t have to act strong on targeting and disrupting vio- Christchurch attack, allegedly whether police and intelligence dead while getting out of his car near his home ment fi gures, is among the group a year later to focus or pretend everything is lent extremist content across our carried out by a self-described services missed warning signs in suburban Canberra in 1989. top causes of death for those on acting projects. Sulli was okay,” another fan said. “I digital channels,” she said. “This white supremacist, Facebook had about the threat posed by right- No one has been held accountable for the under 40. Sulli, whose real active on social media and hope you will only think will work in a similar way to how removed 1.5mn posts of the video wing extremists. murder. name was Choi Jin-ri, was recently hosted a TV series about yourself there.” Gulf Times 14 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 BRITAIN

Britons in Europe face citizens’ rights ‘lottery’ in event of no-deal

Guardian News and Media gested member states should the European parliament for the years would have to apply each Two thousand Britons living in ringfenced in the event of Britain’s country was its six-month grace London take a “generous” approach, but UK to improve its off er, many of year for a visitor card costing Poland who apply for long-term membership of the bloc being ex- period for applications that do apart from Ireland none of the EU the estimated 1.2mn British na- €269, leaving those who are new residency permits would have to tended beyond October 31. not arrive before Brexit day. member states are said by citi- tionals living in the other 27 EU to the country with a potential prove they have not spent more “If there had been a ringfenced She said: “It’s one of the short- ens of thousands of Brit- zens groups to be off ering terms member states would be in sig- cost of more than €1,000. than 10 months outside Poland in solution, in a no-deal scenario you est in the EU27, which is surpris- ons seeking to secure resi- on a par with the approach taken nifi cantly worse situations. Self-employed Britons would the last fi ve years. would have an EU-wide solution. ing when you take into account Tdency rights in EU coun- by the British government. The 8,500 British citizens liv- need to show they have suffi - Grace periods for late applica- But what we are facing now is 27 that France is the only EU27 state tries in the event of a no-deal In the event of a no-deal exit, ing in Austria face paying €210 cient resources for their family, tions range from three months diff erent solutions,” she said. that doesn’t require registration Brexit face fees of up to £183, the estimated 3.6mn EU citizens for a residence permit or €195 with a couple with two children after Brexit day in Germany – al- “In eff ect it is a European post- of EU citizens, so it’s a case of tight application deadlines and who reside in the UK would have for each child up to the age of six. required to provide evidence of though that initial proposal is set code lottery, and rather than our starting from scratch, unlike, say, minimum salary thresholds, a until the end of 2020 to register France would charge €119. Some an income of around €1,175 a to be extended to nine months EU rights being safeguarded at Germany or Spain where every- Guardian investigation revealed. for settled status through a free member states, including Ger- month. when fi nally legislated – to three an EU level, our rights are being one should already be registered. The challenges for British na- online application in which they many, are yet to decide on the Denmark is yet to make a per- years for those living in Hungary. outsourced to the 27 countries.” It’s hard to see, frankly, how tionals will vary across the 27 EU need to prove only their identity size of the fee. manent off er for those seeking to Jane Golding, the chair of the Kalba Meadows, a psycho- 150,000 to 200,000 people are member states if a withdrawal and that they live in the UK, and Retired or otherwise non-eco- stay beyond a “temporary tran- lobby group British in Europe, therapist who lives and works in going to be able to register within agreement is not ratifi ed. The declare any criminal convictions. nomically active people who have sitional period” up to the end of said her members were now push- France, said the biggest problem such a short timescale, even in a European Commission has sug- Despite the repeated calls by lived in France for less than fi ve 2019. ing for an EU-wide solution to be facing Britons in her adopted perfect world.” Deported criminals who sneak back to face crackdown

Daily Mail months in jail but typically serve London just 10 weeks. Ministers have decided the tougher sentences should stretch oreign criminals and child to years, but have not yet agreed abusers face tougher sen- a tariff . They say the legislation Ftences under plans in the will also disrupt the activities of Queen’s Speech yesterday. networks that facilitate the ille- The prison terms for those gal return of off enders. who sneak back into the UK in In August the media revealed breach of deportation orders that an Albanian double mur- would be lengthened from weeks derer was twice allowed to sneak to years. into Britain and live here for 13 And the worst off enders years. Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat on the The Sovereign’s Throne in the House of Lords next to Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, before reading the Queen’s Speech during the state would no longer be freed halfway Gentian Doda, a member of a opening of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday. through their sentences. Rapists notorious crime syndicate, was and killers would instead serve at granted a British passport under least two thirds of their time. a false name while on the run for Another law would see mur- the killings, which included gun- derers who refuse to reveal where ning down an innocent young fa- they buried their victims spend- ther with a Kalashnikov. ing longer behind bars. A separate measure in the The proposed legislation will Queen’s Speech aims to ensure Johnson repeats Brexit vow extend to paedophiles who stay paedophiles who fail to reveal the silent about their victims. This identity of their victims will stay follows anger over the release in prison for longer. of depraved nursery worker Va- The proposal to penalise nessa George after just a decade criminals who stay silent comes inside. under ‘Helen’s Law’ after Helen as EU talks at critical point The Queen’s Speech also cov- McCourt, a 22-year-old insur- ers post-Brexit immigration, ance clerk murdered in 1988 by AFP on free trade and friendly co-op- the last few days have given a glim- House of Commons and even if gridlock and waiting for change”. plastic pollution and building pub landlord Ian Simms. London eration.” mer of hope that an agreement can he gets an agreement with Brus- As well as a commitment to Brexit, safety. He has always refused to reveal But this depends on the out- be reached but there has so far sels, would struggle to get it his plans included a raft of do- On crime and punishment it the location of her body. come of closed-door discussions been no decisive breakthrough. passed by hostile MPs. mestic measures, from tackling includes: Justice Secretary Robert Buck- rime Minister Boris Johnson in Brussels, where offi cials are rac- Barnier warned on Sunday In a statement issued alongside domestic violence to plastic pollu- O New laws to crack down on land wants to extend this legisla- yesterday repeated that Brit- ing to reach a deal on Britain’s exit that “a lot of work remains to the Queen’s Speech, Johnson said tion, and set November 6 as a date the ‘epidemic’ of domestic vio- tion to cover sexual abusers after Pain must leave the EU on Oc- terms before a summit of EU lead- be done”, a message echoed by the public were “tired of stasis, for a new budget. lence; public outrage over the case of tober 31, as divorce talks resumed ers starting on Thursday. Johnson’s spokesman in London O Tougher community sen- George, 49. in Brussels in a pivotal week that If he cannot get a deal by Satur- yesterday. tences to restore public confi - Despite refusing to say which could defi ne how and when Brexit day, Johnson will fall foul of a Brit- More than three years after the Queen wears a lighter crown dence in the justice system; toddlers she had attacked in the fi nally happens. ish law demanding he ask the EU to 2016 referendum vote to leave the O Faster extradition for of- nursery where she worked in In an elaborate ceremony in delay Brexit for a third time rather EU, divorce talks remain stuck on Queen Elizabeth II broke with monarch wore the lighter fenders wanted abroad, without Plymouth she was released after parliament in London, Queen than risk a potentially disastrous how to avoid customs checks be- tradition by wearing a lighter Diamond Diadem, also known the need for the authorities to just 10 years in jail. Elizabeth II set out Johnson’s leg- “no-deal” departure. tween British Northern Ireland crown for the state opening of as the George IV diadem, as apply for a warrant; Domestic violence will also be islative programme for the coming “A deal is possible and it’s pos- and Ireland. parliament yesterday, instead she read the speech from a O Greater protection for police tackled under the legislative pro- year, with leaving the EU top of the sible this month,” Irish Deputy After British MPs rejected a of the heavier one she had throne, accompanied by her offi cers involved in car chases. posals. More than 732,000 such agenda. Prime Minister Simon Coveney previous plan, Johnson put for- worn for the same event 64 eldest son and heir, Prince Home Secretary Priti Patel off ences were recorded by police “My government’s priority has said as he arrived for talks with EU ward fresh proposals earlier this times before. The Imperial Charles, 70. The Queen has said: “Deterring foreign crimi- in the year to March – a 22% an- always been to secure the United foreign ministers in Luxembourg. month — but they have been met State Crown, encrusted with previously worn the diadem nals from re-entering the coun- nual increase. Kingdom’s departure from the “It may even be possible this with a cool response in Brussels. nearly 3,000 diamonds, en route to state openings try and putting those that do A Domestic Abuse Bill was European Union on October 31,” week but we’re not there yet.” Johnson took offi ce in July was placed on a table close of parliament and for many behind bars for longer will make brought to Parliament in July by she said in a speech to robed peers Michel Barnier, the bloc’s chief vowing no more delays to Brexit, to the throne from which other off icial events. In a BBC our country safer.” Theresa May but it was automat- from a gilded throne in the upper Brexit negotiator, briefed EU am- after his predecessor Theresa she delivered her Queen’s documentary last year, the Around 400 criminals are es- ically dropped when Parliament House of Lords. bassadors late Sunday after a May twice postponed in a failed Speech setting out Prime Queen said the Imperial State timated to breach deportation was suspended and ministers “My government intends to weekend of talks between offi cials attempt to get her own divorce Minister Boris Johnson’s work Crown, which weighs 1.3kgs, orders each year. Those who are have now kept a promise to re- work towards a new partnership described as “intense” and “con- deal through the parliament. programme. The 93-year-old was “very unwieldy.” caught face a maximum of six introduce it. with the European Union, based structive”. After weeks of gloom, But he has no majority in the Labour leader hits out at Government to present budget on November 6 ‘farcical’ Queen’s Speech Guardian News and Media With days to go before the London deadline for Boris Johnson to clinch a Brexit deal, news of the Guardian News and Media In the summary of planned astating cuts to public services.” budget came as the Queen yes- London new laws read out by the Queen The last Queen’s speech, in ajid Javid has announced terday sets out the government’s to mark the new session of par- 2017, pledged action on mental the government will hold priorities for a new session of liament, more than a third of the health care and social care. The S a budget on November 6, parliament. eremy Corbyn has condemned new bills relate to arrangements latest speech contained “the same less than a week after a pos- The prime minister has the government’s planned leg- following Britain’s departure warm words” but nothing more, sible no-deal departure from pledged to increase spending on Jislative programme outlined in from the EU. the Labour leader said. the EU. health, schools and policing. the Queen’s Speech as “a farce” Other key elements of a speech Action to increase spending on In an attempt to ramp up Johnson has also promised that is unlikely to ever be imple- widely trailed in advance included schools and police did not make pressure during 11th-hour sweeping tax cuts that could be mented, and would fail to undo plans for tougher jail sentences and up for resources lost since 2010, Brexit talks and as an election outlined at the budget. the damage to public services from controversial proposals to oblige he said. looms, the chancellor said the Economists have said the pro- years of spending cuts. people to show photographic ID Corbyn also condemned plans set-piece tax and spending posed income tax changes would Formally responding to the before they are allowed to vote. to increase sentences for violent event would be the first since benefi t the richest most. speech in the Commons after the On Brexit, Corbyn said the gov- off enders, saying judges already the UK left the EU. The Institute for Fiscal Stud- monarch had read out an election- ernment “has had three-and-a- had the necessary powers, and for “I will be setting out our plan ies thinktank has also warned friendly programme of 26 bills and half years to get Brexit done and compulsory voter ID, which he to shape the economy for the that Johnson and Javid risk other ideas mainly related to Brex- they’ve failed”. Government fore- called an attempt “to stifl e democ- future and triggering the start lifting Britain’s national debt it, crime and the NHS, the Labour casts suggested that even if Boris racy by making it harder for people of our infrastructure revolution. to levels unseen since the mid- leader dismissed the programme Johnson did get a deal, his plan to vote”. This is the right and responsi- 1960s, should they implement as hollow. would damage the economy, he He concluded: “This legislative ble thing to do — we must get on their spending plans in full and “The prime minister promised argued. programme is a propaganda exer- with governing,” he said. be required to unleash emer- that this Queen’s speech would He said there were no meas- cise that cannot disguise that this While hopes of a deal surged gency action after a no-deal dazzle us,” Corbyn said. “On closer ures planned “to address our government has failed on Brexit last week and the government Brexit. inspection it turns out to be noth- stagnant economy”. He said: for over three years, that they are has been ordered by parliament Nicola Sturgeon, the Scot- ing more than fool’s gold.” “Nothing to address low pay and barely beginning to undo the dam- to request an extension under tish National party leader, said He said: “There has never been insecure work. Nothing to re- age of a decade of cuts to our pub- the Benn Act, failure to reach the announcement of the budget such a farce as a government with a verse rising levels of child pov- lic services. an agreement before October date was “an example of the gov- majority of minus 45% and a 100% erty or pensioner poverty.” The “That it does nothing for peo- 31 would force Javid to take im- ernment making things up as it record of defeat in the Commons speech, Corbyn said, “was sup- ple struggling to make ends meet, mediate action to support the goes along”. Speaking on BBC setting out a legislative agenda posed to herald an end to auster- does nothing to make our world a Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour Party leader economy, meaning the full budg- Radio 4’s Today programme, she they know cannot be delivered in ity and a new vision. Instead, it safer place, or tackle the climate Jeremy Corbyn walk through the Commons Members Lobby in et would be delayed beyond No- said: “I’m not sure they’ll still be this parliament.” barely begins to unpick the dev- emergency.” Parliament yesterday. vember 6. in offi ce on November 6.” Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 15

BRITAIN

Hillsborough offi cer’s manslaughter charge ‘unfair’, court hears

Guardian News and Media tion case for singling out Duck- Some failures and causes of the sibility he had as a match com- not in the dock but in the well focus upon segregation of op- Myers said the defence would London enfi eld to be criminally charged tragedy went back years, Myers mander with criminal responsi- of court one at Preston crown posing supporters”, which was argue there were other diff er- with gross negligence man- said, including the metal fencing bility for what went wrong.” For court, two rows behind Myers, regarded as crucial in the 1980s. ences between the two years, in- slaughter when many other fac- and over-calculation of the safe Duckenfi eld to be singled out, who pointed him out to the jury The previous year, 1988, cluding changes to the turnstile he manslaughter case tors and people were to blame, capacity for the Leppings Lane Myers told the jury, “we say quite of eight women and four men. Hillsborough had hosted an FA arrangements at the Leppings against David Duckenfi eld, including other police offi cers. terrace at Sheffi eld Wednesday’s plainly that it is bitterly unfair”. Myers told them that football Cup semi-fi nal between the Lane end, which were desig- Tthe former South York- Myers pointed out that in the Hillsborough ground where the The defence argues that sever- hooliganism was the “overarch- same two clubs, which was gen- nated for all 24,000 people with shire police offi cer who com- prosecution’s opening speech, lethal crush took place. al factors contributed to the dis- ing” context for the metal fenc- erally regarded as successful, tickets to sit in the north and manded the 1989 FA Cup semi- Richard Matthews QC said there The prosecution of Ducken- aster and meant “something like ing and style of policing in 1989, Myers said. The prosecution al- west stands and to stand on the fi nal at Hillsborough at which 96 may have been “collective and fi eld, who was promoted to chief this was going to happen sooner saying matches were character- leges that the crucial diff erence, Leppings Lane and north-west people were killed, is “deeply and personal failures on the part of superintendent and Hillsbor- or later”, including “bad stadium ised by “the sudden outbreak of and the reason for the 1989 event terraces. Myers said there had bitterly unfair”, his defence bar- very many, if not all,” of those ough match commander 19 days design” at Hillsborough, “bad mass disorder and even violence culminating in disaster, was the also been signifi cant cuts to po- rister has told his trial. responsible for the planning and before the semi-fi nal, sought to planning” of the semi-fi nal, as in and around football stadia”. He appointment of Duckenfi eld to lice staffi ng from 1988 numbers, Benjamin Myers QC, outlin- organisation of the match be- hold him responsible for “every- well as “crowd behaviour, police told the court that football was replace the previous, highly ex- there were problems with police ing Duckenfi eld’s defence in an tween Liverpool and Nottingham body else’s mistakes”, Myers said. behaviour, mistakes by individu- “very diff erent” then compared perienced Hillsborough match radios in 1989, and many of the opening speech to the jury, said Forest, attended by 54,000 peo- “That makes the mistake of als and genuine human error.” with conditions at matches now, commander, chief superintend- people supporting Liverpool ar- he was criticising the prosecu- ple, on April 15, 1989. confusing the command respon- Duckenfi eld, 75, is sitting featuring “an almost obsessive ent Brian Mole. rived late.

Parliament car attacker US diplomat’s jailed for life

AFP London wife must face London judge yesterday jailed for life a man con- Avicted of trying to “kill as many people as possible” with his car outside parliament last year. UK justice, say Judge Maura McGowan told Salih Khater, 30, he would serve a minimum of 15 years in jail follow- ing his conviction for attempted murder in July. A jury found that Khater delib- erately tried to plough his car into Dunn’s parents cyclists, pedestrians and police in Westminster in August 2018, Guardian News and Media her right at the beginning instead ers can take away. in an attack that McGowan said London getting on a plane and running “You’re not able to cry, be- aimed to imitate previous terror home.” cause we can’t understand this incidents. In her statement, released whole situation as to why she “Your undoubted intention was he parents of Harry Dunn through her attorney, Sacoolas, would have left us without want- to kill as many people as possible have given their fi rst US TV 42, said she was “devastated” by ing to meet us back then. and by doing so spread fear and Tinterview, recounting the the death of Harry Dunn, 19, on “She needs to get on the plane terror,” she told London’s Old Bai- death of their son in a road acci- August 27. and get back to the UK, just do ley court in passing the sentence. dent as part of a campaign to pres- “Anne would like to meet with the right thing. It shouldn’t be “You replicated the acts of sure a US diplomat’s wife involved Dunn’s parents so that she can ex- that diffi cult, it shouldn’t have others who undoubtedly have in the collision to return to the UK press her deepest sympathies and been this diffi cult, she surely acted with terrorist motives,” and face police questioning. apologies for this tragic accident,” didn’t have to go.” she added, noting Khater pre- Anne Sacoolas, 42, left the UK the statement said. In her statement, Sacoolas said sented “a signifi cant risk of shortly after the collision between Dunn’s parents told CBS they “no loss compares to the death of causing serious harm to the pub- Dunn’s motorbike and a car out- understood the situation was dif- a child” and added that she “ex- lic in the future”. The Sudanese- side RAF Croughton in North- fi cult for Sacoolas and she may not tends her deepest sympathy to born British national did not kill amptonshire on August 27. She is have had the option of remaining Harry Dunn’s family”. anyone in the August 14 attack, believed to have been driving the in the UK. Her lawyers said she had co- which saw his car end up crash- car and met Northamptonshire “We realise she may not have operated fully with the police. ing into security barriers. police afterwards. But no inves- been given any choice as such “She spoke with authorities at Several people were injured. tigation followed after the force under this supposed diplomatic the scene of the accident and met During his trial, the court heard was advised by the government immunity cloak – which we’re with the Northampton police at that Khater — who was granted that she had the protective status not even sure she did have,” her home the following day. She asylum in Britain in 2010 — drove granted to foreign diplomats. Charles said. will continue to co-operate with around Parliament Square several Dunn’s parents, Charlotte Tim Dunn gave a harrowing, the investigation. times before veering off at speed Charles and Tim Dunn, fl ew to the tearful account of arriving at the “Anne would like to meet with to strike a jogger. US on Sunday to “continue our scene of the accident to fi nd his Dunn’s parents so that she can He then mowed down a group fi ght for justice”. A family spokes- son mortally wounded but still express her deepest sympathies of 14 cyclists before accelerating man said they would only meet conscious. and apologies for this tragic ac- towards two uniformed police Sacoolas if she agreed to return to “The paramedics were pull- cident. We have been in contact offi cers standing by a security the UK. ing (him) out of the grass verge with the family’s attorneys and barrier outside parliament, who Charles said before boarding her and putting him on a stretcher. I look forward to hearing from leapt away to avoid being hit. fl ight she had received a letter from could see the broken bones stick- them.” The jogger was left lying on the Sacoolas expressing her “deepest ing out of his arms. He was talk- Speaking to Sky News yester- ground with abrasions and heavy sympathies and apologies”. ing. I called over and said, ‘Harry, day, Radd Seiger, a spokesman bruising, while six of the cyclists “To be perfectly honest, yes, it’s your dad. They’re gonna fi x for the parents, said Sacoolas received injuries including a bro- it’s the start of some closure for you. Be calm. Let them help you.’ needed to come back to the UK, ken collar bone and bruising. our family,” she said. “Having said “He stopped moaning because present herself to Northampton- Khater later claimed that the that, as it’s nearly seven weeks now he was complaining he couldn’t shire police and “let the process incident was an accident. since we lost our boy, sorry just breath very well. He calmed go where it may”. But an accident investigator doesn’t cut it.” down. A couple of minutes later “We’re very clear there’s not who analysed security camera In an emotional interview with one of the doctors said they were much point in meeting and hav- footage of the incident conclud- CBS News’ Gayle King, Charles going to sedate him. I told Harry ing pleasantries if that commit- ed that he had deliberately ma- and Dunn questioned why it had this was for the best and we’d see ment isn’t there,” he said. noeuvred his car in the moments taken Sacoolas so long to off er to him later in hospital. That was Lawyers advising Dunn’s fam- leading up to the attack “with a meet them and to off er her condo- the last time …” ily have disputed whether or not high level of concentration”. lences and apologise for what she At a subsequent press con- Sacoolas ever had a right to dip- It emerged that the resident called in a weekend statement “the ference in New York, Charles lomatic immunity. The Foreign of Birmingham in central Eng- tragic accident”. said: “All of our grief has gone Secretary, Dominic Raab, wrote land had unsuccessfully applied “Why has it taken so long?” on hold, it’s coming out in oth- to them on Saturday to say that for a fast-track British passport Charles said. “It’s seven weeks er horrific ways, your legs feel Sacoolas’s immunity was now the previous day, before driving Charlotte Charles, the mother of teenager Harry Dunn who was killed after a car crash, speaks at a news since we lost our boy. We feel that like lead, you’re in pain morn- irrelevant as she had returned straight to London. conference in Manhattan, US, yesterday. statement should have come from ing until night that no painkill- home. Green space ‘can add Greens target London’s fi nancial district

Reuters a rebellion against the political, £2,500 to property price’ economic and social structure London of the modern world to avert Guardian News and Media It found that houses and fl ats heaths and other open spaces the worst devastation outlined London within 100 metres of public that people may use for recrea- limate change activists by scientists studying climate, green spaces were an average of tion were not. targeted London’s fi nan- is engaged in two weeks of civil £2,500 more expensive than they The ONS – which used details Ccial district yesterday disobedience in London. iving near a park, public would be if they were more than from the property website Zoop- blocking Bank junction, after Police said there had been garden or playing fi elds can 500 metres away – amounting to la to make its calculations – also vowing a day of disruption for more than 1,300 arrests since the Ladd an average of £2,500 to an average price premium of 1.1% looked at the value provided by major institutions which they protests began. the price of a property, accord- in 2016. “blue spaces” such as rivers, ca- said were fi nancing an environ- “There are currently protest- ing to offi cial data. And having Public green space boosted nals, lakes or the sea. mental catastrophe. ers blocking roads around Bank a view of green space or water the prices of detached homes It found that the average fi - Extinction Rebellion protest- Junction,” the City of London boosts prices even more. the most. These attracted a 1.9% nancial contribution that green ers blocked the streets around Police said on Twitter, which has While many will not be sur- premium if they were within and blue spaces made to property Bank in the heart of the City of previously warned of disruptive prised to learn that a bit of na- 100m of a park or similar space, prices was £2,813 – a premium of London. demonstrations yesterday. ture on the doorstep is a desirable but for fl ats, the premium was a about 1.2%. However, there was a “The City of London is a Extinction Rebellion wants feature among homebuyers, this lot lower: 0.6%. great deal of variation around the pre-eminent nexus of power in non-violent civil disobedience to data is from the offi cial Offi ce for Meanwhile, having a view over country: in Bath, the premium the global system that is killing force governments to cut carbon National Statistics, so it can ar- a green space or water boosted was 3.7%, or just over £12,300, our world,” said Carolina Rosa, emissions and avert a climate guably be relied upon more than house prices by an extra 1.8% – and was above 2% in locations spokesperson for Extinction Re- crisis it says will bring starvation fi ndings from estate agents and an average of £4,600 in 2016. such as Manchester and New- bellion. and social collapse. other commercial bodies. Public parks and gardens, play castle. The activists will target ma- Bank of England Governor Mark The ONS used details of more spaces, playing fi elds, sports fa- “We estimate that the total jor fi nancial institutions which Carney has said the fi nancial sec- than 1mn property sales within cilities, golf courses, allotments value of PAGS (publicly accessi- they say are fi nancing fossil fuel tor must transform its manage- urban areas in England and Wales and community growing spaces, ble green spaces) and blue spaces exploration and infrastructure. A ment of climate risk, warning that between 2009 and 2016 to esti- and religious grounds and cem- that is capitalised into property mock trial of the fi nancial sector global warming would prompt re- mate how much property buyers eteries were all included in the prices amounts to £77.9bn,” said “Red Brigade” activists participate in an Extinction Rebellion took place shortly after midday. assessments of the value of every value nearby green space. analysis. However, woodlands, the ONS. demonstration, in the City of London yesterday. The group, which promotes single fi nancial asset. Gulf Times 16 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 EUROPE Protests after Spain imprisons Catalan leaders Reuters/AFP In a tweet from Brussels, Puig- nerved fi nancial markets. in exile. We demand amnesty ... Madrid demont denounced the sentenc- Separatist protests have been for all those who have been per- es: “100 years in all. An outrage. largely peaceful but police sourc- secuted,” Torra said in a televised Protesters use trolleys to block Now more than ever, by your side es have said authorities are pre- speech. escalators at El Prat airport in pain’s Supreme Court has and those of your families. It is pared for any violence. The longest prison term – 13 Barcelona. sentenced nine separa- time to react as never before.” Spanish authorities are keen years – went to the former dep- Stist leaders from Catalo- In Barcelona, three main to avoid any condemnation from uty leader of the Catalan regional Right: Spanish police clash with nia to between nine and 13 years streets were blocked by pro- abroad of the sentence as too government, Oriol Junqueras. protesters outside El Prat airport in prison for sedition over their testers holding signs calling for draconian, and the separatist The court convicted Junqueras in Barcelona as thousands of role in a failed independence bid, “Freedom for political prisoners”. movement will have to decide and eight other leaders on charg- angry protesters took to the triggering protests across the re- Outside the pro-independence how to react to the ruling. es of sedition and four of them of streets after Spain’s Supreme gion. Omnium Cultural headquarters The jailed separatists said via misuse of public funds, the court Court sentenced nine Catalan Three other defendants who in Barcelona, a crowd chanted social media that they would ruling showed. separatist leaders to between were also on trial for their in- “We’ll do it again” – a slogan carry on their fi ght. “What happened on October 1 nine and 13 years in jail for volvement in the October 2017 used by separatist supporters “Nine years in prison won’t was not just a demonstration or sedition over the failed 2017 referendum, held in spite of a ban who want to hold another refer- end my optimism. Catalonia will a massive act of citizen protest. independence bid. and a short-lived independence endum. be independent if we persist. Let If that had been the case, there declaration, were found guilty Protesters in Tarragona us demonstrate without fear, let would have been no criminal cessionist leaders break the law. only of disobedience and not blocked the A7 highway to Bar- us move forward determinedly sentencing. It was a tumultuous “The sentence must be carried sentenced to prison. celona and several regional roads from non-violence to freedom,” uprising encouraged by the ac- out and complied with,” acting All defendants were acquit- across Catalonia, offi cials at the said Jordi Sanchez, who was sen- cused, among many others,” the public works minister Jose Luis ted of the gravest charge, rebel- Catalan road traffi c agency said. tenced to nine years in jail. Madrid court said in its ruling, Abalos told public broadcaster lion, but leading separatists were An earlier disruption to the Sanchez was the leader of delivered in writing rather than TVE. “In Catalonia, there is a quick to condemn the court’s regional train network outside the Catalan National Assembly in an open session. need for clear and responsible decision and the jailed men sent the town of Girona, a separatist (ANC) grassroots movement. After the ruling was published, leadership on behalf of separa- out messages of defi ance, urging stronghold, had ended. The regional head of Catalo- the CDR grassroots movement tists.” people to take to the streets. Much is at stake in how the nia, separatist Quim Torra, called tweeted: “It’s time to rise up The ruling is likely to colour a Former head of Catalonia’s court’s decision will be received, for an amnesty for all 12 leaders against the authoritarian fascism national election on November regional government, Carles Pu- both for Spain and for its wealth- and said he would seek an urgent of the Spanish state and its ac- 10, Spain’s fourth in four years, igdemont, said that the prison iest region. meeting with Spain’s King Felipe complices. It is time for the #Re- and infl uence the direction taken sentences were an “atrocity”, and Catalonia’s independence VI and acting Prime Minister voltaPopular (popular revolt).” by the separatist movement. the head of the regional parlia- drive attracted worldwide atten- Pedro Sanchez. The government has said it is An opinion poll in July showed ment Roger Torrent called them tion and triggered Spain’s biggest “We demand the release of ready to take direct control of 48.3% of Catalans against seces- an “attack on democracy”. political crisis in decades and un- political prisoners and of those Catalonia as it did in 2017 if se- sion and 44% in favour. Poland’s governing party wins election Hungary opposition DPA Preliminary results show PiS the lower house may be a head- However, for many voters, Warsaw can count on 48-49 seats in the ache for PiS, as it will be attacked these institutional reforms seem Senate, while the Civic Coali- from the right by a more radi- to be less important than the claims tion (KO), led by the centrist PO cal party, something PiS leader broad social benefi ts introduced he governing conserva- party, will win 42-43 seats. Jaroslaw Kaczynski is afraid of, by PiS during its term of offi ce, tive Law and Justice party The rest will go to other op- according to Matyja. including the fl agship 500 zloty Budapest T(PiS) won Poland’s parlia- position parties and independ- Consequently, the new parlia- ($125) monthly benefi t per child, mentary election with the best ent senators, most of whom are ment will be a more challenging as well as the party’s attachment result any party has reached expected to side with the oppo- place for PiS, he believes. to conservative values. AFP since 1989, but it will likely lose sition. Final results are expected to be In the coming months, PiS Budapest control over the Senate, which “It will be very diffi cult for published today. may decide to take a more mod- will make governing more dif- PiS to push through legislation Voter turnout was above 60%, erate approach in domestic and fi cult. as it did [in the last term of of- PKW offi cials said during a press foreign policy, as it needs to se- ungary’s opposition have PiS took almost 44% of the fi ce] with such a confi guration in conference. cure a second presidential term pulled off a shock victory vote in the lower house race, the Senate and with such a small That would be the highest for Andrzej Duda in May 2020, Hin the Budapest mayor- with more than 8mn Poles cast- majority in the Sejm,” political number of people going to the according to political analyst alty election that took place on ing their votes for the party, ac- scientist Rafal Matyja told DPA. polls since 1989. Antoni Dudek. Sunday, the fi rst electoral blow cording to partial results from The party will no longer be Leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw The election was considered Otherwise, it may fi nd it hard for nationalist Prime Minister 99.5% of polling stations. able to use the Senate for its Kaczynski, smiles after the first exit poll results were released on by many commentators as the to govern effi ciently given the Viktor Orban since he came to The party will likely secure an “blitz” legislation procedure, Sunday evening. most important since 1989, projected slim majority, he said. power in 2010. outright majority in the Sejm, in which bills were on occasion when Poland’s transition to de- “A radical, antagonising ap- The win was “historic”, said Poland’s main legislative body, rushed through parliament in a (SLD), made up of three left- the vote, as well as the national- mocracy began. proach may alienate moderate the pro-European centre-left with analysts projecting 235-236 matter of hours. wing parties, will be the third- ist libertarian Confederation The government’s critics fear voters ahead of the presiden- challenger Gergely Karacsony, seats out of 460 total. PiS will also have to make sure strongest force in parliament Freedom and Independence, that yet another term in offi ce tial election,” he said, adding 44, who was backed by a wide The state electoral commis- that it has the absolute major- with 12.5% of the vote, accord- which got 6.8%. for PiS may push Poland further that “the presidential campaign range of opposition parties from sion PKW is yet to announce seat ity on the fl oor to reject Senate ing to the partial results. Despite PiS’s good results in down the path towards illiberal starts today”. across the political spectrum. distribution. amendments, the expert said. The left returns to parliament the lower house election, some democracy and on a confronta- After May 2020, the direction The mild-mannered former However, PiS will likely lose The KO bloc, led by the cen- after a four-year hiatus. of its voters seem to have drifted tional course with the European of Polish politics “will depend political scientist led by 51% of control over the Senate, where trist PO party, garnered 27.2% of The Christian democratic to PSL and Confederation, polit- Union, especially over its con- on PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczyn- the vote ahead of the incumbent it to date enjoyed a comfortable the lower house vote. agrarian party PSL will also sit in ical scientist Jaroslaw Flis said. troversial reforms in the judici- ski. I would expect a return to Istvan Tarlos on around 44%, majority of 61 out of 100. The Democratic Left Alliance parliament, having won 8.6% of Confederation’s presence in ary. aggressive politics”, Dudek said. with 82% of votes counted. In offi ce since 2010, the 71-year-old Tarlos, backed by Afghan sentenced to 26 years in jail Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party, congratulated the new mayor by for Amsterdam terror stabbing phone, Karacsony told cheering Dutch, German farmers stage demonstrations supporters. Dutch judges have sentenced an Afghan man to 26 years and eight “We will take the city from the months in jail for stabbing two American tourists at Amsterdam’s 20th century to the 21st,” said DPA Central station in a terror attack. the pro-EU Karacsony, who was Amsterdam/Bonn The 20-year-old, identified only as Jawed S, was also ordered at one of the few opposition politi- Amsterdam district court to pay almost €3mn ($3.3mn) in damages cians to win a district in the last following the August 31, 2018 assault. election fi ve years ago. “Buda- ngry farmers stormed the One of the two victims remains in a wheelchair after the attack, pest will be green and free, we administrative building which sent midday commuters at the city’s busiest station into a will bring it back to Europe.” Aof the Dutch province panic. Karacsony had compared the of Groningen yesterday in re- Police shot Jawed S in the lower body before arresting him. Budapest race to the Istanbul sponse to new environmental “He never showed any regret or remorse during his trial, repeatedly mayoral election in March, in regulations. saying he would do the same again if his religion was insulted,” the which the candidate of Turkish The farmers smashed through judges said. “The risk of a repeat off ence is therefore very high and President Recep Tayyip Erdog- the entry gate with a tractor be- the court finds it essential that society is protected against him as an’s party was defeated by the fore forcing their way into the long as possible.” opposition challenger. building, police said. “Istanbul voted against an ag- They were then driven from gressive illiberal power in many the building by truncheon- Five people detained over deadly ways similar to Orban’s regime,” wielding police. Karacsony told AFP before the The farmers were protesting knife attack on Paris police HQ vote. new measures aimed at lowering Since 2010 Orban has re- nitrogen emissions, the main French police have detained five people linked to a radicalised formed Hungary’s institutions cause of which is fertiliser. employee at the Paris police headquarters who killed four and concentrated power and Government plans to buy ag- colleagues in a knife attack earlier this month, sources said. media organs in his hands, and ricultural land in order to lower Police staged raids at three locations in the northern suburbs of regularly clashed with Brussels livestock numbers have caused Paris, judicial sources and those close to the investigation said, over migration and rule-of-law great uncertainty in the farming Dutch farmers protest with their tractors outside the provincial government off ice of Overijssel in confirming a report by the broadcaster RTL. issues. community. Zwolle. Mickael Harpon, a 45-year-old computer expert, stabbed to death He has also cruised to consec- The plans follow a ruling in four colleagues at the police headquarters on October 3 before utive landslide victories at the May by the country’s highest ministry against the imposition He called for environmentally coming mainly from western being shot and killed. polls, partly due to electoral rule court that Dutch rules for grant- of regulations on the sector. sustainable agriculture to be regions. It later emerged he had converted to Islam about 10 years ago and changes he oversaw. ing building and farming per- “There has to be an end to structured “with mutual under- The farmers are calling for had started adopting increasingly radical beliefs. Fidesz had run a highly mits breached EU environmen- the excessive fl ood of offi cial standing for what is necessary changes to the Mercosur free One of the people detained yesterday was an imam who preached negative campaign attack- tal protection law. requirements,” the president of and what is achievable”, other- trade agreement reached this at a mosque Harpon attended in Gonesse, who is on France’s “Fiche ing Karacsony for an allegedly A nationwide protest is the Rhineland Agricultural As- wise family farms would not be year between the EU and the S” list of potential security risks, one source told AFP. pro-migration stance and his planned tomorrow. sociation, Bernhard Conzen, able to survive. South American trade bloc. Investigators have determined that Harpon, who had access to “unsuitability” for the job, while In Germany, farmers drove said as hundreds of farmers Organisers put the number Regulations on the use of fer- classified data within the Paris police’s intelligence division, had Orban had threatened to with- their tractors into Bonn to hold gathered in the western city of farmers joining the protest tiliser and manure are another been in close contact with the imam in the months leading to his hold co-operation from munici- a protest outside the agriculture yesterday. at 1,000, with demonstrators issue. knife rampage. palities lost by his party. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 17

INDIA Finance minister’s husband slams govt on economy

IANS nomic framework of its own. family and both his parents were alleged: “In economic policy, the mark of development for the In- and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and All these should have also been New Delhi If that “wasn’t an embarrass- legislators in the Andhra Pradesh party mainly adopted “Neti Neti dian economy.” Aadhaar have taken place in the praised.” ment enough” for a government assembly. (Not this, Not this’), without ar- Taking a dig at BJP’s appropri- last fi ve years. But the Congress, which has that has seen enough indicators His reference to Rao’s model ticulating what was its own Niti ation of Sardar Patel, Prabhakar Asked to comment on her hus- got an endorsement from the scathing article on the of economic slowdown, includ- of economy shouldn’t be sur- (policy)’.” also suggested that the BJP could band’s take on the economy, the spouse of the minister, was in no state of economy by the ing a lowered GDP projection, prising, considering the Parakala The opposition Congress ex- portray Rao on the economic minister said: “All the reforms mood to let go. Ahusband of Finance Min- Prabhakar advised Prime Minis- family was closely associated pectedly lost no time in attacking side, just the way it has done have taken place between 2014 Pawan Khera of the Congress ister Nirmala Sitharaman has ter Narendra Modi’s government with the late prime minister. He the government. for Patel. He also insinuated, ‘a and 2019 and the deep reforms told IANS: “That’s sane advice turned out to be a political hot to “embrace” his predecessors has been part of the ‘Rajiv Gan- The party’s West Bengal unit muscular political, nationalist, like the GST were not intro- coming from Mr Parakala Prab- potato, all the more so as it came – Manmohan Singh and P V Nar- dhi National Institute for Youth chief Somen Mitra took tweeted: security platform’ was created to duced by the Congress. IBC and hakar. Anti-Nehru cannot be the ahead of two assembly elections asimha Rao’s economic model. Development’ (RGNIYD), some- “They may have mocked him for compensate for the defi ciency on Aadhaar were introduced and raison de etre of the BJP. They just a week away. Both the former Congress thing very close to Gandhis. years without having an iota of economic front and a re-election amendments were carried out. do not have their own heroes, Sitharaman’s husband Par- prime ministers are regarded as He resigned later from the or- knowledge how an economy as bid. The Ujjawala scheme benefi ted 8 nor their own economic vision. akala Prabhakar in a newspaper pillars of economic reforms in the ganisation to fulfi l his political big as that of India runs, but at However, Sitharaman re- lakh women. Many changes were If they can borrow heroes from article has suggested that the modern Indian economy. ambitions. the end of the day, Dr Manmohan sponded by saying said all the made to tax structure. After Oc- Congress heroes – who found the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has Prabhakar is himself an econo- In a no-holds-barred attack on Singh and his reform model con- key reforms such as Goods and tober 1, startups will now have RSS repugnant – why not borrow not been able to propose any eco- mist. He comes from a political the Modi government, Prabhakar tinues to be the ultimate bench- Services Tax (GST), Insolvency to pay the lowest tax in India. its economic policies too?” Monitor radical elements in jails, government tells state police chiefs

IANS access with the permission of New Delhi higher authorities. Kerala has the highest number of special jails (16) fol- he government has asked lowed by West Bengal (5), Te- state police chiefs to langana (4), Tamil Nadu (3), Tcarry out a detailed study Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, on the activities of radical ele- Uttar Pradesh and Puducherry ments in various jails to monitor (2 each) and Assam, Bihar, Ma- and counter the spread of radi- harashtra and Rajasthan. calisation inside prisons. The government has brought The Ministry of Home Aff airs a new anti-terror law under (MHA) has also asked police which individuals can now be heads to take the help of reli- declared as terrorists and their gious preachers to start de-rad- properties can be seized. Presi- icalisation programme within dent Ram Nath Kovind had the jail complexes. given assent to the legislation The police chiefs have been on August 8 after the Lok Sabha asked to seek the help of Intel- passed it on July 24 and the Ra- ligence Bureau offi cials exten- jya Sabha on August 2. sively so that they can also spot Meanwhile, the National In- “talents” among the radical vestigation Agency (NIA) yes- prisoners, who can lead de-rad- terday said it has registered 287 icalisation programme. cases till September-end and “Talent spotting should be the highest number of the cases done within the jails apart from – 110 – are related to terrorism. Abhijit Banerjee speaks on the phone as his wife Esther Duflo looks on at their home in Boston, Massachusetts yesterday. the religious preachers, who Of the other 177 cases, the visit jails for delivering ser- NIA said 50 are related to in- mons, to lead the de-radicalisa- surgency in the northeast re- tion programme,” said an inter- gion, 48 of fake Indian currency nal ministry note seen by IANS. notes, 28 of left-wing extrem- The intelligence offi cials had ism or Maoism, 15 related to fl agged that some of the ordi- Khalistan, one of human traf- Nobel prize winner comes nary prisoners living in close fi cking and the remaining 35 are proximity with terrorists be- miscellaneous matters. come hardcore militants after Of the 110 jihadi terrorism coming out of the jail. Look- cases, 32 are from Jammu and ing upon this, the ministry has Kashmir, 22 have relation to Is- stressed to the police chiefs that lamic State while 50 are in “oth- from family of economists de-radicalisation programmes ers” category, NIA data said. Agencies and talent spotting should be Sharing the data at the NIA’s New Delhi some said the award was a repu- poverty alleviation,” he said in a “Instead we now have Modi- goods and service tax. diation of policies pursued by Tweet. nomics, that’s destroying the A school in West Bengal where in a more co-coordinated way National Conference of chiefs Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Others were more ebullient. economy and boosting poverty.” Banerjee was once a student cel- of the Anti-Terrorism Squads between local police and intel- ndian politicians and aca- Banerjee, who won the prize “Big day for every Indian. Banerjee told India’s on- ebrated yesterday. ligence offi cials. (ATS) and Special Task Forces demics cheered the Nobel along with his wife Esther Dufl o Heartiest congratulations to line news outlet The Wire in “This is a very big day for us. In 2016, a total 2,052 sus- (STF), NIA Inspector Gen- Ieconomics prize awarded and Michael Kremer, has been eminent economist Abhijit Ban- 2017 that the Modi govern- No school can expect more from pected terrorists and militants eral Alok Mittal said that state yesterday to Indian-born Amer- critical of the Modi government, erjee. Work on poverty allevia- ment didn’t seem to have any its students,” the South Point were arrested and in 2017, police forces and other anti- ican Abhijit Banerjee, whose saying some of its economic de- tion gets highest endorsement,” new economic plan, despite its High School said. 1,950 were put behind bars. In terror squads helped a lot in all proud mother told visitors cisions, such as banning high- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Ke- promise to transform India and He passed his higher second- 2018, total arrests were 1,722 the 287 cases taken up by the crowding into her apartment value currency notes, were jriwal said. free it from the yoke of govern- ary exam from the school in and in 2019, till October 11, agency. that he came from “a family of “weird”. The Congress party said Ban- ment. 1978. the total arrests made were “Of the 287 cases, the NIA economists”. In March, he joined 107 econ- erjee, who is based in the United “Having said that, there are a “But this was expected. For 1,310. According to National has fi led charge-sheets in 212 Nirmala Banerjee showed omists and social scientists in States, had helped the party draft couple of weird things that the some years, we were hearing Investigation Agency (NIA), cases. The court has announced journalists a copy of her son’s seeking an end to political in- the minimum income scheme to government did, one of those that he was being considered for 127 suspected ISIS members its verdict in 57 cases in which it book Poor Economics as bou- terference in India’s statistics fi ght poverty on which it fought things was demonetisation. I the coveted award for his work,” were arrested and are lodged declared conviction in 51 cases. quets arrived at her home in institutions, saying the integ- elections earlier this year. don’t think there was any seri- said SPHS principal Rupa Sanyal in various prisons. With this fi gure, the conviction Kolkata and friends and family rity of economic data must be But the Congress suff ered a ous economics in it, and there Bhattacharya. resounding defeat at the hands was no particular reason it would Bhattacharya said Banerjee The ministry has also told fi gure in NIA cases is 90%.” called to congratulate her. protected after allegations that “We are a family of econo- growth had been infl ated and of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party do much good,” he said. was still in touch with the now states to set up special jails to The 32 cases investigated in mists, his father, me...everyone fi gures showing unemployment which ran a campaign focused The shock ban on curren- retired teachers of the school lodge convicted and suspected Jammu and Kahsmir are mostly is an economist,” she said. at a 45-year high suppressed. on national security. cy notes in 2016, which Modi who taught him. terrorists. Special jail means related to “fi dayeen attacks” in “But we worked in diff erent Nonetheless, Modi off ered Banerjee had helped concep- hailed as part of a broader fi ght “He replies to e-mails from any prison provided for the which terrorists were killed on fi elds. We had discussions and praise. tualise a programme that had against corruption, is widely his teachers despite his busy confi nement of a particular the spot and the investigation debates on many issues.” “Congratulations to Abhijit the power to destroy poverty and seen to have contributed to the schedule at the MIT. This is a class or particular classes of was done on the basis of mate- Banerjee was recognised for Banerjee. He has made nota- boost the economy, party’s former economic slowdown along with great quality - a quality of a great prisoners and provides limited rials seized there, Mittal said. his work on fi ghting poverty and ble contributions in the fi eld of president Rahul Gandhi said. a hastily implemented national human being,” she said. Mobile phones back in Kashmir, but Internet still down

Agencies Landlines were restored pre- for the “rapid” lifting of restric- offi ces of mobile phone service and communicate with tourists,” Srinagar viously, although residents say tions. providers in Srinagar, with peo- hotelier Bashmir Ahmed said. connections are erratic. Mohamed Akbar, a business- ple requesting a switch from pre- Government spokesman Rohit The stripping of Kashmir’s spe- man, said in the main city Sri- paid to post-paid services. Kansal said on Saturday the deci- obile phone networks cial status on August 5 also saw nagar that he was pleased that “We are happy that we can now sion to restore post-paid mobile were restored in Kash- New Delhi send in tens of thou- mobile phones were working at least talk to each other and our services had been taken after re- Mmir yesterday after a 72- sands of extra troops to what even again, but had harsh words for relatives outside the state,” said viewing the situation in the re- day blackout, authorities said, before was one of the world’s most the government of Prime Minis- Shakeel Rahman, a Srinagar- gion. but Internet remains off -limits heavily militarised zones. ter Narendra Modi. based businessman. Shops and businesses have to the region’s 7mn-plus people. Several hundred Kashmiri “Mobile phones are a commer- Students said the lack of Inter- been opening for about three India cut access to mobile net- politicians, activists, lawyers and cial service that we pay for, not a net services had been hampering hours in the morning and re- works in the Kashmir Valley in others remain in custody, mostly favour,” he said. their studies. maining closed for the rest of the early August citing security con- without charge. “They slash our basic rights “We need to be in touch with day in several parts of Kashmir cerns as it scrapped the region’s Several thousand ordinary and then ease things as favours our teachers...we have been out Valley despite the administration semi-autonomous status and Kashmiris were also detained, in- and call it normalcy.” of college for two months,” said relaxing curbs. imposed a lockdown. cluding children as young as nine, Having mobile phones “is student Sameena. A report by a group of academ- The easing yesterday covers with protesters and security forces something completely normal Kashmir is one of India’s top ics, activists and journalists who around 4mn post-paid mobile clashing at regular rallies. in most countries. But here in tourist destinations and the in- recently travelled to Kashmir said phone contracts, but only for Most have since been released. Kashmir it is a big deal”, said law dustry has been badly hit by the people in the valley were keeping calls and text messages. UN human rights chief student Mashouq. clampdown. their shops and establishments The Internet is still unavailable Michelle Bachelet said last “And it can be taken away at “We need Internet facilities at closed in a non-violent “act of both on cellphone and fi xed line month she was “deeply con- any time.” our hotels and offi ces otherwise resistance against the Indian A woman uses a mobile phone in Srinagar following government’s networks. cerned” while Washington called There were large queues at the it is diffi cult to make bookings state.” decision to restore the network yesterday. Gulf Times 18 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 INDIA

TRAGEDY FRAUD DECISION INITIATIVE PUNISHMENT 11 killed in Uttar Pradesh Two men arrested Rajasthan stops pension Delhi’s dengue cases Five off icials suspended gas cylinder explosion for duping Amazon to detainees under MISA reduced to half: CM over cow protection

Eleven people were killed yesterday when The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday said they The Rajasthan government will discontinue a Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said yesterday Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sus- a gas cylinder exploded in Uttar Pradesh’s have arrested two men for allegedly duping pension scheme for leaders detained under the his government’s anti-dengue drive has resulted pended five off icials, including the District Magistrate Mau district. According to official sources, the Amazon of crores of rupees. The police said Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) or their in a reduction in the number of cases to 467 so of Maharajganj for alleged irregularities in the state’s impact of the blast was so strong that a two- “Amazon’s investigative team and their lawyer had widows during Emergency, a minister said yester- far, compared to 830 last year. Kejriwal underlined cow protection programme. State Chief Secretary R storey house in Walidpur village where the complained that a gang of fraudsters had been day. Shanti Dhariwal, however, said medical benefits that the ongoing dengue prevention aware- K Tiwari said large-scale irregularities were found in explosion took place was destroyed. People in duping Amazon worth crores of rupees over the being given to them will continue. Dhariwal said the ness campaign ‘10 Hafte, 10 Baje, 10 Minute’(10 the cow shelter programme in Maharajganj. “As per the area said they heard a loud explosion and last two-three years.” According to the police, the government can’t consider prisoners arrested under weeks, 10 o’clock, 10 minutes) has been showing records, there should have been 2,500 cows in the flames erupted from the building soon after. accused would rent apartments in various states MISA as freedom fighters. Thousands of people excellent results. “The latest data released today shelter but only 900 were found during inspection. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed and order high-end products, which they would were arrested during Emergency in 1975. Many of showed that there have been 467 cases of den- The off icials could not explain the absence of cows,” grief over the incident and has asked district substitute with those of inferior quality, and then them remained in jails till 1977 under MISA as well as gue in Delhi till now, whereas last year there had Tiwari said. The chief minister has also ordered dis- officials to provide proper treatment to the cancel and return the products. The police have Defence of India Rules. Most of these leaders were been 830 cases,” Kejriwal said. He said the data ciplinary action against the suspended off icials. Also, injured. He said all necessary help should recovered mobile phones and 29 SIMs from the from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya released till October 12 shows that there has been the animal husbandry department owned 500 acres be given to the survivors. Reports said that suspects and seized fake stickers of numerous Swayamsevak Sangh. They were getting a pension no dengue death in the national capital this year, of land in the cow shelter, but it was found that 380 many more could be buried under the debris. high-end products such as smart watches and of Rs20,000 and medical allowance of Rs4,000. while there were four deaths last year. “The data acres had been illegally leased out to a private holder. The exact number of injured people was not mobiles which they were planning to use to com- The BJP slammed the move and termed it politics showed that there has been a steady decline in Ujjwal Kumar has been appointed the new District immediately known. mit fraud in the days ahead. of animosity and hatred. cases of dengue in Delhi since 2015.” Magistrate of Maharajganj.

Dutch king, queen start fi ve-day Government India visit

IANS New Delhi bars public

ing Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of Kthe Netherlands began a fi ve-day state visit to India that will focus on areas such as water gatherings technology and maritime devel- opment, healthcare, sustainable agriculture, social initiatives and cultural heritage. The Dutch royals, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday night, received a traditional welcome at in Ayodhya the airport. “A traditional welcome to our special guests. Their Majes- Order comes as SC gets set to deliver verdict ties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. @koninklijkhuis Agencies to light ‘diyas’ (earthen lamps) A lawyer representing the Arrived for their fi rst State visit to New Delhi at the disputed complex on Di- Uttar Pradesh government gave India. Their packed programme wali. an assurance to the court on the in India is intended to further “When the entire Ayod- security arrangements for Fa- build upon the strong Indo-Dutch he government has hya will be lit on Diwali, why rooqui. strategic partnership,” Ministry barred public gather- should the complex remain in According to a lawyer from of External Aff airs spokesman Tings in Ayodhya as the the dark? We will meet the Di- Muslim side, the state govern- Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Supreme Court started hearing visional Commissioner who is ment was exerting pressure on Their trip is on the invitation of final arguments yesterday to the receiver of the disputed site the Sunni Waqf Board to reach President Ram Nath Kovind. The decide whether a Hindu temple and seek his permission,” said an out-of-court settlement. royals will also visit Mumbai and should be built on the ruins of a Mahant Nayan Das of the VHP. “The Waqf Board is under the Kochi. mosque in a long-running dis- A Muslim litigant in the case, state government. The govern- Yesterday, the royals received a pute. Haji Mehboob, said if the VHP was ment has the authority to re- ceremonial reception at the Rash- The razing of the 16th centu- allowed to light diyas, then Mus- place the chairman with some- trapati Bhavan, the presidential ry Babri mosque by Hindu mobs lims would also seek permission to body who follows its orders,” house, after which they went to Raj in 1992 led to one of India’s off er ‘namaaz’ at the site. said the lawyer. Ghat to lay a wreath at the memo- deadliest bouts of communal The dispute in Ayodhya is one Chief Justice of India Ranjan rial for Mahatma Gandhi. External riots, in which at least 2,000 of the most polarising issues in Gogoi indicated that the court Aff airs Minster S Jaishankar called people, most of them Muslim, the nation. can conclude the arguments on them at The Oberoi Hotel. were killed across the country. Hindu and Muslim groups tomorrow, a day ahead of the “Building upon the strate- Hindu groups believe the site have failed to resolve the dis- deadline, and asked all lawyers gic trust. EAM @DrSJaishankar is the birthplace of Ram and pute through negotiations over follow the time slot allocated to called upon HM King Willem-Al- have intensified calls for a tem- the years, and a court decision wrap up their arguments. exander and HM Queen Maxima ple to be built there. in 2010 to divide the 2.77-acre This reaction from court @koninklijkhuis of the Nether- Prime Minister Narendra site between one Muslim group came after Dhavan said he lands and had fruitful discussions Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and two Hindu groups was op- would take two hours today to on expanding our relationship,” (BJP)-led government came to posed by both sides. finish his arguments, and the Kumar tweeted. power in 2014 on a promise of The Supreme Court then took Hindu groups urged the court “Special guests welcomed by building a temple on the site control of the site and has been to give them at least two days @rashtrapatibhvn in its special in the Uttar Pradesh town and hearing petitions from both sides to reply. way. PresidentKovind and PM @ calls demanding it have gath- over what should be built there. During the hearing, Dhavan narendramodi extended a cer- ered steam under his rule. The final hearings will finish accused the government of try- emonial welcome to HM Willem- Authorities have imposed this week, with a verdict likely ing to rewrite history. Alexander and HM Queen Maxi- an emergency law in Ayodhya over the next few weeks. He told the court the onus ma @koninklijkhuis. Centuries under which public assem- Rajeev Dhavan, a lawyer rep- was on the Hindu side to prove old Indo-Dutch ties have been bly of more than four people is resenting a Muslim group, said their title, as the title of the nurtured through engagements at banned, saying “hearings of the in the court the Hindu groups Muslim side is incontrovertible highest level,” he tweeted on the case are ongoing and a verdict is had no evidence to claim own- since 1885. ceremonial welcome. likely soon”, the district admin- ership of the disputed land. Moreover, there is nothing They are expected to visit the istration said in an order. Meanwhile the Supreme which makes Babri Masjid an ‘Indo-Dutch interactions in the The ban will be in effect until Court yesterday asked the Uttar unIslamic structure, he added. time of Rembrandt’ exhibition at December 10, the government Pradesh government to provide Earlier this week, a group of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum said. security to Uttar Pradesh Sunni Muslim intellectuals under the in Mumbai tomorrow. They will Ayodhya District Magistrate Waqf Board chairman Zufar banner of ‘Indian Muslims for visit Kerala on Thursday. Anuj Kumar Jha said the deci- Ahmad Farooqui after he ap- Peace’ said that as a ‘goodwill The Dutch royal family were sion was taken in view of the prehended a threat to his life. gesture’, majority of Muslims greeted by traditional dancers and upcoming festivals. Dhavan told the court that are ready to hand over the dis- musicians as they touched down Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima pay their respects at Raj Ghat, the memorial for The Vishwa Hindu Parishad there is allegedly a conspiracy puted land to the central gov- in Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi yesterday. (VHP) has sought permission to get Farooqui off the case. ernment.

Man burying daughter fi nds Strike for wage revision newborn alive in grave grounds HAL operations AFP India has long struggled with Lucknow female infanticide, which has become widespread because of IANS The 55-year-old aerospace ma- every fi ve years in 2012 and 2007. parents’ preferences for sons – Bengaluru jor has six production complexes “The revision needs to be settled man digging a grave found who are viewed as investments in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Koraput keeping in view the increase derived a newborn girl buried alive, and heirs – while girls are seen as in Odisha, Korwa, Lucknow and by the executives from 2007 to 2017 Apolice said yesterday, in the a liability. n indefi nite strike by about Nashik and three research and de- scales and by the employees from latest case to shine a spotlight on India is trying to bridge the sex 20,000 employees of the velopment (R&D) centres across 2007 to 2012 scales and from 2012 to female infanticide in the country. ratio gap with tough laws, as the AHindustan Aeronautics Ltd the country. 2017 scales,” it said. Hitesh Sirohi had gone to bury country fares badly with 940 fe- (HAL) for wage revision yesterday Terming the strike illegal, the Chandrasekhar, however, said his own daughter, who died a few males for every 1,000 males ac- grounded operations of the state- company claimed that the em- that the management’s refusal to minutes after birth on Wednes- cording to the 2011 census. run defence company across the ployees were off ered the best consider their demands has forced day, when his spade hit an Prenatal sex determina- country, a union offi cial said. package revision. the employees to strike work at all earthen pot in Bareilly in Uttar tion was outlawed in 1994 but “The response to our strike call “The trade unions have gone on the nine locations. Pradesh, police said. families’ still use illegal meth- has been overwhelming with all the an illegal and indefi nite strike even To defuse the situation, the “When he noticed a newborn ods or devices to discover the employees abstaining from work in as conciliatory proceedings are on company off ered to enhance al- girl inside it, he immediately res- gender and terminate preg- the nine production locations across and against the advice of the la- lowances under cafeteria system cued her and dialled for help.” nancies for unwanted female the country,” HAL trade union gen- bour authorities who want them to at 22% for workmen in scale 1 to 10 Sirohi told the Times of India offspring. eral secretary S Chandrasekhar told fi nd a solution without resorting to and 20% for workmen in special he found the baby wrapped in a A 2011 study in the Brit- IANS in Bengaluru. agitational means,” the company scale against the uniform rate of cloth and crying. ish medical journal The Lancet The wage revision is due since said in a statement. 19% off ered earlier. “At one point I thought that my found that up to 12mn girls had January 1, 2017. The previous two Asserting that the unions’ de- “We apprised the unions of the daughter had come alive. But the been aborted in the last three revisions were in 2012 and 2007 mand for higher or similar fi t- ill-eff ects of resorting to strike, voice was actually coming from decades in India. for fi ve years, he said. ment and allowances as in the jeopardising the interest of the the pot,” he told the newspaper. In January, a three-week old A company offi cial, however, case of executives had no ra- employees and the organisation,” The newborn was taken to baby girl was found buried alive claimed that a majority of the em- tionale, the company said the the company said. hospital where she is receiving in Rajasthan after locals heard ployees reported to work at the executives got a wage hike after The management also off ered medical care, police said, adding her crying from a shallow grave, Korwa avionics division in Uttar 10 years unlike the employees to a revised rate of fi tment benefi t Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) employees take part in strike that a local politician was paying but died after a few weeks at a Pradesh. who were given wage revision for at 11%. in Bengaluru yesterday. for her expenses. hospital. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 19 LATIN AMERICA

DECISION TRAGEDY CRASH ACCIDENT PEOPLE EU approves sanctions Six dead as roof collapses Train smashes into bus Migrant boat sinks off Argentina’s Valenzuela framework for Nicaragua on Peru costume party in Mexico, killing eight Mexico, one killed wins major literature prize

The European Union adopted a sanctions At least six people died and 40 were injured after a A freight train smashed into a bus in Mexico, A small boat carrying African migrants capsized off Argentinian author Luisa Valenzuela, 80, framework for Nicaragua yesterday over hu- hailstorm caused a roof to collapse on a costume killing eight people and injuring seven, authorities the coast of southern Mexico, leaving one dead and has become the first woman to win Mexico’s man rights abuses in the country under leftist party in central Peru, authorities said. Around 1,000 said. The bus driver tried to beat the approach- two missing, authorities said. The boat was travelling Carlos Fuentes literature prize, one of the President Daniel Ortega. The move, validated people were in the building at the time of the ac- ing train at a railroad crossing in the village of La off the southern border state of Chiapas when it most important such awards in the Spanish- in a meeting of EU foreign ministers, does not cident on Sunday, according to local media. Some Valla, in the central state of Queretaro, but mis- listed to one side, pitching its occupants into the speaking world, the Mexican culture ministry immediately enact punishment on Nicaragua are still trapped in the rubble and five of the injured calculated, emergency off icials said. “The injured water, the state prosecutor’s off ice said in a state- announced. The jury praised Valenzuela’s but allows targeted travel bans and asset are in a serious condition, police said. The incident were taken to the hospital and investigators are ment. Authorities mounted a search operation and “narrative genius” in novels, short stories freezes to be quickly imposed at a later stage. occurred during a local festival taking place in a in the process of identifying the deceased,” the “managed to rescue eight migrants alive,” it said. A and essays. The award worth $125,000 was Europe is wielding the measure to press building in Huancayo, some 200kms east of the local public security chief, Angel Rangel, said on 39-year-old man was found dead, his body washed named after Mexican author Carlos Fuentes Ortega’s government to resume talks with capital Lima. “The structure collapsed because of Twitter. Two of the injured are in serious condition, up on the shore. Two other migrants are missing. (1928-2012). Valenzuela has penned more the opposition to resolve a political crisis that intense rain and hail,” police said. In January this off icials said. The accident occurred just outside All were from Cameroon, a country that has seen a than 30 books. Works translated into English started in April 2018, when protests mush- year, 15 people died while celebrating a wedding the city of San Juan del Rio, an industrial hub that growing exodus of refugees amid an increasingly include Bedside Manners (1994), Black Novel roomed into a popular uprising met with a when the hotel they were in was hit by an avalanche receives heavy train, truck and bus traff ic. violent conflict between its French- and English- (with Argentines) (1992), The Lizard’s Tail crackdown. of stones and mud in the southeast. speaking communities. (1983) and Clara (1976).

Chile charges up electric transport as UN climate talks approach

Thomson Reuters Foundation with the 2015 Paris Agreement to Santiago curb global warming. In Santiago, it is also hoped the zero-emission buses can lectric and diesel buses help the battle to improve poor pass in turn along one of air quality, which sees a dense Ethe main avenues in Chile’s smog settle over the city on most capital Santiago, sweeping past cold winter days. the national football stadium “Ahead of the COP25, we want and up towards the Andean to reinforce the image of Chile as mountains. a country that has mobilised new The diff erences are stark. public transport technologies Bright red electric buses glide with a focus on clean solutions,” serenely by, while their old die- Chile’s Transport Minister Glo- sel-powered, smoke-belching ria Hutt said. counterparts grind to a halt with “Our aim is to have all public a thunderous clatter. transport in Chile electric-pow- “I use the new electric buses a ered by the year 2040,” she said. lot. They’re much quieter,” said She added that the govern- 26-year-old university student ment’s focus was on expanding Camilo Miranda. “People often the use of electric energy in pub- overlook noise pollution in a city lic transport, with no subsidies where air quality has always been or tax breaks in the pipeline to the main concern.” promote the use of electric cars. Santiago, a city of 5.6mn peo- The running cost per kilome- ple, has positioned itself as a tre of Santiago’s Chinese-made global leader in the use of elec- electric buses is around 70 pesos tric buses, as the South Ameri- ($0.10), a 230-peso decrease on can nation pushes forward with the rate for a diesel vehicle. ambitious plans to adopt cleaner But the cost of a journey to People clean debris from the streets in the aftermath of the protests, after the government agreed to repeal a decree that ended fuel subsidies, in Quito, Ecuador, yesterday. energy and cut emissions from the passenger remains the same. public transport. The electric buses have a range With 386 electric buses, ac- of around 250km, meaning they counting for 6% of the city’s can make three or four return fl eet, Santiago has by far the journeys on city routes without largest fl eet outside of global needing to recharge at the ter- front-runner China, according minal. to the World Resources Institute, They also have motion charg- Unrest ends as Moreno to a US-based think-tank. ers which means they can top up The fi rst 100 electric buses while going downhill. bought from China hit the Chil- The electric buses are pur- ean capital’s streets just over a chased by the Chilean state and year ago, and the government then leased to local private op- plans to introduce them in other erators including MetBus. cities, although it has not said “There’s been an important repeal fuel subsidy cuts where. commitment to electro-mo- Worldwide, cities account bility in Chile, and (the tech- Reuters The comment follows a deal shown that the union and con- station and military vehicles The statement was read by for about three-quarters of car- nology) is here to stay,” said Quito struck with indigenous pro- viction of the people is a vol- had been set on fire. an official from the United bon emissions and consume Karla Zapata, director of Enel testers leaders late on Sunday cano that nobody can stop.” Moreno met with Jaime Var- Nations, which mediated the more than two-thirds of energy, X Chile, the Italian energy sub- that ended demonstrations University students, munici- gas, the head of the indigenous talks along with the Catholic meaning their success or failure sidiary that provides power for cuadorean President Len- that had rocked the highland pal workers and other residents umbrella grouping CONAIE, Church. in cutting emissions will have the bus network. in Moreno yesterday said capital of Quito and forced of Quito cleared burned tyres for four hours of talks in the “The measures applied in a big impact on whether global There are already 60 charg- Ehe would repeal a decree Moreno’s government to re- and cobblestones that had been capital Quito broadcast live on all our territories are lifted,” warming stays within agreed ing points for electric cars across that slashed IMF-backed fuel locate to safer ground on the torn from streets of the capital’s state television. confirmed Vargas, referring to limits. the capital, but they are not yet subsidies “in coming hours,” coast. downtown district as the smell “With this agreement, the roads and oil facilities in the Chile will be keen to highlight widely used due to a lack of gov- confi rming that he had given Indigenous protesters who of tear gas hung in the air. mobilisations...across Ecuador Amazon blocked by protesters Santiago’s use of electric buses ernment incentives and regula- into a key demand of protesters had streamed into Quito from The protests had grown are terminated and we commit for almost two weeks. when the city hosts this year’s tion, Zapata said. who had spent nearly two weeks Andean and Amazonian prov- increasingly chaotic in re- ourselves to restoring peace in Those actions suspended the UN climate conference (COP25) Social attitudes need to agitating against it. inces to demand Moreno re- cent days as the government the country,” said a joint state- distribution of almost 70% of in December. change and prices must fall for Moreno added that a new instate the fuel subsidies piled launched a crackdown to stop ment. the country’s crude oil. In June, the government un- Chileans to embrace a shift to decree would be issued to en- into buses that departed the extremists whom it blamed for Thousands flooded into the UN Secretary General Anto- veiled a more ambitious climate electric-powered cars, she said. sure that resources go to those city yesterday. infiltrating the protests and streets of Quito shortly after nio Guterres had earlier called action plan that included targets “What we need to work on who most need it, though he “We’re going back to our ter- wreaking havoc on the city. the announcement, waving the on all groups “to commit to in- to shut all coal power plants by is motivating people to change did not specify when. “We have ritories,” said Inti Killa, an in- In recent days, authori- national flag, honking horns clusive and meaningful talks, 2040 and become a carbon- from diesel to electric cars,” Za- opted for peace,” Moreno said digenous man from the Ama- ties reported the office of the and setting off fireworks in and to work in good faith to- neutral economy by 2050, in line pata said. on Twitter. zonian region of Napo. “We’ve comptroller’s office, a local TV celebration. wards a peaceful solution.” Presidential front-runner EU takes Colombia courts Argentina voters to WTO in chips war AFP and fried, Belgium claims it as its Brussels own — and exports it to back to Reuters both orthodox and heterodox. To win in the October 27 fi rst- consumers in its ancestral home. Buenos Aires What you will never see are poli- round, Fernandez must get at Despite being widely dubbed cies that go against those who least 45% of the vote or 40% he European Union yes- “French”, fries are a prized prod- produce and those who work for with a diff erence of 10 percent- terday launched a case uct in Belgium and its frites cul- he front-runner in Argen- a living,” he said. age points over his nearest rival. Tagainst Colombia at the ture was added to the Unesco tina’s presidential election Grains producers in Argentina, Farmers and other business WTO after a furious outcry from cultural treasures list last year. Treached out to undecided one of the world’s key bread- groups have voiced fear that a Belgium, the self-proclaimed in- Colombia, however, accuses voters, promising both orthodox baskets, have been strong Macri Fernandez presidency would ventor of the French fry or chip. the Europeans of dumping cheap and unorthodox policies to cure supporters. send Argentina back to the days The EU’s top trade offi cial said frozen chips — known locally as the country’s deep economic But Fernandez’s surprisingly when ex-president Cristina eff orts to reason with Colombia papas — on its market and un- troubles. comfortable win in the August Fernandez de Kirchner saddled had failed, with Bogota insist- dercutting struggling local pro- Populist-leaning Alberto primary all but ended Macri’s the economy with heavy trade ing on imposing tariff s on fry ducers. Fernandez came out swinging hopes of being re-elected. and currency controls that Macri exports from Belgian, Dutch and Belgian fi rms deny this, and against business-friendly in- “Fernandez is not playing pop- quickly rolled back when he took German businesses. Foreign Minister Didier Rey- cumbent Mauricio Macri, calling ulism here. He’s sounding more offi ce in late 2015. “I have given instructions nders had pressured the Euro- him responsible for the country’s like a an angry technocrat, blam- Fernandez de Kirchner, who (...) to initiate as soon as pos- pean Commission to fi ght back. recession. ing Macri for everything,” Julio feuded with the farm sector dur- sible a dispute in the framework Malmstrom, who handles for- Eager to fi ght Macri’s eff ort Burdman of local political poll- ing her two-terms in offi ce and of the WTO against Colombia,” eign trade matters for the EU’s at casting him as die-hard left- ing fi rm Observatorio Electoral whose battles with bond-hold- EU trade commissioner Cecilia 28 member states, said dozens of ist who would isolate Argentina, told Reuters. ers kept the country in default, Malmstrom told reporters. attempts were made to reach an Fernandez refused to be boxed in. “The probability of Fernandez is running as Fernandez’s vice The Colombian tariff s “are agreement with the Colombian “I am not dogmatic,” he said in not winning in the fi rst round is presidential candidate. unfair” and “harm companies” government. “But all eff orts have a televised debate with Macri and very, very low. The economy has Facing several corruption in the three countries, she al- failed,” she added. several lesser-known candidates done nothing but get worse since charges stemming from her 2007- leged. Belgium’s potato processing contesting the October 27 elec- the primary election, so it’s not 2015 presidency, all of which she President Mauricio Macri gestures during the presidential debate The potato was fi rst farmed in sector has sprouted to become tion. likely that Macri is gaining much denies, she has been largely absent ahead of the October 27 presidential election, at the Litoral the Andes mountains of south the biggest in the world in recent “The solutions I off er will be ground,” Burdman said. from the campaign. University in Santa Fe, Argentina. America, but once it is chipped years. Gulf Times 20 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 PAKISTAN Pakistan welcomes British royals William and Kate

AFP/DPA British royal since William’s fa- relationship with Pakistan, once in the past 15 or so years. There are promising signs, “Whilst The Duke and Duch- charmed Pakistanis when she Islamabad ther Charles and his wife Camilla part of colonial India, he said. Charles’s and Camilla’s 2006 such as British Airways’s return ess’s programme will pay respect visited in her offi cial capacity in came in 2006. “But it will focus largely on trip was tainted when they were earlier this year after more than to the historical relationship be- 1991. In addition to Islamabad, showcasing Pakistan as it is to- forced to pull out of a visit to Pe- a decade, and the slow but steady tween Britain and Pakistan, it She also made several private rince William and his wife they are set to visit the ancient day, a dynamic, aspirational, and shawar over safety concerns after revival of international cricket. will largely focus on showcasing visits in later years to help Khan Kate were due to arrive in Mughal capital of Lahore, as well forward-looking nation,” Drew the military launched an airstrike Analysts have long warned Pakistan as it is today – a dy- – then a cricketer-turned-oppo- PPakistan late last night for as the mountainous north and continued. on a religious school that killed that Pakistan is not yet getting namic, aspirational and forward- sition politician married to her their “most complex” tour to the region near the border with They are expected to see Pa- 80 people. to the root causes of extremism, looking nation,” the statement friend Jemima – raise money for date, British offi cials said, with Afghanistan in the west, accord- kistan’s eff orts to combat cli- However, security has im- however, and militants retain the said. a cancer hospital in Lahore. Islamabad eager to tout improved ing to British High Commission- mate change and learn about the proved dramatically since the ability to carry out attacks, in- The couple are also expected “We will always remember security after years of violent er Thomas Drew. “complex security” of the region, army intensifi ed a crackdown cluding in urban areas. to meet Prime Minister Imran late Princess Diana’s visit and militancy. “I’ve always been struck by the among other issues, a statement on militant groups in 2015, with Kensington Palace has called Khan, who was close friends with her selfl ess service to humanity, Details of the fi ve-day visit warmth in Pakistan towards the from Kensington Palace said ear- several countries changing their the trip “the most complex tour William’s mother, the late Prin- not only in Pakistan but all over are being kept under wraps, with Royal Family,” he said in a video lier this month. travel warnings for Pakistan as undertaken by The Duke and cess Diana. world,” Qureshi said. security expected to be tight for on Twitter late on Sunday. Pakistan has waged a long bat- a result, and Islamabad eager to Duchess to date, given the lo- Last week, Foreign Minis- Previously, Queen Elizabeth the couple’s fi rst offi cial trip to The couple’s programme will tle with militancy which has seen promote both tourism and for- gistical and security considera- ter Shah Mehmood Qureshi in- II visited Pakistan in 1961 and in Pakistan, and the fi rst visit by a pay respect to Britain’s historic tens of thousands of people killed eign investment. tions”. voked the memory of Diana, who 1997.

Pakistan fears new refugee influx from Afghanistan Pakistan has expressed concern over the new wave of bloody incidents in Afghanistan, saying ECP appointments issue that the rise in violence in the neighbouring country may lead to new influx of refugees to Pakistan. Minister for States and Frontier Regions and Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi expressed the concern during a meeting gets sent to parliament with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Pakistan govt kicks off Kakar from Baluchistan to two Last month, a two-member “This is a matter of public this matter should not be solved Parliamentary Aff airs Minis- (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi in process for appointing new vacant posts previously held by bench of the Supreme Court – interest. Do you want to make in the forum of the parliament? ter Azam Swati will soon brief Geneva, off icial sources in chief election commissioner Ghaff ar Soomro and retired Jus- formed to hear a petition fi led the election commission non- “Constitutional institutions Prime Minister Imran Khan on Islamabad say. tice Shakeel Baloch from the re- for the transfer of the case to functional?” Justice Minallah should not be non-functional the names and decide the pro- Briefing the UN High Internews spective provinces. Islamabad from other courts – inquired during the court pro- … does the government want cedure for holding consultations Commissioner on measures Islamabad The chief election commis- stood dissolved after the judg- ceedings. this?” with the opposition leader in the taken by Pakistan for the well- sioner (CEC) refused to admin- es, Justice Manzoor Malik and Saying that the ECP had be- Prior to the hearing, the sec- National Assembly on the mat- being and welfare of Afghan ister the oath to both members- Justice Tariq Masood, recused come “almost non-functional”, retary of the ministry of parlia- ter. refugees, Afridi asked Grandi to he Islamabad High Court designate and wrote a letter to themselves from hearing the he asked: “Can the parliament mentary aff airs submitted a re- According to the constitu- work on challenges being faced (IHC) has ordered that the the law ministry, saying that the case. not even solve such a small is- ply in the court on behalf of the tion, consultations between the by Pakistan in hosting Afghan Tissue of the appointment appointment of the two was not Justice Maqbool Baqar re- sue?” federal government, requesting prime minister and the oppo- refugees. of two members of the Election in accordance with relevant ar- ferred the matter to the chief Justice Minallah said that the that the IHC adjourn proceed- sition leader are necessary for Afridi said that there is need Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ticles of the Constitution. justice of Pakistan for the con- National Assembly speaker and ings on the petition until the Su- the appointment of the election for UNHCR teams to reach out be sent to the parliament. The government defended its stitution of a new bench. Senate chairman should resolve preme Court issues its verdict on commissioner. to Afghan refugees staying in During the hearing of a peti- decision of unilaterally nomi- Following this, the IHC al- the issue through consultations. the matter. If the prime minister and the refugee camps and provide basic tion challenging the appoint- nating the two ECP members, lowed a petition fi led by Barris- “Does the federal govern- Meanwhile, the government opposition leader do not agree health, education and other ments, IHC Chief Justice Athar saying that President Alvi made ter Jahangir Jadoon, challenging ment still want to defend the has kicked off the process for on a name, the matter is handed facilities to them. Minallah said that the National the appointments in line with the appointments, for regular deadlock?” the IHC chief justice the appointment of a new chief over to a parliamentary commit- Sharing his concern with the UN Assembly speaker and Senate the Constitution and on the rec- hearing. asked, in response to which the election commissioner. tee. High Commissioner on Refugees, chairman should “end the dead- ommendations of the institu- During the proceedings yes- additional attorney-general said The incumbent, retired Jus- If a new election commis- Afridi said that the decrease in lock” and prevent the ECP from tions concerned. terday, Additional Attorney- that he should be granted per- tice Sardar Mohammad Raza sioner is not appointed after the the UNHCR allocation for Afghan becoming “non-functional”. In response, the ECP reiterat- General Amir Rehman told the mission to ask the federal gov- Khan, will retire in December tenure of the incumbent ends, refugees is a source of alarm as Additionally, the high court ed that the federal government’s court that petitions regard- ernment for instructions. this year. the local bodies elections as well refugees already needed more said a written order is to follow. notifi cation with regard to ap- ing the ECP appointments had The court expressed confi - Sources say that the parlia- as many cases against the ruling assistance in camps. President Dr Arif Alvi, on pointment of provincial ECP been submitted in the Supreme dence in the parliament to solve mentary aff airs ministry has Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) August 22, appointed Khalid members was illegal and against Court, the Sindh High Court, the matter, as Justice Minallah started compiling names for the and other political parties might Siddiqui from Sindh and Munir the Constitution. and the Lahore High Court. remarked: “Who will say that post. be postponed. Earthquake jolts northern Pakistan All in a day’s work An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale jolted parts of Federal maritime northern Pakistan early yesterday morning, according to a report by state-run Radio Pakistan. The Pakistan Meteorological ministry builds up Department said that the epicentre of the quake was the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan, 157km below the online interface surface of earth. The tremors were felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern areas, Internews ing provided by government including Peshawar, Malakand, Islamabad shipping offi ce 24 hours as and Mardan, Charsadda, Attock and when requested by the licensed the Hazara division, spreading manning agents,” it said. “To panic and fear among locals. he Federal Ministry further facilitate the seafar- According to reports, the of Maritime Aff airs is ers, the roster rules are being earthquake jolts were also felt Tbuilding up an online amended.” as far as Shangla, Kohistan, interface to minimise physical Minister Zaidi said that sea- Battagram, Torghar, Swat and interaction of seafarers with farers around the globe are other far northern parts of the the Government Shipping Of- considered to be a major con- country. fi ce, offi cial sources here say. tributor to a country’s econo- No casualties were reported. The ministry, in a statement, my, as they send valuable for- The National Disaster said the development of an on- eign exchange in the form of Management Authority (NDMA) line interface is under process remittances. has established a line of to facilitate seafarers and re- “The Philippine model communication with the district duce their physical interaction shows that how the right policy authorities of earthquake-hit with the shipping offi ce. measures could help a small areas to assess damage. “The application of the step nation of just 100mn to pro- The earthquake follows a smaller is expected to be launched in vide 20% of the seafarers in the A postal worker sorts mail at a post off ice in Lahore. 3.8 magnitude earthquake that November as well,” the minis- global market, and contribute shook parts of Punjab on Sunday. try said after a meeting presid- around $5.5bn to their econ- ed over by Maritime Minister omy annually,” the statement Ali Zaidi. “Funds have also been quoted him as saying. “Paki- allocated to set up a dedicated stan has a huge potential in this and upgraded infrastructure at sector and can compete both the Nadra [National Database regional and global players as Why Pakistan’s wealthiest don’t fi gure on global rich list Registration Authority] for is- proper steps are being taken to suance of machine-readable resolve the issues faced by our seafarer’s identity document seafarers.” Internews The dollar-denominated man of the Dawood Hercules share of Nestle is worth over ford is at best an estimate. (SID) cards.” The minister said a com- Karachi brackets have been converted to Group that owns Pakistan’s most Rs5,000. The number of swimming The ministry said the two- plaint mechanism is also in rupees at the current exchange visible private-sector conglom- Clearly, there are more indi- pools in various homes in Kara- step approach adopted was to place to learn about problems rate. erate Engro Corporation, is an- viduals in the country with a net chi’s Defence area may indicate immediately set up a SID card of seafarers and to address akistan is a poor country. Logic dictates that there must other individual whose net worth worth in the hundreds of millions that there are signifi cantly more facility for facilitation of sea- their issues. Not just because of actual be at least a hundred people in most likely dwarfs the top-most of dollars rather than the handful than 200,000 people in the ta- farers at Karachi Port Trust, “Identifi cation of the prob- Ppoverty but also because its the above Rs7.85bn category. wealth tier that GWD sketched indicated by the table. ble’s third wealth bracket. with co-ordination by the lems and treating them as richest do not hold a candle to the Take the example of Mian for Pakistan. At least 94% of Pakistan’s While Arif Habib’s personal Nadra. “After this short-term challenges is a strategy that is world’s richest. Mansha. Admittedly, his current share- roughly 110mn adults lie below shareholdings in Fatima Fertiliser action, the long-term plan for being adopted which has eff ec- Even accounting for the top- In 2010, he was on Forbes list holdings in Dawood Hercules the Rs1.6mn (roughly $10,000) are valued at a measly Rs400mn, permanent facilities was de- tively started to show results.” most tier of society, Pakistan’s of World’s Billionaires ranked at and Engro Corp amount to less threshold, which encompasses the company had the strength to vised and hence the launch is In August, the minister held share of world wealth, defi ned as number 937. Rs5bn. most of us plebeians. try and build a $2.6bn plant in underway.” a meeting with the seafarers, assets minus debt, in 2018 was At $1bn nearly a decade back, But when one adds his myriad Obviously, there is no single Indiana, United States. The ministry said it is pur- including chairmen of all ports, only 0.1%, according to Dawn he is leaps and bounds ahead of investments and assets, it is un- comprehensive source of infor- This is indicative of the fi nan- suing the availability of “OK director-general ports and newspaper. Pakistan’s top wealth tier based likely that he is not an occupant mation on personal wealth. cial strength of Pakistani busi- to Board” facility to Pakistani shipping, secretary, maritime India, on the other hand, with on the GWB. of the uppermost tier of Paki- No country has such records. nessmen that cannot be captured seafarers for employment on aff airs and all the stakeholders 16 people on the Bloomberg Bil- A lesser known but potentially stan’s wealthiest. The GWD establishes the av- through economic tools used to foreign vessels. to discuss the issues faced by lionaires Index, has nearly 2% of no less wealthy individual is Ha- Then there is Syed Babar Ali. erage wealth of a country, sup- tabulate wealth indexes. The condition of age limit of both the fresh graduates of the the world’s wealth. bibullah Khan, a self-declared Since the major shareholdings plemented through econometric Sources say that there are 60 years has been discontinued Pakistan Marine Academy and Unsurprisingly, no Pakistani billionaire in dollar terms. of Packages, IGI and Nestle Paki- techniques, and constructs a families in Pakistan with the fi - to facilitate their employment those who are already serving graces the 500-people list, which A big player in the cement in- stan are owned by holding com- pattern of wealth holdings using nancial muscle to donate large on foreign vessels, it added. in the fi eld. is a daily ranking of the world’s dustry, owning a container ter- panies and one another, it is dif- income distribution data. enough amounts to prestigious The maritime ministry re- It was for the fi rst time that richest people. minal, shipping and logistics fi cult to estimate the worth of his Keeping economic jargon US universities (such as Cornell quested the ministry of interior such an interaction took place However, global indexes do businesses and current owner of shares, much less actual wealth. aside, the list is based on esti- University and the University to allow an immigration facil- where all the stakeholders par- not tap the true reservoirs of the Karachi’s Hotel Metropole, Khan Suffi ce to say that his Nestle’s mates alone using econometric of Pennsylvania) to ensure their ity to seafarers joining foreign ticipated in recommending the wealth of Pakistan’s richest. belongs in the GWD’s upper- shares are worth over Rs7.3bn, and regression techniques. names on buildings and wings. vessels without a no-objection way forward. The table compiled using most bracket of $500mn-plus, a not accounting for Packages and It does not capture the true It appears Pakistan is a coun- certifi cate from the Govern- The meeting ended with a Credit Suisse’s Global Wealth bracket that the GWD database IGI’s approximately 18% holding wealth of the elites of Pakistan. try where the true wealth of the ment Shipping Offi ce. resolve to hold such a meeting Database (GWD) 2018, is based says Pakistanis don’t belong in. of Nestle’s shares. What a person in each category richest is buried too deep to be “Sign-on facility is now be- quarterly. on researchers’ best guestimates. Hussain Dawood, the chair- Bear in mind that just one established by that GWD can af- listed on billionaires’ lists. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 21 PHILIPPINES

Labour department warns jobseekers over Police chief quits amid non-existent vacancies

By William Depasupil Quezon; while Mimaropa is Manila Times comprised of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marindu- narcotics scandal que, Romblon and Palawan. he Department of Labour The page also uses the offi - AFP He was due to retire Novem- and Employment (DoLE) cial logo of DoLE, posting pic- Manila ber 8 after serving as national Thas warned jobseekers tures of trainings, and a photo police chief since April 2018. on the proliferation of fake so- of former Labour secretary “I thank President Rodrigo cial media pages and accounts Rosalinda Baldoz. he Philippines’ top po- Roa Duterte for his trust and off ering non-existent local and Eager to grab a job and se- liceman, who leads the confi dence,” Albayalde said in a overseas job vacancies. cure a slot, Mary called the Tnation’s deadly drugs message announcing his depar- Labour Secretary Silvestre number 0935-743-0054 crackdown, quit yesterday as he ture. Though the issue has been Bello 3rd disclosed over the posted on the page and was in- faces allegations of protecting bubbling for weeks in Senate weekend that there were nu- structed to send P1,000 for the offi cers accused of selling a huge hearings, Duterte has remained merous social media accounts reservation fee through mobile haul of seized narcotics. largely silent on the matter. and pages that publish unau- money transfer Smart padala. Though the scandal dates He had pledged to root out thorised local and overseas After sending the payment, from before Oscar Albayalde’s deep-seated corruption in the job vacancies using the logos the alleged DoLE employee time as national police chief, Philippine police but has re- of the DoLE and the Philip- told Mary to meet him at the it has raised fresh criticism of peatedly expressed frustration pine Overseas Employment DoLE Central Offi ce in Intra- President Rodrigo Duterte’s sig- and anger with the extent of the Administration (POEA) to ille- muros, Manila to assist her in nature anti-narcotics campaign, problem. gally recruit and extort money the job application. which is key to his massive pop- Neri Colmenares, a lawyer for from jobseekers. The alert was Upon arriving at the DoLE, ularity among Filipinos. families pushing for an Inter- issued over a report received however, no one showed up As part of Duterte’s interna- national Criminal Court pros- by the DoLE Information and and the scammer no longer tionally condemned initiative, ecution of those behind the drug Publication Service (IPS) from answered the phone. police have killed thousands of war, branded the allegations a jobseeker named “Mary,” Upon verifi cation, no alleged dealers and users since against Albayalde a “major em- who claimed to have discussed “Arthur Villena” appeared on mid-2016, but critics say the barrassment”. a local job opportunity with a the offi cial roster of employees wealthy and powerful have been “Even the presiding offi cers certain Arthur Villena, an al- of DoLE and the said Facebook largely untouched. of the PNP (national police) are leged employee of the Labour page was found to be a fake ac- Albayalde’s resignation comes involved in drugs themselves,” department. count. days after two former police of- he said. The victim said she got the The DoLE IPS has already fi cials implicated him in a 2013 It “shows what we’ve been details from a supposed “DoLE reported the page and co-or- raid in which offi cers in a prov- saying all along, this is targeted Job Assistance-Local and dinated with the management ince near Manila allegedly seized against the poor”. Philippine Abroad” Facebook page bear- of Facebook to shut down the and then sold parts of a large police say they have killed just ing various posts for interested account to prevent other job- methamphetamine haul. over 5,500 suspects who fought applicants for deployment to seekers from being victimised. One former offi cial claimed back against arrest, but rights Canada, Australia, Singapore The public, particularly job- Albayalde intervened to protect groups say the true toll is four and London, and local jobs for seekers, are encouraged to visit the offi cers from disciplinary ac- times higher and may amount to Calabarzon and Mimaropa as the offi cial websites of DoLE, tion, while the other said he re- crimes against humanity. nurses, caregiver, managers, www.dole.gov.ph, and Phil- ceived money from the drug sale. Albayalde: facing allegations International Criminal Court restaurant staff and others. JobNet, www.philjobnet.gov. Criminal charges against the prosecutors have launched a Calabarzon is comprised ph, for local job postings; and offi cers allegedly involved in the now re-opened the case and province commander, has vehe- have been an eff ort to gain pub- preliminary probe of the killings, of the provinces of Cavite, of the POEA, www.poea.gov. matter were dismissed in 2017. summoned the men for ques- mently denied any wrongdoing. licity for people interested in his and the UN’s top human rights Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and ph, for overseas job orders. However, prosecutors have tioning. Albayalde, then the He said the allegations may job. body has approved a review. Mass vaccination campaign Bill seeks to provide launched after polio returns insurance for farmers By Glee Jalea AFP Manila Times Manila House leader is seek- arents lined up from sun- ing to provide a social rise holding sleeping in- Asafety net for farmers Pfants as the Philippines to protect them from extreme launched a campaign yesterday weather disturbances. to vaccinate millions of chil- House Deputy Major- dren against polio, which has ity Leader Camille Villar of re-emerged nearly two decades Las Pinas has fi led House Bill after the nation’s last cases. 3310, or the “Free Index Based Years of falling vaccina- Agriculture Insurance Act of tion rates, made worse by the 2019,” a measure that seeks to botched rollout of a dengue shield farmers from the risks vaccine, culminated in an out- of climate change and extreme break of the preventable dis- weather disturbances. ease in September. “Weather index-based crop “This is for the welfare of my insurance (WIBCI) is a unique The plan is to provide a social safety net for farmers against child,” Ruth Miranda said after insurance product based on extreme weather disturbances. the vaccine was squirted into the occurrence of breach of her child’s mouth at the Manila a weather-based parameter, of P1.5bn per year to subsidise ing shocks from disasters and slum they call home. which serves as legal proof of the Philippine Crop Insurance in spreading out their risks to Miranda’s child is among the occurrence of extremely Corp. insurance premiums on enable originating insurance scores who are unprotected in adverse weather conditions up to 600,000 hectares of rice providers with predictable fi- the capital of about 13mn peo- and proxy for the expected crop farms in a number of provinces. nancial relief, greater capacity ple, where vaccination rates of damage,” Villar said. But the lawmaker noted that to insure more farmer clients young children plunged from WIBCI requires less admin- majority of small farmers re- and strengthen societal resil- 77% in 2016 to a mere 24% in istrative costs in terms of sell- main uninsured. ience. June. ing the product, administering “To effectively reach and The Philippines has around The atmosphere at the event the policy coverage and moni- serve more of the country’s 5.5mn small-hold farms, most in Manila was festive — with ice toring over wide areas. 5mn small-hold farmers, pro- of them in Luzon, Mindanao, cream vendors and music — but “It maximises the use of vide them with greater resil- Negros and Panay Islands, the stakes for the campaign are relevant technologies and net- iency, there is a need for the and Mimaropa (Mindoro, high. works in order to reach out country to involve the pri- Marinduque, Romblon and Polio, which can cause pa- more and more farmers; and vate sector and adopt a more Palawan). Around 2.4mn ralysis and can be fatal in rare A health worker administers polio vaccine on a child during a government-run vaccination drive in provides faster payout turn- relevant strategy and also farmers are into rice produc- cases, has no cure and can only Manila, yesterday. around in the event of breach of safeguard the food security tion, each tilling an average be prevented with several doses the agreed parameters without of the broader rural popula- of 1.14 hectares or a total rice of oral and injectable vaccines. Philippines is high, according that children had died after be- break has been traced back to need for bureaucratic process- tion,” Villar said, noting that area of 2.88mn hectares. Two cases were detected to World Health Organisation, ing vaccinated. A dramatic drop the weakened form of the virus ing by an adjuster. The hassle- WIBCI had become a popular The programme will re- in September, the first po- due to low immunisation cov- in vaccine confidence followed, used in vaccines, which is ex- free disbursement of claims is mode of providing risk trans- quire around P5.8bn per year lio infections in the Philip- erage partly blamed to a dengue with trust plunging from 93% creted by people for a time af- made possible through the use fer in Asia, Africa and Latin to be initially sourced from pines since 2001, adding to the vaccine scandal. in 2015 to 32% in 2018, accord- ter they receive it. According to of technology and a widely dis- America. the Risk Management Fund woes of a country already hit The Philippines was the first ing to a study led by the London the WHO, that form can mutate tributed network of payment A second layer of insurance to potentially cover the free by deadly measles and den- nation to use Dengvaxia in a School of Hygiene and Tropical and spread in the surrounding centres,” Villar said. under the programme will index-based crop insurance gue epidemic. The risk of the mass programme in 2016, but Medicine. community when immunisa- From 2013 to 2017, Con- also help the originating in- premiums for 2.8mn hectares disease spreading within the a botched rollout led to claims The Philippines polio out- tion rates get too low. gress appropriated an average surance providers in absorb- of rice lands. Audit agency okays fi rm’s payment claim against Makati

By Ma. RL Tolentino MI) from July to December 2015 sion to grant the PPMMI’s peti- nance that services such as car- missing documents, should still of P17,864,869.33. “PPMMI, the by the city’s accounting depart- Manila Times meritorious. “In this case, the tion was based on its compliance pentry, plumbing and electrical be compensated for what it had existing maintenance provider ment, until full payment. ITB (invitation to bid) disclosed with the “requirement of proof were rendered,” it said. delivered.” for the city’s public schools for While the commission prop- that there was an Approved of actual services rendered.” CoA added that while the “Otherwise, it would result in 2014 and fi rst quarter of 2015, er found the PPMMI petition he Commission on Audit Budget for the Contract (ABC) “PPMMI had performed its maintenance services were ren- undue enrichment on the part of participated in the bid and was meritorious, CoA said it could (CoA) granted a mainte- in the amount of P17,864,869.33, obligation to provide mainte- dered “without a written con- the city,” it said. declared as the winning bidder. not grant its claim of interest Tnance fi rm’s petition to which was published/posted nance services to the public el- tract, NOA (notice of award), Republic Act 9184 is the However, there was no formal because it was “tantamount to claim P17.8mn from the Makati in the Philippine Government ementary and high schools of NTP (notice to proceed) and “Government Procurement Re- award and written contract ex- a penalty or an indemnity for City government as payment for Electronic Procurement Sys- Districts 1 and 2 of the city, sub- other bidding documents, for form Act.” ecuted between the parties, this damages and not within its au- its services rendered to various tem. There being no evidence mitting herewith the daily time the reason that there was a The City of Makati’s Bids and was allegedly because of the thority to decide.” public schools in 2015. that the ITB was cancelled and/ records of the maintenance crew change of administration of the Awards Committee posted an sudden change in the adminis- CoA said the matter was best In a recent decision, the CoA’s or withdrawn, it could safely be assigned, the Monthly Preven- city when its (then) Mayor was ITB on May 12, 2015 for build- tration of the city government,” left to the “regular courts” be- commission proper found the presumed that there was indeed tive and Summary Reports duly suspended, the PPMMI, which ing maintenance services for CoA said. cause “claim for damages can- petition for money claim by a procurement with ABC,” the signed by the city offi cials con- had no control of the procure- the city’s elementary and high PPMMI fi led its claim, includ- not be presumed, but must be Promitheus Property Manage- commission proper said. cerned, and certifi cations by the ment process under [Repub- schools from July to December ing a 1% legal interest, on Nov duly proved, and proved with a ment and Manpower Inc. (PPM- CoA clarifi ed that its deci- Head of School Building Mainte- lic Act] 9184 and the pertinent 2015 with an approved budget 24, 2016 from the date of denial reasonable degree of certainty.” Gulf Times 22 Tuesday, October 15, 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 Japan arrive on world rugby stage in style Japan weren’t expected to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-fi nals, but they have confounded their critics and surprised the sport by unleashing a “unique” style — a combination of high-speed attack and defensive tenacity. After Japan won four out of four to top Pool A, the rugby world has been awash with praise for the one- time whipping boys, who have been forged into a formidable unit by their coach Jamie Joseph. Financing the green transition The ex-All Black brought together a squad that features an almost equal split of native Japanese and By Bertrand Badré and Antoine Sire away from fossil fuels and investing Potential issuers, too, are increasingly ecosystem virtuous, whether at the level foreign-born players who have qualifi ed for their Paris more in low-carbon and more resource- interested in such bonds: they need of a single forest or an entire region or effi cient businesses and infrastructure to prove to investors that they have country. adopted country through residency. projects. embarked on their own transition From the outset, these initiatives It is a mix of hardened veterans alongside some our years after world leaders The volume of sustainability-linked journeys. must bring together the stakeholders serious speedsters, who have been able to produce tries signed the Paris climate loans, which off er better financing In this regard, the two transition that set the standards (in particular agreement and adopted the terms to companies that reduce their bonds issued so far in 2019 have raised governments, NGOs, and regulators) out of nothing but also dig in and defend doggedly United Nations’ 2030 Agenda carbon footprint, increased from zero the question of how to defi ne and and those that deliver ecological when they have to. F with its 17 Sustainable Development to €40bn ($43.8bn) in Europe between apply universally accepted standards and social projects locally (including Few would have predicted that Japan would go Goals (SDGs), the global environmental 2016 and 2018. of “transition.” Currently, there are no businesses, farming communities, unbeaten in a pool that also contained Six Nations crisis shows every sign of worsening. And worldwide issuance of green “transition principles” through which investors, and banks). Transition Polar ice and glaciers are melting at bonds – which also originated in Europe issuers can factor the Green and Social fi nancing will require discipline, giants Ireland and Scotland, and a potential banana an accelerating rate. – is likely to reach $200bn this year, Bond Principles into their fi nancing transparency, and accurate skin in Samoa. Greenhouse-gas emissions are with China alone accounting for 20% of needs. measurement of environmental They underlined their qualities in Sunday’s 28-21 win increasing. this amount. As a result, bond proceeds are not outcomes related to greenhouse- The Amazon and Indonesian In order to meet the SDGs and the necessarily being used in ways that gas emissions, levels of pollution against Scotland, when a blitz of four cracking tries rainforests are burning, and climate aims of the Paris accord, we need to respect these principles. and deforestation, soil and water was followed by a defensive rearguard as they repelled a catastrophes such as typhoons, encourage everyone to become greener True, issuing companies are expected degradation, and carbon sequestration. Scottish fi ghtback. tornadoes, and fl oods are intensifying, – whether they are large polluting to be transparent regarding their In order for such initiatives to with dire consequences for entire businesses, smallholder farmers, or transition toward a greener footprint withstand scrutiny and overcome “In that fi rst half, there populations. consumers. and their use of bond proceeds. scepticism, their proof of impact will The Brave would have been few Why has the world strayed so far That means providing concrete But for now, what constitutes a need to be more detailed, evident, sides able to stop Japan from its collective roadmap toward fi nancial support for green transitions, transition for issuers is determined on a and convincing than for green-bond Blossoms have scoring a couple of tries,” sustainable growth? Over the past rather than shunning and alienating less case-by-case basis with investors. issuances. decade, climate action has mainly environmentally friendly actors. In the future, therefore, transition Big data and digital technologies indeed earned Matt Dawson, a World involved praising businesses and But changing banks’ energy-fi nancing bonds must be anchored in the will play an essential role in ensuring Cup winner with England governments that adopt “green” models, or developing sustainability- same kind of norms, standards, and transparency, measuring progress, and the respect they in 2003, wrote in his BBC practices while naming and shaming linked loans and green bonds, will disclosure mechanisms that exist in the making green transitions successful and those that maintain “brown” policies. simply not be enough to facilitate such green-bond market. scalable. deserve column. But this is not enough. “transition journeys.” It is therefore time The second big transition-fi nancing Robust, reliable data and Ex-Australia playmaker We must fundamentally rethink how for a new approach that is eff ective and opportunity is in blended fi nance, or methodologies will build credibility, Matt Giteau, currently playing for Suntory Sungoliath to create a more sustainable world. scalable, and takes investors’ expectations collaborative schemes that raise private confi dence, and trust among all parties The fi nancial sector will need to fully into account. capital for public goods. and facilitate transition journeys. in the Japanese Top League, added: “This is magic from play a leading role in scaling up green Two possibilities in particular look These initiatives bring together In that respect, the relationship Japan! initiatives, de-risking projects for promising. a wide range of public and private between digital innovation and “green The Japanese pace, allied with the ability of half- investors, and optimising funding costs. First, new “transition bonds” can stakeholders, including multilateral fi ntech” has a promising future. And, given the integrated nature of fi nance projects aimed at helping organisations, to fi nance projects with The world is facing a deepening backs Yu Tamura and Yutaka Nagare to exploit the sustainable growth, fi nancial institutions industries become more sustainable, deep environmental and social impacts. climate crisis, and fi nancial institutions shortside before changing the direction of play, was must work more closely with national and produce less carbon and waste, and/or Moreover, the blended approach must help to lead and guide the global crucial to the hosts’ attacking gameplan. local governments, regulators, businesses, improve social well-being through fair helps to scale up and de-risk projects response. Such tactics, however, mean teams tire. Japan did NGOs, and citizens. labour and workplace practices. and optimise their funding. By adopting innovative new To that end, the banking sector, The cement, mining, steel, gas, and The Tropical Landscapes Financing approaches, the fi nancial sector can just that, letting Scotland back into the game with two including central banks, recently agriculture sectors, for example, are Facility, developed in Indonesia in co- undergo a positive green transition of second-half tries. established the Principles for prime candidates for such fi nancing. operation with the UN Environment its own – and help others with theirs. — But the team skippered by the inspirational fl anker Responsible Banking and the Network Although discussions regarding Programme, is a good example. Project Syndicate for Greening the Financial System. transition bonds really started only The initiative combines private, Michael Leitch dug deep and showed another side These platforms, along with the earlier this year, there is already clear public, and philanthropic funds to zBertrand Badré, a former Managing of their make-up: a mental fortitude and defensive Principles for Responsible Investment interest and demand among investors. maximise environmental and social Director of the World Bank, is CEO of tenacity that eff ectively shut down the game. that were adopted in 2006, can be the They want more data and disclosure, benefi ts. Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital basis for fi nancial initiatives that make and more diversifi cation in order to Furthermore, it provides full and the author of Can Finance Save the It is not easy to train such combative cohesiveness, all economic actors more sustainable. include a wider range of sectors. transparency and measurable outcomes World? but Japan’s veteran lock Luke Thompson explained that Many fi nancial institutions have Investors are also strongly committed without compromising the project’s zAntoine Sire is a member of the everything had been well planned. already committed to the energy to engaging with these industries rather risk/return-adjusted profi tability. Executive Committee and Head of “We have been to some dark places in preparation — transition by shifting capital allocation than simply divesting from them. Such projects aim to make an entire Company Engagement at BNP Paribas. pretty tough camps and that is modern rugby,” said the 38-year-old Kiwi-born second-rower, who is playing his fourth World Cup. “You don’t go out and do that stuff by accident, you have to earn it.” Scotland coach Gregor Townsend predicted a “very tough game” for South Africa in the quarter-fi nals. “Japan play a really fast game and create quick ruck ball at the ruck and they execute their set piece really well,” he said. “It will be a very close game.” The Brave Blossoms have indeed earned the respect they deserve.

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© 2019 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Polar ice and glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate. Gulf Times Tuesday, October 15, 2019 23 COMMENT FATF: Groundwork and geopolitical maths By Kamran Rehmat a “fair and unbiased” evaluation Doha in the face of hectic lobbying from New Delhi to have it blacklisted. Significantly, the IMF, which was ll eyes in Islamabad are said to have held the FATF issue riveted on Paris as the long- as a structural benchmark, hinted awaited verdict on Pakistan at a positive turnaround when its Awith regard to the Financial country representative for Pakistan Action Task Force (FATF) – the ab- endorsed Pakistan’s efforts to ensure breviation has assumed a common compliance with the FATF guidelines. parlance of sorts – compliance report Compliance apart, the FATF maths will be out this week. Listed on its grey makes for interesting reading. All list, the country is hoping to get back Pakistan needs is a minimum of three into business by regaining normalcy votes to avert the blacklist. Islamabad after the latest review. is said to be counting on three As always, the issue is marked by particular allies namely, China, Turkey heavy political overtones, which is and Malaysia, to stand by it and given what Islamabad has also maintained the context of recent developments in with regard to the clamour about the region for form, it can be predicted doomsday speak. with reasonable assurance that the The Foreign Offi ce in Islamabad three countries would be happy to keep remains optimistic about a stable the all-weather relationship warm. outlook as a result of the FATF review. Prime Minister Imran Khan has To determine the credentials already visited all three countries of a positive sentiment, it is with a certain reciprocity seen to be imperative to look at the scorecard the order of business. In fact, the of compliance that the world body relationship has moved to the next had placed on Islamabad. It would level with Khan able to develop a appear considerable work has gone Undeterred: Prime Minister Imran Khan, with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa sitting next to him, making a point to Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visible bonhomie with the leaders of into addressing the highlighted visit to China last week. these countries. Army Chief General shortcomings. Bajwa has also cemented defence ties A report prepared by the Securities mentioning that it is not just the Stock and commodity brokers, NBFC, in compliance level by regulated (FERA 1947) in a bid to streamline with China and been a force multiplier and Exchange Commission of SECP that has taken up the cudgels to Modarabas as well as insurers and bodies. The FATF imbroglio and the foreign exchange movement and for the PM. Pakistan claims that thanks to its ensure that fi nancial institutions are in Takaful operators are all on the radar. the challenging economy inherited prescribe severe punishment for But this begs the question: does comprehensive guidelines, fi nancial order with their business by imposing Not content with this, a National by the Imran Khan government money laundering. Islamabad have a plan B in the unlikely institutions have been able to produce penalties, but the entities themselves Money Laundering/Terror Financing may have given the impression that A recent meeting between Army event of an undesired result at the 219 Suspicious Transactions Reports have also taken remedial measures to Risk Assessment has been undertaken market sentiment would border Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and FATF review? The blacklist would (STRs) in the last year as compared to stay on the right side of law. this year to scrutinise the risks and on circumspection with potential a group of prominent members of likely have little impact on domestic just 13 in eight previous years. To this end, the said fi nancial vulnerabilities that are inherent investors staying away but quite to the the business community could well banking as income from global trade After developing a set of regulations institutions have deployed automated within the fi nancial sector including contrary, the situation has come to be considered a give-away. A report makes up for only 3% of total revenues. – Anti-Money Laundering/Combating screening software to keep a tab on banks, NBFCs, brokers and insurers. represent a measure of stability thanks in Dawn citing an unnamed business Media reports suggest Islamabad Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) – proscribed individuals. These entities The Financial Monitoring Unit is to a raft of diffi cult and unpopular tycoon says there were plenty of is prepared for the worst and while to align itself with the FATF’s standards now also have access to the Go AML collaborating with stakeholders steps to streamline the economy. For assurances to draw from the horizon. a negative sentiment would hurt the and its 40 recommendations, the system of the Financial Monitoring including ministries, law enforcement instance, the market is on a winning The army chief was said to exude economy given the inherent pitfalls of SECP conducted 167 inspections to Unit (FMU) of the State Bank of agencies, State Bank of Pakistan spree – spanning 24 trading sessions, confi dence with regard to the FATF the global trade order, a few important determine compliance. These include Pakistan for online fi ling of STRs. and SECP to check potential abuse gaining 11.6% in the benchmark index review, reportedly eyeing a return to countries with a geopolitical interest in 72 cases of securities brokers, 27 of To show it means business, the SECP by money launderers and terrorist last Friday to drive investor confi dence. normal category. Coming from the a stable Pakistan would be loathe to the non-banking fi nancial companies, 13 has moved on from the convenient fi nanciers. The National Assembly – lower army chief, it was unlikely just an idea of watching from the sidelines. of insurance fi rms and 55 of high risk one-size-fi ts-all method to executing This, along with awareness house of the country’s bicameral expression of positive intent. z The writer is Community non-profi t organisations. a risk-based approach for a robust campaigns, has had a chastening legislature – recently passed a bill to Islamabad has publicly urged the Editor. He may be reached at Talking of compliance, it is worth AML/CFT regulatory framework. eff ect – leading to improvement amend Foreign Exchange Regulations FATF task force to come out with [email protected]

The high-tech start-up tackling online extremism Three-day forecast

TODAY AFP issues and we try and put as much into fi nding out as much possible how they the public domain as possible.” are doing it and what ideas they are Maximum Temperature : 350c London Minimum Temperature : 290c The start-up’s name refers to the looking for, before intervening. act of launching a rocket to the moon That can even include direct WEDNESDAY idhya Ramalingam believes — and gives an indication of its stellar contact, using social workers or Maximum Temperature : 350c it’s always possible to change, ambition. mental health specialists who work in Minimum Temperature : 280c even for people deeply The CVE stands for countering the “real world”. THURSDAY involved in the murky online violent extremism. Militant online networks are known Maximum Temperature : 360c V Minimum Temperature : 270c world of far-right extremism. It employs 40 people working for being more diffi cult to infi ltrate, and Her company Moonshot CVE has the in 15 languages, including English, often use hard-to-access encrypted Fisherman's forecast ambitious aim of trying to get anyone French and Arabic, on 76 projects in 28 software such as the Telegram tempted by violence back on the straight countries, with clients ranging from messaging app and other platforms. WARNING Inshore : Strong wind expected and narrow. governments to technology fi rms. Far-right extremists and white at some places with Over the last four years, the London- One project is a collaboration with the supremacists on the other hand are thundery rain by based start-up has grown quietly but Canadian government against militancy often more inclined to air their views afternoon not anonymously, if a recent partnership and the far-right. openly, which makes them easier to fi nd, Offshore : Nil WEATHER deal with Facebook is anything to go by. Vidhya Ramalingam, co-founder of Another works with the United said Ramalingam. Inshore : Relatively hot daytime US national Ramalingam and London-based tech start-up Moonshot Nations on online content in Asia. “Obviously, if we believe someone with local clouds and a CVE (Countering Violent Extremism), The company has also had a poses an imminent threat, that’s where chance of rain at some the fi rm’s co-founder Ross Frenett places by afternoon previously worked as researchers into poses for a photograph in London, in partnership for several years with it’s beyond our organisation,” she added. may be thundery and extremism and believe radical groups are October 4, 2019. Google, using online advertising “Only on rare occasions we’ll engage slight dust often one step ahead when it comes to to target people looking up violent with law enforcement on this.” Offshore : Scattered clouds with a weak chance of light technology. “incels”. But greater visibility has forced extremism on the net. Since 2015, Moonshot has gathered rain at some places “There was a lot of recognition that the company to take more security The Facebook contract involves huge amounts of data and experience, WIND terrorists were using the Internet in measures because of the sensitive nature Moonshot analysing how eff ective the while Ramalingam says direct messages Inshore : Southeasterly-North- easterly- 05-15/30 KT creative ways, that they were reaching of its work — and the potential for social network could be to “deradicalise” sent to users off ering help have been Offshore : Northeasterly-Easterly young audiences, that they were able to violence from the people it tracks. users looking up extremist content. particularly successful. 04-14 KT innovate,” she said in an interview. The address of Moonshot CVE’s Moonshot is classed as a “social “I’ve worked with so many Visibility : 4-8/3 KM “Yet those of us that were trying to London offi ces is kept secret and most of enterprise” in that it reinvests most of its individuals that were deep in these sort Offshore : 2-4 FT counter them simply were moving too its staff have no visible online presence. profi ts into the projects it develops and of groups,” she said. Around the region slowly and had too many constraints Just to get into its premises in a technology, guaranteeing independence. “They’ve now left and turned their Weather Weather to actually replicate those methods for nondescript building in the British It’s known for having developed the life around and some of them have today Max/min tomorrow Max/min counter-terrorism purposes.” capital, visitors have to pass through “redirect method” of fi nding individuals become peace activists. Baghdad P Cloudy 37/19 M Cloudy 37/21 That led to the idea of a technology heavy armour-plated doors and a taken in by violent extremism then “It’s a huge transformation. To my Kuwait City Sunny 39/25 M Sunny 39/24 start-up able to keep up with and fi ght security check. trying to make them change their ways. mind change is always possible because Manama Sunny 35/29 Sunny 34/28 against all forms of violent extremism, “We take precautions,” said That involves identifying people I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You have Muscat Sunny 32/26 Sunny 32/26 from neo-Nazis, to nationalists and even Ramalingam. “We work on high-risk searching for such content online, to have an optimistic view.” Tehran Sunny 24/14 Sunny 26/15

Live issues US ‘medical tourists’ seek cheap healthcare abroad

“We shouldn’t have to do that. They all off er lower costs and high- the world, mainly Mexico. AFP Around the world Tijuana That’s crazy. And we’re the only quality infrastructure. “I operate on two or more foreigners ones (with this system), and that is Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth every day,” said surgeon Luis Cazares, Weather Weather depressing.” Warren, two prominent Democratic who removed 80% of Merrill’s stomach. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min hen Veronica Mer- After researching medical tourism candidates for the 2020 presidential He said his greatest fl ow of patients Athens Sunny 28/16 Sunny 27/17 rill decided to undergo options, she saved up the money and election, have proposed universal is during the tax refund season in the Beirut P Cloudy 32/26 Sunny 31/25 stomach surgery for contacted a specialist agency to organise health coverage — an idea that Merrill United States, after April. Bangkok P Cloudy 33/26 S T Storms 33/26 weight loss, she found her trip over the border to Tijuana, considers “logical.” According to Gerald Kominski, a Berlin P Cloudy 22/13 Showers 16/12 W Cairo 32/21 two options: pay $12,000 at home in the where weight-loss operations and For now, Merrill turned to a professor of health policy at UCLA P Cloudy 34/22 P Cloudy United States, or have it done in Mexico dental treatments are popular. company called Medical Tourism in Los Angeles, the US does “little to Cape Town Sunny 22/14 Sunny 24/16 for $4,000. Others travel to the Mexican city for Corporation to organise every detail regulate prices, in contrast to all other Colombo T Storm 29/24 T Storm 29/24 She packed her suitcase. treatment of cardiovascular conditions of her trip — including her fl ight from high-income nations.” Dhaka M Sunny 33/26 P Cloudy 33/26 Her insurance would only cover or cancer, orthopaedic work and fertility Phoenix to San Diego, the driver who “Medical tourism from a high- Hong Kong Sunny 26/22 Sunny 27/21 the operation if she was morbidly care, as well as to buy medications. took her across the border and a luxury income nation like the US is indicative of Istanbul P Cloudy 24/16 P Cloudy 23/16 obese and suff ering from diabetes and “If I only could have done it in the hotel. a problem with aff ordability, as opposed Jakarta S T Storms 34/24 S T Storms 34/25 hypertension. US...(but) I can’t pay that much money,” Altogether, the tickets, hotel and to quality,” he added. Karachi Sunny 34/24 Sunny 35/24 This was not the case for the she told AFP. “I just want to be healthy.” surgery — at the Oasis of Hope hospital, But even if “Medicare for All” were London Showers 17/11 Showers 16/09 50-year-old, who weighs 210 pounds Each year, an estimated 20mn right by the border — cost her $3,880. introduced as Sanders and Warren Manila P Cloudy 33/25 P Cloudy 32/26 (95 kilos) but aspires to slim down to “medical tourists” seek treatment She paid in cash. have urged, Americans likely would Moscow Cloudy 12/02 P Cloudy 10/07 160 — precisely because she wants to around the world, according to Patients “We do the co-ordination...(we) not stop seeking cheaper care abroad, New Delhi Sunny 34/22 Sunny 34/22 avoid ending up with those medical Beyond Borders. have a destination manager in those says Medical Tourism Association CEO New York Sunny 18/13 Rain 21/11 conditions. About 1.9mn of those people are cities who would help a patient with Jonathan Edelheit. Paris S Showers 16/11 Showers 17/12 “It’s sad that I have to come to Americans. the language, the local logistics and After President Barack Obama’s Sao Paulo P Cloudy 26/18 P Cloudy 29/18 another country” for the procedure, said Mexico and Colombia — which many things like that,” said Deepak Datta, who healthcare reforms in 2010, which Seoul P Cloudy 20/07 M Sunny 19/08 Merrill, who drives a school bus in rural Americans associate more with drug founded Medical Tourism Corporation required all adults to have insurance Singapore P Cloudy 32/26 S T Storms 32/26 Arizona and is highly critical of the US traffi cking than healthcare — are among 13 years ago. plans whether through work or the Sydney M Sunny 22/15 S T Storms 22/16 health system — the most expensive in the most popular destinations, along with The company sends 60-70 people government, medical tourism by Tokyo Cloudy 22/16 Cloudy 21/16 the world. Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. abroad each month to countries around Americans expanded, he said. Gulf Times 24 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 QATAR Qatar Sotheby’s Realty to pitch for St Regis Marsa Island „Alfardan Group appoints Qatar Sotheby’s International Realty as exclusive sales agency for The Residences at The St Regis Marsa Arabia Island lfardan Group has an- with a proven track record in lux- retail outlets, and wellness and nounced its appointment ury real estate. “With the launch spa centres.” Aof Qatar Sotheby’s Inter- of another visionary development Home to The Residences, the national Realty as the exclusive for Qatar’s premium real estate Marsa Arabia Island hotel and sales agency for The Residences market, the synergies, leadership residential destination features at The St Regis Marsa Arabia Is- and drive for service excellence 207 hotel apartments, giving pro- land, its branded luxury proper- we share with Sotheby’s in the spective tenants access to pre- The Residences at The St Regis Marsa Arabia Island – Alfardan Group’s branded luxury properties at The Pearl-Qatar. ties at The Pearl-Qatar. “Since premium hospitality space will mium facilities and amenities and construction works for The Resi- be of great value for the lifestyle 24-hour concierge services. dences commenced in 2018, Al- experience off ered by The Resi- On the importance of The fardan Group has made steadfast dences at St Regis Marsa Arabia Marsa Arabia development, Omar progress in the completion of the Island, The Pearl-Qatar. Hussain Alfardan said: “Located master development. “This is merely the beginning at the heart of The Pearl, a beacon The group’s partnership with of this partnership’s future, as we of our local culture and vision, Qatar Sotheby’s International continue to strategically scale our this development will also be Realty marks another milestone footprint both locally and region- fuelled by our national momen- toward the launch of the exclusive ally. Qatar Sotheby’s Internation- tum; Qatar’s economy is trans- destination,” a press statement al Realty will play an instrumental forming at record pace as it brings noted. role in bringing our portfolio of to life its National Vision 2030 A leading high-end property fi ne hospitality and unique living and the FIFA World Cup 2022, international brokerage fi rm experiences to the luxury com- with culture, tourism and world- around the globe, Sotheby’s In- munity in Qatar and beyond.” class entertainment at its heart. ternational Realty boasts of an The Residences, strategically “World-renowned attractions, “exclusive and robust” portfo- located at the heart of The Pearl- such as The Pearl, will be at the lio of luxury real estate property Qatar alongside its Porto Arabia centre of this momentum, and so across the world’s most premium marina, will be home to a “unique will our fl agship developments.” addresses and locations. lifestyle experience, introduc- A freehold development on a Alfardan Group entered into a ing the fi rst exclusive St Regis- private island, The Residences strategic partnership with Sothe- branded residences to be sold in will off er prospective tenants and by’s International Realty earlier the country”. Comprising 245 fur- owners fl exible and rewarding this year for the launch of fi rm’s nished branded residences, The ownership schemes. Qatari operation, which will focus Residences off er tenants an array Tenants can also avail hassle- on real estate demand in Doha, of one-, two-, three- and four- free processes for residence per- as well as on servicing a portfolio bedroom apartments, as well as mits for their entire family, and of international property invest- duplexes, townhouses and royal preferred access to the inner circle ments for Qatari clients. penthouses. events at The St Regis Marsa Ara- Omar Hussain Alfardan, presi- “The project boasts of state- bia Island and The St Regis Doha, dent and CEO of Alfardan Group, of-the-art amenities, cutting- the statement adds. said: “Across our projects, we set edge technology and luxuriously The St Regis Hotels & Resorts out to redefi ne luxury living with grand architecture, fusing Anda- stands today as one of the world’s an architectural signature, facili- lusian and Arabesque design in- most famous luxury hotel chains, ties, services and privileges that fl uences,” the statement explains. part of the Marriott-owned Star- are bespoke for our residents’ “In the privacy of their own island wood Hotels and Resorts world- needs and expectations. Building life, tenants will have access to wide, with a global presence on this legacy, we are happy to be the brand’s signature private but- covering the most popular inter- joining forces with Qatar Sothe- ler service, a host of fi ne-dining national tourist and commercial by’s International Realty, a leader restaurants, leisure experiences, locations. The St Regis Hotels & Resorts stands today as one of the world’s most famous luxury hotel chains. Visiting German athletes hail Qatar’s organisational skills

By Shafeeq Alingal represent Germany in the up- Staff Reporter coming Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) meeting. he German athletes at- Giannina Bonnemann, who tending the ongoing represented Germany in ski TANOC World Beach jumping, was also all praise for Games have praised Qatar’s or- Qatar saying the team had a good ganisational skills citing that the time in Doha. country has displayed profes- “Qatar is showing amazing sionalism by successfully host- organisational skills. We are pro- ing back-to-back international vided with the best accommoda- sport events. tion and transportation facilities. Uschi Schmitz, Team Ger- And volunteers are always at our many’s chef de mission and vice services,” she said. president of the German Olym- Florian Gruber, another Ger- pic Sports Confederation, said man athlete, said the team is the games has underscored that Florian Gruber having a good time in Qatar, add- Qatar has turned out to be an ing that the venues are ideal in ideal venue to host international Facilities are excellent for ath- terms of facilities and vibe. Flo- sport events. letes and offi cials,” she said. rian has reached the fi nals of ski “We got a rousing welcome Uschi Schmitz plans to visit surfi ng. “I have a good chance for here. A good atmosphere has some tourism destinations and the medal even though the com- been created by the organisers. heritage sites across Qatar and petition is tough,” he added. German ambassador Hans Udo Muzel with German World Beach Games team and off icials at the reception yesterday. PICTURE: Ram Chand Embassy hosts reception for German athletics team

By Shafeeq Alingal pic Sports Confederation vice thanking Qatar for bringing the winning more medals. “We are Staff Reporter president and German team’s Beach Games to Doha. keeping our fingers crossed for chef de mission Uschi Schmitz, German athletes are com- Team Germany and looking athletes and officials. peting in beach tennis, beach forward to witness outstanding he German embassy in Speaking on the occasion, volleyball 4x4, boulder- athletic achievement,” he said Qatar yesterday hosted ambassador Muzel said the ing, karate/kata, swimming/ while expressing pride in host- Ta reception for its team games has brought to light open water, sailing/kite foil ing a reception for the athletes. taking part in the ongoing Qatar’s ability to host inter- racing,skateboarding and water “The programme is aimed ANOC World Beach Games. national events. “Qatar is skiing. The 38-member team is at extending our sportsmen an The Meet and Greet for Ger- standing as an international expected to return to Germany opportunity to explore the host man Athletics Team event was location for impressive global on Thursday. The ambassador country and help them under- attended by ambassador Hans- sports events on its way to the said Germany won two med- stand the relations between the Udo Muzel, German Olym- 2022 FIFA World Cup,” he said als and exuded confidence in two countries,” he added. Uschi Schmitz (right) and Giannina Bonnemann at the reception yesterday. PICTURES: Ram Chand