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MONDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10608 October 16, 2017 Muharram 26, 1439 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir arrives in Kuala Lumpur New body In brief

QATAR | Offi cial to address Emir condoles with Somalia’s president His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and His Highness the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin concerns Hamad al-Thani sent yesterday cables of condolences to Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on the victims of the double explosion in Mogadishu. HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah of dryland bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani sent a similar cable to Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre. They wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Pages 2, 11 QATAR | Tourism On-arrival tourist countries visa conditions eased By Joseph Varghese “In compliance with Qatar’s commit- Hotel reservations or other conditions Staff Reporter/QNA ment as an active partner in the inter- are not compulsory for obtaining national community came the initiative diff erent types of on-arrival tourist of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim visas in Qatar, the Ministry of Interior atar will handle the operational bin Hamad al-Thani in his speech ad- (MoI) said yesterday. However, visitors budget of the Global Dryland dressed at the 68th UN General Assem- His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening for a two-day visit to may be asked to provide the address QAlliance (GDA) for two years bly in September 2014 to establish a glo- Malaysia. The Emir and the accompanying delegation were welcomed upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport of their place of stay in Qatar, the MoI and the cost of hosting the headquar- bal alliance for dryland nations.” by Malaysia’s Minister of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa explained in a post on social media, ters in Doha, HE the Prime Minister and “His Highness the Emir, in co-op- Mohamed, Qatar’s ambassador to Malaysia Issa Mohamed al-Mannai and members of the Qatari embassy in Kuala Lumpur. As adding that general conditions for Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin eration and co-ordination with states part of his state visits to several Asian countries, the Emir will also visit Singapore and Indonesia. Pages 2, 22 getting on-arrival tourist visas are Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani announced and global organisations, called for six months’ passport validity and a yesterday. this alliance to specialise in guarantee- confirmed return or onward ticket. He was inaugurating the GDA found- ing food security to benefi t more than Qatar recently introduced diff erent ing conference held under the patronage three billion people living on drylands types of visas, including on-arrival of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim and spread throughout 50 nations visas, e-authorisation and e-visas. bin Hamad al-Thani. Several ministers around the world,” HE Sheikh Abdullah Qatar embassy and delegates from a number of dryland continued. Qatar ‘most attractive’ BRITAIN | Weather countries around the world attended. At He added that the Emir has confi rmed Rare north hurricane the event, the founding treaty of the GDA the GDA will neither be a substitute for building hit in heads for Ireland, UK was signed by the participating delega- already established global organisations market for investors tion heads. nor a competitor and it will complement Britain and Ireland braced yesterday HE Sheikh Abdullah called on the in- their eff orts to achieve food security. Somalia blast for a lashing from Ophelia, the largest ternational community including coun- HE the Prime Minister highlighted QNA was led by HE al-Emadi, and included hurricane ever recorded so far east tries and organisations to support this the importance of looking into the QNA Doha HE the Governor of Qatar Central Bank in the Atlantic Ocean, after it dumped alliance and contribute to its trust fund treatment of deteriorated land as a mat- Doha Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud al-Thani heavy rains on Portugal’s Azores to ensure its continuity and guarantee ter of high priority to face many global and members of Qatar’s fi nancial sector. islands. As the storm passed near its capability to provide benefi t to all. obstacles. atar remains one of the most at- During the sessions, US private and the Azores archipelago on Saturday “The signing of the treaty is a rec- “The situation is becoming more E the Director of the Informa- tractive markets for investors, governmental representatives were given it was classed Category 3, which ognition by the member states that the complicated for more than 50 dryland tion Offi ce at the Ministry of Qwith favourable investment op- an in-depth insight into Qatar’s resilient means it packed winds of at least dryland nations are exposed to serious nations listed by the UN, with a large HForeign Aff airs ambassador portunities across key sectors, HE the fi nancial and banking sector. Discussions 178kph (110mph). Though cooler seas risks due to global climate change, pop- number of world population living in Ahmed bin Saeed al-Rumaihi said that Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi also focused on the continuing and grow- will weaken the storm as it churns ulation growth and economic and social them under poor water resources, dete- the building of Qatar’s embassy in the has said. ing opportunities for US investors and towards the west coast of Ireland, it disruptions,” he highlighted. rioration of arable areas, spread of pov- Somali capital Mogadishu has been se- In a press statement issued by the businesses in Qatar, and bilateral trade re- still has enough power to damage HE Sheikh Abdullah said that the ini- erty and famine; all leading to political verely damaged by the explosion of a car Ministry of Finance on the occasion lations between the two countries. buildings and provoke “dangerous” sea tiative of the GDA was the commitment and social instability, migration, home- bomb near the embassy building on the of Qatar’s participation in the annual The governor of the QCB said that the conditions as well as potential flooding, of Qatar towards world community. lessness and loss of hope in homelands K5 Junction on Saturday evening. meetings of the International Monetary siege imposed by neighbouring coun- Irish authorities said. Page 15 and forces poor countries to depend on Al-Rumaihi said that the Ministry of Fund and the World Bank in Washington tries on Qatar since last June has not ad- humanitarian aids.” Foreign Aff airs contacted the embassy DC, HE the minister said “recent meas- versely aff ected the nation’s economic EUROPE | Politics He said that Qatar gives utmost im- to check on the Qatari diplomats and ures introduced by our government aim fundamentals. Austrian ‘whizz-kid’ portance to achieve environmental the managers, as well as the rest of the to support continued investment and “The Qatar Central Bank took time- protection, diversify food resources as embassy staff , adding that the charge promote incentives for private compa- ly and decisive action in mitigating in election triumph a strategic choice within the Qatar Na- d’aff aires was slightly injured in the ex- nies and international investors looking the impact on banks’ balance sheets Austria’s political “whizz-kid” Sebastian tional Vision 2030 and its overall na- plosion but he is now in a good health, to expand to the region”. through liquidity injection and increas- Kurz was on course yesterday to tional strategy. and the rest of staff are ne.fi The minister said: “Qatar’s budget ing public sector deposits when the become Europe’s youngest leader, He also stressed that handling de- Meanwhile, Qatar condemned the defi cit is expected to decline over the blockade was imposed,” he said. “Mac- potentially in coalition with the far-right sertifi cation, land deterioration and double bombings in Mogadishu, which next few years, and economic prospects roprudential indicators for the banking after its best result in almost 20 years. drought exceeds the capacity of many killed hundreds of people and injured remain promising.” sector remain healthy,” the central bank Kurz’s conservative People’s Party countries that suff er from these prob- dozens others, destroyed several build- “Qatar and the US have long enjoyed a governor added. (OeVP) won 31.7% of the vote, followed lems and the global community must ings and set dozens of vehicles on fi re. strong and mutually benefi cial relation- Qatar remains one of the largest trad- by Chancellor Christian Kern’s Social provide all the support to them. An offi cial source at the Foreign Min- ship, and our attendance at the annual ing partners of the US in the Middle East Democrats (SPOe) on 26.9%, projections HE Sheikh Abdullah said establish- istry stressed Qatar’s solidarity with meetings of the IMF and World Bank region, with imports increasing by 29% that were broadly in line with preliminary HE the Prime Minister and Interior ing the GDA and adding it to the UN the Somali government, affi rming that was an opportunity to further strength- in 2016. Recently, new laws and regula- results showed. Close behind was the Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser organisations, distils the principles of such acts are aimed at destabilising en our relationship with US investors tions have been introduced in Qatar to nationalist Freedom Party on 26.0%, bin Khalifa al-Thani speaking at the the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable and spreading chaos among the Somali and stakeholders and highlight the av- improve the business environment and twice that of their allies the Alternative founding conference of the Global Development and supports most of its people, and they are contrary to moral enues for collaboration,” he concluded. further enhance private sector growth. for Germany (AfD) last month. Page 16 Dryland Alliance yesterday. 17 developmental goals. Page 2 values and divine laws. Pages 2, 11 The Qatari delegation to the meeting Business Page 16 Mesaimeer Interchange Qatar-US forces in joint training exercises atar’s Joint Special Forces underpass opened launched yesterday, in asso- Qciation with the US Special zOpening of 700m underpass and is expected to signifi cantly im- Forces, the training activities of year comes as part of Rawdat Al Khail prove traffi c fl ow between the Indus- 2017/2018. These joint exercises come Street Extension project trial Area and Doha during peak travel as continuation of the ongoing co- times, Ashghal has said in a press ordination and co-operation between he Public Works Authority (Ash- statement. the two friendly nations in the military ghal) has announced the opening To further improve traffi c fl ow to- fi eld. Tof a new 700m underpass at the wards the new underpass, the Authority Joint Special Forces Brigadier Gen- Mesaimeer Interchange, providing resi- has opened an additional 1.8km section eral Hamad Abdullah al-Fetais al- dents of Umm Al Seneem, Mesaimeer of Industrial Area Road, which off ers Marri and Col David Keesey, Military and Industrial Area with a free-fl owing road users four lanes in each direction Attache at the US embassy, attended link between Industrial Area Road and and enhances the road’s existing vehicle the launching ceremony. E-Ring Road for the fi rst time. capacity by 25%, the statement notes. The Directorate of Defence Commu- The opening of the underpass comes The new section of Industrial Area nication (DDC) stated that these joint as part of the Rawdat Al Khail Street Ex- Road and the underpass on Mesaimeer exercises for the training year 2017/2018 tension project. Interchange have been equipped with are continuation of the scheduled exer- The new underpass, which is lo- a new storm-water drainage network, cises conducted from the beginning of cated underneath F-Ring Road and which will allow Ashghal to signifi cantly the year. It reinforces the depth of mili- Mesaimeer Road, replaces an existing reduce the risk of fl ooding in the event tary co-ordination and co-operation Brigadier General Hamad bin Abdullah al-Fetais al-Marri, joint special forces commander, and Col David Keesey, US defence roundabout on Industrial Area Road of heavy rain or storms. To Page 24 between the two countries. To Page 24 attache in Qatar, and other off icials at the event. Gulf Times 2 Monday, October 16, 2017 QATAR Emir’s ‘visit to cement relations between Qatar and Malaysia’

By Peter Alagos At the invitation of the Yang key areas, including political, Business Reporter di-Pertuan Agong XV, Sultan economy, and social aff airs. Muhammad V, His Highness the The statement said His High- Emir’s two-day state visit, which ness the Emir will be accorded is Highness the Emir concludes today, will be accom- with a state welcoming cer- Sheikh Tamim bin Ha- panied by several cabinet minis- emony at the parliament today. Hmad al-Thani’s fi rst state ters, senior government offi cials, Later in the evening, the Emir visit to Malaysia is expected to and a business delegation. will have an audience with the strengthen relations between “This will be His Highness Yang di-Pertuan Agong XV, Sul- Qatar and the Southeast Asian the Emir’s fi rst state visit to Ma- tan Muhammad V to be followed nation, an embassy offi cial has laysia since he ascended to the by a state banquet at the Istana said. throne on June 25, 2013. The last Negara. “This visit will provide an state visit by the Emir of Qatar to “His Highness the Emir is opportunity for leaders of both Malaysia was by the His High- also scheduled to have a re- countries to discuss bilateral ness the Father Emir Sheikh Ha- stricted meeting with the Ma- issues and exchange views on mad bin Khalifa al-Thani in May laysian prime minister to be His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived yesterday evening in Kuala Lumpur for a two-day visit to Malaysia. His Highness issues of common interest,” 2009,” the statement said. followed by a delegation meet- the Emir and the accompanying delegation were welcomed upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Malaysia’s Defence Minister chargé d’aff aires Mohamed According to Sabarudin, Qa- ing at Seri Perdana, the prime Hishammuddin Hussein, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed, Qatar’s ambassador to Malaysia Issa Mohamed al-Mannai Shahir bin Sabarudin said in a tar and Malaysia “continue to minister’s offi cial residence,” and members of the Qatari embassy in Kuala Lumpur. statement. enjoy close relations” in various the statement added. Great strides in achieving food GDA aims to deal with food security: offi cial

ssistant under-secre- such as dates and others. security in dryland nations tary for agricultural af- He stressed that the de- Afairs and fi sheries at the mand for fresh products in the By Joseph Varghese Ministry of Municipality and local market is met in some Staff Reporter Environment, Sheikh Dr Falih products by nearly 70%, while bin Nasser al-Thani said Qatar the government in co-oper- has made great and successful ation with the private sector he Global Dryland Alli- strides towards achieving food is working to achieve self- ance (GDA) which held security, as it has suffi cient suffi ciency of imported fresh Tits founding conference food stocks for a long time, materials, through several ag- yesterday, aims to deal with and has developed local pro- ricultural projects, which will food security and other needs duction through which it has begin producing agri-food in dryland countries around the achieved self-suffi ciency in products during this month in world. some fresh food products that Al Mazroua, Al Khor, Al Dha- Many dryland countries meet the needs of consumers. kheerah and Al Wakrah. signed the founding treaty of In remarks to Qatar News He pointed that there will the GDA at the conference. “ Agency (QNA) on the sidelines be three more agricultural A total of 18 countries and fi ve of the founding conference of projects to fully meet the international organisations are HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani along with the representatives of the countries that the Global Alliance for Dry- needs of the local market, so represented in the conference. signed the founding treaty of the GDA. lands, Sheikh Dr Falih said that that imports remain limited Some countries were not able Qatar has been self-suffi cient to products not cultivated in to sign the alliance because of of any crisis, we will move fast to critical in dryland countries, initiatives that meet our priori- for some agricultural products Qatar such as fruits, as well technicality as they could not help those countries aff ected by most of which are developing ties, establish innovative fi nancing while exporting others, espe- as grains grown abroad that produce the letter of authenti- the crisis,” continued al-Dafa. countries with limited resources, mechanisms for their programmes cially with regards to materi- can be stored for many years. cation,” said ambassador Bader According to al-Dafa the next and more exposed to hunger and and projects, and benefi t from als of comparative advantage (QNA) Omar al-Dafa, executive direc- step is to register the GDA as disease. the leading technological innova- tor, the founding conference of an international organisation. Al-Dafa noted, “His Highness tions, policies and developments the Global Dryland Alliance. “There are several procedures the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Ha- to enhance their food security,” “The GDA is going to be an before the GDA is registered as mad al-Thani has approved to highlighted al-Dafa. international organisation that an International organisation extend co-ordination and con- He noted that in the next three deals mainly with countries that within the UN bodies. The next sultation with the concerned decades, the world will witness have drylands. There are over step for us is to go to UN and reg- parties who are involved in food an increasing consumption of Al-Marri calls for 50 countries that come under ister the GDA as an international security like regional and in- meat from cereals and crops. the category of dryland. The organisation. Once it comes into ternational organisations, and “The world’s population is in- challenges that most of these eff ect, the apex body or the ex- leading researches institutes. His creasing by 200,000 each day Ambassador Bader Omar al-Dafa drafting charter countries are facing are great. ecutive council will decide the Highness has advised that the and is facing constant climate speaking at the event. There is shortage of food, water, policies and acts and all that is Alliance will complement the ef- change. The globe has witnessed energy. We will try to help each needed for this organisation. The forts of the international organi- a signifi cant deforestation and international organisations, other,” explained al-Dafa. objective is to deal with food se- sations that are specialised in water resources have been de- UN agencies and development of honour “If some countries in the al- curity in dryland countries,” he food security and will not com- pleted. Food production should banks have welcomed and sup- liance are hit hard by climate elaborated. pete or duplicate their eff orts.” increase to 70% in order to feed 9 ported the initiative and have change, we will come in for as- During the inaugural session of “The Global Dryland Alliance billion people by 2050,” he added. contributed to prepare the ref- QNA “There is no doubt that the sistance soon.We will have food the conference, al-Dafa said that will be the response to the needs The offi cial pointed out that erence documents of the Global Algiers diplomatic dispute and stored in some safe place. In case food security challenges are more of our countries to develop joint a large number of countries, Dryland Alliance. the divergence of visions towards some political atar’s National Hu- issues is natural within Ooredoo ‘Internet of man Rights Committee the system of relations Things’ solutions enable Q(NHRC) chairman Dr between countries...” Ali bin Sumaikh al-Marri has global food security called for drafting a charter of emphasised on several occa- UN envoy praises honour among Arab national sions, and we reiterate it, and Ooredoo was the off icial human rights institutions in an reaffi rm it here again”. telecommunications sponsor for the Global eff ort to achieve their goals re- Al-Marri also noted that Dryland Alliance Founding Conference, gardless of political diff erences the defence of human rights exchanging Internet of Things best between countries. and freedoms and the promo- Qatar’s humanitarian practices to Addressing the opening ses- tion and protection of human enable global sion of the general assembly of rights is one of the noblest food security. the Arab Network for National goals of national human rights The Global Human Rights Institutions institutions, noting that the Dryland Alliance is an international yesterday, al-Marri called on National Human Rights Com- eff orts in Somalia organisation that shares knowledge, assists Arab national institutions to mittee reiterates its full and in agricultural development, and provides co-operate more in establish- unequivocal support for all ef- mutual assistance in times of need. The ing rules and mechanisms to forts exerted in this regard. he UN Secretary-General’s hu- developed by the Somali government in plays a key role in helping the United conference, which was held yesterday, protect and promote human He called for the imple- manitarian envoy Dr Ahmed co-operation with the UN. Nations play its role in achieving the brought together 25 delegations to sign the rights and to play a leading role mentation of recommenda- Tbin Mohammed al-Muraikhi “There is signifi cant progress in the goals of the Somali government and its founding treaty. in addressing any violations of tions of the conferences held praised Qatar’s role in supporting So- development process in Somalia, whose national development plan. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser human rights and basic free- in partnership with the Arab malia and the interaction shown by the government is recently co-operating with Peter de Clercq gave a detailed ac- al-Thani, Ooredoo Qatar’s chief business dom, in light of the political Network and the Offi ce of government and Qatari humanitarian the UN humanitarian organisations and is count of the humanitarian situation in off icer, represented Ooredoo Qatar at the circumstances and crises ex- the High Commissioner for organisations in the crisis there. making great eff orts to achieve peace and Somalia and eff orts to ensure that it is conference on behalf of the company’s CEO perienced by the Arab nation, Human Rights. In a press statement on the sidelines provide facilities for humanitarian organi- not hit by famine due to droughts, fo- Waleed al-Sayed. and the consequences of these He stressed the importance of the workshop, which was hosted by sations working there,” he said. cusing on eff orts and long-term devel- Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, circumstances and imposed by of the strategic partnership the Foreign Ministry yesterday, al-Mu- Al-Muraikhi stressed that the goal of opment programmes by Gulf govern- chief business off icer, Ooredoo Qatar, said, these crises of diffi culties and between the Arab Network raikhi said that the security situation in the humanitarian organisations in the ments and the UN to fi nd out the causes “In the Internet of Things era, organisations challenges on the ground. and the Offi ce of the High Somalia has a signifi cant impact on the UN is to eradicate the famine in Somalia of humanitarian crises in Somalia, in- are analysing data from billions of connected He also called for neutralis- Commissioner, the Network delivery of aid and represents a great and to seek to ensure that it does not oc- cluding food security and displacement. devices and sensors to make better business ing the human rights work of and the General Secretariat of challenge for its benefi ciaries. cur, noting that there is an urgent need “Somalia is going through a critical eco- decisions. Agricultural stakeholders are national institutions, not to be the Council of Arab Ministers He stressed the importance of the role to provide assistance to the aff ected nomic and social stage,” he said, stressing analysing, data from soil sensors, ship and confused with political action, of the Interior, and the role of played by relief organisations of the UN people, especially those who lost their that expanding humanitarian aid had pre- airplane locations, and drone videos to as this undermines the real these active partnerships in and charitable organisations operating source of livelihood. vented famine, but that parts of the coun- improve crop yields, enhance logistics, and objectives of national human advancing the human rights in Somalia, noting that the UN is in con- Al-Muraikhi added that UN organisa- try were still at risk. An estimated 6.2mn make agriculture more sustainable.” rights institutions and reduc- situation in the Arab region. stant contact and co-ordination with the tions are working with the World Bank people in need of humanitarian assistance, IoT Connect enables organisations to es their credibility. “There is Al-Marri praised the strong Somali government to reduce the impact to provide a balance between develop- Urgent need for relief aid “. manage networked devices, track products no doubt that the diplomatic partnership between the Na- of the humanitarian crisis there and mit- ment and humanitarian assistance, and The UNDP representative in Somalia online, measure bandwidth consumption, dispute and the divergence of tional Human Rights Committee igate its eff ects and consequences. to enhance co-operation and eff ective said that humanitarian assistance reach- and flag international roaming connections. visions towards some politi- (NHRC) and the National Coun- The envoy said that the workshop co-ordination between humanitarian es more than 3mn people per month as Sheikh Nasser added, “As the leading Internet cal issues is natural within the cil for Human Rights in Algeria, aims to bring together the actors from organisations and development funds. a result of monitoring more than a bil- of Things provider in Qatar, we’re helping our system of relations between which is hosting the general as- Qatar and its counterparts from the UN During the workshop, UN Develop- lion dollars since the beginning of this customers to have the control, flexibility, and countries, but that is always sembly of the Arab Network, organisations to co-ordinate with each ment Programme (UNDP) representa- year of this assistance, but he said that innovative services for new digital business subject to respect for hu- expressing the sincere desire to other to overcome the obstacles facing tive in Somalia Peter de Clercq reviewed there are several sectors need more sup- models. Using IoT Connect, our customers man rights and fundamental strengthen this partnership to eff orts to provide assistance to Somalia. the eff orts of Qatar in its ongoing sup- port, including food security and sourc- can expand their product portfolio, stay freedoms, and not to prejudice reach its fullest extent to serve as UN organisations in the easiest way and port for Somali people, pointing out es of income to avoid Famine during ahead of the global innovation curve, and or violate them, which we have a role model in this regard. to be in line with the development plan that the Qatari assistance to Somalia the last quarter of this year. (QNA) drive real-time decision-making.” Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 3 QATAR Bishkek eyes stronger ties with Doha

By Ramesh Mathew “Kyrgyz Republic and its peo- ments would be protected by law less than four hours,” said the Staff Reporter ple are looking forward to the in their country and the rights of envoy while exuding confi dence visit of His Highness the Emir investors are on par with those of that such a service would help at- Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- his compatriots. tract tourists to his country. he Kyrgyz Republic hopes to Thani, which is expected to take “Foreigners could also eas- The ambassador has no doubt attract more visitors to the place shortly,” he said. ily repatriate their capital. Such that their country could have TEurasian nation as no visa is The current president of Kyr- countries as China, South Korea, been able to supply large quan- required for the Qatari citizens, said gyz Republic, Almazbek Atam- Japan, Turkey, the EU nations, tities of foodstuff s, in particu- ambassador Nuran S Niyazaliev. baev, visited Qatar twice in as India and Iran have made several lar fruits and vegetables to help He was speaking to the Gulf many years and the two coun- investments in our republic” he Qatar meet the requirements Times yesterday on the occa- tries have signed about 15 agree- added. had there been a good and faster sion of his country’s presidential ments, memoranda, protocols, “There are a lot of similarities transportation and logistics ar- elections, for which the country’s on strengthening economic between the two countries (Qa- rangements. Krygyz expatriates voted at the and trade co-operation, agree- tar and the Kyrgyz Republic) and Niyazaliev said until now Kyrgyz embassy. ment on mutual encouragement hence there is enormous scope there is no direct air connectiv- “In the recent months quite a and protection of investments, for strengthening ties in diff er- ity from Qatar to any of the fi ve number of Qatari citizens trav- memorandum on co-operation ent areas in coming years,” said Central Asian Republics, namely elled to Kyrgyz Republic even in tourism. Niyazaliev while explaining that Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmen- though there is no direct air con- Niyazaliev also recalled that a number of youngsters from his istan, and Kazakhstan besides his nectivity to the capital Bishkek Qatar ratifi ed the agreement on country are now employed in own country and the introduc- from Doha,” the envoy said. mutual co-operation and pro- various fi elds in Qatar. tion of at least a cargo fl ight at this Niyazaliev has been his coun- tection of investments through Krygyz Republic ambassador Nuran S Niyazaliev speaks to Gulf Times in Doha. PICTURE: Jayan Orma “We are now looking forward juncture to Bishkek would help try’s ambassador in Doha since an Emiri Decree (No 28/May 17, to the Qatar Airways introducing move foodstuff s, especially fruits the Kyrgyz Republic opened its 2017) issued earlier this year. in Qatar to make investments in mining, infrastructure, agricul- ism in the Krygyz Republic, the direct fl ights to Bishkek, which and vegetables to Qatar from that embassy in December 2015. While appealing to companies such areas as power generation, ture, halal industries and tour- ambassador said such invest- could be reached from Doha in region on a regular basis.

Krygyz expatriates cast votes Fond farewell!

number of Krygyz Repub- lic expatriates in Qatar Avoted in their presidential elections yesterday. Arrangements were made for voting at the Eurasian nation’s embassy in the Lejbailat area between 8am and 8pm. Krygyz Republic ambassador Nuran S Niyazaliev expressed happiness at the ‘impressive turnout.’ Of the nearly 400-odd Krygyz expatriates, less than 200 had voting rights. Only those above 18 years are eligible to vote in Krygyz Republic. “The main feature of the pres- idential elections were mandato- ry registration of biometric data A Krygyz citizen casts his vote in the presidential election yesterday and live online monitoring of at the embassy in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma the voting process, which makes Qatari entrepreneur Farhan al-Sayed hosted a farewell party for the outgoing Vietnamese ambassador Nguyen Hoang, and his voting fair and transparent and ments were transferred late in citizens are employed in such are- wife Thi Chau Anh. It was attended by Brunei ambassador Nordin Ahmed, Abdullah al-Tamimi, Venezuelan Charge d’affaires gives no chances for forgery,” the evening to Bishkek, the capi- as as hospitality, sport and leisure Fatima Majzoub, Serbian ambassador Jasminko Pozderac and Cuban ambassador Eumelio Rodreguez, among others. said the ambassador. tal of Krygyz Republic. and trade centres among others, Ballot boxes and other docu- Besides Qatar Airways, Krygyz said ambassador Niyazaliev.

Society for Rehabilitation of Special Needs, QTA join hands to train hospitality staff

atar Tourism Authority (QTA) the needs of all community members with Disabilities, which Qatar signed has partnered with the Qatar are taken into consideration in the de- in 2008. QSociety for Rehabilitation of velopment of the sector,” al-Ibrahim Sheikh Thani added that the Soci- Special Needs to organise a series of said. ety would be providing the training to training courses that will enable hos- He added: “Thanks to similar ini- members of the hospitality sector via pitality staff to provide the highest tiatives and partnerships, as well as the experts and specialists in the fi eld of standards of service for the disabled eff orts of developers, inspectors and disability. community. hospitality staff , Qatar’s hospitality He stressed that the Society’s aim is The initiative is in line with QTA’s sector off ers the best guest experience also to train members of all key sectors Hotel Grading and Classifi cation Sys- in the Gulf region, according to the of the country within two years. tem. Olery Guest Experience in the Mid- “The recipients of the training are According to QTA, the training dle East Report for the years 2016 and prepared to support people with mo- courses will also enhance guests’ stay 2017.” tor, visual and hearing disabilities, as at any of Qatar’s hotels or hotel apart- Qatar Society for Rehabilitation of well as mental and behavioural dis- ments by ensuring that the physical Special Needs chairman Sheikh Thani abilities,” the chairman said. and digital infrastructure is available bin Abdullah al-Thani stressed that the He added that the Society works to support their needs. collaboration with QTA comes among to raise awareness about the diff er- In a statement, QTA’s chief tourism a series of similar initiatives to ensure ent kinds of disability and the sup- development offi cer Hassan al-Ibra- members of sectors across the country port required depending on the type of him said accessibility is a key compo- are able to support the needs of disa- physical disability, as well as the skills nent of the Hotel Grading and Classi- bled members of the community, in needed to support members of the fi cation System, which was released by line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030. community with autism and attention QTA in 2016. The system directly ties The society’s aim is to ensure as defi cit hyperactivity disorder. the number of stars a hotel establish- many people as possible are equipped Members of the hospitality sector ment has with how accessible it is. with the knowledge and skills to sup- who complete the training success- “As the entity responsible for regu- port those with special needs, in ac- fully will be awarded a certifi cate valid lating the tourism and hospitality sec- cordance with the United Nations for one year, and can be renewed every tor, QTA spares no eff ort to ensure that Convention on the Rights of People year following additional training.

Hospitality staff are to be provided the highest standards of service for the disabled community.

Al Noor Institute, MIA to mark White Cane Safety Day

Al Noor Institute for the Visually by Salem Abdullah al-Marri, Deputy 15-minute tours were organised by staff Impaired teamed up with the Museum Director of Learning and Outreach from the Al Noor Institute during which of Islamic Art (MIA) to organise a variety at MIA, they were given a tour of the members of the public were invited to of activities on White Cane Safety Day, museum by expert guides, enjoyed a take part. which is celebrated on October15, in the story-telling session in the museums These were designed to enable United States and around the world as an library, the largest of its kind in the members of the public to experience a occasion to recognise the achievements region, and participated in an art tour of the museum much as a visually of the blind and visually impaired. First workshop. impaired or blind person would, and to signed in to law in the United States in The resulting work produced by the provide an awareness of how visually 1964, the date is set aside to mark an students during the workshop will impaired and blind people encounter important symbol of blindness and a tool feature in a temporary exhibition to the world around them. of independence - the white cane. take place at the museum, and which is White Cane Safety day is celebrated A group of over a hundred children designed to give members of the local in schools around the country in and teachers from the Al Noor Institute community an overview of Al Noor Qatar in a bid to build awareness visited MIA yesterday to take part Institute and its activities. and understanding on how blind and in a morning of specially organised In addition to the various sessions visually impaired people manage in activities. After being welcomed to MIA involving the students themselves, two their daily lives. – QNA Gulf Times 4 Monday, October 16, 2017 QATAR

Advisory Council Speaker meets US delegation Nepal envoy meets minister

Nepalese ambassador to Qatar Professor Ramesh Prasad Koirala held talks with HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi recently. Among the issues discussed were bilateral diplomatic and labour relations between Nepal and Qatar, HE Speaker of the Advisory Council Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi met yesterday a delegation of senior off icials of the US House of and Nepalese migrant workers’ salaries, facilities, residences, contracts and residential visas. During Representatives, currently visiting the country. The meeting discussed co-operation in the parliamentary field and bilateral relations, in the meeting, Professor Koirala was informed that a new institution will be formed in the near future addition to means of boosting and developing them. The meeting was attended by a number of Advisory Council members. to solely deal with workers problems. Trade with Qatar TEDx meet to be held on Nov 11

atar University (QU) ration with QF (educational lutions to enhance the educa- yesterday launched partner), Ibtkar for Visual tion system at the local and growing fast, says Qthe upcoming TEDx- Creativity (golden sponsor), regional levels, the statement AlDafnaED conference and Teach for Qatar, Doha Insti- notes. provided details of the event tute for Graduate Studies and “Through hosting the that is scheduled to be held on World Innovation Summit for TEDx conferences, Qatar November 11. Education (knowledge part- University demonstrates its The conference, which is ners), and the Public Works commitment to providing its part of QU’s TEDx series, is Authority – Ashghal (bronze students with opportunities Chinese envoy the “fi rst of its kind in the sponsor). that enrich their experience GCC region”. Details of the and bring them together with By Ayman Adly congress is an important meeting being conference were outlined “Through hosting the experts from various institu- Staff Reporter held while China is striving to achieve a by QU Student Services and TEDx conferences, Qatar tions to exchange their ideas moderately prosperous society in an all- Activities director Abdulla University demonstrates and expertise, which will round way, and at a critical time in the al-Yafei, Qatar Foundation its commitment to contribute to advancing the atar and China enjoy very strong development of socialism with Chinese (QF)’s head of Press Offi ce providing its students education sector,” al-Yafei relationships in various fi elds and characteristics. It will analyse the present Khalifa al-Kubaisi, Ibtkar for with opportunities that said. Qbilateral economic and trade co- international and domestic situations, and Visual Creativity CEO Mo- enrich their experience “We, at Qatar Foundation, operation is growing fast, Chinese ambas- draw out guidelines and policies that re- hamed al-Marri, TEDxAlDaf- and bring them together are proud to collaborate in this sador Li Chen has said. spond to the call of the times”. naED project manager and with experts from various event that aims to drive the Speaking to the local media in Doha He added that: “There is every reason to student Mohamed Khader, institutions” education sector in Qatar. The yesterday to introduce the upcoming 19th be confi dent about the country’s growth. TEDxAlDafnaED external provision of quality education Congress of the Communist Party of China Last year, China contributed about 15% of relations manager and stu- The conference is designed for Qatar’s youth has been, (CPC) on October 18, he stressed the im- global GDP, and GDP per capita reached dent Jaber Abu-Humaid, and to provide a platform for uni- and remains, at the core of portance of this event, which takes place Chinese ambassador Li Chen talking to local 53,980 yuan ($8,011).” TEDxAlDafnaED Operations versity students, educators Qatar Foundation’s mission, every fi ve years in China to lay develop- media in Doha yesterday. China has set 2020 as the target year manager and student Anas and experts to discuss educa- as we believe it is the basis ment plans and strategy for the upcoming to complete the building of a moderately Rasras. tion-related issues, exchange of development and the only fi ve years. stressed that China’s stand has been clear prosperous society, which requires the It is being held by QU (or- ideas on the future of educa- way to unlock human poten- He stressed that throughout the past fi ve since the beginning, rejecting any interfer- eradication of poverty. To achieve this goal, ganising partner) in collabo- tion and provide effi cient so- tial,” al-Kubaisi said. years China has made great achievements ence in the internal aff airs of any country it needs to lift more than 10mn people out in all fi elds attaining a growth rate of 7.2% and hoped for a friendly resolution of the of poverty every year. The upcoming con- while the global growth rate stood at 2.6% diff erences between what he described as gress will be attended by 2,287 delegates and 4% for emerging economies. However, brotherly countries. He said a good number in Beijing. Participants will include high- in the past two years there has been a slow- of senior Chinese offi cials visited Qatar af- ranking government offi cials, party leaders, down, which is a natural outcome of the ter the crisis began and stressed that China and military offi cers as well as grassroots global economic stagnation. feels that a resolution should be reached party members from “frontline produc- The ambassador stressed that the Qatar through dialogue and it should be within tion and manufacturing” such as workers, and China enjoy strong, friendly relation- the GCC council, as a distinguished re- farmers, technicians, nurses and teachers. ships and good co-operation in various gional organisation. The ambassador pointed out that up- fi elds that include security, trade, energy, “China calls for peace and stability in the coming period in China would focus on culture, military education, which have region with more focus on economic devel- enhancing creativity, high quality of work, great potential for further growth. opment enhancing good relationships be- invention and innovation, in addition to “We see Qatar as an excellent partner in tween countries,” he said. paying more attention to reducing environ- the region, with a distinguished role. China The ambassador stressed that China and mental pollution and treating the byprod- has also a serious desire to enhance joint Qatar are both keen to fi ght terrorism and ucts of speedy development. economic and business co-operation with enhance security co-operation between The 19th Congress of the CPC is consid- Qatar. Besides, there is a great interest to the two countries. In the meantime, he sees ered of great importance not only for China develop such good relationships into higher trade between the two countries constantly but as a global event that could infl uence levels in all fi elds,” pointed out Li Chen. increasing. the world economic scene as China is a ma- Regarding the current Gulf crisis, he Ambassador Li Chen said that “the 19th jor player in the world economy. Details of the event were announced yesterday. Ministry panel launches fi rst private fi sh farming project

he ministerial committee on the stimula- recommendations of the technical committee of company will produce 2,000 tonnes of local fi sh tion and engagement of the private sector the ministerial group. The project also is part of annually. Tin the country’s economic development the government’s eff orts to reach self-suffi ciency “The self-suffi ciency rate in fi sh is planned projects, which is chaired by HE the Prime Min- in food and agricultural, livestock and industrial to increase after the completion of the three ister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah products. fi sh farming projects, which will produce 6,000 bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, announced the HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani, as- tonnes entirely for the local market,” said Sheikh launch of the fi rst private sector fi sh farming sistant undersecretary for agriculture and fi sh- Dr Faleh. project with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes per year. eries aff airs at the Ministry of Municipality and He added that the fi sh farming projects are set The project is the fi rst of a series of similar Environment, said that a national company was to include a separate project for shrimp produc- projects in diff erent sectors that the country is selected to manage the fi sh farming project after tion, the fi rst of its kind in Qatar, noting that the planning to launch in implementation of the di- winning a tender that a group of investors applied technical committee of the ministerial group is rectives of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim for. The company was also granted land to serve about to make these projects available for the pri- bin Hamad al-Thani and in accordance with the the logistics associated with the project. The vate sector in the near future. QNA

Ministry organises programme on ‘Nutrition for Children’

The Family Aff airs Department at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs organised over a month and a half, an awareness programme on proper nutrition for children in 24 nurseries, in co-operation with Diet Delights Nutrition Center. The programme aims to give importance to proper and healthy nutrition for children, the importance of breakfast at a young age – its role in ensuring the basic nutritional needs of the brain and methods of child care through medical follow ups. The programme touched on the basic nutritional factors that must be available for breakfast to ensure the children’s activity, concentration and protect them from fatigue. The programme also discussed regulating insulin levels in the blood and its importance in correct development as well as the importance of including carbohydrates in meals. It also discussed the importance of including vegetables as an important source of fibres and vitamins and the importance of dairy products. This programme comes as part of the department’s plan regarding early childhood. QNA Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 5 QATAR Training in fi rst aid held in Al Shamal he Qatar Red Crescent So- niques, and early trauma inter- ment Division, said that “I Am ciety (QRCS) has launched vention. a Paramedic” is working for the Tthe third edition of its “I According to QRCS, the pro- third year in a row, in co-ordina- Schoolchildren take part in the ‘I Am a Paramedic’ programme. Am a Paramedic” training pro- gramme has so far trained 188 tion with the host schools. gramme with QR1mn funding students at fi ve Al Shamal She added that QRCS is also from Ras Laff an Community schools: Al Ghuwairia Primary/ planning to expand the pro- Outreach Programme (COP). Preparatory Girls School, Al gramme to cover all schools in The programme this year aims Thakhira Primary Girls School, the region. to provide schoolchildren from Smeisma Secondary Boys Describing the programme’s WISE releases research on apprenticeships 19 schools with fi rst aid training, School, Smeisma Preparatory strategy, specialist medical including cardiopulmonary re- Boys School, and Aldaayen Pre- trainer Daas Qasim explained: suscitation, suff ocation, bleed- paratory Girls School. “From our experience in ambu- he World Innovation The research assesses ap- In some countries, ap- course has developed where the ing, fracture, nosebleed, burn, Noura Rashid al-Dosari, the latory and emergency activities, Summit for Education prenticeship frameworks in prenticeships have come to be apprenticeship has come to be eye injury, epilepsy, asthma, executive director of QRCS’ Vol- we found that members of the T(WISE) has released new eight countries: Australia, Brit- used as a route for giving less perceived as a form of “magic poisoning, victim moving tech- unteering and Local Develop- public often interfere wrongly, research comparing apprentice- ain, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, academically-minded young dust”, which can be sprinkled on making things worse.” ship systems in several coun- Germany, India, and South Af- people a second chance in life, almost any vocational educa- “Sometimes, this may end up tries. rica. which the authors fi nd to be in- tion and training problem, and causing the death of the victim. The report explores the role The fi ndings suggest that reli- creasingly unrealistic. off ered to any young person who That is why we pay particu- apprenticeships play in sup- ance on the active participation The varying degrees of inter- wants one. lar attention to training people porting young people to transi- of employers makes the appren- national participation suggest In order to improve appren- from diff erent walks of life in tion from school to working life, ticeship model more vulnerable that there are still gray areas in ticeship engagement in coun- life-saving fi rst aid,” he added. and helping adults in advanc- than classroom-based forms of some countries around how to tries where the model has been “Among the fundamental skills ing their skills or acquiring new learning, which can be delivered make the most of the appren- less successful, the authors required for everyone are calling professions. by state-sponsored colleges ticeship model. suggest that it is in the govern- the ambulance, giving clear and However, according to the re- acting without direct employer Apprenticeship incentives ment’s interest to work with accurate information, and tak- port – a collaboration between support. are more appreciated in regions industry to better incentivise ing necessary measures to ensure WISE and Oxford University – For the model to work and where employer associations this investment and make the stability of the case until the ar- despite growing political inter- produce successful, qualifi ed are historically stronger, such as benefi ts of the approach more rival of specialist medical help.” est in apprenticeships interna- apprentices, the study authors Denmark, Germany, and Swit- explicit. As the programme’s sponsor, tionally, it remains a relatively suggest that employer engage- zerland. Dr Asmaa Alfadala, director COP promotes fi rst aid training fragile mode of vocational edu- ment is crucial. For employers in some re- of research and content devel- as a pillar of its corporate social cation. Therefore, having strong in- gions, such as Egypt, appren- opment at WISE, remarked: responsibility towards the ben- In the study, People and Pol- centives for employers to par- ticeships are known to have as “This research report provides efi t of various social groups. icy: A comparative study of ap- ticipate in programme provision many disincentives as they have useful portraits of diverse ap- COP, a partnership initiative prenticeship across eight nation- is vital. incentives. proaches to apprenticeships, by the major business corpora- al contexts, researchers from Apprenticeship schemes vary A big concern is around em- intended to guide policymak- tions in Ras Laff an Industrial the Department of Education at widely across countries from ployee retention: why invest in ers and suggest what could be City, wants to reduce the impact Oxford University have, for the how they are organised and fi - someone when they might leave achieved with more integration of climate change, hold commu- fi rst time, reviewed apprentice- nanced, to the day-to-day run- and go elsewhere? and co-operation among stake- nity-based dialogue, and imple- ship participation on an inter- ning and learning style of the In countries, including Brit- holders around this unique and A QRCS trainer showing how to apply first aid. ment public interest projects. national scale. programmes off ered. ain and Australia, a policy dis- practical education tool.” Gulf Times 6 Monday, October 16, 2017 QATAR Sidra opens 3 pharmacies idra Medical and Research Cen- pharmacies to four,” he added. “Pa- tre (Sidra) has opened three tients can now get their prescriptions Spharmacies at its Outpatient from the same fl oor as where they re- Clinic, signifi cantly reducing waiting ceive care from their doctors. Coupled times for patients. with the launch of Saff ara, we have The satellite pharmacies are locat- drastically reduced wait times at the ed on two of the paediatric specialty pharmacy by nearly 75%” fl oors – on levels 1 and 2 – and one on Anish Nicholas Patel, operations level 4, where the obstetrics and wom- manager at Sidra’s Pharmacy Depart- en’s wellness clinic is based. ment, said that the needs and comfort The pharmacies off er medications Staff at Sidra Pharmacies. With four of patients are a priority. relevant to the clinics on the same pharmacies, wait times have been “These initiatives have reduced wait fl oor. reduced from up to 50 minutes to as times from up to 45-50 minutes to just Patients requiring special com- little as 10 minutes. 10-12 minutes,” he said. “The satellite pounded medications will be directed pharmacy on the fourth fl oor has won to the main pharmacy on the ground fi ciency and expediency. the praise of many of our pregnant pa- fl oor. Sidra chief operating offi cer Morag tients, who now don’t have to wait at Patients or parents can also receive Gates said: “With over 47 clinics and the general pharmacy on the ground a text message when it is their turn to services, there has been a signifi cant fl oor.” collect medication. increase in the number of patients we The Saff ara app has also allowed pa- The service is part of a new in-house care for at the Outpatient Clinic.” tients to comfortably wait in the café developed application called Saf- “This can average to nearly 2,000 or at home for their medications to be fara, which is directly connected with patients per week. Improving our pa- prepared or refi lled – all without the a patient’s electronic medical record tients’ experience is vitally important stress of having to worry that they may system – ensuring confi dentiality, ef- to us, so we increased the number of miss their turn.

PHCC team attends Liverpool conference

delegation from the Prima- tures focusing on topics including Hosted by the PHCC, the interna- ry Health Care Corporation national health strategies, diabetes, tional conference will be held in Doha A(PHCC), led by managing di- cancer, mental health, the importance under the patronage of HE the Min- rector Dr Mariam Abdul Malik, at- of physical activities in changing life- ister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mo- tended the annual primary care con- style and its impact on disease preven- hamed al-Kuwari. ference hosted by the Royal College of tion and health promotion. During the visit by the Qatar del- General Practitioners in Liverpool. In addition, it presented the latest egation, a meeting was held between The theme of the conference, which developments in the fi eld of health the Dr Abdul Malik and Terry Kemple, took place from October 12 to 14, was technology, as well as the develop- who is the head of the Royal College of Forward Together: How we lead prima- ment of workforce, ongoing education General Practitioners and the director ry care to the next level. and scientifi c research. of international projects at the college. The annual conference discussed The Qatar delegation attendance The meeting discussed existing co- the most prominent scientifi c devel- was in relation to the third Primary operation between the two organisa- opments in primary care, with more Care Conference, which will take place tions as well the developments in pri- than 46 panel discussions and lec- from November 17 to 19. mary care.

Gulf Times 8 Monday, October 16, 2017 QATAR Safari Mall’s Lexus’ new NX 300 off ers ‘sleeker and sporty exterior’

exus has announced the launch of the new NX 300 anniversary Lin the Middle East with a “sleeker and sporty exterior and sharper handling perform- ance”. Since its introduction in 2015, the Lexus NX 300, for- merly known as the NX 200t, promotion “quickly captured the hearts and minds of admirers with its combination of luxury, fresh and contemporary design, and enjoyable driving dynamics”, according to a press statement issued in Doha by Abdullah launch today Abdulghani & Bros Co, the ex- clusive distributor of Lexus in he seventh anniversary tions have also been lined up as Qatar. promotion of Safari Mall part of the celebrations.Off ers “Its sales performance has Twill be launched at the such as two egg trays (30 pieces) been stronger than even Lexus outlet in Abu Hamour, Doha, for QR10, 1,100gm chicken for anticipated, breaking sales today. QR7, 1.8-litre Areej cooking oil forecasts in all the world mar- The initiative provides a mix for QR8.75 are available. kets where it is available,” the of special off ers, collections and Similar promotions are also statement noted. The new Lexus NX 300. prizes, Safari Group has said in a off ered across other depart- Takeaki Kato, chief engineer press statement. ments and sections such as home of the Lexus NX, said: “For the output, generating exhilarating SRS airbags, Vehicle Stabil- 235hp at 4,800-5,600rpm with Safari Flavour is “one of the linen, luggage, fruits, vegetables, new NX, we made bold refi ne- acceleration for sporty driving, ity Control, Anti-lock Braking 35.7kg-m of torque from 1,650- most-awaited food festivals in fi sh, meat, frozen food, grocery, ments to the design, elevated together with exceptional fuel System, Electronic Brake Force 4,000rpm, the engine features Qatar” and is hosted every year household items, cosmetics, de- its performance and added new economy.” The NX is also avail- Distribution and Brake Assist, Torque-Demand control logic during the anniversary period As part of the anniversary cel- tergents and mobile phones. features to enhance its comfort able with features off ering both among others. to calculate required engine by the Bakery and Hot Food sec- ebrations, food outlets such as Zainul Abideen, Group di- and convenience.” driver and passengers “comfort The NX will be available in 12 torque to deliver a quick re- tion, the statement noted. Saravana Bhavan, Keerthi Res- rector and general manager of Takayuki Yoshitsugu, chief and convenience” such as a col- exterior colours. sponse and an exhilarating ac- This year, too, Safari aims to taurant, Orange Cafeteria, Mal- Safari Group, said Safari is all representative from the Middle our Head-Up Display, a mobile The entire front fascia of the celeration feel. bring to Doha diff erent kinds abar Adukkala, Masala Corner, set to “astonish loyal customers East and North Africa Repre- phone wireless charger, a dual new NX has been refreshed, Signifi cant improvements of culinary experiences – such etc, which are located in the food through a wide variety of off ers sentative Offi ce, Toyota Motor zone with the upper portion of the have also been made to the ve- as Indian, Sri Lankan, Nepa- court of Safari Mall, will be in- and discounts in all sections”. As Corporation, added: “We are air-conditioner, a unique grille and the front bumpers hicle’s suspension tuning to lese, Bangladeshi, Arabic, Fili- troducing promotions and com- part of the Diwali celebrations, very excited to announce the power reclining, a power fold- redesigned to fl uidly blend into enhance ride and handling. pino, Chinese, Pakistani, etc – bo meals at discounted rates, the Safari has arranged for a wide launch of the new NX, which ing 60:40 split rear seat, in ad- the hood and front doors, re- The most athletic NX trim through the festival. statement pointed out. variety of sweets from northern comes with a new range of en- dition to a hands-free power sulting in a sleeker overall shape level, the F SPORT, will con- More than 75 varieties of food Another major attraction dur- and southern India. hancements in design, conven- backdoor, to name a few. and excellent aerodynamics. tinue to be distinguished by its will be off ered to customers, fea- ing the anniversary is the ‘Cook Besides, diff erent types of ience and safety, along with an As with any other Lexus Also, the 2018 NX’s rear end pronounced mesh grille with turing dishes like Mutton Mala- & Win’ competition, which is combo packs are readily available added layer of meaningful lux- models, safety remains a top has received styling touches to jet-black plating and exclusive bari, Alleppey Prawns Curry, to be held on October 21 at Sa- at the Safari Hot Food and Bak- ury to express our customers’ priority for the new NX; so, it help match the sportiness of wheels that feature a bright Chettinad Chicken Curry, Goan fari Mall. The contest is open to ery section, while branded sweet unique personality.” will include the brand’s inno- the front. machined fi nish with solid Fish Curry, Beef Vindaloo, Hy- women above the age of 18 years. products such as GRB, Bikaji, The new NX’s advanced tur- vative Lexus Safety System+, Powering the NX 300 will black paint. derabad Chicken Dum Biriyani, Attractive prizes await the Ayyankar Bhavan are also avail- bocharged 235-hp, 2.0-litre in addition to a comprehensive be Lexus’ powerful and fuel- The F SPORT also features Sindhi Biriyani, Thalappakettu winners of this competition, able.In addition, diff erent types engine “combines fuel effi - array of safety features to pro- effi cient turbocharged 2.0-li- Active Sound Control to en- Chicken Dum Biriyani, Marble which will feature vegetar- of lamps are available at Safari as ciency with outstanding power tect its occupants, such as eight tre inline-4 engine. Producing hance the auditory experience. Cake, Motichur Laddu, Indian ian and non-vegetarian items, part of the festive season. sweets, Koth Porotta, Vatte- snacks, desserts and healthy Meanwhile, Safari has said its lappam, Mutton Chops, Mixed food. ‘Win 20 Toyota Camry Cars Pro- Fried Rice, Mutton Fried Rice, Those interested in partici- motion’ continues to “attract Cream Caramel, Chilli Prawns pating can get the details from huge response” from customers. Fry, Hong Kong Fried Rice, Chilli the Safari customer service and The promotion is available at Opposition to Qatar’s Unesco candidate ‘sad’ Beef, Singapore Chicken Fried submit their applications before all outlets of Safari Group and Rice, Mutton Peshawari, Dal Fry October 19. the next draw is scheduled for and others. A number of exclusive promo- November 20 at Safari Mall. t was sad to see blockading “An Egyptian delegate also countries oppose Qatar’s chanted slogans against Qatar. Icandidate HE Dr Hamad However, the representative of bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari in Qatar present at the elections the fi nal round of elections for chanted slogans in support of the Unesco Director-General’s Egypt, Qatar as well as all the Barwa Bank names monthly draw winners post, Doha-resident Junaid Arabs,” show host Saif-ur-Re- Ahmed told Qatar Urdu Ra- hman said. Barwa Bank has announced the names of the October banks in Qatar. Based on several criteria, Thara’a dio’s live show Haqeeqat yes- Haqeeqat, which aims to draw winners for Thara’a, its Shariah-compliant savings account holders are eligible for a number of periodic terday. engage and interact with the account. draws for cash prizes. Totalling QR3mn, Thara’a cash The fi nal round of elections large South Asian expatri- Sheikh Ahmad Nooh al-Thani and Seham Balawni rewards are distributed on both a monthly and bian- of Unesco Director-General’s ate community in Qatar, is a each won a cash prize of QR50,000. Also, a cash nual basis to customers holding a minimum balance post ended on Friday with vic- joint venture of Gulf Times prize worth QR25,000 was awarded to Abdulla Ali al- of QR10,000. On a monthly basis, there are seven tory by two votes for French and Qatar Media Corporation Khulaifi, Abdualla Mohamed al-Kaabi, Surya Prakash winners per draw for the cash prize of QR5,000, as candidate Audrey Azoulay Urdu Radio. It is broadcast Kanchinadham, and Reema Mohamed al-Maadeed. well as four winners per-draw for the cash prize of over Dr al-Kuwari. from Sunday to Thursday on The draw, held at the bank’s headquarters, was QR10,000. Additionally, twice-a-year there are four “Had Dr al-Kuwari won, FM107. conducted under the supervision of a representative winners per-draw for the cash prize of QR25,000, two he would have become the Log on to Qatar Urdu Radio of the Qualitative License and Market Control Depart- winners per draw for the cash prize of QR50,000, fi rst Muslim and Arab to head on Facebook and ‘@QatarUr- ment at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. and one winner per draw for the grand prize of Unesco, which would have duRadio’ on Twitter for feed- Thara’a off ers account holders the chance to benefit QR1mn, rewarding 102 winners in total with cash been a source of pride for back and comments about the Doha-resident Junaid Ahmed was a guest on Qatar Urdu Radio’s live from cash rewards up to QR1mn, a first for Islamic prizes up to QR3mn. all of us,” Ahmed observed. show. show Haqeeqat yesterday.

Mercedes-Benz GLC 2017 model recalled

The Ministry of Economy and ordinate with the dealer to Commerce (MEC), in collabo- follow up on the maintenance ration with Nasser Bin Khaled and repair works and will Automobiles, has announced communicate with custom- the recall of Mercedes-Benz ers to ensure that necessary GLC-Class model of 2017 repairs are carried out. because the coding in the The MEC has urged all ME control unit does not cor- customers to report any viola- respond to specification. tions to its Consumer Protec- The MEC said the recall tion and Anti-Commercial campaign comes within the Fraud Department through framework of its ongoing the following channels: Call eff orts to protect consumers centre: 16001, e-mail: info@ and ensure that car dealers mec.gov.qa, Twitter: @MEC_ follow up on vehicles’ defects Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar, and repair them. MEC mobile app for Android The MEC said that it will co- and IOS: MEC_Qatar

Gulf Times 10 Monday, October 16, 2017 REGION/ARAB WORLD

Trump speech violated Iran nuclear deal: Zarif US President Donald Trump’s Final assault starts on Raqqa speech outlining an aggressive new strategy against Iran vio- lated Tehran’s nuclear agreement Reuters described the civilians who left Islamic State, then known with world powers, said Foreign Ain Issa, Syria/Beirut with Islamic State fi ghters in the as Islamic State in Iraq and the Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif. convoy as human shields. Levant, had captured the city Trump’s virulent speech con- The militants had refused to in January 2014, seizing it from travened three articles of the S-backed militias release them once they left the rebel factions which had ousted 2015 deal, Zarif said in televised launched their “fi nal” city as agreed, wanting to take the Syrian army a few months remarks broadcast late on Satur- Uassault on Syria’s Raqqa them as far as their destination earlier. day. They include the require- yesterday after letting a convoy to guarantee their own safety, As the group became more ment to implement the accord of Islamic State fi ghters and he said. entrenched in Syria and Iraq “in good faith” and for the US to their families quit the city, leav- Such withdrawals of fi ghters leading up to its capture of Mo- “refrain from re-introducing or ing only a hardcore of militants along with groups of civilians sul in June that year, Raqqa be- re-imposing” sanctions related to to mount a last stand. have grown commonplace in came its most important centre, Iran’s nuclear programme. “The battle will continue Syria’s six-year war, as a way for and it celebrated its series of “I have already written nine until the whole city is clean,” besieging forces to accelerate victories with a massive parade letters (to EU foreign policy chief said a statement by the Syrian the fall of populated areas. through the city. Federica Mogherini) listing the Democratic Forces (SDF), a US- The convoy would head to the Many of its top leaders were cases where the United States backed alliance of Kurdish and remaining Islamic State terri- at times based there, and former has failed to act on or delayed its Arab militias. tory in eastern Syria, Omar Al- hostages said Mohamed Emwa- commitments under the JCPOA,” SDF spokesman Talal Selo loush of the Raqqa Civil Council zi, better known as Jihadi John, Zarif said, using the technical told Reuters that “no more than had said on Saturday. imprisoned them along with name for the nuclear deal. 200-300” foreign militants re- The agreement was brokered those he later executed, in a Mogherini helped negotiate the mained to fi ght on in the city af- by the council and tribal elders building near an oil installation nuclear deal alongside the US, ter the convoy left. “This is the to “minimise civilian casual- near the city. Britain, France, Germany, China fi nal battle,” he said. ties”, the coalition has said. The group killed dozens of and Russia. Zarif said he would Under the withdrawal deal Tribal leaders from Raqqa captured Syrian soldiers there write a new letter regarding between Islamic State and tribal said they sought to prevent in July 2014 and it was also the Trump’s speech last Friday, and elders, the militants would let bloodshed among civilians still site of a slave market for Yazidi warned of a “reciprocal measure” all other civilians trapped in trapped in the city. women captured in Iraq and if sanctions were reimposed. Raqqa have safe passage out of Children play at the ruins of a building destroyed in an air strike by coalition forces during fighting “If there are any civilians re- given to fi ghters. In his speech, Trump refused the city, he said. with Islamic State militants in Kobani, Syria. maining (in the enclave) they The coalition has said Raqqa to “certify” the nuclear deal and Selo added that he believed would be the families of those was a hub for attacks abroad, warned he would “terminate” the only a few may have remained. in retreat for two years, los- foreigners. and in November 2015, after deal unless Congress introduced Raqqa’s fall to the SDF now ing swathes of territory in both The civilians exited com- militants killed more than 130 tough new sanctions against looks imminent after four countries and forced back into pletely,” Selo said yesterday. people in Paris, France launched Iran’s missile and nuclear pro- months of battle hemmed the an ever-diminishing foothold The SDF’s decision to has- air strikes on Islamic State tar- grammes, as well as its “destabil- Islamic State militants into a along the Euphrates river valley. ten the battle’s end by allow- gets inside Raqqa. ising” activities in the Middle East. small, bomb-cratered patch of “Last night, the fi nal batch ing Islamic State fi ghters to But the group is now in disar- Zarif responded by saying: “Our the city. of fi ghters (who had agreed to leave Raqqa was at odds with ray. achievements in the field of bal- “We still expect there to be leave) left the city,” said Mostafa the stated wishes of the US-led In Syria it does not only face listics are in no way negotiable. diffi cult fi ghting,” said Colo- Bali, another SDF spokesman. coalition that backs the militias. the US-backed SDF off ensive “We live in a region into which nel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for There were confl icting ac- Dillon said it was not involved but a rival one by the Syrian hundreds of billions of dollars of the US-led international coali- counts as to how many people in the evacuation but added: army supported by Russia, Iran lethal American weapons have tion backing the SDF in the war left in the convoy. “We may not always fully agree and allied militias. poured, turning it into a gunpow- against Islamic State with air Selo said 275 Syrian mili- with our partners at times. But A Syrian military source said der storehouse...so we have the strikes and special forces. tants left along with their family we have to respect their solu- on Saturday the army had cap- right to have defensive means,” The coalition will continue to members. tions.” tured the city of Al-Mayadin he said. Meanwhile, Iran’s Atomic operate on the basis that civil- Laila Mostafa, head of the In August, the coalition spent in the Euphrates valley, leaving Energy Organisation chief Ali Ak- ians remain in Raqqa, he said. Raqqa Civil Council formed un- Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces visit the graves of their late weeks preventing a convoy of Islamic State only a few more bar Salehi said the country would Raqqa was the fi rst big Syr- der SDF auspices to oversee the comrades at a cemetery for those killed during the battle with Islamic State evacuees from an towns and villages, and sur- no longer abide by the Additional ian city that Islamic State seized city, said that fi gure included Islamic State militants in Kobani. enclave on the Syrian-Lebanon rounding desert territory, in Protocol of the Non-Proliferation as it declared a “caliphate” and both the fi ghters and their fam- border from reaching militant Syria. Treaty if the nuclear deal fell rampaged through Syria and ily members. coalition estimated that about tracking, had given biometric territory in eastern Syria. But the battle for Raqqa has apart. The protocol allows unan- Iraq in 2014, becoming an oper- In a statement, she denied 300-400 fi ghters were still data including fi ngerprints, Dil- The SDF launched the bat- come at great cost to its people. nounced inspections by the ations centre for attacks abroad an earlier comment by another holed up in the Islamic State lon said. tle for Raqqa on June 6 after a Intense coalition air strikes UN watchdog, the International and the stage for some of its council member that some for- enclave. The convoy was still in ter- months-long campaign to iso- and the months of street-to- Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). darkest atrocities. eign fi ghters had left in the con- Fighters who left in the con- ritory held by the SDF yester- late the city against the north street fi ghting have pulverised But Islamic State has been voy. Before the evacuation, the voy, which the coalition is day morning, Selo said. Bali bank of the Euphrates. much of the city. Kurds block Iraqi forces’ access to Kirkuk oil fi elds

Reuters defend Kurdish-held terri- Baghdad tory in case of an attack. Iraqi paramilitary groups backing the government in urdish Peshmerga Baghdad had warned the fi ghters rejected a Peshmerga to leave a posi- Kwarning from an tion north of the Maktab Iraqi paramilitary force to Khalid junction by mid- withdraw from a strategic night Saturday, a KRG se- junction south of Kirkuk, curity offi cial said. which controls access to The Kurdish position some of the region’s main north of the junction con- oilfi elds, a Kurdish security trols the access to an im- offi cial said yesterday. portant airbase and Bai Iran meanwhile shut its Hassan, one of the region’s border crossings with Iraq’s main oil fi elds, the KRG of- Kurdistan in support of fi cial said. measures taken by the Iraqi Ali al-Hussaini, a spokes- government to isolate the man for the paramilitary Kurdish region, the Iraqi groups known as Popular foreign ministry said. Iraqi forces drive towards Kurdish Peshmerga positions Mobilisation, did not give The border closing came yesterday, on the southern outskirts of Kirkuk. indications about their next as an Iranian military offi - move following the Kurds cial arrived in Iraq’s Kurdis- long-running Kurdish in- statement, published af- rejection of the warning.”We tan for talks on the growing surgency. ter a meeting in Baghdad, are waiting for new orders,” crisis between the Kurdish The top Kurdish leader- chaired by Prime Minister he told Reuters. authorities and the Iraqi ship met yesterday to dis- Haider al-Abadi and at- There were no clashes government following last cuss the crisis and rejected tended by top military and reported 21 hours after the month’s Kurdish independ- the Iraqi government’s de- security commanders, the deadline but tension re- ence referendum. mand that it cancels the government said it would mained high with both The Baghdad central outcome of the independ- seek to impose its authority sides mobilised. government has taken a se- ence referendum as a pre- over Kirkuk and other dis- Iranian Major General ries of steps to isolate the condition for talks to re- puted areas. Qassem Soleimani arrived autonomous Kurdish region solve the dispute. A spokesman for KRG on Saturday in the Kurdis- since its vote for independ- The vote delivered an President Massoud Barzani, tan region to hold talks ence, including banning in- overwhelming ‘Yes’ for in- Vahal Ali, denied the Iraqi about the crisis. ternational fl ights. dependence. government claims about He is the commander of Baghdad’s tough line, The Iraqi government the PKK. “This is false, foreign operations for Iran’s ruling out talks sought by in a statement accused the there are no PKK in Kirkuk, elite Revolutionary Guards the Kurds unless they re- Kurdistan Regional Gov- only Peshmerga,” he told who provide training and nounce the breakaway ernment (KRG) of bring- Reuters, referring to KRG guns to Popular Mobilisa- move, is backed by neigh- ing fi ghters from Turkey’s military forces. tion The city of Kirkuk, the bours Turkey and Iran — separatist Kurdistan Work- The Kurdish leadership airbase and their immediate both with their own size- ers Party (PKK) to Kirkuk, meeting, attended by Bar- surroundings, including the able Kurdish minorities, describing the move as a zani, rejected the Iraqi “mil- oilfi elds, are under Kurdish and in Turkey’s case, a “declaration of war”.In the itary threats” and pledged to control.

SUPPORT CONFLICT US launches $10mn water project in West Bank Classrooms in The US government yesterday launched a $10mn project to improve access to wastewa- Yemen shuttered ter treatment and water for Palestinian farmers in the Jericho area of the occupied West on first day of school Bank. A top aide to US President Donald Trump, Jason Greenblatt, was among off icials launching the project in the historic city near the Dead Sea. Greenblatt has been among Classrooms in Yemen’s capital Trump’s aides seeking to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. US off icials have spoken of and rebel-held north remained improving the Palestinian economy and infrastructure as part of their eff orts. At yester- largely empty on the first official day’s event, Greenblatt did not comment on White House peace eff orts, which have been day of school yesterday, as war, met with heavy scepticism from many analysts. He also did not speak about a unity deal hunger and an economic col- signed last week between Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas aimed at ending their lapse leave millions struggling decade-long division. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah is in power in the West to survive. “The future of 4.5mn Bank, while Hamas runs the Gaza Strip. The project announced yesterday aims to increase students hangs in the balance,” the number of homes connected to the Jericho area’s wastewater treatment plant previ- Rajat Madhok, spokesman of the ously built with Japanese assistance by about 10,000 residents. That would leave some UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) in 70% of Jericho residents connected, according to the US consulate in Jerusalem. Yemen, said. Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 11 AFRICA Deadly Somalia blast toll tops 231

DPA/AFP turned from abroad, government Mogadishu workers and journalists. Before detonating the truck he was driving, the suicide bomber he residents of Mogadishu had raced along a Mogadishu were yesterday mourning street at high speed, rolling over Tthe deadliest single attack motorcycles and cars and shunt- in the history of Somalia after a ing some vehicles stuck in traffi c. suicide bomber killed at least 231 Security forces had opened fi re people when he detonated in a on the truck but were unsuccess- truck at a busy intersection in the ful in their attempt to shoot the Somali capital. driver. Senior police offi cer Ali Hassan Somali President Mohamed Kulmiye confi rmed the death toll Abdullahi Mohamed called the from Saturday’s attack to DPA, attack a national tragedy. with Madina Hospital director In comments carried by state- Mohamed Yusuf counting 221 run radio, the president called A man and woman look at the damages on the site of the explosion of a truck bomb in the centre of Mogadishu late on Saturday. people killed and offi cials at Er- on the public to help the victims degon Hospital counting another by giving blood and announced “The death toll could be higher wrote Senator Abshir Ahmed, area at the time of the blast, with “This shows how these vio- destroyed, saying he believed 10 victims from the blast. three days of mourning as thou- because there are more than 300 saying the hospital chief had told police saying it was diffi cult to lent elements are ruthlessly and there were still bodies under the The death toll jumped after sands of people took to the city’s wounded, some of them serious- them 130 of the bodies had been get a precise number of victims indiscriminately targeting in- rubble. dozens of bodies were recovered streets to visit local hospitals and ly,” he said, describing it as “the “burned beyond recognition.” because the bodies had been nocent people who were busy Meanwhile, the National Un- from the rubble and some of look for their loved ones who deadliest attack ever.” “This is the most painful inci- taken to diff erent medical centres minding their own business.” ion of Somali Journalists said a those wounded died of the inju- were still missing. Rescuers worked through the dent I can remember.” while others had been taken di- Although the Safari Hotel freelance cameraman, Ali Nur ries they sustained in the blast. No group has claimed respon- night to try to pull bodies from Mogadishu’s mayor Tabid rectly by their relatives for burial. was popular, it was not one fre- Siyaad, had been killed and four The number of dead is expect- sibility for the attack, but Somali the rubble after the truck bomb Abdi Mohamed also visited those Security offi cial Abdukadir quented by government offi cials other journalists wounded in the ed to rise as several other hospi- Information Minister Abdirah- exploded outside of the Safari wounded in the blast, saying he Muktar earlier said hundreds of — which have often been targeted explosion. tals provide medical treatment man Yarisow said the govern- Hotel on a busy road junction, lacked words to describe what he people had been either wounded by Shabaab militants. The Shebaab was forced out of for the bombing victims. ment believes it was carried out levelling buildings and leaving had seen. or killed in the blast, saying that In any case, the devastation the capital six years ago by Af- The explosion occurred at a by Shebaab, a militant group af- many vehicles in fl ames. “What I have seen at the hos- it went off at “a densely-popu- caused was widespread. rican Union and Somali troops, major city intersection normally fi liated with the Al Qaeda terror- In a posting on Facebook, the pitals I have visited is unspeak- lated intersection, so you can im- Muhidin Ali, a Mogadishu resi- and subsequently lost control of packed with cars, buses and taxis, ist network. deputy speaker of the Somali able,” he said, calling on everyone agine the magnitude of casualties dent who was close by at the time major towns across southern So- where hotels, stores, restaurants “We are getting diff erent num- Senate suggested there was evi- to help in the rescue eff orts. it could cause.” said it was, “the biggest blast I malia. and government buildings cater bers in terms of the casualty from dence the toll could be well over “There is no tragedy worse “Today’s incident was a horri- have ever witnessed, it destroyed However, the militants con- to locals. the medical centres, but we have 200. than when someone comes to the ble attack carried out by Shebaab the whole area.” tinue to control rural areas and The nearby Safari hotel is confi rmed so far 137 (dead), most “We visited Medina hospital dead body of their relative and against innocent civilians that “We did not sleep last night launch attacks on military, gov- thought to have been a possible of them burned beyond recogni- where the director told us that cannot recognise them.” was not aimed at specifi c Somali and worked with rescue workers,” ernment and civilian targets in target in the attack for off ering tion, police offi cial Ibrahim Mo- 218 dead bodies were admitted Security offi cials said hun- government targets,” President said Abdirisak Mohamed, one of Somalia, as well as terrorist raids accommodation to Somalis re- hamed told AFP. the hospital since yesterday,” dreds of people had been in the Mohamed said. the owners of a building that was in neighbouring Kenya. Fitness regimen DR Congo struggles to set election dates

AFP Commission (CENI) and the Na- The electoral commission said Kinshasa tional Monitoring Council of the last Wednesday it would need Agreement (CNSA), the com- another 504 days to prepare for mission’s rapporteur told AFP. the vote after the completion of uthorities in the Demo- an electoral census, which is far cratic Republic of Congo The international from done in the restive Kasai Amet over the weekend to community has strongly region. address when the next presiden- urged that the timetable be “We need $1.335bn, including tial election will be held after the released, with the United $400mn for revising the regis- country’s electoral commission Nations saying the silence ter,” Kambala told AFP. announced there will be no vote has created “tensions and a The opposition Rassemble- before early 2019. climate of uncertainty” ment (Unity) coalition boycotted Beset by ethnic divisions, nu- the three-way meeting launched merous political tensions and “On Wednesday, we will end by Prime Minister Bruno Tshi- bloody fi ghting in its east, the de- the meeting and the electoral bala. lay has raised fresh security wor- commission will tell you when it Opposition leader Felix Tsh- ries in the vast African nation. will publish the timetable,” said isekedi said on Thursday that Elections were supposed to rapporteur Jean-Pierre Kambala. Kabila and the electoral com- occur this year under a transi- He said it could be a matter of mission had “declared war on the tional deal aimed at avoiding days before a timetable is made Congolese people” by delaying fresh political bloodshed after public. elections until 2019. President Joseph Kabila refused For weeks Congolese offi cials The 2017 election deadline to step down when his second have been saying that a timetable was set by a hard-won accord and fi nal term ended in Decem- announcement is imminent. brokered by the Catholic Church Grannies pose for a group photograph with their trainer after taking part in boxing lessons in an attempt to battle old age with ber 2016. The international community on last New Year’s Eve, and sup- exercise at Cosmo city outside Johannesburg. A new timetable for the elec- has strongly urged that the time- porters hoped it would usher in tion will not be announced at table be released, with the United the chance of a violence-free, the end of the three-way meet- Nations saying the silence has democratic transition in one of ing between the government, the created “tensions and a climate the world’s most restive coun- Independent National Electoral of uncertainty”. tries. South Africa to restock Small Niger town calls for release Chad with black rhinos of abducted US aid worker

By Ed Stoddard South Africa’s environment ministry said in range in the face of relentless poaching. AFP his home in Abalak in the Tah- back with us,” the statement said. Johannesburg a statement. The move comes against the backdrop of Niamey oua region of Niger, about 350km “Whatever happens, Jeff ery A date for the relocation has not been set an unfolding rhino poaching crisis in South from the capital, Niamey. Woodke remains one of our he- yet. Africa, home to most of the world’s popula- According to local offi cials, roes”. The aid worker — who outh Africa will relocate six endan- The rhinos’ destination will be Zakouma tion of the bulky creatures. small central city in Niger “two armed men in turbans” speaks the local language Tama- gered black rhinos to Chad where the National Park in the southeast of Chad, an The number of rhinos poached for their yesterday called for the stormed in and grabbed him, kill- sheq fl uently as well as Fula and Sanimal was hunted to local extinction impoverished oil-producer. horns in South Africa fell 10% in 2016 to A“unconditional release” ing his bodyguard and a member Arabic — had run the aid group decades ago, the environment ministry in Found just south of the Sahara Desert, 1,054, the second straight year of decline of a longtime US aid worker ab- of the national guard. JEMET since 1992, helping the Pretoria said. Zakouma is home to a recovering elephant according to government data, but conser- ducted in 2016, whose fate is un- His fate remains unknown and local Tuareg community. If the experiment is successful, the central population of several hundred and is man- vationists say the levels remain alarming. known a year later. his kidnappers have still not been Militants, including those of African nation will host the most northerly aged by the African Parks Foundation, a Rhino poaching rates in South Africa had “We demand the uncondition- identifi ed. the Islamic State, have estab- wild population of black rhinos in Africa. conservation NGO. surged from 83 in 2008 to a record 1,215 in al and immediate release of Jef- But Niamey suspects the Al lished a presence in southwest- This could pave the way for the species to Africa has two rhino species of which the 2014 to meet red-hot demand in newly- fery Woodke,” a statement from Qaeda linked Movement for ern Niger near the border with be reintroduced to other parts of its former white rhino is the larger and more numerous affl uent Asian countries such as Vietnam, the residents of Abalak read on Oneness and Jihad in West Af- Mali — where they have carried continental range from which it was exter- of the two. where the horn is prized as a key ingredient national television said. rica (MUJAO), of being behind out a wave of bloody bombings, minated due to poaching. The black rhino is famed for its ornery in traditional medicines. “Those who abducted him did the kidnapping and believes the shootings and kidnappings. “A team of experts from South Africa will disposition and is far more apt to charge at South Africa has more than 80% of the not kidnap an American, but one American is being held in Mali. On October 4, four US soldiers visit Chad to assess the habitat, security any perceived threat. world’s rhino population with about 18,000 of us,” the statement read. “Our thoughts are with Jef- and at least four Nigerien troops and management suitability and associated Black rhinos have not roamed Chad white rhinos and close to 2,000 black rhi- Woodke, reportedly in his 50s, fery’s wife and two children: we were killed in the area in an am- ecological parameters as well as infrastruc- since the early 1970s and the species has nos, which is why it has been at the frontline was seized at gunpoint on the share in your grief, we share in bush thought to be carried out by tural readiness prior to the translocation,” been eliminated from much of its original of the horn poaching crisis. evening of October 14, 2016 from your hope that one day he will be a regional affi liate of the IS group. Gulf Times 12 Monday, October 16, 2017 AMERICAS

Drone hit Canadian Against the tide airliner: minister

AFP minister, a former astronaut. Montreal The aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew, was struck on its right wing at an Canadian passenger altitude of about 500 yards plane landed safely after and roughly 3km from the air- Ait was hit by a drone in port, according to Le Journal de the fi rst case of its kind in the Quebec newspaper. country, a cabinet minister said Garneau reminded drone yesterday. operators that anyone convict- With increasing numbers ed of endangering the safety of unmanned aerial devices of an aircraft could face fi nes in the skies, collisions are still up to 25,000 Canadian dollars rare, but authorities around ($20,051), prison, or both. the world are looking at ways to Canadian regulations for- keep jetliners out of harm’s way. bid recreational drone fl ights The Canadian incident hap- above 98 yards and less than pened last Thursday when a 5km from an airport. drone collided with a domestic But Garneau said this year Skyjet plane approaching Jean- there have been 131 drone inci- Lesage International Airport in dents “of aviation safety con- Quebec City, Transport Min- cern.” ister Marc Garneau said in a The International Air Trans- statement. port Association (IATA), which “This is the fi rst time a drone sets global standards for the has hit a commercial aircraft aviation industry, counted in Canada and I am extremely 856 cases worldwide between relieved that the aircraft only January 2013 and August 2015 sustained minor damage and of a drone getting too close to a was able to land safely,” said the plane for comfort.

Happy Death Day A boy at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. crushes Blade Runner

Agencies rected the fi lm based on a script Los Angeles by Scott Lobdell. Earlier this year in January, Blumhouse’s Split opened to Blue skies give hope to appy Death Day has a monster $40mn in January, cause for celebration. and went on to earn $278.3mn HThe latest from Blum- worldwide. house and Universal is leading Then, the next month, Get the box offi ce this weekend Out was a smash hit as well with $26.5mn from 3,149 loca- with a $33.4mn opening and tions. $253.1mn in global grosses by California fi refi ghters That puts it far ahead of the end of its run. Blade Runner 2049, which is The production house is Two of three blazes have been have consumed more than 217,000 acres. winds drove the fi re faster than they could skidding to $15.1mn during its also responsible for the hugely contained There were cautious words of relief as fl ee. second weekend at 4,058 loca- profi table Purge and Paranor- fi refi ghters gained control of two of the With 235 people still missing on Saturday tions, down 54% from its dis- mal Activity franchises. Reuters deadliest fi res overnight in wine country’s in Sonoma County alone and rubble from appointing opening weekend. Otherwise, The Foreigner — a Santa Rosa, California Napa and Sonoma counties: The Tubbs fi re thousands of incinerated dwellings yet to A horror spin on Groundhog US-China co-production be- was 60% contained and the and Atlas fi re be searched, authorities expect the death Day, Happy Death Day cen- tween STXfi lms, Sparkle Roll 56% contained, the California Department toll to climb. About 75,000 people remain tres on Tree Gelbman (Jessica Media, and Wanda — is opening limpses of blue skies gave hope yes- of Forestry and Fire Protection said in its displaced. Rothe) as a woman who wakes to $12.8mn from 2,515 locations. terday to fi refi ghters battling the Sunday morning advisory. The fi res have damaged or destroyed up to the same day — her birth- The Jackie Chan-starrer Gdeadliest wildfi res in California his- But barely a third of the Redwood Val- about 5,700 structures. day — every day, and is mur- started its international rollout tory, which have killed at least 40 people ley fi re, which alone is responsible for eight California Governor Jerry Brown, who dered every time. on September 30, and has tal- and reduced whole neighbourhoods in the Houses destroyed by the Tubbs Fire near deaths in nearby Mendocino county, was toured the Santa Rosa devastation on Sat- Christopher B Landon di- lied $88mn overseas so far. state’s wine country to ash. Fountaingrove Parkway in Santa Rosa. extinguished. urday, called it “truly one of the greatest Two of the three deadliest blazes were CalFire said yesterday that fi refi ghters tragedies” to ever befall the state. more than half contained by yesterday, grounds, where he had spent the previous had “made good progress towards the con- At least a dozen Napa Valley and Sono- making it safe enough for law enforcement four days with only smoke and smog over- tainment” of the deadly blazes. ma County wineries were damaged or de- to begin inspecting some evacuated areas in head. “I haven’t seen a blue sky since this The weather was helping somewhat: stroyed, throwing the state’s wine industry hard-hit Sonoma County, according to the whole thing started.” Strong winds that had fanned fl ames had and related tourism into disarray. Kuczynski’s rating county sheriff ’s offi ce. Some at the raceway evacuation centre largely died down, but dry gusts would still Firefi ghters from Oregon, Washington, Only after those inspections were com- hoped to return to their homes yesterday. whip up in the area on Sunday, the National Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah are plete would they begin to decide when it But the fast-moving fi res north of San Weather Service said. No rain was forecast helping battle the blazes. bounces back in Peru would be safe for residents whose homes Francisco remained a danger, with thou- to fall on the fi res until Wednesday or later. Cal Fire estimated the fi res would be were not among the 5,700 structures de- sands more people ordered to leave their The 40 confi rmed fatalities, including 22 contained by October 20. stroyed by more than a dozen separate homes on Saturday as the death toll crept in Sonoma County, make the fi res Califor- The year’s wildfi re season is one of the Reuters helped Kuczynski’s approval wildfi res, which ignited a week ago and upward. nia’s deadliest since recordkeeping began, worst in the country’s history, with nearly Lima rating recover this month, have since consumed an area larger than Hundreds of people remain unaccounted surpassing the 29 deaths from the Griffi th 8.6mn acres burned as of October 13, ac- Ipsos Peru director Alfredo New York City. for, and entire neighbourhoods have been Park fi re of 1933 in Los Angeles. cording to the National Interagency Fire Torres wrote in a column in the “The skies are blue,” Don Martini, a turned to ashes. Some victims were asleep when fl ames Center. eruvian President Pedro El Comercio newspaper, which 69-year-old retired carpenter, said after Some 11,000 fi refi ghters supported by engulfed their homes. The worst on record for the same period Pablo Kuczynski’s ap- published the poll yesterday. waking up at the Sonoma Raceway camp- air tankers and helicopters battled fi res that Others were unable to escape as 80kph in a year was 9.3mn acres in 2015. Pproval rating rose eight The poll of 1,288 people was points to 30% this month after taken between October 11 and tensions with the opposition- 13, after Peru tied Colombia ruled Congress subsided and and hung onto hopes of quali- the national soccer team kept fying for the World Cup for the World Cup qualifying hopes fi rst time since 1982. alive, an Ipsos poll showed. The poll has a margin of er- Venezuelans vote in regional polls Kuczynski’s approval rating ror of 2.7 percentage points. had dropped to a low of 22 % in Kuczynski, a 79-year-old an Ipsos poll last month, when former Wall Street banker, AFP a Constituent Assembly packed Congress ousted his cabinet took offi ce in July of 2016 with Caracas with his own allies and wrest- in the worst political crisis of promises to modernise Peru ing legislative power from the his 14-month-old centre- and strengthen its economy. opposition-dominated national right government. It had been But his fi rst year in offi ce enezuelans headed to the assembly. around 30% in the months be- has been marked by slowing polls yesterday in regional For Maduro, the polls are an fore the crisis. growth and clashes with Con- Velections seen as a crucial opportunity to counter allega- The formation of a new gress, where the right-wing test for President Nicolas Madu- tions of dictatorship at home cabinet and high spirits in Peru party of his defeated electoral ro and the opposition alike after and abroad levelled at him after thanks to the national soc- rival Keiko Fujimori controls a months of deadly street protests forming the Constituent Assem- cer team’s performance likely majority of seats. failed to unseat him. bly. Public opinion surveys pre- Maduro signaled this week dicted that the opposition would that the election would eff ective- win a majority of state governor- ly be a vote in support of the as- ships despite alleged government sembly, forcing even its staunch- eff orts to suppress a high turnout est critics in the opposition to through last minute changes in recognise it. voting places and other tactics. He said governors-elect would An estimated 18mn people have to be “sworn-in and sub- are eligible to elect governors to ordinate themselves” to the As- four-year terms in 23 states. sembly, on pain of dismissal. “This country either changes But the opposition coalition dis- or ends up sinking,” 63-year-old People queue at a polling station in San Cristobal, in Tachira State, during regional elections in Venezuela. missed this. Mary Delgado told AFP as she “We are in a fi ght for democ- cast her ballot in a school in east- in the 2015 legislative elections. blown economic, humanitarian, bian border towns has been rising racy. This process is not called by ern Caracas, one of some 13,500 The MUD called Saturday on and political crisis with no end sharply as the crisis in Venezuela the Constituent Assembly, nor voting stations across the coun- Maduro to immediately expel in sight”, the Fund said in a report intensifi es.” Maduro, it is called by the Vene- try. “Nicaraguan advisers” who it on Latin American economies. International powers accuse zuelan people and by mandate of In Maracaibo, eastern Vene- said were brought to Venezuela to The country’s economy will Maduro of dismantling democ- the constitution,” Gerardo Blyde, zuela, Chavez supporter Carmen carry out electoral fraud, notably have contracted by 35% by the racy by taking over state institu- the opposition campaign chief, de Guillen, 52, went out to vote by abruptly changing the loca- end of this year from 2014, and tions in the wake of an economic said. because she believes the govern- tion of polling places. the Fund says the country is collapse caused by a fall in the Even if his socialist party ment favours “inclusion”, and “If the vote were to be free headed toward hyperinfl ation, price of oil, its main source of suff ers heavily at the polls, the “cares about the poorest people”. and fair, the MUD would likely when prices soar uncontrollably revenue. elections could still provide a Maduro appealed for voters to win between 18 and 21 states,” every day for a long period. It said The polls are the fi rst contested boost for Maduro, analysts sug- turn in numbers, to “demonstrate an analysis by the Eurasia Group shortages are taking a huge toll by the opposition since the leg- gested. that Venezuela has an exemplary said. on the Venezuelan people. islative elections which gave it a “Though the government will and vigorous democracy”. Yesterday’s vote comes against “The main risk to the region majority in the assembly. But the probably fi nd a way to diminish But the opposition Demo- the backdrop of an International relates to the humanitarian crisis MUD fi nds itself having to lift its the importance of the results, it cratic Union Roundtable (MUD) Monetary Fund report in which and ensuing migration of Ven- own discouraged support base. will initially recognise the out- coalition has cried foul over it sees no end to the economic ezuelans to neighbouring coun- They have seen Maduro’s come as it seeks to revive stalled changes to the locations of 274 downturn and suff ering of the tries,” it said. hand strengthened after he faced talks with the opposition and polling stations in 16 states from population. “The number of Venezuelans down four months of protests stave off additional sanctions,” areas where they polled strongly Venezuela “remains in a full- arriving in Brazilian and Colom- that killed 125 people, forming the Eurasia analysis said. Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 13 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA Cambodia’s political prince submits to its strongman

Reuters fi ed Cambodia’s main opposi- riddh said, using the prime min- Kem Sokha last month. Along- who recently fl ed to exile in fear sidelined his son as a co-prime between English and Khmer with Phnom Penh tion party with a call for it to be ister’s formal title. “According side the government, Funcinpec of arrest. “Now, he is robbing his minister. Ranariddh was driven a peppering of French. “We are dissolved after its leader was to the law you are not allowed to has sought a ban on the CNRP people of their right to choose into exile in 1997 after his forces not puppets,” Ranariddh said be- charged with treason. harm national unity,” the white because of the arrest. the leader of their choice by col- were defeated by those of Hun side a huge portrait of his father. ith Cambodia’s oppo- Ranariddh’s career exemplifi es haired Ranariddh told Reuters on Kem Sokha and his party dis- laborating with the CPP in the Sen in bloody clashes in Phnom “We are defi nitely not an opposi- sition warning of the not only the swings in Cambodi- Saturday. Beside him, four aides miss the charges against him as dissolution of the CNRP.” Penh. After international pres- tion party but we don’t always, Wimminent death of its an politics, but also the way Hun nodded and pressed together bogus and an attempt to extend Ranariddh was summoned to sure, Ranariddh was allowed to always, always say ‘yes, yes, yes, democracy, the historic rival who Sen, 65, has used force and cun- their palms in deferential em- Hun Sen’s 32-year rule at the politics from his post as a French contest elections a year after, but yes, yes’. We can say ‘no’.” once beat Prime Minister Hun ning to neutralise enemies since phasis. head of the Cambodian Peo- law lecturer by his wily father, never again came close to win- Although the United States Sen in an election said there was defecting from the genocidal Ranariddh’s royalist Func- ple’s Party (CPP) amid the big- the late King Norodom Siha- ning and entered on and off alli- and other Western countries no option but to work with the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s to help inpec party won no parliamen- gest crackdown on critics of the nouk. With royalist sentiment ances with Hun Sen. helped secure Ranariddh’s return strongman. drive it from power. tary seats in 2013 elections, but prime minister in years. strong, Ranariddh beat Hun Sen Splits in the party followed to Cambodia in the 1990s, he Seventy three year-old Prince “Samdech Hun Sen, you want would be allocated most of those “The prince failed his peo- in the 1993 election organised and after a spell overseas fol- dismissed their criticism of Kem Norodom Ranariddh, Hun Sen’s or you don’t want, you like him held by the Cambodia National ple when he had the mandate to by the United Nations. But when lowing accusations of fi nancial Sokha’s arrest and calls on the opponent in UN-supervised or you don’t like him, he brings Rescue Party (CNRP) if it is dis- bring real peace,” said Mu So- Hun Sen threatened a return to scandal, Ranariddh returned in government to stop moves to ban elections in 1993, has horri- about this national unity,” Rana- solved after the arrest of leader chua, a deputy to Kem Sokha war, Sihanouk did a deal that 2015. As he speaks, he switches the CNRP. Xi to tighten grip on

A 2012 file picture shows a general view of delegates attending the opening of the 18th Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of power at party meet the People in Beijing. AFP Five things to know about Communist congress Beijing China’s Communist Party 2022, especially since no one hinese leader Xi Jinping opens its 19th National Con- has emerged as a clear front- is expected to tighten his gress on Wednesday, a twice- runner to succeed him. In late Cgrip on power at a Com- a-decade political meeting to September, former Politburo munist Party conclave this week, reshuffle leadership positions. member and Chongqing party cementing his stature as the Here are five questions and secretary Sun Zhengcai, once country’s most dominant ruler in answers regarding the opaque seen as a strong contender for decades. selection process: a leadership job, was expelled The fi ve-yearly congress, from the Communist ranks which opens Wednesday, will What’s the meeting about? after being swept up in Xi’s give Xi an opportunity to enhance China’s Communist Party has anti-graft campaign. Chen his control over the world’s sec- held 18 congresses to fill its Miner, who took over Sun’s ond largest economy by stacking leadership ranks since 1921. The job in Chongqing and served the halls of power with loyalists. party, which has held absolute as Xi’s propaganda chief in The 64-year-old supremo power since 1949, organises Zhejiang province in the early will undoubtedly be granted the the meetings every five years. 2000s, could now get a spot in customary second term as gen- This year, 2,287 delegates the higher echelons of power. eral secretary of the Communist from across the country will He is 57. Another contender is Party, but analysts will watch for descend on Beijing in a highly Hu Chunhua, 54, the top official signs that he may try to hang on choreographed event to pick of the prosperous southern beyond 2022. members of the 205-person province of Guangdong. Xi’s clout has drawn parallels Central Committee. The com- with Mao Zedong, modern Chi- mittee will name the line-up of Will Xi reign supreme? na’s founder, and Deng Xiaoping, the country’s anti-graft watch- Analysts expect Xi to consoli- who spearheaded economic re- dog, the Central Commission date his power at the congress, forms as paramount leader from for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). confirming his stature as the late 1970s to early 1990s. It will also select members for China’s most powerful ruler “We can basically describe the 25-person Politburo and its since Deng Xiaoping or even there as being three eras: The era all-powerful Standing Com- Mao Zedong. One strong indi- when Mao was in power, Deng mittee – the country’s highest cator of his elevation into this Xiaoping’s era, and now the 19th leadership body comprising exclusive pantheon of Chinese Party congress is in some sense just seven people. The Stand- leaders would be if his name is the complete opening of the Xi Portraits of Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and late communist leader Mao Zedong at a market in Beijing. ing Committee will be unveiled added to the party’s constitu- Jinping era,” Chinese political at the end of the congress, tion. Each Chinese leader since expert Chen Daoyin told AFP. the Chinese market. He has even of other titles, including “core” above the rules and also create head Sun Zhengcai, was kicked which usually lasts about a Mao has had one of his per- During his fi rst term, Xi has managed to build a rapport with leader, earning him the nickname a precedent for him to remain in out of the party in September week. At the very top, President sonal political philosophies or already accumulated titles, nur- Donald Trump, who has called Xi “Chairman of everything”. One charge of the CCP even after he after being ensnared in the anti- Xi Jinping is expected to cruise ideas codified in the constitu- tured a cult of personality and a “friend”, visiting the US leader clear signal that the age of Xi has himself turns 69 in 2022. corruption drive. to a second, five-year term tion. Jiang’s “Three Represents” launched crackdowns on activ- at his Florida resort and inviting begun is if he is able to fi ll the new “The results of the party con- The city’s new chief, Chen as general secretary of the and Hu’s “Scientific Outlook ists. him to Beijing after the congress Politburo Standing Committee gress will show us just how pow- Miner, is a Xi ally and could be party, like his two immediate on Development” were both Notably, the government let in November despite diff erences with his allies. erful Xi has become,” said Carly seen as a contender if he ascends predecessors, Hu Jintao and written into the document, the country’s most prominent over trade and how to handle Five members of the seven- Ramsey, an associate director to the party’s higher echelons. Jiang Zemin. but without their names. Only dissident, Nobel laureate Liu North Korea. person council that rules over at global consultancy Control Another name to watch is Hu two philosophies have names Xiaobo, die of cancer in custody All of it has been backstopped China are set to step down in Risks. Chunhua, 54, the top offi cial of Will a successor to Xi attached to them in the Com- in July. Party offi cials, including by a buildup of military mus- line with an unoffi cial retirement “Regardless of the motiva- the prosperous southern prov- emerge? munist commandments: “Mao potential rivals, have fallen under cle, as the leader has revamped age of 68, leaving only Xi and tion,” she said, “Xi risks weak- ince of Guangdong. Pekinolo- China’s constitution limits the Zedong Thought” and “Deng his sweeping campaign against the People’s Liberation Army, 62-year-old Premier Li Keqiang. ening the crucial foundations of gists are also waiting to see if Xi’s president and premier to two Xiaoping Theory”. The official corruption, and he has reshuffl ed opened the country’s fi rst over- But Xi may break with con- China’s success and stability by name is added to the constitution five-year terms, but there are Xinhua news agency said last the military leadership. seas base in the Horn of Africa vention and lobby to retain his undermining key (Communist alongside his political “thought” no rules for the duration of month that the constitution will On the global stage, Xi has and aggressively asserted claims 69-year-old right-hand man Party) norms, namely placing — an honour bestowed only on party jobs — where the real be amended during the con- used China’s economic might to the disputed South China Sea. Wang Qishan, the mastermind of elite cohesion and pragmatism Mao and Deng before him. power lies — except a ban on gress to “reflect the new gov- to bring more countries into the In addition to general secre- the massive anti-graft campaign above ideology.” To Bill Bishop, Washington- “lifelong tenure”. ernance concepts, thoughts Asian giant’s orbit. While he has tary, Xi also has the traditional that has toppled a number of Xi’s Xi may also use the occasion based author of the Sinocism This has heightened specula- and strategies” developed by championed globalisation, the jobs of president and chairman of potential rivals. of the congress to designate an China Newsletter, “that would be tion that Xi may try to stay in the Central Committee since United States and Europe still the central military commission. If Wang stays on the commit- heir apparent. One potential suc- a sign that he has really joined the power in some capacity after the last meeting five years ago. complain of huge hurdles to enter Unusually, he has added a slew tee, it would suggest that Xi is cessor, former Chongqing city pantheon”.

Hundreds march in Sydney East Timor and ahead of PNG camp closure All set for final goodbye Australia agree draft maritime Hundreds of protest- like Nauru, a prison island.” ers marched through Behrouz Boochani, a Kurd- border treaty Sydney yesterday to call ish journalist detained on for detainees, being held Manus, said in a Facebook Australia and East Timor have in controversial centres post on Friday that the drawn up a draft treaty setting for asylum-seekers on detainees do not want to out their maritime borders, remote Pacific islands, to be be resettled in PNG as they aiming to end a bitter dispute allowed to stay in Australia cannot work or provide over lucrative oil and gas fields, as a resettlement deadline for their families there and off icials said yesterday. “Timor approaches. they do not feel safe. Leste and Australia have reached Canberra’s hardline im- The off ice of Australia’s agreement on the complete text migration policy requires immigration minister, of a draft treaty” in confidential asylum-seekers intercept- Peter Dutton, could not be talks in The Hague over the past ed at sea to be sent for immediately reached for week, the Permanent Court of processing to two remote a comment. Former US Arbitration said in a statement. It Pacific locations – one President Barack Obama “delimits the maritime boundary on Papua New Guinea’s late last year agreed to between them in the Timor Sea (PNG’s) Manus Island resettle up to 1,250 asylum- and addresses the legal status of and the other on the seekers held in PNG the Greater Sunrise gas field,” the Micronesian island nation and Nauru. In exchange, tribunal added. Without giving of Nauru. They are told Australia agreed to take any details, the court hailed the they will never be settled Central American refugees. draft treaty hammered out after in Australia. The Manus More than 20 men left to a deal was reached in August as centre is to be closed be resettled in the United a “pathway to the development on October 31 when States last month, the first of the resource, and the sharing detainees who have had part of the refugee swap of the resulting revenue.” The their refugee applications between the Washington two countries have been at rejected will be resettled and Canberra. loggerheads for a decade over in PNG. Protesters led by Since 2013, 2,125 people the previous Certain Maritime socialists and refugee have been sent to the de- Arrangements in the Timor Sea advocates in Sydney said tention centres, according (CMATS) agreement between the detainees should be to Australia’s Department of them, which carved up future resettled in Australia. Immigration. As of Septem- revenue from oil and gas reserves “Nobody is free on Manus,” ber 30, there were still 1,111 in the area. Impoverished East said Refugee Action Coali- people in regional deten- Timor, also known as Timor-Leste tion Sydney spokesman Ian tion, with 742 at Manus and The Great Victory Royal Chariot is pictured before a funeral rehearsal for late Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej near the Grand Palace and which gained independence Rintoul yesterday. “It will be 369 on Nauru. in Bangkok, Thailand. King Bhumibol, who ruled for seven decades, and will be cremated on October 26 in a ceremony lasting five days. from Indonesian occupation in 2002, relies heavily on oil exports. Gulf Times 14 Monday, October 16, 2017 BRITAIN/IRELAND

LEGAL INITIATIVE JUSTICE TRAVEL ACCIDENT Killer drivers to receive life Website to help direct Chile thief jailed for St Helena’s isolation Chard Carnival worker sentences in law change homeless to warm meals robbing tourists ends as air link opens seriously injured

Drivers who kill someone in the most serious cases A website designed to help homeless people on A professional thief who travelled to the UK from The first regular commercial flight landed at St A woman was seriously injured when she fell of dangerous and careless driving will now face life London’s streets find food and support has gone Chile to target tourists was caught on camera Helena on Saturday, opening the small British under a carnival cart at a parade in Somerset. sentences. Causing death by dangerous driving, or live. Londoners are being urged to direct people stealing a bag in a Mayfair jewellery store. Emilio island in the South Atlantic to the world after The road crew member became trapped under death by careless driving while drunk or on drugs, who are begging to the nextmeal.co.uk, where they Guerrero-Sepulveda, 63, is seen with his jacket centuries of isolation. Around 100 islanders the vehicle at the end of the parade during the will carry the top-level punishment. Jail terms in can find their nearest soup kitchen. Comedians slung over his shoulder to disguise the moment came out to the airport to watch the historic Chard Carnival. Police said the woman, believed cases involving mobile phones, speeding or street Sean Lock, Bill Bailey and Lee Mack will off icially he picks up a rucksack belonging to a customer landing of the Embraer 190 jet which came from to be in her 40s, suff ered life-threatening injuries racing will now be the equivalent of manslaughter, launch the site this month. It was set up by Martin shopping at jeweller Monica Vinader in South Johannesburg. On the tarmac, some 60 incoming and was airlifted to Bristol’s Southmead hospital. the ministry of justice said. Road safety charity Stone, who runs a soup kitchen in Muswell Hill. Molton Street, Mayfair, in June. The Chilean passengers were welcomed by the island’s The Health and Safety Executive has started an Brake said it was a “major victory” for victims’ Stone aims to help not only homeless people but national has been jailed for three years and eight smiling governor, Lisa Phillips. St Helena, with investigation. In a statement, Chard Carnival families. It follows criticism that sentences for those also Londoners who do not know what to do when months for 11 counts of theft at Isleworth crown just over 4,000 residents, is best known as the committee described it as “a freak accident” and convicted over road deaths were too lenient. The asked for money. People who wish to help are court. Detectives say the thief made at least two rocky outcrop where French emperor Napoleon said its thoughts were with the injured woman increase will apply to off ences in England, Scotland urged to hand out cards printed with the website trips to London, stealing goods worth at least Bonaparte saw out his final days. After five years of and her family. “The carnival community is and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, which has details. The site is also targeted at volunteers £30,000 from tourists at Heathrow Airport and construction, controversy and delays, the airport shocked by the incident in what was otherwise a separate road safety laws. who want to find their nearest soup kitchen. other locations around London. built at a cost of £285mn has finally opened. well organised and well run event,” it added.

Man dies Premiere of Three Billboards... after being Hammond’s kicked by horse at future in doubt racecourse

Guardian News and Media London as May’s allies

en Dooley has been named as the man who died after Kan incident at Kempton racecourse on Saturday night. Dooley, a long-serving mem- heap pressure ber of stable staff , is believed to have been kicked by a horse. Reuters Last week Hammond warned ters come as he is due to present The cause of his death is now the London that Brexit was causing a “cloud a budget plan on November 22 subject of a police investigation. of uncertainty” over the Brit- which will see Britain through Dooley was named by his em- ish economy that needed to be one of its most uncertain periods ployer, the Sussex-based trainer inance Minister Philip cleared as quickly as possible. in decades, amid growing busi- Amanda Perrett. In a statement Hammond yesterday faced He has previously angered ness concern and voter unrest. issued through the Racing Post, Fmounting questions over eurosceptics by calling for a The Sunday Times reported she said: “It is with huge sadness his future weeks ahead of a budget lengthy transition out of the EU, that Hammond was preparing that I can confi rm we lost our announcement, fi nding himself during which there will be little a “revolutionary” budget that friend and colleague Ken Dooley at the centre of an increasingly change to rules on issues like im- could see the government ditch after an incident in the stable yard fraught debate over Britain’s de- migration. its opposition to borrowing more at Kempton on Saturday night. parture from the European Union. In a botched attempt on Friday to boost investment, and may “Ken had been with us for sev- The EU last week declared a to calm speculation over his future include tax breaks for the young en years and was a very special “disturbing deadlock” in talks and play down the party’s divi- paid for by pensioners. member of our family business at with Prime Minister Theresa sions Hammond described the EU “The view has galvanised that Coombelands. He was an excel- May’s government on arrange- as the “enemy” in negotiations. this budget has got to be big, it’s lent employee, very experienced ments to leave the bloc, raising He later said he regretted his got to be powerful, it’s got to be with racehorses, having worked the chances of Britain quitting choice of words. revolutionary. Saying it’s got to all of his life with them as a jockey, without a negotiated deal and He had been expected to lose be brave is really understating it. trainer and jockey coach around increasing criticism of the gov- his job if May had won an in- “People are very clear that this the world. He was always fi rst ernment’s handling of Brexit. creased majority at a June snap is basically the last chance,” the into work in the morning, hugely Yesterday an unnamed source election, but the vote instead paper reported a senior govern- enthusiastic and dedicated to his from the Democratic Unionist saw the Conservatives lose their ment source as saying. horses and a very much valued Party (DUP) said May must warn majority and Hammond retain Hammond has limited room and integral member of our team. Hammond he faces the sack un- his position as May fought to to increase public spending “I would like to thank my staff , less he changes his approach to maintain unity between pro-EU without pushing up Britain’s still the stable and racecourse staff at Brexit, the Sunday Telegraph and pro-Brexit factions. high borrowing levels. Kempton, Hugo Palmer’s travel- reported. The DUP is a small The June election also trans- The country’s budget fore- ling head lad, Dr Lucy Free and Northern Irish political party formed the DUP, which only has casters have signalled they are the ambulance service who were which is keeping May’s minority 10 lawmakers in the 650-seat par- about to turn more gloomy about so quickly there to help Ken. Our government in power. liament, into an infl uential voice. growth forecasts, meaning less thoughts are with his family at “We are very concerned May struck a deal with the tax revenue to fund Hammond’s this very sad time.” about Hammond’s behaviour,” party and is reliant on their sup- war-chest to help the economy A spokesman for Surrey Po- the senior parliamentary DUP port to pass legislation. weather the process of leaving lice said offi cers were called to source told the newspaper. The delicate parliamentary the EU in the coming years. Kempton “following a report of “It is evident to us that he is arithmetic also means May faces But he is already under pres- a sudden death around 9.20pm winding people up and causing criticism from lawmakers, in- sure now to relax his grip on on Saturday. A man in his 50s unnecessary division within the cluding several from within her spending to counter the left- was sadly pronounced dead at Conservative Party at a crucial own party, who disagree with wing opposition Labour Party the scene. The death is currently time in the Brexit negotiations.” May’s threat to walk away from whose promises of more spend- being treated as unexplained and A DUP spokesman later said EU negotiations without a deal ing and higher taxes on the enquiries remain ongoing.” the party did not recognise the unless Brussels agrees fair terms. wealthy won over large numbers The jockey Martin Dwyer, who “inaccurate” comments. The opposition Labour Party’s of voters in the June election. was riding at Kempton on Satur- Hammond, 61, who is seen fi nance policy chief yesterday At the same time, Hammond day, said on Racing UK: “There by many as May’s most pro-EU warned that with the support on must not alarm investors who was a very sombre mood and minister, has become a focal rebels from May’s party, parlia- fund a budget shortfall which is nobody really knew what was point of criticism for Brexiteers, ment would block any attempt expected to grow this year. going on, and then we found out. Actor Rosamund Pike arrives for the UK premiere screening of Three Billboards Outside who say he is overly pessimistic to leave the EU without a negoti- Their lending helps Britain As I was leaving, there were blue Ebbing, Missouri, on the closing night of the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film about the impact of leaving the ated agreement. plug one of the widest cur- lights everywhere and it was a bit Festival at the Odeon, in central London, yesterday. bloc and is damaging Britain’s Questions over the future of rent account defi cits among the of a shock”. negotiating stance. one of May’s most senior minis- world’s leading economies. Tories face ‘trouncing’ in Honoured Mansion seller insists town hall polls: expert on Bitcoin payment London Evening Standard to deal with than using banks, London which are putting in unneces- London Evening Standard for Labour would soar from just Diane Abbott, MP for Hack- sary over-regulation.” London over 37% to more than half of ney North and Stoke Newing- It is not the fi rst time that Londoners. ton, is shadow home secre- uyers of a Notting Hill property sellers in London have Wimbledon MP Stephen tary, Islington South MP Emily mansion going on sale this said they could be paid in Bit- he Conservatives are Hammond, Conservative Thornberry is shadow foreign Bmonth for £17mn will have coin, but none have previously heading for a “trounc- vice-chair for London, said: secretary, while shadow Brexit to pay in Bitcoin, in what is be- said it is the only payment meth- Ting” at next year’s town “We have a problem, not only secretary Keir Starmer repre- lieved to be a fi rst for London. od they will accept. Last month hall elections, an expert said. in London but in metropoli- sents Holborn and St Pancras. The owners of the six-storey the owner of a £1.7mn Peckham Professor Philip Cowley, tan Britain. Unfortunately, we Other London MPs in the stucco-fronted home near Por- townhouse said he was open to of Queen Mary University of have to accept we are not in shadow cabinet include Brent tobello Road will accept only the off ers in Bitcoin, but would also London, sounded the alarm for sync with the ideas and mores North’s Barry Gardiner, Ealing digital currency as payment and accept sterling. the Tories as a new poll sug- of metropolitan Britain at the North MP Steve Pound, Hayes will not take cash. At the current Loginov said the likely buyer gested the party would suff er moment.” and Harlington’s John McDon- exchange rate the price is equiv- would be an Asian tech entre- a “terrible night” in London Theresa May’s former com- nell, Brent Central MP Dawn alent to about 4,100 Bitcoin. preneur who was familiar with next May. munications chief Katie Perrior Butler, Edmonton’s Kate Os- Lev Loginov, co-founder of Bitcoin. He admitted there were The YouGov survey, for added: “If we are not bold in amor and Erith MP Theresa property investment company still hurdles to overcome, in- QMUL’s Mile End Institute, of our off er, we can kiss goodbye Pearce. London Wall, which bought the cluding how to pay commission more than 1,000 adults in the to more Conservative control- Speaking in Shipley, West property at 4 Stanley Gardens to estate agents and stamp duty capital put Jeremy Corbyn’s led councils come May next Yorkshire a key target for La- in 2013, hopes to pioneer Bitcoin to HMRC in Bitcoin. Labour party on 53%, once year and will have nobody to bour at the next election, Cor- deals in Britain. But the 36-year-old added: “don’t knows are excluded,” blame but ourselves.” byn said he understood con- He said: “We want to shift all “I grew up in Siberia post the with the Tories trailing on 29%. Meanwhile Corbyn admitted cerns from party members that the perceptions on cryptocur- Soviet Union collapse in the Professor Cowley told the in an interview with the York- their popularity was drifting in rency. We think in future it is Nineties. We had no money, Evening Standard: “This would shire Post newspaper that he ex-industrial areas. He said: “I going to eliminate the need for and barter was a common be Labour’s best performance still has to do more to win over understand that and therefore solicitors and property title and thing. We were exchanging po- since 1971 in borough elections voters in traditional Labour I am spending time campaign- is really going to change how tato bags for TV sets and cars. — in fact the best performance heartlands away from London. ing in all parts of the country.” real estate transactions are con- I’m sure leading London agents of any party — and it would be Labour has faced criticism that While Labour made gains in Northern Irish television and radio presenter Gloria ducted. can figure out how to take com- a terrible night for the Tories. it is too London-centric, with London at this year’s election, Hunniford is made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the “We would like to be the fi rst missions for a £17mn property They would get a trouncing.” Corbyn and several members they lost traditional seats such British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture company to transact in Bitcoin. in cryptocurrency and I have If the poll turns out to be an of his top team all representing as Stoke and Mansfi eld to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, Britain. It can be done quicker, more ef- full faith in HRMC to figure out accurate prediction, backing constituencies in the capital. Tories. fi ciently and it is much easier how to tax it.” Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 15 BRITAIN/IRELAND

Weather warnings issued as Hurricane Ophelia heads to UK

Guardian News and Media The Met Offi ce’s severe weather a category three hurricane to a ing has been issued for Northern winds are expected to ease by the been advised to stay off the roads sonous Portuguese man o’ war London alerts warn of fl ying debris, po- category two yesterday, but will Ireland. evening. during the height of the storm if jellyfi sh blown ashore by the hur- tential power cuts, bridge closures weaken to a storm when it hits The Met Offi ce said aff ected Red weather warnings are in possible and to avoid coastal ar- ricane. The creatures – which and disruption to transport and the UK, exactly 30 years after the areas could face power cuts and place in Ireland, where the na- eas.” travel by using a gas-fi lled bladder eather warnings have mobile phone signal. Great Storm of 1987 killed 18 peo- travel disruption. “Some damage tional emergency co-ordination Dublin and Shannon airports to act as a sail – can deliver a sting been issued for today Ireland is expected to be worst ple. to buildings, such as tiles blown group met yesterday morning to are advising passengers to check fatal to humans. Wfor much of the west of hit by the remnants of Ophelia, Very windy weather is expected from roofs, could happen, per- discuss preparations. High seas, the latest fl ight information The storm follows a weekend the UK, with gusts up to 80mph with the Irish national meteoro- across the entire west of the UK, haps leading to injuries and dan- gale-force winds, storm surges before travelling, while Cork of unusually warm weather, with brought by Hurricane Ophelia logical service, Met Eireann, say- with a yellow warning in place for ger to life from fl ying debris,” it and widespread heavy rain are ex- airport said cancellations were some areas in the south reaching likely to cause transport disrup- ing the country will face one of the much of Wales, Scotland, north- warned. pected. likely. highs of 22C (71.6F) on Saturday, tion, while some areas in the east most powerful storm systems in east England, north-west Eng- There are yellow warnings for A spokesperson said: “Irish Beachgoers along the south far above the average maximum will enjoy unseasonably warm 50 years. land, south-west England and the northern England and south- Defence Forces are on standby to coast of England have been October temperature for England temperatures. Ophelia was downgraded from West Midlands. An amber warn- ern Scotland for tomorrow, but provide assistance. The public has warned to avoid hundreds of poi- of about 14C. Ireland facing Back to the past housing crisis a decade after bubble burst

AFP loans, sales are stagnating in the Dublin face of prices that put the cost of a typical Irish three-bedroom house at 500 euros ($600) a week. en years after Ireland’s “You have middle income earn- property bubble burst, ers, between 30,000 and 70,000 Tthe economy is recovering euros a year, who are squeezed from the ravages of a deep reces- because they can’t buy but also sion but a housing crisis remains, they can’t qualify for social hous- due to a supply shortage and spi- ing,” said Donal McManus, head ralling prices. of the Irish Council for Social Sales prices have increased by Housing, the national federation 47% since 2013, when they hit of housing associations. rock bottom, while rents are go- With the current stock of social ing up by double digits each year. housing only representing seven “Prices were infl ated in 2007, to eight percent of the market, he The North Yorkshire Moors Railway celebrated its annual Wartime Weekend, in which re-enactors took to the streets to travel back in time to World War II. The popular they were too high, but they fell by warned that Ireland suff ers from a weekend long event brought together hundreds of enthusiasts, military re-enactors and visitors to the stations and villages along the historic trust railway between such an amount that they prob- lack of aff ordable solutions and as Grosmont and Pickering to recreate life as it was in the 1940s. ably fell by too much,” said Kieran a result, an over-reliance on the McQuinn, research professor at “unpredictable” private sector. the Dublin-based Economic and In an attempt to get things Social Research Institute. moving, the government has “On the one hand they’re com- stepped up its interventions in ing back to some long-run level, the past 18 months, most re- but equally that long-run level is cently increasing the budget of increasing itself because the un- the housing ministry by 46% in derlying economy and demand 2018, and promising new devel- are so strong.” opments, particularly of social Hundreds of off enders are As the global fi nancial crisis housing. hit, house prices halved, unem- “But the government is over- ployment soared and Ireland was reliant on the private sector forced to seek emergency funding which will build the majority of from the European Union and In- social housing, while local au- ternational Monetary Fund. thorities don’t have to buy land Today, the housing market is a and can build cheaper,” said being let off with a caution victim of Ireland’s return to eco- Francis Doherty, a spokesman for nomic growth — the shortage is the Peter McVerry Trust, an NGO London Evening Standard Cautions, described as “warn- when victims cannot face the cases where crimes logged as tions for serious sexual off ences particularly evident in urban ar- that campaigns against home- London ings”, require off enders to accept trauma of testifying in court. A rape by police have resulted in a “means justice is not always be- eas, which fuel a national average lessness. guilt and are mostly issued to de- caution ensures the off ender is caution for a lesser sex off ence. ing done”. rent of 1,159 euros a month. “They choose the most ex- ter fi rst-time off enders or bypass placed on the sex off enders’ reg- The fi gures were released fol- She said: “We will be raising Experts predict the increase pensive but least eff ective solu- undreds of sex off end- court proceedings for lower-level ister and monitored. lowing Freedom of Information this issue with the government.” in prices to continue for another tion to solve the crisis”, while ers, including rapists, off ences. They are not recorded However, campaigners called requests submitted by the Stand- Scotland Yard said cautions for two years as the construction in- at the same time homelessness Hare escaping with “a slap as convictions but can show on for a “wholesale review” as the ard. City Hall pledged to question rape are “not a police decision” dustry, which was hit badly in the has gone up by 23% in a year — a on the wrist” by simply being Disclosure and Barring Service Standard’s fi ndings revealed the government over the use of but are “authorised” by the CPS, crisis, catches up with increased record, he said. cautioned for their crimes, the checks, formerly CRB checks. 183,043 cautions were issued cautions. along with other “indictable demand. The situation is leading to Standard has learned. But the Scotland Yard fi gures from 2012 until last year, with Dianne Whitfi eld, of charity only” crimes which can only be McQuinn does not expect a “overcrowding situations and Figures obtained by the Stand- show thousands more cautions 1,115 given for sexual off ences, Rape Crisis, said issuing cautions tried in a crown court. new housing bubble, however. people still living with their ard reveal more than 1,100 cau- were handed out for other violent including 16 for rape. for sexual off ences was in most The CPS said it “carefully con- Noting that the last one was families”, said Fintan McNamara, tions were given to sex off enders and serious crimes as their use in The circumstances of the rape cases “wholly inappropriate” as siders” the circumstances in each fuelled by cheap credit and reck- a spokesman for the Residential in London, meaning they dodged London surged 25% over the past cautions in the fi gures are un- “they don’t in any way refl ect the case and has only advised police less lending, he said: “You don’t Landlords Association of Ire- court and potentially lengthy fi ve years. known. But previous cases in seriousness of the crime or the in London to caution 2,500 of- quite have that here. You’re be- land (RLAI). McNamara there- prison spells. The tally includes Police and the Crown Pros- which cautions have been given long-lasting and often devastat- fenders in the past fi ve years, ginning to see credit fl owing into fore believes the government was 16 cautions for rape, which car- ecution Service insisted it was for rape have involved child of- ing impacts that sexual violence which includes minor off ences the market...it’s picking up again, wrong to decide “a blanket ban ries a maximum life imprison- “rare” for off ences as serious as fenders, including siblings, and has”. London’s deputy mayor and those dealt with by City of but from a very low base.” on budget accommodation...just ment sentence if convicted in rape to result in a caution. people suff ering mental health for policing and crime, Sophie London Police as well as by Scot- Even despite the increase in to improve standards” court. They said it could happen problems. There have also been Linden, said handing out cau- land Yard.

Festivities Older Brits joining army Network Rail being secretive, says Cable of young homeless: study Guardian News and Media “I appreciate such transpar- London ency results in political, media and public scrutiny that can be Thomson Reuters Foundation “Traditionally, homelessness for expert help to prevent people diffi cult for Network Rail. How- London is associated with young people ever falling into homelessness. ir Vince Cable has accused ever, it is all for these reasons and it is a tragic fact that a per- “That’s why we’re spend- Network Rail and the com- that it must show its commit- son suff ering homelessness lives ing £550mn until 2020 to tackle Spany behind the HS2 rail ment to openness and regularly ritain faces a ticking time to an average age of only 47,” said homelessness and rough sleeping, link of being secretive at a crucial publish minutes that explain the bomb of old people sleep- Seccombe. as well as supporting the Home- time for transport infrastructure diffi culties you face and the rea- Bing rough, with more than “But we are facing a ticking time lessness Reduction Act,” he said. in Britain. sons behind executive decisions. 200 elderly people becoming bomb in older homelessness, with Prime Minister Theresa May The Liberal Democrat leader Your organisation must not be homeless each month and their an alarming rise in the number of last week said the government said a repeated failure to publish secretive.” numbers set to spiral, local coun- older people becoming homeless. would lend councils £2bn to cre- the minutes of board meetings A spokesperson for Network cils said in a report. While the actual numbers are rela- ate 25,000 new aff ordable homes amounted to “a growing lack of Rail said: “There has been an un- The councils said the emer- tively low, at the current rate, this and help fi x what she said was a transparency” at both state-fund- fortunate delay in publishing our gence of homelessness among the will spiral in just a few years,” she broken market. ed organisations. past board minutes which has over-60s refl ected the weak state said in a statement. The report said older people etwork Rail’s board meets eight been caused by several factors, of the economy, with a vulnerable The report, compiled by more experiencing homelessness were times a year, but the most recent both external and internal. For new part of the population joining than 370 local authorities, said also more likely to suff er from set of publicly available minutes the future we expect more punc- a homeless community made up rapidly rising rents and stagnat- mental illness or depression. are from a September 2016 meet- tual publication.” of mostly young Britons. ing earnings were responsible Councils said they are increas- ing. HS2 Ltd, the publicly funded Between April and June this for the increase. Average house ingly encountering older people In a letter seen by the Guardian, company building Britain’s new year, more than 600 people aged prices have more than doubled with complex physical and men- Cable wrote to its chief executive, high-speed rail link, states online over 60 were made homeless — in the past two decades, far out- tal health problems, such as alco- Mark Carne: “Network Rail is an that the board “typically meets on more than twice the rate of 2009, stripping wage increases. hol and gambling problems that organisation of crucial importance a monthly basis”. The latest avail- said a report by the Local Govern- LGA said the government must can lead to homelessness. to the daily lives of millions of peo- able minutes are from its April ment Association (LGA), which confront the under-supply in While there is an understand- ple and is owned by the taxpayer. 2017 meeting. represents local government au- specialist housing for older peo- ing of the link between homeless- Britain’s railways are currently “HS2 is one of the most politi- thorities in England and Wales. ple and lift restrictions that pre- ness and mental health for young under extreme pressure, carrying cally controversial infrastructure Unless urgent action is taken, vent councils from borrowing people, less is known about how more passengers than at any time projects of recent times and must this rate is set to double again by money to build. A government such events as the death of a Dancers perform a traditional Indian dance during the since the 1920s, while Network be opened up to public scrutiny,” 2025, said Izzi Seccombe, chair of spokesman said it was aware of close relative and breakdown of Diwali festival of light celebrations, in Trafalgar Square, Rail is being forced to restructure Cable said in a letter to the com- the LGA’s Community Wellbeing the particular challenges of older relationships impact homeless- central London, yesterday. following cost overruns and delays pany’s chief executive, Mark Board. homelessness, including the need ness in later life, it added. to crucial projects. Thurston. Gulf Times 16 Monday, October 16, 2017 EUROPE

Conservatives Merkel’s party suff ers triumph, far-right gains in Austria

DPA state election setback Vienna

Reuters junior coalition partner to the between Merkel’s CDU and its ustrian conservative Berlin SPD in Lower Saxony, won 8.5%. conservative Bavarian sister par- leader Sebastian Kurz The liberal Free Democrats ty, the CSU, to cap the number of Ahas vowed to imple- (FDP) won 7% and the far-right immigrants is likely to be hard for ment a new kind of politics ermany’s Social Demo- Alternative for Germany (AfD) the Greens to swallow. in Austria, after projections crats (SPD) defeated An- cleared the 5% threshold to enter Merkel has acknowledged the showed him as the clear win- Ggela Merkel’s conserva- parliament with 5.5% diffi culties ahead but added that ner of yesterday’s parliamen- tives in a vote in the northern Merkel’s reverse in September, “unusual combinations can of tary election. state of Lower Saxony yesterday along with the SPD’s insistence course bring the opportunity “I can promise you today in a setback to the chancellor as on going into opposition, left her to fi nd some solutions to things that I will fi ght for change in she prepares for tricky three-way with no viable option other than that had seemed unsolvable until this country with all my pow- coalition talks at the national a “Jamaica” coalition, so named now”. er,” he told a large crowd of Kurz: poised to become level this week. because the three parties’ colours “So now we need to put our cheering supporters. Austria’s next chancellor. The SPD, which has governed correspond with the black, yel- noses to the grindstone,” she said “I accept this responsibility the swing state home to carmak- low and green of Jamaica’s fl ag. on the campaign trail in Lower with great humility,” said the cheered loudly when they er Volkswagen with the Greens It means the prospective part- Saxony on Thursday. 31-year-old foreign minister, learned of the FPOe results. for four years, won 37.5%, well up ners will need to overcome yawn- An SPD-Green coalition has who is poised to become Aus- However, a continued co- from 32.6% in the last election ing diff erences on issues ranging ruled the state for four years, but tria’s next chancellor. operation between the OeVP there in 2013, according to an exit from immigration to European lost its majority when a Greens Kurz’s conservative People’s and Chancellor Christian poll from infratest dimap. Union reform, tax and environ- lawmaker defected to the CDU, Party (OeVP) won 31.7%, 7.7 Kern’s Social Democratic Party The exit poll from the rich ag- Two men follow the election results on display at a public television mental protection. triggering a snap election. percentage points more than in (SPOe) can still not be ruled ricultural state with around 6mn studio in Hanover, ahead of the television debate on the outcome of Cem Ozdemir, co-leader of the The SPD’s incumbent state the previous 2013 vote. out, despite the deep rifts be- eligible voters showed Merkel’s the vote in northwestern federal state of Lower Saxony. Greens, said that the three par- premier, Stephan Weil, a Foreign Minister Kurz has tween the two centrist parties Christian Democrats (CDU) took ties had not sought each other 58-year-old former judge, fared been the frontrunner in sur- that led to the breakdown of 35% of the vote, down from 36% as she tries to piece together an to start coalition negotiations in out but now had a responsibility better in the personal popularity veys since May, thanks to his their coalition in May. in the last election there in 2013. awkward alliance with the pro- Berlin ahead of the election in to form a coalition that bore the stakes than his CDU rival Bernd plans to curb immigration by The projection, which was Disgruntled with Merkel’s business Free Democrats (FDP) Lower Saxony, which is slightly hallmarks of their conservative, Althusmann, a 50-year-old refugees and by workers from based on 76% of counted votes, liberal migrant policy, Germans and environmentalist Greens. bigger than the Netherlands. liberal and centre-left identities. former army offi cer. poorer eastern EU countries. showed that SPOe came in sec- abandoned her party in droves Those parties will this week “Everyone was scared that if “If the coalition comes off , it Yesterday’s win was the fi rst The far-right opposition ond yesterday with 27% of the in September’s national election begin discussions about enter- they did something at the na- must not be a coalition that only victory for the SPD under Martin Freedom Party (FPOe), which votes, nearly unchanged from to hand the conservatives their ing a marriage of convenience tional level or committed them- agrees on the lowest common Schulz, who was nominated as shares Kurz’s tough immigra- 2013. worst result since 1949. untested at the federal level that selves to something, then their denominator. That won’t work,” its leader in January and suff ered tion policies, gained 5.4 points According to pre-election If confi rmed, yesterday’s result could drag into 2018. colleagues in Lower Saxony he told Welt am Sonntag newspa- three state election losses earlier to win 25.9% of the votes. surveys, voters saw migration would be the poorest showing for Simon Fink, political scientist could end up suff ering,” he said. per, adding that the trio needed a this year and the SPD’s worst re- “The result seems to show as the decisive issue. the CDU in Lower Saxony in 58 at the University of Goettin- The exit poll showed the envi- “shared narrative”. sult in the post-war era in Sep- that many people opted for Some 130,000 asylum- years, further weakening Merkel gen, said that no one had dared ronmentalist Greens, currently A deal brokered last weekend tember’s election. change,” deputy FPOe chief seekers applied for protection Norbert Hofer said. in Austria in 2015 and 2016. The populist FPOe has been Chancellor Kern has strug- trying to shed its radical image gled to promote his plans to in an eff ort to join a govern- boost the economy during his ment after the election. campaign as his right-wing Kurz has signalled that a rivals banked on immigration Russia hosts Soviet-style youth fest coalition with the FPOe is an issues. option. He was also hurt by revela- “We don’t exclude any- tions that he had hired an Is- By Ola Cichowlas, AFP tionism of the conservative gov- thing,” senior OeVP parlia- raeli spin doctor who operated Moscow ernment.” mentarian August Woeginger fake websites to discredit Kurz. Putin is expected to use the said yesterday evening. The liberal Neos garnered platform to get young Russians When the fi rst projection 5.1%, the leftist Liste Pilz 4.3% ussian President Vladimir on his side ahead of next year’s was announced at the OeVP’s and the environmental Greens Putin attended yesterday vote. election day headquarters, 3.8%, according to the projec- Ra youth festival that was The Kremlin has been trying hundreds of party members tion. launched in the Soviet era, in his hard to appeal to the under-30 latest eff ort to appeal to young crowd and Putin’s presidential Russians ahead of the presiden- campaign is widely anticipated to Poor box thief caught red-handed tial election next year. be centred around youth policy. The World Festival of Youth “He wants to show that he’s In Monaco, home to the super-rich on the French Riviera, a worker and Students was initiated by not only the president of the at the cathedral was caught literally red-handed stealing from the the USSR and the Eastern Bloc pensioners, but also the presi- poor box. after World War II and Russia is dent of the future,” said political In early 2016, a newly arrived priest at the cathedral started to hosting the 19th festival in So- analyst Aleksey Makarkin. suspect the sexton of pilfering after noticing a drop in collection chi’s Olympic park on the Black The Kremlin’s campaign to money. The priest alerted the police. Sea, following a Soviet-style pa- woo young Russians was accel- In court this week, the defendant said he stole the money – an rade in Moscow on Saturday that erated by the increased partici- estimated €3,000 ($3500) – from the poor box to pay for his son’s boasted 10,000 foreign guests. pation of youngsters, including wedding. Putin, who is widely expected many underage teenagers, in The Monaco court gave the man a five-month suspended prison to run for re-election next year anti-Putin protests this year, gal- sentence and a €1,000 fine. although he has not formally an- vanised by Internet savvy oppo- nounced his participation, vis- sition politician Alexei Navalny. ited the opening in Sochi along “The government was wor- Average German buys 4.2kg of coff ee with Foreign Minister Sergei La- ried when young people took to vrov and other offi cials. the streets,” said Kalachev. “They Germans buy on average 4.2kg of coff ee per capita each year, The forum, which uses guer- realised that a whole generation spending almost €41 ($48.50) in the process. rilla icon Che Guevara as a sym- A handout picture taken and released on Saturday by the Tass news agency and World Festival of Youth of non-conformists could soon The total spend in Germany in 2016 was €3.34bn for ground coff ee, bol, has the motto “For Peace, and Students shows people taking part in the opening parade of the festival in central Moscow. come of age.” whole beans, coff ee pads or capsules, according to a study carried Solidarity and Social Justice, We The World Festival of Youth out by market research company Nielsen that was published on Struggle Against Imperialism”. among the host nations. fl ags of diff erent countries. torian Alexander Shubin. “The and Students was planned be- Saturday. The event’s website says or- The USSR hosted the event The rainy weather kept some West saw that normal people live fore the opposition protests took Total consumption in Germany was 345,000 tonnes of coff ee beans ganisers expect 20,000 guests in twice: once in 1985 shortly after people away and the spectators in the USSR while Soviet citizens place, but also falls within the in 2016, a slight decrease on the previous year, which Nielsen coff ee Sochi from 150 countries. Mikhail Gorbachev became So- consisted mainly of people over saw what foreigners look like for Kremlin’s agenda to boost Putin’s expert Michael Griess put down to rising prices. Russia’s embassy in Pyongyang viet leader and most famously in 50, some teary-eyed with nos- the fi rst time.” popularity. said North Korea will also send a 1957, when thousands of foreign- talgia. This year’s festival will have a “They are trying to form a loyal delegation of “Komsomol” – the ers descended on Moscow for the “I fi nally have the chance to diff erent vibe. pro-presidential youth or at least Turkey not giving up on EU accession Soviet youth movement. fi rst time during Khrushchev’s see this as I lived in the Far East While hosting an exhibition on minimise the political activity of The World Youth Festival fi rst political thaw. and didn’t have the chance to see the lessons of the 1917 October youths,” said Kalachev. Turkey is determined to press on with its eff orts to join the took place in Czechoslovakia in Sixty years later, this year’s it in Moscow,” said 71-year-old Revolution, the leftist festival’s But the problem, analysts say, European Union despite tensions with the bloc, the government 1949 and was hosted by Com- student parade in Moscow ech- Valentina Rogova watching the programme also includes work- is that the Kremlin’s youth policy said yesterday ahead of an EU summit on October 19 which will munist states around the world oed the 1957 festival which Rus- parade. “All nations should be shops on how to set up a business often copies the old Soviet meth- discuss the frayed relations between Brussels and Ankara. in the second half of the 20th sians remember as marking the friends. We used to have more and a display of Dutch tulips. ods. “Is there another country that has waited at the EU’s doorstep century. beginning of a new, more open events like this in Soviet times.” “It’s a borscht of contrary ide- “They organise meetings that since 1963? There is not,” Deputy Prime Minister and government Six youth festivals have been USSR. The 1957 festival “was a break- as,” political analyst Konstantin last for hours, they speak at chess spokesman Bekir Bozdag was quoted as saying by the Anadolu organised since 1989, with North On Saturday, students walked through for the West and for the Kalachev told AFP. “Che Guevara competitions – this is all very news agency. “We are determined to continue this process despite Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela through central Moscow with East”, according to Russian his- does not fi t in with the protec- Soviet,” said Makarkin. all the setbacks. We, as Turkey, have no intention of pulling back.”

Kyrgyz leader’s chosen successor leads in vote Catalan president calls for calm

AFP pleasure in the favourable results Reuters/DPA Bishkek announced by the CEC,” said Madrid Konduz Joldubayev, a spokesman for Jeenbekov. yrgyz President Almazbek However, a spokeswoman for atalan leader Carles Pu- Atambayev’s chosen suc- Babanov told AFP that they were igdemont called for calm Kcessor Sooronbai Jeenbe- conducting “a parallel count”. Cyesterday, less than 24 kov was tipped yesterday to win Pre-election campaigning was hours ahead of a deadline from a presidential election, defying overshadowed by an apparent Spain’s central government predictions of a second round smear campaign against Baba- for him to clarify whether he and fears of instability in the nov, who leads the parliament’s has declared independence for Central Asian country. second largest party, and suspi- Catalonia. The Central Election Commis- cions that Jeenbekov could ben- Puigdemont made a symbolic sion (CEC) said Jeenbekov had efi t from government patronage. declaration of independence on won around 55% of the vote, with Jeenbekov is an ally of Atam- Tuesday night, only to suspend oligarch opponent Omurbek bayev, 61, who chose to respect a it seconds later and call for ne- Babanov taking more than one- single, six-year presidential term gotiations with Madrid. Puigdemont: The (Catalan) Government and I want to reiterate our third of the ballot. and step down. Spain’s Prime Minister Mari- commitment to peace, civility and serenity. “Jeenbekov is leading,” CEC Resource-poor Kyrgyzstan is Members of a local election committee empty a ballot box at a poll- ano Rajoy has given him until head Nurzhan Shayldabekova seen as the most democratic state ing station in Bishkek. 10am (0900 GMT) today to “The (Catalan) Government Barcelona’s Montjuic cemetery. told reporters in the capital in Central Asia, a predominantly clarify his position – and then and I want to reiterate our com- Though Puigdemont did not Bishkek, saying that 95% of the authoritarian region, but it has unseated presidents in 2005 and ing 11 candidates, promised to until Thursday to change his mitment to peace, civility and indicate how he would reply ballots had been counted. also been the most politically 2010 followed by ethnic violence see the fi rst peaceful transfer of mind if he insists on a split – serenity, and also to (...) de- to Madrid, public Catalan TV Preliminary fi gures showed volatile in recent times. that left more than 400 people power between two elected pres- threatening to suspend Cata- mocracy as inspiring the deci- broadcaster TV-3 said he would turnout at just over 50%. The Muslim-majority country dead. idents but the build up to the vote lonia’s autonomy if he chooses sions we have to make,” Puigde- not give a “yes” or “no” answer, “Our campaign took great experienced two revolutions that Yesterday’s election, featur- was beset by tensions. independence. mont said during at an event at but a more elaborate response. Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 17 INDIA Maoists-politicians nexus triggers killings in Jharkhand

IANS cording to National Investiga- “More people could be ex- also arrested Assistant Sub-In- –Marxist Leninist legislator Ma- mar and Amarjeet Balihar, have before the West Bengal police Ranchi tion Agency sources, the Maoists posed for my father’s murder. spector Sheshnath Singh, Mun- hendra Singh in January 2005. also been killed by the Maoists. but the CBI could not obtain his were given a Rs50mn contract My father was killed by hatching da’s bodyguard who allegedly The police haven’t been able to There has been no breakthrough remand. for the assassination. a conspiracy. Nothing was done passed on the information about solve the two cases, one of which in either case. The Bharatiya Janata Party has he nexus between politi- The murder mystery was in the last nine years to solve the the victim to the Maoists. has been handed over to the Jharkhand Home Secretary demanded a review of the cases cians and Maoists was an cracked after a Maoist com- murder mystery. We want jus- The arrest of the ASI has also Central Bureau of Investigation. S K G Rahate, when asked if the relating to political murders. Topen secret. It has now mander, Kundan Pahan, carrying tice,” Vikas Munda had said after exposed the police nexus with This apart, in October 2007, other political murders would “The political murders which come to be further unravelled a Rs1mn bounty and allegedly in- Raja Peter’s arrest. the Maoists, sources said, add- 20 people including the son of be handed over to the NIA, said: had taken place should be re- with the arrest of former min- volved in the killing, surrendered Raja Peter had created history ing Raja Peter’s arrest could only former chief minister Babulal “We cannot comment now.” viewed by the state government. ister Gopal Krishna Patar alias in May and divulged details of in January 2009 by defeating be the tip of the iceberg. Marandi were gunned down by Sunil Mahto’s widow, Suman In none of the cases have the Raja Peter for the murder of leg- many other cases. The NIA then then chief minister and Janata Munda’s is not the only politi- Maoists at Chilkhari village of Mahto, also wants to know who fi nal fi ndings come before the islator Ramesh Singh Munda in stepped into the picture. Mukti Morch chief Shibu Soren cal killing by Maoist guerrillas. Giridih district when they were the brain behind her husband’s people. The state government 2008. Till now, the case was buried from the Tamar assembly con- Sunil Mahto, the JMM’s Lok watching a cultural show. The killing is. The case was hand- should hand over the probe to Munda of the Janata Dal- in the police fi les. Vikas Munda, stituency, whose seat fell vacant Sabha MP from Jamshedpur, was main accused, Jitan Marandi, a ed over to the CBI, which fi led a competent agency to unravel United party was killed by Mao- the slain legislator’s son, had sat after Munda’s murder. He then gunned down by Maoist guer- Maoist commander, has been charge-sheets against some the reasons behind the murders,” ist guerrillas at a public meeting on a hunger strike after Pahan became a minister. rillas in March 2007. The rebels acquitted in the case. Maoists, including Ranjit Pal Deepak Prakash, the state BJP on the outskirts of Ranchi. Ac- surrendered. Along with Raja Peter, the NIA killed Communist Party of India Two police offi cers, Ajay Ku- alias Rahul. Rahul surrendered vice president, said. Gujarat voters looking towards third alternative, says Vaghela

IANS gress could have achieved a ma- Ahmedabad jority in the 2012 elections. “But 28 candidates were changed half-an-hour before the closing ormer Congress leader of nominations. The High Com- Shankersinh Vaghela yes- mand had intervened at the elev- Fterday said the people of enth hour. We won 60 seats, and Gujarat are now looking towards if we had won 28 more, we could a “third alternative”, as they are have achieved majority mark in unhappy with both the Bharatiya 2012,” he said. Janata Party and the Congress. Asked about what he told “The people of Gujarat voted Modi in his ear after hugging him for the Congress since 1960, but in 2014, Vaghela replied: “Well, their expectations were belied. it was I who started his hugging They have been voting the BJP to habit. He (Modi) then hugged power for last 22 years. But now, (Russian President Vladimir) the voters are looking towards Putin, (the US president Barack) a third alternative, and that is Obama, and now (Donald) where Jan Vikalp comes up,” Trump. Vaghela said at India TV con- “But the issues that I had clave, referring to the recently- raised at that time remain. I had Sunil Jakhar, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and other Congress leaders celebrate after the party’s victory in Gurdaspur yesterday. formed political forum. spoken about big expectations Vaghela, who was Leader of of people, return of Kashmiri the Opposition, announced his Pandits to valley, Ram temple in resignation from the Congress Ayodhya and removal of Article on his 77th birthday on July 21, 370. Nothing has been achieved which was soon followed by the so far,” he said. resignation of six legislators who Meanwhile, fi rebrand Pati- joined the BJP ahead of the Au- dar leader Hardik Patel said he gust 7 Rajya Sabha election. was determined to work for the Congress wins Punjab Vaghela on September 19 defeat of the BJP in the Gujarat announced his support to a elections. third front - Jan Vikalp - in the “I am not working for the vic- state which was announced by tory of the opposition Congress, Parthesh Patel, a former social but am committed to the legiti- media adviser to Prime Minis- mate rights of my community,” ter Narendra Modi and now to Patel said at the India TV con- seat in big blow for BJP Vaghela. It has not been regis- clave. tered as a political party. “If the Congress Party wins, IANS Congress leaders and workers the corrupt and immoral BJP Khajuria left the counting shown that it can counter the The former Congress leader it will be a vote against dictator- Gurdaspur started celebrating the impend- and SAD,” Singh said, adding centre alleging that the vot- BJP’s political off ensive. also rejected the charges that ship.” ing victory by bursting fi re- that it also underlined the po- ing was rigged by the Congress, Jakhar, a soft-spoken and he was trying to divide anti-BJP Asked why he was shying crackers and distributing sweets litical annihilation of the AAP in which came to power in the suave politician who is the son votes. away from saying that his Pati- unjab’s ruling Congress in Gurdaspur, Chandigarh and the state. state after sweeping the assem- of former Lok Sabha speaker “Was Arvind Kejriwal trying to dar movement was supporting maintained its winning other places even before the fi - “The over 1.93 lakh margin of bly elections. Balram Jakhar, had to rely heav- divide votes of Congress or BJP the Congress, Patel said: “I have Pstreak from assembly nal result was declared. victory has not only more than The counting was conducted ily on Congress legislators, in Delhi? Was Mamata Banerjee said earlier too that my fi ght is elections by securing an em- “We won the election be- compensated for the 1.36 lakh in centres in Gurdaspur and leadership and workers in Gur- trying to divide votes of Left and not for or against any political phatic win in the Gurdaspur Lok cause of the positive policies of vote defeat of Congress candi- Pathankot towns. There were daspur and Pathankot districts Congress in West Bengal? party, but against the system, Sabha seat yesterday. the Congress. People have faith date Pratap Singh Bajwa against 11 candidates in the fray for the to pull off the win. “The politics of third alterna- against those who want to crush Congress candidate Sunil in the party,” Jakhar, who was BJP’s Vinod Khanna in 2014 but October 11 election. Nearly 56% The BJP, on the other hand, tive works in the entire country. my democratic right to speak up Jakhar won by a margin of over termed an ‘outsider’ in the con- has surpassed even the 1.51 lakh of the 1.52mn registered voters chose Mumbai-based million- To say that ours is a B team of BJP for my rights.” 193,000 votes, offi cials said. stituency by his opponents, told lead by which Sukhbans Kaur exercised their franchise. aire businessman Salaria as its or a C team of Congress is incor- “If the BJP agrees to give what He polled over 499,000 votes, reporters. Bhinder (Congress) had won in The voter turnout was much candidate, ignoring the claim rect,” he said. we are demanding I will wrap up compared to 306,000 votes Punjab Chief Minister Ama- 1980,” Singh said. lower than the over 70% polling of Khanna’s widow Kavita, However, Vaghela sidestepped the agitation but not otherwise,” polled by Swaran Salaria of the rinder Singh hailed the “un- The seat was earlier held by in 2014. who worked in the constitu- questions about the likely re- he said, adding that their agita- Bharatiya Janata Party. The Aam precedented” Congress victory the BJP, which had won it in The victory of the Congress ency during her husband’s ab- sult of Gujarat elections, saying: tion will continue even if the Aadmi Party (AAP) got only “as a total rejection of the anti- 2014. The seat fell vacant in has put another spanner in the sence. “The people of Gujarat will win. Congress comes to power. around 24,000 votes. people policies of the BJP and April following the death of BJP bandwagon’s wheel. Salaria, who has a controver- But it will not be easy to defeat Asked what would happen if Jakhar, who was in the lead its ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal veteran actor Vinod Khanna, a Analysts said the Congress, sial past, could not woo the vot- the BJP, because it is in power the BJP came back to power, a from the time the vote count be- (SAD)”. four-time MP from the seat. which achieved an emphatic ers even in the name of Prime both at the Centre and in Gu- smiling Patel said: “Wait till De- gan in the morning, extended the “The massive win for Con- AAP candidate retired Maj win in the February assembly Minister Narendra Modi or with jarat.” cember (when the Gujarat elec- margin over his BJP rival after gress candidate shows the peo- Gen Suresh Kumar Khajuria lost elections and returned to power his claim to being a “local” in He also claimed that the Con- tions are due).” each of the 14 rounds of counting. ple’s complete denunciation of his security deposit. after a gap of 10 years, has again Gurdaspur. Congress minister joins Kalam remembered Veteran fi lmmaker BJP in Himachal Pradesh Lekh Tandon dead IANS Prince, 1969), Rajender Ku- Mumbai mar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema IANS “Later, in the constitution of legislator known for his fl am- Malini, Shabana Azmi, Rekha Shimla the election committees by the boyance, was also likely to quit and Rajesh Khanna among Congress central leadership, my the Congress, the chief minister eteran fi lmmaker Lekh others. His Amrapali (1966), name was missing,” he told re- said: “The party will discuss the Tandon, who directed featuring Sunil Dutt and Vy- imachal Pradesh cabinet porters in Mandi, his home con- BJP’s attempts at weaning away Vthe iconic fi lm Amra- jayanthimala was selected minister Anil Sharma stituency. Congress members.” pali, died yesterday, his asso- as India’s entry for the best Hyesterday resigned from Chief Minister Virbhadra Sharma was inducted into the ciates said. He was 88. foreign language film at 39th the government and the ruling Singh later told reporters that Virbhadra Singh-led cabinet in Tandon dies at his home in Academy awards. Congress and joined the opposi- Anil Sharma was a junior leader. 2013 and given the portfolios of Powai in the presence of his He bagged Filmfare Best tion Bharatiya Janata Party along “He and his father Sukh Ram Rural Development and Pancha- family. Screenplay Award for his mov- with his father and former tel- formed the Himachal Vikas yati Raj and Animal Husbandry. Filmmaker Ashoke Pan- ie Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man ecom minister Sukh Ram. Congress and supported the He was also a minister of state dit tweeted: “Sad to know Bhaye, along with Vrajendra Even though an offi cial an- BJP government in 1998. Their from 1993 to 97. about the demise of one of Gaur and Madhusudan Kale- nouncement by the BJP was yet departure will not aff ect Con- A three-time legislator and a the finest tv and film direc- kar in 1978. to be made, speculations were gress’s prospects in the Novem- Rajya Sabha member, he is cur- tors Lekh Tandon ji. Your He directed his fi rst televi- rife that senior Congress leader ber 9 elections.” rently a legislator from Mandi. work is immoral. Will miss sion serial Dil Dariya in 1988 and Transport Minister G S Bali As rumours swirled about Bollywood superstar Salman U. #RIP”. through which he was also may also switch sides. him, Bali said in a Facebook post: Khan’s foster sister Arpita is President Ram Nath Kovind pays tribute to former Pandit told IANS that Tan- credited for discovering Shah Sharma said: “I have resigned “People of Nagrota Bagwan (his married to Sharma’s son Aayush. president A P J Abdul Kalam on his 86th birth anniversary don was bedridden for the last Rukh Khan. from both the Congress and the constituency) are like my family BJP leader and two-time chief at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday. Known as the Missile six months. The end came at Tandon also acted in fi lms government as we were deliber- and my relationship with you is minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic 5.38pm, he said. like Swades, Chennai Express ately ignored by the party. I and emotional. I will be soon among has often hinted that Congress missile and launch vehicle technology, Kalam died on July Born in Lahore in 1929, and Rang De Basanti among Pandit Sukh Ramji were deliber- you people. Will discuss things legislators were unhappy with 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Tandon directed many Bol- others. ately ignored at party vice presi- and then take any decision.” Virbhadra Singh and were in Management in Shillong. lywood stalwarts like Sham- His funeral will be held in dent Rahul Gandhi’s Mandi rally.” Hinting that Bali, a four-time touch with him. mi Kapoor (Professor, 1962; Powai today. Gulf Times 18 Monday, October 16, 2017 INDIA

Tamil Nadu Roundup Gujarat riots derailed BJP in 2004, says Pranab By Umaima Shafiq IANS “Throughout this period (of been Godhra that cost BJP the An emphatic and humble gress and other non-BJP par- over the BJP. It led Vajpayee to New Delhi the Vajpayee government) the next elections,” says Mukherjee politician, the former president ties. Several psephologists had ruefully comment that he could Actor injured demand for the construction of in a chapter on the “First Full says Vajpayee did not shy away predicted a clear victory for the never understand the mood of the Ram temple in Ayodhya had Term Non-Congress Govern- from giving credit where it was BJP-led National Democratic the voter.” after arguments he 2002 riots in Gujarat been building up. The height- ment”. due. Alliance. Mukherjee also recalls that end in fight was “possibly the biggest ened communal tension had a He says Vajpayee was a con- “We are not the initiators of As late as February 2004, an the 2004 general election was Tblot” on the government distressing fallout in Gujarat summate parliamentarian. With reform. We are carrying forward India Today-ORG-MARG opin- due only in October but the BJP Actor/comedian Santhanam of Atal Behari Vajpayee and that which witnessed a communal an excellent command over the a process that was started by the ion poll had predicted a clear brought it forward by six months was injured in a fight with could have cost the Bharatiya Ja- carnage in 2002. language, he was a great orator Narasimha Rao government, and victory for the Vajpayee-led al- on the back of its victories in the two builders whom he had nata Party the 2004 Lok Sabha “The rioting began at Godhra, who instantly connected with continued by two United Front liance. assembly elections in Madhya commissioned to build a elections, says former president a small town in Gujarat, where people and brought them to- governments. But we do take “The magazine, interpreting Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhat- shopping mall at Kundrathur in Pranab Mukherjee. 58 people were burnt to death in gether. the credit for having broadened, the opinion poll, wrote ‘Rid- tisgarh though it had lost Delhi Chennai last week. In the third volume of his au- a fi re that engulfed a compart- Vajpayee’s signature in poli- deepened and accelerated the ing on the crest of the prime to Congress. Santhanam had given an tobiography titled The Coalition ment of the Sabarmati Express. tics was achieving consensus, reform process.” minister’s popularity and eco- “There was cheer within the advance of Rs30mn to Years 1996-2012, Mukherjee The victims were all Hindu kar and in this process he earned the Vajpayee did not take po- nomic boom, the BJP-led alli- BJP at the resounding victory Shamughasundaram after also feels the then BJP govern- sevaks who were returning from respect of his party, allies and litical rivalries personally, says ance appears set for a sweep in in important states. However, finalising the design. Later ment’s ‘India Shining’ campaign Ayodhya. opponents at home. Abroad, he Mukherjee. the forthcoming elections.’ The there were some who advised he changed his mind and spawned the opposite outcome “This provoked widespread projected a harmonious image He says the 2004 Lok Sabha confi dence of the NDA had been caution in interpreting these wanted his money back. and the Vajpayee government riots in many cities of Gujarat. of India and connected it to the results brought the Congress shaken. Its ‘India Shining’ cam- results as a marker of broader Shamughasundaram kept was routed in an election against Possibly the biggest blot on Vaj- world through his foreign policy back to power. Many were sur- paign had spawned the opposite national sentiment,” observes evading him which angered most predictions. payee’s government, it may have outreach. prised by the victory of the Con- outcome and cast a pall of gloom Mukherjee. Santhanam. Finally the actor and his manager Ramesh met Shanmughasundaram at his Valsaravakkam off ice. The realtor Diwali shopping in full swing had an advocate with him. A heated argument led to physical blows and they started throwing things at each other. Off ice staff separated them and took them to hospital. IUML retains Later the realtor filed a case of physical assault against Santhanam. Police issued an arrest warrant but backed off after Santhanam filed an anticipatory bail in the Madras High Court. Kerala seat; Industrialist dies of overdose of anaesthesia BJP relegated Leading industrialist Manikkam Ramaswami, the chairman of Loyal Textiles group, died of an overdose of anaesthesia during a dental procedure at a private hospital in Chennai on October 3. to 4th position He was 56 and survived by his wife and daughter. By Ashraf Padanna It had to contend with the blow for Vijayan’s designs to de- Ramaswami was the third Thiruvananthapuram fourth place after K C Naseer, the fame its leaders by charging them generation scion of the Rs1bn candidate of the Social Demo- with taking bribes and sexual Loyal Textile Mills covering cratic Party (SDPI), got more favours in what is known as the spinning mills, garment yarns and he Indian Union Muslim votes (8,648). solar scam. the 168-year-old watch retailer League yesterday won an “The LDF put up a good show,” “The result has also exposed chain P Orr& Sons. Tassembly by-election in said Chief Minister Pinarayi the unholy nexus between the He was revered among business Vengara constituency of Malap- Vijayan, congratulating party CPM and the BJP. The latter conglomerates as a visionary. puram district in Kerala by a workers for storming the IUML would have to explain where He had also been president of margin of 23,310 votes. bastion and reducing its victory their votes have all gone.” the Confederation of Indian However, IUML candidate K N margin. The UDF received 53.14% Industry (CII), the cotton textiles A Khader could not reach any- “It’s a huge setback for the BJP (65,227 votes) followed by the export promotion council of India where near his predecessor and which has been trying to invade LDF’s 34.18% (41,917), SDPI’s (TEXPROCIL) and South India local favourite P K Kunhalikut- Kerala.” 7.05% and BJP’s 4.6%. Mills Association (SIMA). ty’s record victory margin of over The by-election was necessi- The IUML rebel candidate, 38,000 votes in 2016. tated when Kunhalikutty vacated Kamza Karumannil, could man- The IUML is a key member the seat after he was elected from age only 442 votes while more Historic Binny of the Congress-led opposition the Malappuram Lok Sabha con- constituents exercised the option building razed United Democratic Front (UDF). stituency in April this year. of “none of the above” option in The ruling Left Democratic “I am going back with lots of the fi rst election on the electron- The historic Binny Mills building Front claimed a moral victory for happiness as the Left did their ic voting machines (EVM) with on Armenian street in Chennai its candidate P P Basheer, a leader best to see the back of me, but I voter-verifi able paper audit trail was razed last week. of the Communist Party of India managed to win easily. I thank (VPAT), where voters will get the The 200-year-old building was in (Marxist) that leads the LDF as all the people of this constitu- printout. the heritage list of the Chennai he could make inroads into the ency and the UDF leaders,” said There was an increase of 1,590 Metropolitan Development IUML bastion. Khader. in total votes polled this time. Authority (CMDA). It was in their The Bharatiya Janata Party Basheer said that he has been President of the Kerala unit Grade-II list, and buildings in this (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra able to break the myth that the of Congress M M Hassan said category are marked for their Modi, which is on a state-wide IUML was all prevailing and the solar bomb had exploded on significant architecture and their roadshow attended by federal powerful. Vengara polling day, but people landmark location in the area. ministers and chief ministers “Just see the votes that we have showed that political witch- The 35,000 sq ft premise was of the party-ruled states, cut a managed to get and we could take hunt and vengeful politics didn’t constructed in 1812 by John Binny sorry fi gure without being able to the fi ght into several strongholds work. and his partner Dennison as retain the votes it cornered in the of the IUML.” “They showed their support to off ices for their banking, shipping, last election. CPM secretary Kodiyeri UDF and have given a befi tting textile and insurance firms. Despite a high-voltage cam- Balakrishnan said the results reply to LDF,” he said in a state- The land was acquired from paign, the BJP’s K Janachandran showed that the Congress-led ment here. Armenians who were the earliest Master could get only 5,728 of opposition was on its way out. Kunhalikutty described it as missionaries and traders to settle the 122,623 votes polled, which “The IUML might have a tech- a historic win for the UDF while in India in the 8th century. was less than its tally of 7,015 in nical victory, but we have scored admitting that Khader was not The building was reportedly 2016 and 5,952 votes that it could a political victory.” very familiar in the constituency demolished because architects Shoppers throng a market in Nagpur ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, yesterday. The manage from this segment in the Congress leader Ramesh unlike his main rival, who is a lo- had certified it as unfit for festival falls on October 19 this year. recent Malappuram Lok Sabha Chennithala described it as a po- cal man, whom he defeated last occupancy after a recent fire. by-election. litical victory for the UDF, and a time. Paralympic winner in murder case The Madras High Court has 24 fall ill after eating Raj accuses Uddhav admitted a case of murder against T Mariappan from Salem, who won gold in high jump in the food on Tejas Express of horse-trading Rio 2016 Paralympics, last week. The petitioner Muniyammal, from IANS suggestions that he had entered Salem accused Mariappan of IANS ambulances for the passengers. Mumbai into a secret political deal with driving her son Sathish to suicide Mumbai/New Delhi And the passengers were taken the Shiv Sena. by threatening and beating him to government and private “I have not sent these six up. She said that Mariappan had hospitals,” he said. aharashtra Navnirman corporators... Why should I? become angry with 19-year-old t least 24 passengers of In response to the food qual- Sena (MNS) president If I wanted, I would have sent Sathish for hitting his motorbike the Goa-Mumbai Tejas ity complaint, the IRCTC in MRaj Thackeray yes- all my seven corporators... The against his new SUV parked AExpress fell ill yesterday a series of tweets said: “Food terday accused cousin Uddhav Shiv Sena is spreading canards outside a wedding venue in after eating food served on the samples have been taken for Thackeray and the Shiv Sena of against me,” Raj said. Omalur town of Salem last June. train and were admitted to hos- investigation. A total of 230 “horse-trading”, two days after He admitted that he had al- A depressed Sathish left home pitals, offi cials said. The Indian breakfast (117 vegetarian + 113 six MNS corporators of the Bri- ways helped his cousin’s party, and was found dead near railway Railway Catering and Tourism non-vegetarian) have been hanmumbai Municipal Corpora- “but this was not expected of the tracks the next day. The case has Corporation has launched an served.” tion (BMC) defected to the Sena. Shiv Sena”. been posted for an October 24 investigation. Meanwhile, IRCTC chair- “These municipal corpora- On Friday, in a political devel- hearing. A Central Railway offi cial, man and managing director tors have been bought over by opment that shocked the MNS who didn’t want to be named, M P Mall said: “The food was Shiv Sena. Money was thrown to and the Bharatiya Janata Party, said: “The passengers com- supplied from Madgaon (Goa) break these (MNS) corporators,” six of seven MNS corporators Textbooks on mobiles plained of uneasiness and base kitchen under our super- Raj said, in the most direct attack defected to the Shiv Sena. for blind students nausea around 12.10pm after vision and nothing abnormal on his estranged cousin. With this, the ruling Sena eating the breakfast served to was reported. But everything is Raj backed it up with a sensa- strength in the 227-member Visually impaired students them. being investigated.” tional revelation that the corpo- BMC shot up from 83 to 89. It of Class X, XI and XII who are “The train was stopped at He also said that the IRCTC rators were bought over “for Rs5 also has the support of inde- writing board exams this year Chiplon railway station around has collected the raw materials crore each by Shiv Sena”. pendents. will have additional aid in the 3.15pm and the passengers who from the kitchen. He claimed that the people The strength of the BJP, which form of textbooks on their complained were taken off .” Mall said that the passengers were fed up with Shiv Sena’s won a by-election in Bhandup, mobile phones along with the The catering of Tejas Express were provided breakfast along dirty politics and “it’s because of shot up to 83. Two independents existing Braille books and audio is managed by the IRCTC. The with Knorr soup. Uddhav’s low-level politics that also support it. formats. train was on its way from Goa’s “We are investigating the even I quit that party”. After the Bhandup win, the The devices developed with the Karmali to Mumbai’s Chattra- entire matter,” he said. He warned that the people of BJP had claimed it would soon help of software giants Samsung, pati Shivaji Terminus. “The passengers admitted in the state won’t forget this and “I topple the Shiv Sena and install Cognizant and Bookshare have “The Konkan Railway offi - hospital are out of danger,” the MNS chief Raj Thackeray gestures as he addresses a press shall also remember it”. its own mayor on the country’s been distributed to 150 students. cials had arranged fi rst aid and IRCTC offi cial added. conference in Mumbai yesterday. The MNS chief also dismissed biggest and richest civic body. Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 19 PAKISTAN Bomb kills Protest against PFF suspension four troops AFP “The troops were part of a both sides of the Afghanistan- Islamabad search party for handlers Pakistan border. of the rescued foreigners The Haqqani network is held by the Haqqani headed by Sirajuddin Haqqa- bomb yesterday killed network in the tribal area” ni, who is also the Afghan four Pakistani soldiers Taliban’s deputy leader. Aas they searched for when an improvised explosive In a chilling statement on militants linked to the kidnap- device went off ,” the military the family’s arrival in Toronto, ping of a US-Canadian family said in a statement. Boyle accused his kidnap- who were freed last week. “The troops were part of pers of murdering their infant The incident happened a search party for handlers daughter and raping his wife, near the Kharlachi check- of the rescued foreigners,” it Caitlan Coleman. point in Kurram district in the added without off ering further Pakistan, which has long restive tribal belt bordering details. been accused of having links to Afghanistan. Offi cials said that the search groups such as the Haqqanis, The family was being held party belonged to the Frontier has faced increased pressure by the Taliban-allied Haqqani Corps, a paramilitary force that from Washington to crack network in the tribal area un- provides security in Pakistan’s down on militants after it was til they were rescued during a tribal belt. lambasted by US President Pakistani military operation on Joshua Boyle and his Ameri- Donald Trump in August. Wednesday. can wife and three children Following the family’s re- “Four security force troops were freed after fi ve years of lease, Trump tweeted that re- Members of local football association protest against the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in Karachi yesterday. FIFA including a captain embraced captivity at the hands of the lations were improving and announced on October 11, it has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) for “third-party interference”, in a rare move by the shahadat (martyrdom) while Haqqani network, a notorious thanked Pakistan for “their co- sport’s governing body to issue a blanket ban targeting a country. three others sustained injuries militant group that operates on operation on many fronts”. $40bn needed to reduce climate change impact MoU inked to improve Internews sions, subject to availability of half of the total national GHG tion of dikes or sea walls. gravate frequency of extreme drought tolerance, modernise Karachi international grants to meet emissions inventory. The Bank said Pakistan lacks climatic events. irrigation infrastructure, em- the cumulative abatement costs Hydropower resources, adaptation and mitigation It estimated that the rise in ploy water-saving technologies, border amounting to approximately which supply around 30 per strategies to combat climate temperature between 0.5 to two integrate watershed manage- akistan will need approxi- $40bn,” Manila-based lender cent of electricity, are expected change threats. The country centigrades would bring agri- ment, and increase reforestation mately $40bn in funds to said in ‘Climate change profi le to be aff ected by the recession launched ministry of climate culture productivity down eight of catchment areas. security Pachieve the desirable level of Pakistan’. of Himalayan glaciers that is change in 2013 despite it has to 10% by 2040. ADB said climate change will of greenhouse gas emissions The Bank said Pakistan is one the largest source of freshwater signed 14 international envi- “Addressing these risks re- also aff ect urban infrastructure during the next one and half of the countries in South Asia supply in the country, it added. ronmental commitments be- quires the mainstreaming of and transport sector in Paki- IANS decade, the Asian Development where warming is expected to The Bank said hotter tem- tween 1971 and 2001. climate change into national stan, which is the sixth most Islamabad Bank (ADB) said in a recent re- remain more than the global peratures are likely to increase It said weak institutional set- strategy and policy; and cli- populous country in the world. port, pinpointing a strong in- mean “and climate change will energy demand due to increased up in the country keeps its share mate-smart investments in “In economic terms, there are stitutional setup in the country impact the glaciers’ melting air conditioning requirements. in global climate change fi nance infrastructure, businesses and two types of impacts of extreme akistan and Iran signed a to improve its access to global rate and precipitation patterns, Warmer air and water tempera- to minimal. It has only $15mn in skills,” Akmal Siddiq, a director weather events on the transpor- memorandum of under- climate fi nance. particularly aff ecting the tim- tures may decrease the effi cien- disbursements of multilateral of agriculture, water, and natu- tation system,” it added. Pstanding (MoU) yesterday ADB said Pakistan is one of ing and strength of monsoon cy of nuclear and thermal power fi nance explicitly for climate ral resources division at ADB “The fi rst is the damage in- to foster improved border secu- the countries that are most rainfall.” plant generation. change as of 2012. said in the report. fl icted upon infrastructure, rity management, Radio Paki- vulnerable to climate change “Consequently, this will The Asian Development Annual global climate fi nance ADB said warming-driven such as fl ood damage to road, stan reported. eff ects, including catastrophic signifi cantly impact the pro- Bank, however, recommended fl ows amounted to approxi- higher evaporation rates may rail, and bridges. The MoU was inked during the fl oods, droughts and cyclones. ductivity and effi ciency of construction of additional mately $331bn in 2013, of which lead to growing demand of ir- The second is the economic 21st two-day meeting of Paki- “As described in its Nation- water-dependent sectors such water storage, diversifi ca- $34bn fl owed from developed to rigation water and this situa- cost of interruptions in the stan-Iran Joint Border Commis- ally Determined Contribution as agriculture and energy,” it tion of energy mix including developing countries. tion is expected to bite yields operation of the transporta- sion, held in Gwadar port city on to the Paris Agreement under added. investment in renewable and The Bank said climatic of wheat and basmati rice - the tion systems, which prevent the southwestern coast of Balo- the United Nations Frame- ADB said the thermal re- small hydropower projects, changes are expected to reduce two key cash crops for the agri- employees from going to work; chistan, in Pakistan. work Convention on Climate sources-dependent energy sec- improvement of weather fore- agricultural productivity, in- culture-dependent economy. shoppers from getting to stores; Joint proposals pertaining to Change, Pakistan intends to tor is the biggest contributor casting and warning systems, crease variability of water avail- The bank advised the policy- and goods from being delivered the border situation, security reduce up to 20% of its 2030 of greenhouse gas emissions retrofi tting of critical energy ability, raise coastal erosion and makers to develop or use crop to factories, warehouses, and matters, immigration and border projected greenhouse gas emis- (GHG), accounting for nearly infrastructure, and construc- seawater incursion, and ag- varieties with greater heat and stores.” trade between the two countries also came under discussion. The two sides reiterated their fi rm resolve to check drugs smuggling, intrusion of illegal immigrants and not allow use of Prime suspect held their respective soils for terror- Rubies, the buried treasures ism against each other. Provincial Chief Secretary Au- in ‘knife attacks’ rangzeb Haque led the Pakistani By Caroline Nelly Perrot, AFP side while Deputy Governor Sis- Chitta Katha tan-Baluchistan province Ali As- Agencies wielding” motorcyclist, Dawn ghar Mir Shikari headed the Ira- Karachi reported. nian delegation at the meeting. he people of Pakistani Subsequently, the police Kashmir are sitting on had launched a manhunt and Ta treasure chest: Mil- ahiwal police have ar- an investigation into the mo- lions of rubies, estimated to be rested the prime sus- tivation and identity of the worth up to half a billion dol- Spect in the recent knife attacker. lars, are lying beneath them. attacks on women that have On Friday, police told the Railway But archaic tools and a lack been taking place in Karachi, administrative judge of the of investment in infrastructure district inspector general Sul- anti-terrorism courts that and techniques are hampering tan Ali Khowaja said yesterday, Waseem’s alleged accomplice, fi nalises eff orts to transform the area a media report said. M Shahzad, who was arrested into a signifi cant player in the Waseem, who has been in- on Thursday, had disclosed gem industry. volved in similar attacks on during initial questioning that plans to “We have rubies that are at women in Sahiwal, is being he provided cover to Waseem, least as good as the Burmese, transferred to Karachi where who came to Karachi around but their mining techniques further investigations will be a month ago, during knife at- upgrade are more sophisticated,” says conducted to determine his tacks and also carried out Huma Rizvi, a dealer in involvement in the Karachi reconnaissance. precious stones. A labourer displaying ruby gemstones after finding them in pieces of rocks outside a mine at a mountain attacks, the DIG added. Police said that Shahzad tracks Pakistani Kashmir has just in the Kashmiri town of Chitta Katha in Upper Neelum Valley in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Earlier in October, fear further revealed that Waseem one mine and one exploration gripped residents of Gulistan- was suff ering from some psy- site, where miners dig to assess living off modest incomes. Yet aged by the very rugged ter- ied in the hollows of newspaper i-Jauhar area after reports chological disorder and he Internews the potential of the jewels be- precious stones currently ac- rain and proximity to the Line sheets and dusty plastic bags a surfaced of a ‘knife attacker’ enjoyed the news of his at- Islamabad low. But the region has proven count for less than 1% of of Control (LoC), the de facto handful of rough cut emeralds, a targeting women in the area. tacks when it was aired by TV reserves of more than 40mn Kashmir’s tax revenues. border with India, where cross- few pink rubies hardly polished, A number of cases had been channels. grams of rubies, and inferred The federal authorities that border fi rings and scuffl es are and tourmaline at various registered at police stations He had also targeted many akistan Railways has fi - resources of nearly 50mn administer this disputed ter- frequent. stages of fi nishing. in Shahrah-i-Faisal and Gu- women in Sahiwal in 2015. nalised arrangements grams, according to geological ritory do not have the funds to Even the major international The jewellery industry in listan-i-Jauhar, with women However, after his arrest he Pfor the upgrade and surveys commissioned by the buy new machinery or to build mining companies are reluctant Pakistani Kashmir is still in its claiming that they had been was released on bail, police construction of more than provincial executive. more mines, explained Shahid to invest in Pakistan, which has infancy, and limited by the fact attacked by a lone “knife- had added. 50,000km of tracks across the Muhammad Azeem spends Ayub, director general of the been plagued by legal disputes that transportation of rough cut country on build, operate and four months a year toiling in Azad Kashmir Mine and In- over major copper and gold precious stones is prohibited in transfer (BOT) basis. the Chitta Katha mine on the dustry Development Company concessions in the southwest of the region as a measure against Liver patient gets India medical visa In this regard, the railways slopes of the Himalayas, which (AKMIDC), a public company the country. smuggling. ministry invited expressions requires an eleven hour drive responsible for developing the Another issue is the lack of Many gems are sold on infor- India yesterday issued yet a medical visa to a Pakistani of interest for the pre-quali- and then two hours walking to local industry. regulation, Rizvi explains. mally and processed in Thailand another medical visa to a child seeking open heart fi cation of contractors, after reach from Muzaff arabad, the “Mining is done manually or “You are never sure you are or India, explains Imran Zafar, Pakistani woman seeking an surgery in India. which 10 companies were se- capital of Pakistani Kashmir. by small blasts - and we lose paying the right person. Every the director of a government urgent liver transplant, IANS On Independence Day, the lected through a bidding process, “I drill in the mine before 40 to 50% of the value of the area has diff erent rules,” she centre set up to teach and train report from New Delhi. external aff airs ministry offi cials said. the explosives are placed for stones,” he acknowledges. “Due adds. Muzaff arabad artisans. “We are giving visa for the had announced that India They added that rehabili- blasting... It’s a very hard job,” to lack of investment, we are The current approach is er- Around him, a dozen crafts- liver transplant surgery of Ms would provide medical tation and improvement of the miner told AFP, using an not making the most of our re- ratic and while the region’s ru- men are busy around the saws Farzana Ijaz in India,” External visas to all bona fide existing tracks would also be old-fashioned perforator at sources.” bies are sought after due to their and faceting machines at- Aff airs Minister Sushma Swaraj Pakistani patients. carried out to achieve higher the bottom of poorly ventilated For Pakistani Kashmir’s ru- garnet colour, the stones ex- tempting to shape the stones tweeted in reply to a request As ties between the two speeds of up to 160km per hour tunnels. bies and other mineral resourc- tracted are of irregular quality. into desirable gems. from M Mohsin who describes countries soured over various for which feasibility studies of It is back-breaking work es - such as copper, gold and “It’s your luck,” explains Mir Under the skilful fi ngers of Ab- himself as “a political student issues, the ministry had some of the sections were being with only occasional rewards - silver - to contribute more to Khalid, owner of one of the only dur Rahmane, a small dull nugget keeping a keen eye on day to announced in May that only a conducted. last year workers discovered a Pakistan’s economy, there must gem stores in Kashmir. “Once turns into a bright pink gem. developments” and made the letter of recommendation by The BOT mechanism will ruby the size of an egg. be more investment in local ex- you cut it, either you fi nd a “My favourite stones are appeal for his aunt. then Pakistan prime minister’s resolve fi nancing issues, Experts believe tapping into pertise and development of a beautiful stone, or it is damaged ruby, sapphire and tourmaline,” This is the seventh such visa foreign aff airs adviser Sartaj which have remained one of the gem reserve could trans- legal framework to support the and cracked.” smiles the young graduate, who issued by India to Pakistani Aziz would enable a Pakistani the main hurdles in the way form the fortunes of a region mining sector, dealer Rizvi says. Behind the wooden counter now earns his living by nationals this month. national to get a medical visa of implementing various home to 4mn people largely But private fi rms are discour- of his tiny stall, he keeps bur- trimming jewels on demand. Last month too, India issued for India. projects. Gulf Times 20 Monday, October 16, 2017 PHILIPPINES

Huge waves Army says sink boat, destroy battle for homes

By Al Jacinto Marawi to Manila Times/Zamboanga City eavy rains and huge waves battered seaside Hhouses and sank a fi sh- ing boat near Santa Cruz Island here yesterday. end soon But authorities said there were no reports of casualties. AFP military spokesman said. The Philippine Coast Guard Marawi “We are hoping that we will plucked out about 31 fi shing end this Marawi siege very crew at sea and brought them soon,” Colonel Romeo Brawner, ashore in this city. hilippine troops yesterday deputy commander of the task Dozens of wooden houses bombed militants loyal to force battling the militants, told were also uprooted from stilts Pthe Islamic State group reporters. and swept away by the rag- who have held out for over four Pro-IS gunmen occupied ing waves in the coastal villages months in a southern city and parts of Marawi on May 23. of Vitali, Maasin, Labuan and the military said the confl ict Since then 822 militants, 162 Patalo. Heavy rains also fl ooded would be over “very soon”. government forces and 47 civil- many streets here. The army previously set a tar- ians have been killed, Brawner As usual, local offi cials blamed get of yesterday to end the fi ght- said. clogged drainage and waterways ing in Marawi, which it said has The insurgents have with- for the fl ooding. killed more than 1,000 people. stood a relentless US-backed Smoke billows from destroyed buildings after government troops fired mortars at an Islamic State position in Marawi on the southern But many areas in Zamboanga Troops have missed previ- bombing campaign and intense island of Mindanao yesterday. have inadequate or no drainage ous deadlines to fl ush out the ground battles with troops that and canals aggravated by people militants whom authorities said have left large parts of Marawi Twenty soldiers were wound- wanted terrorists with a $5mn “Women and children are Duterte on Thursday warned throwing trash into the rivers intended to establish a local IS resembling devastated cities in ed on Saturday in a sign troops bounty, and Omarkhayam Mau- now forced to fi ght together against celebrating the eventual and waterways. caliphate. war-torn Syria and Iraq. were pushing hard to end the te, whose group had pledged al- with the Maute-ISIS fi ghters. liberation of Marawi, citing the State weather agency experts Yesterday FA-50 fighter jets Military commanders last battle, Brawner said. legiance to IS. These are desperate measures deaths and devastation there. said the rains were caused by the flew over Marawi as soldiers week set a target of October 15 He said 40 militants re- There were also 100 civilians the Maute-ISIS are doing. This “When we leave Marawi, we inter-tropical convergence zone fought the militants house-to- to end the fi ghting and President mained in the confl ict area in- in the zone including hostages is their last defensive stand,” go quietly. We do not want to (ITCZ) which aff ected the rest house in an area which has now Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said cluding leaders Isnilon Hapilon, and families of the militants, he Brawner said, using another ac- show any kind of celebration or of the country since Friday with shrunk to about five acres, a the battle was “almost over”. who is on America’s list of most added. ronym for IS. happiness,” he said. northern Luzon most badly hit. Probe agency closing in on ‘Storm Troopers’ join reading session fi ve bloggers over fake news

By Bernadette E Tamayo ready,” he said. He confi rmed that the NBI was Manila Times running after Cocoy Dayao, the supposed han- dler of SNM. He, however, declined to identify the four others. “Let’s not identify the others he National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yet.” has identifi ed fi ve people allegedly in- Dayao failed to attend on October 4 the Senate Tvolved in the “fake news” that maligned probe on fake news. Pacquiao and Villar wanted seven senators for their supposed refusal to sup- him to explain why he called them names in his port a Senate resolution denouncing extrajudicial post, which they said had damaged their reputa- killings (EJKs). tion. Sotto has yet to comment on the decision of Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto on Sat- Jover Laurio, the blogger behind PAB, to reveal urday said the NBI had submitted to him a re- her identity following alleged harassment from port on a blog which was posted by the handlers pro-Duterte blogger, Rey Joseph Nieto, who is of “Silent No More” (SNM) blog and “Pinoy Ako behind the Thinking Pinoy blog. Asked whether Blog” (PAB). there were fellow senators involved in the at- The blog post claimed that Senators Aquilino tempt to defame them, Sotto said, “There’s no Pimentel, Richard Gordon, Emmanuel Pacquiao, one at the moment.” Juan Miguel Zubiri, Gregorio Honasan, Cynthia Villar had claimed to have obtained informa- Villar, and Sotto had refused to sign Resolution tion that opposition Senators Paolo Benigno 516, drafted by opposition Sen. Francis Pangil- Aquino and Risa Hontiveros were “out to de- inan, denouncing EJKs of suspected drug per- stroy” the majority bloc. Aquino and Hontiveros sonalities. “There is a report already. They are denied her allegation. being hunted down. We learned that one of them Sotto said the fi ve bloggers receive “feeds” suddenly went abroad,” Sotto said in an interview from certain groups to attack a particular person. over dwIZ. “These can all be traced. Thinking Pinoy is ‘Star Wars’ storm troopers and other creatures join a reading and storytelling session at the Fully Booked store during a charity event, “You can see that it is a sign of guilt. The NBI quite good. The NBI was able to learn a lot from to help poor children in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. knows already. And I have prepared a case al- him,” he added. Drug charges fi led against Govt to off er free rides De Lima ‘real’: Duterte during transport strike Manila Times portation, commuters may call tion, is against the government’s By Catherine S Valente Manila 136, the MMDA hotline. plan to phase out public util- Manila Times There will also be private bus- ity jeepneys and compel their es that will be deployed to take drivers and owners to purchase he government will of- jeepney routes and will charge a minimum of 10 “brand-new” resident Rodrigo Duterte fer free rides to com- P10 for non-aircon, and P12 for PUJ units at over P1.6mn each lashed out anew at Sena- Tmuters today in an- those with aircon, Lizada said. that will be operated under a Ptor Leila De Lima for por- ticipation of a nationwide Piston and the ‘No To Jeepney fl eet management scheme run traying herself as a “prisoner of transport strike against the jeep- Phaseout’ Coalition will lead the by big transport companies. conscience,” as the lawmaker ney modernisation programme, nationwide protest today and “They want to rid small opera- continues to languish in deten- a spokesman for the Land Trans- tomorrow. tors and drivers of our livelihood tion over illegal drug charges. portation Franchising and Regu- Meanwhile, Malacanang has to hand over to the monopoly con- In an interview aired on latory Board (LTFRB) said over ordered the suspension of gov- trol of big foreign and local busi- state-run People’s Television, the weekend. ernment work and classes in nesses. Only big transport cor- Duterte insisted that De Lima Aileen Lizada said in Metro both public and private schools porations can come up with over allowed illegal drugs to pro- Manila, government vehicles nationwide. P20mn to comply with the DOTr’s liferate inside the New Bilibid would be deployed to six ar- In a statement from Executive new guidelines. Worse, this pha- Prison (NBP) when she headed eas, which the Metropolitan Secretary Salvador Medialdea, a seout scheme is in line with the the Department of Justice from Manila Development Authority memorandum circular will be is- Ayala-Pangilinan consortium’s 2010 to 2015. (MMDA) would identify. sued shortly in connection with plan to monopolise the country’s “The case of De Lima is real,” “Six staging areas, both pri- the suspension of government mass transport system,” Piston the president said. “And the vate buses and government ve- work. The private sector work- president George San Mateo said Americans know that already,” hicles will be prepositioned. ers, however, are not covered by in a statement last week. he said, without elaborating. Joint Quick Response Teams will the suspension but their em- Another transport group, Stop Duterte reiterated that the De Lima: facing criticism be activated by 4am,” Lizada said ployers have the authority to is- & Go Transport Coalition, held a senator’s previous “adulterous” in a text message on weekend. sue a similar order. similar strike on September 24, aff air with her former driver, started to make money eventu- peal the high court’s decision, ing subjected to political perse- Lizada said that in case of a The strike, led by Piston and describing the modernisation Ronnie Dayan, paved the way ally swallowed by De Lima,” the lamenting that the decision cution. shortage of government trans- No To Jeepney Phaseout Coali- programme as “anti-poor.” for her involvement in illegal president said. “tells us the extent to which In October 2016, Duterte al- drugs inside the state peniten- “Aren’t you ashamed call- Dutertism has distorted rea- leged that De Lima was the CRIME tiary. ing yourself a ‘prisoner of con- son, suppressed the truth and “manager” of the illegal drug Dayan was the alleged bag- science?’ The truth is, you are rejected the primacy of con- trade in the national peniten- Police arrest lawyer over murder of San Carlos city mayor man of De Lima who was col- a prisoner of your lust. That’s science.” tiary. lecting drug money from the where it all started, your adul- She has rejected allegations Duterte’s so-called narco- A 74-year-old lawyer suspected of protecting an organ- Ignacio Sr, a private law practitioner, was tagged as illicit transactions inside the terous relation. Do not blame against her, claiming she had list identifi ed Dde Lima as the ised crime syndicate engaged in gun-for-hire, illegal drug alleged protector of “Pogito Gang” an organised crime NBP. The money was purport- anybody,” he added. been locked up to stop her from top government offi cial alleg- trade and robbery in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija was gang headed by his son Monte Ignacio Jr, who is at edly used to fi nance De Lima’s Duterte issued the statement criticising the administration’s edly involved in drug transac- arrested at his house in Asingan town on Friday night, large. Ignacio Jr is also facing several murder, rape and senatorial campaign in 2016. after the Supreme Court on war on drugs that has seen tions inside the NBP. Manila Times reported from Lingayen, Pangasinan. robbery cases with P1mn reward put up for his cap- “Her case started because of Tuesday voted 9-6 to junk De thousands of suspected crimi- De Lima has been detained at He is also wanted for the murder of San Carlos City ture. Lee said Ignacio was implicated by the arrested her (former) driver and lover. Lima’s petition to dismiss the nals killed. the Philippine National Police Mayor Julian Resuello and security personnel Edwin gunman in Resuello’s murder during the open court Her driver had a connection drug-related cases fi led against Malacanang has denied that custodial centre in Quezon City Mendoza on May 2, 2007. Pangasinan Police Director, hearing which was the basis for the issuance of an and developed ties inside and her. De Lima said she would ap- the opposition senator was be- since February. Senior Supt. Ronald Oliver-Lee, said the suspect Monte arrest warrant against him. Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 21 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

14,000 lone children among refugees

Nearly 14,000 children who have lost one or both parents Dhaka steps up India border are among the more than half a million Rohingya refugees who crossed in Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar, an off icial said yesterday. The UN says 536,000 mainly Rohingya refugees have arrived security over Rohingya fears from Myanmar’s strife-torn Rakhine state since August 25, the AFP Patrols have been stepped majority of them children. Dhaka up along the frontier with Bangladesh’s social services India’s West Bengal state, department said 13,751 children where border guards say without a parent or parents angladesh has tightened they have been ordered were identified in a survey of the security along its western in recent weeks to steer crowded refugee camps along its Bborder with India amid Rohingya into border, where charities warn that concern that hundreds of Ro- Bangladesh a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. hingya Muslim refugees could be “The majority of them said they pushed into its territory, offi cials have crossed since August 25, lost one or both parents in the said yesterday. fl eeing violence in western My- violence in Rakhine,” Pritam Patrols have been stepped up anmar described by the United Kumar Chowdhury, a department along the frontier with India’s Nations as ethnic cleansing. deputy director, said. West Bengal state, where bor- An Indian border guard in “Others said they didn’t know der guards say they have been West Bengal said that patrols what happened to their parents, ordered in recent weeks to steer had previously turned over all and they came to Bangladesh Rohingya into Bangladesh. Rohingya intercepted at the with relatives.” Tariqul Hakim, an area com- frontier to local police. The UN has described the mander of the Border Guard “But now our directions are violence in Rakhine as a textbook Bangladesh, said Rohingya could very clear, and that is to push all case of ethnic cleansing, with be seen gathering opposite the Rohingya into Bangladesh,” he displaced Rohingya Muslims in Putkhali frontier post, where said on condition of anonymity. Bangladesh describing whole just a narrow river divides the “We are trying to accomplish villages being razed, gang rapes two countries. our task with active local sup- and massacres. “We have stepped up surveil- port”. Those who survived and fled to lance and patrols so that no Ro- A Bangladesh border guard Bangladesh include an estimated hingya can be pushed into our offi cial, Abdul Hossain, said vil- 320,000 children, one-third of territory,” Lieutenant Colonel lages along the frontier were on whom are under five years of age. Hakim said. high alert, with newly-arrived Bangladesh is building the world’s There are 40,000 Rohingya in refugees saying they had been largest refugee camp - a sprawling India but the Indian government encouraged by Indian guards to three thousand acre (1,200 wants them deported, telling a cross the border. hectare) settlement - capable of top court last month they pose a “We’ve been patrolling the housing 800,000-plus Rohingya. security threat. border day and night to prevent Last month a junior minister asked Hakim said Rohingya com- their entry. Local villagers have A volunteer pulls out a Rohingya refugee from a queue to collect aid after she came back a second time at the Balukhali refugee camp in the that 200 acres be set aside in the munities inside India could be also joined us in the patrols,” Bangladeshi district of Ukhia. camp for children’s facilities. trying to reunite with their fami- Hossain said. Chowdhury said an lies in southeast Bangladesh, Local council member Nazrul opening a section of barbed wire downs in Myanmar, and does not viled in the mainly Buddhist na- sure on Bangladeshi authori- orphanage would be built for where more than half a million Islam said more than a doz- to allow them to pass easily. want to accept any from India. tion and considered to be illegal ties and charities, who have de- unaccompanied minors, and Rohingya refugees have arrived en Rohingya who crossed at a Bangladesh already hosts at It is trying to repatriate the immigrants. scribed the crisis as one of the those without a parent would since August from Myanmar. southwestern part of the frontier least 800,000 Rohingya, includ- Rohingya to Myanmar. But the The unprecedented infl ux of world’s most pressing humani- be given extra assistance and An estimated 536,000 refugees on Friday reported Indian guards ing those who fl ed earlier crack- stateless Muslim minority are re- refugees has put immense pres- tarian emergencies. familial support. Nepal’s PM inducts Chief justice could face graft probe: minister eight new ministers By Mizan Rahman “We’ll fi le an appeal against Dhaka the Supreme Court verdict over the cancellation of the Agencies to remove Maoist ministers from cured 388 votes out of a total of 16th amendment to the con- Katmandu the portfolio. 558 votes. angladesh Law Minister stitution,” he said. “The people are raising con- PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED: Anisul Huq yesterday An SC statement signed by cern over the larger size of Nepal’s parliament turned con- Bsaid the Anti-Corrup- registrar general Syed Aminul ight new ministers were cabinet. There is no mention stituent assembly (CA) com- tion Commission (ACC) may Islam on Saturday said fi ve ap- sworn in under the leader- about the number of ministers pleted its tenure on Saturday as launch an inquiry against pellate division judges had de- Eship of Nepal Prime Min- in the cabinet. Where is it men- per the constitutional provision Chief Justice (CJ) S K Sinha clined to conduct judicial activ- ister Sher Bahadur Deuba on tioned?” Prime Minister Deuba and has dissolved from midnight as most of the 11 allegations ities together with Chief Justice Saturday. questioned as it was raised by leaving grievances of raised against him are under Surendra Kumar Sinha as there The eight new ministers from opposition leader as well as disgruntled parties on board. the jurisdiction of the com- are 11 specifi c allegations, in- Rastriya Prajatantra Party in- former prime minister K P Oli. On the occasion, House Sher Bahadur Deuba ... faces flak over the large size of the cabinet mission. cluding ‘moral turpitude and cluding Deputy Prime Minis- “It (the constitution) has stat- Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar “The ACC will fi rst conduct corruption’, against him. ter, Kamal Thapa were sworn ed about the number after the highlighted the achievements “Regarding the implementa- before the candidates fi le their an inquiry and later launch an It also termed the statement in here amid a procession in the end of transition period. Can’t and works completed by the tion of the constitution we re- nomination for the house of investigation against the CJ issued by Sinha while leaving president’s offi ce. the prime minister use the right parliament turned CA since its vised many bills as well as de- representatives election. based on the allegations men- his residence for Australia on This is for the seventh time assured by the constitution? transformation that dates back manded for the amendment over The government of Nepal un- tioned in a Supreme Court Thursday night confusing. Deuba has expanded his cabinet The number can decrease within to 2015. the constitution. Whether to call der the rule of Prime Minister statement on Saturday. If the Justice Sinha was appointed after taking over as the prime two to four days, you will know “Endorsement of two fi s- it a fortune or misfortune, the Sher Bahadur Deuba has called ACC fi nds authenticity of the 21st chief justice in Janu- minister just in fi ve months. that soon or within fi ve to seven cal year budgets, election of the play of three parties the amend- for the election of the provincial the allegations, it’ll fi le cases ary 2015. He is scheduled to Apart from Thapa other new days,” he added. president, vice-president, elec- ment failed,” Rukmani Chaud- centre and the house of repre- against the CJ,” Anisul told re- retire on January 31 next year. faces in the government are: Deuba who is facing fl ak for tion for speaker, deputy house hary, lawmaker from Federal sentative in two phases - porters at a press conference He came under fi re ever since Dina Nath Giri, Bikram Bahadur having the large size of cabinet speaker, election of two prime Democratic National Forum said. November and December. yesterday. the SC on August 1 released the Thapa, Jayanta Chand, Kunti in Nepali history has 64 min- ministers, bills related to the “The tendency of pointing The election commission has “I’m deeply shocked as full text of the verdict scrapping Kumari Shahi, Bhaskar Bhadra, isters on board, including the implementation of the constitu- one another never addressed asked the political parties to sub- the chief justice distributed the 16th amendment that had Kanta Bhattarai and Sushil latest expansion. tion as well as those necessary the demands and grievances of mit the list of candidates under a written statement among empowered parliament to re- Shrestha. The reaction of Deuba comes for the daily works, the essen- the Madhesi, Tharu and Indig- the proportional representation journalists before leaving the move SC judges. Giri, Thapa and Chand amid the unifi cation attempt be- tial bills for reconstruction af- enous groups by failed attempt electoral system till October 15. country saying he was ab- Following the verdict, the are appointed as ministers tween the Communist Party of ter the earthquake is endorsed of constitution amendment,” she The last date for fi ling can- solutely fi ne,” the minister prime minister and senior whereas Shahi, Bhadra, Bhat- Nepal- Unifi ed Marxist Leninist without delay and utmost prior- added. didacy under the fi rst- past- said, adding, “He (Sinha) had ministers came down heavily tarai and Shrestha are min- (CPN-UML) and Maoist Centre ity. These completed tasks will The Madhesh based parties the- post electoral system is sought leave mentioning his on the CJ, with many of them isters of state. None of the (MC) which will now be the arch have a long time impact,” Magar demanded more inclusion in the October 22. illness in the application.” calling for his resignation. new inducted ministers have rival of the Deuba-led Nepali claimed while making her fare- newly promulgated constitu- Article 296 of the constitu- A political quarter has been The parliament on Sep- been assigned any portfolio Congress as they have agreed to well speech. tion and sought amendment over tion has set January 21, 2018 as trying to create controversies tember 13 passed a resolution till now. make alliance. The parliament turned con- it and was failed though it was the date for the expiry of current over the departure of the chief calling for legal steps to nullify While addressing the farewell Deuba was sworn in as the stituent assembly has promul- tabled lately and amended once. parliament. It has also stated that justice, Anisul said. the SC verdict. The law min- of parliament, Prime Minister prime minister of Nepal by gated the fi rst democratic con- As per the newly promulgated the parliament will be dissolved Replying to a query, the min- ister on several occasions said Deuba gave a hint of another re- President Bhandari on June 7, stitution in 2015, but it tore the constitution the term of the in- if the election for the house of ister said the Supreme Judicial the government would seek shuffl e in the cabinet indicating after the 70-year-old leader se- country into two parts. cumbent parliament ends a day representative is called before. Council (SJC) is yet to be restored. review of the judgment. Lanka’s central bank chief President, PM attend festival sees no pressure to lift rates

Agencies The central bank on nouncement is scheduled for 29 after holding discussions on Colombo September 26 kept November 7. the third review of Sri Lanka’s benchmark interest rates Infl ation accelerated to 7.1% $1.5bn programme. unchanged at a four-year high in September, above the cen- “While one can be cautiously ri Lanka’s central bank as bad weather across the tral bank’s target, as the worst optimistic, it’s important to doesn’t see any pressure South Asian island pushes up drought in 40 years followed realise it’s a fragile recovery,” Sto tighten policy even prices and dents growth by the most severe fl ooding in Coomaraswamy said. as infl ation accelerates on the more than a decade disrupted The government plans to sell back of a severe drought and the South Asian island pushes supplies and fuelled price gains. a foreign currency bond early poor weather, Governor Indra- up prices and dents growth. The economy will grow be- next year and hasn’t yet decid- jit Coomaraswamy said. Coomaraswamy signalled he tween 4% and 4.5% in 2017, ed which currency to borrow in, “We feel our monetary policy is willing to look through that Coomaraswamy said last Coomaraswamy said. stance at the moment is OK,” supply disruption. month, lower than his June “We are agnostic, we will Coomaraswamy said in an in- Rates were raised in March projections of 4.5% to 5%. Ac- look for the best deal,” he said. terview in Washington recently. to quell infl ation and bolster cording to the IMF, growth The tenor will be 10 years at “There is no demand side pres- the rupee. The International will likely be below 4.5% this least and options include yen, sure that we see.” Monetary Fund said on Sep- year and rebound in 2018 as renminbi, dollars and others. The central bank on Septem- tember 29 that Sri Lanka needs weather-related woes pass and Sri Lanka in May successfully ber 26 kept benchmark interest to remain vigilant on infl ation infrastructure projects pick up, sold $1.5bn of debt overseas, Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena, second left, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, rates unchanged at a four-year and tighten policy if needed. IMF mission chief Jaewoo Lee after getting more than $11bn second right, take part in a ceremony to mark Deepavali Festival in Colombo yesterday. high as bad weather across The next monetary policy an- said in Colombo on September of orders. Gulf Times 22 Monday, October 16, 2017 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] Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) Fax 44350474 GULF TIMES Better nutrition and exercise needed to fi ght child obesity

The number of obese children and adolescents worldwide has jumped tenfold in the past 40 years and the rise is accelerating in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Asia, a major study said last week, reigniting concern about the issue. Childhood and teen obesity rates have levelled off in the US, north-western Europe and other rich countries, but remain “unacceptably high” there, researchers at Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. “Over 40 years we have gone from about 11mn to a more than tenfold increase to over 120mn obese children and Qatar-Malaysia...43 years of adolescents throughout the world,” according to lead author Majid Ezzati of Imperial’s School of Public Health. This means that nearly 8% of boys and nearly 6% of girls worldwide were obese in 2016, against less than 1% for both sexes in 1975. An additional 213mn children aged 5-19 were outstanding diplomatic ties overweight last year, but fell below the threshold for obesity, according to the largest ever study, based on QNA in 2015, which has greatly aff ected the has grown by 188% and is expected to United States, the European Union and height and weight measurements of 129mn people. Doha course of bilateral co-operation between increase during the coming period. Australia. Ironically, globally, more children are still underweight the two countries. Malaysia also contributes to Malaysia’s timber industry is one of Qatar also participated in the infrastructure development in Qatar the key sectors which the Malaysian rather than obese although the researchers think that he State of Qatar and the inauguration ceremony of Sultan with 15 Malaysian companies operating government is focusing on in its 2020 will change by 2022 if trends continue. They called for Kingdom of Malaysia enjoy Muhammad V, the 15th King of in various sectors such as contracting, development plan. better nutrition at home and at school, and more physical 43 years of outstanding Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur on April infrastructure, services, maintenance, It is also a component of Malaysia’s exercise to prevent a Tbilateral relations, marked by 25. The State was represented at the hospitality and restaurants. economy thanks to the large number of generation from becoming co-operation in the fi elds of energy, inauguration ceremony by Qatar’s A total of 56 companies participated trees and forests. Treating the economy and investment. ambassador to Malaysia Issa bin in Project Qatar last year in Doha and On the cultural side, the University adults at greater risk of In 1974, the two countries established Mohamed al-Mannai. sealed contracts with Qatari companies of Qatar, represented by the Faculty eff ects of diabetes, heart disease and diplomatic relations on the basis of In February, Malaysian Deputy Prime to enter the Qatari market. of Sharia and Islamic Studies, signed cancers due to excessive non-resident representation, where Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi paid a On the economic side, Qatar a co-operation agreement with the obesity will weight. Clear food labels the Qatari embassy in Indonesia visit to Qatar. Chamber discussed with a Malaysian University of Malaya in Malaysia, represented the State. The deputy premier described delegation in Doha last year ways to in order to enhance co-operation in cost the world on salt, sugar and fat Since then, the relations between the his offi cial visit as very positive, and enhance trade co-operation in various education and scientifi c research. content are needed to help two countries witnessed development and praised the facilities off ered by the fi elds, including the production and Under the agreement, the Faculty $1.2tn a year by consumers make “healthy growth at all levels and in all fi elds, which Qatari government to the Malaysians, manufacture of wood products, in of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Qatar choices”, the study said. prompted the two sides to upgrade the including exemption from visa fees addition to exploring investment University will co-operate with the 2025 diplomatic relations to a resident embassy for up to three months for Malaysian opportunities available in Qatar and University of Malaya’s Islamic Studies South Africa, Egypt and in 2004. visitors. Malaysia. Academy to organise joint academic and Mexico which had “very low levels of obesity four decades The Qatari-Malaysian relations In July, Hamidi expressed the hope In this context, Vice Chairman of research activities, and the exchange of ago” now have among the high rates of obesity in girls, witnessed many distinguished that Malaysian companies would Qatar Chamber Mohamed bin Ahmed students, faculty and administrative staff . between 20-25%, according to Ezzati. “The experience of developments at the political, economic have the opportunity to participate bin Tawar said that the Qatari business The agreement also includes the or cultural levels, which represented in the development projects in Qatar, community welcomes the Malaysian exchange of publications, reports east Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean show that important milestones for a remarkable especially as it prepares to host the 2022 investments, especially as there is a and other academic materials and the transition from underweight to overweight and obesity progress, in the diplomatic, economic, World Cup. big boom in the construction sector in information. can be rapid,” the study said. If current trends continue, investment, trade, cultural and other The trade volume between Qatar and Qatar which results in an increasing On the political side, Qatar and in 2022 there will be more obese children and teenagers vital fi elds. Malaysia amounts to nearly $1.1bn, and demand for wood products. Malaysia have joint positions and views worldwide than underweight ones, who now number The bilateral relations have been there are great eff orts to promote intra- He underlined that the business towards the intense situation in the strengthening since the visit of His trade and raise it to a higher rate. climate in the country accommodates region. 192mn, half of them in India, the study said. Polynesia and Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Malaysian exports to Qatar include partnerships between Qatari and The two sides stressed on the need Micronesia had the highest rates of child obesity last year, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to Malaysia machinery, electronic devices, wood Malaysian companies in furniture and to reach a peaceful solution to all these 25.4% in girls and 22.4% in boys, followed by “the high- in 2009, followed by the visit of the King products, electrical equipment, metal timber trade. issues, especially the Palestinian issue. income English-speaking region” that includes the US, of Malaysia Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku products, and means of transport and For its part, the visiting delegation The political leadership in Malaysia Mizan Zainal Abidin to Qatar in 2010. related thereto, while the Malaysian expressed interest in identifying the appreciated Qatar’s positions in support Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Britain. Among The relations witnessed another imports mainly include petroleum, requirements of the Qatari market. of these issues, especially positions high-income countries, the US had “the highest obesity remarkable development after the chemical, aluminium products, light Malaysia’s exports of the timber that spare the peoples more killings rates for girls and boys”, 19.5% and 23.3%, respectively. historic visit of His Highness the Emir machinery and equipment. sector reached $70mn in 218 countries and displacement and support the “Children are not getting physical activity in the school Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, The trade between the two countries around the world, mainly Japan, the Palestinian rights. days, there is poor food opportunities in many schools, walking and cycling to school is going down in many countries, unsafe in many other countries, and parents are not being given the right, suffi cient advice on nutrition,” said Fiona Bull of WHO’s department of non-communicable diseases. “It’s the changing environments, food, behaviours, Cyber security starts at the top portions, consumption patterns have completely changed over the last 40 years. Highly processed food is more available, more marketed and it’s cheaper,” she said. By Lucy P Marcus the 2013 Yahoo! data breach aff ected tack on some of its drive-in outlets may growing array of startups, is obvious. London all three billion accounts. In May, the have allowed hackers to secure custom- What is not obvious is that consumers A separate study, also released to mark World Obesity Day WannaCry ransomworm attack aff ected ers’ credit card information. can rely on companies’ knowledge and on Wednesday, shows that getting those fi gures down is not dozens of the UK’s National Health The fact is that many types of compa- duty of care to protect the information just an issue of public health, but also public fi nance. The very time a major corporate Service trusts, and spread globally at nies use, if not depend on, technology. they collect. research by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) found that cyber security breach occurs, lightning speed. And they collect many types of data, No company can aff ord a laissez treating the eff ects of obesity will cost the world’s collective the response looks pretty much The recently revealed Equifax data about everything from customers and faire attitude about cyber security. Yet the same: cry “havoc!” and call breach – which occurred during two employees to distribution systems and even tech companies took some time to healthcare systems $1.2tn per year by 2025, and the increase E in the cyber fi rst responders to close the months when the company had a patch transactions. Consumers often don’t recognise the extent of their techni- in healthcare costs to the US is on track to outpace all other breach. But by the time an executive or to a known security vulnerability, but comprehend the extent of companies’ cal responsibilities, including the need nations. Taxation and tough restrictions on marketing of two stands before a few government hadn’t applied it – gave the hackers data collection, failing to understand for a C-level executive to manage their junk food should be considered, it said. WHO has already committees, proff ering some explana- access to 145.5mn consumers’ per- even the basics of the “cookies” being technology needs. Not long ago, such tion and pledging to beef up secu- sonal and sensitive data. According to used when they surf the web. Accord- companies often maintained a “help- recommended a 20% tax on sugary drinks to reduce rity protocols, people – including the testimony provided by now-former ing to a March 2017 report by the Pew desk” mindset: just make sure people consumption. hackers – have largely moved on. And Equifax CEO Richard F. Smith to the Research Center, many Americans, could use the product and have someone with each breach, the cycle accelerates: US Congress, the breach refl ected the for example, “are unclear about some to call if something went wrong. people either dismiss the threat – it negligence of one individual in the IT key cyber security topics, terms, and But, with data breaches proliferating, probably won’t happen to them – or department. concepts.” often with business-critical conse- accept it as an unavoidable pitfall of The risks are only growing. The Of course, consumers must be quences, there is no excuse for such To Advertise modern life. United Kingdom’s National Cyber informed and vigilant about their own inertia. Such breaches can cripple com- The truth is that the threat posed by security Centre, founded last year, data. But even those who are, fi nd that if panies both operationally and fi nan- [email protected] cyber security breaches is both acute has already responded to nearly 600 they want to engage fully in modern life, cially, owing to the direct theft of funds Display and avoidable. The key to mitigating it is signifi cant incidents. The department’s they have little choice but to hand over or intellectual property and the cost of Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 to understand that cyber security isn’t director recently predicted that our fi rst personal data to organisations in both plugging the security hole or paying simply a technology issue; it is also an “category one cyber-incident” would the private and public sectors, from util- punitive fi nes. They can also diminish Classified urgent strategic issue that should be at occur in the next few years. ity and fi nance companies to hospitals a company’s reputation and credibility Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 the top of the agenda for every board One problem is that many organisa- and tax authorities. among investors, business partners, and and management team. After all, from tions simply don’t have cyber-security With automation, this trend will communities, even in cases when the Subscription Yahoo! to Equifax, data breaches have on their radar. They believe they are only accelerate, with people counting breach is minor and doesn’t compro- [email protected] often been rooted in internal forces too small to be a target, or that such on technology to do everything from mise sensitive information. — Project of human error, carelessness, or even breaches are limited to the tech and ordering groceries to turning on the Syndicate maliciousness. fi nance sectors. But, just recently, the lights and even locking the doors. The 2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Already, the scale and speed of attacks US fast-food chain Sonic – not exactly a power this gives to the likes of Google z Lucy P Marcus is CEO of Marcus Ven- is massive. It has now emerged that tech giant – revealed that a malware at- and Amazon, not to mention an ever- ture Consulting. Gulf Times Monday, October 16, 2017 23 COMMENT President Trump strikes out solo

By David Smith the fi rst US president with no previous single day at the White House, it’s Washington political or military experience, Trump a situation of trying to contain him has been given a crash course in the … He doesn’t realise that we could workings of government and the be heading towards World War III onald Trump’s decision delicate balance of power between with the kind of comments that he’s to go it alone with rapid the White House, Capitol Hill and making.” fi re announcements on the courts. That his writ only runs He also told the Washington Post Dhealthcare and Iran refl ects so far has come as a rude awakening. on Friday that Trump had rendered his boiling frustration with the limits His executive orders can only achieve Tillerson’s powerless with remarks of presidential power, analysts say. so much, and frustrations have about his attempts to talk to North The US president made a brazen sometimes spilled out in impetuous Korea. move on Thursday night to halt speeches and tweets. Thomas Barrack Jr, a billionaire who payments to insurers under Barack Rick Tyler, a political analyst and was the top fundraiser for Trump’s Obama’s healthcare law. Democrats partner at Foundry Strategies, said: election campaign, said he has been accused him of a “temper tantrum” “He is acutely aware of the limits of shocked and stunned by some of the and spiteful attempt to sabotage presidential power. It’s not like being president’s incendiary rhetoric and legislation he promised but failed to the CEO of a company where you just tweets. replace. Less than 24 hours later, he do what you want to do. “He thinks he has to be loyal to his condemned the government of Iran as “By using executive orders, Trump base,” Barrack told the Washington Post. he decertifi ed his predecessor’s nuclear is making something happen on “I keep on saying, ‘But who is your base? deal, defying his own Cabinet and healthcare. He’s prevented from You don’t have a natural base. Your base disquieting European allies. changing it himself, but will force now is the world and America, so you The one-two punch showed Trump another branch of power to react. It’s have all these constituencies; show them straining to assail Obama’s legacy but the same on Iran.” At odds: President Donald Trump with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. who you really are.’ In my opinion, he’s stopping short of terminating either Having repeatedly vented his better than this.” the Aff ordable Care Act, known as anger at the Republican-controlled told reporters: “The president single- Trump’s claim that Iran has not lived chief, Keith Schiller: “I hate everyone If anyone can get through to Trump, Obamacare, or the Iran nuclear accord. Senate for failing to repeal and replace handedly decided to raise America’s up to the spirit of the nuclear deal and in the White House! There are a few it may be Barrack, one of his oldest Both are back in the hands of Congress, Obamacare, despite seven years of health premiums for no reason other his threat to terminate it also put him exceptions, but I hate them!” friends. a source of constant exasperation for promises, Trump has now thrown a than spite and cruelty.” Senator Chris at odds with his Secretary of State, Rex The journalist Gabriel Sherman Rich Galen, a Republican strategist, the property tycoon turned novice spanner in the works by ending the Murphy tweeted: “Trump’s decision Tillerson, and his Defence Secretary, also wrote that several people close said: “That got everybody’s attention politician, who fi nds himself isolated so-called cost-sharing subsidies that to stop ACA payments is nuclear grade Jim Mattis. to the president told him that Trump because he’s buddy and spoke at the and lashing out. help people on low incomes. The White bananas, a temper tantrum that sets Evan McMullin, a former CIA was unstable, “losing a step” and Republican convention. So there seems “The Congress has been frustrating House claims the government cannot the entire health system on fi re.” operative and independent presidential unravelling. Such concerns appear to to be some change. That’s part of to him,” John Kelly, the White House legally continue to pay the subsidies Doctors’ groups also warned candidate, wrote via e-mail: “I think be reaching a critical mass. NBC News what’s feeding it.” chief of staff , told reporters. “Of because it lacks formal authorisation of “dramatic, if not catastrophic, the president’s actions on healthcare reported that Tillerson had referred McMullin agreed that Trump course, our government is designed to by Congress. increases in premiums across the and Iran are the latest examples of his to Trump as a moron. The president seemed rattled by the recent criticisms be slow, and it is. His sense, I think, as The president explained on Friday: country” and millions of Americans standing political strategy, which is insisted the story was false, but from Tillerson, Corker and Barrack. a man who is outside the Washington “It’s step by step by step and that was losing coverage. Nineteen states plan to throw red meat to his base in order challenged Tillerson to an IQ contest. “He probably understands their arena, a businessman, much more of a very big step on Thursday… We’re to sue. to maintain his base, as evidence of Then Senator Bob Corker became remarks represent a new stage of a man of action, I would say his great going to have great healthcare in our Trump has previously blamed the his unfi tness and inability to govern one of the few Republicans on Capitol acceptance setting in across the frustration is the process that he now country. We’re taking a little diff erent lack of healthcare fi xes on Obama or mounts. Hill to openly denounce Trump, country, even among his supporters, fi nds himself (in). route than we had hoped, because Congress, but he now he risks being “If anything, his use of this tactic though it is widely suspected that he that he is unfi t and incapable. “Because, in his view, the solutions Congress forgot what their pledges held personally responsible for cutting seems to be accelerating as it becomes speaks for many colleagues. During “That, I think, is inspiring his are obvious, whether it’s tax cuts and were. So we’re going a little diff erent the system off at the knees. Robert increasingly clear, even to some of his a Twitter clash last Sunday, Corker accelerated eff orts to throw red meat tax reform, healthcare, infrastructure route. But you know what? In the end, Shrum, a Democratic consultant, said: closest friends and political allies, that wrote: “It’s a shame the White House to his base to shore up their support. programmes, strengthening our it’s going to be just as eff ective, and “The healthcare thing is madness in he is failing.” has become an adult day care center. I expect that to continue, if not military. To him, these all seem like maybe it will even be better.” both policy and politics. He’s wilful, This acceleration coincides with Someone obviously missed their shift intensify, and to result in increasing obvious things that need to be done The intervention, however, could he’s angry, he’s clearly lashing out. He reports of a darkening in Trump’s this morning.” political challenges for the GOP as to protect the American people, bring backfi re. It was condemned by was better off leaving healthcare to mood. A report in Vanity Fair In an interview with the New York 2017 and 2018 elections approach and jobs back.” Democrats including the House Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray”, the magazine, citing two sources, claimed Times, the senator from Tennessee in years to come.” — Guardian News Since taking offi ce 10 months ago as minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, who senators working on a bipartisan deal. he had vented to his longtime security said: “I know for a fact that every and Media Weather report The case against free-market capitalism Three-day forecast TODAY High: 38 C By Ngaire Woods mortality, increasing life expectancy, collective human progress ever created. for development and fulfi lment.” Both driving down absolute poverty, boosting If that claim is true, the only logical make the case for improving vocational Low : 28 C Oxford Off shore: Strong wind and high sea at disposable incomes, expanding access to conclusion is that we are doing it wrong. training and technical education. places by evening. education, and slashing illiteracy rates. So what measures are needed to get Fourth, in Britain, the government ree-market capitalism is on But these claims aren’t in line with it right? The practical solutions on off er must address the public-housing crisis. trial. In the United Kingdom, the facts. Start with maternal mortality. seem to be fairly consistent across the In the 1950s and 1960s, an average of TUESDAY Labour Party leader Jeremy Much of the world has made great political spectrum. Indeed, for all their some 300,000 houses were being built High: 38 C FCorbyn accuses neoliberalism strides in making childbirth safer. furious positioning, the diff erences every year; that fi gure has now dropped Low: 28 C of increasing homelessness, throwing From 1990 to 2015, Albania reduced its between left and right seem to have to less than half. Corbyn proposes a Sunny children into poverty, and causing wages maternal deaths per 100,000 live births collapsed in this regard. review of social housing, rent control, to fall below subsistence level. For the from 29.3 to 9.6. China, the poster child In the UK, the fi rst suggestion is to and regeneration for the people. May defence, Conservative Prime Minister for state-led growth, reduced its rate ensure economy-wide investment has announced the creation of a £2bn WEDNESDAY Theresa May cites the immense potential from 114.2 to 17.7. and growth, which will require ($2.62bn) fund for building more council High: 36 C of an open, innovative, free-market Meanwhile, the trend in the United government intervention. Corbyn housing. Low: 28 C economy. Similar “proceedings” are States, the paragon of free-market proposes a National Investment Bank Finally, Britain needs more eff ective Sunny taking place around the world. democracy, has gone in the opposite and Transformation Fund to mobilise rules and regulations to ensure that Just a quarter-century ago, the debate direction, with maternal deaths per public investment and create wealth and privatised utilities deliver cheaper, about economic systems – state- 100,000 live births actually rising, from good jobs. May, for her part, suggests an more sustainable services. Corbyn Fishermen’s forecast 16.9 in 1990 to 26.4 in 2015. Equally industrial strategy to promote “growth accuses companies of handing out managed socialism or liberal democracy OFFSHORE DOHA and capitalism – seemed to have shocking, the morbidity and mortality of across the whole country,” helping to large dividends to shareholders, while Wind: NW 15-25 KT been settled. With the Soviet Union’s white (non-Hispanic) middle-aged men “turn local areas of excellence into infrastructure crumbles, service Waves: 4-9 Feet collapse, the case was closed – or so it and women in the US increased between national export champions.” deteriorates, and companies pay far too INSHORE DOHA Wind: NW-N 5-15/18 KT seemed. 1999 and 2013. Second, private-sector leadership little in taxes. May promises to end “rip- Waves: 1-3/5 Feet Since then, the rise of China has The claim that free-market policies must change, in order to prevent short- off energy prices.” belied the view that a state-led strategy “slash illiteracy” is also misleading. In term thinking, tax avoidance, and other The orthodoxy established by Around the region will always fail, and the global fi nancial England, some 15% of adults (5.1mn forms of opportunism and personal Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan Weather Weather crisis exposed the perils of inadequately people) are still “functionally illiterate,” enrichment. Here, Corbyn focuses on in the 1980s – to roll back the state, today Max/min tomorrow Max/min regulated markets. In 2017, few of the meaning that they have literacy levels accountability in corporate boardrooms, after a decade of profl igate and bloated Abu Dhabi Sunny 35/27 Sunny 34/28 world’s fastest-growing economies at or below those expected of an while May calls for giving workers and government – is guilty as charged. A new Baghdad Sunny 33/17 Sunny 30/14 Dubai (Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Nepal, India, 11-year-old. Scotland’s most recent shareholders a stronger voice in fi rms’ consensus is emerging that more active Sunny 36/24 Sunny 35/25 Kuwait City Sunny and eff ective government is required to Sunny 36/24 36/22 Tanzania, Djibouti, Laos, Cambodia, survey showed a decline in literacy, decision-making and ensuring that the Manama Sunny 37/27 Sunny 37/28 Myanmar, and the Philippines) have with less than half of the country’s largest companies have incentives to boost growth and expand opportunity. Muscat Sunny 36/27 Sunny 36/27 free markets. And many free-market 13- and 14-year-olds now performing think long term. The jury is still out, however, on whether Riyadh Sunny 38/23 Sunny 37/21 economies are suff ering from growth well in writing. In fact, if you Google A third corrective is to improve governments will be given the tools and Tehran Sunny 26/12 Cloudy 21/08 slowdowns and rapidly rising inequality. “successful literacy campaign,” the employees’ pay and working conditions. support they need to rehabilitate the Against this background, some country with astonishing literacy gains In Britain, even as the economy has defendant. – Project Syndicate politicians are no longer defending free- that fi lls your screen is Cuba – hardly a grown, wages have been dropping – market capitalism in terms of economic free-market system. by 10% from 2007 to 2014. Corbyn zNgaire Woods is Dean of the growth or the gains from globalisation. The conservative case, eloquently promises to take action to stop Blavatnik School of Government Instead, they focus on individual articulated by May, is that a free-market employers from driving down pay and and Founder of the Global Economic opportunity. May, for example, has economy, operating under the right rules working conditions. For May, “all work Governance Programme at the University credited the system with reducing infant and regulations, is the greatest agent of should be fair and decent, with scope of Oxford.

Live issues Psychedelic mushrooms can ‘reset’ brain Around the world By Haroon Siddique changes in brain activity that were start’ they need to break out of their in depressive symptoms, such as Weather Weather London associated with marked and lasting depressive states and these imaging improvements in mood and stress relief. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min reductions in depressive symptoms results do tentatively support a ‘reset’ MRI imaging revealed reduced blood Athens Sunny 28/16 Sunny 27/14 and participants in the trial reported analogy. Similar brain eff ects to these fl ow in areas of the brain, including the Beirut M Sunny 26/21 Sunny 27/21 S T Storms 31/24 agic mushrooms may benefi ts lasting up to fi ve weeks after have been seen with electroconvulsive amygdala, a small, almond-shaped Bangkok 32/26 T Storms Berlin Sunny 22/12 M Sunny 22/09 eff ectively “reset” the treatment. therapy.” region of the brain known to be involved Cairo Sunny 30/18 Sunny 30/19 activity of key brain circuits Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, head of For the study, published in Scientifi c in processing emotional responses, Cape Town Rain 14/09 Cloudy 15/09 known to play a role in psychedelic research at Imperial, who Reports, 20 patients with treatment- stress and fear. Colombo S Showers 29/27 Showers 29/26 M Dhaka Sunny 33/25 M Sunny 34/26 depression, the latest study to highlight led the study, said: “We have shown resistant depression were given two The authors believe the fi ndings Hong Kong Rain 30/26 P Cloudy 32/24 the therapeutic benefi ts of psychedelics for the fi rst time clear changes in brain doses of psilocybin (10mg and 25mg), provide a new window into what Istanbul P Cloudy 21/12 Sunny 22/12 suggests. activity in depressed people treated with with the second dose a week after the happens in the brains of people Jakarta S T Storms 33/25 S T Storms 33/25 Psychedelics have shown promising psilocybin after failing to respond to fi rst. Of these, 19 underwent initial after they have ‘come down’ from Karachi P Cloudy 34/24 Sunny 33/23 results in the treatment of depression conventional treatments. brain imaging and then a second scan a psychedelic, with an initial London P Cloudy 24/12 M Cloudy 16/13 T Storms P Cloudy 33/26 and addictions in a number of clinical “Several of our patients described one day after the high dose treatment. disintegration of brain networks Manila 31/25 Moscow Cloudy 07/03 P Cloudy 11/06 trials over the last decade. Imperial feeling ‘reset’ after the treatment and The team used two main brain imaging during the drug ‘trip’ followed by a re- New Delhi Sunny 36/21 Sunny 35/21 College London researchers used often used computer analogies. For methods to measure changes in blood integration afterwards. New York P Cloudy 17/07 Sunny 17/11 psilocybin – the psychoactive compound example, one said he felt like his brain fl ow and the crosstalk between brain Last year, two US studies showed that Paris Sunny 26/11 P Cloudy 23/13 that occurs naturally in magic had been ‘defragged’ like a computer regions, with patients reporting a single dose of psilocybin could lift the Sao Paulo Cloudy 22/14 P Cloudy 28/16 Seoul P Cloudy 20/07 M Sunny 21/12 mushrooms – to treat a small number hard drive, and another said he felt their depressive symptoms through anxiety and depression experienced Singapore M Cloudy 31/27 P Cloudy 32/26 of patients with depression, monitoring ‘rebooted’. completing clinical questionnaires. by people with advanced cancer for Sydney P Cloudy 22/14 P Cloudy 22/16 their brain function, before and after. “Psilocybin may be giving these Immediately following treatment with six months or even longer. — Guardian Tokyo Rain 13/12 Cloudy 17/12 Images of patients’ brains revealed individuals the temporary ‘kick psilocybin, patients reported a decrease News and Media Gulf Times 24 Monday, October 16, 2017 QATAR Qatar spells out importance of technology in modern society

QNA of the UN General Assembly on Qatar pays particular at- programmes as well as expand municate, learn life skills and in a manner commensurate tated with cybercrime to achieve New York item 16: ‘Information and Com- tention to taking advantage of the provision of advanced serv- engage in education and work. with its seriousness and that political objectives that violate munications Technologies for the enormous potential of ICT ices on the Internet. Furthermore, the statement measures should be taken not the principles of international Development.’ services and the investment in Moreover, the statement said highlighted that the recogni- only by banning and punish- law, international relations and atar has stressed the The meeting refl ects the con- them, and views them as es- that Qatar Science and Technol- tion of the importance of ICT ing those involved in piracy for human rights. importance of creating tinued interest of the interna- sential elements for moving to- ogy Park (QSTP) is part of the re- has been refl ected in the classi- political or personal gain, but It stressed that the misuse Qa favourable environ- tional community in the ICT as wards sustainable development, search and development wing at fi cation of Qatar among the fi rst dealing with it as a major source of information technology to ment for encouraging science, a central element in achieving al-Kuwari said in the statement. Qatar Foundation for Education, states in the world on various in- of threat to international peace achieve political objectives, im- innovation and dissemination the of the 2030 Agenda for Sus- In this context, the statement Science, and Community Devel- dicators mentioned in the World and security. pose illegal measures against of technologies, and for pro- tainable Development Goals and added, Qatar has taken great opment and is the main platform Economic Forum’s Global Infor- In the same context, infor- states and violate their sover- moting access to all Informa- a unique opportunity to develop strides in building an ICT sec- for technology development’s mation Technology Report 2016, mation obtained through piracy eignty, impose guardianship and tion and Communications communities, eradicate poverty tor that benefi ts all sections of projects that seeks to support as it ranked third in the world in must be prohibited and consid- intervene in their internal aff airs Technology’s (ICT) services for and promote the three pillars of the society, pointing out that research, innovation and pio- the laws relating to ICTs. ered to be of no legal value, and are fl agrant violations of inter- the benefit of all sectors of so- the Sustainable Development so the Ministry of Information and neering spirit. The statement warned that therefore the states aff ected by national law. ciety, especially women, youth as no one is left behind. Communications Technology The statement also referred the cybercrimes and piracy cybercrimes have the right to Such illegal practices harm the and children. Aslo, it pointed out that the (ictQATAR) plays an important to Qatar Assistive Technology constitute a large percentage of obtain their rights under inter- states that are subjected to arbi- This came in a statement de- Sustainable Development plan role in this fi eld. Center (Mada), which is a non- the crimes that threaten inter- national law, according to the trary measures, violate the rights livered by the Third Secretary and the Addis Ababa Action It (ictQATAR), among many profi t organisation striving to national peace and security and statement. of their people and national se- of the Permanent Mission of Agenda have paid attention to other issues, conducts annual empower and enable people with raise serious concern among In conclusion, the statement curity, and distort their image, the State of Qatar to the United the issue of ICT and its role in studies to measure progress disabilities through Information the international community. said that the State of Qatar is which requires the international Nations, Ahmed Seif al-Kuwari, stimulating economic growth made in its overall ICT goals and and Communication Technol- This phenomenon, the state- subjected to unilateral illegal community to stand up against before the Second Committee and sustainable development. formulates relevant policies and ogy and enable them to com- ment said, must be dealt with measures that were premedi- these violations. Ashghal opens new underpass

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A number of senior offi cials and dignitaries were present at the inauguration of the new underpass, including Ashghal’s Expressway Department man- ager Yousef al-Emadi, Traffi c Safety and Engineering De- partment manager Brigadier Brigadier General Hamad bin Abdullah al-Fetais al-Marri, joint special forces commander, and Col David Mohamed Maarifi ya, Central Keesy, US defence attache in Qatar, attended the launching ceremony. Municipal Council (CMC) members Abdularahman Ab- dullah al-Khulaifi and Abdul- lah bin Salim Khawar, and a number of Ashghal’s project Qatar-US forces in joint training exercises engineers. Al-Emadi stressed the im- From Page 1 Forces represents an assertion go on until the end of 2019. It in- portance of the new underpass to the depth of Qatari-American cludes numerous exercises and as part of the Mesaimeer Inter- The joint training exercises military ties. manoeuvres inside and outside change, one of the junctions of also highlight the determina- Speaking to Qatar TV, the Qa- Qatar.” the Rawdat Al Khail Sreet Ex- tion of the ministry of defence tari offi cial said the exercise was The American offi cer said the tension project. He highlighted to benefi t from up-to-date part of the training programme relationship between the two the fact that it is a key passage military advancements from all launched in the end of 2016 and countries is very important. that provides a direct link be- A number of officials and dignitaries attended the opening of the new underpass at the Mesaimeer brotherly and friendly countries. which continued until the be- “There is no security for Amer- tween the Industrial Area, the Interchange. DDC emphasised that the ginning of 2017 under the title ica without the security of Qa- Khamis Leabidly roundabout launching of a full year joint ‘We die and Qatar and Tamim tar. Such training is part of our (near Thumama) and E-Ring training exercise programme in lives’. “The second phase of the co-operation,” Col David Keesy Road. partnership with the US Special training that started today will added. He said the signal-controlled intersection, due to open short- ly, would alleviate traffi c for commuters travelling from the Industrial area towards Umm Al Saneem, Abu Hamour, Me- saimeer and the Religious Com- Last chance to see Skate plex, besides Hamad Interna- tional Airport via F-Ring Road. “With the completion of the whole project, including the Girls of Kabul in Doha major junctions and main and service roads,” al-Emadi add- ed, “there will better move- he internationally ac- “This is a perfect example of The Skate Girls of Kabul show ment and shorter journeys claimed Skate Girls of the rich variety of exhibitions in Doha added a unique experi- from the Industrial Area to TKabul photo series exhi- and events that we produce, and ential element to the exhibition, Doha and less traffi c in the ar- bition is concluding on October highlights our commitment to with QM building a specially- eas around.” 21 at QM Gallery Katara, ahead appeal to diverse communities, designed skate ramp inside the Umm Al Seneem and Ain of its international tour. The inspire creativity and enrich the gallery space. Inspired by the Khalid CMC member Khawar pictures are captured by award- lives of all those who live in and show, many young girls from said the new Mesaimeer Inter- winning photographer Jessica visit Qatar,” QM’s chief strategic Qatar could be seen trying their change underpass opened by Fulford-Dobson. planning offi cer Khalid Yousef hand at skateboarding on the Ashghal is crucial for residents Presented by Qatar Museums al-Ibrahim said in a statement. ramp as guests roved around the of neighbouring areas, noting Officials have said the new underpass is expected to significantly improve traffic flow between the (QM), under the leadership of “We’re delighted by the in- gallery space, taking in the emo- that the road provides a major Industrial Area and Doha during peak travel times. its chairperson, HE Sheikha Al credible response that we have tive portraits. route connecting the Industrial Mayassa bint Hamad bin Kha- had to date, and with the suc- The ramp created for the Area with Doha. The opening new underpass will enhance lifa al-Thani, the exhibition cess of the children’s summer Doha exhibition is an imitation will facilitate more traffi c mo- vehicular movement, particu- showcases stunning portraits camps and workshops that have of the Kabul skate school, uti- bility in the area, which has larly after increasing the road that tell the extraordinary story allowed participants of all ages lising the same materials and until now faced the problem of capacity to four lanes in each of Afghani girls between the to engage in creative activities, layout to give guests a true rep- congestion, and is an achieve- direction, adding that travel- ages of fi ve and 17. experiencing art in unexpected resentation of Skateistan’s fl ag- ment on the part of Ashghal. lers heading from the Industrial The heroes of this show use ways,” he noted. “I encourage as ship location. On his part, Al Maamoura Area to Doha will experience skateboarding as a motiva- many members of the commu- With QM’s support, the addi- CMC member al-Khulaifi said free-fl owing traffi c as well. tion to attend school, thanks nity to take this last opportunity tion of the skating ramp inside the underpass “will help re- The opening of the 700m to Skateistan, an international to see this wonderful show be- the gallery space is a fi rst for the duce travel time remarkably and underpass is the second major nonprofi t organisation empow- fore the next leg of its interna- Skate Girls show, which will also travelling to the Industrial Area milestone on the three-level ering youth and children through tional tour,” Yousef al-Ibrahim set a benchmark for the rest of will take no time”. Mesaimeer (56) Interchange. skateboarding and education. added. the Skate Girl’s world tour. Further, he stressed that ac- The Authority had opened the cessing the Industrial Area from interchange’s highest level, a the Khamis Leabidly rounda- 900m fl yover that connects F- bout will take 5-7 minutes and Ring Road to Mesaimeer Road, this will help streamline traffi c, in July 2016. The fi nal level, a especially when the “at-grade signallised intersection that signallised intersection” is ac- will provide new connections complished. He also expressed between F-Ring Road and In- his satisfaction at the speedy dustrial Area Road, is expected implementation of the project. to be complete before the end The new underpass is located underneath F-Ring Road and Brigadier Maarifi ya said the of 2017. Mesaimeer Road.

Rawdat Al Khail Street Extension project The Mesaimeer (56) Interchange Area and Al Thumama, through is one of five major, multi-level the upgrade and enhancement interchanges that are being con- of Industrial Area Road, East In- structed as part of the Rawdat dustrial Street and F-Ring Road. Al Khail Street Extension project. The project is designed to Ashghal has opened three of the serve residential and com- interchanges in 2017 - East Street mercial stakeholders in Umm 33 Interchange, Umm Al Seneem Al Seneem, Mesaimeer and the Interchange and Wadi Lubara Industrial Area, and will enhance Interchange. connectivity and ease of access Upon completion, the 12.5km to Barwa Commercial Avenue, Rawdat Al Khail Street Extension Labour City, Asian Town and project will provide a free-flow- Mesaimeer Cemetery, Ashghal ing route between the Industrial has said. The opening of the underpass comes as part of the Rawdat Al Khail An image from The Skate Girls of Kabul photo series at the QM Gallery Katara. Street Extension project.