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WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10673 December 20, 2017 Rabia Il 2, 1439 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Sheikha Moza visits National Day events Ooredoo launches In brief 5G service in Doha

oredoo has launched one of the fi rst ‘5G Speed Experiences’ Oin various areas of Doha for QATAR | Astronomy a select number of VIP customers in Winter solstice to time for Qatar National Day, it was an- nounced yesterday. occur tomorrow Ooredoo’s ‘5G Speed Experience’ is Qatar and the rest of the northern available in select locations and will of- hemisphere will experience the fer an extremely high speed and low la- shortest day of the year tomorrow tency network with initial speeds of up in a phenomenon that astronomers to (and in some cases exceeding) 1Gbps. define as the winter solstice in This is the fi rst time in the world that the northern hemisphere. The “5G Speeds” have been made available phenomenon will happen when to customers on a live network and us- the sun will be completely vertical ing commercial smartphones. Ooredoo CEO Waleed al-Sayed. in the orbit of Capricorn at 7.29pm “This is a fi rst-in-the-world land- Doha time. Astronomer at the Qatari mark for Qatar, and demonstrates that On Qatar National Day in 2016, Oore- Calendar House, Dr Bashir Marzouk the Ooredoo Supernet is one of the doo completed trials for 5G speed and said winter solstice and the rest world’s leading networks,” Ooredoo latency, achieving incredible speeds of of the four astronomical seasons CEO Waleed al-Sayed said. “We will up to 36GB per second in their cutting- (spring, summer and autumn) continue working hard to provide Qa- edge engineering hub - which made occur as a result of the rotation of tar with a world-class infrastructural it at that time the fastest mobile data the earth in its orbit around the backbone in line with Qatar National service in the world. sun once a year, in addition to the Vision 2030.” In May 2017, Ooredoo announced tendency of the axis of the earth at Access to Ooredoo’s ‘5G Speed Expe- that 10 of its base stations had been the level of its orbit at an angle of rience’ requires a special smartphone equipped with 5G-ready technology, 23.5 degrees. that has been calibrated to work with and the company plans to start off ering the Ooredoo pre-standardised 5G net- the next-generation speeds to all con- REGION | Reaction work and Supernet upgrades applied in sumers in 2018, when 5G-ready devices the selected locations. are released. Houthi missile ‘bears This is the latest in a long line of In November, Ooredoo successfully hallmarks’ of Iran: US technological milestones for Ooredoo completed testing of 5G commercial US Ambassador to the United as the company continues to work to be services in partnership with Qatar Air- Nations Nikki Haley said a missile Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser visited the Qatar National Day activities at Darb Al Saai yesterday evening, where she one of the fi rst operators in the world ways, and later in the month success- fired by Yemen’s Houthi group toured the Qatar Foundation, Qatar Social Work Foundation and Al-Liwan tents. She also visited Katara – the Cultural Village to to off er incredible 5G speeds for all its fully reached speeds in excess of 1Gbps towards Riyadh yesterday “bears all witness National Day festivities. PICTURE: HHOPL/A R al-Baker Page 20 customers. using commercial devices. the hallmarks of previous attacks using Iranian-provided weapons.” Saudi air defences shot down the ballistic missile, the Saudi-led coalition said. There were no reports of casualties or damage. Page 8 CMC calls QATAR | Response Murder of Libyan Blockade sees surge in for setting leader condemned Qatar has strongly condemned the assassination of the mayor of the up shops Libyan city of Misurata Mohamad Eshtewi after being kidnapped by an armed group. In a statement, at parks the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Qatar business: QFC reiterated Qatar’s total rejection of criminal acts, whatever the motives Foreign companies also It refl ects a desire by international “They panicked.” When compared to the second quar- By Ishaq Philips and reasons, that contravene all boost presence in the companies to maintain close ties with Jaida also pointed to the number of ter, in the wake of the blockade, growth Doha values, principles, religions and the world’s biggest liquefi ed gas pro- companies registered in the Qatar Fi- rose 6.9%, from 390 companies to 417 heavenly laws, and stressed the country, says QFC chief ducer. nancial Centre, which has increased companies registered at QFC with need to bring the perpetrators to The trend, he said, has seen migra- 45% in the third quarter compared to $20bn in assets, QFC said in a state- he Central Municipal Council justice. The statement affirmed By Hadeel al-Sayegh/ Reuters tion from Dubai, which was tradition- the year earlier. ment. To Page 2 (CMC) yesterday recommend- Qatar’s support for the Libyan Doha ally the hub for companies doing busi- Ted setting up commercial shops political agreement, its outputs ness across the Gulf, from Saudi Arabia at public parks and neighbourhood and international efforts aimed at to Kuwait. US fi rm to probe riyal manipulation bid playgrounds to serve visitors. achieving security and stability in he Qatar Financial Centre The shift to Doha is the result of The CMC suggested that the Libya and realising the legitimate (QFC) is seeing a surge in busi- the diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar Central Bank said yesterday it manner,” he said, adding that Ministry of Municipality and En- aspirations of its brotherly people. Tness as Qataris register more Qatar imposed by the four countries had launched a legal investigation the central bank had hired New vironment carry out a study on the The statement expressed Qatar’s of their assets at home and multina- on June 5. into attempts by countries opposed York-based law firm Paul, Weiss, issue especially since some areas condolences to the family of the tionals navigating a blockade of the “The immediate action was that a lot to it to harm the Qatari economy Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP near parks and playgrounds have no victims. country boost their local presence, its of the companies that had their spe- by manipulating the currency, to lead the investigation. He said neighbourhood markets (Al Furjan chief executive Yousuf al-Jaida told cial purpose vehicles set up in Dubai securities and derivatives markets. a number of financial institutions souqs). MIDDLE EAST | Policy Reuters. International Financial Centre were “We know blockading countries and individuals had been asked to The proposal if implemented will The diplomatic and trade boycott re-routing their investments in (to) and their agents are attempting preserve documents in advance help people living in the vicinity and Haniyeh praises Qatar’s imposed in June by Saudi Arabia, the the QFC because they wouldn’t know to manipulate and undermine our of legal proceedings. “Make no other visitors get easy access to essen- support for Palestinians United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bah- what the uncertainty factor would lead currency, securities and derivatives, mistake - where we find attempts tial requirements. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh rain has changed the way business is to eventually and how long this will go as part of a co-ordinated strategy to manipulate the Qatari riyal or The shops to be set up under this yesterday said Qatar supported done with Qatar, al-Jaida Reuters in an on for,” Jaida said. to damage Qatar’s economy,” QCB Qatar’s financial markets, we will plan should not be limited to cafeteri- Gaza Strip when many others interview. “They would rather hold those in- Governor HE Sheikh Abdullah bin take every step to identify and hold as and eateries, the council said, add- abandoned it. He said Qatar has State-owned companies, or com- ternational assets from here (Qatar) Saud al-Thani said in a statement. accountable anyone engaging in, or ing that a study could be conducted on not supported Hamas or any other panies owned by mostly Qatari share- rather than face uncertainty there be- “We will not stand by while attempting to engage, in this illegal the type of commercial activity that is faction, but rather supported the holders, and individuals are redirecting cause of their Qatari background or our country is attacked in this behaviour,” Sheikh Abdullah said. required the most. entire Palestinian people. “The their investments to the QFC,he said. nationality,” he said. Meanwhile, the CMC yesterday support of Qatar for our Palestinian discussed the responses of the MME people is a support for us and we to its previous recommendations re- will not fail those who supported us,” garding the regulation of road signs Haniyeh said during his participation and instruction panels, and noted that in the celebration of Qatar’s National the replies were adequate. Day in Gaza. The chairman of Land deal signed for labour accommodation The council said it would follow up Hamas’ political bureau praised on updates on the issue with both the Qatar’s firm stances and decision Ministry of Transport and Communi- regarding the Palestinian cause. lease contract for two plots of One of them is of 994,476sq m desig- cations and the Public Works Author- Meanwhile, Haniyeh rejected US land for labour accommoda- nated to be used in the building of per- ity (Ashghal). President Donald Trump’s decision A tion has been signed between manent units of labour accommodation Regarding the naming of intersec- on Jerusalem. the Ministry of Municipality and En- in addition to the related facilities such tions, the CMC suggested modifying vironment (MME) and Barwa Real Es- as administrative offi ces, a mosque, the names of some and approved new ARAB WORLD | Confl ict tate Company. The signing ceremony health centres, services centres, com- names for a few others. took place at the MME headquarters mercial shops, storehouses, playgrounds The CMC’s regular session yester- UN renews aid to Syria in the presence of HE the Minister of and other services. day hosted Safar Mubarak al-Shafi , opposition areas Municipality and Environment Mo- The other plot is of a space of director of the MME’s public clean- The UN Security Council yesterday hamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi, and 184,538sq m designated to build work- liness department, who briefed the voted to renew cross-border aid HE the Minister of Administrative shops for building blocks and bricks, council members on Law No 18 for deliveries to Syria’s rebel-held areas Development, Labour and Social Af- and mixing concrete and asphalt that 2017 on Public Hygiene. The mem- for one year, but Russia abstained fairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuai- would be used for the building project bers discussed with the senior offi cial and warned the relief operation mi. in the first plot, and then it would be the various articles and stipulations must gradually wind down. Russia The contract was signed by Mohamed utilised as bus station. The duration of the new law and the penalties for had demanded changes to the aid Ali al-Khuri, acting assistant undersec- of the contract is 27 years starting violations. operation that has allowed since retary for the public services aff airs at from the date of signing the contract Al-Shafi answered the various que- 2014 convoys to cross into war- the MME and Salman Mohamed al-Mo- and includes two years for the con- HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs Dr ries of the members on related topics shattered Syria from Turkey and hannadi, Barwa CEO. struction of the project and its com- Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi and HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment and the mechanism of implementing Jordan without the approval of the According to the contract, the MME pletion, and 25 years for operations Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi look on as the MME’s Mohamed Ali al-Khuri the provisions of the law and its ex- government in Damascus. will lease two government land plots. and investment. and Barwa’s Salman Mohamed al-Mohannadi sign the contract. ecutive regulations. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 QATAR Deputy PM meets Algerian premier Minister praises Qatar’s handling of siege crisis

QNA the Qatari crisis management Doha team has played a prominent role in presenting objective ar- guments and proofs to refute the atar has dealt with the hostile media in the siege coun- crisis arising out of the tries. The minister also lauded Qunjust siege with profes- the eff ective role of the social sionalism, HE the Minister of media. Education and Higher Education On the legal level, the minis- Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali ter referred to the National Hu- al-Hammadi has said. man Rights Committee’s eff orts HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met This came in a statement in documenting all violations of the Prime Minister of Algeria, Ahmed Ouyahia, yesterday in Algiers. The meeting reviewed bilateral made by al-Hammadi during his human rights committed by the relations between Qatar and Algeria and means of developing them, in addition to the visit yesterday to Darb Al Saai, siege countries and its continued latest regional developments, especially in Jerusalem and Libya. On Monday, HE Sheikh Mohamed where he toured a number of interactions with human rights bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel. The meeting participating pavilions, and was organisations at the regional reviewed bilateral relations and means developing them in the field of tourism and economy, in briefed on the events off ered by and international levels, stress- addition to the latest developments in Jerusalem and Libya. various entities. ing the illegality of the siege im- Speaking on the occasion, the posed on Qatar. minister said that Qatar National He stressed that Qatari diplo- Day is the day of pride, loyalty, macy has managed to contain OFFICIAL and honour that refl ect the great- the impacts of the siege and re- ness of Qatari people, pointing duce its eff ects. Doha Port to receive largest out that this year the day as- This was confi rmed by HE the sumed special signifi cance as it HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohamed Prime Minister and Minister of came amidst the unjust siege. Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi visiting Darb Al Saai. Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin cruise ship of season today The minister stressed that the Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, in Minister receives National Day is an occasion that Thani in his speech at the opening and how to resolve it”. his interview with Truth (Al Ha- links the past with the present of the 46th session of the Advisory The minister stressed that “all qiqa) programme on Qatar TV. ambassadors’ oha Port will today According to the cruise ship and provides a chance to look (Shura) Council. He said Qatar has these eff orts have been a source In the fi eld of education, the credentials receive MSC Splen- schedule issued by Mwani Qatar forward to the future, drawing followed a policy of restraint and of pride for Qatar and Qatari minister said Qatar has continued D dida, the largest ship earlier, the vessel is expected to lessons from the sacrifi ces made moderation in response, in order people and residents alike, as to achieve superior indicators. HE the Minister of State for to call on the port during the arrive in Doha a total of six times by the Qatar’s founder Sheikh to respect our values and customs, the Qatari society totally rejects HE al-Hammadi said that the Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad 2017-18 cruise season, Qa- during the season. Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani. and in the interest of fraternal re- attempts to harm the country’s education ministry has been al-Muraikhi received a copy of tar Ports Management Com- The 2017-18 cruise season be- The minister urged young lations among the people of the sovereignty and interference in able to accommodate all school- the credentials of ambassador pany (Mwani Qatar) has an- gan on October 26 and continues people to take a deep look at the Gulf. Qatar’s political approach its internal aff airs, by fully sup- age students in public and pri- of Georgia, Nicholos Yachvili, nounced. until April 2018. country’s history, celebrate and and diplomacy have earned the porting their leadership”. vate schools, adding that 33 new and Gambia’s ambassador to cherish it and the national sym- respect of the entire world.” At the diplomatic level, Dr al- public and private schools and Qatar, Foday Mulanq, yesterday. bols and draw lessons from it. He said: “We do not forget Hammadi said that the Ministry kindergartens have been started The minister wished the two Qatar reaff irms support for Palestinians Pointing out that the National the active and proactive role of of Foreign Aff airs has clarifi ed this year, providing 13,080 class- ambassadors success in their Day this year is being celebrated His Highness the Emir, espe- and analysed the objectives and rooms. These include 8 public posts, assuring them of support Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations HE ambassador under the theme “Promise of cially his historic speech on July goals of the siege, especially dur- schools and kindergartens of all in order to promote bilateral ties Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani said that the Permanent Delegation Prosperity and Glory”, the min- 21, which outlined the roadmap ing the visits of HE the Deputy levels, and 25 private schools and between Qatar and their countries. of Qatar had participated in the Arab-Islamic Movement in order to ister said that Qatar is now much and future options for dealing Prime Minister and Minister of kindergartens of all levels to meet HE al-Muraikhi also received a request the convening of the emergency special session of the United stronger than it was before the with and managing the crisis at Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed the increasing demand for edu- copy of the credentials of Ahmad Nations General Assembly on Jerusalem, after the United States vetoed siege and its future looks prom- the political, economic, social, bin Abdulrahman al-Thani to cation, especially in light of the Fadil Shamsuddin, ambassador on Monday the draft Arab resolution on Al-Quds Al-Sharif. “We have ising and its diplomatic and eco- educational and security levels, politically infl uential countries growing population. Besides, a of Malaysia, and Emmanuel Enos, contributed to the co-ordination of Arab and Islamic eff orts in order to nomic relations are constantly including food security, water, in Europe and the United States special school for students with ambassador of Ghana to Qatar. request the convening of the emergency special session of the General fl ourishing. medicine, etc., as well as his vis- where he held meetings with mental disabilities, autism spec- The minister assured them of all Assembly on Jerusalem,” Sheikha Alia said in a statement to Qatar News On the siege, the minister said: its to some politically infl uential offi cials and the media, as well trum disorder has been opened, support for enhancing bilateral Agency (QNA). HE Sheikha Alia reiterated Qatar’s firm stance on the “I am pleased to quote what was countries to hold summit meet- as lectured at international re- and also an evening course has relations between Qatar and their Palestinian issue, stressing Qatar’s rejection of any measures that would said by His Highness the Emir ings with their leaders, explain- search centres and universities. been introduced for adult educa- countries. change the status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- ing the Qatari view on the crisis The minister pointed out that tion at Qatar Technical School. SC participates in launch of Qatar-Russia Culture Year

QNA Moscow

delegation from the Supreme Committee Afor Delivery & Legacy (SC), headed by Secretary- General Hassan Abdullah al-Thawadi, participated in the launch of the cultural year Qatar-Russia 2018 in the Russian capital Moscow. The ceremony was hosted by Qatar’s ambassador to Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Secretary-General Hassan Abdullah Russia Fahad bin Mohamed al-Thawadi talking to the media on the occasion of the launch of Qatar-Russia 2018 in al-Attiyah and was attended Moscow. by senior offi cials from the partners of the Cultural Year is something that is at the valuable opportunity to get SC reviewed in its pavilion such as Qatar Museums, heart of the World Cup. acquainted with Qatar and Qatar’s plans to host a dis- Qatar Tourism Authority, Al-Thawadi added that its customs and traditions tinctive version of the FIFA and Qatar Airways. with Russia hosting the for the fi rst time, express- World Cup in 2022 and the The ceremony was also 2018 World Cup and Qatar’s ing his confi dence that it stadiums being construct- attended by prominent fi g- readiness to host the 2022 will be the starting point for ed, as well as the various SC ures from the Russian cul- edition, the tournament is a cultural exchange from 2018 heritage programmes which tural sector. meeting place for the people until 2022 and beyond. included Challenge 22, Gen- Commenting on the of the two countries and a Al-Attiyah said that the eration Amazing and Josoor launch of the initiative, SC platform for the gathering cultural year Qatar-Russia Institute. Secretary-General Hassan of the people of the world. 2018 will witness various ex- The Qatar-Russia 2018 Abdullah al-Thawadi said He stressed that this is hibitions, events and cultural Culture Year follows the that the Qatar-Russia 2018 what the World Cup is aim- activities between the two signing of a co-operation Cultural Year is a unique ing for, pointing out that he countries aimed at promot- agreement between the opportunity for the people is confi dent that the 2018 ing mutual cultural exchange. two countries on the side- of the two countries to reach and 2022 World Cups will The event included an ex- lines of an offi cial visit by a better understanding of be a special celebration of hibition to introduce visitors HE Minister of Culture and each country’s nature and the culture of the two host to Qatar’s customs, traditions, Sports Salah bin Ghanem appreciation of their cul- countries. and culture, as well as an bin Nasser al-Ali to Russia tures, including the diff er- The SC secretary-general overview of Qatar’s develop- and meeting his Russian ent customs and traditions stressed that the cultural ment in various fi elds. counterpart Vladimir Me- of the two nations, which year Qatar-Russia 2018 is a As part of this exhibition, dinsky.

Blockade sees surge in business: QFC

From Page 1 “You can no longer serv- used to service Qatar from The boycott has prompt- Jaida said some of these ice the region from one abroad and nearby fi nancial ed Qatar to embrace mul- investments had previously country, wherever you are, centres in blockade coun- tinationals and foreign been registered in Dubai’s and you’re going to have lo- tries unable to freely travel investment. It has made fi nancial freezone but have gistical problems. Unfortu- so they are having to put 3, economic reforms and has moved to Qatar after the nately politics and business 4 or 5 more people here on opened up visas to more boycott began in June. are being mixed up in the the ground to continue that than 80 nationalities. “They don’t know how region,” Jaida said. relationship.” His Highness the Emir they will be treated by near- Previously, many multi- Jaida said emotions were Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad by countries,” he said. national companies in the playing an increasing role al-Thani recently said Qatar “So a lot of the companies region used Dubai as a base in business, and that some was focusing on completing that used to set up in block- to do business with Qatar. Qataris were hesitant in do- strategic projects to cope ade countries are coming But because of disruption ing business with foreign with the sanctions, includ- back home.” to travel and banking links, companies unless they had ing ports, water and food The boycotting states some are now ramping up a local presence. security. accused Qatar of fi nancing their presence in Doha, he “For us, it’s a good pe- “If it wasn’t for the crisis militant groups, allegations said. “We’re seeing a lot riod,” he said. this probably would have it denies. of the multinationals who “It’s never been better.” taken a decade,” said Jaida. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 3 QATAR

Qatar Post, Nebras Power sign pact for global service

atar Postal Services both retail and corporate cus- the partnership with Nebras Company (Qatar Post) tomers for over 220 countries Power is just the beginning of Qand Nebras Power, a and territories. a greater relationship between Qatar-based company that With the service, Qatar Post the two parties.” manages a portfolio of stra- customers can send and track Commenting on the agree- tegic investments in power, letters and parcels in a secure ment, engineer al-Siddiqi water and renewable energy and effi cient way in multiple said, “Qatar Post represents assets throughout the world, markets and it is the fastest de- effi ciency, faster delivery and have signed an agreement on livery option at Qatar Post as reliability which are some of provision of Global Priority letters and parcels are delivered the pillars of our company as Services. within one to three days to the well. We believe the agreement As per terms of the agree- various destinations globally. will further enhance our serv- ment, Qatar Post will help in Speaking at the event, al- ices and help us in meeting the facilitating the posting and de- Fahida said, “The agreement needs of our stakeholders. We livery of express courier items between Qatar Post and Ne- are equally proud to be one of for Nebras Power in a secured bras Power is an indication of the major corporate custom- and effi cient manner. the growing popularity of this ers of Qatar Post and I believe The agreement was signed service since it was launched it will be a mutually benefi cial between Hamad al-Fahida, in June 2017. Qatar Post has partnership.” chief operations offi cer of Qa- continued to bring new inno- Global Priority service off ers tar Post and engineer Faisal vations and services to further a new Track and Trace feature Mowasalat managing director and CEO Khalid al-Hail and others at the National Day celebrations. al-Siddiqi, chief business de- enhance our customers experi- allowing visibility on the entire velopment offi cer of Nebras ence. As the main provider of postal journey and is protected Power. postal services in Qatar, we’ve by a money-back guarantee, Launched in June, Qatar always been proactive and re- hence maximising transparen- Post’s Global Priority Service sponsive to the needs of our cy, reliability and convenience Mowasalat marks QND, off ers door-to-door service to teeming customers. I believe for postal customers. NU-Q to conduct executive course on sport communication

Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) has an- on sport media, marketing and law. Overseeing the enhances public off erings nounced its first initiative in what will be a series programme is NU-Q Professor Craig LaMay, an ex- of executive education programmes. pert in sport journalism. A Northwestern University owasalat celebrated Qatar National actual requirements, making use of the com- whelming feeling of honour and pride for Building on its expertise in the area of strategic scholar, LaMay previously taught a course in Sports, Day by organising a host of activi- pany’s effi cient dispatching system, it said. Qatar, and of the country’s founder who communication and media, the programme will Media and Society at NU-Q in 2013. The upcoming Mties and operating a number of ad- The company celebrated the occasion enhanced development in order to make include three masterclasses, all focusing on sport workshops are part of a broader programme on ditional bus services to ferry residents be- by adorning its main offi ce complex in Abu the vision more clear towards a civilised communication. “In developing this programme, sport, communication and leadership that LaMay is tween various locations and the venue of the Hamour with a huge Qatar fl ag. nation that adheres to its legacy; a nation we tapped into our professional experience in designing. The programme being off ered in Febru- military parade. Mowasalat Operational Unit, which in- that is politically, economically, educa- the ‘media and sport’ sectors to bring together ary – The Changing Business of Sport and Sport The company said it had extended its cludes several services and maintenance tionally, and physically well developed. A world-class experts from the media industry to Communication – is the first in a series of topics greetings, and raised its deepest gratitude units, Mowasalat Call Center, and the Fleet nation that leads with all its offered ges- lead these masterclasses,” said Everette E Dennis, the university will hold that will provide executive to His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin management all together worked hard to tures regionally and internationally and dean and CEO of NU-Q. The development of the education for communication professionals in the Hamad al-Thani, His Highness the Father increase the vehicles’ readiness in order to with the best investment chances in the sport communication masterclasses is the result media and sport industries. February’s masterclass- Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, meet the growing demand for its services on human and financial abilities positioning of extensive contacts with leaders in the media es will be off ered to individuals with undergraduate and His Highness the Deputy Emir Sheikh the day and also to help in reducing parking itself in the world”. industry and government off icials in Qatar, as well degrees and a minimum of one to two years of pro- Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and to all Qa- woes and congestion. Al-Hail added, “We should honour such as a market study commissioned by NU-Q, the fessional experience. An NU-Q certificate in Sport tari people on the occasion. In addition, Mowasalat management and an occasion and make it an inspiration to en- university has said in a statement. Communications will be awarded for completion of According to a company statement, Mow- employees attended and participated in hance our national values and root them into Northwestern’s home campus has been a leader all three masterclasses. asalat utilised all its resources to meet the the celebrations organised by Ministry of successive generations to harvest the ances- in sport and media management and NU-Q has The programme will be held at NU-Q’s new building public requirements across Qatar. Additional Transport and Communications in the gar- tors’ eff orts, for securing a decent existence off ered a sport and media course for several years, in Education City and take place over three consec- buses were operated to cover urban areas and den of the Museum of Islamic Arts. and to achieve sustained growth and devel- the statement noted. To launch the executive edu- utive weekends in February. For more information, their neighbourhoods. There was more ac- Mowasalat managing director and CEO opment, especially for the future generations cation programme, NU-Q will off er three industry- visit http://www.qatar.northwestern.edu/education/ cess to the taxis throughout the day as they Khalid Nasser al-Hail said, “The Nation- to carry the legacy of the nation through glo- specific masterclasses in February that will focus executive/sport-law.html were deployed in every locality, based on the al Day celebration is a moment of over- ry and honour”.

Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabor al-Thani, launching the mural, ‘We are fine.’ Qatar Cancer Society holds three-day celebration at HQ

atar Cancer Society (QCS) cel- attended by Qatari artiste Ghanem of the National Day, to raise commu- ebrated Qatar National Day Shaheen, who sang a collection of his nity awareness about cancer. Qby launching the ‘We are fi ne’ national songs. School students took “Since its inception in 1997, the event which lasted for three days at part in the activities in the morning. QCS has never overlooked its basic its headquarters at Barwa Towers, Al Sheikh Khalid said the National Day objectives of providing treatment for Sadd. celebrations provide an opportunity cancer patients who are unable to af- QCS chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin for Qatar’s citizens and residents to ford medical expenses, amounting to Jabor al-Thani, launched a mural, ‘We have a sense of belonging and loyalty, 1,400 cases in 2017. QCS took care of are fi ne’ at the event attended by gen- while emphasising the importance of the patients after consultation with eral manager Mariam al-Noaimi and pride and dignity. He stressed QCS’ hospitals and medical centres con- a number of members of the board of keenness to launch awareness and ed- cerned with their identity and docu- directors, honorary ambassadors and ucational campaigns throughout the ments. There is no single patient on public fi gures. The opening was also year, especially during the celebration the waiting list right now,” he said.

Some of the school children who attended the event. Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 QATAR

Glimpses of National Day parade

As the spirit of patriotism continues to prevail across the country, Gulf Times takes another look at some of the highlights of Monday’s Qatar National Day parade on the Doha Corniche. PICTURES: Jayan Orma, Thajudheen, Noushad Thekkayil, Ministry of Defence

‘This year’s National Day celebration will be remembered for years to come’

his year’s National Day pa- tar by the illegal siege, the block- rade and celebrations will ading countries have collectively Tbe remembered for many brought harm to the entire region. years to come, Doha-resident “There was so much potential in Alam Akhtar told Qatar Urdu Ra- the GCC union in terms of the dio’s live show Haqeeqat yester- economic progress it could make day. by collaborative regional eff orts Speaking about the fervour but that opportunity is now lost with which nationals and expa- because of the siege,” he added. triates celebrated Qatar National Haqeeqat is a joint venture of Day, he said that resilience and the Gulf Times and Qatar Me- unity was the driving force be- dia Corp Urdu Radio. The show, hind the celebrations this year. hosted by Saif-ur-Rehman, aims “The way in which everyone to engage and interact with the showed solidarity with Qatar and large South Asian expatriate its leadership was overwhelm- community in Qatar. ing,” Akhtar observed. siege has in no way aff ected the Log on to Qatar Urdu Radio on “This is obviously a strong spirit or economy of the country.” Facebook and ‘@QatarUrduRa- message to the blockading coun- Akhtar was of the opinion that dio’ on Twitter for feedback and tries because it shows that the rather than bringing harm to Qa- comments about the show. Alam Akhtar Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 5 QATAR

Q-Chem employees during the initiative.

Q-Chem holds blood donation drive

atar Chemical Company Ltd transfusion services in supplying pany’s social responsibility, and the (Q-Chem), in association with blood donations to HMC across Qatar, strong turnout from our employees QHamad Medical Corporation and particularly for those patients who highlights our commitment to support (HMC), conducted a Blood Donation need blood transfusion.” community-oriented initiatives that Day recently in the Q-Chem clinic, Hamad Hospital staff stayed un- enhance communal well-being. We Mesaieed plant. Many employees til late to allow everyone who wanted are honoured to partner with Hamad came forward to donate blood as part to participate in the initiative to give Medical Corporation on such worthy of the initiative, thereby contributing blood. The blood units collected – 39 endeavours. to helping save lives. – has the potential to provide 117 life- “The blood donation drive is part of This step came as part of Q-Chem’s saving units, the statement noted. Q- the framework of Q-Chem’s engage- “commitment to participating in such Chem CEO Nasser Jeham al-Kuwari ment towards the community and humanitarian, social and national ini- said, “Donating blood is a noble way to support for the health, environment tiatives, refl ecting the nobility and co- serve humanity, helping save lives and and sports sectors, among others.” hesion of the society”, Q-Chem said in making an invaluable contribution to In the statement, Q-Chem has ex- a press statement. the lives of those who are in need of tended its thanks to all employees and “The contribution supports the blood. contractors who donated blood during programmes of the national blood This initiative is part of the com- the initiative.

Health Ministry fetes graduates of leadership programme

The Ministry of Public Health celebrated from medical and administrative jobs at to improve the performance of the min- the graduation of a new batch of the ministry. The programme was held in istry’s organisational structure by provid- participants in the leaders and talents co-operation with mega training centre ing high-quality training for department programme, which aims to develop the and the graduates were handed accred- and division directors and preparing a capacities of the ministry’s department ited certificates from Cambridge Interna- second generation of leaders. and division directors and enhance tional College. Programme director Issa It also helps in polishing the skills and en- their leadership skills. In this regard, 30 Abdullah al-Suwaidi said the programme hancing the managerial and professional employees were honoured for passing aims to develop the capacities of depart- capacities of the associates, especially the programme, which divided them into ment directors and talented employees, as it combines theoretical and practical three groups; department directors, divi- noting that the latter are staff who have education in order to enhance leadership sion directors and talented employees leadership drive. The programme seeks and managerial skills. Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 QATAR WISH forms new

QIB team at the new branch at Hamad International Airport. research team QIB opens new By Joseph Varghese “At the Learning Week we are fo- Staff Reporter cusing on interactive demonstra- tions of innovative programmes we do in Qatar. It will also have some he World Innovation Sum- training programmes in which branch at HIA mit for Health (WISH) has some of the delegates coming for Tset up a new research de- the summit might arrive early atar Islamic Bank a portfolio of Shariah-com- give us the opportunity to partment with the hope to make and take part. We will run some (QIB) has opened a pliant products and services serve a wider audience and signifi cant impact on the local programmes and training at the Qnew branch at Ha- at their convenience. provide them with a full community on various health is- event,” WISH acting CEO added. mad International Airport The branch off ers, among range of premium products sues. WISH will also hold a Learn- According to the offi cial, WISH (HIA). other services, foreign cur- and services,” said D Anand, ing Week leading to the next global has recently collaborated with Liv- This branch will mark rency exchange service for general manager, Personal summit in November 2018. erpool Football Club (LFC) to train QIB’s fi rst to operate round- QIB and non-QIB custom- Banking Group, QIB. “We have a new research depart- local coaches in Qatar. “LFC coach- the-clock, throughout the ers, instant new account “In an on-demand econ- ment and we hope that it will make es gave one week training to the lo- year, providing a compre- opening and immediate omy, great customer service an impact within Qatar. It will add cal coaches to coach children with hensive range of products debit card delivery, read- equals timely customer serv- Qatari perspective to the research autism to play the game which will and services, including cur- ily available reloadable pre- ice. Whether our customer papers that were published in the lead to capacity empowerment of rency exchange services. paid cards and Hadiyati gift have lost their QIB card, or last summit. The team will conduct the community. This collaboration The branch, conveniently cards, and instant issuance want to do a last-minute research with several ministries comes out of the research report on located on the ground fl oor of debit cards in case of re- transaction before they trav- and entities in the country and will autism which highlighted the need of HIA arrivals hall, allows placement if damaged or el, or seek assistance late at expand local community events,” Sultana Afdhal, acting chief executive off icer, WISH. for leisure activities,” said Afdhal. the bank to serve the multi- lost for existing customers. night; the new branch at HIA Sultana Afdhal, acting chief ex- “The report suggested that it tudes of travellers who pass “Since its opening, HIA will complement their ex- ecutive offi cer, WISH, said yester- dation as well as Hamad Medical As for the next global summit to was important to use some of the through the airport daily has become an active con- pectations by off ering such day on the sidelines of the event, Corporation and other entities in be held in November 2018, Afdhal learning within the community along with QIB clients. tributor to the Qatari econ- services at any time”. ‘Thriving together’ organised by Qatar. We have a core research de- said that it is going to be very ex- and we decided on implementing The HIA branch, located omy, acting as the country’s The branch will also in- Qatar Foundation. partment and we aim to introduce citing. “We are going to have an it through the collaboration. This strategically at one of Qa- gateway to the world. With corporate an ATM and cash “The new research team fo- interns to this research team. We added focus on Qatar. We will have collaboration is all evidence based tar’s most prominent land- this comes an increasing deposit machine that can cuses on autism, dementia and are looking to provide opportuni- a Learning Week leading to the one. We will continue to engage marks, allows QIB to opti- demand for tailor-made fi - be used for withdrawing cardio vascular diseases. We are ties for interns from Weill Cornell summit. We will have a lot of new with them till we need and hope- mise its branches network nancial solutions for trave- Qatari riyals and US dollars also hoping to forge relationship Medicine – Qatar as well as the activities that will go into the sum- fully take coaches to Liverpool and come closer to its cus- lers, thus, our presence cash or depositing cash and with Hamad Bin Khalifa University students from College of Medicine mit and also some of the activities club for further programmes,” she tomers; providing them with inside the airport 24/7 will other services on 24/7 basis. and other entities in Qatar Foun- at Qatar University,” added Afdhal. of the past programmes. added. Tanzanian stall big draw at expo

The Tanzanian embassy pavilion at the recently concluded Made in Qatar exhibition at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre was a major draw for visitors during the course of the three-day event. The stall featured an array of handicrafts and similar products from the East African country. The organisers have disclosed plans to open emporiums in Doha for handicrafts and ethnic goods from Tanzania.

AAB Customer Appreciation Week concludes today

bdullah Ab- dulghani & Bros ACo (AAB), exclu- sive distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Qa- tar, will be concluding its fi rst Customer Apprecia- tion Week today, an event thanking its customers for making both brands number one in Qatar. The Customer Ap- preciation Week, which Toshihiro Kuroki and Takayuki Yoshitsugu. forms part of the com- pany’s Qatar National the ways we are reaching out Lexus dealership in 1990. Day celebrations, will see and saying thank you,” he The company grew to be customers’ issued raffl e added. one of Qatar’s leading au- coupons for their pur- AAB, established in 1958 tomobile companies with chase of any new and pre- as part of Qatar’s infra- operations spanning heavy owned vehicles, as well as structure development, was equipment, pre-owned spare parts, from the main awarded the Toyota and vehicles, rental and leasing. spare parts centre or serv- ice their vehicle at any of the AAB service centres across Qatar. Customers will have the chance to win one of the 30 prizes at the raffl e draw, including service vouchers and electronic gadgets. Toyota Motor Corpo- ration’s general manager Toshihiro Kuroki and Middle East and North Africa Representative Of- fi ce chief representative Takayuki Yoshitsugu also thanked the people of Qa- tar for supporting Toyota and Lexus brands. “Our focus has always been to achieve customer delight in all our internal practices and processes,” AAB COO and acting CEO R K Murugan said, as he thanked customers for their “continuous trust, support and loyalty in our brands.” “This Customer Ap- preciation Week is one of Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 7 QATAR Qatar Airways launches inaugural fl ight to St Petersburg

atar Airways’ fi rst non- stop fl ight from Doha Qto St Petersburg landed yesterday at Pulkovo Airport, marking the airline’s second gateway in Russia. Qatar Airways fl ight QR279, operated by the state-of-the-art Boeing B787 Dreamliner, departed Hamad International Airport (HIA) at 7.30am and arrived at Pulkovo Airport at 1.50pm. On board the inaugural fl ight to St Petersburg were Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker and Russian am- bassador Nurmakhmad Kholov. The VIP delegation was greeted upon arrival by Pulkovo Airport CEO Vladimir Yakushev, Qa- tar ambassador Fahad bin Mo- hamed al-Attiyah, and Alexander Golovin, chairman of the Com- Qatar Airways crew greeted upon arrival at Pulkovo Airport. mittee on Transport, Member of the Government of St Petersburg. inbound and outbound tourism seats in Business Class and 120 on board the A320 aircraft, Qatar “Following the great success Qatar Airways flight QR279, operated by the state-of-the-art Boeing B787 Dreamliner, arrived at Pulkovo Airport once connected to Qatar Air- seats in Economy Class. Pas- Airways Cargo is delighted to be of our Moscow route, we are at 1.50pm yesterday. ways’ worldwide route network sengers will be able to enjoy the further expanding its import and extremely happy to extend our via one of the most vibrant glo- airline’s superior entertainment export services in Russia. The reach into Russia. By launching the skies,” al-Baker said. St Pe- cal architectural gems, including possibilities for the city’s busi- bal air hubs, HIA, in Doha,” he system off ering, passengers a launch of service to St Peters- this new route, we are commit- tersburg, Russia’s second largest the Winter Palace and the Kazan ness and leisure travel market,” added. wide variety of entertainment burg has increased the overall ting to further supporting the city after Moscow, is considered Cathedral. “The launch of Qatar Yakushev, said. In future, Qatar Airways will options. belly hold cargo capacity to and Russian market, and providing an important Russian port on Airways service from Doha to “With the exquisite product operate its daily St Petersburg With more than 10 tonnes of from Russia, with more than 40 inbound and outbound passen- the Baltic Sea. The culturally Pulkovo St Petersburg Airport off ered by the airline, St Peters- service with an Airbus A320 air- belly hold cargo capacity per tonnes being transported each gers a seamless journey through diverse city is fi lled with histori- represents new extraordinary burg will receive a boost of both craft, which features 12 fl atbed week to and from St Petersburg way per week.

Katara honours artists, photographers of Dhow Festival

Katara – the Cultural Village Ahmed Abdulrahman al- to enter the competition, heritage,” he added. has awarded the artists and Sayed, Research and Studies drawing inspiration from Qatari artist Haifa Khalifa amateur photographers who Department head Dr Nadia cultural pavilions, handicrafts Mohamed al-Sada won the took part in the recently held al-Modahka, members from and traditional performances at first place followed by another 7th Katara Traditional Dhow the jury committee, and the festival. Qatari artist, Ali Abulrahman Festival. participants. “The fine-art and photography al-Naama. Andry Shahayr Nofel In a statement, Katara said One of the contest briefs contests have become a much- bagged the third place while they played an active role in required artists to paint in awaited event at Katara. During the fourth place went to Afnan the competition, capturing and real-time as events unfolded the contests, artists compete Maheesh Kumar Panara. Qatari editing photos and producing in front of them. An elite group to present their creativity artist Fahad Ali al-Maaded exquisite paintings for contests of Qatari and expatriate artists through breathtaking shots of came in fifth. such as the fine-art and produced some stunning the Traditional Dhow Festival,” In the photography contest, photography competitions, pieces of work, which reflected al-Sayed said. Mohamed Najeeb Nasr won which were organised on the the actions and emotions of “The photos aim to present the top prize followed by sidelines of the festival. The people involved in the festival. the festival’s distinctive Waseem Bashar al-Khedr, awarding ceremony was held Amateur and professional maritime activities that in turn, Richard Lembo, Youssef Loledi, in the presence of the Katara photographers from diff erent contribute to raising public and Ali Ali Jad for the second, deputy general manager art-schools and nationalities awareness of the region’s third, fourth and fifth places, and head of operations captured significant moments rich and authentic sea-faring respectively. Katara awarded artists and amateur photographers who took part in the Traditional Dhow Festival. Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 REGION/ARAB WORLD/AFRICA

POLITICS APPOINTMENT POLICY LEGAL TRIAL Ramaphosa faces new Mnangagwa drops hint Debate on presidential age South Africa court grants Colonel gets six years after battles as head of ANC military chief set for VP cap halted after scuff les bail to Dutch arms dealer announcing presidential bid

South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa Uganda’s parliament abruptly adjourned a Convicted Dutch arms dealer Guus Kouwenhoven An Egyptian military court sentenced a colonel to faced wide-ranging challenges yesterday after gave his clearest signal yet yesterday that he debate yesterday over extending President who supplied arms that fuelled Liberia’s bloody six years in prison yesterday after he announced being elected to lead the country’s ruling party as would appoint as vice president the military lead- Yoweri Museveni’s decades in power after a civil war was yesterday released by a South African plans to stand in the 2018 presidential election, it grapples with corruption allegations and disunity. er who led the de facto coup that ousted former lawmaker said soldiers had entered the building court on bail of $78,000, local media reported. his lawyer said. Ahmed Konsowa was given the He narrowly won the vote to become head of the leader Robert Mugabe last month. At a ceremony and members of parliament scuffled with police. Kouwenhoven, 75, was arrested at his Cape Town jail term for “stating political opinions contrary African National Congress (ANC) on Monday after marking Constantino Chiwenga’s retirement and “There were so many (soldiers), I saw them. mansion in early December after Dutch prosecutors to the requirements of military order”, his lawyer a bruising race that exposed rifts within the organi- handover of the military reins to Phillip Sibanda They were in the chaplaincy,” legislator Gaffa requested his extradition to serve a 19 year sentence Asaad Heikal said. The colonel had announced sation. Thousands of raucous Ramaphosa sup- at an army barracks near Harare’s international Mbwatekamwa, among several in Museveni’s for his role in the west African country’s conflict. He he would be a candidate for president in video porters sang and chanted in the conference hall airport, Mnangagwa lauded Chiwenga for his ruling party who oppose extending his rule, was reportedly granted bail “under strict conditions” messages and a statement on Facebook on No- as rival backers of defeated candidate Nkosazana consistency and steadfastness. “I therefore urge told a local television station. Scuffles broke out that include reporting to a police station every two vember 29. He was also accused of “appearing on Dlamini-Zuma appeared dejected. “Many doom- you to maintain the same loyalty, robustness and between lawmakers and police shortly after hours during the week. “He has also been placed the social network website Facebook in military sayers had said that this conference was going to dedication to duty as you move to your next as- speaker Rebecca Kadaga adjourned the debate, under house arrest (on weekends) and his passport uniform, contrary to the requirements of military collapse,” Ramaphosa told journalists yesterday. signment which is quite prominent,” he said. just moments starting it early yesterday. is to be handed in,” the News24 site reported. order,” Heikal said. Israel arrests Palestinian teenager

AFP A separate video shows the became a symbolic image. An- Jerusalem girls telling the soldiers, appar- other of her facing up to Israeli ently standing on the stairs of soldiers as a child was widely the family home, to leave. publicised years before. srael’s army arrested a Pal- The incident occurred dur- She was received by the then estinian teenager yesterday ing a day of clashes across the Turkish prime minister Recep Iafter a video went viral of occupied West Bank against Tayyip Erdogan in 2012. her slapping Israeli soldiers in US President Donald Trump’s Another family member, the occupied West Bank as they controversial recognition of Je- Mohamed, is recovering in remained impassive. rusalem as Israel’s capital. hospital after being shot in the The video shot on Friday, Early yesterday the Israeli head with a rubber bullet Fri- apparently with a mobile tel- army raided Tamimi’s house and day, the family said. The video ephone, showed two Palestin- arrested her, her father Bassem of Ahed and the soldiers was ian teenage girls approach- said, accusing the army of seiz- widely used by Israeli media, ing two Israeli soldiers, before ing telephones, computers and which often accuses Palestini- shoving, kicking and slapping other electronic equipment. an protesters of seeking to pro- them while filming on mobile “They didn’t give a reason for voke the army into responses Palestinian protesters build a barricade during clashes with Israeli security forces at Atarot checkpoint on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, yesterday. phones. The heavily armed her arrest,” Bassem said. which are then filmed. soldiers do not respond in the Her mother was also later Israeli politicians hailed the face of what appears to be an detained, with the Israeli po- restraint of the soldiers as evi- attempt to provoke rather than lice saying the two would re- dence of the military’s values. seriously harm them. They main under arrest until at least Palestinians on social media then move backwards. tomorrow. The Tamimi fam- criticised the arrest in the mid- Offi cial decries killing of Gaza amputee The incident is believed ily are prominent campaign- dle of the night, arguing it is the to have taken place next to ers against the Israeli military people’s right to resist military the house of one of the girls, occupation of the West Bank, occupation. Reuters shot dead four people, includ- 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi, in and a 2015 picture of Ahed bit- Education Minister Naftali Geneva Pope, Jordan’s king discuss Trump’s move ing Abu Thurayeh, and that 150 the Palestinian village of Nabi ing the hand of a soldier to try Bennett said that Tamimi could others were wounded by live Saleh in the West Bank. to stop the arrest of a brother face seven years in prison. Pope Francis and Jordan’s King the Holy Places”. King Abdul- fi re during the protests. senior UN offi cial said Abdullah yesterday discussed lah’s Hashemite dynasty is the Most of the casualties were yesterday that Israel’s US President Donald Trump’s de- custodian of the Muslim holy on the Gaza Strip border. CRIME Akilling of a disabled Pal- cision to recognise Jerusalem as sites in Jerusalem, making Am- In the West Bank, the Israeli Danes stabbed estinian man protesting against Israel’s capital, a move that both man sensitive to any changes of military said about 2,500 Pales- US President Donald Trump’s say is dangerous to Middle East status of the disputed city. tinians took part in riots against in Gabon had UN plans proposals for recognition of Jerusalem as Is- peace. Abdullah and the Pope When Trump announced his soldiers and border police of- been stalked rael’s capital was “incompre- spoke privately for about 20 decision on Dec 6, the Pope re- fi cers. hensible”, but Israel said he had minutes at the start of the king’s sponded by calling for the city’s Abu Thurayeh, 29, was a reg- A grocer from Niger who knifed Syrian reform process not been targeted. visit to the Vatican and France. “status quo” to be respected, ular at such demonstrations. a Danish couple in Gabon came A statement issued by Zeid A Vatican statement said they saying new tension in the In media interviews, he had to the capital just two days Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN High discussed “the promotion of Mideast would further inflame said he had lost both his legs in before the attack and had been Reuters mendations on a timeline to Commissioner for Human peace and stability in the Mi- conflicts. Among an outpouring a 2008 Israeli missile strike in stalking the pair, a prosecutor United Nations/Geneva broker elections for all Syrians Rights, said wheelchair-bound deast, with particular reference of international criticism, Jordan Gaza. Zeid’s statement said the said yesterday. Saturday’s attack including refugees and inter- Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was shot to the question of Jerusalem also rejected the US decision, Israeli response had resulted in on the Danes, who were in the nally displaced people because in the head by Israeli security and the role of the Hashemite calling it legally “null” because it fi ve people being killed, includ- west African state filming for he United Nations will only such a process would be forces close to the border fence Sovereign as Custodian of consolidated Israel’s occupation. ing three deaths in Gaza, as well National Geographic, was “pre- propose to Syria’s war- seen as legitimate by ordinary with Israel on Friday. as more than 220 injured by live meditated,” Libreville prosecutor Tring parties a timeline Syrians, de Mistura said. But the Israeli military said ammunition. Steeve Ndong Essame Ndong for elections and guidance on It could also help to guide its own investigation had found rocks and rolled burning tyres sive.” “Given his severe dis- International law strictly said, adding that the man had constitutional reform in a bid constitutional reform and that it was not possible to say “with the aim of harming sol- ability, which must have been regulates the use of force in the lived in Gabon for 19 years. to revive stalled peace talks, help establish a constitutional what had killed Abu Thurayeh diers and destroying security clearly visible to those who shot context of protests and dem- He said the 53-year-old came mediator Staff an de Mistura commission and a national and that no live fi re had been infrastructure” and that non- him, his killing is incompre- onstrations, and the lethal use to Libreville on Thursday “with told the UN Security Council dialogue body, with the Syrian directed at him during the dis- lethal riot dispersal means were hensible — a truly shocking and of fi rearms should only be em- the aim of committing this yesterday. people solely responsible for persal of the violent demon- mainly used, although a few live wanton act,” Zeid’s statement ployed as the last resort when cowardly act ‘against whites’”, The Council launched the writing and approving a new stration. rounds fi red under supervision said. strictly unavoidable in order to adding that it was not clear if peace process two years ago constitution. “No live fi re was aimed at were aimed “towards main in- The Israeli military statement protect life, Zeid said. the attacker was acting alone or with instructions to negoti- “The time has come for the Abu Thurayeh. It is impossi- stigators.” said “numerous requests” for Trump’s announcement on for a group. The man said in his ate new governance for Syria, UN to provide some specifi c ble to determine whether Abu Zeid said there was nothing to information on Abu Thurayeh’s Jerusalem infuriated the Arab first statements that he “acted in UN-supervised elections and elaborations...and therefore Thurayeh was injured as a result suggest Abu Thurayeh was pos- wounds had not been answered world and upset Western allies. retaliation for US attacks against constitutional reform. stimulate a wider conversation,” of riot dispersal means, or what ing an imminent threat when he and that “if additional details The status of the city has Muslims and America’s recogni- But the eighth round ended he said. “The UN has provided caused his death,” part of the was killed and “the facts gath- are received, they will be exam- been one of the biggest obsta- tion of Jerusalem as Israel’s capi- last week with no dialogue be- electoral assistance to a major- military statement said. ered so far by my staff in Gaza ined and studied.” cles to a peace agreement be- tal,” Defence Minister Etienne tween the two sides. ity of UN member states...so we It added that protesters strongly suggest that the force Gaza medical offi cials said on tween Israel and the Palestin- Massard said. The UN could make recom- do have experience.” hurled explosive devices and used against (him) was exces- Friday that Israeli troops had ians for generations.

Iran summons Swiss envoy over US’ Saudi says it intercepted ‘irresponsible’ claim Iran summoned the Swiss ambas- Yemen rebel missile sador yesterday to condemn what it called an “irresponsible” claim by the US ambassador to the UN AFP residential areas in the Riyadh area, that Tehran supplied a missile fired Riyadh and — thank God — was intercepted at Saudi Arabia from Yemen on and destroyed south of Riyadh without Nov 4, Iran’s Tasnim news agency any casualties,” the offi cial Saudi Press reported. The Swiss embassy repre- audi Arabia said it shot down a Agency quoted a spokesman for the sents US interests in Tehran, where ballistic missile yesterday over Saudi-led coalition as saying. Washington has had no mission SRiyadh fi red from Yemen by More than 8,750 people have been since 1980, when Iranian students Houthi rebels, who announced that the killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies took 52 Americans hostage for 444 target was the offi cial residence of King joined the government’s fi ght against days. “Iran’s strong protest at (Nikki) Salman. the Houthis in 2015, triggering what Haley’s baseless and provocative The audacious attack aimed at the the UN has called the world’s worst claim was conveyed to the Swiss heart of Saudi power follows the down- humanitarian crisis. ambassador,” Foreign Ministry ing of another missile last month near “In exchange for a thousand days spokesman Bahram Qasemi was Riyadh airport that triggered the tight- of bombardment with internation- quoted as saying by Tasnim. ening of a Saudi-led blockade on hun- ally banned weapons, there has been Haley on Thursday presented pieces ger-stricken Yemen. a thousand days of steadfastness in of what she said were Iranian weap- For the past three years Saudi Arabia which our people have demonstrated ons supplied to the Houthi militia in has led a military campaign involving that their resolve will not be broken,” Yemen, describing it as conclusive air strikes and ground troops against rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi said in evidence that Tehran was violating the Houthis, who seized the Yemeni a speech yesterday. UN resolutions.Iran has denied the capital from the internationally recog- “Today our people reached the heart claim. Under a UN resolution that nised government in 2014. of Riyadh — the government palace — enshrines a nuclear deal reached An AFP correspondent in Riyadh with a ballistic missile.” between Iran and world powers heard a loud explosion at 1050 GMT, The missile attacks, which could in 2015, Tehran is prohibited from shortly before King Salman was due to further escalate the Saudi-led military supplying or transferring weapons oversee the unveiling of the Saudi an- campaign, underscore how the raging outside the country unless approved nual budget. Yemen confl ict is increasingly spilling by the UN Security Council. “The missile was aimed at populated across the border. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 9 AMERICAS

Sarah Palin’s son charged US House passes biggest

DPA Washington

he son of Sarah Palin, the tax overhaul in 30 years one-time US Republican Tvice-presidential candi- Reuters ven Mnuchin watching from the just two of many narrow changes “Today, we give the people of “This monster will come back Republicans control the 100- date, has been charged with as- Washington gallery, the House passed the bill added to the bill to secure suffi - this country their money back. to haunt them,” she said on the seat Senate by only a 52-48 saulting his father after breaking by a vote of 227-203, overcoming cient to win its passage. This is their money, after all,” House fl oor. margin and can aff ord to lose into his parents’ home in Alaska, united opposition from Demo- Middle-income households House Speaker Paul Ryan said Some 52% of adults oppose support from no more than two according to US media. he Republican-controlled crats and 12 Republicans who would see an average tax cut shortly before the vote. the tax plan, while 27% support party lawmakers. Track Palin, 28, was arrested US House of Representa- voted against it. of $900 next year, while the Democrats say that the bill it, according to Reuters/Ipsos Republican Senator Jeff Flake on Saturday after his mother Ttives approved sweeping, Passage was all but certain in wealthiest 1% of Americans will widen the income gap be- polling. was still undecided yesterday. called police to say that he was debt-fi nanced tax legislation the Republican-controlled Sen- would see an average cut of tween rich and poor Americans, The end-of-year sprint rep- Senator John McCain, who “freaking out and was on some yesterday, sending the bill to the ate, as well. $51,000, according to the non- while adding $1.5tn over the next resents a remarkable recovery has brain cancer, was spending type of medication”, according Senate, where lawmakers were The plan includes steep partisan Tax Policy Centre, a 10 years to the mounting $20tn of Republican fortunes since time with family in Arizona. to court documents posted on- due to take up the package later. tax cuts for corporations and think tank in Washington. US national debt. the middle of this year, when Vice-President Mike Pence line late on Monday by the Los The biggest overhaul of the wealthy taxpayers, as well as Republicans insist that the House Democratic Leader the party’s drive to dismantle took the precaution of resched- Angeles Times. US tax system in more than 30 temporary tax cuts for some in- package will boost the economy Nancy Pelosi called the bill a former Democratic president uling a trip to Egypt and Israel A police report said that Track years could be signed into law dividuals and families. and job growth. “Frankenstein monster” riddled Barack Obama’s Obamacare for January so he would be on had broken a window at the Pa- by President Donald Trump as It repeals a section of the They also see the measure as with carve-outs and loopholes healthcare law crumbled in the hand this week in case his tie- lin home in the city of Wasilla to soon as today, if both chambers Obamacare health system and key to retaining their majorities that falls far short of the Repub- Senate and prospects for a tax breaking voting power is needed gain entry and attacked his fa- of Congress approve it. allows oil drilling in Alaska’s in the House and Senate in elec- lican promise of simplifying the overhaul seemed doomed by to ensure Senate passage of the ther Todd Palin, who had threat- With Treasury Secretary Ste- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, tions next November. tax code. party infi ghting. bill. ened him with a gun. Police offi cer Adam LaPointe said that as he arrived at the Pa- lin’s home in the city of Wasilla, two cars left, one containing Todd, who had “blood running Derailed US train down his face” and the second containing a “visibly upset” Sa- rah. Track was still in the house was at double the and called the police “peasants” as they attempted to commu- nicate with him and get him to leave the house. speed limit: NTSB He was eventually talked into coming outside and was arrest- ed. AFP by a conductor on board, who Todd told police that the dis- DuPont, US can be heard in an audio re- pute began when Track called cording, saying: “Amtrak 501, to say he was coming to collect emergency, emergency, emer- his truck and Todd told him not S investigators said an gency, we are on the ground.” to because he had been drinking Amtrak passenger train “We were coming around the and was on pain medication. Uwas travelling at more corner to take the bridge over “Track had told him that he than double the speed limit I-5 there ... and we went on the was come anyway to beat his before it derailed in Washing- ground,” he said. “We got cars ass,” the police report read. ton state, plunging off a bridge everywhere and down onto the “Todd retrieved his pistol to pro- onto a busy highway and killing highway.” tect his family.” at least three people. The train hit fi ve vehicles Sarah Palin was the Repub- Preliminary information and two trucks, police said. lican party’s vice-presidential obtained from an event data But there were no deaths nominee in 2008, running un- recorder in the rear locomo- among those on the highway successfully alongside presi- tive showed the train, which below, a spokesman for Pierce dential nominee Senator John was travelling on a new route County Sheriff ’s Department McCain. for the fi rst time, was speeding said. at 80mph (128kph) in a 30mph Amtrak president and co- (48kph) zone. chief executive Richard Ander- But Bella Dinh-Zarr, vice- son said that he was “deeply chair of the National Trans- saddened” and pledged to do portation Safety Board (NTSB) “everything in our power to Bus crash told reporters that it was “too support our passengers and The Amtrak high speed train that derailed over the Interstate I-5 highway, at DuPont in Washington state, early on Monday. early to tell” why the train was crew and their families”. travelling so fast. The accident marred the kills 11 The train, which was car- launch of faster services on the rying 77 passengers and seven route after a $181mn upgrade crew, derailed in DuPont, about project to improve the rails, the tourists 50 miles south of Seattle, on a locomotives and the signalling Corrupt Brazilian tycoon curve that passes over busy In- technology. terstate 5 around 7.40am (1540 The trains were expected to AFP GMT). reach speeds of 79mph through Mexico City Pictures from the scene the densely-populated area freed to begin house arrest showed one mangled train car- with the improved systems and riage lying upside down on the track. bus carrying tourists interstate highway, while oth- However, local offi cials had from a US cruise ship to AFP sentence for organising the sys- tral role in the embezzlement ers dangled from the overpass worried about them taking Aan archaeological site in Curitiba, Brazil temic bribery of politicians to and bribery scandal, known as at a precarious angle. curves in the area at higher Mexico crashed yesterday after gain infl uence and contracts for “Car Wash”, that three years Several other carriages also speeds. running off the road, killing at Odebrecht in Brazil and across later continues to shake Brazil’s ended up on the highway, In early December, lo- least 11 people including several arcelo Odebrecht, the the region. elite. shutting down a key section of cal mayor Don Anderson had foreigners, the state government construction tycoon at The scandal has implicated Originally sentenced to 19 the busy artery that connects warned that more needed to said. Mthe centre of Brazil’s President Michel Temer and years in prison, Odebrecht Odebrecht: to be given a the greater Seattle metropoli- be done to ensure safety on the The crash, which left another biggest corruption scandal, was many of the country’s top poli- eventually struck a plea bargain, monitoring ankle bracelet. tan area to Olympia. route. 20 injured, happened on a high- released from prison yesterday ticians. agreeing to testify in exchange All but one of the 14 train way in the state of Quintana to begin house arrest, an AFP Building everything from the for a reduced sentence. only family and a small number cars jumped the tracks. Local offi cials had warned Roo, located on the eastern tip of journalist at the scene said. Miami Heat basketball arena to Under the deal, 77 Odebre- of other visitors. Washington State police only weeks ago that the the Yucatan Peninsula and well Odebrecht, 49, left the prison a hydroelectric dam in Angola, cht S A executives, including Restrictions will be eased spokeswoman Brooke Bova track might not be safe known as home to the Caribbean in Curitiba after serving two and Odebrecht S A is one of Brazil’s Marcelo Odebrecht, pulled back during the second half of his confi rmed the death toll, and enough to handle trains at resort city of Cancun. a half years behind bars. powerhouses. the curtains on their corruption sentence. said that of the 100 or so people high speeds The tourists had been on a He will be given a monitoring At the peak of his career at the scheme, which was so extensive According to local media, who were injured, several were Royal Caribbean cruise ship. ankle bracelet and then return to company founded by his grand- that it required its own dedi- Odebrecht’s house is a 32,292sq in critical condition. “Come back when there is Its port of origin was not im- his luxury home in Sao Paulo. father, Marcelo Odebrecht was cated corporate department to feet (3,000sq m) property “We don’t know if that that accident, and try to jus- mediately given. The former chief executive one of the most infl uential peo- manage the bribes. within one of Sao Paulo’s most number will change,” she tify not putting in those safety The bus was carrying 31 pas- of Latin America’s biggest con- ple in Brazil. For the next two and a half exclusive and heavily-guarded warned. enhancements,” he said at sengers on a straight stretch of struction company still has sev- But in 2015 he was arrested years, Odebrecht will be strictly gated communities. Offi cials gave no reason for the time, according to KOMO road with little traffi c. en and a half years to serve of his and later convicted for his cen- bound to his home, receiving It has a large swimming pool. the derailment of southbound News. Amtrak train 501, the inaugural The local transit offi cial who run of a new service promis- was on board at the time said ing faster connections between the tracks were supposed to Seattle and Portland, Oregon. have been upgraded to accom- Local offi cials had warned modate higher speeds. Argentina Congress passes pension reform after protests only weeks ago that the track “I’m not sure what hap- might not be safe enough to pened,” Karnes said. handle trains at higher speeds. The new Siemens Charger Reuters ahead with congressional votes government strong momentum. Facundo Moyano said during the Federal investigators visited locomotives were equipped Buenos Aires on a tax code overhaul and a plan Still, the pension measure congressional debate. the scene yesterday to begin an with “positive train control” to limit provincial spending, generated fi erce criticism from Earlier on Monday, protesters investigation which would last safety systems, designed to Macri told reporters. opposition lawmakers and la- outside the capitol threw stones between a week and 10 days, automatically stop the train rgentina’s Congress “This formula guarantees that bour unions, who say it will hurt at police, who responded with Dinh-Zarr said. in dangerous situations and passed a reform to the over the next few years, retirees retirees. tear gas and water cannons, while Information obtained from mandated for trains around the Apension system early yes- will never lose against a jump It was initially slated for de- the country’s main union called a the front locomotive’s data re- country. terday, after days of demonstra- in infl ation,” he said. “All these bate last Thursday, but the ses- 24-hour general strike. corder, which has been more However, the technology tions by the bill’s opponents and changes generate discomfort, but sion was suspended after police Dozens were injured and some diffi cult to access, would po- was only expected to be used violent clashes between protest- they are necessary.” fi red rubber bullets and tear gas 60 people were detained, state- tentially lend more insight, she next year when it is activated ers and police gripped the South Other leaders in South Amer- at demonstrators outside the run news agency Telam said, in added. on the entire rail corridor, ac- American country. ica have had a harder time im- capitol. one of Argentina’s most violent Chris Karnes, a local transit cording to the Washington The measure, central to Presi- Macri: This formula guarantees plementing similar business- Macri then promised to de- protests in years. offi cial who was aboard at the State Department of Transpor- dent Mauricio Macri’s plan to that over the next few years, friendly agendas. cree a one-time bonus payment The government is seeking to time, described the moment tation. slash the fi scal defi cit and attract retirees will never lose against a In Peru, President Pedro Pa- to the neediest retirees, and the slash its primary budget defi cit, when the train veered of the Dinh-Zarr said investigators investment, changes the formula jump in inflation. blo Kuczynski has fought eff orts government said that pensions which excludes interest pay- tracks. were checking to see whether used to calculate benefi ts. to remove him over his ties to would rise by fi ve percentage ments, to 3.2% of gross domes- “All of a sudden, we felt this the technology had been in- It links them to consumer session by a vote of 128-116, with scandal-plagued Brazilian build- points above infl ation in 2018. tic product (GDP) next year from rocking and creaking noise, stalled in this particular track prices instead of increasing them two abstentions. er Odebrecht, which threaten But that did not win over dem- 4.2% this year. and it felt like we were heading section. in line with tax income and wage The Senate approved the pro- to stall reforms meant to boost onstrators who took to the streets The new formula means the down a hill,” he told KIRO-TV. In 2015, an Amtrak train hikes. posal last month. growth. of the capital Buenos Aires and government will save around “The next thing we know, travelling well above the desig- Economists, noting that infl a- It was a victory for Macri, who Brazil’s eff orts at its own pen- around the country late on Mon- 61bn pesos ($3.49bn), or 0.5% we’re being slammed into the nated speed derailed in Phila- tion expectations are lower, said does not have a majority in Con- sion reform were recently pushed day, banging pots and pans and of gross domestic product next front of our seats, windows are delphia, killing eight. that the new method would make gress and took offi ce in December back until next year. blaring car horns. year, though the one-time bonus breaking, we stop, and there’s At the time, analysts said it easier to slash the fi scal defi cit. 2015 after more than a decade of In Argentina, a strong per- “They are encroaching upon could reduce savings by up to 4bn water gushing out of the train. positive train control technol- It passed the lower chamber of populist rule. formance in October’s legislative the rights of society’s most vul- pesos, according to Buenos Aires People were screaming.” ogy could have prevented the deputies after an all-night debate The government will press midterms gave Macri’s coalition nerable,” opposition lawmaker consultancy Elypsis. The distress call was placed accident. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA EU demands release of journalists in Myanmar

AFP ing press freedoms in Myanmar, from the international newswire led crackdown has pushed some August, killing around a dozen “We and their families continue year, despite hopes Suu Kyi’s ci- Yangon where Aung San Suu Kyi’s civil- have not been told where the two 655,000 people from the Muslim offi cers. The journalists were ar- to be denied access to them or to vilian government would usher ian government is under grow- are, nor been allowed any contact minority to fl ee to Bangladesh. rested after accepting a dinner the most basic information about in a new era of freedom in the ing global pressure over human with them. UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad invitation from police offi cers on their well-being and wherea- former junta-run nation. “The wo Myanmar journalists rights abuses. “We expect the Myanmar au- al-Hussein told AFP on Monday the outskirts of Yangon. Two po- bouts,” said Stephen J Adler, latest arrests have further ter- working for an interna- The two men, who have been thorities to ensure the full pro- that the crackdown could possi- licemen, who had returned from Reuters editor-in-chief, adding rifi ed many journalists in the Ttional newswire who have held incommunicado since De- tection of their rights and to re- bly amount to “genocide”. duty in northern Rakhine, have that the pair were “innocent of country,” said Swe Win, a promi- not been heard from since they cember 12, have been charged lease the journalists as quickly as The allegations are highly also been arrested. All face maxi- any wrongdoing”. nent Myanmar reporter who was were arrested last week should under a colonial-era Offi cial Se- possible,” the EU said in a state- sensitive in Myanmar, where au- mum sentences of 14 years in Sean Bain, a legal adviser with detained earlier this year and is be immediately released, the EU crets Act for allegedly possessing ment yesterday, adding its voice thorities have denied any abuse prison. Myanmar’s government the International Commission of fi ghting his own online defama- demanded yesterday. documents relating to security to calls from the United Nations but blocked access to the con- has not responded to requests for Jurists, said their situation “ap- tion case. The sudden detention of re- forces in Rakhine state, where the and the United States. The pair fl ict zone. The military insists its comment. pears to constitute arbitrary de- “As a result, drastic self cen- porters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw military is accused of atrocities had worked on Reuters’ coverage crackdown was a proportionate Reuters said yesterday it had tention”. sorship has now become the Soe Oo, 27, who work for Reuters, against Rohingya Muslims. Their of the Rohingya crisis in northern response to Rohingya militants not been able to contact its em- At least 11 journalists have norm when it comes to issues in- has spread fears about diminish- families, lawyers and colleagues Rakhine, where a brutal military- who attacked police posts in ployees since they disappeared. been arrested in Myanmar this volving security forces.” K-pop star reveals ‘I was so alone’ in suicide note

AFP went on to lead the “Korean Seoul Wave” that saw South Korean pop culture develop a fan base across Asia and beyond. Known top K-pop star wrote in a for peppy songs and carefully- suicide note that he was choreographed dance numbers Fans of Kim Jong-hyun, the lead singer of top South Korean boy band SHINee, queue to mourn during a A “broken from inside” and performed with military preci- memorial service for him in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday. “engulfed” by depression, it sion, SHINee have become one emerged yesterday as his death of the world’s best-known K- K-pop stars undergo cut- “I came here to say the last would be held on Thursday, the sent shockwaves among fans pop acts. throat competition and gruelling farewell... since we fans appar- fi rm said in a statement, adding: worldwide. Kim Jong-hyun, The band have released fi ve al- years-long training at the hands ently couldn’t be there for him “Other members of SHINee as 27-year-old lead singer of the bums that swept charts at home of their agents, who dictate eve- when he needed help most,” said well as other artists at our com- hugely popular K-pop boyband and abroad, with some of them rything from music style to diet Jung Min-kyung, 19. “I think our pany are all mourning his death SHINee, was found in a hotel reaching Number 1 on the US and even mobile phone use. country has very high expecta- amid deep sorrow and shock.” room in the South Korean capi- Billboard World Albums chart. Many are also pressed to main- tions of celebrities,” she added. Seoul police said it seemed tal Seoul in what police said was Kim was seen as a model K-pop tain a squeaky-clean and whole- Social media was fl ooded “certain” that Kim’s death was suicide. celebrity, who boasted fl awless some image at all times. by thousands of messages of a suicide, adding they planned A coal briquette was burn- Kim Jong-hyun singing and dancing skills and A master’s thesis by a promi- mourning, with photos show- to close the case without an au- ing on a frying pan – a common rarely made headlines with the nent Seoul actress in 2009 said ing throngs of fans sobbing near topsy as requested by his family. method of self-killing in South event of his death. “I am broken I’ve lived until now because of romantic relationships, drink- that 40% of actors or actresses a makeshift memorial outside He was pronounced dead Korea, an ultra-competitive so- from inside. The depression that that diffi culty.” driving or drug use that derailed had considered suicide at least the Korean embassy in Santiago, shortly after being moved to a ciety with one of the world’s gnawed on me slowly has fi nally “Please tell me I did a good the careers of many other artists. once due to a lack of privacy, Chile. Many other K-pop stars in hospital. highest suicide rates. Kim’s close engulfed me entirely,” it said, job,” he implored, ending the He released his fi rst solo al- online bullying or unstable in- the stable of SHINee’s agents SM Authorities were alerted by friend, musician Nain9, released adding he “couldn’t defeat it note with: “You’ve worked hard. bum in 2015, topping the Bill- comes. Hundreds of Kim’s tear- Entertainment — which domi- his sister, after he sent her text a suicide note on her Instagram anymore”. You’ve really gone through a lot. board World Albums chart, and ful fans paid their respects at a nates K-pop — cancelled public messages reading: “This is my account, saying he had asked “I was so alone,” he went on. Goodbye.” The fi ve-member performed at solo concerts in mourning altar in the Seoul hos- appearances to visit the mourn- last farewell” and “Please let me her to publish the message in the “The act of ending is diffi cult. SHINee debuted in 2008 and Seoul only last week. pital where his body lay. ing altar in Seoul. Kim’s funeral go and say I did a good job.” Turnbull goes rural Japan to beef up missile defence in cabinet reshuffl e capabilities against North Korea AFP ernment said as it endorsed the power... What is important is not the Aegis Ashore system is op- Reuters country’s next High Commis- Tokyo introduction of Aegis Ashore at to give in to North Korea’s bluff ,” erational, according to Japanese Sydney sioner, or ambassador, to the a cabinet meeting. Japan needs he said, vowing to keep imposing offi cials. United Kingdom. Turnbull gave to drastically improve its missile pressure until Pyongyang begs The contract is yet to be signed cabinet positions to Queens- apan’s government yesterday defence, Tokyo added. for dialogue. Abe also sought co- with the United States and de- ustralian Prime Minis- landers John McVeigh and Dav- approved the introduction of Speaking later yesterday at a operation from China to solve the ployment at two locations could ter Malcolm Turnbull id Littleproud, who both took Jthe US military’s land-based lecture hosted by Jiji Press, Prime problem. cost a total of 200bn yen ($1.8bn), Ayesterday named a new offi ce 18 months ago. Aegis missile interceptor system, Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to “As the North Korean issue including the cost of building attorney general and promoted He dropped infrastructure beefi ng up its defence against take a hard look at whether Ja- faces an important phase, the role new facilities. two junior lawmakers from ru- minister Darren Chester, from “serious” and “imminent” North pan’s defence capability is suffi - of China is extremely important,” However, offi cials insisted the ral Queensland state to his cab- the urban state of Victoria, Korea threats. The regime in cient to protect its people. “While he said, adding he wanted to el- new system would boost Japan’s inet in a reshuffl e he hopes will giving the portfolio to deputy Pyongyang has fi red two mis- keeping our defence-only policy evate relations with China to “a missile defence. bolster his fl agging popularity. prime minister Barnaby Joyce, siles over Japan this year and has as the basic premise, I will exam- new level” by reciprocal visits and “Naval vessels need to return Australian leaders often re- the leader of the Nationals, threatened to “sink” the country ine what our defence capability other exchanges. to their ports regularly for rest vamp cabinets before the start which features prominently in into the sea. should truly be like while facing Japan plans to introduce the and refuelling, but if it’s ground of a new year but for centre- Queensland. Last month, North Korea test- up to the severe reality for our Aegis Ashore system at two loca- deployment, we will be able to right Turnbull the move is an “It’s a ministry that show- Malcom Turnbull fi red an intercontinental ballistic country,” he said. tions, covering the entire nation operate almost 24-7,” an offi cial attempt to salvage his leader- cases the depth of the Liberal missile (ICBM) that plunged into Abe argued that the UN sanc- with powerful radars. said. ship, ravaged by dismal opinion and National team, with well- of Sydney. “Everybody’s been the waters of Japan’s exclusive tions on Pyongyang must be tak- The deployment will hand the “We can be on permanent vig- polls. earned promotions for talented spooked by One Nation,” Jack- economic zone. ing eff ect now and dismissed US ally another layer of defence ilance even when signs (of missile Last month, Turnbull’s rul- individuals, a number of young son said. “The emphasis will “North Korea’s nuclear and the view that too much pressure in addition to SM-3 guided mis- fi ring) are hard to detect,” he said. ing Liberal-National coalition and upcoming MPs bringing shift back towards Queensland missile development has en- could trigger an “explosion” of siles launched by Aegis destroyer Japan is reportedly planning a made its worst showing in a new skills and energy to the where the National Party was tered a new stage of threat that violence. vessels and Patriot Advanced record $46bn defence budget for Queensland election in more frontbench,” Turnbull told re- traditionally strong.” is more serious and imminent to “Thinking that way gives North Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles. the next fi scal year in the face of than a decade, when it won 34% porters in Sydney. The overhaul also brings our country’s security,” the gov- Korea the maximum bargaining However, it will take years before the North Korean threat. of the vote as Pauline Hanson’s Asked why he removed youth into a government that populist One Nation clawed Chester, whose duties included has narrowly retained its razor- into its conservative base. running the Australian part of thin majority in parliament af- A large number of mar- the fruitless search for missing ter a constitutional crisis trig- ginal seats in the country’s Malaysia Airlines fl ight MH370, gered a series of by-elections. Winter drills third most populous state of Turnbull said his cabinet had The two promoted Queens- Queensland often give its vot- “to take into account matters of landers, Littleproud and ers a crucial say in deciding geography”, but did not elabo- McVeigh, are 41 and 52 respec- federal elections. rate. tively. The new attorney gen- The reshuffl e was sparked The pitch to voters in the eral, social services minister by the resignation of Attorney northeastern state of Queens- Christian Porter, from the iron General George Brandis from land was obvious, said Stewart ore-rich state of Western Aus- the Senate. Turnbull said he Jackson, a specialist in Austral- tralia, is 47. would ask Brandis to be the ian politics at the University

Australia creates super security ministry

Australia’s national security and Immigration. Dutton, a Attorney General. The creation agencies will be concentrated former Queensland police of a US-style homeland security under a powerful new Home off icer, has caused international portfolio was foreshadowed Aff airs ministry in a cabinet controversy with his hard line by Turnbull in July, but it has reshuff le announced by Prime against asylum-seekers who taken time to work out the Minister Malcolm Turnbull try to reach Australia by boat, ministerial amalgamation yesterday. Controversial and his administration of the of the national security and Immigration Minister Peter refugee detention centres on intelligence agencies. “For the Dutton starts with the new Nauru and Manus Island. It is the first time, domestic security, portfolio of Home Aff airs first time the Australian Security border control and anti-terrorist Minister and will have control Intelligence Organisation – the agencies will be under the one over the domestic intelligence domestic spy agency – and roof along the line of the British agency ASIO, Australian Federal the federal police have not Home Off ice,” Turnbull told South Korean Marines take part in a winter military drill in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Police, Border Force, Customs been under the control of the reporters in Sydney. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 11 BRITAIN

CRIME LAW AND ORDER SENTENCED INITIATIVE LEGAL Police arrest four men US air base suspect held Man jailed for £1.2mn Army veterans get homes Widow sues hotel after in terrorism probe under Mental Health Act airfield drugs plot built with Libor fines gems stolen from bedside

Police arrested four men suspected of planning Police have detained a 44-year-old man under A fugitive drugs traff icker who gave himself up A housing development for armed forces veterans A widow is fighting for compensation after terrorist acts following raids at four homes mental health law after he drove into an air has been jailed. Jason Waterman, 33, handed built with money from fines on banks for Libor- jewellery given to her by her husband was stolen in northern England yesterday. Off icers from base used by US military planes in Suff olk. himself in to police in Gibraltar, dripping wet and rigging has opened in time for Christmas. The eight from her hotel bedside. Primrose Grainger, 77, woke Counter Terrorism Policing North East said they “Police can confirm that a 44-year-old British carrying a bag of wet clothes after swimming one-bedroom homes at Parry Court in Morden will to find the thief and an accomplice “staring down detained the four men, aged 22 to 41, in Sheff ield man arrested in connection with (the) incident across from Spain. The martial arts enthusiast be used as “transitional housing” for ex-service at me” before taking the jewellery, worth £15,000, and Chesterfield on suspicion of involvement in at RAF Mildenhall has been detained under from west London, nicknamed Jugs because of personnel to settle into civilian life, or after a at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone, Kent. She the “commission, preparation or instigation of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act,” Suff olk his “distinctive” large ears, was wanted over a period of “instability or unemployment”. They had been staying at the hotel with her daughter acts of terrorism.” The force said the arrests were Police said yesterday. The force said the man plot to smuggle £1.2mn of cocaine into a remote were opened by lieutenant general Richard Nugee, Joanne in July 2013. Central London county court “intelligence-led and pre-planned as part of an was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass airfield in north Yorkshire. The National Crime chief of Defence People, who handed the keys to heard Grainger lost a £5,100 ring bought by her ongoing investigation,” adding that off icers were and criminal damage after US military guards Agency said he handed himself in after a series the first completed property to Craftsman Jordan husband on a Caribbean cruise, a £3,000 copy of a continuing to search the four properties. Over the opened fire and then overpowered him when of appeals in BBC’s Crimewatch Roadshow. Collings, 24, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Faberge ring, a silver watch and her wedding ring. last few months, the UK has seen diff erent terrorist he forced his way through a checkpoint on Police believe Waterman swam to Gibraltar in a Engineers. Hundreds of millions of pounds from Grainger is suing Britannia Hotels for the loss and attacks, including ploughing into pedestrians, Monday. The police have ruled out any terrorist bid to avoid border guards in June last year after fines on banks that rigged the London Interbank for “psychiatric harm”, arguing security was poor. stabbing and bombing at a metro station. motive. hiding out in Spain. Off ered Rate are going to good causes. She insisted she had locked her room. MPs accuse Road blocked to arrest suspect social media of spreading far-right hate

Guardian News and Media Cases involving political abuse London such as “#kickaTory” or even “#killaTory” were much more diffi cult and depended on con- acebook, YouTube and text, the MPs were told yesterday. Twitter have been con- “It would be a big step to take Ffronted by MPs with evi- down such material in an auto- dence that they failed to take mated way without anyone seeing down violent, extremist and po- it,” said YouTube’s representative, litical hate speech material de- Nicklas Berild Lundblad, a Google spite repeated complaints. vice-president. Yvette Cooper, the chair of The companies stressed that the home aff airs select commit- progress had been made in the Police yesterday arrested a man on suspicion of weapons off ences after an operation that forced the brief closure of a major London road. Off icers stopped a car on tee, produced examples includ- past six months, the number of the East India Dock Road as part of a pre-planned swoop which resulted in a man being detained on suspicion of possession of firearms. They said the incident was not ing a propaganda video from the content reviewers was rising rap- terrorism-related. banned far-right group National idly – Facebook has more than Action, which can still be found 7,500 and plans to double that on Twitter and Facebook despite number by the end of 2018 – and eight months of complaints. they were increasingly using ma- During a nearly three-hour chine algorithmic monitoring questioning of the companies’ rather than reporting to tackle the representatives, she also high- challenge. lighted a series of tweets, in- Sinead McSweeney, a Twitter cluding violent threats against vice-president, said the com- Theresa May and racist abuse of pany was suspending 10 times the the shadow home secretary, Di- number of accounts it had in the May gives way on Brexit ane Abbott, which had not been past. She highlighted the policy removed despite repeated com- that came into eff ect on Monday plaints. dealing with violent extremist Cooper said the length of the groups and hateful imagery and evidence session refl ected the symbols. MPs’ “immense frustration” at In the face of repeated ques- the scale of the problem. She said tioning by Cooper as to why date to avoid vote defeat she recognised that the compa- specifi c complaints made by nies had undergone “a welcome her offi ce in the summer about London Evening Standard In other key developments it is so much more dependent May’s amendment, providing trade outcome, compared with shift in attitudes” since earlier violent threats against May and London yesterday: Chancellor Philip on trade with the EU than vice- both were passed. just 2.6% of European output. this year and increased their staff Abbott had not been removed, Hammond took the rare step of versa. The research by the University “In economic terms the UK is in and resources devoted to tackling McSweeney said “bystander re- tweeting before a special Brexit In a face-saving measure, No of Birmingham found that 12% of a very weak bargaining position,” the issue, but said: “We need you ports” were treated diff erently in heresa May yesterday gave Cabinet meeting to deny claims 10 will not withdraw its vote UK output was at risk from a bad it said. to accelerate and need you to do the past to complaints from the way over her attempt to fi x that he was losing the battle for to set the date, but will instead more.” targets of abuse. Tthe date of Brexit in law, in a deal to maximise trade with the agree to a set of amendments Brace for election next year: Corbyn On Monday, Twitter sus- She said bystander reports had a move designed to avoid the big- EU. tabled by former Cabinet min- pended the accounts of far-right not been acted upon previously, ger embarrassment of a second Senior Cabinet ministers re- ister Sir Oliver Letwin that will Opposition Labour Party contrast did well at the election, extremists in the US and Britain, but that had changed and such Commons defeat. jected a claim by EU negotiator eff ectively cancel it out. A senior leader Jeremy Corbyn said making a net gain of 30 seats including that of Britain First’s reports were being taken more Senior government sources Michel Barnier that there will be source told the Standard: “We there is likely to be a national in the 650-seat parliament. deputy leader, Jayda Fransen, seriously, particularly in the con- indicated that the government no special deal to allow the City expect the Letwin amendments election next year but Corbyn, a lifelong socialist, who whose three Islamaphobic videos text of political fi gures, because of would accept amendments that to continue trading in Europe. to be widely supported.” that he opposes a second has repeatedly claimed that he were retweeted by Donald Trump, growing hostility towards them. will allow ministers or Parlia- Defence Secretary Gavin Wil- The retreat came on the eve of referendum on European will win power, said there would for violating new rules. But her response did not satisfy ment to change their mind. liamson said he was “quite sure” today’s showdown, when Tory Union membership, Grazia soon be another election. But the representatives of Cooper, who asked about specifi c It is a climbdown for the prime a deal would be done. Transport rebels were predicting a bigger magazine reported. Prime “There will probably be another YouTube, Twitter and Facebook antisemitic and racist tweets di- minister who announced last Secretary Chris Grayling was un- defeat of the government than Minister Theresa May lost election in the next 12 months,” said the removal of terrorist – rected at MPs that had been raised month that she would write the derstood to be arguing for French last week’s one over a “meaning- her Conservative Party its he was quoted by Grazia as specifi cally Isis or Al Qaeda – and the last time the social media date of Brexit — March 29, 2019 farm imports to be subject to the ful vote”. Former attorney general majority in parliament by saying. He predicted his Labour child abuse material was given a companies had appeared before — into the EU Withdrawal Bill same access as the City. Dominic Grieve welcomed the betting on a snap election in Party would win. “I’m ready to higher priority than far-right ex- the committee. “What do we have and e-mailed Conservatives with A report by academics warned step as a “sensible way of resolv- June, weakening her hand in be prime minister tomorrow,” tremism and political or religious to do to get you to take it down?” a message that “we will not toler- that Britain was in a “very weak ing the matter” and Bob Neill, a Brexit negotiations. Labour by Corbyn said. hate speech. she asked. ate” attempts to slow it down. bargaining position” because leading rebel, said he would back New £3.1bn aircraft New role £450mn extra funds for police announced carrier springs a leak Guardian News and Media local forces amounted to a fl at cash London settlement, which meant they faced a cut to make up for infl a- Reuters A defence source said the navy took on water. “That’s why you tion. The home secretary said the London was aware the ship, which took have pumps,” he told Sky News. £450mn boost to police settlement would ensure forces eight years to build, had an is- “When you get a brand new car funding has been an- had the resources required to keep sue when it was handed over by not everything’s perfect, you Anounced by the Home Sec- people safe. ritain’s biggest ever war- manufacturers and the Sun said have to send it back to the garage retary, Amber Rudd, but £270mn “Taxpayers will invest more ship, the new £3.1bn air- the builders would have to foot to get a few things tweaked. This of the extra cash is to be funded money in forces because the work Bcraft carrier HMS Queen the repair bill. is exactly in that bracket.” by a £12 increase per household in our offi cers do to protect us is ab- Elizabeth, has a leak and needs The Aircraft Carrier Alliance Also yesterday, parliament’s council tax bills. solutely vital, and we recognise repairs, the ministry of defence — a consortium including Brit- defence committee raised ques- The £450mn increase for forces demand is changing. However, my (MoD) said yesterday. ish engineering companies BAE tions about the procurement of in England and Wales includes an message to police forces is that this The 65,000-tonne ship, hailed Systems and Babcock, and the the F-35 fi ghter jets from a con- extra £130mn for national polic- increased investment must mean as Britain’s most advanced mili- UK division of France’s Thales — sortium led by Lockheed Martin ing priorities, including armed of- we raise the pace of reform,” Rudd tary vessel and which was only built the Queen Elizabeth and its which will eventually operate fi cers and digital technology, and said, adding that embracing digital offi cially commissioned by the sister aircraft carrier, the HMS from the Queen Elizabeth. £50mn for counter-terrorism. and increasing productivity were Queen two weeks ago, has an is- Prince of Wales, as a part of a The committee said there had The move follows a high-profi le necessities. sue with a shaft seal which was £6.2bn project. been an “unacceptable lack of campaign by senior police offi c- In the Commons, the shadow identifi ed during sea trials, the “It’s normal practice for a vol- transparency” about the pro- ers, who said the loss of 20,000 home secretary, Diane Abbott, defence ministry said. ume of work and defect resolu- gramme and the defence minis- offi cers since 2010 had led to over- said austerity had been as damag- “This is scheduled for repair tion to continue following vessel try had failed to provide details stretched counter-terrorism po- ing to the police as it had been to while she is alongside at Port- acceptance,” BAE Systems said in of the full cost of each aircraft licing and a reduction in day-to- other public services. smouth,” a Royal Navy spokes- a statement. “This will be com- which one newspaper had es- day activities in the face of rises in She said the government’s deci- man said. “It does not prevent pleted prior to the nation’s fl ag- timated could be as much as violent crime. sion to lift the 1% pay cap for of- her from sailing again and her sea ship re-commencing her pro- £155mn. Ministers said the extra £270mn fi cers had not been funded in the trials programme will not be af- gramme at sea in 2018.” “Our new aircraft carrier is for local police forces meant they settlement, and asked that there fected.” BAE said the work would be the epitome of British design would move from a “fl at cash in- be no more cuts in police numbers. The Sun newspaper reported carried out early next year and and dexterity, at the core of our crease” to a real-terms rise that The £12 a year levy on household that the 920-foot warship, the the issue would take just a couple eff orts to build an Armed Forces matched infl ation. The Home Of- council tax bills to raise £270mn is nation’s future fl agship vessel, of days to fi x with no need for it to fi t for the future,” Defence Sec- fi ce intends to repeat the 2018-19 the limit of the increase that can be was letting in 200 litres of water be taken into a dry dock. retary Gavin Williamson said at Prince Harry has been appointed as Captain General settlement in 2019-20. levied by police and crime com- every hour and the fi x would cost Chris Parry, a former senior the Queen Elizabeth’s commis- Royal Marines by Queen Elizabeth. Opposition MPs said the Home missioners without a local refer- millions of pounds. Royal Navy offi cer, said all ships sioning. Offi ce’s direct grant funding for endum having to be called. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 EUROPE 4,500 Russians joined ‘terrorists’ abroad: FSB

AFP fi ghting on the side of terrorists”. and extremism over the past fi ve a bombing campaign on the side metro in April that killed 15. Moscow Bortnikov said the secu- years, Bortnikov added. of strongman Bashar al-Assad. The Central Intelligence Agen- rity service worked to prevent Among the security service’s “We understand where all this cy of the United States helped militants from the Middle East, priorities were identifying ter- scum will be drifting,” he said. Russia last week thwart a planned t least 4,500 Russians North Africa, Pakistan and Af- rorist sleeper cells and potential Over the past 20 years Russia attack on a landmark Orthodox have left the country to ghanistan from coming to Russia “lone-wolf” attackers, he said. fought two wars with separatists cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Afi ght with “terrorists” in and stopping Russians from go- Earlier yesterday President in Chechnya and Russians fre- with Putin on Sunday thanking the Middle East, North Africa ing there. Vladimir Putin thanked heads of quently became targets of suicide US President Donald Trump for and other regions, the head of the Over the past two years more security services of former Soviet bombings and attacks by Islamist the intelligence. FSB security service, Alexander than 200 people had been pre- countries for sharing intelligence militants. Putin spoke ahead of today’s Bortnikov, said yesterday. vented from travelling to those with Russia. Moscow’s military interven- 100th anniversary of the estab- Speaking in an interview with regions, Bortnikov said in the in- He called international terror- tion in Syria in September 2015 lishment of the Soviet Union’s government newspaper Ros- terview released yesterday. ism “the most dangerous threat”, has also made Russia a target for fi rst secret police, the All-Rus- siiskaya Gazeta, Bortnikov said This year, Russia thwarted 23 saying that Moscow was care- the Islamic State (IS) group. sian Emergency Commission for Putin chairing the meeting with heads of security and intelligence that “as of today, some 4,500 terror attacks, he added, not- fully tracking the movement of The country has suff ered at- Combating Counter-Revolu- agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Russians had been identifi ed to ing that more than 9,500 people militants from Syria where Rus- tacks this year, including a tion and Sabotage known as the Moscow. have gone abroad to take part in had been charged with terrorism sia’s airforce has been engaged in bombing on the Saint Petersburg VChK.

Italians arrest IS member Year after market attack, who was ‘ready to Germany admits failings mobilise’ AFP that “it is true that some support – when people lit candles and budgetary and administrative Berlin came late and remained unsatis- the church’s bells chimed for 12 law” even if she “regretted the factory”. minutes. impression it gave”. DPA “Many family members and But the run-up to the com- Police also faced fi erce criti- Rome ermany’s leaders admit- injured – many of you – felt memoration has been marred by cism after it emerged that Amri, ted yesterday that the abandoned by the state,” he said, criticism of the authorities by who arrived in Germany in 2015 Ggovernment failed to recalling the words of a mother families of the victims. and registered under several dif- “leading member” of the provide adequate support and who had lost her daughter and A wrenching open letter by ferent identities, should have Islamic State (IS) group comfort to relatives of victims said no one had comforted her some of the bereaved accused been deported. Awho travelled in Italy to in last year’s devastating Christ- after the attack. Merkel of failing to personally On Sunday, the Welt am Son- recruit and train other terrorists mas market attack, and ac- “I can’t get those words out off er condolences. ntag newspaper reported that has been arrested, Italian police knowledged security gaps in the of my head,” he said, saying that In an editorial in the Ta- the Tunisian had been under said yesterday. run-up to the atrocity. the relatives’ appeal to be heard gesspiegel newspaper, Justice closer surveillance by Germa- Moroccan Nabil Benamir, 39, A year after rejected Tuni- had “triggered something and Minister Heiko Maas apologised. ny’s secret service than previ- was “ready to mobilise for the sian asylum-seeker Anis Amri set it in motion”. “We were not suffi ciently ously thought, suggesting that cause of the Islamic State”, spe- rammed a truck into the crowded In the hours following the as- prepared to deal with the conse- the authorities might have left cifi cally to “train other members market at the Breitscheidplatz, sault, which was claimed by the quences of such a terror attack,” him free in order to detect his of the Islamic State to fabricate killing 12 people and wounding Islamic State (IS) group, politi- he wrote. “For that, we can only instigators. and use explosives”, a statement 70, the authorities have come cians had put on a brave front apologise to the victims and Amri himself was shot and said. under fi re over security failings and repeated the mantra that their surviving relatives.” killed four days after the attack Authorities charged Benamir and their clumsy handling of the Germany would not be cowed by Kurt Beck, who was com- by police in Italy, where he had Merkel speaks during the inauguration of the memorial (seen in the with international terrorism aftermath of the assault. terror. missioned by the government previously lived. background, and below). charges. Chancellor Angela Merkel, But Steinmeier said such to look into the handling of the However, the suspect was al- accused of failing to reach out rhetoric had done little for the aftermath, last week outlined ready in prison in connection personally to families of victims, victims. a litany of offi cial failings, in- with other, non-terrorism re- had met with them for the fi rst “So soon after the attack ... cluding taking up to three days lated crimes. time on Monday. these words don’t sound sim- to inform anxious relatives that On Twitter, police added that “The talks were very open, ply defi ant and self-confi dent, their loved ones had perished the Dutch police, the European and from the part of those af- but also strangely cold and de- and even sending the bereaved police co-operation agency Eu- fected, no holds barred, and tached,” he said. autopsy bills complete with late- ropol, and the United States’ pointed to the weakness of our To mark the anniversary, the payment warnings. Federal Bureau of Investigation country in this situation,” Mer- popular Christmas market at Further adding to the embar- (FBI) contributed to the opera- kel said as Germany held a day of Breitscheidplatz will stay shut rassment, the Bild newspaper tion. solemn commemoration for the all day out of respect for the vic- said that the letter inviting rela- Benamir was fi rst arrested in victims. tims. tives to yesterday’s commemo- August in the northwestern port “Today is a day of sadness, At midday, Merkel joined rela- ration was accompanied by an city of Genoa, when police of- but also a day of our will to make tives in inaugurating a memorial information sheet stating that fi cers on patrol car duty spotted better things that did not work – a 14m (46’) golden crack in the “taxi costs will not be reim- him physically assaulting a preg- well,” she vowed, adding that she ground engraved with the vic- bursed” and urging the bereaved nant woman, Italian authorities had off ered to meet the bereaved tims’ names. to resort to public transport in- said. again in a few months’ time. And during the evening, there stead. The woman was Benamir’s President Frank-Walter Stein- was a public ecumenical prayer A spokeswoman for Berlin partner. meier also told the bereaved and at 8.02pm (1902 GMT) – the ex- authorities, Claudia Suender, After the arrest, investigators emergency workers at a private act time when Amri rammed his told Tagesspiegel that such in- found out he was the same man church memorial for the victims truck into the crowded square formation was “required under that had been fl agged up by in- telligence services in June as a “leading member” of the Islamic Belgians protest pension reforms State. Police investigators said Tens of thousands of Belgians turned out yesterday for a day that they found incriminating of protests against planned pension reforms, with a police European sports corruption network busted evidence on Benamir’s mobile estimate of 25,000 demonstrators in downtown Brussels, local phone and social media ac- news agency Belga reported. counts. Trade unions were mobilising in protest of the government’s DPA Monday, and cash and counter- took place in multiple European Europol sports corruption The evidence included videos plan to raise the retirement age to 67 years, among other Belgrade feit euro banknotes seized in the countries”. specialist Sergio D’Orsi named of suicide bombers, and What- things. two countries, with all suspects “The criminals are suspected sports corruption “a serious sApp messages suggesting that Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel sharply rejected the “accused of organised crime, of being involved in attempts to crime”. he had a mission to carry out in criticism aimed at the planned reforms, telling broadcaster VRT leven people have been ar- sports corruption and illegal bet- fi x professional football matches Europol said the illegal betting Italy. that the unions and protesters were spreading “lies” and “fake rested as police in Croatia ting”. in at least Serbia, FYROM [Mac- platform was set up in such a way The Italian authorities have news” about the reforms. Eand Slovenia busted an il- The statement said that the edonia] and the Czech Republic. to ensure total anonymity in all said for months that they are “We are reforming the economy, but a strong economy is not legal betting and sports corrup- probe started in March “when “The organised criminal group fi nancial transactions. on high alert against terrorist our ultimate goal,” he said. “It is a means of achieving more tion network which attempted to the Slovenian police realised behind these activities has been “The ring developed synergies threats. social cohesion. The reforms provide certainty that we won’t fi x matches in several countries, that an organised crime group betting primarily on the Asian with other top criminal groups To date, Italy is the only ma- descend into general impoverishment.” the European police organisation had created diff erent websites as market, where they were guaran- in diff erent countries in order to jor European Union state to have The protests have led to disruptions to local transport and Europol said yesterday. part of an online illegal betting teed considerable fi nancial gains invest money gained from other been spared from religious ex- certain services, including baggage handling services at the Europol said that 13 houses platform used to place bets on by knowing the end result of the serious crimes, including drug tremist attacks. Brussels international airport. and 15 vehicles were searched on manipulated sport events that matches,” Europol said. traffi cking,” Europol said.

Romans decry ‘mangy’ Christmas tree as symbol of decline

Reuters the woman, who declined to give her a shameful spectacle for citizens and Rome name. tourists,” said the consumers’ group Some have even likened “Spelac- Codacons. chio” to a toilet brush. Codacons called for investigation h Christmas Tree, Oh Christ- Many Romans on social media into why nearly €50,000 ($60,000) mas Tree. How mangy are have pointed a fi nger at Mayor Vir- was spent to transport the sickly tree Oyour branches! ginia Raggi, a leading light in the an- to Rome from a forest near the Aus- That could be Rome’s version of ti-establishment 5-Star Movement trian border 700km (430 miles) away. the classic Christmas carol, which (M5S), who has been getting negative “The one at the Vatican is much speaks instead of branches, lovely season’s greetings because of the dire better. They should swap them,” and steadfast. state of the city. said Francois Mallet, a tourist from Romans are up in arms over the Raggi has tried to shrug off the France. tree that has been dubbed “Spelac- uproar, saying that the tree had been Romans pointedly enviously to chio”. decorated in a “simple and refi ned” the fi ne Christmas tree put up in the Roughly translated as mangy or fashion. heart of the northern city of Milan, baldy, the name given to the tree in Rome has fallen into disrepair and seeing it as another sign of how the the capital’s Piazza Venezia has be- degradation in recent years, with Italian fi nancial capital has overtaken come a symbol of what many see as streets full of pot holes, piles of gar- the nation’s offi cial capital in terms the eternal city’s eternal decay. bage and unkempt public gardens of wealth and prestige. “It’s a disgrace. It hurts even to where weeds grow as tall as a person. The saga of “Spelacchio” has tak- look at this Christmas tree,” one Ro- Even Pope Francis has decried the en off on social media, with its own man resident told Reuters Television, decay. hashtag and handle on Twitter. using an Italian term suggesting that Any hope that this year’s 20m (6’)- “Farewell @spelacchio,” tweeted The controversial Christmas tree at Rome’s Piazza Venezia. it looked like a plucked chicken. high tree could bring some Christ- Duccio Zanaboni. “It was nice while For the second year in row, the Christmas tree has backfired on “How can they have put it in mas cheer faded quickly. it lasted. It’s a shame it didn’t last the city’s mayor Virginia Raggi. Rome, a capital city like Rome,” said “It is clearly dead and it represents long. RIP.” Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 13 INDIA

LEGAL CONTROVERSY PLEDGE PROPOSAL OPINION Plan for special courts to Christians held in No garland till Shivraj’s Govt to look into martyr Anti-India sentiment try MPs, MLAs opposed custody get bail ouster from power: Scindia status for Bhagat Singh creeping in Goa: Parrikar

The Narendra Modi government yesterday Additional sessions judge Amal Pal Singh Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia yesterday The government yesterday said that it will look into Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday defended its move to set up 12 special fast-track yesterday granted bail to the seven Christians vowed not to wear any flower garland till the Shiv- the details of why freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, said those who compared the BJP government courts to try 1,581 criminal cases against mem- held in judicial custody on charges of attempting raj Singh Chouhan-led government in Madhya Sukhdev, Rajguru and Chandra Shekhar Azad had in Goa to Nazi rule should read European history, bers of Parliament and state assemblies, asking religious conversion. Local Christians greeted Pradesh is ousted from power. Addressing party not been given the status of martyrs. The response adding a pre-Portuguese era anti-India sentiment the members to rise above and set an example. the news with joy. Praising the bail order, pastor workers in Chaurai in Madhya Pradesh, the former came after the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha was resurfacing in the state. In his Goa Libera- Responding to the concerns raised by Samajwadi Abraham asked people to make room in their union minister said: “The present government by Indian National Lok Dal member Ram Kumar tion Day speech delivered in Panaji, Parrikar also Party leader Naresh Agarwal, Congress’s Anand hearts for others. The seven were taken into has opened fire at the farmers for seeking their Kashyap during Zero Hour. Rajya Sabha chairman asked people to be cautious against a negative Sharma and some others in Rajya Sabha, leader custody from village Eroli in Mathura district while own rights. As long as such government is not M Venkaiah Naidu also expressed concern, asking mentality which he said was raising its head in of the House Arun Jaitley said the law makers they were praying for the good health of an ailing uprooted, I will not wear any flower garland.” The the government to look into the matter. Union Law the former Portuguese colony. In the run-up to should take the lead in setting an example. “We family member. Some family members accused Congress MP said he is associated with a party Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “Bhagat Singh the February state assembly poll, an article in a are lawmakers. Can we say that we have a vested Hindutva activists of barging into the house and that has assimilated itself into Mahatma Gandhi’s was held in highest esteem by the country and the magazine run by the influential Roman Catholic interest in ensuring that our cases at least are de- assaulting men and women gathered for prayers. principles and hence he will wear “a garland of government is dedicated to give all the respect to Church in Goa had likened the Bharatiya Janata layed or at least be in our interest and we above The police remanded the seven to judicial cus- thread”. Scindia also accused the Shivraj Singh his supreme sacrifice. I will ascertain the details and Party (BJP)-led coalition government to Nazi rule suspicion,” he said. tody, triggering widespread criticism. Chouhan government of harassing the poor. get back to the House.” in Germany.

Nadda, Thakur Congress and in race for Himachal CM’s post BJP taunt each

IANS New Delhi other after he suspense over choos- ing the chief minister Tin Himachal Pradesh mounted yesterday with some names – including fi ve-time MLA Jairam Thakur and union minister J P Nadda – doing the Gujarat verdict rounds and defeated chief min- isterial face Prem Kumar Dhu- IANS “I am talking about cred- 400 seats but could only man- mal also not being completely New Delhi ibility. Modi spoke non-stop age seven. ruled out. about corruption but didn’t “Where is the Congress? The The name of another senior utter a word on Jay Shah and Congress is on the verge of ex- leader, Rajeev Bindal, MLA from bitter war of words broke (French fighter jets) Rafale. tinction while the BJP is rising.” Nahan, is also in the reckoning out between the BJP and The nation wants to know why Javadekar sarcastically said for the top post, as he apparently A the Congress yesterday Modi is not speaking a word on that due to the Congress’ re- has the backing of a section in on whose credibility had taken the Rafale scam and on how Jay peated electoral defeats since the Rashtriya Swayamsevak a hit after Gujarat’s bitterly- Shah converted Rs50,000 into 2014, Gandhi had “no choice Sangh (RSS). fought election. Rs800mn in three months. but to consider its losses as vic- Thakur won from Seraj con- Congress president Rahul This is the credibility issue,” tory”. stituency by defeating Chet Ram Gandhi said the election out- Gandhi said. Slamming the Gandhi scion of the Congress. come was a “massive jolt” to the The BJP quickly rejected for questioning the 36 Rafale “So far, the party has not de- BJP although it retained power Gandhi’s charges, saying Modi’s fighter jets deal with France, cided who will be chief minis- in the state it has ruled for 22 credibility was at an all-time Javadekar said: “The govern- ter in the state. Union minis- long years. high “not just in India but glo- ment-to-government Rafale ters Nirmala Sitharaman and The BJP reacted sharply, say- bally”. deal is fully transparent as no Narendra Singh Tomar will ing the Congress was “on the middlemen, commission or visit Himachal Pradesh to talk verge of extinction”. “The nation wants to corruption is involved in it. to party leaders in the state be- Speaking outside Parliament, know why Modi is not “It is not Bofors... it is Rafale. fore deciding on the name,” said the Congress leader questioned speaking a word on the And it is an example of trans- a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Prime Minister Narendra Mo- Rafale scam and on how parency.” source. di’s credibility over his silence Jay Shah converted Javadekar also defended Jay Sources in the BJP, however, on corruption charges includ- Rs50,000 into Rs800mn Shah’s business rise, saying also did not rule out the pos- ing BJP president Amit Shah’s in three months” Gandhi was confused by the sibility of Dhumal being chosen son Jay Shah’s meteoric busi- difference between turnover, for the chief minister’s post. ness rise. “The credibility of the Con- profit and loss. Although earlier Nadda’s name He dismissed Modi’s state- gress and Rahul Gandhi is at an “Jay Shah’s company made was doing the rounds, Dhumal’s ment that the Gujarat verdict all-time low,” Union minister a turnover of Rs800mn but at name was announced as the par- was in approval of the BJP’s Ananth Kumar said. the end he incurred losses. And ty’s chief ministerial candidate development agenda and the The BJP on Monday won 99 Gandhi is questioning Modi’s midway through the election Goods and Services Tax (GST). of the 182 seats – falling far silence on that,” he said, asking campaign in the state. The 47-year-old Congress short of Amit Shah’s pledge to Gandhi to explain the difference Dhumal, who had won the last president said Modi did not bag 150 seats. The Congress im- in the nature of the businesses election from Hamirpur con- speak about development, GST proved its tally and got 80 seats of Jay Shah and his brother-in- stituency, had reservations over and note ban in any of his elec- along with its allies. law Robert Vadra. contesting from Sujanpur. But, tion speeches. Kumar’s Cabinet colleague “Jay Shah did not get any the central leadership asked him “It has raised questions about and BJP leader Prakash Java- government contract or tender to contest from there, and he Modi’s credibility. Frankly, Modi dekar said Gandhi was twisting and incurred losses in his busi- lost. has a credibility problem,” Gan- and giving a new definition to ness. But Vadra bought land for Dhumal faced defeat against dhi said, a day after the Congress the BJP’s poll victory and Con- Rs80mn and got a loan of the close rival Rajinder Rana of the lost to the BJP both in Gujarat gress’ loss. same amount from the person Congress from Sujanpur. Rana and Himachal Pradesh. “Today, the BJP is in power from whom he bought the land. was once the “election man- Modi remarked on Monday in 19 states. In all assembly And after two to three months ager” of Dhumal and knows his that the Gujarat verdict showed constituency seats of Amethi the prices of that land increased family well. Rana defeated the that the campaign of casteism (Gandhi’s parliamentary con- from Rs80mn to Rs 500mn as two-time chief minister by a had been defeated by develop- stituency), in Uttar Pradesh, the government changed the slender margin of 1,919 votes. Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrives at the Parliament building yesterday. ment. they fought (civic polls) from rules.” Perform or perish — Gujarat’s message to BJP

he winner lost and the a less than spectacular statisti- In fact, the prime minister’s defeat in Gujarat and the loss chief ministerial candidates. loser won. That probably cal conversion in terms of the ‘development for all’ agenda of Himachal Pradesh leave the If the Congress manages to re- Tsums up the sentiments number of seats won. must perforce take cognizance Congress Party? No doubt in- trieve both these states from the prevailing in the Bharatiya Janata But the problem with the ‘fi rst- Delhi Diary of these issues because without creasing its tally in Gujarat from BJP, it could well mount a chal- Party (BJP) and Congress Party past-the-post’ style of Indian these two being addressed that 61 to 77 was a remarkable feat. lenge in the 2019 elections. But camps respectively in the wake elections is that it doesn’t matter By A K B Krishnan slogan can never be fulfi lled. Though opportunistic, Rahul that, however, would also require of what can be described as a his- what your vote share is as long as There has been much talk Gandhi’s decision to make com- the Congress to tie up with as toric state assembly election in you manage to win the adequate Gulf Times Correspondent about how the government was mon cause with some blatantly many regional parties as possi- Gujarat. number of seats. Remember that aiming at doubling the farmer’s casteist outfi ts paid off elector- ble. Only a combined opposition There was indeed much cel- in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections income in fi ve years. In fact, Mad- ally. It has been a case of so near will stand any chance against the ebration at the BJP headquar- the Congress Party got 19.1% hands like a bowler tossing the currency notes and the goods and hya Pradesh has shown the way yet so far for the newly elected Modi-Shah steamroller. Rahul ters with both Prime Minister votes but only 44 seats whereas ball from one hand to another services tax (GST) had obviously by doing exactly the same. How- Congress president who has seen Gandhi has shown his inclina- Narendra Modi and party presi- the BJP polled 31% for a massive on way to his run-up mark. The disrupted normal life for almost ever, the national scene leaves just a single electoral success, tion to accommodate by joining dent Amit Shah addressing a ju- 282 seats. The ratios simply don’t Bombay Stock Exchange’s bell- every Indian, rich or poor. But much to be desired. Farmer sui- Punjab, during his four years of hands with Akhilesh Yadav of the bilant crowd that could not stop add up. wether Sensex tanked some 800 that, by general consensus, was cides in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, stewardship as the party’s vice- Samajwadi Party but he has been shouting Modi’s name. This was No doubt the BJP’s tally of 99 points. Much later the BJP estab- a temporary pain everyone was Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka president. The Congress has lost less than successful in nurtur- in sharp contrast to the handful seats in Gujarat is adequate for lished its winning lead and the willing to suff er in anticipation of have taken the sheen out of the all but four states in the country ing coalitions as was evidenced of Congress supporters who had it to form the government but stock market recovered, but for the long-term gain. So the Con- ‘development for all’ slogan. while the BJP, with its victory in in Bihar where Nitish Kumar left converged on their party offi ce this was its worst performance the longest period in any of the gress can beat that dead horse for Knee-jerk measures like waiv- Himachal Pradesh, now has 19 of his alliance and moved to the BJP mainly to protest against what in three decades and the sheer recent assembly elections it was as long as it liked, Modi was not ing off farmers’ loans provide the 29 states in its pocket. overnight. they called “tampering” of vot- volume of defence coming from anybody’s call. going to budge because he knew only temporary solace. Agrarian Eight states will go to polls next Forging alliances among re- ing machines, a protest that no- ranking members of the party So the BJP has every reason to Indians were with him. reforms in distribution of land, year. Three of them – Karnataka, gional parties is easier said than body seemed to take seriously let and government itself was a sign be worried. Only it doesn’t want The religious polarisation that modern methods of cultivation Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh done though. Not only that most alone the Election Commission that the BJP has been rattled. to show. Hence all the bran- the Congress had charged the BJP and purchase and storage of pro- – are frontline states that have a of them are dynastic and corrupt of India. Of course nobody believed dishing of vote share and sixth with also lost much of its relevance duce have all to be introduced in major impact on national poli- to the core but they are also so As usual Modi was at his elo- Amit Shah’s bluster that the par- consecutive victory etc. Only in these elections in Gujarat when tandem, and quickly, to make a tics. (The other fi ve are Chat- entrenched in their narrow, po- quent best telling his supporters ty was on a 150-plus mission (out one senior leader, Subramanian Rahul Gandhi declared himself as a meaningful, positive impact on tisgarh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, larised positions that each one of that the agenda of development of 182 seats). But every exit poll, Swamy, was candid enough to Hindu and started sporting Hindu farming. This should also lead to Tripura and Mizoram.) While them would gladly do anything for all had won them the day every serious analyst and even admit that “this was a wake-up symbols and began visiting tem- rural development on a hitherto Karnataka could swing back to to destroy the other. The BJP too in Gujarat as well as Himachal the illegal betting market (satta) call” for the party and he hoped ples for all to see. unheard of scale. With less than the BJP from the Congress, the has its problems with some of its Pradesh where the party wrested had expected the BJP to easily the decision makers in the party But the crisis in the farming 18 months to go for the next par- wind is likely to blow the other coalition partners, notably the power from the Congress. make the three-digit mark. would take whatever corrective sector and the lack of jobs – both liamentary elections, this looks way in both Rajasthan and Mad- Shiv Sena of Maharashtra and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley This was Gujarat, Modi and steps were to be taken in time for getting ample play on prime time a hard ask. But the writing is on hya Pradesh where Rahul Gandhi lately the Shiromani Akali Dal of told television channels that a Shah’s backyard. They were ex- the next round of assembly elec- television debates as well as in the wall as far as the BJP is con- will be fi elding two young faces Punjab, but is in a far better po- victory for the sixth time in a row pected to wrap it up in the fi rst tions in 2018 and going forward Rahul Gandhi’s election rallies – cerned: Fulfi l your promises or with plenty of experience, re- sition than the Congress because in Gujarat with a 49% vote share hour on counting day. But even to the general elections of 2019. are matters that require urgent we’ll dump you next time. spectively Sachin Pilot and Jyo- of Modi’s unassailable stature at should obviate any thoughts of at 2pm the leads were changing Demonetisation of high value attention from Modi. That said, where does the tiraditya Scindia, as the party’s the moment. Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 INDIA

COMMENT CO-OPERATION DECISION CRIME PEOPLE Kohli ‘unpatriotic’ for India, US discuss terrorist Rajasthan government in Cash, jewellery worth Ex-judge to be freed marrying abroad: MP designation mechanisms plans for Padmavati statue Rs10mn stolen from bank from prison today

A BJP legislator from Guna in Madhya Pradesh India and the US yesterday discussed procedures Even as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati Cash and jewellery worth over Rs10mn was stolen Former Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan is yesterday voiced his reservations over cricketer for pursuing designations against terrorist continues to be a touchy topic, the BJP from a bank in New Delhi after robbers dug a to be released from prison today after serving six Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma groups and individuals through domestic and government in Rajasthan is planning to install 10-feet tunnel, police said yesterday. In the heist months of imprisonment for contempt of Supreme opting for a foreign land as the venue of their international mechanisms. The discussion came a nine-feet-tall statue of the Chittor queen in attempted on Saturday-Sunday night when the Court, his counsel Mathew J Nedumpara said. marriage. “A big cricketer got married recently. up at the inaugural India-US Designations Dialogue Udaipur to cash in on the Rajput vote bank in bank was closed, the thieves broke open 17 lockers “It is a matter of great pleasure, nay, relief, that But in such a large country, he could find a place that was held in New Delhi. An identical statement the state. According to sources, state Home and fled with Rs2.8mn in cash and jewellery valued justice Karnan will be released from Presidency to marry. A player, for whom the land of India issued by both the governments said the dialogue Minister Gulabchand Kataria had organised a at over Rs7mn. Police said the incident came Jail, Kolkata, today on completion of six months doesn’t hold any importance, can’t be a patriot,” was to discuss increasing bilateral co-operation on quick meeting with the sculptor in November. to light on Monday morning when west Delhi’s of imprisonment,” Nedumpara said in a media said MLA Pannalal Shakya, without naming Kohli, terrorism-related designations. “The establishment He was directed to finish the project at the Mundaka-located Co-operative Bank was opened release. The 62-year-old judge was on May 9 while inaugurating a skill development centre. The of this mechanism reflects shared Indian and earliest. The statue, being designed in Jaipur, by its manager Anup Singh, the complainant. After handed out the prison term by the apex judiciary. BJP has, however, distanced itself from Shakya’s US commitments to strengthen co-operation would be ready in five-to-six months. In the filing a case, the bank off icials are busy estimating After remaining untraceable for over a month, he remarks. Party’s state spokesperson Rajneesh against terrorist threats,” it said. Washington will wake of a national storm over the Padmavati the exact value of the stolen valuables. He said the was arrested on June 20 by the West Bengal crime Agrawal said the remarks were personal views of host the second India-US Designations Dialogue film, the government has set out to gain thieves cut the wires of security alarm and digital branch off icials from Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore and the MLA and that the BJP had nothing to do with it. next year, the statement added. political mileage from the issue, sources said. video recorder connected to the CCTV camera. brought to Kolkata the next evening. Modi pledges Metro train hits wall aid for families aff ected by Cyclone Ockhi

IANS help to the permanently disa- Kanyakumari/Thiruvanan- bled, construction of homes, thapuram educational assistance and writ- ing off of loans and other pro- grammes meant for the overall amil Nadu and Kerala uplift of the fi sherfolk. yesterday sought over More than 250 fi shermen from TRs175bn for relief and re- Kerala are still missing since the habilitation work as Prime Min- November 30 cyclone. ister Narendra Modi made a day- Governor P Sathasivam, Chief long visit to the coastal areas and Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his Lakshadweep. Modi promised all Cabinet colleagues and offi cials help when he met the kin of fi sh- were also present at the meeting ermen who went missing after with Modi. cyclone Ockhi hit the southern Later, Modi briefl y met state coast. BJP leaders, who sought speedy “This is not the time to lec- clearance of the package. A driverless Metro train hit a wall inside the depot at Kalkaji Metro station during trials, in New Delhi yesterday. The Delhi Metro’s Magenta line, which is scheduled to be ture and I assure you we will do Congress leader Ramesh inaugurated on December 25 by the prime minister, connects Botanical Garden in Noida and Kalkaji in south Delhi. everything to help you. That’s Chennithala expressed dissatis- why I have come. We are with faction over the fact that despite you and will do everything. With repeated pleas, their delegation Christmas round the corner, we was not given permission to wish all the missing return back meet the prime minister. soon,” he said in brief remarks “It is strange that even while while meeting the families of we are the opposition here, we the fi shermen in Poonthura near were ignored and the BJP was Thiruvananthapuram. given preference, which does not augur well,” he told reporters. “It is strange that even Modi fl ew into Kerala from Lok Sabha stalled over while we are the opposition Lakshwadeep where the cyclone here, we were ignored had damaged property. Modi and the BJP was given was received at the airport by preference, which does not Vijayan. Modi then went by heli- augur well” copter to Kanyakumari in neigh- bouring Tamil Nadu before re- Modi arrived at the Poonthura turning to Kerala in the evening PM’s Manmohan claims Community hall to interact di- and going to Poonthura. rectly with the families of the In Tamil Nadu, Modi visited IANS talks on the matter with the allowing you to raise the issue,” Before Mahajan adjourned ogy over the remarks, agreed fi sherfolk whose relatives either Kanyakumari and met repre- New Delhi opposition. Mahajan said. the House for lunch, Parliamen- to the idea after Rajya Sabha died or remain missing, giving sentatives of fi shermen and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra As the ruckus continued, tary Aff airs Minister Ananth chairman M Venkaiah Naidu them a patient hearing as Union farmers aff ected by Ockhi. Mahajan, however, was stern she adjourned the House till 12 Kumar slammed the Congress. held an informal meeting with Tourism and IT Minister K J Al- The Tamil Nadu govern- he Lok Sabha was dis- when she bluntly told the sloga- noon. “Whatever the Congress did the treasury and opposition phons played translator. ment has asked the Centre for rupted again yesterday neering Congress MPs that she When the House met again, today is shameful and condem- leaders. “The cyclone hit Lakshadweep, Rs93.02bn towards relief and re- Tover Prime Minister would not allow “something the Congress members contin- nable. They raised an issue and “We will fi nd a solution. We Kerala and Tamil Nadu and many habilitation and urged the prime Narendra Modi’s allegations said on the road” to be dis- ued their protest. came to the well of the House, will certainly invite all my col- of the fi shermen are yet to return. minister to declare the cyclone against former premier Man- cussed inside the House. Standing near the speaker’s which is wrong in itself. They leagues, including the leader of We have taken quick action by damage as a ‘national disaster’. mohan Singh, with Congress As soon as the lower house podium, Congress members also tried to run mock proceed- opposition, and discuss the is- fi rst sending Defence Minister Large tracts of rubber and ba- MPs shouting slogans and stag- met, Congress members tried appeared to be addressing the ings from the well. Kharge with- sue,” said Jaitley. (Nirmala Sitharaman). The whole nana plantations were aff ected ing a walkout. to raise the matter but Mahajan chair, though their voices were out permission tried to read out Modi, during the elec- country is with you in your grief,” due to the cyclone. In the Rajya Sabha, leader of denied them permission and not audible. a whole speech. This is an insult tion campaign in Gujarat, had the premier said to claps from the More than 70 fi shermen from the opposition, Ghulam Nabi went ahead with the Question Congress leader Mallikarjun of the chair,” he said. claimed that at a dinner meet- grief-stricken families. the southern districts of Thiru- Azad, raised the issue during Hour. Kharge also tried to speak but The upper house, however, ing at Congress leader Mani Kerala chief secretary K M vananthapuram and Kollam in Question Hour but the House The agitated members then was denied permission. Con- peacefully transacted all its Shankar Aiyar’s house, the Abraham made a power pres- Kerala died in the cyclone while was spared noisy scenes after trooped to the speaker’s podium gress then staged a walkout listed business after the gov- guests, including Manmohan entation highlighting the vari- more than 250 remain missing. the government extended an ol- raising slogans and demanding from the House. ernment invited the opposition Singh, discussed the Gujarat ous needs of the fi shermen. The According to offi cials, the cy- ive branch. an apology from Modi. The House went ahead with parties to discuss a way out of polls with Pakistan’s high com- Kerala government has sought a clone killed 18 people in Tamil Finance Minister Arun “Elections are over and the Zero Hour, with a few mem- the impasse. missioner to India and former Rs73.4bn package that included Nadu while several others are Jaitley conveyed the govern- things said outside shall not bers also complaining about the The Congress, which has Pakistan foreign minister Khur- compensation for the 71 dead, still missing. ment’s willingness to hold come to parliament... I am not ruckus. been demanding Modi’s apol- shid Kasuri.

Innocent victim Workers shot at for Chandy gets relief demanding bonus

Reuters disputes that have forced some in solar scam case plantations to shut. Chennai Campaigners say unrest has IANS Nair, when she was in jail, claims two months and posted the case, been brewing among Assam’s Thiruvananthapuram Chandy and numerous other top wherein Chandy has sought olice have arrested two so-called tea tribes, whose fore- Congress leaders sexually ex- quashing of the report, for Janu- tea plantation owners fathers were recruited by British ploited her. ary 15. Pwho shot at a group of planters from the neighbouring ormer Kerala Chief Minis- The multi-crore solar energy Reacting to the court’s ob- employees demanding bonus- states of Bihar and Odisha more ter Oommen Chandy yes- investment fraud that rocked the servation, Communist Party of es, in a case exposing the ex- than a century ago. Fterday got interim relief then Chandy government in 2013 India-Marxist (CPI-M) central ploitation of tea pickers in the The income of tea pickers in from the Kerala High Court in was led by Nair and her live-in committee member, A Anan- largest tea growing area in the not enough to feed and provide the solar scam case as the court partner Biju Radhakrishnan. It than, said he was surprised at world, campaigners said. medical care for their families, said the ‘sleaze’ letter should not also came to light that a section the court directive over a let- At least 15 workers were in- charities point out. be discussed for two months. of the chief minister’s offi ce had ter which has already become a jured when owners of the Bogid- “Bogidhola estate, like most Chandy on Monday ap- links with the couple. public document. hola Tea Estate in Assam opened others, was paying very low proached the Kerala High Court However, the court also ruled “I fail to understand this, be- fi re to disperse a group of workers wages and had only recently with a plea to quash the Justice that authorities probing the case cause the letter is part of a ju- protesting the delay in payment agreed to pay the minimum G Sivarajan (retired) judicial can continue with their work. dicial commission probe report of an annual bonus to mark the wage of Rs137 ($2) per day,” probe report on the solar scam, Senior Congress leader Ka- and it has been accepted by the Durga Puja festival, police said. said Stephen Ekka of PAJHRA, submitted to Chief Minister Pi- pil Sibal, appearing for Chandy, government and has become a “The owners had promised an Assam-based charity fi ght- narayi Vijayan earlier this year. submitted the plea seeking court public document,” said Anan- in writing to the labour de- ing for tea workers’ rights. The high court also slammed directions over the manner in than. partment that they would pay “The workers are not treated Vijayan for speaking about the which Vijayan handled the judi- Senior Congress legislator K C the workers their festival bo- as human beings and there is ‘sleaze’ letter written by Saritha cial probe report of Justice G. Si- Joseph welcomed the court’s de- nus by December 12,” police an arrogance in the manner in Nair, the prime accused in the varajan (retd) into the solar scam. cision and said all of them are of offi cer Shankar Dayal said. which employers interact with multi-crore solar scam. When the counsel for the Ker- the opinion that the report was “On December 13, the work- them.” With the Bogidhola The court came down heavily ala government asked for a day’s being used to score politically ers were called to the owner’s owners dithering on their prom- on Vijayan for his press confer- time for the petition to be heard, points. A Kashmiri villager weeps as he holds baby Zaira, who is 11 bungalow for further talks and ise to pay a 14% festival bonus, ence where he spoke in detail the court refused and posted the Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party months old, during the funeral of her mother Ruby Jan at that is where the fi ring took agitated workers surrounded based on the letter, which the matter for yesterday afternoon. (BJP) leader M T Ramesh said Batmurran Kellar village in Shopian yesterday. One woman place.” The tea industry in As- their residence last Wednesday, court felt amounted to character In the afternoon, the court such letters should never be- was killed and eight people suffered injuries in clashes sam has been in crisis for years, demanding their dues. assassination and which could directed that the ‘sleaze letter’ come a public document as there with security forces, sparked by the killing of two militants with accusations of slave la- In retaliation, the owners have been avoided. should not be discussed either was every chance of it being used during a gunbattle with troops in south Kashmir. bour and exploitative work shot at them with a pistol and The letter written by Saritha by the media or in any form for for blackmailing. conditions, leading to labour a gun, Dayal said. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 15 PAKISTAN

NADRA: Only 18% of transgender Ruling party ‘getting people registered

Internews register themselves with the Islamabad authority without any prereq- uisite documentation. ready for early polls’ President She-male Rights wide disparity has been Association Almas Bobi Internews According to the source, party tions are “imposed” despite its observed in Pakistan’s claimed that despite apex court Lahore president Sharif is also set to ad- eff orts to complete the term in Aactual transgender pop- orders, it is the “pathetic ap- dress a public meeting in Sargod- power. ulation and their registration proach” of database authority ha in a couple of weeks “to test Central information secretary as the “third sex” with the Na- offi cials that made the process- lthough former prime the level of voters’ discomfort” Mushahidullah Khan confi rmed tional Database and Registra- ing of transgender persons na- minister Nawaz Sharif’s after rebellious Pir Sialvi’s cam- that election activity within the tion Authority (NADRA). tional identity cards a cumber- Aruling Pakistan Muslim paign against the government party had started, though infor- The gap is a little over 81%. some procedure. League – Nawaz (PML-N) gov- following Islamabad’s failure to mally. If verifi ed government sta- Given this situation, she ernment is determined to com- handle a crisis last month. “No one has been formally no- tistics are relied upon, the said, transgenders usually do plete its constitutional term in He said that the technocrats, tifi ed to prepare the manifesto or transgender population in the not prefer to get gender-spe- power, it has started making who had given their input on the conduct any other election-re- country stands at 10,418, ac- cifi c ID card. preparations for the next general party’s previous election mani- lated business,” he claimed. cording to the Census 2017 re- Bobi said that recently a ma- elections if “imposed” earlier festo, had again been asked to Khan said that formal activi- sults. jority of transgenders, who are than scheduled. come up with a vibrant docu- ties would only start when the However, the exclusive unaware of their actual par- “The central leadership has ment for the 2018 polls. party starts a survey on the infl u- record on transgender popu- ents, approached NADRA for not only directed a couple of Publicity material comprising ence of various clans and nota- lation obtained from NADRA issuance of identity card with a technocrats to begin work on promos containing slogans that bles in their respective areas. says that only 1,882 transgen- request to mention the name of party manifesto, but is also look- highlighted the achievements The party source said that the der persons are registered with their custodian or “guru” in the ing into thorny issues that had made by the PML-N government PML-N is already working to it, correctly refl ecting their sex “father’s name” column. earlier been left to the second so far overcoming energy crisis, “expose” development claims of on their national identity doc- “They had approached tier,” a source privy to the devel- improved law and order, better rival parties, particularly that of Sharif: set to address a public meeting in Sargodha in a couple of ument. NADRA with that request af- opment here says. road and transport networks and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek- weeks ‘to test the level of voters’ discomfort’. To be precise, the gap be- ter Lahore High Court ordered The PML-N leadership is now housing (Ashiyana) projects, is e-Insaf (PTI). tween the government-re- the database authority to men- directly handling the dialogue also being given a fi nal shape, the Referring to Imran Khan’s saplings for the purpose. lic hospitals from a company leased statistics and the actual tion the name of their ‘guru’ as with religious elements on con- source added. “one-billion tree” claim, he said Alleged wrongdoings in the “owned by a PTI leader” are registration is 81.94%. the ‘father’ of the transgender tentious issues that had earlier All these preparations, he said, that some international agencies award of mines contracts and some other issues that the PML- Put another way, only person, in case he/she does not been raised by a number of Pun- showed that the party would not are questioning whether Paki- procurement of medicines for N would focus on during its elec- 18.06% of the transgender know parents name. jab cabinet members, he said. be caught unawares if early elec- stan had the required number of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pub- tion campaign, the source added. population is registered with “However, such requests country’s database authority were rejected by NADRA, say- under third sex category. ing that it does not have any According to NADRA’s data, such policy,” Bobi claimed. For peace out of 1,882 registered trans- The activist is of the opinion gender; 1,177 are registered as that this attitude has discour- Minimum “eunuch male”, 569 as “eunuch aged members of the transgen- female”, and 136 as neutral or der community from register- unisex. ing themselves. wage is An identity document with A senior NADRA offi cial has the particulars of its bearer, rebutted the claims. including sex, helps ensure ac- He said that following the fi xed for cess to privileges categorised Lahore High Court directions, under gender specifi cation; the authority formulated a pol- this includes employment. icy for transgender registration KP’s kiln As in recent past, many non- even if they do not know the governmental organisations name of their actual parents and a few autonomous institu- and that too without any spe- workers tions, including NADRA, have cifi c documentation. provided job opportunities for He said that the policy had the transgender persons. been in place since July 2017. Internews However, it would not be “Obtaining an identity card Peshawar possible for a trans-person to for the third gender is as easy avail of such an opportunity, as it is for a male or a female,” although very limited, without he stated. he Khyber Pakhtunkhwa an identity document that has The NADRA offi cial said that Minimum Wage Board a specifi c mention of his/her when NADRA began process- T(MWB) has notifi ed that sex on it. ing cards for transgenders on minimum wages have been set Until recently, Pakistan did the direction of the Supreme for various categories of work- not have any concept of of- Court, it found that a major- ers employed in brick kilns of the fi cially issuing identity cards ity of transgender persons were northwestern province. that mention the third gender. already registered with the da- In this respect, the MWB has It was only in 2011 that the tabase as “males”. issued a notifi cation to fi x mini- Supreme Court ordered the au- “Some of them were even mum wages for all skilled/semi- thorities to issue identity cards married and had children but skilled and non-skilled workers to transgender persons by spe- they wanted another identity of the industry with immediate cifi cally mentioning their sex. card which mentioned their eff ect, on the directives of Chief A policy was also devised third sex,” he said. secretary Azam Khan, according by NADRA following the apex The offi cial added that to a statement issued yesterday. court’s directions, and the au- NADRA could not provide two It was also notifi ed that no thority started issuing such identity cards to one individ- discrimination would be made in identity cards. ual. the wages on the basis of gender, Initially, NADRA linked the He said that such transgen- religion, colour, cast, creed, sect, issuance of cards with medical der persons have been asked ethnic background or political board examination reports. to fi rst surrender/cancel their affi liation of the workers. This requirement was later fi rst identity card to facilitate Pakistanis take part in a vigil in Lahore last night for the victims of a suicide attack on a church in Quetta on Sunday. The suicide bomb The notifi cation was made abolished on the direction of the processing of their second attack claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least eight people and wounded 30 during a Sunday service, just over a week before under the provision of Khyber the court. identity card with the changed Christmas. Pakhtunkhwa Factories Act, Today, any transgender can sex. 2013, and other labour laws that are applicable generally but par- ticularly with regard to daily, weekly working hours, condi- tion of overtime work, work on the days of rest and other similar Sindhi fi ction writer wins prestigious award Lahore arts council to matters. The chief secretary has or- dered the departments con- Internews there were a number of names Molvi Abdul Haq Award was giv- Ahmad Ali Award was given to produce its own plays cerned to ensure the practical Islamabad but the jury unanimously picked en to Nasir Abbas Nayyer for his Ahmad Hussain Mujahid for his implementation of the minimum Jaleel. book Urdu Adab Kee Tashkeel-i- book Qenchi. wages and observance of eight PAL chairman Dr Qasim Jadeed. In the English language, the Internews The productions would hours a day and 26 days a month enowned Sindhi fi ction Bughio told the media that the In Punjabi, the Syed Waris Pitras Bukhari Award was given Lahore be playing between 8pm and as working time. writer and columnist Amar rest of the jury are literary per- Shah Award was given to Parveen to Ejaz Rahim for his book Sacred 11pm. The MWB has recommended RJaleel has been named sonalities: Asghar Nadeem Syed, Malik for her book Kasyan Da Thirsts. Both commercial and paral- the following wages for diff er- the recipient of the Kamal-i- Madad Ali Sindhi, Mohammad Paani, and in the Sindhi language For translations, the Moham- ahore’s Alhamra Arts lel theatres are facing issues, ent categories of workers of the Fun Award 2016 by the Pakistan Ayub Baloch, Dr Abdul Razaq the Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai mad Hasan Askari Award was Council (AAC) has de- especially in Lahore, where brick kilns: head munshi/ac- Academy of Letters (PAL). Sabir, Dr Nazeer Tabassum, Ha- Award was given to Dr Ghulam won by Shahid Hinai for his book Lcided to produce its own the tradition of watching stage countant Rs16,200, munshi/ Kamal-i-Fun is the highest lit- feez Khan, Dr Inamul Haq Javed, Ali Allana for his book Ganan Muntakhab Sindhi Kahanian. plays for the revival of con- dramas exists. clerk/cashier Rs15,500, mason erary award in the fi eld of litera- Dr Aslam Taseer, Mohammad Shanasi. PAL chairman Bughio said that structive theatre. The theatres have had to in- Rs16,000, jali wala Rs15,400, ture in Pakistan. Afsar Sajid, and Dr Tahseen In Pushto, the Khushhal Khan the prime minister has released The council has also sent crease their ticket prices due coal man Rs15,200, brick stack- The recipient is also awarded Firaqui. Khattak Award was given to Syed funds for the Intizar Hussain suggestions to the Punjab gov- to lack of government support ers Rs15,300, tube-well operator Rs1mn. He also announced the names Tahir Bukhari for his book Tan- Award, which would be given ernment. and co-operation, resulting in Rs15,300, water man Rs15,200, Jaleel, who was born on No- of the recipients of the National qeed o Adabi Muferdat. from the next year. The purpose of this develop- lower sales. caretaker Rs15,200, and cook/ vember 8, 1936, in Sukkur, has Literary Award for the year 2016 In Balochi, the Mast Tawakli “This year two awards are ment is to boost the confi dence Nonetheless, the adminis- chowkidar Rs15,000. written a number of books and on the best literary books written Award was given to A R Daad for given for books written in Urdu of families towards the concept trators are doing everything in also received many awards, in- during the year in Urdu and other his book Dar Kasehi Labzank. and one each in other languages. of theatre and cultural activi- their power to attract more and cluding the Pride of Performance languages. In Seraiki language, the Khwa- From the next year, three awards ties. more people towards the arts, (Pakistan) and Akhal Bharat Sin- An amount of Rs200,000 will ja Ghulam Fareed Award was giv- will be given in the category of The administration unit has especially theatre. 996 foreigners in dhi Sahat Sabha National Award also be given to each of the re- en to Rifat Abbas for his book Ein Urdu books and two in each cat- also suggested lower ticket “The biggest issue right Pakistani prisons of India. cipients. Narangi Ander. egory of other languages,” he re- prices for families so they are now within Lahore’s thea- The 11-member jury held a In Urdu poetry, the Dr Allama In Brahui language, the Taj vealed. able to watch the plays more tre industry is that our view- Almost 1,000 foreigners, meeting at PAL to decide the Mohammad Iqbal Award was Mohammad Tajal Award was giv- “The Intizar Hussain Award frequently, thereby increasing ers, especially families, are including 527 Indians, one Saudi winner. given to Zafar Iqbal for his book en to Abdul Qayum Bedar for his will be one of them and its re- sales. not willing to come and watch and two Chinese nationals, are Zahida Hina, the head of the Abb Tak. book Brahui Stage Drama. cipient will receive Rs400,000,” The AAC also consulted the plays due to the quality of currently serving time in various jury, told a press conference that In Urdu prose the Baba-i-Urdu In Hindko language, the Saeen Bughio added. senior script writers and thea- the shows,” director and actor jails across Pakistan. tre directors for the production Goshi Khan said. In a written reply to a question of the plays. He continued: “There are by Jamaat-e-Islami member China to help set up Museum of Pakistan Exhibition showcasing 500 artists opens According to the adminis- numerous issues with com- of National Assembly Aisha trators, in the coming years mercial theatre, including Syed, the interior ministry has China will provide technical support to Pakistan’s National History and The ninth National Art Exhibition was inaugurated at the Pakistan most plays shown at Alhamra vulgarity and out of script dia- told the parliament that the Literary Heritage Division for establishing the National Museum of National Council of the Arts (PNCA) at its National Art Gallery yesterday. will now be their own produc- logues. Families demand pure 996 foreigners in Pakistani jails Pakistan at federal capital. Prior to this, the PNCA organised a series of regional exhibitions tions. theatre (that is) a real source of were involved in various crimes, For this purpose, a committee comprising experts and relevant off icials representing all provinces which were given relevant context according A panel comprising artists, entertainment, a refreshment including terrorism, murder, drug from both countries will be formed to work on this project, a statement to the cultural heritage of the land. writers and the administra- so to speak.” smuggling and illegal entry to issued here yesterday said. An off icial of the PNCA told the media that the exhibitions represented tors will be established, with “They want to be able to ap- Pakistan. This was agreed by six-member Chinese delegation headed by Huang the land, life, people, and the cultural diversity of the country which newer plays produced promot- preciate the idea of Alhamra A senior off icial of the Prison Zhenchun in a meeting with Adviser to Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui. culminated in the National Art Exhibition. ing constructive thoughts and as a cultural hub of activities Department of Punjab said 60 Huang thanked Siddiqui for the warm welcome and invited the latter to The exhibition includes the works of almost 500 artists from all over imparting benefi cial moral les- promoting our values,” Khan foreigners were in Central Jail in visit the National Museum of China. Pakistan. sons. added. Rawalpindi. Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 PHILIPPINES Govt declines major US aid for development

AFP then-President Barack Obama, who criticised Du- Manila terte’s drugs crackdown that has claimed thou- sands of lives and sparked concerns of a crime against humanity. hilippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s gov- Duterte has angrily rejected US, European Un- ernment has opted out of a major US devel- ion and United Nations criticism of his drug war, Popment aid programme that requires recipi- accusing them of interference in the country’s do- ents to support democracy and fi ght corruption, mestic aff airs. File photo shows Navy Chief Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado (right) saluting while reviewing Russian sailors after visiting the Russian the two countries said yesterday. He also vowed to reject any foreign aid which im- anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs at the south pier in Manila. Duterte spokesman Harry Roque said Manila poses conditions on recipient government. decided against negotiating a second “compact” Roque said Manila’s immediate priorities revolve with the Millennium Challenge Corp (MCC), which around rebuilding the southern city of Marawi, provided $433.9mn for Philippine anti-poverty which was destroyed in fi ve months of fi ghting with projects in 2010. militants this year that left more than 1,100 people “We have opted to withdraw from the second dead. Navy chief sacked in surprise move Millennium Challenge,” Roque told reporters. “The decision to withdraw was because of the The Millennium Challenge, created by the US urgent priority of the administration to rebuild Ma- Congress in 2004, supports with large-scale grants rawi,” he said, adding: “I don’t think the rebuilding AFP statement. The navy spokes- a public inquiry into the navy around 18bn pesos ($358mn) of poor countries that are committed to good govern- of Marawi qualifi ed” for agency funding. Manila man, Captain Lued Lincuna, chief’s dismissal, which he de- the (military) modernisation ance and economic freedom, believing these to be The spokesman said any MCC project funding likewise referred queries about scribed as “highly unusual and fund,” he added. key to fi ghting poverty. would have required matching funds from Manila. Mercado’s sudden dismissal to unceremonious”. Media reports said Mercado “The government of the Philippines has decided Roque denied that Manila’s decision to decline he commander of the “higher authorities”. “I suspect that this has had been critical of the “com- not to move forward with the development of a the aid was linked to Duterte’s allegations of foreign Philippine Navy was Mercado was reassigned to a something to do with the lin- bat management system” that second MCC compact,” US embassy spokeswoman interference. Tabruptly sacked yester- subordinate post. The head of gering issue of the Navy’s frig- was to be installed in the war- Molly Koscina said. “No, not at all,” he said. day in a surprise move which the Philippine military, as well ate acquisition project,” Alejano ships. The Philippine Navy has The MCC announced in December 2015 that the The corporation said on its website that it has a legislator and news reports as the army, navy and air force said in a statement. become run down in recent Philippines was eligible to develop a second multi- invested more than $13bn worldwide to support linked to a dispute about a con- chiefs, are appointed by the The government last year decades and even featured US year programme for US funding. anti-corruption projects, as well as land rights, ag- tract for warships. president. signed a contract with South craft from World War II until However the US embassy announced a year later riculture, education, energy, health, transportation Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph President Rodrigo Duterte, Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Indus- Duterte’s predecessor Benigno that the corporation had decided to withhold a vote and water supply. Mercado was replaced by Rear who was scheduled to speak at tries to build two frigates for the Aquino begun a modest mod- on a second agreement with the Philippines, citing The fi rst Philippine compact was used for Admiral Robert Empedrad in the military’s 82nd anniversary Philippine Navy. ernisation programme in 2010. “signifi cant concerns” about the rule of law under projects to reduce tax evasion, for building roads compliance with “the instruc- today, has not commented pub- Alejano said his party is The project, which included Duterte. and for small-scale projects designed to improve tions from higher authorities”, licly on Mercado’s dismissal. aware Mercado had opposed acquiring two former US coast The setback followed a worsening of ties with the lives of the rural poor. said military spokesman Colo- House of Representatives the Hyundai deal, though the guard cutters and three land- nel Edgard Arevalo. member Gary Alejano, spokes- legislator gave no other de- ing craft from Australia, was “The reason for this change man for a political party made tails. prompted by a dispute with of command will be explained up of former military rebels, “This is an important issue China over waters and islands Storm toll rises to 43 as hopes fade for dozens missing in due time,” Arevalo said in a called on Congress to launch considering that this involves in the South China Sea. The death toll from a tropical storm that pum- dead bodies,” Sofronio Dacillo, a disaster monitoring melled the central Philippines rose to 43 with hopes off icer, said by telephone from Biliran. fading for dozens of others still missing after mas- “We still have not given up hope of finding some- sive landslides, authorities said yesterday. one alive but the chances are slim.” Slow-moving Kai-Tak finally swept out to the South Bulldozers continued to dig for survivors in houses Aussie yachtsman dies, two rescued off Philippines China Sea on Monday after inducing days of heavy buried by landslides on Biliran, located about 500 rain that led to deadly floods and landslides as it kilometres southeast of Manila. The island ac- sliced across the central islands last weekend. counted for 30 of the 43 deaths, with 31 residents AFP died, Filipino police said yesterday. North Lionel Peter Ansellin, 74, were sailing from The government’s disaster monitoring agency missing, authorities said. The storm’s slow move- Manila Queensland resident Anthony John Ma- Australia to Subic, a port north of Manila, listed 43 dead in an updated tally and said 45 other ment caused large volumes of rain to fall on the honey, 73, died in hospital from dehydration when large waves sank their vessel, said the people were still missing, many of them feared bur- central Philippines, government weather forecaster shortly after their December 17 rescue by report. “They used the lifesaver and fl oated ied by mud avalanches that struck the small island Jun Galang said. “It stayed almost stationary so it hree elderly Australians on a long- local fi shermen off the southern resort is- in the sea for more or less six days before of Biliran. “The retrieval operations are still ongoing dumped a lot of rain and caused a lot of landslides distance sailing trip were rescued land of Siargao, a police report said. they were rescued,” said the report quoting but we are not finding anyone alive. We only find which caused many deaths,” Galang said. Tat sea off the Philippines days after Mahoney and two others, identifi ed by one of their rescuers, 27-year-old Juniper their yacht capsized, but one of them later police as Lawrence Alfred Mallea, 68 and Bayang Piosang. Secretive police squad racked up kills in drug war

Reuters much of that period, denied any rector Dela Rosa,” according to a Quezon City involvement. photo of the transfer order that At the time of publication, Molinos posted on Facebook. Duterte’s offi ce and the Philip- Molinos’ comment next to the he police who burst into pine National Police had not re- photo reads, “Change is coming” Kathrina Polo’s house on plied to questions from Reuters. — Duterte’s campaign slogan. Ta rainy night in August The most prominent police Molinos also posted a photo of 2016, then shot her husband in offi cer from Davao is Ronald a boarding pass for a July 4 fl ight the head and heart, spoke a lan- Dela Rosa. to Manila. ”Bye Davao see you guage she recognised but didn’t When Duterte became presi- soon,” he wrote. understand: Visayan. dent in June 2016, he appointed With the transfer from Davao It’s a common language in the Dela Rosa as his national police to Quezon City, on the main southern Philippines. chief and gave him free rein to Philippine island Luzon, Patay But in Polo’s poor neighbour- roll out Davao’s crime-fi ghting spoke and acted as if he and his hood in Quezon City, hundreds model across the Philippines. men were entering enemy terri- of miles to the north, Visayan is “He is leaving everything up to tory. rarely heard. “The police kept me,” Dela Rosa told Reuters at Davao cops don’t take drug talking in Visayan because they the time. money, Patay told Reuters, but in knew I didn’t understand,” she Since then, police say they Luzon “even (police) generals are recalled. have killed almost 4,000 drug corrupt.” He did not elaborate. Their use of Visayan was a clue suspects, all of them in self-de- Before the transfer, Patay said to the identity of her husband’s fence. he gave his team a pep talk. “We killers. Human rights activists blame will be going to Manila. The offi cers belonged to what police for thousands more kill- We are a team,” he told them. would become the deadliest po- File photo shows Kathrina Polo holding a picture of her late husband ings attributed to vigilantes, but “We should not be corrupted lice station in Quezon City Police inside a church in Barangay Payatas district in Quezon City. police deny any involvement in Police Superintendent Lito Patay, regional chief of the CIDG. there … We will pray to God that District. those deaths. we can resist temptations.” In Called Station 6, or Batasan death toll under his command, analysing thousands of police Dela Rosa was helped by of- Rosa commended Station 6 for under him on previous po- Manila, Patay housed the Davao Station, it is on a violent front- Patay said his offi cers only killed crime reports covering the fi rst fi cers he knew and trusted from its “highest accomplishment” lice assignments, Patay told Boys in a makeshift barracks on line in President Rodrigo Du- armed suspects who fought year of the drug war. Davao — among them, Lito during the drug war. Reuters.”So they know me,” he the top fl oor of Station 6 and terte’s war on drugs. back. “I don’t feel bad because These reports don’t specify Patay. Dela Rosa handpicked The following month, Patay said. “They know my integrity made sure they only fraternised Of the 12 police stations in we are just defending ourselves,” which offi cers pulled the trigger Patay to run Station 6 in Quezon was promoted and transferred and they know that once I’ve with other offi cers, not with Quezon City, which is part of he said in November. “We always but usually name offi cers who City, Dela Rosa’s brother Ruel to an elite police unit called the told them this is a thing to do, members of the public. Metro Manila, Station 6 was by follow the rule of law.” took part in an operation. told Reuters. Criminal Investigation and De- then they have to follow.” He Ronnick de Ocampo, a mem- far the most lethal. Patay said the men previously After arriving in Quezon City, Dela Rosa and Patay are cham- tection Group. added: “They have to obey.” ber of Station 6’s drug squad Its offi cers killed 108 people served under him in Davao, but the Davao Boys were quickly in- pion marksmen who fi rst got Station 6 presides over six One of them was Charles — but not a Davao Boy — said in anti-drug operations from declined to identify them. volved in dozens of kills in what to know each other at shooting large barangays, or districts, that Owen Molinos. Patay’s men were in their late July 2016 through June 2017, the But eight of the Davao Boys’ police described as legitimate contests, Ruel and Patay said. include government complexes, According to the police crime thirties or early forties and campaign’s fi rst year, accounting names appear on a police trans- drug busts, but relatives, human Like Dela Rosa, Patay has a a giant garbage dump and some reports reviewed by Reuters, called each other “bro” or its for 39 % of the city’s body count, fer order which one of them rights monitors and lawyers say reputation among police as an of the country’s roughest neigh- Molinos has taken part in 29 op- Filipino equivalent, “tol.” De according to Quezon City Police posted on Facebook. were often executions. offi cer who loves action — he bourhoods. erations that killed 56 people. Ocampo wouldn’t tell Reuters District crime reports reviewed Those names matched the What emerges is an intimate was shot in the arm in 2008 The area has pockets of pros- He was one of six Davao Boys their names, and became agitat- and analysed by Reuters. Quezon City crime reports re- portrait of how a secretive anti- while fi ghting Communist rebels perity — mainly gated commu- who took part in the opera- ed and changed the subject when Almost all of these killings viewed by Reuters. drug unit mobilised and killed — and hates drugs. “We are very nities untouched by the drug tion that killed Kathrina Polo’s pressed further about them. were carried out by Station 6’s The reports showed that this — then vanished to await new angry about people involved in war. The poorer areas have felt husband, Cherwen, that rainy Patay’s men were a breed anti-drug unit, the reports show. small group of men was involved orders. drugs,” Patay told Reuters, rais- the full fury of Duterte’s cam- evening in August 2016. apart. The offi cers who formed the in more than half of Station 6’s The story of the Davao Boys ing his voice and spitting out the paign, and of Station 6’s drug At least fi ve Davao Boys have They wore bullet-proof vests core of that unit hailed from or drug-related killings, 62 out of also highlights a larger dynamic: words for emphasis. “We want to squad. Patay’s arrival at the sta- public Facebook accounts that even when they went out to buy near Davao, the southern home- 108 deaths, including the three Many of the drug war’s key po- crush them. That’s our indoctri- tion in July 2016 coincided with a provide many personal de- cigarettes, said Reynaldo Este- town of President Duterte. operations with the highest body lice offi cers hail from or served in nation.” dramatic purge. tails — although some of them, ban, an offi cer with the station’s They called themselves the count. President Duterte’s hometown, Local offi cials in Quezon City Quezon City Police District in an apparent attempt to ob- community relations team. “Davao Boys” — and spoke in the Only one of the offi cers, where the campaign’s brutal point out that Patay’s surname relieved the entire Station 6 scure their identities, spell their Esteban said part of Patay’s region’s language, Visayan. Charles Owen Molinos, agreed methods originated during his sounds like the Filipino word for anti-drugs unit — 53 offi cers, names backwards. morning routine was doing dry- There were 10 of them, their to be interviewed by Reuters. time as mayor. “death. “ Get involved in drugs, according to local media reports Charles Molinos, for exam- fi re practice — that is, shooting boss, Lito Patay, told Reuters. When asked what was so spe- A Davao-based human rights they joke, and “patay ka kay — on suspicion of involvement ple, confi rmed that he is Selrahc with an unloaded gun — on the He took command of Station cial about Davao cops, he smiled group, the Coalition Against Patay”: you’re dead to Patay. in drugs, extortion and other Sonilom. rooftop.”He loves his.45 calibre 6 in July 2016, shortly after the and said: “Special kill skills.” Summary Execution, blamed One offi cial who knows him crimes. On July 5 2016, eight police gun,” he said. start of Duterte’s drug war. Reuters spent four months death squads in the city for 1,424 well said Patay also joked about The purge gave Patay the free- offi cers were reassigned from The Davao Boys remained Patay is also from Davao, retracing the Davao Boys’ dead- murders there between 1998 and his name, and set his cellphone dom to assemble a new drug Police Regional Offi ce 11 — that aloof, but their purpose and re- where he once led a paramilitary ly path through Quezon City, 2015, mostly of petty criminals ringtone to a melody commonly squad, with his handpicked Dav- is, the Davao region — to Metro solve to wage the drug war were police unit. speaking to scores of police of- and drug users. used by Philippine hearses. ao Boys at its core. Manila, which includes Quezon clear to Esteban, who works on Asked about Station 6’s high fi cers and bereaved families and Duterte, who was mayor for In August, police chief Dela The Davao boys had all served City, “by command of Police Di- drug-awareness campaigns. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 17 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Awami League MP succumbs to injuries

Golam Mostafa, ruling Awami League (AL) member of Rohingya refugees to start parliament (MP), who was injured seriously in a road accident on November 18, died at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka yesterday. Golam Mostafa, along with his two associates Shahjahan and returning from January Manjur, was travelling to Dhaka on a microbus on November 18 AFP killed in a month of violence. Testimonies gathered by AFP when their vehicle collided with Dhaka An estimated 655,000 refu- from displaced Rohingya in a bus in Natiapara area of Tangail gees from the stateless group Bangladesh suggest few refu- district, leaving the lawmaker and have poured across the border gees wish to return to Myanmar, his associates injured. angladesh and Myanmar into Bangladesh since August, where many saw their villages They were first taken to Mirzapur yesterday reaffi rmed their fl eeing what the US and Unit- burned to ashes and loved ones Health Complex but later shifted Bcommitment to begin re- ed Nations have described as killed. to Tangail General Hospital. patriating Rohingya refugees ethnic cleansing. “We will not go back to our As his condition deteriorated, he from January, despite growing UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al- country until our rights are af- was admitted to CMH in Dhaka concern that their safety is still Hussein said he had received no forded,” said Rohingya refugee where he succumbed to his not assured should they return. assurances that international Roushan Ali from a camp in injuries yesterday. The foreign secretaries of observers would be allowed into Bangladesh’s southeast. Golam Mostafa was elected Bangladesh and Myanmar met northern Rakhine to monitor “We want full citizenship and lawmaker from Gaibandha-1 in Dhaka to fi nalise the agree- the return of the Rohingya. the return of our land and prop- district constituency on March 22 ment signed on November “We have seen no interest or erty. We also want justice for after death of former lawmaker 23 for the voluntary return of desire to invite my offi ce in. So our people who were slaugh- Manzurul Islam Liton. nearly three-quarters of a mil- we are sceptical of that,” he told tered, tortured and raped.” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid lion stateless Rohingya living in AFP in an interview on Monday. British charity Oxfam said her last tributes to the lawmaker refugee camps along the border. Human Rights Watch on in a new report yesterday that at the South Plaza. A new working group would Monday, citing analysis of many Rohingya were terrifi ed “ensure commencement of re- satellite imagery, said Myan- of returning and unwilling to patriation within two months” mar’s army burned down doz- consider it without guarantees Lanka, China by developing a timetable for ens of Rohingya homes with- of safety. the verifi cation of refugee in days of the signing of the Conditions remain bleak in commemorate identities and logistics of their repatriation deal. Bangladesh’s displacement anniversary of return, Bangladesh’s foreign The watchdog said the repa- camps, with an outbreak of ministry said in a statement. triation deal was “a public re- diphtheria having killed 19 ref- rubber-rice pact “Now, we will start the next lations stunt” and warned the ugees so far, the International Bangladesh’s foreign secretary Shahidul Haque, right, and his Myanmar counterpart U Myint Thu sign a Sri Lanka and China yesterday step of our work,” Bangladesh Rohingya would not be safe in Organisation for Migration said terms of reference on Rohingya repatriation in Dhaka yesterday. exchanged plaques of friendship Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Rakhine without guarantees of yesterday. commemorating the 65th Ali told reporters after the equal rights and protections. Myanmar’s leader Aung San with Bangladesh to start the re- than 70,000 from a separate “undertaken expeditiously”. anniversary of the rubber-rice meeting. The Rohingya have been Suu Kyi has said major security patriation of the stateless Mus- infl ux in October 2016. Aid groups have warned My- pact which was signed between But there is growing doubt the target of past pogroms in operations against Rohingya lim refugees within two months. In a joint statement yesterday anmar they would boycott any the two countries in 1952, IANS that the persecuted minor- Buddhist-majority Myanmar, militants stopped in early The agreement promises the after a meeting in Colombo, the new camps for Rohingya re- reports from Colombo. ity will be safe if returned to which does not recognise the September. “safe and voluntary return” of leaders of Sri Lanka and Malay- turnees, saying refugees must The celebratory event was held Rakhine state, where Doc- group as a genuine ethnic- Responding to international displaced Rohingya in Bang- sia - the latter home to a size- be allowed to settle in their own Colombo and attended by Sri tors Without Borders said ity and has stripped them of pressure, Suu Kyi’s civilian gov- ladesh - not just the latest able Rohingya diaspora - called homes and not forced into ghet- Lanka’s Parliament Speaker nearly 7,000 Rohingya were citizenship. ernment signed an agreement 655,000 new arrivals but more for the repatriation process to be to-like conditions. Karu Jayasuriya, Chinese charge d’aff aires in Sri Lanka Pang Chunxue and relatives of both Sri Lankan and Chinese ministers who signed the pact 65 years ago. Jayasuriya said at the event that the friendship between China and Diphtheria kills 21 in Sri Lanka had strengthened since the signing of the agreement, and he thanked China for always supporting the island country. “I would not really call the refugee camps: WHO pact a trade agreement but I would call this an agreement of friendship. At that time, in 1952, AFP Bangladesh between Novem- tagious disease that mainly rice had become a very politically Geneva ber 10 and December 17. aff ects the nose and throat sensitive commodity in Sri Lanka More than 655,000 Ro- and can cause breathing and we were facing a severe hingya Muslims have poured problems, and can be fatal if shortage,” Jayasuriya said. wenty-one people have into these camps after fl eeing left untreated, but has be- The friendship between China died from diphtheria in a brutal crackdown in Myan- come increasingly rare in re- and Sri Lanka dates back to a long Tthe Rohingya camps in mar in recent months. cent decades because of high time ago and is stepping into a Bangladesh, the World Health “Twenty-one deaths have vaccination rates. new phase under the framework Organisation said yesterday, been reported among the Ro- Bangladesh authorities of the Belt and Road Initiative, adding that it had started a hingya population in Cox’s began an initial vaccination said Pang. second vaccination drive to Bazar,” WHO spokeswoman campaign on December 12, rein in the outbreak. Fadela Chaib told reporters targeting children aged six According to the UN health in Geneva, adding that about weeks to six years. Russia to discuss agency, 1,571 suspected cases 20 percent of the suspected Chaib said the second cam- of the bacterial disease were cases were children under paign was launched on Sun- tea imports with registered in the Rohingya the age of fi ve. day, targeting children aged Lanka by Dec-end refugee camps of southeast Diphtheria is a highly con- seven to 15. Russia’s agriculture safety Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina looks on as Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim signs the visitors’ book at watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor PM Off ice in Dhaka yesterday. plans to discuss restricted tea imports with Sri Lanka at the end of December, it said in a statement Chinese president likely yesterday, Reuters reports. Russia placed temporary restrictions on imports of tea and all other Turkey PM says keen to agricultural products from Sri Lanka to visit Nepal in March from December 18 after a beetle was found in a tea consignment. The watchdog met a delegation IANS to the change of government Maoist Centre (CPN-MC), led by Sri Lanka’s ambassador improve ties with Dhaka Kathmandu in Nepal. have secured a majority in to Russia in Moscow yesterday Sources said that the Left the parliament in recently and requested information about Alliance’s victory in the re- concluded polls and are steps being taken in Sri Lanka to By Mizan Rahman part Sheikh Hasina, the Turkish defence, education, tourism and hina’s ministry of cently concluded provincial poised to lead the next gov- secure the safety of tea intended Dhaka prime minister lauded Hasina’s connectivity. foreign aff airs has and parliamentary elections ernment which is expected for export to Russia. diplomacy over Rohingya issue Bangladesh and Turkey also Clisted Nepal among would have a symbolic signif- to be formed in January The insect, known as the Khapra and Bangladesh’s support to the signed two bilateral documents the countries that the Chi- icance for President Xi’s visit next year. beetle, was discovered in the urkish Prime Minister displaced people. to enhance co-operation in the nese president would visit and the win is also being seen As per the fi nal results of packaging of the consignment of Binali Yildirim yesterday Prime Minister Hasina said areas of small and medium en- in 2018 and also started as victory of a China-friend- the election under the fi rst- tea from Sri Lanka, which has said Texpressed his country’s in- she had a very fruitful discussion terprises (SMEs) and maintain ground work for his visit to ly force, Himalayan Times past-the-post (FPTP) sys- it was an isolated case and that tention to further improve the ex- with the Turkish prime minister the standards of products. Nepal in March likely, a lo- reported. tem, the Communist Party of it would work with the Russian isting strong trade and economic on bilateral and international is- The two countries agreed to con- cal daily quoted sources as The red fl ags have gone Nepal – Unifi ed Marxist Len- authorities to resolve the issue. relations with Bangladesh, and sues of common interests. tinue to work together for socio- saying. high in Nepal, denoting rise inist (CPN-UML) has won 80 Russia was the second largest assured continuing its support to “We’ve reiterated our com- economic development and mutual According to the sourc- of the communist govern- seats in the federal parliament buyer of Sri Lanka’s Ceylon tea Rohingya living in Bangladesh. mitment to work closely and interests of the two nations. “We es, President Xi Jinping ment in the Himalayan nation and 166 in the provincial after Iran in 2016 with $143m “We’ve discussed what we can support each other on bilateral hope to have Turkey by our side in would start visiting for- which witnessed a series of assemblies. worth of purchases, according to do to improve our economic and and international issues of mu- the course of our journey towards eign countries in March government changes over a The Communist Party of Sri Lanka’s industry ministry. trade relations,” he said terming tual concern, including the issue development,” Hasina said. after assuming his second period of time. Nepal (Maoist Centre), an ally Sri Lankan tea accounts for Bangladesh a dynamic nation of forcibly displaced Rohingya Supporting Bangladesh’s 2021 presidency in February The Left Alliance of in the Left Alliance, has stood 23% of the Russian market, with with nearly 7% growth over the people from Myanmar,” she said. target, the Turkish prime minis- next year. Communist Party of Nepal second as per the concluded other supplies coming from past few years. They talked about consolidat- ter said they discussed how they President Xi’s expected – Unifi ed Marxist Leninist vote count with winning 36 India, Kenya, China and Vietnam, After a bilateral meeting ing co-operation in key areas can contribute to Bangladesh in visit to Kathmandu last year (CPN-UML) and the Com- parliamentary seats and 73 according to Rusteacoff ee with his Bangladesh counter- such as trade and investment, fulfi lling the 2021 goals. was reportedly cancelled due munist Party of Nepal – provincial seats. association. Chinese farmer hopes for ‘fruitful’ stay in Nepal’s lake city

IANS and making a good living from Xiang had learned the ba- provides employment for more especially Chinese enterprises. Nepali seeds as he fi nds Chinese weather patterns, environment Pokhara his profi table business. sic knowhow of farming from than 10 local residents and day “My sales reach around seeds expensive and diffi cult and soil type before getting into His farm was initially based his father’s vegetable business workers in his company, named Rs4mn ($38,880) annually of to import due to cross-border the farming business. in a village called Hemja for al- back in his hometown, which Rong Hua Green Lettuce. which over Rs1mn ($9,720) is net trading hassles. Xiang wants to expand his iang Shaohua fi rst trav- most seven years, but this year he believed could be of great Xiang’s wife, father and a profi t,” Xiang said. “I use construction materi- farm operation in Pokhara in a elled to Nepal as a tour- he moved it to a 17,800sqm plot use on a foreign land. Accord- younger sister are also in his Among various items, lettuce als and a few farming tools that I grand manner. For this, he wants Xist some eight years of land in the town, which he has ing to him, there is not much farming business. All of them is the most sought after product brought from China, but the rest to try his hand at fruit farming ago, but at the time he never leased for eight years. diff erence between the farming work together to produce a range from Xiang’s farm, which are in are all Nepali products,” Xiang, on a spacious land to make the imagined he could be living “I came to Nepal as a tourist procedures of Nepal and China of seasonal vegetables like cau- high demand from both Chinese known locally by his Nepalese business more commercially in a foreign land as a farmer, but was so amazed by the perfect besides the use of seeds and lifl ower, lettuce and cabbage, and Nepali restaurants. After all name, Sandesh, said in fl u- valuable. thousands of kilometres away weather that I saw a high poten- technology. among others. these years, the Chinese farmer ent Nepalese, which he learned “I want to live in Nepal for from his hometown in China’s tial for agriculture here. I started His daily routine starts at 6am His products are usually sold has become a well-known fi g- within a few months after more years. Since Pokhara Sichuan Province. a vegetable farming business every morning and he usually in the local markets of tourist ure, highly regarded by hotels arriving. lacks fruit farms, I am plan- Since then, the 30-year-old which is my means of livelihood spends at least eight hours on his hub Pokhara, although a large in Pokhara for his delicious According to the Chinese ning to produce fruits that are man has been engaged in vegeta- now,” the Chinese farmer told farm. His farming business not portion of his produce is sup- produce. farmer, Nepali farmers should suitable to the environment,” ble farming in Lake City Pokhara Xinhua. only generates revenue, but also plied to hotels and restaurants, He produces lettuce from be more concerned about local he said. Gulf Times 18 Wednesday, December 20, 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 Bullish or bearish? Contrasting oil market visions for 2018

Brent, the benchmark for more than half the world’s oil, is up about 12% higher this year after surging 52% last year. Opec and its allies outside the group agreed on November 30 to maintain oil production cuts until the 20-12-2017 end of 2018. The decision showed the strength of the alliance with Russia. By keeping the 1.8mn bpd of cuts in place for a further nine months, the oil producers aim to return stockpiles to their fi ve-year average without overheating the market and eliciting a new fl ood of shale oil. But the oil market visions for 2018 are as bewildering Trump’s year of shattered as they can get. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) thinks production curbs will fi nally eliminate the excess oil inventories that have depressed prices for more than three years. But in the view norms leaves world on edge of the International Energy Agency, which advises consumers, that surplus will barely budge. US policy and preferences, with some greatest military nuclear power. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Twitter, Opec predicts the re-balancing will be complete AFP Washington exceptions,” said Paul Stares, senior Trump’s brinkmanship here doesn’t accusing them of being lax in the by late next year as those stockpiles plunge by about fellow at the Council on Foreign seem to be helping, and now tensions battle against “Islamist extremism”. 130mn barrels in 2018. By contrast, the IEA sees Relations. with Iran threaten to start a new front And, having ditched the TPP inventories remaining steady as new supply growth resident Donald Trump “But President Trump’s behaviour, in the many wars still roiling the trade pact that was meant to bind erupted onto the global stage the erratic decision making, the broader Middle East. small east Asian neighbours under surpasses gains in demand. under the isolationist banner tweeting and seemingly impulsive The new president’s contempt for the US infl uence to contain China, he is At the heart of the clash between the 2018 forecasts P“America First” — bent on behaviour has I think rattled a lot of nuclear deal signed by Iran, Obama’s now threatening the Nafta deal with is whether the alliance can deplete the rest of the tearing the multilateral world order capitals around the world,” he said. administration and the great powers Canada and Mexico. overhang without triggering a new fl ood of shale. down to its foundations. To produce the annual Global Britain, China, France, Germany and Last week, German Foreign Minister Now, at the end of his fi rst year in Confl icts to Watch survey, which Russia has stoked tensions. Sigmar Gabriel warned that Trump’s The forecasts are further problematised by what big offi ce, the United States and its shell- rated US wars with North Korea or When Trump ruled that the Iran abdication of US leadership “is banks have to say. shocked allies face several escalating Iran as “tier one” threats, the CFR deal was no longer in US interests, accelerating a change in the world Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most bullish, crises that could plunge the world into interviewed 436 government offi cials CFR president Richard Haass tweeted: order” and that Europe should look to has boosted its devastating new confl icts. and outside experts. “Trump foreign policy has found its itself. When Trump came to offi ce in Stares, the author of the report, said theme: ‘The Withdrawal Doctrine.’” And that was before Trump broke outlook for the January, his predecessor Barack Obama he found wide concern. As Barbara Slavin, of the Atlantic with decades of US peacemaking Opec thinks oil Brent by almost warned that North Korea’s breakneck “It’s just diffi cult to determine Council, told AFP at the time: “Trump practice and unilaterally recognised 7% to $62 a barrel, dash to develop long-range nuclear whether this is bluster and fails to understand that the US is most the divided and disputed city of output curbs will citing stronger- missiles was his most pressing threat. brinksmanship or a real determination powerful when it leads and shapes an Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. As 2017 comes to an end, that threat to use force,” he said, citing fears of international consensus.” Arab leaders were predictably constrict the glut, than-expected has soared dramatically — last month confl ict with North Korea, Iran and Along with Trump’s decision to appalled at what they saw as a reckless commitment from Kim Jong-un test fi red an ICBM and even Russia. pull out of the Paris climate change snub to the Palestinian cause, but but the IEA says Opec and partners. boasted that his nuclear arsenal can “Looking ahead to 2018, I don’t accords, the Iran deal row has best the chorus of condemnation was That compares with now hit any city on the US mainland. think anybody is really confi dent that symbolised Trump’s “America First” international and near universal. the surplus will Trump himself has stirred tensions another year will go by without a break with multilateral diplomacy. Celia Belin, visiting fellow at the an average price of with reckless language, sneeringly serious crisis.” Since his fi rst weeks in offi ce, Brookings Institution, sees a theme barely budge about $54 this year. branding Kim “Little Rocket Man” and Trump has blown hot and cold on Trump has also railed against running through Trump’s most JPMorgan Chase & threatening to visit “fi re and fury” on the North Korea sanctions strategy, at America’s traditional allies, accusing isolationist stances: they are gestures Co says “solid fundamentals and tightening balances,” his authoritarian regime. one point warning Secretary of State them of short-changing America by to please US electors and donors. Alongside the bravado, US Rex Tillerson he was “wasting his failing to fi nd mutual defence pacts. Indeed, in a speech on Monday as well as Opec’s willingness to balance markets, are diplomats have put together a time” in pursuing diplomatic contacts. If Trump had made good on his plan to launch his fi rst National Security reasons for its positive outlook. punishing international sanctions But the threat of US pre-emptive to forge warmer ties with Vladimir Strategy, Trump declared: “America is But on the other end is Citigroup, which says there’s regime designed to force Pyongyang to military action has remained a Putin’s Russia, then his more prickly coming back, and America is coming a risk the current bullish supply and demand dynamic the table — so far to no avail. constant, even if many experts and — and distant relations with Europe back strong” — a message clearly South Korea and Japan — also in privately — serving offi cials admit it might have caused less anxiety. aimed at his base. will run out of steam, and an upsurge in US shale North Korea’s fi ring line — are facing looks like far too risky a prospect. But the already ugly relationship On climate, Iran and Jerusalem he production could spook the market. For Barclays, a potentially cataclysmic confl ict With North Korean artillery between Obama’s Washington and has signed off on a vow given to part price gains will encourage the US and other non-Opec and China is concerned about chaos poised just a few miles outside the Moscow has, if anything, worsened of his electoral base, without really producers to boost output in 2018. erupting on its border. South Korean capital and Pyongyang since US intelligence accused Russia of committing Washington long-term to But, perhaps for the fi rst time it is warning the US base on Guam could interfering in the US presidential race. anything new, Belin said. To add to the confusion, oil traders are increasingly not the erratic behaviour of the North be “enveloped in fi re,” military action Meanwhile, Trump has shown far Nevertheless, she told AFP, the betting that the Brent will climb to $80 a barrel Korea dictator that worries the world, looks dicey. more respect for China’s Xi Jinping or very fact that US allies and foes from the middle of next year amid output cuts and but the unpredictable signals coming But the diplomatic track is a narrow Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi than he feel forced to react to Trump’s simmering geopolitical tensions. In fact, the pattern from the White House. one and Kim has shown no particular has for traditional US allies. domestic posturing poses risks: “The “I think before President Trump enthusiasm for it himself, insisting He has hit out at Britain’s Prime problem often comes from external has been evolving for several weeks and throughout there was always a consistency about he plans on becoming the world’s Minister Theresa May and Germany’s overreaction.” November, volumes on Brent $80, $90 and $100 calls for 2018 and 2019 surged to the extent that the most- held December 2018 contract was the $100 call. With Opec committing to extend the output cuts through 2018, oil bulls argue that shrinking inventories mean that any supply disruptions may provoke sharp price gains. True, few analysts realistically expect oil prices to return to the erstwhile $100-plus levels in the near future. But oil companies say global energy future envisages rising demand and population growth, making oil an important fuel for decades to come. Despite the emergence of renewables, global energy security depends mainly on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. The world is in need of a stable oil market with price equilibrium.

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2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Perhaps for the first time it is not the erratic behaviour of the North Korea dictator Kim Jong-un that worries the world, but the unpredictable signals coming from the Trump White House. Gulf Times Wednesday, December 20, 2017 19 COMMENT The ultimate goal of genetic engineering

By Antoine Danchin ultimate goal of genetic engineering Targeted modifi cation of gametes in Hong Kong for nearly 50 years. mosquitoes – the world’s deadliest This means that scientists can animal to humans – would render apply the CRISPR-Cas mechanism to them incapable of transmitting a virus ince its introduction four correct problems in the genome – the or parasite. decades ago, genetic equivalent of typos in a written text. But the application of CRISPR- engineering has been a For example, in the case of cancer, Cas must be approached with Ssource of high hopes for we would want to destroy those care. While the technology could health, agriculture, and industry. But genes that allow the multiplication of prove a boon in the fight against it has also provoked deep anxiety, tumour cells. We are also interested many deadly diseases, it also not least owing to the laborious in introducing genes in cells that implies serious – and potentially nature of the genome-editing never gained them by natural genetic entirely unpredictable – risks. For process. Now, a new technique, transfer. starters, because genomes multiply CRISPR-Cas, offers both precision There is nothing new about and spread with reproduction, and the ability to modify the genome these objectives. But, with modifying an entire population text at several places simultaneously. CRISPR-Cas, we are far better would require modifications to only But this has not eliminated reason equipped to achieve them. a limited number of individuals, for concern. Previous techniques left traces especially if the organism’s The genome can be viewed as in the modified genomes, lifecycle is short. a kind of musical score. Just as contributing, for example, to Moreover, given the ubiquity of sheet music tells musicians in an antibiotic resistance. A mutation hybridisation among neighbouring orchestra when and how to play, the obtained by CRISPR-Cas, by species, it is possible that the genome tells the cell’s component contrast, is not distinguishable modifi cation of a mosquito species parts (generally proteins) what they from a mutation that emerged would also spread progressively and must do. A score may also include spontaneously. That is why the US uncontrollably to other species. notes from the composer, showing Food and Drug Administration has Analysis of animal genomes shows possible changes, frills that can be ruled that such constructs do not that such events have taken place added or omitted depending on the need to be labelled as genetically in the past, with species invaded circumstances. For the genome, such modified organisms. by genetic elements that could “notes” emerge from cell survival over Previous techniques were have aff ected ecosystem balances many generations in an ever-changing especially arduous if one needed and species evolution (though it is environment. to modify several genes, because impossible to say how). The DNA genetic programme is akin the process would need to occur And, if modifying a mosquito to a fragile book: the order of its pages sequentially. With CRISPR-Cas, population is dangerous, there is can change, with some even being the ability to perform genome no telling what could happen if we moved to another cell’s programme. modifications simultaneously modify human cells – in particular, If a page is, say, laminated, it is less has already enabled the creation germ cells – without doing our due likely to be damaged as it is moved of fungi and apples that do not diligence. around. Likewise, elements of a oxidise, or turn brown, when they CRISPR-Cas technology is poised to genetic programme protected by a Genetic engineering besides being a source of high hopes for health, agriculture, and industry, has also provoked deep anxi- come into contact with air – a result change the world. The imperative now solid coating are better able to invade a ety. that required several genes to be is to ensure that those changes are variety of cells, and then to reproduce deactivated simultaneously. Such positive. – Project Syndicate as the cell reproduces. that the CRISPR-Cas process fi rst piece of genome, outside of the parent recognise it, and ad hoc machinery apples are already on the market, Ultimately, that element becomes a emerged. genome text). As a result, the memory will destroy it. and are not considered genetically zAntoine Danchin is honorary virus, spreading rapidly. The next step That process allows acquired of the infection is retained across This complex process took many modified organisms. professor at the School of Biomedical is for the cell that reproduces a virus, characteristics to become inherited. generations. When a descendant of decades for scientists to decipher. Other applications are in Sciences at Li Ka Shing Faculty of whether useless or harmful, to develop In the course of a fi rst infection, a the cell is infected with a virus, the But now scientists have fi gured out development. The so-called gene Medicine, University of Hong Kong, some way to resist it. And, in fact, it small fragment of the viral genome sequence will be compared to the viral how to replicate the process, enabling drive procedure for manipulating and Honorary Professor and Senior was in this manner – as a bacteria’s – a kind of signature – is copied into genome. If a similar virus has infected humans to edit, with the utmost the genome could diminish the harm Scientifi c Adviser at the China defence against invading viruses – the CRISPR genomic island (an extra a cell’s parent, the descendant will precision, specifi c genomes – the caused by disease-carrying insects. National GeneBank.

Kremlin’s new cyber weapons spark fears Three-day forecast TODAY stop distributing content sponsored constantly see more players,” said ability to infl uence Western public Maximum Temperature : 250c AFP Minimum Temperature : 190c Moscow by RT and linked news agency Russian investigative journalist Andrei opinion remains limited. Sputnik while Facebook and Google Soldatov, editor of Agentura.ru, a American offi cials have said that THURSDAY promised to do more to fi ght Moscow’s website specialising in security issues. content coming from Russia and the Maximum Temperature : 260c rom Donald Trump’s election “disinformation”. In 2014, Russian media reported on amounts spent on it were only a small Minimum Temperature : 160c to Brexit and the Catalan Panic has spread across the Western a new, powerful Kremlin tool: a “troll portion of the total information fl ow FRIDAY crisis, accusations that world: Madrid is worried about factory” in Saint Petersburg. and spending. Maximum Temperature : 260c Fthe Kremlin is meddling Russian-controlled “manipulation” Offi cially called the “Internet The Kremlin nevertheless hugely Minimum Temperature : 160c in Western domestic aff airs have of the Catalan crisis, while British Research Agency,” it was reportedly increased the budget allocated to Fisherman's forecast heightened fears over Russian hackers, analysts see signs of Russian infl uence linked to Russian security services its cyber campaign during the 2016 trolls and state-controlled media. in the Brexit vote and concerns are and ran thousands of fake accounts on presidential election. WARNING Inshore : Expected poor horizon- While the fi rst accusations against growing in Germany and France over social media in an attempt to infl uence Russia spent $50,000 on Facebook tal visibility at places at Moscow came following a 2016 hack possible interference in various polls. public opinion. ads during the US election campaign first attack on the US Democratic Party’s The Kremlin, meanwhile, has According to sources interviewed compared to the whopping $81mn that Offshore : Nil servers, they rapidly multiplied after dismissed the accusations as by the RBK daily newspaper, it was Trump and Hillary Clinton spent on WEATHER Trump’s election, revealing a whole “hysterical” and “Russophobic,” fi rst deployed to infl uence domestic their campaigns. Inshore : Hazy to misty/foggy at range of tools used by the Kremlin to insisting there is no hard evidence for politics. Russian hackers, the Kremlin’s places at first becomes The trolls, the paper said, were then shadiest instruments, have been moderate temperature serve its interests. any of the charges. daytime,cold by night Fears initially centred on mysterious Russia has worked hard to increase reorientated from 2015 to sow unrest accused of targeting the US WIND Russian hackers who supposedly its “soft power” following what it in the US. Democratic Party, the US National Inshore : Northweserly-North- worked for Moscow’s security services perceived as a defeat in the “media Here they pretended sometimes to Security Agency, the party of France’s easterly 05-12 KT as part of a cyber war but then shifted war” during its brief war with pro- belong to one camp and sometimes to Emmanuel Macron and the World Offshrore : Northerly-Northwester- to a fl ood of online articles and Western Georgia in 2008. another, spreading false information Anti-Doping Agency. ly 03-12 KT social media posts aiming to explain These eff orts led to the expansion and even organising protests. But Soldatov says American cyber Visibility : 4-8 KM/2 KM or less at places at first Moscow’s position and play up the of Kremlin-controlled media for a But Mark Galeotti, a security expert security resources and their hacking SEA STATE failings of Western democracies. foreign audience. and researcher at the Institute of skills are still “far superior” explaining Offshore : 1-3 FT, In the latest episode of the saga that State broadcaster RT, formerly International Relations in Prague, that Russian hackers rely on methods is dominating Trump’s presidency, Russia Today, and news agency wrote in Tablet magazine in June that that require few resources, such as Russian state television channel RT, Sputnik were assigned a mission to the Kremlin’s operation in 2016 “was phishing for passwords. Around the region accused of broadcasting Kremlin represent Moscow’s position abroad, about weakening Washington, not “The Kremlin has not gained so Weather Weather propaganda abroad, complied with especially on topics where Russia and deciding who would sit in the White much from these operations, they are today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Washington demands in November to the West clash such as the confl icts in House” and aimed to “undermine mainly just noise,” said Soldatov. Baghdad M Cloudy 25/14 M Cloudy 26/14 register as a “foreign agent” in the US. Ukraine and Syria. the legitimacy of the American But he still sees a danger that other Kuwait City M Sunny 24/10 Sunny 26/11 A few weeks earlier, social media “Russia spends a lot of money government, its capacity to act”. countries will now want to do the Manama Sunny 23/16 Sunny 23/16 giant Twitter announced it would on this (information war) and we Despite these eff orts, Moscow’s same. Muscat Sunny 24/17 Sunny 24/17 Tehran M Sunny 17/06 P Cloudy 17/07 Live issues Childhood obesity climbing with media use

By Lisa Rapaport for children to become overweight, the fruits and veggies, the statement also Hampshire, who wasn’t involved in Reuters Health statement authors argue. notes. Kids also tend to consume a the statement. “Mass media has been shown to large portion of their daily calories “Limit media time each day, no have a broad eff ect on children’s health while watching TV, when ads may media in the bedroom and ensure Around the world hildren’s waistlines have and can aff ect them physiologically infl uence their food choices. the media children are exposed to is Weather Weather been expanding in lock step and have an impact on their socio- The fi x is more vigilance, the high quality,” Emond said by e-mail. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min with the amount of time cultural functioning and psychological authors argue. “Regarding social media, parents Athens Cloudy 13/07 Rain 11/07 they spend with televisions, well-being,” said senior author of the “When their TV time goes down, should have access to their children’s Beirut M Cloudy 23/19 P Cloudy 24/21 C Bangkok 26/17 P Cloudy 27/19 computers, smartphones and tablets, statement, Dr Adamos Hadjipanayis, so does their (weight),” said Dr David social media sites and monitor their M Sunny European doctors say. a researcher at European University Hill, chair, American Academy children’s interaction with social Berlin Fog 03/02 Showers 07/04 In the past 25 years, obesity rates Cyprus in Nicosia and secretary of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on media – that has benefi ts beyond Cairo M Cloudy 26/17 P Cloudy 29/18 have climbed rapidly among European general of the European Academy of Communications and Media and a promoting a healthy weight.” Cape Town Cloudy 28/18 P Cloudy 28/16 children and teens, according to Paediatrics. researcher at the University of North Parents of children who are already Colombo T Storms 29/24 S T Storms 31/24 a consensus statement from the “There is evidence of a strong Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel spending hours a day online and Dhaka P Cloudy 28/17 Sunny 28/18 European Academy of Pediatrics and link between obesity levels across Hill. watching various screens may want to Hong Kong M Sunny 19/12 Sunny 18/14 the European Childhood Obesity European countries and childhood “Food advertising seems to drive cut back media use gradually to make Istanbul Cloudy 08/06 Cloudy 09/04 Group published in Acta Paediatrica. media exposure,” Hadjipanayis said by this relationship, as opposed to changes more eff ective, said Erica Jakarta S T Storms 29/24 S T Storms 29/24 Roughly one in fi ve kids and teens e-mail. decreased activity. Sleep is also a Kenney, a researcher at the Harvard TH Karachi Sunny 28/14 M Sunny 28/14 in Europe are overweight or obese, Parents are part of the problem, major concern,” Hill, who wasn’t Chan School of Public Health in Boston London Fog 11/10 Cloudy 12/07 according to a 2017 World Health Hadjipanayis and colleagues argue. involved in the statement, said by who wasn’t involved in the statement. Manila M Cloudy 29/24 S Showers 29/24 Organisation study, the authors note. Even as children’s screen time rises, e-mail. “Screen media before bedtime “If parents fi nd that their kids Moscow Snow 01/-3 P Cloudy -2/-4 Today, 97% of European households parents demonstrate little awareness interfere with sleep quality and are using media for something like New Delhi P Cloudy 24/12 P Cloudy 26/11 have a TV in their home, 72% have a about what their kids do online or how duration, and poor sleep contributes 7 hours a day or more, which seems New York P Cloudy 07/-1 Sunny 04/-1 computer, 68% have Internet access much time they spend with tablets, to obesity.” pretty typical... , trying all of a sudden Paris Cloudy 09/08 Cloudy 11/08 and 91 percent have mobile phones, smartphones and computers, the The APP has tips for parents on to get that down to 2 hours a day is Sao Paulo S T Storms 29/21 Rain 26/20 according to the statement. statement emphasises. managing media online, Hill said. probably not going to be successful,” Seoul Snow 01/-6 M Sunny 03/-5 This has spurred a surge in screen Food advertising is another Common sense should prevail, Kenney said by e-mail. “Gradually Singapore Showers 30/24 M Cloudy 31/24 time, contributing to inadequate problem, because it can convince kids said Dr Jennifer Emond, a researcher implementing rules to help kids cut Sydney S T Storms 32/20 S Showers 22/19 sleep, worse eating habits and less to crave and demand more junk food at the Geisel School of Medicine at down on their use is probably going to Tokyo Clear 09/01 Clear 09/01 exercise – all of which can make it easy and make them less likely to eat their Dartmouth College in Lebanon, New work better.” Gulf Times 20 Wednesday, December 20, 2017 QATAR

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser visited the Qatar National Day activities at Darb Al Saai yesterday evening, where she toured the Qatar Foundation, Qatar Social Work Foundation and Al-Liwan tents. Her Highness also visited Katara – the Cultural Village to witness National Day festivities, which included the Drones Show, wherein 300 drones took to the skies in a unique performance of nationalistic display. PICTURES: HHOPL/A R al-Baker & Aisha Almusalam Sheikha Moza attends Drones Show at Katara The eight-day National Day festivities at Katara come to an end with a grand finale

er Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chair- Hperson, Qatar Founda- tion for Education, Science and Community Development, has attended the Drones Show at Katara’s Amphitheatre, held as part of the Qatar National Day celebrations. The eight-day National Day festivities at Katara – the Cul- tural Village came to an end with a grand fi nale yesterday. The celebrations, which “off ered something special for every age group, attracted people from all A dazzling aerial display. walks of life, including nation- als and citizens”, Katara said in a Some 50 Qatari outlets par- The Cultural Village also statement. ticipated in the daily bazaar held hosted the “fi rst-of-its-kind” Katara general manager Dr in co-operation with Bedaya Drones Show, which left audi- Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti Centre. The outlets displayed ences mesmerised. Besides, said: “We have been honoured to products that represented Qatari shows based on the theme of witness Her Highness Sheikha culture and also had a touch of nationalism and loyalty to the Moza bint Nasser attend the modernity. country were regularly held at conclusion of our activities to On the sidelines of the cele- the amphitheatre. mark Qatar National Day 2017.” A moment from the spectacular Drones Show at Katara yesterday. PICTURE: Ram Chand brations, an exhibition by Qatari Paratroopers from Qatar’s Dr al-Sulaiti stressed that the artist Ahmed al-Maadeed was Joint Special Forces presented festivities at Katara this year crowds who applauded the per- cal fountain ‘show’ – which took nationals led by Captain Mo- lining theme across the festivi- inaugurated in Gallery 2, Build- spectacular aerial displays be- were “exceptional, as the events formers for their patriotism and place every 20 minutes – was a hamed al-Sada, got a warm wel- ties. The Katara beach hosted the ing 18. Al-Maadeed has gained tween 3:30pm and 5pm each day, ran over a period of eight days loyalty to the nation’s leadership. big attraction, while sailing en- come as crowds received them Al Gaff al ceremony, an event that international recognition for his on the Katara waterfront. and saw a huge turnout of the Visitors also queued up to sign thusiasts assembled on the wa- back from their voyages in the presented national anthems and renowned artwork, including the The fi nal evening culminated public. their messages on the ‘Tamim Al terfront to receive the Fath Al region. folk songs from Qatari maritime iconic ‘Tamim Al Majd’ portrait in a riveting fi reworks display The Ardha dance held on the Majd’ wall. Kheir 3 dhow. The Fath Al Kheir “Qatar is sovereign and will heritage, further enhancing the of His Highness the Emir Sheikh that set the Cultural Village Katara waterfront drew huge For most families, the musi- team, comprising of 16 Qatari always stand tall”, was the under- sense of patriotism and loyalty. Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. aglow. Thousands turn up for National Day events housands of people at- tended various activities Torganised by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) at six venues across the country to celebrate Qatar National Day 2017 on Monday. Nearly 50,000 people attended events held at Asian town. More than 20,000 expatriates from diff erent nationalities attended the cricket championship. Asian Labour City witnessed partici- pation of 20,000, Barwa Al Ba- raha – 15,000, Wakrah Sports Club 15,000, Al Khor Workers Recreation Complex – 20,000 and Rayyan Sports Club - 7,000. The shows and performances of school students and commu- A group of students presents a song. Another group of students on the stage. nity teams continued till 10pm at Asian Town, Labour City and School, Olive School, Philippine Barwa Al Baraha in Doha Indus- School Doha and Qatar Institute trial Area, Wakrah Sports Club, for Speech and Hearing. Rayyan Sports Club and Barwa At Rayyan Sports Club, Phil- Workers’ Recreation Complex ippine School Doha won fi rst in Al Khor as well as an interna- place while Philippine In- tional cricket tournament at the ternational School Doha and Asian Town cricket stadium. Scholars International School The Centre for Bikers Bata- won second and third places, bit under the Ministry of Sports respectively. participated with 90 bikes and At Asian Town, Ideal Indian Mawater Cars with 122 cars at School got fi rst place, Birla the event. Public School came second As many as 6,000 students and Bangladesh MHM School participated in three venues came third. from 18 schools that included At Wakrah, MES Indian MES Indian School, Pakistan School won fi rst place while International School, Bhavan’s Bhavan’s Public School and A section of the crowd at Asian Town. Public School, DPS Modern In- Shantiniketan came second and dian School, Pak Shamaa School, third places, respectively. place, Indonesian second and Fili- took part in cultural events. Various departments includ- Shantiniketan School, Ideal In- In the march-past competi- pino community team came third. Six venues hosted 10 Indian ing Public Relations Department, dian School, Birla Public School, tion among community organi- Six community teams - Ker- shows, 20 Nepali, 20 Sri Lankan, Community Policing Depart- Noble International School, Sri sations, Cultural Forum came ala Muslim Cultural Centre, 27 Bangladeshi, seven Filipino, ment, Establishments and Au- Lankan Staff ord School, Bang- fi rst, Bangladesh community Cultural Forum, Indian Social six Malaysian and six Indone- thorities Security Department, ladesh MHM School, Rajagiri team second and Maharashtra Forum, Bangladesh Commu- sian cultural performances. At Traffi c, Civil Defence, Al Fazaa School, Philippines International Mandal Qatar third. nity team, Maharashtra Man- Rayyan venue, more than 4,000 and Hamad Ambulance, Lekhwi- School Qatar, Philippines School At Rayyan Sports Club, Malay- dal Qatar, Skills Development persons took part in the ‘Run for ya and Private Engineering Offi ce Doha, Doha Modern Indian sian community team won fi rst Centre and Radio Malayalam - Qatar’ by Filipino Community. took part in the events. Students render a patriotic song.