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MONDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11126 March 18, 2019 Rajab 11, 1440 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

FM meets Haitian counterpart In brief MoTC launches

QATAR | Offi cial authentication 4,691 hygiene law violations registered The Ministry of Municipalities and Environment said that 4,691 service for govt violations of the hygiene law have been registered since its implementation in February 2018 until the end of January 2019, resulting in fines worth QR5.61mn. digital facilities Director of the General Cleanliness Department Safar Mubarak al-Shafi said that the ministry has developed he Ministry of Transport and access using the same username and a plan to monitor various violations Communications (MoTC) has password to all government e-services, of hygiene through the use of Tlaunched the National Authen- and multilayered verifi cation. surveillance cameras of the national tication System ‘Tawtheeq’ that targets The system also provides various command centre of the Ministry of the management and governance of the means of access by either using a user- Interior. Page 5 digital identity of individuals and busi- name and password with multifactor HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met yesterday with nesses that use websites and online authentication or a smart ID card, in EUROPE | Protest visiting Haitian Minister of Foreign Aff airs Bocchit Edmond. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, means of applications to access government e- addition to the digital-signature serv- supporting and developing them, as well as matters of common concern. services. ice, which enables users to sign their French govt feels heat Tawtheeq is a digital identity verifi ca- government transactions. aft er violent Paris riots tion function. It provides safe authenti- A unique feature is that the system The French government faced heavy League calls for aid cation consistent with world best prac- simplifi es the process of connecting criticism yesterday following an to Palestinians tices in information security. It also off ers government entities with the service arson and looting rampage by black- appropriate solutions to constraints that via standard protocols. clad anarchists during a “yellow Kiwis pay tributes as The League of Arab States has warned government entities face while develop- “We are glad to launch this National vest” protest along the famous of the seriousness of the financial ing their digital services such as the dif- Authentication System that will off er Champs-Elysees in Paris. situation faced by the Palestinian fi culty of verifying user credibility online faster user access to all government Police appeared overwhelmed on families wait for bodies Authority as a result of the recent during the electronic transactions and services and boost user information Saturday as demonstrators ran arbitrary detention by the Israeli the vulnerability of digital identities to security in line with the Qatar Digital amok on the avenue, with retailers occupation authorities of funds from theft or hacking. Government 2020 Strategy, which, as there saying some 80 shops and AFP rity services within two minutes of tax revenues owed to Palestinians, The new system provides multiple its fi rst strategic objective, aims to businesses were vandalised. Christchurch, New Zealand receipt. which constitute about 60% of the methods for unifi ed access to these e- better serve individuals and business Prime Minister Edouard Philippe The prime minister, wearing a black budget of the Palestinian Authority. services smoothly, safely, and quickly, by emphasising the customer focus acknowledged yesterday that there headscarf, appeared visibly moved as In letters addressed to Arab foreign the MoTC said in a statement yester- through serving the people who live had been security “flaws” which ew Zealanders fl ocked to she greeted and hugged members of ministers yesterday, the Arab League day. and work in Qatar, and businesses that needed to be rectified. Page 16 pay tribute yesterday to the the Muslim community in Welling- Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul The new system off ers numerous ad- fuel the nation’s economic growth,” N50 worshippers slain in two ton, and laid a fl oral tribute to the vic- Gheit, described these practices as vantages to both digital service providers said HE the Minister of Transport and LATIN AMERICA | Politics mosque attacks, as families clam- tims of Friday’s atrocity. a dangerous step that constitutes a and users. These include user online- Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed oured for the return of their dead. Around Christchurch, New Zea- flagrant violation of international law. registration, user verifi cation, unifi ed al-Sulaiti. VP: Maduro plans ‘deep Coroners said they hoped to let land and the world there have been restructuring’ of govt grieving relatives fulfi l Islamic burial vigils, prayers, memorials and mes- Venezuelan President Nicolas customs soon, but insisted they had sages of solidarity. Maduro is planning a “deep to move carefully through their in- “We stand together with our restructuring” of his government, vestigation into the horrifi c multiple Muslim brothers & sisters” were the Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said murder. words on a large red banner, above a yesterday, as the country recovers The alleged gunman, Australian- sea of flowers at one of the sites in from a prolonged blackout amid a born, self-avowed white national- what one resident dubbed the “city power struggle with the opposition. ist, Brenton Tarrant, documented his of sorrow”. “President @NicolasMaduro radicalisation and two years of prepa- The country remained on high alert has asked the entire executive rations in a lengthy, meandering and yesterday, with police closing an air- Cabinet to put their roles up for conspiracy-fi lled far-right “mani- port in the southern city of Dunedin review in a deep restructuring of festo”. — where Tarrant had lived — after an the methods and functions of the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said unidentifi ed package was spotted on Bolivarian government, to protect her offi ce and some 30 other offi cials the airfi eld. the fatherland of Bolivar and Chavez had received the document by e-mail The dead from Friday’s attack span from any threat,” Rodriguez wrote about nine minutes before the attack. generations, aged between three and on Twitter. “It did not include a location, it 77, according to a sombre list circu- did not include specifi c details,” she lated among relatives. EUROPE | Offb eat said, adding that it was sent to secu- Islamic custom dictates that the dead should be buried within 24 hours, Pigeon fetches record but strained authorities, desperate to 1.25mn euros in auction make sure no mistakes are made or the A star racing pigeon named complex investigation harmed, said a Armando has fetched a record quick process was diffi cult. 1.25mn euros in an online auction, “All of the deceased have had a Belgian media reported yesterday. CT scan, their fingerprints are tak- The prized bird — Belgian’s best en, the property they were wearing long-distance racer of all time or had with them is removed,” said according to those in the know Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall, — was snapped up by a Chinese adding that dental impressions buyer for a princely sum that were taken and post-mortems per- caused a flutter of excitement formed. among fanciers. Armando had been Ardern said she expected all the expected to break the previous dead would have been returned to record of 376,000 euros ($425,000) their families by Wednesday. paid for a pigeon called Nadine — Authorities said 34 people re- but not by such a wide margin. Brenton Tarrant mained in hospital. Page 14

‘Black boxes’ show clear similarities

AFP after Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 mated anti-stalling system introduced Addis Ababa plummeted into a field southeast of on the 737 MAX 8, designed to automat- Addis Ababa minutes into its flight ically point the nose of the plane down- to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on- ward if it is in danger of stalling. lack box data recovered from an board. The pilots of Lion Air Flight 610 Ethiopian Airlines plane that The disaster caused the worldwide struggled to control the aircraft as the Bcrashed last week shows “clear grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 automated Maneuvering Character- similarities” with a recent crash in In- aircraft involved after aviation regula- istics Augmentation System (MCAS) donesia of the same type of aircraft, tors noticed similarities with the Oc- repeatedly pushed the plane’s nose Ethiopia’s transport minister said yes- tober crash of an Indonesian Lion Air down following takeoff , according to terday. 737 MAX 8 that killed all 189 passen- the fl ight data recorder. While declining to give details, Dag- gers and crew. In the case of the Ethiopian fl ight, mawit Moges told journalists the par- Both planes reportedly experienced the black boxes have been handed to allels would be the “subject of further erratic steep climbs and descents as France’s BEA air safety agency, which study during the investigation,” with a well as fl uctuating airspeeds before is working with American and Ethio- preliminary report issued in “30 days”. crashing shortly after takeoff . pian investigators to determine what The announcement came a week Questions have honed in on an auto- went wrong. Page 12 Gulf Times 2 Monday, March 18, 2019 QATAR

OFFICIAL QLC, education ministry Amir condoles with president of Indonesia

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, sign pact on research His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al- QNA our co-operation on the use of Higher Education successfully Thani and HE the Prime Minister Doha QSurvey a research support tool contributes to human capital and Minister of Interior Sheikh for data collection, characterisa- development through superior Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa tion and analysis. We look for- research capabilities. We there- al-Thani sent cables to President atar Leadership Centre ward to engaging in visits and by enable them to navigate the of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, (QLC) and the Ministry knowledge-exchange with our modern education framework condoling the victims of floods Qof Education and Higher new partner as we develop a in line with global sustainable in the eastern province of Papua, Education signed a Memoran- framework of co-operation that development practices in a chal- wishing the injured a speedy dum of Understanding (MoU) enhances the collaborative use lenging international environ- recovery. yesterday, to use QSurvey to of the QSurvey search engine.” ment,” he said, expressing his conduct unlimited academic re- “The MoU is a qualitative gratitude to QLC. Amir sends cables search. addition to the exchange of ex- QSurvey is a highly versatile As the world’s fi rst bilingual perience and best practice that survey tool that allows organi- of congratulations online survey tool for the pro- defi nes our relationship with sations to securely draw on data to Irish president motion of scientifi c research, QLC as a key partner in the fi eld in order to engage with the rel- www.QSurvey.qa and its cor- of education. QLC facilitates evant stakeholders, complement His Highness the Amir Sheikh responding mobile app were the research of the Ministry of projects and decision-making Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and launched in April 2018. Education and Higher Education processes with accurate statis- His Highness the Deputy Amir Acting Managing Director at and contributes to the advance- tics, package respondent infor- Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad QLC, Dr Ali al-Kubaisi said: “We ment of the local education and mation easily for presentations, al-Thani have sent cables of are proud to enter into a partner- training sector research capa- as well as export data to licensed congratulations to Ireland’s ship with the Ministry of Educa- bilities.” he added. enterprise IT systems. Research- President Michael D Higgins tion and Higher Education – one ers can rely on the tools secure on the occasion of his country’s of our fl agship national institu- “Today’s agreement data storage with native Arabic National Day. HE the Prime tions. From an organisational per- between QLC and the and English-language support Minister and Minister of Interior spective, we are closely aligned Ministry of Education and and survey options. Further- Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin through a common objective that Higher Education will more, users can analyse and ex- Khalifa al-Thani has sent a similar advocates for the progressive enrich the decision-making port data onto a system of their cable to Prime Minister of Ireland development of human capital process and analytical choice, making it uniquely prac- Leo Varadkar. through educational initiatives.” skills of Qatari youths” tical across a broad range of IT “Today’s agreement between operation systems, such as Ex- Jamaican FM QLC and the Ministry of Edu- Highlighting the advantages of cel, PDF, and SPSS. Notably, the cation and Higher Education the QSurvey search engine, HE tool provides private, public and meets Qatar’s will enrich the decision-making Dr al-Nuaimi, said: “The MoU government organisations with ambassador process and analytical skills of promotes a national product with secure and fl exible services to Qatari youths through QSurvey Arabic language integration, in gather internal and external re- Minister of Foreign Aff airs and as an innovative research plat- addition to key areas of co-oper- porting information, and opens Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Kamina form that can inspire their curi- ation in scientifi c research, em- the pathway for free, unlimited Johnson Smith, met Qatar’s non- osity as scholars and ultimately ployment, workshops and joint creative research to users. resident ambassador to Jamaica, key stakeholders in Qatar’s courses. It thereby supports the This MoU refl ects the great Rashid Mirza al-Mulla, as part of future national development overarching pillars of QNV2030 importance of digital research his participation in the Diplomatic framework,” he concluded. and plays a pivotal role in the de- capabilities in the fi elds of Week in Jamaica. HE the Undersecretary of velopment and future success of culture and science as part of During the meeting, they the Ministry of Education and our educational framework.” QNV2030, especially as mod- discussed bilateral relations Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim “By developing the training ern educational systems depend and ways of supporting and bin Saleh al-Nuaimi, said: “We and research skills of principals, on the eff ective application of developing them, in addition to are pleased to enter into the MoU teachers and students in Qatar, questionnaire tools to translate HE the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh al-Nuaimi, matters of common concern. agreement with QLC to mark the Ministry of Education and data into creative projects. and Acting Managing Director at QLC, Dr Ali al-Kubaisi, exchange documents after signing the MoU.

Al Bairaq presents 94 research ideas during QU conference

QNA The Team Leader of Al Doha Bairaq and Outreach and Communication Section Head at Qatar University he annual conference Dr Noora Jabor al-Thani of research and inno- highlighted the role of the Tvation organised by programme in providing Al Bairaq programme of Qa- opportunities for Qatari tar University presented 94 students and a competi- research ideas for primary tive environment that helps and junior high school stu- them to innovate and invent dents, including projects, in order to achieve the goals innovations and solutions of Qatar Vision 2030, espe- to problems or obstacles cially with regard to educa- that concern the society and tion and sustainable devel- the industrial and economic opment. sectors. She added that the chal- The conference, attended The annual conference of research and innovation lenge is to fi nd eff ective ways by more than 350 students organised by Al Bairaq programme of Qatar University is to motivate young people from 15 primary and junior considered as an incubator for the innovations of the and the new generation to high schools, was part of the participating students. bring out their potential, to fi fth course of “I am Discov- provide them with the skills ering Materials” which is ing them in scientifi c re- a platform for presenting of doing scientifi c research, one of the important tracks search. their ideas and projects with laboratory experiments and of Al Bairaq programme This annual conference is strong scientifi c founda- presentation, as well as to aimed at attracting Qatari considered as an incubator tions and great importance enhance self-confi dence students to study science for the innovations of the and eff ectiveness at the lo- and their ability to explain and engineering and engag- participating students and cal and international levels. their ideas.

‘A Flower Each Spring’ to promote Al-Jithjath plant

QNA develop a beautiful environ- istics and how to take care Al Shafallah fl ower has been Doha ment for present and future of them. released. generations. He called on all State Al Ajlan stressed that Vice-President of “A ministries and private and they have taken great steps A Flower Each Spring” Flower Each Spring” pro- public companies to join the to preserve the environ- programme has cho- gramme, Khalid al-Shuaibi, programme’s fi eld trips. ment, including reducing “sen to promote a local called on the Q-Post to re- He also pointed out that the reliance on paper in plant named “Al-Jithjath” lease stamps commemorat- the environmental concepts transactions in internal and during the current spring ing Qatari plants. He ex- and levels of awareness now external communications, season. pressed the readiness of the diff er from the past. Howev- printing, archiving and re- To mark the occasion, “A programme to provide the er, the programme is keen to place them with electronic Flower Each Spring” pro- images of these plants and develop itself and the mech- copies. gramme hosted a number of relevant information about anisms of communication “The reduction rate has employees of Q-Post at its them. with diff erent segments of reached 70% and we seek headquarters at Ras Mat- He said, besides deliver- society, noting that “A fl ow- to increase this percentage bakh in Al Khor. ing a very strong message er Each Spring” includes a in order to preserve the en- The participants learned of respect for the natu- team specialised in envi- vironment and rationalise about the plant’s character- ral environment and wild ronmental aff airs with great expenditures,” he said. istics, where it grows in Qa- plants, the move would experience in leadership and “Al-Jithjath or yethyas” tar, and its various benefi ts. reflect the great interest supervision. is a medicinal plant. Its The Environment De- that the State gives to the For his part, Q-Post’s scientifi c name is Pulicaria partment also stressed the environment and its com- representative, Khalid al- undulata and it is used as an importance of preserving ponents. Ajlan, stressed Q-Post’s insect repellent and helps to the environment and bene- Al-Shuaibi explained that keenness to participate in heal wounds. fi ting from it without harm- “A Flower Each Spring” is all major events of the State Al-Jithjath tolerates the ing it, and working on the a 21-year old programme, by releasing stamps associ- desert conditions. It pro- development of natural re- through which it has been ated with these events and duces yellow and violet sources without spoiling it, able to introduce young working to raise awareness heads. Its leaves are rough, as well as the commitment people and adults to Qatari about them. He said that a green, dusty, grayish, and its of all to work sincerely to plants and their character- stamp commemorating the roots are lateral and deep. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 3 QATAR

QFBA Kawader interns 2018-2019 were hosted by MUFG at its international off ices. QFBA Kawader Programme interns hosted by MUFG

QNA MUFG hosted three in- have got this incredible op- “We wish to congratu- Doha terns of the Kawader 2018- portunity in the past and we late the QFBA on the ex- 2019 cohort. To date, it has are delighted that this year cellent work they are doing hosted all 24 interns at their too, some of our students to develop Qatari talent FBA Kawader in- international offi ces. would be able to gain access through this outstand- terns 2018-2019 As part of the pro- to global fi nancial landscape ing training programme Qwere hosted by gramme, Kawader interns at MUFGs international of- and MUFG is committed MUFG at its international are provided a challenging fi ces. We would once again to maintaining our part- offi ces as part of its eff orts atmosphere focused on de- like to express our gratitude nership with Kawader for to contribute to the Qatar veloping their skills to tack- to MUFG management to years to come.” National Vision 2030. le real market environment. off er this immense oppor- MUFG is the fi rst fi nan- The continued and ev- Every training experience tunity to our students nur- cial group to host QFBA er-growing collaboration is constructed in a way to turing their vision to grow.” interns internationally in between MUFG and QFBA cater to their knowledge ex- Meanwhile, head of London and Asia. Having Kawader, has been work- pansion and enhancement MUFGs Doha branch Ka- completed its fi fth year with ing to create expansive and of expertise in the selected tanori Otsuji said: “We at QFBA with the 2018-2019 challenging opportunities fi eld. They are also exposed MUFG are honoured to have cohort, MUFG is vested in for the programme. to the international fi nan- supported the Kawader pro- continuing this support. The programme, which cial playground of world- gramme since its inception The Kawader programme provides learning opportu- class markets. by off ering Qatari students is a training internship, nities for those interested On the successful asso- internships at our offi ces which aims to provide best- in developing their skill set ciation, CEO of QFBA Dr around the world. My col- in-class experiences to in- and knowledge of the fi - Khalid al-Horr said: “It has leagues and I are always im- terns for a minimum of four nancial services arena, this been a great association for pressed by the enthusiasm weeks. The initiative hopes year saw interns seconded us where our students have and competence of the stu- to encourage interns to take to London in Structured Fi- been able to garner global dents who join our teams, as up careers in fi nancial serv- nance, Hong Kong in Global exposure from the fi nan- well as their ability to make ices, and to create greater Markets and Singapore in cial subject matter experts. a lasting impression within collaboration with the aca- Project Finance. Many Kawader students a short space of time” demic sector. Gulf Times 4 Monday, March 18, 2019 QATAR QRCS completes winter programme for workers atar Red Crescent a key role in making this Society (QRCS) re- programme a success by Qcently concluded contributing at each of the fi fth edition of ‘To- the distribution sites. The gether for Benevolence’, an number of volunteers at annual charitable giving each site was 13, 9, 10 and programme for expatriate 18, respectively. workers in Qatar. In his remarks, Ahmed Since its launch in 2014, Ali al-Khulaifi , head of the the programme has been Volunteers Section at QRCS, sponsored exclusively by said: “The aim of this project Chevron Phillips Chemical is to promote human solidar- Company Qatar (Chevron ity and boost morale among Phillips Chemical Qatar), expatriate workers, who are a subsidiary of one of the one of our top priorities in world’s leading petrochem- Qatar. We always seek to ical producers. make a real diff erence in the This year, winterisation lives of those who build the kits were distributed among modern Qatar we love.” Winterisation kits were distributed at a mass housing complex for Al Wakrah Municipality a total of 3,088 construction He appreciated the sup- workers, among other places. workers at worksites. Each port given by Chevron Phil- Winterisation kits were distributed among a total of 3,088 construction workers. kit contained basic supplies lips Chemical Qatar to the needed by workers during programme over its fi ve winter, including gloves, years of success. This, he caps, socks, scarves and pointed out, highlighted the jackets. belief in partnership and Inspired by QRCS’s insti- corporate social responsi- tutional values and the fun- bility towards social causes. damental principles of the Abdullah Hamed al- International Red Cross and Mulla, director of Commu- Red Crescent Movement, nication at QRCS, attended the programme targeted eli- one of the distribution ini- gible workers without any tiatives together with offi - discrimination based on fac- cials from Chevron Phillips tors such as faith, language Chemical Qatar and their or ethnicity, the organisation families. said in a statement. “Throughout its fi ve-year The initiative was closely history, ‘Together for Be- co-ordinated with organi- nevolence’ has proved to be sations such as the Public one of QRCS’s major sus- Works Authority (Ashghal), tainable development pro- Hamad Medical Corpora- grammes,” said al-Mulla. tion (HMC) and Al Wakrah “Chevron Phillips Chemical Municipality. Qatar and QRCS share the Over two weeks, same endeavour of helping QR463,226 worth of win- the vulnerable everywhere.” terisation kits were distrib- “We are fortunate to have uted at the following loca- the opportunity to invest in tions: HMC’s new Trauma the community here through and Emergency Department our work with QRCS,” said building (1,250 benefi ciar- Mitchell P Eichelberger, ies), a mass housing com- president, Chevron Phillips plex for Al Wakrah Mu- Chemical Qatar. “Working nicipality workers (450), Al side by side with QRCS vol- Shamal Hospital (988) and unteers to distribute these Al Bandar at Doha Corniche winterisation kits is a hum- (400), QRCS said. bling and rewarding experi- QRCS’s volunteers played ence for us.”

CMU president to speak on tech disruption r Farnam Jahanian, president, Carnegie DMellon University (CMU), will deliver a pub- lic lecture, “The Future of Higher Education in the Age of Technological Disrup- tion” at CMU Qatar campus on March 24, at 4.15pm. Dr Jahanian is visiting Doha as a distinguished speaker for Qatar Com- puting Research Institute Dr Farnam-Jahanian (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He is a He previously led the US member of QCRI’s Scientifi c National Science Founda- Advisory Committee. tion Directorate for Compu- Dr Jahanian’s talk will ter and Information Science discuss the unprecedented and Engineering from 2011 pace, scope and scale of to 2014. Prior to that, Jaha- technological advances that nian was the Edward S Dav- continue to catalyse societal idson Collegiate Professor and economic transforma- at the University of Michi- tions and accelerate the pace gan, where he served as of discovery across all fi elds chair for Computer Science of inquiry. In particular, ac- and Engineering from 2007 cess to massive amounts of to 2011 and as director of the data and the rise of artifi cial Software Systems Labora- intelligence and automation tory from 1997 to 2000. are leading the global econ- Dr Jahanian has been an omy to an infl ection point. advocate for how basic re- “As these advances dis- search can be central to an rupt every sector of the glo- innovation ecosystem that bal economy, higher educa- drives global competitive- tion must adapt to ensure ness and addresses national we are providing the right priorities. His research on talent for this constantly Internet infrastructure se- evolving future,” Dr Jaha- curity formed the basis nian said. “Institutions such for the Internet security as Carnegie Mellon must company Arbor Networks, not only train the next gen- which he co-founded in eration of computing tal- 2001 and served as chair- ent, but also equip tomor- man until its acquisition in row’s workforce with the 2010. cross-cutting human skills Dr Jahanian serves as that that will only increase chair of the US National in value as automation ma- Research Council’s Com- tures and pervades more puter Science and Telecom- tasks.” munications Board, sits on Dr Jahanian was appoint- the executive committee of ed the 10th president of the Council on Competi- CMU in March last year af- tiveness. He is also a board ter a brief tenure as interim member of the National president. He fi rst joined the Centre for Women and In- university as vice president formation Technology and for research in 2014 and the Advanced Robotics for later served as provost and Manufacturing Institute, chief academic offi cer. among others. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 5 QATAR Noted Korean Fusion Band ‘Queen’ to perform in Doha

By Joey Aguilar acter of one of the most famous Ko- Staff Reporter rean TV series Jewel in the Palace, get a treat at the event for the band’s version of Onara – the series’ ending unique blend of contemporary theme. and classical music is set to Jewel in the Palace was exported to Atake centre stage at the Katara over 90 countries, signifi cantly con- Drama Theatre, featuring renowned tributing to the popularity of Korean Korean Fusion Band’s fi rst perform- culture across the globe. ance in Doha on March 30, it was an- Part of the programme also in- nounced. cludes a gayageum (traditional Korean The quintet – Ah-Reum Lee, Hye South Korean ambassador Kim instrument with 12 strings) solo per- Kyung Kwon, Yi-Su Chung, Kyung- Chang-mo. formance by a band member who uses Min Kim, and Ji-Hyun Kim – has per- a 25-stringed gayageum. formed in more than 60 cities in 40 style” will be among the highlights of About other Korean traditional in- countries, playing four diff erent tra- the concert, which is also set to fea- struments, the daegeum is a trans- ditional instruments: gayageum (zith- ture the band’s rendition of popular verse fl ute made of bamboo which has er), daegeum (fl ute), janggu (drum), Korean songs. a special aperture, covered with a reed and electric violin. One is Arirang, a folk song that is membrane, giving it a characteristic “Queen introduces audience from often considered the unoffi cial na- sound; while the janggu is a tradi- all over the world to Korean music, tional anthem of Korea – which has tional drum known for its distinctive as the band beautifully incorporates about 3,600 variations of 60 diff erent hourglass shape and its two heads are both Eastern and Western musical versions of the song; and a medley of covered with animal skin. elements,” South Korean ambassador soundtracks of Korean TV series. An electric violin, on the other Kim Chang-mo said. Queen will also put a captivating hand, is a violin equipped with an He noted that the band managed to show of the theme song of Mission electronic output of its sound. popularise Korean music by playing Impossible and Winter from Antonio Meanwhile, pansori is a Korean various famous musical pieces, in- Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, as well as genre of musical storytelling by a vo- cluding movie and television sound- songs by famous Korean girl group calist and a drummer, which some tracks and pop songs, allowing them Blackpink – reinterpreted with the similarities to opera. In 2003, Unesco to reach out to young and old audi- gayageum backed by a cover-dance recognised it as a “Masterpiece of the ences globally. performance. Oral and Intangible Heritage of Hu- A special song for Qatar “in Queen’s Fans of Dae Jang Geum, main char- manity.”

QR5.61mn collected in fines from 4,691 hygiene law offenders

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) issued 4,691 reports for violation of Law No 18 of 2017 on public hygiene, collecting around QR5.61mn in fines from off enders between February 2018 and January this year. The MME revealed this in a statement yesterday. Safar Mubarak al-Shafi, director of the MME’s General Cleanliness Department, said the ministry has put in place a plan to detect violations of the Public Hygiene Law. This is done by using surveillance cameras of the National Command Centre (NCC), pertaining to the Ministry of Interior, in addition to deploying MME inspectors at the NCC to issue any relevant violations. This yielded positive results by enabling strict enforcement of the law and helped preserve an aesthetic look around the country, it was observed. areas across the country, the statement noted. He said a media campaign was launched earlier this year In addition, posters were put up at shopping malls, driving to raise public awareness of the law and highlight the schools and other public places. importance of maintaining public cleanness. Accordingly, 638 Besides, audiovisual advertisements and social media posters were put on a number of important roads and in key messages have also been used as part of the campaign.

Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 7 QATAR

Ooredoo unveils new 49% users aware about Shahry promotion oredoo announced yesterday a gener- Oous off er for both new and existing Shahry custom- ers upgrading their packs, of- ers upgrading their packs. their rights: CRA survey fering them better value for Customers will also still money than ever before as be able to access all the ben- he Communications Reg- part of the company’s latest efi ts already associated with ulatory Authority’s (CRA) campaign, ‘Shahry Gives You Shahry packs: free subscrip- Tpublic outreach event More’. tion to on-demand channel to celebrate World Consumer Both new customers signing StarzPlay, free subscription to Rights day under the theme up for a Shahry postpaid pack the UrbanPoint app, and auto- ‘Better Digital World’ concluded and existing customers wish- matic membership of reward yesterday. ing to upgrade their packs to a programme Nojoom. The event was held at Mall of higher option will get double Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi, Qatar from March 14 with the their data allowance for free. director of PR and Corporate aim of raising awareness about Customers who sign up to Communications at Oore- telecom consumers’ rights and or upgrade to Shahry 100 will doo, said: “We know value for responsibilities. enjoy 30GB extra data over six money is a key priority for our CRA surveyed 493 visitors Faisal Ali al-Shuaibi months and customers who customers and we’re always during the event. The results sign up to or upgrade to Shahry looking for ways we can make indicated that 49% of respond- not to disclose the information. 150 will enjoy 48GB data extra our products and services the ents were aware that they had “During the event, we have over six months, while those best value possible. This new the right to lodge a telecom noticed an increase in visitors’ The event was held at Mall of Qatar. who sign up to or upgrade to promotion will mean Shahry complaint with CRA if their tel- awareness about the importance Shahry 200 will enjoy 72GB customers will be able to surf ecom service provider did not of being aware of their rights and consumers’ satisfaction,” said bills and scam SMS messages diff erent channels: from Qa- extra data over six months, as the Supernet for longer and for resolve their lodged complaint. responsibilities as telecom con- Faisal Ali al-Shuaibi, manager, and calls, the authority said in a tar through CRA’s 24/7 hotline well as clients who sign up to less, which is perfectly in line Also 56% of respondents said sumers. CRA ensures to balance public relations and communi- statement. number (103), 00974 44069938 or upgrade to Shahry 250 will with our commitment to max- they had faced a fraud attempt the rights of consumers with the cations, CRA. The CRA team talked to visi- from overseas, CRA’s e-mail ad- enjoy 90GB extra data over six imising customer satisfaction. via telephone calls, SMS mes- needs of service providers, con- The event also included a tors about the authority’s role, dress [email protected]. months. “Also, giving our customers sages or social media and had sumers’ awareness of their rights range of awareness activities for public services and telecom qa, CRA’s mobile application For both new and existing extra Nojoom points will mean been asked to disclose personal and responsibilities contributes children and adults, and CRA’s complaint process; in addition, ‘Arsel’, CRA’s Twitter account customers, the free data will access to more rewards more information related to their tel- to the development of the sector, team provided visitors with visitors were able to lodge their @CRAqatar, fi lling CRA’s com- be given automatically, and quickly. We hope our Shahry ecom or bank accounts. How- by encouraging telecom serv- awareness tips on diff erent top- complaints onsite. plaint form on the website, www. immediately for new custom- customers, both existing and ever, 78% confi rmed that they ice providers to provide the best ics related to telecom services Telecom consumers can lodge cra.gov.qa, or by visiting the CRA ers, as well as from the next new, will make the most of had the appropriate awareness competitive services towards such as international roaming, a complaint with CRA through headquarters at Al Nasr Tower B. bill cycle for existing custom- these amazing new off ers.”

Subaru Forester, Impreza models recalled The Ministry of Commerce and communicate with customers Industry, in collaboration with to ensure that the necessary MIT-CSAIL expert to speak at QCRI event Mannai Trading Company, repairs are carried out. has announced the recall of The Ministry urges all n expert in computer vi- Science and Artifi cial Intelligence onstrate several applications “I am also interested in other Subaru Forester and Impreza customers to report sion, who programmes Laboratory, will speak on ‘Learn- for object recognition, compu- modalities such as audition and models of 2008 – 2017 due to any violations to its Acomputers to perceive the ing to See’, at the Researchery on ter graphics, and unsupervised touch and how, together with vi- a defective stop light switch. Consumer Protection and world in the same way that hu- March 25. A public meeting up- learning from images and audio. sion, they can allow building sys- The recall campaign comes Anti-Commercial Fraud mans do, will deliver a keynote dating their joint research is being “My research covers a wide range tems to learn like humans do. A within the framework of the Department, which processes speech during a visit to Qatar held from 9am. of topics in computer and human system able to perceive the world Ministry’s continuous eff orts complaints, inquires and Computing Research Institute In his talk, Dr Torralba will dis- vision – including object and scene through multiple senses might to protect consumers and suggestions through the (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Kha- cuss recent advances in computer recognition in images, building sys- be able to learn without requiring Dr Torralba is also the MIT di- ensure that car dealers follow following channels: Call center: lifa University (HBKU). vision, a scientifi c fi eld which deals tems that can see around the cor- massive curated data sets.” rector of the MIT-IBM Watson up on vehicle defects and 16001, e-mail: [email protected]. Dr Antonio Torralba, pictured, with how computers can gain high- ner, studying how deep neural net- Dr Torralba and other MIT- AI Lab and the inaugural direc- repairs. qa, Twitter: @MOCIQATAR, a professor of electrical engineer- level understanding from digital works work, and applications such CSAIL researchers are visit- tor of The MIT Quest for Intel- The Ministry said that it will Instagram: MOCIQATAR, ing and computer science at the images, videos or audio and seeks as Pic2Recipe (a collaboration with ing Doha as part of their annual ligence. He is the recipient of co-ordinate with the dealer to Ministry of Commerce and Massachusetts Institute of Tech- to automate tasks that the human QCRI) that predicts ingredients spring meeting with QCRI, which multiple awards, including a follow up on the maintenance Industry mobile app for nology (MIT) and a principal in- visual system can accomplish. from a picture of food and suggest has been collaborating with MIT- National Science Foundation and repair works and will android and IOS: MOCIQATAR vestigator at MIT’s Computer The MIT professor will dem- similar recipes,” Dr Torralba said. CSAIL for almost seven years. Career Award. Gulf Times 8 Monday, March 18, 2019 QATAR

Vodafone completes GigaNet fi bre roll-out in and around Aspire Zone LuLu unveils

odafone Qatar has ing further progress in our announced that it is ambition to turn Qatar into Vhas completed the one of the most connected roll out of its GigaNet fi bre countries in the world. We connectivity across the As- are also proud that our in- new outlet on pire Zone sports complex, frastructure will contrib- home to some of the world’s ute to providing World Cup fi nest sporting facilities fans with a unique end- and due to play a prominent to end digital experience role in the upcoming 2022 which will ensure a memo- World Cup. rable tournament.” The fi bre connectivity, Aiming to build a strong B-Ring Road capable of handling speeds digital ecosystem in Qatar, of up to 1Gigabit per sec- Vodafone has been provid- uLu Hypermarket Qatar has ond, coupled with Voda- ing some of the country’s opened its eighth outlet, LuLu fone’s live 5G network, now most important projects LExpress, at Bin Dirham Plaza on provides the Aspire Zone with a variety of services, B-Ring Road. The new express store with a world-class com- including fi bre connectiv- “is expected to become the shopping munications infrastructure Cup inside Khalifa Stadi- velop a strong sports com- ity, 5G network and IoT so- destination of choice for residents that allows its facilities to um, high speed connectivi- munity in the country and lutions. living in and around Mansoura, Na- optimise, automate, and ty and technology will form raising a new generation of Last month, Vodafone jma and Doha Jadeed, and will further innovate. a large part of delivering an athletes. We are pleased to launched GigaNet – the boost LuLu’s retail presence in the With hundreds of thou- unforgettable fan experi- expand our fi bre footprint network of the future – the country”, the company has said in a sands of visitors expected ence. in the country to include company’s promise to con- press statement. to descend on Aspire Zone Vodafone Qatar said: such a key player, providing tinuously pioneer the latest The outlet, which was opened on in four years to watch the “Aspire Zone is doing in- it with our state-of-the-art technologies and innova- Saturday, features a fresh food sec- Middle East’s fi rst World credible work helping de- infrastructure and mak- tions. tion that consists of a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables, meat, fi sh, poultry, bakery, hot and cold ready- to-eat food, a salad bar, chilled and dairy products, frozen food, roastery, grocery -food and non-food, special- Malabar Gold collection for Mother’s Day ity imported foods, health and beauty, household and other categories. There is also an exclusive display alabar Gold & Diamonds, one of the of organic and ‘Free from worry’ food largest jewellery retailers globally with ranges that off er an extensive im- Ma strong retail network of 250 outlets port line of gluten-free, lactose-free, spread across 10 countries, has launched a spe- dairy-free, yeast-free, wheat-free, cial collection of diamond and 18K gold jewel- vegan, organic, fat-free, nut-free, lery for Mother’s Day, celebrated on March 21. soy-free, salt-free, GM-free, egg- The uniquely crafted Ummi pendants featuring free and free range food items, as well Mother of Pearl, colourful stones and heart- as foods with no sugar, no additives, Lulu Express at Bin Dirham Plaza, B-Ring Road. shaped designs are available at all Malabar Gold & no preservatives and no hydrogenated Diamonds and MGD – Lifestyle Jewellery stores. fat and other speciality food imported functional shortly. “LuLu outlets have “LuLu’s winning formula of value for MGD – Lifestyle Jewellery is focused on off er- from around the world, the statement always turned out to be a one-stop money and quality shopping will be ing trendy and lightweight designs. Apart from explains. shop for the multi-ethnic community a matter of delight for shoppers who these, Malabar Gold & Diamonds also showcase a The new store “is tailored to meet of the region with an international as- will cherish the pleasurable shopping collection of unique designs in gold and diamond the needs of modern-day shopping sortment of products catering to the experience and the economy it off ers.” jewellery from Italy, Singapore, Turkey, Bahrain, with world-class interiors and a well- tastes and preferences of every cus- The management indicated that and India to suit the tastes and budget of its dif- planned retail fl oor layout that are fo- tomer. they would have “amazing off ers and ferent customers. cused on customer convenience”. The Understanding customers’ needs surprises” soon to give customers an Customers can also choose gifts to their loved management said the store has a good and providing them with quality “exciting shopping experience”. All ones from a vast variety of diamond jewellery tenant mix consisting of showrooms products at fair prices have always re- ongoing promotions at other LuLu collection off ering GIA/IGI-certifi ed diamonds, for mobile phones, exchange, phar- mained the secret behind the success outlets are available at the new store according to a statement. macy and laundry, etc, which will be of LuLu outlets,” the statement adds. as well. Hyatt Plaza hosts photography contest

nnouncing its annual photography com- Apetition, Hyatt Plaza Mall has said both amateur and professional photog- raphers from among Qa- tar residents can enter the contest until April 15. Each candidate can submit his/ her photographs online or physically. Mohamed al-Hawam- deh, head of Marketing at Hyatt Plaza Mall, said: “The competition will encourage photography lovers to get creative and showcase their The 2019 photography contest at Hyatt Plaza Mall is open to all participants aged 12 years talent through the contest.” and above. The submitted photo- graphs will be reviewed by The offi cial said the re- Mall “a great opportunity to Images should be in ac- a panel of judges from Hyatt sponse to the opening of engage the Qatar commu- cordance with the rules and Plaza Mall and Youth Hob- submissions for the photo nity in such an activity that regulations published on bies Centre, which will se- contest has been “tremen- makes the mall a responsi- the contest website - www. lect the top 100 images that dous”. “We are amazed by ble corporate citizen”. Hyatt captureqatarcontest.com will be exhibited inside the the innovation in some of Plaza Mall “always upholds The winners will be an- mall for 10 days from April the entries, and are confi - and actively participates in nounced on May 4. 25. Also, 10 winners will be dent the participants will creative projects as well as Full entry details are honoured at a ceremony, surprise us in this contest as artistically enhancing pro- available online at www. and they will receive cam- there is no better way to tell grammes”. captureqatarcontest.com or eras as gifts as well as an a story than through a lens,” The 2019 photography can be obtained in person. exclusive Hyatt Plaza VIP he added. contest at Hyatt Plaza Mall The mall’s customer service Card, according to al-Ha- The photo contest, he is open to all participants desk is open daily from 9am wamdeh. noted, gives Hyatt Plaza aged 12 years and above. to 10pm.

Foundation laid for Stafford sports complex

The foundation stone for the multipurpose sports complex of the Staff ord Sri Lankan School was laid at Al Thumama recently. Sri Lankan ambassador A S P Liyanage was the chief guest. School chairman Roshan Balasooriya, principal Sivapragasam Sivam, vice principal Sampath Priyashantha, embassy off icials, members of the school’s board of directors, teachers, parents and students were present. The traditional oil lamp was lit by the dignitaries prior to the ceremony. The school’s board of directors general secretary Ameerudeen Moulana announced that the new construction will be named the “Liyanage Multipurpose Sports Complex”.

Gulf Times 10 Monday, March 18, 2019 QATAR/ARAB WORLD Bold ideas ‘are key traits of successful fi lmmakers’

aving the courage to on: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), The told his Masterclass audience sets he has worked on as well as invest in building a large-scale spiring journeys through the pursue bold ideas is one Impossible (2012), The Limits of how he led a team of 600 peo- the colour palettes of his previ- set, you need to get closer to cinematic world in Master- Hof the most important Control (2009), A Monster Calls ple during the production of JA ous work on fi lms such as Roma, the action through careful classes. The fifth edition of traits of successful fi lmmakers, (2016), and Roma (2018). Bayona’s The Impossible (2012), The Impossible and The Limits of camera work.” Qumra brings together more 2019 Qumra Master Eugenio Caballero said: “A produc- and the challenges involved in Control. This year, Caballero is than 150 acclaimed filmmak- Caballero told a packed audi- tion designer’s role is to realise large scale productions. “When I work on a film, the joined in Doha by fellow ers, industry professionals ence of emerging fi lmmakers in the director’s vision. You need “As a production designer, first thing I work on is concep- Qumra Masters: Italian writ- and experts to nurture the 36 Doha yesterday. to conceptualise and contribute you are responsible for support- tualisation. Then, I take into er and director Alice Rohr- projects by first and second- At the second Masterclass your artistic ideas and creativ- ing the director and their vision consideration the practicali- wacher; prolific Japanese time filmmakers in various at the fi fth edition of Qumra – ity to the unique world of the for the fi lm. To do this, you need ties involved in different set director and writer Kiyoshi stages of development. the annual industry event by fi lm. To do this well, you need to be a really good communica- locations, physical spaces, and Kurosawa; and Polish auteur The six-day event, which the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to be brave and really embrace tor and be clear with your crew technology. It is like assem- Pawel Pawlikowski. concludes on Wednesday, that aims to nurture the talents your own storytelling abilities. about what it is that you want bling a puzzle and the planning Their role is to share their takes place at Souq Waqif and of fi rst and second-time fi lm- It’s vital that you believe in what and how to make it happen.” phase can take many months insights with the young tal- the Museum of Islamic Art, makers – the Academy Award you are doing”. Another key factor in Cabal- before shooting starts.” ent attached to 36 Qumra and features Qumra Talks winning production designer Equally important in the lero’s approach to his craft is Caballero’s final words of Projects by providing invalu- and screenings in the Qumra Qumra Master Eugenio Caballero provided an overview on the fi lmmaking process, according rigorous planning. He shared wisdom to the audience had able feedback on projects in Masters and New Voices in speaks on stage during the importance of shape and col- to Caballero, are communica- examples of intricate drawings to do with working with small consultation sessions and Cinema series, alongside the Masterclass at Qumra yesterday. our in fi lms through his work tion and planning. Caballero and physical miniatures of fi lm budgets: “If you are not able to highlighting their own in- Qumra Masterclasses. First Qumra Talk shines spotlight on diversity in storytelling t the fi rst Qumra Talk of the Doha Film Talk that one former participant in a Black A Palestinian supporter of Hamas passes out sweets in the street in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip Institute’s (DFI) six-day event de- List lab was Minhal Baig, whose fi lm Hala yesterday, in celebration of the attack in the occupied West Bank. Asigned to nurture the talent of emerg- – an emotionally turbulent coming-of-age ing fi lmmakers, The Black List founder and story about a Muslim Pakistani-American CEO Franklin Leonard on Saturday under- teenager – premiered at this year’s Sundance lined the importance of bringing new and di- Film Festival. verse voices into Hollywood and the role that Apple has recently landed the fi lm’s world- his company has played in this area so far. wide rights, marking the company’s fi rst ac- An annual list of Hollywood’s most liked quisition of the festival. Israeli soldier killed unproduced screenplays, The Black List was “Hollywood is not traditionally set up to founded by Leonard in 2005. It has grown nurture the talents of people from diverse into an industry-leading company celebrat- backgrounds, like Minhal. I am proud that ing and supporting great screenwriting and The Black List has helped to launch the ca- production. reers of those typically excluded from the in West Bank attack Since the company’s launch, more than mainstream fi lm industry in LA. In the fu- one third 1,200 Black List scripts have been ture, I am hoping to expand the reach of The AFP The incident began with the Israeli security forces would produced, grossing over $26bn in box offi ce Black List so that it can support the submis- Jerusalem perpetrator attacking a soldier fi nd those behind yesterday’s worldwide and have won 53 Academy Awards sion and review of foreign-language screen- with a knife at the Ariel junc- attack. “We will deal with them from 262 nominations. Franklin Leonard speaks on stage during plays. After all, good stories don’t have na- tion, near an Israeli settlement to the fullest extent of the law According to Leonard, the original aim of “The Future of Storytelling” Qumra Talk on tional boundaries,” Leonard said. n Israeli soldier was by the same name, and snatch- as we have done in all of the The Black List was simple – to fi nd “extraor- day two. Leonard’s Qumra Talk was introduced by killed and two other ing his weapon, Conricus said. recent incidents,” the Israeli dinary fi lms”. What was at fi rst a mailing list Rana Kazkaz, assistant professor of Commu- Apeople were wounded “That same fi ghter fi red with leader said. of Hollywood insiders’ favourite unproduced onard said. “After The Black List grew into an nication in Residence at Northwestern Uni- yesterday when a Palestin- that weapon toward three vehi- Hamas called it a response screenplays has become an online platform online platform, I saw that it had the poten- versity in Qatar, which has partnered with ian carried out a stabbing and cles,” he said, with the third car to Israeli “crimes,” including that also allows writers outside the “Holly- tial to solve another industry problem: how DFI for several years. shooting attack near a set- targeted stopping. its actions at Jerusalem’s Al- wood bubble” to get their work noticed. to help unknown writers get their scripts no- The next Qumra Talk takes place today tlement in the occupied West “The fi ghter took the ve- Aqsa mosque compound, the Because of this, Leonard believes that the ticed, especially for people who do not live in (March 18) with Michel Reilhac, entitled Bank, the army said. hicle and used it to drive” to highly sensitive holy site where growth of The Black List has contributed to Hollywood,” he added. ‘Welcome to the New Reality: How VR is The attack came at a sensi- the nearby Gitai Avishar junc- there have been scuffl es in re- entrance of new voices into mainstream cin- As well as act as a platform for new writers Changing our World’, which complements tive time ahead of Israel’s April tion, where he opened fi re and cent weeks. Hamas supporters ema. to share their screenplays, The Black List also the Qumra VR Lounge. 9 elections, and Prime Minister wounded another soldier, Con- could also be seen distributing “In the fi rst few years of producing The runs several ‘screenwriters’ lab’ throughout Powered by Diversion Cinema, the lounge Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to ricus said. sweets in the Gaza Strip to cel- Black List, I realised that it had, for the fi rst the year, some of which are solely for women is available to the public for each day of Qum- apprehend the “fi ghters” be- The fi ghter then continued ebrate the attack. time, allowed the fi lm industry in Hollywood screenwriters to tackle the “frankly embar- ra 2019. It explores the world of virtual real- hind it. to the nearby Palestinian vil- The compound in Israeli- to systematically tackle the question: what rassing” representation of fi lms written and ity through two internationally acclaimed Hamas, the movement that lage of Bruqin. annexed east Jerusalem is the fi lms are people actually going to love, rather made by women in cinema today. works – Arden’s Wake/ Tide’s Fall by Eugene runs the Gaza Strip, welcomed “A manhunt is ongoing,” third-holiest site and a focus than what fi lms will just make money?,” Le- Leonard told the audience at his Qumra Chung and Spheres by Darren Aronofsky. the attack, but did not claim Conricus said. The army could of Palestinian aspirations for responsibility for it. not yet say whether it believed statehood. “One Israeli is dead,” Israeli the Palestinian fi ghter was af- There have been scuffl es in army spokesman Lieutenant fi liated with a group or had recent weeks between Pales- Colonel Jonathan Conricus acted alone. tinian worshippers and Israeli said of the attack near the Ariel Palestinian gun, knife or car- police over the use of a side Tunisia seeks extradition of Ben Ali’s brother-in-law junction southwest of Nablus. ramming attacks against Israeli building there known as the The army later identifi ed the settlers and soldiers occur spo- Golden Gate. victim as a soldier, Gal Keidan, radically in the West Bank. Yesterday, an Israeli court AFP fraud. The justice ministry, in a mation in France of Trabelsi’s Trabelsi left Tunisia in January 19. Another soldier was severe- Two soldiers were shot dead ordered the temporary closure Tunis statement received by AFP, said arrest. But a source close to the 2011 when the Arab Spring up- ly wounded from gunfi re, the in a December 13 attack in the of the side building. it had learned from the Interpol investigation said he had been rising forced the veteran leader to army said. Ramallah area, and another Israeli offi cials are concerned offi ce in Tunis that Belhassen detained in the south of the fl ee to Saudi Arabia. The other person wounded shooting attack nearby on De- tensions at the site could boil unisia said yesterday it is Trabelsi was arrested on Thurs- country earlier this week in con- Trabelsi and his family fl ew in was a 47-year-old Israeli who cember 9 resulted in the death over and set off wider clashes seeking the extradition of day in France. nection with alleged fi nancial a private jet to Montreal where lives in a nearby settlement, lo- of a baby and wounded seven ahead of the Israeli elections. Tdeposed president Zine El It said he was facing 17 arrest wrongdoing. There were no fur- he requested political asylum but cal offi cials said. others. There were no indications so Abidine Ben Ali’s brother-in-law, warrants in Tunisia and 43 inter- ther details. Canada turned down his appeal in The hospital treating him Speaking at the beginning far however that yesterday’s who has been arrested in France national warrants. The millionaire businessman 2015, and a year later as it prepared said he was in critical condi- of the weekly cabinet meeting, attack was linked to tension at and is wanted at home for alleged There was no offi cial confi r- and brother of Ben Ali’s wife Leila to deport him he vanished. tion. Netanyahu said he was certain the holy site. Syria force says ‘thousands’ Protesters hold rallies still inside last IS pocket for jobless Sudanese AFP Nile, were tear gassed by se- Khartoum curity forces according to on- AFP at dealing a knock-out blow to the 5,000 people” are still holed up in- lookers.Organisers of the pro- Baghouz militants’ once-sprawling proto- side. He cautioned, however, that test movement had called the state. the SDF has not been able to verify rowds of protesters ral- rallies in support of “jobless At an SDF outpost inside Baghouz that fi gure. Those fl eeing the pocket lied yesterday in Sudan people” in the country. S-backed forces said yes- yesterday, an AFP correspondent have previously reported widely in- Cto show solidarity with “I’m unemployed and my terday thousands of peo- saw white smoke rising above the consistent fi gures on the number the unemployed, witnesses present job is to overthrow the Uple were believed to still be IS enclave as the sound of air strikes of people still inside, ranging from said, amid an economic cri- regime,” a protester wrote on inside the last Islamic State group and shelling rang out.A large blaze thousands to a few hundred. sis that has fuelled months of his T-shirt as he participated enclave in eastern Syria, as they ravaged the makeshift encampment Elsewhere in Syria, landmines demonstrations against Presi- in a Khartoum rally. sought to fl ush out die-hard fi ghters where holdout IS fi ghters are mak- left behind by IS have killed at least dent Omar al-Bashir’s rule. Unemployment in Sudan with air strikes and shelling. ing a last stand. 17 people in a 24-hour period at the Deadly protests have rocked has increased in recent years Tens of thousands of dishevelled The Kurdish-led force, backed weekend, a war monitor said yester- the east African country since and is currently around 20%, women, children and men have by US-led coalition warplanes, has day. December, with demonstra- according to the International streamed out of a small pocket in rained fi re on the militants for a UN ENVOY HOLDS TALKS tors accusing Bashir’s admin- Monetary Fund. the village of Baghouz near the week, blitzing thousands of fi ghters In Damascus, the UN envoy for istration of mismanaging the Witnesses said security Iraqi border in recent weeks — and and family members into surrender. Syria held talks yesterday with For- economy and calling on him to agents ordered shopkeepers they still keep coming. The huge But SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel eign Minister Walid Muallem, who step down. and traders to shut down their numbers have fl ummoxed the Syr- told a news conference yesterday stressed the need for a Syrian-led Yesterday protesters in the businesses in an Omdurman ian Democratic Forces (SDF) and that according to the latest group political solution to the eight-year capital Khartoum and its twin market as protesters began slowed down their off ensive aimed that quit the pocket, “an estimated war. city of Omdurman, across the to gather.

Gulf Times 12 Monday, March 18, 2019 AFRICA

French court Cyclone leaves over 100 dead to rule today in Congolese star’s in Mozambique, Zimbabwe assault case AFP Paris By Zinyange Auntony, AFP in the southeast have been aff ected Chimanimani, Zimbabwe and 49 houses damaged. In neighbouring Mozambique French court will today announce a where the cyclone hit fi rst on Thurs- verdict in the trial, held in absentia, ore than 100 people have died day night, the country’s state-owned A of Congolese music star Koffi Olo- and many more are missing as Jornal Domingo newspaper reported mide, accused of sexual assaulting four of Mof yesterday in Mozambique 48 people had been killed, with the his dancers. and neighbouring Zimbabwe after deaths recorded in the worst-hit cen- Prosecutors at the trial, in Nanterre, near tropical cyclone Idai barrelled across tral Sofala province. Paris, last month called for a seven-year the southern African nations with fl ash Tropical cyclone Idai battered cen- sentence against him and suspended sen- fl oods and ferocious winds. tral Mozambique on Friday, cutting tences for two of his former employees who Authorities in Zimbabwe said the off more than half a mn residents of detained the dancers. toll there had risen to 65 in the east the port city Beira. The dancers say they were detained by of the country, while Mozambique Beira international airport was three men while Olomide was touring or re- said 48 people were killed in aff ected briefl y shut after the air traffi c control cording in France between 2002 and 2006, central areas, after the cyclone tore tower and navigation equipment were and had their passports and phones confi s- across the region on Friday and Sat- partially destroyed by the cyclone. cated. urday. The airport reopened yesterday They say they were forced by Olomide, A member of parliament for Zim- with fl ights taking off from the capital who allegedly struck them if they tried to babwe’s Chimanimani district — the Maputo bound for Beira. resist. worst hit part of the country — yes- An AFP journalist on a fl ight to Beira The four dancers managed to make a terday gave the updated toll and said most passengers were going to night-time escape from the villa in June added that scores remain missing, check on their families who they haven’t 2006, and have not returned to the Demo- after houses and bridges were washed heard from since the cyclone struck. cratic Republic of Congo since for fear of away by fl ash fl oods when the storm Portuguese businessman Luis Le- reprisals. slammed the area. onor, 49, who owns a software com- Olomide denies the assault charges as The most aff ected areas are not pany in Beira, told AFP while waiting well as allegations he helped the dancers yet accessible, while high winds and to board the fl ight in Maputo that he enter France illegally and withheld their pay. dense clouds have hampered military had spoken to his wife via satellite He left France in 2009 and did not attend rescue helicopter fl ights. phone on Saturday. the trial. “So far we looking at 65 people that “She is fi ne. My house is fi ne but Olomide, 62, whose real name is Anto- have lost their lives,” Joshua Sacco, Students from St Charles Luanga school walk past a mudslide covering a major road at Skyline junction in there’s no more running water. I don’t ine Agbepa Mumba, was a pioneer of the lawmaker for Chimanimani, told AFP Chimanimani, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. know what I will fi nd there,” he said. soukous genre that grew out of Congolese by phone. “My fi ve employees lost their rumba. “We are looking at probably 150 to very sad and the situation is dire.” area, where they were given food and The United Nations in Zimbabwe houses, they are staying at our of- 200 people missing,” he said. Two pupils at a secondary school checked by medics, according to an said that nearly 10,000 were aff ected fi ces.” The majority of those unaccount- were among those killed, after a land- AFP photographer. by the cyclone. President Filipe Nyusi, who cut ed for are thought to be government slide sent a boulder crashing into their Tents have been set up to provide Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson short a working visit to eSwatini, was workers, whose housing complex was dormitory, the country’s Department shelter for those aff ected by the cy- Mnangagwa, who cut short a visit expected to fl y to Beira. completely engulfed by raging waters. of Civil Protection (DCP) said. clone and scores of villagers have to Abu Dhabi over the cyclone, has Even before the cyclone made 16 troops die Their fate is currently unknown Soldiers yesterday helped rescue made their way to the relief area, declared a state of disaster in the af- landfall on Friday, heavy rains earlier because the area is still unreachable. nearly 200 pupils, teachers and staff some having trekked for up to 20km fected areas. in the week had already claimed 66 “We are very worried because who had been trapped at the school in to reach safety. Government spokesman Nick lives and forced 17,000 people from as gunmen hit all these houses were just suddenly Chimanimani. Roads have been swallowed by Mangwana told AFP that “rescue and their homes in Mozambique, local of- submerged under water and literally The group had to wade through massive sinkholes, while bridges were recovery eff orts are ongoing”. fi cials said. washed away and that is where we waterlogged and mud-churned ripped to pieces by the fl ash fl oods, Some 300 refugees who were They also aff ected neighbouring Mali army base have about 147 missing,” he said. “It’s roads for some 4km to reach a relief according to the AFP photographer. housed at Tongogara Refugee Camp Malawi, where 56 people died.

Reuters Bamako

unmen attacked and briefl y seized a Malian army base overnight, killing Gat least 16 soldiers and destroying fi ve vehicles in central Mali’s Mopti region, two local councillors in the area where the attack happened said yesterday. The base is in the village of Dioura, the mayor of the nearest town Kareri, Youssouf Coulibaly, told Reuters by telephone from inside it. Central Mali has in the past few years been overrun by jihadists with links to Al Qaeda. “I’m currently inside the base and there were many deaths here. We’ve counted 16 so far,” he said. Army spokesman Colonel Diarran Kone confi rmed the attack but gave no further details. Violence by extremist groups has wors- ened almost every year since it fi rst explod- ed in Mali in 2012, when Islamists and allied Tuareg rebels took over the north and ad- vanced towards the capital Bamako, until a French-led intervention pushed them back the following year. Groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State used central and northern Mali as a launch pad for growing numbers of at- tacks across the Sahel region, especially on neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, despite the presence of 4,500 French troops. Central Mali is the locus of the Macina Liberation Front, led by militant Amadou Koufa. French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly claimed in November that Koufa had been killed in a raid by French forces. But at the end of last month Koufa ap- peared in a new propaganda video mocking French and Malian forces.

Coffins of victims await burial at a funeral mass at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa yesterday. Poachers held With empty caskets, families mourn in Niger park AFP Niamey

hree Nigerian poachers were ar- Ethiopian Airlines crash victims rested in Niger with a massive haul Tof slaughtered game from W National AFP with hundreds of others at Holy Trin- Witnesses said the plane nose- est carrier and in many ways the in- Although Ethiopia has warned the Park which straddles the borders of Niger, Addis Ababa ity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, sobbing dived into a fi eld southeast of the ternational face of the nation. investigation would take “consider- Burkina Faso and Benin, offi cials said yes- and holding portraits of their loved capital, with the force of the impact The deaths have shocked Africa’s able time,” there were swift moves in terday. ones as an Ethiopian Orthodox priest leaving few bodies intact. second-most populous country, and the wake of the crash to ensure the Forestry agents discovered elephant thiopians were yesterday hold- said the last rites. On Thursday, as grieving families the funeral attracted a wide range of worldwide grounding of the Boeing tusks, giant snake skins and the carcasses or ing funerals for friends and “What I can’t forget is that she left an and friends visited the area where mourners. 737 MAX 8. heads of various animals including buff alo Erelatives who perished in last eight-month-old child and didn’t come the plane went down, an AFP cor- “We all are children of Adam and Eve, The move came after similarities and monkeys loaded into two vans in Ni- week’s Ethiopian Airlines crash, back,” said Meselech Petros, whose sis- respondent saw them being handed even though our skin colours are dif- were identifi ed with the October crash ger’s southwestern Dosso region bordering which killed all onboard and saw the ter Amma Tesfamariam was a fl ight at- plastic water bottles fi lled with earth ferent,” said Seyoum Kidanu, a retired of an Indonesian Lion Air jet that the park, a statement said. worldwide grounding of the Boeing tendant on the doomed aircraft. from the site. police offi cer wearing full dress uniform killed all 189 passengers and crew. They also seized a dozen hunting rifl es, aircraft involved. Her 28-year-old sister wasn’t sup- Ethiopia’s government has said it and a sash in the colours of the Ethio- As the world awaited answers, there machetes, six bicycles and various chemical Families in 35 nations were left be- posed to work that day, but had gone may take up to six months to identify pian fl ag. “When one person dies in this were few answers for those trying to substances, it said. reaved when the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in to cover for a colleague. the remains. world, the grief belongs to everybody.” cope with the loss of a loved one. Dosso state governor Moussa Ousmane aircraft plummeted from the sky just Caskets draped in the Ethiopian “What makes us very sad is we The black boxes from the plane “She’s a very good person. I don’t praised the operation as “an unprecedent- minutes into its fl ight to Nairobi last fl ag were brought to the cathedral in a didn’t fi nd any of her remains,” said are currently being examined by how to describe her,” said 26-year- ed...exploit for our agents”. Sunday, killing all 157 passengers and convoy of black hearses accompanied Teshome Legesse, whose 24-year-old France’s BEA air safety agency, which old Selamsew Mathias, brother of the The park, a UN World Heritage site cov- crew on board. by hundreds of mourners. niece Ayantu Girma was a fl ight at- is working with American and Ethio- fl ight attendant Amma. ering some 10,000sq km, contains a vast One week after the crash, relatives But it was not clear what the coffi ns tendant on the plane. pian investigators to determine what “We are broken and hurting very wealth of fauna and is an important migra- of the 17 Ethiopian victims gathered contained. Ethiopians Airlines is Africa’s larg- brought it down. much. It’s very diffi cult.” tion sanctuary. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 13 AMERICAS

Democrats build war California homelessness chests, $1 at a time

By Michael Mathes, AFP crisis snares children too Washington By Laurent Banguet, AFP and she’s just making the minimum Los Angeles wage ($12 an hour in LA), that’s barely he 2020 presidential election enough for just the food,” says Razo, is still 20 months away, but who himself experienced homeless- Tone campaign battle is already ose Razo, the principal of Telfair ness growing up. raging: the fi ght for America’s small- Elementary School in Los Angeles “So families will double up, triple up, dollar contributions. Jcounty, wants his students to spend quadruple up in a house, and each fam- With all 12 major Democratic their time worrying about homework, ily might rent a room for two or three White House candidates shunning their grades or playdates. children,” he added. donations from corporations and po- But the harsh reality for more than Razo said “home” for some of the litical action committees, or PACs, a quarter of the 720 children at the pupils at Telfair is a living room where they have turned their collective eye school is far diff erent — they are clas- they are unlikely to get a good night’s toward individual voters, who are sifi ed as homeless. sleep amid the comings and goings of showing increasing willingness to “Food, somewhere to sleep, some- the house’s other occupants. open their pocketbooks and play a thing to put on their back: those are “So they come here the next morn- larger role in the political process. the challenges our students are facing,” ing tired and anxious,” he said. All signs point to an avalanche of says Razo. A small number of the students, personal contributions in the 2020 “Someone seven or eight years old Razo said, live in motels. election cycle as individuals invest should not have to worry about that.” The worst off live in RVs, shelters or more of their own cash in candi- According to the Los Angeles Unifi ed even a car. dates, as polls show voters are over- School District, nearly 18,000 students Teachers at the school said for some whelmingly fed up with dark money in the district are classifi ed as home- of these kids, a bathroom ends up being and corporate infl uence in politics. less and Telfair is at the epicentre of the the only quiet place to do homework. Candidates are required to report crisis. The numbers are sobering in a state Telfair Elementary School first grade teacher Gutierrez works with her students in Pacoima, California, some 30 minutes their fi rst-quarter donations to the Built in 1945, the school is located that is home to the world’s fi fth-largest drive from downtown Los Angeles. Federal Election Commission (FEC) in Pacoima, about a 30-minute drive economy but has the nation’s high- within the coming weeks, and the north of downtown LA, and nearly all est poverty rate when cost-of-living is And the 44-year-old tells the stu- often dip into their own pockets to help most important,” she shyly tells an AFP results are likely to show that while of its pupils — 98% — are Latino. factored in. dents day in and day out that the way out with school supplies or other items. reporter who accompanied the group. big money will still be at play in the About half of the homeless students “We need to break the cycle of pov- to break out of poverty is through edu- “The teacher’s job here is not just Angel, for his part, had his sights election process, it just might be come from low-income families strug- erty,” said Razo, a Catholic who served cation. teaching,” he said. on a pair of black tennis shoes. “Shoes coming more from everyday voters. gling to survive. in the US Marine Corps and still sports “I keep telling them: ‘You can lose “They are social workers, counsel- make me more happy,” exclaimed the Many Democratic donors seek They are forced to live with relatives, a buzz cut. your house, you can lose your job, but lors, therapists, nurses. They’re par- seven-year-old as he proudly showed to claim the moral high ground and in shared homes, in garages — some- “I tell the children my story. I tell there are two things people can’t take ents.” off the new sneakers on his feet. prove they will be accountable to the times with no running water — or in them you may be poor now but you’re away from you — your will and your Only last month, Razo and a teach- Razo said he has helped out many of American people and not to corpo- mobile homes. not going to be poor forever. Being poor degree,’” he said. er personally drove 10 of the poorest the students at his school who are liv- rate donors or special interests. Nearly every student is poor enough is not right.” “I know what I’m talking about. I students to a community distribution ing in poverty and without a home. “The money in politics is corrupt- to qualify for free or reduced-price “We’re trying to show the children grew up about a block from here too.” centre for supplies, including clothes, “One day, it was raining heavily,” he ing. It controls everything,” Senator meals. that everything is possible, that they With the odds stacked against the books and backpacks. said. “Several of the children did not Kirsten Gillibrand told voters in Des “When you have a single mom work- can achieve any kind of goal they want,” students, Razo said teachers at Telfair Kaila, one of the children on the trip, come to school because they had holes Moines, Iowa, last month. “You have ing to pay for two students and herself, Razo adds, speaking in a soft voice. go the extra mile for their pupils and was interested in books. “Reading is the in their shoes.” to get money out of politics. And that’s why, as a very small fi rst step, I’m not taking corporate PAC money.” Instead she and others, armed with massive voter databases culled from social media and other contacts Record fl oods engulf US Central Man in custody for murder of thanks to improving technology, are sending out millions of fundraising emails seeking contributions to fund states, rivers to rise in days ahead New York mafi a boss their exhausting ground operations — “even just a dollar,” pleaded one such message from Democrat Cory Booker. Reuters stages right now,” said meteorol- “That system brought 3cm to Reuters Surveillance video of the killing showed a Bernie Sanders, the liberal senator New York ogist Marc Chenard with the Na- 10cm of rainfall but, on top of New York man, allegedly Comello, crash his car into Ca- who made campaign fi nance reform tional Weather Service Weather that, there was already a deep li’s parked SUV, drawing Cali outside in what a central pillar of his rebellious 2016 Prediction Center. “There have snowpack over much of the area. might have been a ploy to lure him out of the presidential campaign, entered the ains that melted a his- been some levy breaks so there So a combination of the rain and olice have a 24-year-old suspect in house, Shea said. 2020 race in February with a bang, toric snowpack yester- are towns that are fl ooded.” snow melt had a large volume of custody in the slaying of reputed Ma- ABC News reported that the two men spoke raising $5.9mn in the fi rst 24 hours Rday swamped US Central The deadly fl ooding was water going pretty quickly into Pfi a boss Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali in and shook hands before the suspect pulled from more than 220,000 individuals Plains states with record fl oods, the aftermath of a late-winter the rivers,” Chenard said. New York City, authorities said on Saturday. out a gun. The suspect shot Cali as many as across all 50 states. The average do- breaching river levees and caus- “bomb cyclone” storm that Despite relatively dry weather The 53-year-old Cali, who was shot to death 10 times, Shea said. Shea declined to say if nation was $27. ing two deaths. drenched the nation’s midsec- ahead, fl ooding was expected last Wednesday outside his Staten Island Comello had a criminal record, but said he had “Powerful special interests may With water levels expected to tion and kicked into high gear to persist through the week in home, was allegedly the head of the Gambino “crossed paths” with the NYPD. Comello’s have the money,” he tweeted, “but rise through the week, evacu- snowmelt after unprecedented Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, family, one of the fi ve Italian-American Mafi a truck was issued a parking summons in Staten we have the people.” ations were underway in com- winter snowfall. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Il- families that have historically dominated or- Island on the day of Cali’s murder, Shea said. Donald Trump of course is not sit- munities along portions of the The weather was blamed for linois. ganised crime in New York and New Jersey. Police are still investigating the motive be- ting idle. The president fi led his can- Missouri River on the Nebraska two deaths, including one per- “We’re looking at widespread Police apprehended Anthony Comello in hind Cali’s murder, he said, including whether didacy for 2020 the day after his inau- and Iowa border, as well as in Ne- son who died at home after fail- fl ooding that continues until at New Jersey on Saturday and expect to charge it might have been a domestic altercation or a guration, and his campaign has been braska, on the Elkhorn River and ing to evacuate, and another least early next week in the Plains him with murdering Cali, the New York Po- mob-related killing. Charges against mem- fundraising ever since, reportedly Platte River. swept away while trying to tow a and Midwest region,” Chenard lice Department’s Chief of Detectives Dermot bers of Mafi a operations, including Gambino raising some $106mn by last October. “The big ones are at record trapped car with his tractor. said. Shea told a news conference. family operatives, have included murder, loan Many Democrats have raised the “This is far from over. We are at the begin- sharking, gambling and illegal drug distribu- reform alarm since 2010, when the ning stages of this investigation,” Shea said. tion, Reuters has reported. controversial Supreme Court deci- sion in Citizens United vs FEC lifted restrictions on campaign spending by corporations and unions. It also paved the way for unlimited political spending by independent Two injured in LA tanker blast groups known as super PACs, politi- cal entities that can accept unlimited Reuters Initially it was thought to be a natural gas contributions — sometimes millions Los Angeles explosion but authorities later determined it of dollars by a single entity or indi- was “a 9,000-gallon gasoline tanker that was vidual — and then spend that money leaking,” LAFD said on its website. advocating for a candidate. leaky gasoline tanker exploded yes- “The fumes came into contact with an “The race for money in the Demo- terday in south Los Angeles, injuring unknown ignition source and exploded into cratic Party is really going to be a race Atwo people and sending at least one fl ames,” LAFD said. Arson investigators were for small dollars,” said Colby Col- manhole cover fl ying into the air and fl ames on the scene to determine the cause. lege’s Anthony Corrado, a govern- shooting out of a storm drain to threaten There were no fatalities but two people ment professor and leading expert nearby buildings. were injured and transported to an area hos- on political fi nance. A plume of thick black smoke rose into the pital, LAFD said. Meanwhile the online donation sky over 216 West Slauson Avenue in Flor- Underground pressure shot metal manhole process is becoming increasingly ef- ence as planes headed for nearby Los Angeles covers on the street into the air, Prange said. fi cient for small-dollar donors. International Airport, according to photo- “Companies put water on the fi re, trying “They’re not looking for political graphs on social media. to protect two buildings that were exposed to access, they’re supporting a cause or “At 7.45am, there were reports of a gas the fl ames,” he said, noting a hazardous mate- a political platform,” Corrado said of leak with an explosion,” fi refi ghter Nicholas rials team was on the scene. the donors. Prange told Reuters in a phone interview. The fi re damaged a single-family home and “And if you’ve got 100,000 people “Fire was coming from a storm drain and a a family was displaced by the incident, LAPD giving you $10a month, you’ve sud- Storm-triggered flooding that cut parts of a road in Niobrara, Nebraska, over the weekend. leaking tanker,” he said. said. denly got real money.”

Stimulus budget on the cards as Canada’s Liberals look to eclipse political crisis

By Julie Gordon, Reuters help construction fi rm SNC-Lav- tions is supports for millennial you keep your powder dry on the Lee, chief executive of the Cana- some detail, or just make a gen- “In our budget this year, that’s Ottawa alin avoid a criminal trial. home buyers, money for skills rest,” he said. dian Home Builders’ Association. eral commitment to boost cov- what we’re going to be thinking Adding to the pain, economic re-training, pharmacare help for New mortgage rules that came Others options include bigger erage, leaving specifi cs for the about. How do we help Canadians growth slowed sharply at the end those lacking prescription drug into eff ect last year, and vefi in- tax breaks for fi rst-time buyers election campaign. to take time off ...and how do they ith a federal election of 2018 and, despite blockbuster plans through their workplace, terest rate hikes by the Bank of and more space to borrow from And while one of the bright spots pay for their training?” he said. looming and Prime job gains, Canadians are feeling and new spending for families Canada since July 2017, have left retirement savings. in Canada’s sluggish economy The Liberals have faced criti- WMinister Justin Tru- increasingly pessimistic about with children. would-be buyers on the sidelines. But economists warn that too has been booming employment cism for backing away from a deau’s government facing its the future as record household If Morneau wants to look fi s- While the central bank says many perks could inadvertently numbers, companies say they are pledge to balance the budget by worst political crisis in four debt runs up against higher in- cally prudent, the key will be to the changes have improved the reheat housing markets, putting struggling to fi ll jobs requiring spe- 2019, but with a vote looming the years, Canada’s ruling Liberals terest rates. divvy up only the unexpected quality of new mortgage debt in ownership further out of reach for cialised skills, notably in the tech- focus will likely be on setting up are expected to table a goody- To counter the negative sen- revenue, and not disrupt plans Canada, they have also contrib- millennials and other fi rst time nology and healthcare fi elds. the campaign platform with items fi lled budget later this week in bid timent, Finance Minister Bill to reduce the net-debt-to-GDP uted to a slowdown, with home buyers, especially in expensive “We would welcome a focus to come. A defi cit of C$18.1bn to get back on course with voters. Morneau is expected to make use ratio — a measure of how bur- sales slumping nationwide to a cities like Vancouver and Toronto. on skills, since it could address a ($13.6bn) is forecast for 2018/19. Trudeau’s Liberals surged to of unexpectedly strong revenues densome debt is relative to the six-year low in February. The budget is also expected to current business challenge,” said “When it comes to how the power in 2015 on a pledge to jolt from the fi rst nine months of the economy, said Derek Holt, head “Our recommendations in- propose a limited expansion to Craig Wright, chief economist at defi cit gets allocated, as we saw the economy by boosting spend- fi scal year to table tomorrow a of Capital Markets Economics at clude restoring 30-year mortgag- Canada’s healthcare system to the Royal Bank of Canada, in a re- in the last election, (voters) still ing, but their popularity has stimulus-fi lled federal budget, Scotiabank. es for fi rst-time home buyers and cover part of the cost of prescrip- search note. like to see a check in their own dropped sharply in recent weeks the last budget ahead of an Octo- “If they want their cake and eat making some adjustments to the tion drugs, Reuters reported in Speaking at a shoe repair shop mailbox,” said Avery Shenfeld, amid claims that Canada’s former ber election. it too, you spend only the unan- current stress test now that the January, citing sources. last Thursday, Morneau hinted chief economist at CIBC Capital justice minister was pressured to High on the list of expecta- ticipated revenue surprise, and market has changed,” said Kevin Budget documents may go into such measures would be coming. Markets, in a research note. Gulf Times 14 Monday, March 18, 2019 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Thailand’s early voting begins with long queues

AFP ing station there opened. People following the death of the late Bangkok dressed in their work clothes king before King Vajiralongkorn — military uniforms, hospital took over, cementing Prem’s scrubs and more casual attire— role as one of the most power- undreds of thousands waited patiently to cast their ful — and enduring — players in of voters crowded into ballot, aided by student helpers. the Machiavellian game of Thai Hschools, parking lots and At 9am Prem Tinsulanonda, politics. temples across Thailand yester- the head of the Privy Council — More than 51mn Thais are eli- day, eager to cast an early ballot the advisory board to Thai King gible to vote in the offi cial March a week before the country’s fi rst Maha Vajialongkon — arrived at 24 election, which will be held election in eight years. the school. under a new military-scripted Advanced voting is usually a Watched by Thai and inter- constitution. tepid aff air, but yesterday excite- national media, the 98-year- There are “high expectations” People line up for their early vote of the upcoming Thai election at a ment was high as voters turned old carrying an oxygen tank was for this year’s election, said polling station in Bangkok, Thailand. up in droves to polling stations. pushed in a wheelchair into a Sudarat Keyuraphan, a prime More than 2.3mn Thais are ex- A woman cast her early vote for the upcoming Thai election at a classroom boasting a portrait of ministerial candidate for Pheu told reporters at the Pheu Thai Cha, who is running to be civil- pected to vote before the offi cial polling station in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. the late King Bhumibol Adulya- Thai — the party which garnered headquarters. ian prime minister after a gov- March 24 poll date. dej, who he advised, before the most parliamentary seats in “We are confi dent... we will ernment is formed. Since a 2014 coup ousted public. “I fi nally have a chance Phra Khanong district offi ce. walking the fi nal steps to a poll- 2011’s election, and is loathed by be the party that voters go for But voters yesterday still then-premier Yingluck Shina- to cast my vote as I’ve waited In Dusit district — home to ing booth. the military. the most.” Analysts say the new held on to hopes for change. “I watra, the junta has repeatedly for so long,” said 48-year-old military offi ces and govern- The former general was briefl y “The (junta) says the coun- electoral system favours the vote today in the hope for better postponed democratic elections Paka Kaengkhiew as she stood ment buildings — voters piled installed as the temporary regent try is under peace and order but army-aligned party fronted by change,” said Mart Bupa, 53. — much to the chagrin of the Thai in line in front of Bangkok’s into a school yard before a poll- for Thailand’s revered monarchy ... the people have no hope,” she junta leader Prayut Chan-O- Moments of heroism emerge from deadly New Zealand mayhem

Reuters ‘Suspicious package’ Chirstchurch shutters Dunedin airport in NZ s New Zealanders strug- New Zealand police closed gled to cope with the Dunedin airport late yesterday Adeadly mayhem in after a suspicious device was re- Christchurch, stories of hero- ported on the airfield. “Dunedin ism have emerged from the trag- Airport is currently closed” a edy, including a worshipper who statement said. “Police are at the chased away the gunman armed scene and specialist teams have only with a credit card machine. been deployed to determine Fifty people were killed on Fri- the nature of the package.” New day and dozens more injured. Zealand is currently on a state Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been of high alert after a gunman, charged with murder in relation who is believed to have lived in to the killings, and police have Dunedin, killed 50 people in two said he will face further charges. mosques filled with worshippers. But the police and eyewit- An Air New Zealand staff mem- nesses say a second attack by the ber on the scene, who was not People gather in front of floral tributes at a makeshift memorial for gunman was partly thwarted by authorised to speak to the press, victims of mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday. Abdul Aziz, 48, who was born in told AFP the terminal building Afghanistan. had not been evacuated. Only livestream, in which he was seen in the car, police say. Aziz said he charged at the a handful of flights were due parking outside the mosque. “Those two police offi cers shooter outside the Linwood to arrive at the airport in the The video showed him pulling a acted with absolute courage,” mosque when someone shouted Lit candles are seen in front of floral tributes at a makeshift memorial for victims of mosque attacks, southeastern city. gun from the rear of his car and Police Commissioner Mike Bush that a gunman had opened fi re. in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday. heading into the mosque, where said at a news conference yes- The gunman had already killed he fi red at worshippers for about terday. dozens at the Al Noor Mosque guy, come over here, come over the rampage unfolded were left there are limits on what can be uncle had left a message for eve- two minutes. “They have prevented further nearby, and on the streets. here – I just wanted to put his unharmed. When I came back in published about the suspect, to ryone. “If you see something He went back to his car to deaths and risked their own lives “He had on army clothes. I focus on me.” the mosque I could see that eve- preserve his right to a fair trial. happening that is not good for reload, then returned to the to do so,” he added. Bush said wasn’t sure if he was the good Aziz said the gunman went rybody was very frightened and Aziz is from Kabul, Afghanistan, other humans, or if that is hurt- mosque to kill more people. armed police staff arrived at the guy or the bad guy. When he inside the mosque, and he fol- trying to cover,” Aziz said. “I told but left the war-torn country ing other people, you give your The shooter then left the fi rst mosque within six minutes swore at me, I knew that he’s lowed, eventually confronting them, ‘Brother, you are safe now, several years ago. He has been in everything to save them, even it Deans Avenue mosque, driving of an emergency call, and within not the good guy,” Aziz told the shooter again. get up, he’s gone. He’s just run Christchurch for two and a half means giving your life,” Rizwan for about seven minutes to the 36 minutes, the gunman was in Reuters in an interview. When “When he saw me with away.’ And then after that every- years and owns a furniture shop. said. Linwood mosque, which is on custody. he realised the mosque was be- the shotgun in my hands, he body started crying.” More heroes came to light as Prime Minister Jacinda Ard- the other side of Christchurch’s Speaking about the hours af- ing attacked, he ran towards the dropped the gun and ran away The attack is the worst ever investigators pieced together ern travelled to Christchurch on botanical gardens. ter the attack, Greg Robertson, gunman, picking up a credit card toward his car. I chased him,” he peacetime mass killing in New the incident. Naeem Rashid, 50, Saturday to comfort the Muslim He began shooting outside head of surgery at Christchurch machine as a makeshift weapon. said. “He sat in his car and with Zealand. The shooter was ar- was seen lunging at the gunman community. She said in a news the Linwood mosque, killing Hospital, said the scale of vic- The shooter ran back to his car the shotgun in my hands, I threw rested within 36 minutes after in the livestream video from the conference later that the gun- several people walking towards tims arriving had shaken his and got another gun. it through his window like an the attack started and charged Al Noor Mosque. Rashid, from man had planned to continue the the building. Some shots hit the staff . “We had patients that were Aziz said he threw the credit arrow. He just swore at me and with murder on Saturday, even Abbottabad, Pakistan, and a killing spree if he had not been mosque windows and walls. delivered in cars ... rather than card machine, ducking between took off .” as the death toll continued to rise New Zealand resident for nine stopped. After Aziz confronted him, ambulances,” Robertson said. the cars as the shooter opened Aziz said four of his children and families waited to bury their years, was in the mosque with Police say they caught him 36 the gunman was chased down by “The ambulances start to ar- fi re. He then picked up a gun were with him at the mosque dead. Footage of the attack on his 21-year-old son. minutes after being alerted of two police offi cers who blocked rive and then lots of ambulanc- dropped by the shooter and when the attack occurred. Near- one of the mosques was broad- Both were killed in the attack. the incident at Al Noor Mosque his car and captured him, police es arrived after that.” “It’s just pulled the trigger, but it was ly 100 Muslim worshippers who cast live on Facebook. Under Safi Rizwan, a nephew of Naeem at 1:42pm on Friday. Shortly say. comprehending what is the in- empty: “I was screaming at the had taken cover in the mosque as New Zealand’s contempt rules, Rashid in Abbottabad, said his before that, gunman began the He had two homemade bombs comprehensible.” Flash fl oods kill at least Vintage beauties 58 in Indonesia’s Papua

1am this morning,” said Lilis Puji AFP receded but offi cials were still At least two dead and Sentani, Indonesia trying to evacuate people from Hastuti, a 29-year-old mother areas obstructed by “fallen trees, dozens injured after of two young children in Sen- rocks, mud and other material”, Indonesia quake tani. “Our house was fl ooded lash fl oods in Indonesia’s Nugroho added. with thick mud ... we immedi- eastern Papua province In Doyo, one of the most af- At least two people were killed ately grabbed our valuables and Fhave killed at least 58 peo- fected areas, a housing complex and dozens injured yesterday ran to a neighbour’s (two-storey) ple, an offi cial said yesterday, was littered with huge rocks be- after an earthquake on the house to seek refuge. as rescuers battled mud, rocks lieved to have rolled down from Indonesian tourist island of “It’s hard to get out of the and fallen trees in the hunt for a nearby mountain, an AFP re- Lombok triggered a landslide, area because many roads are survivors. The death toll was porter at the scene said. Sedi- off icials said. The 5.5-magnitude blocked... I’m worried, sad and expected to rise as emergency ment and waste swept by the quake is thought to have caused scared all at once,” she told AFP. services struggled to reach peo- fl oods piled up on the pavement. the landslide at the Tiu Kelep In Sentani, tents have been set ple in hard-hit areas, with more The non-stop wail of ambulance waterfall in the north of the up to take in fl ood victims and than 70 people injured and 4,150 sirens could be heard, as heavy island. “Two people died in the treat the wounded. Papua shares evacuated. equipment was used to clear the landslide in the Tiu Kelep water- a border with independent Pa- Sri Lankan visitors look at classic cars displayed at a motor show in Colombo yesterday. The fl oods — triggered by roads. The government has an- fall after the earthquake, one of pua New Guinea on an island just torrential rain and landslides on nounced a 14-day state of emer- them is a Malaysian,” a disaster north of Australia. Flooding is Saturday — damaged numerous gency, said Jayapura police chief agency spokesman told AFP. common in Indonesia, especially homes in the northeastern town Victor Dean Mackbon. during the rainy season which Landslide in northern China kills 10 of Sentani, said national disas- Video footage showed res- runs from October to April. ter agency spokesman Sutopo cuers administering oxygen to mad Aidi said. The whereabouts In January, fl oods and land- A landslide in northern China has killed at least 10 people and left 10 missing, state media reported yesterday, Purwo Nugroho. “The number a victim who appeared to be of the parents are unknown. slides killed at least 70 people after several buildings were demolished in the disaster. Seven people were found dead at the scene and of casualties and impact of the trapped beneath a fallen tree. A propeller plane lay partly on Sulawesi island, while ear- another three died in hospital, according to off icial news agency Xinhua. The landslide occurred Friday in disaster will likely increase as Offi cers rescued a fi ve-month- crushed on a runway at the air- lier this month hundreds in West northern Shanxi province, Xinhua said. The local government did not immediately respond to AFP’s request search and rescue teams are still old baby who was trapped for port of nearby provincial capital Java province were forced to for comment. More than 200 rescuers were at the scene of the disaster, according to state broadcaster trying to reach other aff ected hours under the rubble, Papua Jayapura. “The rain started last evacuate when torrential rains CCTV, as the search for the missing continued. Footage from CCTV showed debris strewn in heaps along the areas,” he said. The waters had military spokesman Muham- night and went on until around triggered severe fl ooding. mountainside. The landslide took down residential buildings and a public bathhouse. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 15 BRITAIN/IRELAND

Sajid Javid urged to act on refugee family reunifi cation bill

Guardian News and Media 18 to join them. They are unable ceived overwhelming backing at political spectrum united behind “They say a week is a long time the passing of a money resolu- 25 but were under 18 when the per- London to submit applications for their its second reading in the Com- a common cause as they over- in politics, but a year is a long tion, a requirement if a new bill son granted asylum left the coun- parents, grandparents, siblings mons a year ago, but the passing whelmingly voted to introduce a time to wait. For refugee families proposes spending public funds try of their habitual residence. or children over 18. of the bill has since stalled and law that would help reunite refu- it means a year of missed birth- on something not previously au- MPs, charities and campaign- early 70 MPs have writ- Children who are in the UK under parliamentary rules that gee families. days, Christmases, Mother’s thorised by an act of parliament. ers have said the changes could ten to Home Secretary alone and have refugee status do govern private members’ bills, “The current rules condemn Days, Father’s Days and Eids. Money resolutions are nor- also be brought in through the NSajid Javid urging him not have the right to be reunited time is running out to pass it into child refugees fl eeing confl ict “We cannot let the urgent mally put to the Commons for government’s post-Brexit immi- to act over proposed legislation with even their closest family law. and persecution to live in the UK crowd out the important. We urge agreement immediately after the gration bill. that would relax restrictive rules members. Nearly 70 MPs, including the without their parents. It also pre- you to use your power to stop the bill has passed its second reading, A Home Offi ce spokesperson for reuniting refugees with their The refugee family reunion Conservative chair of the justice vents parents from bringing their delays on this bill and allow it the but this has not happened. said: “We are following the pas- families. bill, a private member’s bill put committee, Bob Neill, have writ- children over the age of 18. At a necessary time to proceed and be MacNeil’s bill would broaden sage of the private member’s Current immigration rules forward by the SNP MP Angus ten to Javid, calling on him to time when refugees need their debated. With your help we can the defi nition of a family member bill closely and will continue only allow adult refugees to apply MacNeil, seeks to broaden the prevent further delays. families the most, they are being bring families together.” to include parents and adoptive our productive discussions with for their married or civil partners defi nition of a family member. The letter reads: “Almost a forced to be without them indefi - Campaigners say the govern- parents, and children and siblings partners on this complex and and dependent children under The proposed legislation re- year ago, MPs from across the nitely. ment has deliberately delayed who are under 18, or who are under sensitive issue.” Jo Swinson, Davey ‘in the race to be LibDem chief’

Guardian News and Media expected his pitch to be about the London renewal of liberalism in the face of the threat from darker, popu- list forces. he Liberal Democrat dep- In an article for the New uty leader, Jo Swinson, has Statesman, Davey said liberal Tbeen tipped as the front- leaders had “to embrace the runner to replace the party’s emotions of voters” and loudly outgoing leader, Vince Cable, champion progressive causes, who has announced plans to step such as land tax, electoral reform down from the party in May. and climate change. Cable, a former business sec- “From air pollution to sustain- Philip Hammond Chancellor of the Exchequer, Baroness Chakrabarti, shadow attorney general and Nick Boles, MP appear on BBC TV’s The Andrew Marr Show in London yesterday. retary in the coalition govern- able, quality food, a full-blown ment, announced that he would green health agenda could be very set a timetable for his departure popular,” he wrote. Both Davey at the party’s spring conference and Swinson lost their seats in the this weekend. 2015 general election but regained Three MPs were expected them two years later, Davey in to be in the running: Swinson, Kingston and Surbiton, and Swin- the former Cabinet minister Ed son in East Dunbartonshire. Davey and the party’s education Moran, a former teacher elect- Govt warns it might not spokeswoman, Layla Moran. ed to Oxford West and Abingdon Swinson, a coalition business in 2017, is the fi rst MP of Pales- minister, was highly likely to an- tinian descent and is also likely nounce her candidacy, according to have a good chance of success to multiple sources. One, who is should she run for the leadership. close to Swinson, said: “Jo loves However, LibDem sources were the party and is passionate about uncertain whether she would, hold pivotal Brexit vote wanting it to succeed. She hears saying her lack of experience the calls for her to stand very might mean she would decline to AFP But May warned yesterday prepared to support it so that we obviously we are talking to a lot to do enormous damage to our clearly, and I would put money put herself forward. London that another defeat would al- can get it through parliament,” of colleagues about what the economy,” Labour leader Jeremy on her going for it.” “She is the most interesting most certainly require a delay Finance Minister Philip Ham- way forward is,” he said. Corbyn told Sky News. She has been a vocal cam- candidate, a fresh face with real- so long that Britain would have mond said on the BBC. May has encountered politi- Corbyn added that he might paigner on maternity rights and world experience, but she has he government yesterday to take part in European Parlia- “I mean we are not just go- cal resistance from all sides. come out in support this week equal pay. She became embroiled a very small majority and may warned it might not hold ment elections in May. ing to keep presenting it if we The stridently anti-EU wing of a Labour proposal to have a in a row about parliamentary feel it is not the right time,” one Ta planned Brexit vote this This would mean “we will not haven’t moved the dial,” Ham- of her Conservative party hates new referendum after Brexit is maternity leave when Conserva- source said. week unless it feels it can secure leave the EU for many months, if mond said. provisions that threaten to keep postponed. tive whips broke a pairing agree- Party reforms put forward by a win that avoids a lengthy delay ever,” May wrote in The Sunday Some European ministers Britain indefi nitely following “It would obviously have to be ment when she had just given Cable, if passed at the spring to pulling out of the EU. Telegraph. have suggested postponing the bloc’s trade rules. a credible choice that’s real for birth to her second child. conference, would allow non- London has been paralysed by Two of her top ministers then Brexit until the end of 2020. A May’s Northern Irish coali- those that wanted to vote leave, The row, in which the Con- MPs to stand for the leadership. political inaction and chaos as it warned that May might not even delay that long could give Brit- tion partners — a tiny group or did vote leave in 2016, as well servative chair, Brandon Lewis, However, one party source said barrels toward the March 29 end submit her deal for a third vote ain time to decide to either keep playing an outsized role in UK as those that voted remain,” voted on a close amendment they were a “red herring” and it of its 46-year involvement in unless she secures suffi cient much closer EU ties or even have politics — fear getting economi- Corbyn said. when whips had agreed he would was highly unlikely that a non- the bloc without a plan. support from her own party Brexit reversed in a new national cally cut off from mainland Brit- Polls show the public remains abstain to cancel out Swinson’s MP would be elected as leader. Parliament has twice re- members who had previously poll — two options welcomed by ain. as split about Britain’s place in absence, kickstarted the intro- What is likely to have more ef- soundingly rejected the separa- voted against it. a range of European offi cials. And the opposition Labour Europe today as they were during duction of proxy voting for MPs fect on the race is the new com- tion terms May reached with the “It would be diffi cult to justi- The 27 EU leaders will discuss party has followed an ambigu- the referendum three years ago. on parental leave. position of the party member- other 27 EU leaders last year. fy having a vote if you knew you their Brexit options at a summit ous policy while pushing for Most show the pro-EU camp Davey, the energy and climate ship. One party offi cial estimated She doggedly vowed to bring were going to lose it,” Interna- on Brussels on Thursday and new elections that could topple ahead by a few percentage points. change secretary in the coali- that 70% of members had joined them back by Wednesday for a tional Trade Secretary Liam Fox Friday. May. But even some Britons who tion government, is said by party since 2015, and a large number third vote that — if it succeeds told Sky News. Hammond said the govern- “We are not supporting would prefer to keep their Eu- sources to have undertaken the who joined since the EU referen- — would see her ask the EU for “We will only bring the deal ment did “not yet” have the Theresa May’s deal at all be- ropean identities question the most direct preparation for a tilt dum had never voted in a leader- a “technical” Brexit delay until back if we are confi dent that numbers to win. cause we think it is a blindfold democratic merits of having an- at the leadership. They said they ship election. June. enough of our colleagues...are “It’s a work in progress and Brexit that we think is going other Brexit referendum.

William ‘turned to Philip Post Offi ce staff win for advice on Harry split’ fi rst fi ght in theft case Daily Mail ruled that the contract was ‘re- London lational’. Daily Mail Kate in one of the biggest royal always due to take place be- He said this meant the Post London shake-ups in recent years. cause of William’s future role as Offi ce could not act in a way The Duke and Duchess of Sus- Prince of Wales and, eventually, illage postmasters who ‘considered commercially unac- sex will move their entire staff king. say they were wrongly ceptable by reasonable and hon- rince William called the and offi ces to be with the Queen Both the Queen and Charles Vaccused of stealing due est people’, adding this implied Duke of Edinburgh for ad- at Buckingham Palace, cutting made clear to the brothers it to Post Offi ce computer glitches duty of ‘good faith’ also applied Pvice over the decision to all ties with Kensington Palace, would be better for all that the hailed an “emphatic win” in their to the subpostmasters. split his household from Prince where William and Kate live and shift was made sooner rather long-running legal battle. Alan Bates, one of the lead Harry’s, it was revealed. work. than later, it is understood. A More than 550 postal workers claimants in the case and a repre- He telephoned Philip, 97, at source said: “It’s about placing are involved in a group legal ac- sentative of the group Justice for Sandringham several weeks Both the Queen and the two dukes on a permanent tion against the Post Office over Subpostmasters Alliance, said: ago because he values his “wise Charles made clear to footing that ensures chang- the Horizon IT system intro- “This is a major step forward to counsel”, it is understood. the brothers it would es aren’t needed again (when duced between 1999 and 2000. achieving justice and getting to The prince knew the parting be better for all that the Charles accedes to the throne Represented by six lead the truth of the matter.” of ways from his younger brother shift was made sooner and William becomes Prince of claimants, they say the sys- In one passage from the judg- was inevitable, but was con- rather than later, it is Wales).” tem had software defects that ment, Justice Fraser noted: “The cerned about how it might look understood The Cambridges have made caused shortfalls in their ac- Post Offi ce describes itself on and wanted to be reassured that clear they will keep their court at counts, leading to them being its own website as “the nation’s Harry would be well supported Harry and Meghan have also Kensington Palace, rather than wrongly accused of theft and most trusted brand”. So far as by Buckingham Palace. appointed their own taxpayer- follow in Charles’s footsteps and dishonesty. these claimants, and the sub- To William’s mind, no one funded PR supremo, former move into Clarence House. Harry The case has been entangled ject matter of this group litiga- knows the set-up at the palace Clinton adviser Sara Latham, and Meghan have also turned in complex arguments about the tion, are concerned, this might better than his grandfather – or with the rest of their new house- down the mansion, saying they legal relationship between the be thought to be wholly wishful would give him a more unbiased hold funded by the Queen and see their new Windsor residence, subpostmasters and the Post Of- thinking.” opinion of the brothers’ plans. It Prince Charles privately. Frogmore Cottage, as their ‘for- fi ce, but the High Court has now The six lead claimants, who is not known what was discussed Aides have moved to quash ever home’. made a series of fi ndings in the all ran branches of the Post Of- between the pair but clearly the rumours that the change is due The Sussexes will join the fi rst of at least three trials in the fi ce, allege the Horizon system future king’s mind was put at to a rift between the two broth- Queen’s other children in having case. caused shortfalls in their ac- rest. ers and their wives after reports offi ces at Buckingham Palace. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Justice Fraser, who had been counts, which led to some be- On Thursday night it was an- that there have been diffi culties In the future, they may also take Cambridge attend the St Patrick’s Day parade to present shamrocks asked to look at the contrac- ing made bankrupt, while others nounced that Harry and Meghan between them. over a suite of rooms for when to off icers and guardsmen of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, at tual relationship between the were prosecuted and jailed for are to split from William and They insist the changes were they are staying in London. Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow, west London, yesterday. claimants and the Post Office, dishonesty. Gulf Times 16 Monday, March 18, 2019 EUROPE ‘Yellow vest’ rioting piles pressure on French govt

By Joelle Garrus, AFP work of chambers of trades and crafts. Paris Police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon to try repel protest- ers who gathered at the foot of the Arc he French government yesterday de Triomphe war memorial, which was faced heavy criticism over failing sacked by protesters on December 1. Tto maintain law and order during But for seven hours they continued to an arson and looting rampage by “yel- be pelted with paving stones by mostly low vest” protesters along the famous black-clad demonstrators. Champs-Elysees in Paris. A judicial source said 200 people, Some 80 shops and businesses along including 15 minors, were being held in the avenue were vandalised on Satur- custody after Saturday’s events. day when the protesters ran amok, with Earlier the authorities said 237 people about 20 looted or torched, retailers had been arrested. Right-wing Dveri party leader Bosko Obradovic (centre) scuff les with police forces during a demonstration against Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic outside said. In recent weeks, the protests have the presidential building in Belgrade yesterday. Saturday’s demonstrations were dwindled in size. characterised by a sharp increase in vio- But the interior ministry estimated lence after weeks of dwindling turnout. the turnout in Paris on Saturday at It was the 18th consecutive weekend 10,000, out of around 32,300 nation- of demonstrations which began in mid- wide. Serbs decry Vucic speech at presidential palace protest November as a protest against fuel price That is a fraction of the 282,000 peo- hikes but then morphed into a potent ple that took part in the inaugural dem- anti-government movement. onstrations across France on November AFP been held weekly in the Balkan coun- Djilas and Bosko Obradovic, head of the He also lashed out at the opposi- “There was a wave of violence, we’re 17, but more than the previous weekend. Belgrade try since December against what crit- right-wing Dveri party. tion, calling Obradovic a “fascist” and dealing with the aftermath of the chaos. President Emmanuel Macron cut ics describe as Vucic’s slide towards At yesterday’s demonstration, riot Djilas an “oligarch”. We’re trying to reassure all the em- short a skiing trip in the Pyrenees to re- autocratic rule. police — previously little seen at the Vucic, an ultra-nationalist turned ployees and then there are those who turn to Paris for a crisis meeting late on housands of demonstrators On Saturday night, dozens invaded usually peaceful rallies that began on pro-European, has rejected claims live here, too,” said Jean-Noel Rein- Saturday. rallied yesterday around Ser- the offi ces of RTS television — which December 8 — held back protesters that he has become autocratic. hardt, head of the Committee Champs- After those talks he vowed to take Tbia’s presidential palace in Bel- the protesters accuse of pandering to the scrambling to get into an area near to Serbia, which aspires to join the Elysees, a local association with 180 “strong decisions” to prevent further grade to protest a speech by President ruling party — demanding to address the where Vucic was to speak, according EU in 2025, was criticised by members, most of them businesses. violence. Aleksandar Vucic, a day after opposi- population, in images aired live. to an AFP journalist. In his press con- the European Commission last He said residents and business own- “There are people today who try by tion supporters stormed a state-run The leaders of opposition parties have ference at the presidential palace — year over press freedoms in the ers were pushing for talks with Prime all means...to damage the Republic by television building. become more visible at the protests, and broadcast live on RTS — Vucic said he country, denouncing threats, in- Minister Edouard Philippe “to share breaking, by destroying things at the The break-in marked a new bold- among those storming the RTS build- was not intimidated by the protesters, timidation and violence against our exasperation and explain our com- risk of killing someone,” Macron said. ness in opposition protests that have ing were former Belgrade mayor Dragan whom he called “hooligans”. journalists. plaints”. Back in November Macron was “The authorities must put an end to caught off guard when grassroots pro- this situation,” he insisted. testers began occupying traffi c rounda- Socialist mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo bouts over fuel taxes. said she was waiting for “an explana- He has loosened the state’s purse tion” from the government, declaring strings to the tune of 10bn euros Fuelled by China fears, Russians protest Baikal bottling plant herself “really angry” at the “unprec- ($11.2bn) to try defuse the protests. edented violence”. But the measures failed to quell the In an interview in the Le Parisien anger of the demonstrators, who accuse By Maria Antonova, AFP The campaign to shut down the AkvaSib representative Alexei As tourism and business grew, so newspaper Hidalgo added “we should the former investment banker of being Moscow project has spread across social media Azarov said it passed through neces- did local distrust. be able to master a situation like the one elitist and favouring the rich. in recent months without involve- sary hearings and got the green light Last week a state TV report ‘Baikal we have just witnessed”. Opposition parties yesterday took ment by major environmental NGOs. after an environmental assessment. on Tap’ focussed on a Chinese hotel “We are in the middle of a major so- aim at the government’s failure to deal China-funded project to bot- The plant was already under con- “Nobody was against it” at the for Chinese tourists offi cially listed as cial and political crisis...we can’t carry with the violence on the streets. tle water from Russia’s Lake struction on the southern tip of the time, he told AFP. a private home. on like this.” Far-right leader Marine Le Pen ac- ABaikal has caused a backlash in lake, which holds one-fi fth of the Azarov said the facility would not The TV crew unsuccessfully tried The prestigious Champs-Elysees, cused the government of shutting down Siberia, where people are increasingly planet’s fresh water. close off village access to the lake, and to interview the man in charge who known for its shops, cafes and luxury far-right pressure groups while failing angry about what they see as a Chi- But last week, following the back- would provide the locals with 150 jobs, did not speak Russian. boutiques, has been the focal point for to deal with the ultra-left. nese land-grab. lash, a Russian court ordered that and authorities with tax revenue. “Where is your food permit?” the the demonstrations which have often Meanwhile Xavier Bertrand, the pres- Ecologists and local authorities building work be halted until com- Siberian environmentalist Alex- presenter shouted as the tourists con- turned violent, sparking running battles ident of the regional council in northern have previously touted bottling the plaints of violations could be inves- ander Kolotov said there were some sumed their lunch, ignoring her. between police and protesters. France, said the government should not water of the world’s largest lake as a tigated. problems with the plant’s location, “What kind of food is this?” she On Saturday, the police appeared be afraid “to use force and the force of “green” way of profi ting from Sibe- The company building the plant, but that the “anti-China factor is very asked, opening pots. overrun as protesters swarmed the area, law.” ria’s natural resources. previously lauded by the regional clear” in the current protest. “For Siberians, there are two vandalising and later setting fi re to Fou- He asked “why did the police not in- But a petition calling on Russian government, says it is surprised by The case “hits the bullseye of the things that are like a red rag to a bull quet’s brasserie, a favourite hangout of tervene, what instructions were given?” “patriots” to demand the removal the criticism. fears and stereotypes of modern Rus- and cause an immediate reaction,” the rich and famous for the past century Weekly newspaper Le Journal du of an under-construction “Chi- The plant in question, in the vil- sians, that ‘China will gulp down our said Svetlana Pavlova, chief editor — as well as luxury handbag store Long- Dimanche asked “What were the police nese plant on the shores of our Lake lage of Kultuk, is built by the Russian national heritage’.” of Irkutsk-based IRK.ru news web- champ. doing? The levels of damage wrought Baikal” has gathered almost a million AkvaSib company, which had plans to It follows similar protests against Chi- site. Clothing outlets Hugo Boss, Lacoste raises questions about the eff ectiveness signatures. start production later this year. na cutting down forests across Siberia, “One is the Chinese which ‘have and Celio were also damaged, as well as of our forces of law and order”. The water “will be shipped to Chi- But the fi nancial backing comes which have led some regions to cancel taken over everything and leave a bank, a chocolatier and several news- European parliamentarian Nadine na,” the petition says, warning that from a company called ‘Baikal Lake’ agreements with Chinese companies. trash’ and the second is encroach- stands. Morano, of the right-wing Republicans the facility will block local access to based in China’s Daqing, according to Chinese presence in the region ex- ment on the lake. And here it so hap- “Enough is enough. And this Satur- party, got in a stinging blow, tweeting the lake and “infl ict irreparable dam- a statement from the Irkutsk authori- ploded after the rouble crashed in pens that the company building the day went too far!” raged Bernard Stalter, about Macron enjoying himself on the age” to the Unesco World Heritage ties in 2017, when they gave the $21mn 2014 and the Russian government plant is 99% owned by Chinese na- president of CMA France, a national net- ski slopes while “Paris is on fi re”. Site. project priority status. eased tourist visa restrictions. tionals.”

Govt critic on track to become Slovakia’s fi rst woman president

By Laszlo Juhasz and is improbable,” Bratislava-based Robert Fico, who was prime change is not to everyone’s lik- Anna Maria Jakubek, AFP analyst Grigorij Meseznikov told minister at the time, was forced ing, with some more conserva- Bratislava AFP. to resign but he remains leader of tive voters also dissatisfi ed with “By choosing Caputova, peo- the populist-left Smer-SD and Smer, said political analyst Pa- ple have strongly called for is a close ally of current premier vol Babos. overnment critic Zuzana change for the better in accord- Peter Pellegrini. That electorate voted for two Caputova secured a huge ance with the values of liberal “These anti-government pro- anti-migrant candidates: Su- Gfi rst-round win over the democracy,” he said. tests and their consequences preme Court judge and EU critic ruling party candidate in Slova- “Those who want continuity showed the people that their Stefan Harabin, and Marian Kot- kia’s weekend election, putting and Smer-SD to remain in power opinion mattered. It was a very leba, a far-right lawmaker known her one step closer to becoming are in the clear minority.” important factor in the election,” for his hostility to the Roma mi- the country’s fi rst female presi- Running on a slogan of “Stand Meseznikov said. nority. dent. up to evil,” the divorced mother “Slovakia is on the right track,” “These two candidates earned Offi cial results showed Capu- of two had joined tens of thou- said outgoing President Andrej 25% together which is not a neg- tova securing more than twice sands of protesters who took to Kiska, a liberal millionaire who ligible part of the society,” Babos the votes of her rival Maros Sef- the streets after the killing of has endorsed Caputova. told AFP. covic, suggesting the electorate journalist Jan Kuciak who was in- “Caputova is exactly the per- According to a new opinion had shunned the political estab- vestigating political corruption. son who can pull Slovakia out of poll by the Focus pollster, Capu- lishment following last year’s Kuciak and his fi ancee were the crisis,” he said in a Facebook tova would secure 64% of the shock murder of an investigative gunned down in February 2018 video message after the results run-off vote to Sefcovic’s 36%. journalist probing corruption. just as he was about to publish rolled in. Bratislava voter Lubomir Bre- The liberal environmental a story on alleged ties between Speaking yesterday, Caputova cka is counting on her to win. lawyer, who secured 40% of the Slovak politicians and the Italian said she would “try to address “I hope we all realise we have it vote, is almost certain to win mafi a. voters whose candidates did not in our hands and we won’t let this the March 30 run-off against The murder shocked the na- make it to the second round”. change go,” he told AFP. European Commission vice- tion and raised fears about media One of the leaders of Progres- Though the offi ce is largely president Sefcovic, who took just freedom and political corrup- sive Slovakia, a non-parliamen- ceremonial, the president ratifi es 19%. tion. tary party, she is a community international treaties, appoints The outcome is likely to spell It also sparked the largest anti- activist who won a top prize for top judges, is the commander- trouble for the governing Smer- government protests since com- grassroots environmental activ- in-chief of the armed forces and SD ahead of next year’s general munist times in the central Eu- ism for her successful campaign can veto laws passed by parlia- election. ropean country of 5.4mn people, to block a landfi ll in her native ment. “Caputova has such a large which spent decades behind the town of Pezinok. Turnout in round one of the lead that Sefcovic would have to Iron Curtain before joining the Though many Slovaks are presidential election was nearly Presidential candidates Maros Sefcovic (left) and Zuzana Caputova take part in a television debate at TV attract nearly all the unsuccess- European Union, the eurozone fed up with the main political 49%, a little higher than what Markiza in Bratislava yesterday. ful candidates’ voters and that and Nato. players, Caputova’s version of the country is used to. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 17 INDIA Kirron Kher faces fi ght from Congress and within BJP

IANS former railways minister Pawan neck as claimants for the party come for Coff eeWithKirron don’t vocates, industrialists, house- voters live in the 114-sq km Un- things for Chandigarh in the last Chandigarh Kumar Bansal, actor-turned- ticket. Both were ticket aspirants leave your kids behind :) . My- wives, youth, children, busi- ion Territory. fi ve years. These include the re- politician Kirron Kher did well last time also but Kirron man- CityMyPeople,” Kirron’s Twit- nessmen and several others. She is posting photos with lo- cently sanctioned fl yover from for her fi rst political outing as aged to beat them down. ter handle states as she banks on “Her star status defi nitely cal residents, especially elderly Tribune Chowk to Zirakpur to he quintessential ‘Mum- the Bharatiya Janata Party can- Taking a cue from the popular the popularity of Prime Minister gives her an edge but that might voters and even with children ease traffi c, allowing need-based myji’ of Bollywood mov- didate. TV chat show Cofee with Ka- Narendra Modi and her own ce- not essentially convert into to drive home the family-type changes in housing board fl ats Ties is donning her moth- Hailing from Chandigarh it- ran (of director Karan Johar), in lebrity status to impress voters. votes. Many people just come to feeling. There are nearly 84,000 and conversion of residential erly avatar as she begins her over self, the 63-year-old Kirron whose fi nal episode she came “None of the local top leaders see her and get selfi es clicked,” elderly voters in the city. leasehold properties to freehold, two-month long electoral cam- not only faces a tough challenge as a jury member, Kirron has have so far been seen campaign- Anjali, a homemaker who at- Tandon, whose group does among other things. paign to retain the Chandigarh from the Congress but also from launched her own localised ver- ing with her. Till the ticket is de- tended one of Kirron’s events, not get along with Kirron politi- The nearly 6.2 lakh electorate Lok Sabha seat. within the local unit of the BJP. sion in Chandigarh with Cofee- cided, no one is ready to project told IANS. cally, is holding his own ‘Chai Pe of Chandigarh (population of Having been elected from here Chandigarh BJP president WithKirron. her as the candidate even though Besides the city’s sectors, Kir- Charcha’ at diff erent venues. over 11 lakh) will decide its next in the 2014 general election by a Sanjay Tandon and former MP “NamoAgain is the future of she is the sitting MP,” a BJP lead- ron will have to focus specially The two leaders are not seen MP on May 18. Approximately margin of nearly 70,000 votes from the Union Territory, Satya India. So is this lovely kid. And er told IANS. She is campaigning on colonies and rehabilitation at each other’s functions. Kirron 40,000 new voters have been and defeating four-time MP and Pal Jain, are breathing down her all such sweethearts. When you at her own level - meeting ad- houses where a big chunk of city claims that she has done a lot of added since the 2014 elections. Priyanka visit to Lucknow cheers party workers ahead of polls

IANS “Due to stagnation in the state’s Lucknow politics, the youth, women, farm- ers and labourers are in distress. They want to share their plight ongress general secretary and pains. But their voice has been Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s suppressed in the din of the elec- Carrival here yesterday has toral arithmetic,” she said. once again enthused party work- “I want to assure you that we ers ahead of crucial 2019 Lok would bring transformation into Sabha elections. the politics on the basis of truth Vadra, who held her last meet- and resolution.” ing at the Nehru Bhawan offi ce on Vadra said she was attached to February 14 during her fi rst visit this land spiritually. after being made in charge of Vadra, considered the second eastern Uttar Pradesh, returned most prominent leader in the to the state capital Lucknow yes- party after her brother and party terday to meet party workers and president Rahul Gandhi, is be- groups who had been protesting ing seen as a turn-around leader Shah Faesal, a former bureaucrat from Jammu and Kashmir, waves to supporters after launching his political party ahead of general election, in Srinagar yesterday. against Chief Minister Yogi Adi- for the party in the state, where tyanath’s Bharatiya Janata Party it was reduced to its family bor- government in the state. oughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli Soon after her arrival at the seats in the 2014 elections, while party offi ce, scores of Congress the BJP-led National Demo- workers gathered to cheer her cratic Alliance won 73 out of the and raise slogans against Prime state’s 80 seats. Minister Narendra Modi. They Uttar Pradesh will vote in all also played Holi with each other. seven phases of the Lok Sabha Ex-IAS offi cer launches Surendra Singh, a former state elections scheduled from April 11 minister during Congress rule in to May 19. The counting of votes the 1980s, told IANS that “con- will take place on May 23. ditions in the state have changed z Rahul Gandhi will kick start after the arrival of Priyanka Gan- the party’s poll campaign in Ma- dhi in active politics”. nipur and two other northeast- Singh, who hails from Ballia and ern states next week, party lead- new party in Kashmir was to meet her along with other ers said. leaders, said, “People are excited Gandhi will visit the state on IANS Rajbagh, which was festooned face all criticism, but our pur- “Promotion of sustainable former Kashmir chief minister to listen to Priyanka Gandhi as she March 19, Congress Legislature Srinagar with banners and white fl ags suit to usher in a new tomorrow development strategies, build and vice president of the Na- is the daughter of the state.” Party leader Okram Ibobi and carrying Faesal’s picture. will continue undeterred.” a progressive, gender-sensitive tional Conference (NC) Omar On her proposed boat tour state Congress unit president Addressing the gather- The former Indian Adminis- political institution with tradi- Abdullah said his party was from Prayagraj (formerly Alla- Gaikhangam told reporters after former Jammu and ing mostly comprising youth, trative Service (IAS) offi cer said tional values and modern sen- open to a pre-poll alliance with habad) to Varanasi from March 18 returning from Delhi. Kashmir bureaucrat yes- Faesal said: “I joined the civil Kashmiri politicians were living sibilities. To uplift marginalised the Congress if it agreed to to 20, Congress worker Shahshi Announcing Gandhi’s pro- Aterday launched a new services 10 years back. Over the in a state of mental siege and communities like the Gujjars NC’s seat sharing formula for Kant Tripathi said, “During her gramme, Gaikhangam said, “Our political party at an impressive years, I realised that my diagno- slavery. “This all-pervading and the Bakerwals, especially the upcoming Lok Sabha elec- river ride, she will connect with party president will arrive at public rally. sis as a doctor was wrong. mentality of siege has to go,” he after the Kathua rape case. tions. the people of lower castes like Imphal from Arunachal Pradesh Scores of supporters from “I believed that by provid- asserted. “To work for a transparent, “We have received an offer the fi shermen community, Bind on March 19. He is likely to halt diff erent parts of Kashmir Val- ing roads, electricity and safe Faesal also spoke of his per- clean corruption-free politics from the Congress, but we are community and others residing there in the night. He will ad- ley attended the launch of Shah drinking water, we could change sonal resolve to remain truth- in J&K.” very clear about taking for- near the banks of the Ganga.” dress a public meeting at Hafta Faesal’s Jammu and Kashmir the lives of the people. But I ful. “My entire family is here in The 2010 IAS batch topper ward any alliance plan only Tripathi also said that during Kangjeibung the next day after People’s Movement (JKPM), have understood that as long this gathering today. My little resigned from the IAS in Janu- if our candidates are to con- her journey, Vadra will also dent which he will leave for Tripura.” whose slogan is “Hawa Badlegi” as the youth in Kashmir live in son is listening to what I say and ary this year to protest unabated test all the Lok Sabha seats in the upper caste votes of the BJP Ibobi, Gaikhangam and some (winds of time will change). a state of constant fear, as long promise. I will do nothing to killings in Kashmir and the mar- Kashmir.” as she will touch many Rajput senior leaders of the party had Jawaharlal Nehru University as our mothers and sisters face prove to my son that his father ginalisation of Indian Muslims. Kashmir has six Lok Sabha and Brahmin dominated villages. rushed to Delhi to fi nalise the (JNU) students’ leader Shehla the prospect of losing their dig- made false promises or lied to Faesal blamed the central seats, three in the Valley, two in Earlier, she assured the people party candidates from the state’s Rashid and some other promi- nity and dear ones, nothing will his people,” he said. government for subverting the Jammu division and one in of transforming politics in Ut- two Lok Sabha seats. nent people across the geo- work here. The objectives of JKPM are public institutions like the Re- the Ladakh division. tar Pradesh. In an open letter, Ibobi said that the names of graphical and religious divide in “It is natural for many to dis- “to work for an inclusive and serve Bank of India (RBI), Cen- Abdullah also criticised the Vadra talked about her old ties the two candidates had been the state have also joined Fae- credit a new idea and understate pluralistic society with ad- tral Bureau of Investigation central government for not with Uttar Pradesh and asserted fi nalised. “However the high sal’s party. a revolution, when they see one equate political representation (CBI) and the National Investi- holding the state assembly elec- that it was her “responsibility to command would make the an- The launch ceremony took in the making. Some say we are for under-privileged communi- gation Agency (NIA). tions simultaneously with the change the politics of the state”. nouncement,” he said. place at the Gindun Park in agents of the army. I am ready to ties. In other developments, Lok Sabha polls. NDA announces Bihar Getting ready for Holi Hema Malini not keen seat-sharing accord to shift constituency IANS work in the constituency and Mathura several mega projects are still IANS landa, Gaya, Jehanabad, Siwan The names of NDA candidates in the process. If she shifted Patna and Karakat. will be announced in two-three out of the constituency, those The BJP will fi eld candidates days. eteran actress and Lok projects would get neglected, in West Champaran, East Cham- Meanwhile, the BJP an- Sabha MP from Math- they say. ihar’s ruling Bharatiya Ja- paran, Sheohar, Madhubani, nounced its fi rst list of 123 can- Vura-Vrindavan, Hema In the SP-BSP-RLD alli- nata Party-led National Araria, Darbhanga, Muzaff arpur, didates for the assembly elec- Malini, yesterday assured her ance, the Mathura seat has BDemocratic Alliance Maharajganj, Saran, Ujiyarpur, tions in Andhra Pradesh where supporters that she would not gone to the Rashtriya Lok Dal, (NDA) yesterday offi cially an- Begusarai, Sasaram, Auranga- the polls are due on April 11. shift to neighbouring Fateh- which is likely to fi eld Jayant nounced seat-sharing formula bad, Buxar, Ara, Patna Saheb and The party took the decision at pur Sikri Lok Sabha constitu- Choudhary who lost to Hema for the Lok Sabha elections. Patliputra. a meeting held on Saturday un- ency to make way for Sri Kant Malini last time. Another The announcement was made The LJP will contest Vaishali, der BJP chief Amit Shah. Prime Sharma, energy minister in name doing rounds is senior at a joint press conference ad- Hajipur, Jamui, Khagaria, Sa- Minister Narendra Modi, Home the Uttar Pradesh govern- journalist Vineet Narain. dressed by BJP state president mastipur and Nawada seats. Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance ment. In other developments, BJP Nityanand Rai, the Lok Janshakti The BJP has ceded to the JD-U Minister Arun Jaitley and Ex- Sources said the Bharatiya leader Prakash Javadekar ac- Party state president Pashupati fi ve seats - Valmikinagar, Gaya, ternal Aff airs Minister Sushma Janata Party (BJP) core group cused the Congress of vitiating Kumar Paras and Janata Dal- Siwan, Gopalganj and Jhanjhar- Swaraj were present at the meet- has all but decided to replace civil discourse by continuously United leader Vashishth Narain pur - that it won in 2014. ing. sitting MP Chaudhary Babu using foul language against Singh. The NDA won 31 of the 40 The BJP is fi elding candidates Lal with Hema Malini in Fateh- Prime Minister Narendra Modi According to the agreement, seats in the state in 2014. Of this, against the Telugu Desam Party pur Sikri, a Jaat stronghold. and said such abusiveness was the JD-U and the BJP will con- the BJP won 22, LJP 6 and the (TDP), led by Andhra Pradesh According to sources, party in the party’s DNA. test 17 seats each and the LJP of Upendra Kushwaha-led Rash- Chief Minister N Chandrababu leaders believe the seat could “We live in a democracy but federal Minister Ram Vilas Pas- triya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) 3. Naidu, and the YSR Congress be a walkover for Hema Malini they are of the view that no wan six. The RLSP has joined the opposi- Party of Jagan Mohan Reddy, if her husband, actor Dhar- one else has the right to rule Singh said the JD-U will tion Grand Alliance this time. which are the two main parties A vendor sells coloured powder known as ‘Gulal’ ahead of mendra, a Jaat, campaigns for except them. And now as long contest in Valmikinagar, Si- The JD-U, not part of the NDA in the state. the festival of Holi in Siliguri, West Bengal, yesterday. Holi, the her. as Modi is there, they cannot tamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Su- then, had contested the 2014 Earlier in the day, the YSR spring festival of colours, is observed in India at the end of But Hema Malini has shown even dream of coming back to paul, Kishanganj, Katihar, elections on its own and could Congress had released its full list the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month, no interest in the proposal. power, therefore this abusive- Purnea, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, win only two seats - Purnea and of candidates for 25 Lok Sabha and will be celebrated on March 21 this year. Her supporters claim the ac- ness,” Javadekar said at a press Gopalganj, Banka, Munger, Na- Nawada. and 175 assembly seats. tress has done considerable conference. Gulf Times 18 Monday, March 18, 2019 INDIA Goa CM Parrikar dead after long battle with cancer

IANS York since then, had turned “ex- Other leaders, cutting across untimely demise of my good and admired across party lines, The fi rst Bharatiya Janata Panaji tremely critical” yesterday, the party lines, mourned his death. friend Manohar Parrikarji. An he was one of Goa’s favour- Party leader to be Goa’s chief chief minister’s offi ce tweeted “Shri Manohar Parrikar is no epitome of impeccable integrity, ite sons. My condolences to minister, Parrikar headed the earlier in the day. President Ram more. A sincere, honest & sensi- a down to earth personality, the his family in this time of grief,” state from 2000-05 and 2012- oa Chief Minister Mano- Nath Kovind expressed his grief. tive political activist. Was simple fi rst IITian to become CM of a tweeted Congress president Ra- 14, before joining Prime Minister har Parrikar died yester- “Extremely sorry to hear of and down to earth, I learnt a lot state, great son of India gone too hul Gandhi. Narendra Modi government as Gday evening after a pro- the passing of Shri Manohar from Shri Parrikar. As Raksha soon... RIP my dear friend...,” Congress general secretary defence minister in 2014. longed battle with cancer. He Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, Mantri his contribution to mak- federal Aviation Minister Suresh Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, “My The country’s fi rst Indian In- was 63. after an illness borne with forti- ing the armed forces a modern- Prabhu said in a tweet. condolences to the bereaved stitute of Technology alumnus The condition of Parrikar, tude and dignity. An epitome of ised, lean & mean fi ghting ma- “I am deeply saddened by the family of Shri Manohar Parrikar. to serve as the chief minister of a diagnosed with advanced pan- integrity and dedication in pub- chine will remain unparalleled,” news of the passing of Goa CM, I met him only once, when he state, he assumed the mantle on creatic cancer in February last lic life, his service to the people tweeted Defence Minister Nir- Shri Manohar ParrikarJi, who graciously visited my mother at four occasions from 2000, but year and in and out of hospitals of Goa and of India will not be mala Sithraman. bravely battled a debilitating ill- the hospital two years ago. May could not complete a single full in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New forgotten,” he said in a tweet. “Extremely saddened by the ness for over a year. Respected his soul rest in peace.” term in offi ce. Parrikar

El Nino may aff ect Indian toll in monsoon this year, says report Christchurch

IANS New Delhi attack is fi ve, l Nino may make a come- back this year to upset the Eexpectations of a good monsoon, according to the latest report by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration (NOAA). says embassy El Nino is a climate cycle formed in the Pacifi c Ocean with Agencies been trying to confi rm the safety Imran and his mother were an impact on weather patterns New Delhi of their relatives after 28-year- camping outside the hospital across the globe. The cycle begins old Australian white suprema- trying desperately to retrieve when warm water in the western cist Brenton Tarrant allegedly Khokhar’s body. tropical Pacifi c Ocean shifts east- ive Indians were among the launched his murderous rampage. But there was no progress, ward along the equator towards 50 worshippers killed in Mohsin Vora, the brother of they said. the coast of South America. Fthe Christchurch mosque Asif, said that they were initial- “We saw his name on televi- NOAA forecasters have said attacks, with at least two others ly told his brother and nephew sion but the police there are not that there is a 60% chance of reported to be injured, offi cials were injured in the attack, before telling us anything,” Altaf said. El Nino conditions continuing said yesterday. a family member identifi ed their Khokhar had been scheduled through June to August in India. India’s High Commission bodies when they fl ew to New to fl y back to India yesterday The India Meteorological De- in New Zealand confi rmed the Zealand. with his wife. partment (IMD), however, main- deaths in a tweet, following the Vora said his 56-year-old Altaf does not have a passport tained that neutral El Nino-South- devastating shootings at twin brother had gone to meet his new so cannot join his mother and his ern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions mosques in the normally peace- grandchild a month ago. younger brother in New Zealand. are prevailing at present, indicat- ful city. “I and (the) parents of Ramiz’s “Nothing is clear to us,” he ing weak El Nino formation. “With a very heavy heart we wife have been granted visas. We said. “El Nino was supposed to start share the news of loss of precious will be leaving for New Zealand The Indian High Commission at the end of last year but it was lives of our 5 nationals in ghastly soon,” Vora said. said that Immigration New Zea- wrongly predicted. Currently terror attack in Christchurch,” Meanwhile, Khokhar’s son land has set up a dedicated web- there is a very weak prevalence the High Commission in Wel- Imran, 27, he had dropped off his page to expedite visas for family of El Nino. Some models suggest lington said. father at the Al Noor mosque and members of the victims. that it would retain for the next Three of the dead from the was still in the parking lot when The high commission had two to three months, and only mass shooting at Al Noor he heard the screams. previously said it was trying to thereafter it will weaken. Even at mosque were from Gujarat. He raced towards the mosque locate nine Indian individuals this stage it is weak,” D S Pai, a sci- They were father and son vic- doors to reach his father, who including two people of Indian entist at IMD in Pune, told IANS. tims Asif and Ramiz Vora, and was visiting him from India, origin. Earlier this year, the Minis- 65-year-old retiree Mahboob when locals stopped him from Prime Minister Narendra try of Earth Sciences had said Khokhar, who was visiting his getting close. Modi wrote to his New Zealand that there was no indication of son in Christchurch. However, Imran has yet to get counterpart Jacinda Ardern con- El Nino developing and it won’t Ansi Karippakulam Alibava – a glimpse of his father’s body, he demning the attacks and said have any impact on the upcom- a 25-year-old from Kerala, who told his elder brother Altaf, who hatred and violence had no place ing monsoon. had lived with her husband in lives in Surendranagar in Gu- in diverse and democratic socie- “It is too early to talk about Christchurch since last year as jarat. ties. its impact on monsoon. May be she studied for a masters – was “Why am I not being allowed A white supremacist mani- around mid-April and May-end also confi rmed dead. to see my father’s body?,” an agi- festo by the suspect, published we will have a clear picture of El The fi fth victim, Ozair Kadir, tated Imran told Altaf, 40, who online and sent to Ardern’s offi ce Nino’s prevalence,” Pai added. was an aspiring commercial pilot spoke to Reuters via telephone. minutes before the attack, char- El Nino forecasts, issued in from Hyderabad. Khokhar, 65, a retired area acterised immigrants as “invad- December 2018 by the IMD for An External Aff airs Ministry manager at a local state-owned ers” and singled out India, China the January-February-March offi cial in New Delhi said that power utility in Gujarat, was on and Turkey as “potential nation period this year, maintained they are “in process of ascertain- his maiden visit to New Zealand enemies in the East.” that the Sea Surface Tempera- ing information about all Indi- with his wife to see their son, Approximately 200,000 Indi- tures (SSTs), which is the main ans aff ected by the terror attack”. who had left India in 2010, Altaf ans and people of Indian origin indicator of the development of The offi cial denied Indian me- said. live in New Zealand. the phenomenon, would remain A poster of Ansi Karippakulam Alibava, who was killed in Friday’s mosque attacks in New Zealand, is dia reports that claimed seven However, the local police had More than 30,000 of them are slightly warm over the central put up in Kodungalloor town in Kerala yesterday. The words on the poster read: “Condolence to Ansi, people were killed in the attack. not confi rmed Khokhar’s death students, according to the High Pacifi c region. 25, daughter of Karipakulam Alibava killed in a terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand”. Desperate families in India have to the family, Altaf said. Commission website. Former SC judge Ghose Chariot festival Court to decide on to be India’s fi rst Lokpal trial of legislator IANS members of the legislative as- IANS government challenging a high ty and Executive Chairman, State New Delhi sembly for being prosecuted in New Delhi court verdict acquitting her and Legal Services Authority, West a criminal case for an off ence three others in a disproportion- Bengal, from January 2, 2007 and involving off er or acceptance of ate assets case. August 1, 2007 respectively. fi ve-judge constitution bribe is rooted in the election of ormer Supreme Court He is a former judge of the Since January 14, 2005, he bench of the Supreme two Rajya Sabha members from judge Justice Pinaki Chan- Calcutta High Court and a was associated with Indian Law ACourt will begin hear- Jharkhand in March 2012. Fdra Ghose is tipped to be former chief justice of the And- Institute (Kolkata chapter) and ing on fi ve matters, including The Jharkhand High Court the fi rst Lokpal (anti-corruption hra Pradesh High Court. acted as the treasurer of the In- whether a state legislator can had on February 17, 2014 reject- ombudsman) of India. Born in Kolkata, Justice Ghose dian Law Institute till May 22, escape criminal prosecution for ed the plea for the quashing of His name was fi nalised and is son of late Justice Sambhu 2012. He was chairman of In- accepting or off ering bribe by a trial court order taking cog- recommended by a selection Chandra Ghose, a former chief stitutional Ethics Committee citing immunity under Article nizance by JMM lawmaker Sita committee comprising Prime justice of the Calcutta High Court. of National Institute of Cholera 194(2) of the Constitution. Soren for allegedly accepting Minister Narendra Modi, Chief He graduated in Commerce and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata. Other matters before the money from a contestant. Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha from St Xavier’s College, Kolka- Jutice Ghose’s appointment constitution bench include the Later the Election Commis- Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and ta, and completed his Law degree has come nearly fi ve years after interpretation of Section 24 sion countermanded the elec- eminent jurist Mukul Rohatgi. from the University of Calcutta the Lokpal Act was notifi ed on of the right to fair compensa- tion to the Rajya Sabha from Congress leader in the Lok and obtained Attorney-at-Law January 16, 2014. tion and transparency in land Jharkhand. Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, who at Calcutta High Court. The law provides for a Lokpal at acquisition, the Rehabilitation In the right to fair compen- is part of the committee, did not He enrolled as an advocate on the national level and Lokayuktas and Resettlement Act, 2013, sation and transparency in attend the meeting. Ghose, 67, November 30, 1976 with the Bar in states to probe cases of corrup- whether a citizen is entitled land acquisition, the bench who is a member of the National Council of West Bengal. tion against public servants. to seek information on the ap- would examine the correctness Human Rights Commission He practised in civil, commer- The Supreme Court, hearing a pointment of top court and of the payment of compensa- (NHRC) since June 2017, retired cial, arbitration, constitutional petition fi led by NGO Common high court judges and chal- tion to the land owners whose from the Supreme Court on May and company matters both in the Cause, represented by advocate lenge to the restructuring and land has been acquired as well 27, 2017. He was among the top original side and appellate side Prashant Bhushan, has been re-organisation of 19 tribunals as when the award granting 10 candidates shortlisted by the at Calcutta High Court. pushing the government to make that was brought by the 2017 compensation would come Lokpal search committee. On July 17, 1997, Justice Ghose the appointments. In its hear- Finance act. into eff ect. In July 2015, a Supreme Court was elevated as a permanent ing on January 4, the court had The hearing will commence The matter was referred to bench of Justice Ghose issued a judge of the Calcutta High Court. asked the government to appoint Hindu devotees are sprinkled with water as they pull a on March 27. the Constitution bench fol- notice to late former Tamil Nadu He held the post of Executive a Lokpal at the earliest, saying chariot decorated with flowers during a chariot festival in The question whether arti- lowing confl icting judgments chief minister J Jayalalithaa Chairman, Andaman and Nico- “much time has elapsed, some- Chennai yesterday. cle 194(2) of the Constitution by two benches of the top on a petition by the Karnataka bar State Legal Services Authori- thing needs to be done”. confers any immunity on the court – each with three judges. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 19 LATIN AMERICA Mexico open to issuing Pemex instrument on exchange

Reuters Teasing the possibility of a strengthening Pemex, has fa- raise Mexico’s sovereign bor- other options, other alterna- tal issued by companies without today, a national holiday in Mex- Mexico City such an experiment, President voured public spending for the rowing costs. tives, such as what you asked having to take on new owners by ico that commemorates the 1938 Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador highly indebted company such Responding to a question at about, the possibility of investor selling their stock. nationalisation of the country’s said he did not “rule out” activ- as the recent authorisation for a his regular morning press con- participation bonds in the stock In the past, Pemex has is- oil industry and the birth of he fi nances of Mexico’s ity in the local market for wholly $3.9bn capital injection from the ference about whether he would market,” said the veteran left- sued local debt notes known as Pemex. national oil company government-owned Pemex, government that included new consider some form of Pemex ist. “We won’t rule that out, but Cebures that are traded on the Analyst Jesus Lopez of TPemex are strong, the such as issuing some form of fi - tax relief. listing on the local stock ex- there’s no need for (additional) Mexican stock exchange. Monterrey-based Banco Base country’s president said, but nancial instrument, but added Ratings agencies say that is change to allow Mexicans to in- fi nancing, Pemex has enough The government is expected to said the president’s plans for added he is open to issuing some such a move to boost the fi rm’s not enough to stabilise Pemex, vest in the state-owned oil pro- budget.” unveil additional measures this Pemex “for now” do not include form of instrument on the local available capital is not necessary. creaking under $106bn of debt, ducer, Lopez Obrador off ered a It was not immediately clear week to support the company. any future dividend payments to stock exchange that could pro- Lopez Obrador, who won and have put its credit rating at small surprise. whether the president was refer- Without giving details, Lopez would-be investors, but he ap- vide the fi rm with more invest- a landslide election last year one notch above junk, increasing “We have healthy public fi - ring to profi t participation cer- Obrador said new plans for the peared to be fl irting with new ment capacity. on promises that included fears of a downgrade that could nances, but we do not rule out tifi cates, a means of raising capi- company would be announced tools for Pemex. Mental stress Anti-Ortega protest cases on the increase in Venezuela

AFP of 30mn inhabitants who are Caracas reduced to daily protests and struggling to survive against a tsunami of hyperinfl ation and scarli is afraid of the dark. lack of cash, food and medicine. German appears absent. For days it paralysed the EYuri tips into rage at the country, knocking out bank card smallest upset. terminals in shops used to elec- Mental malaise in Venezuela is tronically pay for what goods growing, a hidden anguish add- were available, forcing citizens ing to the litany of ills ravaging to increasingly turn to the only the country. currency available: dollars. A nationwide blackout, un- Water pumps stopped work- precedented in scale and length, ing. Some hospitals without only worsened the psychologi- standalone generators collapsed. Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against the government of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega in Managua, Nicaragua. cal descent for Venezuelans as “We’re in a bad way, and on they watched cash machines and guard because there’s loot- water pipes shut down for lack ing going on, some establish- of electricity, and their homes ments are being robbed. There plunged into darkness. is tension. Police are fi ring shots, The outage lasted fi ve days. running after those people. But the trauma goes on, giving You lock your doors but don’t some residents a haunted look know if they’re going to turn on — people tottering on the edge you,” said Gabriela Martinez, a after four years of political and 37-year-old administrator. socioeconomic crisis. For Mayaro Ortega, a psychol- Bolsonaro heads to US to “There is desperation,” summed ogist and researcher at the Na- up Jorge de Avila, a 38-year-old tional Autonomous University store employee who lined up at of Mexico, “this state of chronic dawn to buy canisters of cooking emergency is a risk factor for de- gas in a dangerous poor district in veloping post-traumatic stress.” the southeast of Caracas. When someone is incapable The neighbourhood of make- of securing basic necessities cement ties with Trump shift houses spent seven days and personal safety, they can with no power, and two weeks fall victim to panic attacks even AFP since taking offi ce on January 1. has long expressed his admira- key result of his current trip Trump has repeatedly in- without water. The little food while outwardly appearing calm, Brasilia He attended the Davos sum- tion for Trump. would be the signing of an sisted that “all options are on stored in fridges spoiled, and the she explained. “Children are the mit in Switzerland in January. He echoes the US leader in agreement under which the US the table” with regards to Ven- local clinic ceased operations. most vulnerable.” Bolsonaro, who will also meet spurning multilateral organisa- might gain access to a satellite- ezuela, a phrase understood to “These have been hard days. Escarli, a nine-year-old girl razilian President Jair in Washington with the head of tions and leftist politics, while launching base in Brazil near the include military action. We have no access to services, to with shining dark eyes, fears the Bolsonaro left for Wash- the Organisation of American promoting businesses over en- Equator. But Bolsonaro, like other food. Many families with chil- darkness the blackout brought. Bington yesterday to meet States (OAS), is scheduled to re- vironmental concerns at home. But most eyes will be on de- members of the mostly Latin dren are sinking into despair. “When I go to the washroom with his US counterpart Donald turn to Brazil tomorrow. Their shared nationalist sen- velopments surrounding Ven- American Lima Group, has Many shops are shut. A lot of I feel afraid because I feel that Trump and cement a budding A Trump-Bolsonaro bond timent can be seen in another ezuela, which shares a border ruled out military action in fa- food has spoiled,” De Avila said. somebody is going to come and conservative-populist alliance could see the leaders of the relationship: that of Bolsonaro’s with Brazil. vour of a policy of tightening Stefania Aguzzi, a psycholo- scare me,” said the girl, who has that, in part, aims to ramp up Americas’ two largest democ- son Eduardo, who is a federal Previous Brazilian admin- the economic and diplomatic gist heading a free mental health spent a week without going to pressure on Venezuela. racies working in concert on a lawmaker, with Trump’s former istrations took a friends-to- noose around Maduro. association that consults by tel- school because of the power out- The far-right leader fl ew out range of regional issues. strategist Steve Bannon. all approach to neighbouring As well as a “private meet- ephone, said many Venezuelans age. of Brasilia early yesterday with Most pressing is the crisis in Eduardo Bolsonaro an- countries. But not Bolsonaro. ing” with Trump in the Oval are “suff ering with enormous Ortega said Venezuela was six ministers, among them For- Venezuela, where the US and nounced in early February that The 63-year-old former par- Offi ce tomorrow, Bolsonaro will sadness” that could “become impacted by “collective stress.” eign Minister Ernesto Arau- Brazil — and dozens of other he was part of the Brussels- atrooper is vehemently opposed sit down with OAS secretary- depression very quickly, with “It’s contagious, and is spread jo, Economy Minister Paulo countries — have recognised based group known as The to leftist currents, at home and general Luis Almagro, and par- anxiety levels that would turn initially because we’re social be- Guedes and Justice Minister opposition leader Juan Guaido Movement, which Bannon set abroad, and he shares Trump’s ticipate in various forums to chronic.” ings. Evolutionarily speaking, Sergio Moro, Brazilian media as interim president with the up to promote far-right nation- hostility to the “dictator” Ma- promote economic opportuni- The blackout was a dramatic we are built to feel empathy for reported. goal of forcing President Nico- alistic values and tactics. duro, who took over after the ties in Brazil. blow on top of a deteriorat- others and what happened in the It was Bolsonaro’s fi rst trip las Maduro from power. The older Bolsonaro an- death of socialist leader Hugo The US is Brazil’s second big- ing situation for the country past still aff ects us,” she said. abroad for a bilateral meeting The tough-talking Bolsonaro nounced on Saturday that one Chavez in 2013. gest trade partner after China. China, Argentina talks on Official visit Mexico journalist stalled nuke deal ‘soon’ slain, third this year AFP who arrived together at the re- Mexico City porter’s home knocked on his Reuters with offi cials in Beijing for talks gentina, declined to comment. door and when he opened it, Buenos Aires about the project, the govern- A press offi cer in Argentina’s Barroso was shot three times ment source said. nuclear aff airs department, Mexican journalist shot point blank, Contrasena said. A second government source, which operates under the foreign dead at his home has Local media have reported delegation from China will in the foreign ministry, said talks ministry, said he was unaware of Abecome the third news- that Barroso was working on visit Argentina this month about the nuclear plant with the delegation’s visit. The power man killed so far this year in stories about drug traffi cking Ato discuss the construc- China were ongoing but added plant deal was fi rst negotiated Mexico, authorities said. in his town. tion of a nuclear power plant, that there had been no “concrete under the administration of The killing of Santiago Bar- On February 9 a radio jour- signalling potential progress in a progress” toward signing a deal. former president Cristina Fern- roso adds to a toll of more than nalist was shot dead in Tabasco deal that could increase Beijing’s andez, a left-wing populist who 100 media workers murdered state, east of Mexico City, after deepening infl uence in the South If fi nalised, the nuclear left offi ce in 2015 after striking a in the country over the last a community radio station di- American nation. plant would be one of the number of deals with China. seven years, coinciding with a rector was murdered in the An Argentine government biggest projects fi nanced When Argentina signed a wave of violent crime driven northern state of Baja Califor- source told Reuters the “tech- in Argentina by China, $56.3bn fi nancing deal with the by powerful drug cartels and nia Sur early in the year. nical team” from China would which has become a International Monetary Fund to fuelled by political corruption. Barroso’s case comes af- meet with local suppliers about key trading partner for rescue its troubled economy last “I regret the cowardly attack ter Paris-based Reporters the long-stalled nuclear power Argentina and its biggest year, US President Donald Trump in which journalist Santiago Without Borders (RSF) said it plant project, reportedly worth non-institutional lender voiced his support for the plan Barroso was killed,” said Santos had asked the International up to $8bn. and the leadership of centre- Gonzalez, mayor of San Luis Criminal Court to investigate Argentina had hoped to an- If fi nalised, the nuclear plant right President Mauricio Macri. Rio Colorado, the town where the murders of 102 journalists nounce an agreement on China- would be one of the biggest projects Marci, like right-wing Presi- the journalist lived, in Sonora in Mexico from 2012 to 2018, fi nanced construction of Atucha fi nanced in Argentina by China, dent Jair Bolsonaro in neigh- state which borders the US. calling the rash of killings a III, as it has been referred to in which has become a key trading bouring Brazil, took a tough The spokesman for the crime against humanity. the past, during a state visit by partner for Argentina and its big- stance against China on the Mexican president’s offi ce, Je- The watchdog group ranks Chinese President Xi Jinping af- gest non-institutional lender. campaign trail, saying he would sus Ramirez, voiced “outrage Mexico as one of the deadliest ter November’s G20 summit in The Chinese embassy in Bue- review some of the deals Fernan- at this attack on free speech.” countries in the world for jour- Buenos Aires. nos Aires did not respond to re- dez had made with the country. Barroso, 47, was shot at nalists, behind only war-torn But the deal failed to emerge quests for comment and China But China has emerged as a home and rushed to hospi- Afghanistan and Syria. then, and in January Argentina’s National Nuclear Corporation, critical trading partner, inves- tal where he was pronounced A vast majority of the mur- nuclear energy undersecretary, a state-owned nuclear fi rm that tor and fi nancier for the US allies Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras welcomes Bolivian dead, said Contrasena, the on- ders have gone unpunished, as Julian Gadano, and the ambassa- has held talks previously about nonetheless, as part of its long- President Evo Morales prior their talks in Athens line weekly he worked for. do more than 90% of violent dor to China, Diego Guelar, met building nuclear plants in Ar- running push into Latin America. Two unidentifi ed assailants crimes in Mexico. Gulf Times 20 Monday, March 18, 2019 PAKISTAN Child protection Govt to award N Zealand court set up Internews to child protection and welfare, Peshawar particularly legal custody of the destitute and neglected chil- dren, reunifi cation of destitute eshawar High Court and neglected children with their mosque attack victim Chief Justice Waqar Ah- families, trial of cases registered Pmad Seth inaugurated under the Child Protection and AFP List of Pakistani victims the fi rst child protection court Welfare Act, welfare of children, Islamabad at the Judicial Complex amid trial of cases involving where Foreign Off ice spokesperson The list shared by the FO spokes- plans for the establishment of children are victim, witness and Mohammed Faisal has released person is as follows: Zeeshan such courts in all divisional off ender, and protection of mov- Pakistani victim of the a list of Pakistani citizens missing Raza, father of Zeeshan Raza, headquarters and districts of able and immovable properties Christchurch attack who after the New Zealand mosque mother of Zeeshan Raza, Haroon the province by the end of the of orphan and neglected children Aapparently tried to tackle attacks. Mahmood, Sohail Shahid, Syed current year. and those at risk. the gunman before being shot Nine Pakistanis are missing since Areeb Ahmed, Syed Jahanand Ali, Accompanied by child rights “The primary role of the dead will be awarded posthu- the attack on two Christchurch Talha Naeem, Naeem Rashid. activists, judicial offi cers, law- child protection court was mously in his home country mosques that left at least 49 Our mission in New Zealand is yers and civil society members, to ensure protection of chil- for his courage, Prime Minister people dead, according to the FO trying to ascertain further details, the chief justice visited diff erent dren from maltreatment, Imran Khan said yesterday. spokesperson. he added. parts of the court, which was re- violence, exploitation, abuse Khan spoke as the Pakistani furbished to provide conducive and neglect,” said the regis- foreign offi ce confi rmed that atmosphere to minor visitors. trar, who was accompanied by nine of its citizens had been Rashid’s elder brother Khur- Qureshi said families of six of The high court recently Peshawar’s district and ses- killed in the mass shootings at shid Alam said in the northwest- the victims have decided to bury posted additional district and sions judge Mohammed You- two mosques in the New Zealand ern Pakistani city of Abbottabad them in Christchurch, while the sessions judge Wadya Mushtaq nas Khan and district judge city which claimed the lives of that the award “means a lot” to other three want to bring the Malik as the presiding offi cer of Mohammed Zaib Khan. 50 people on Friday, including his family. remains to Pakistan. the exclusive child protection He said the setting up of this many who had emigrated from “I feel very proud,” he said, “Whatever the families will court under Section 15 of the court was a pilot project and in around the world. calling the loss of his brother and decide, we will respect it and ful- Child Protection and Welfare near future they intended to Video of the massacre shows nephew a “big, big shock”. fi l their wishes,” he said, adding Commission Act, 2010. establish exclusive child pro- one man gunned down as he Naeem, he said, had visited that fl ags will be fl own at half- The judge will head both tection court either at Mardan approaches the shooter, while the family last year, staying for mast in Pakistan on Monday in child protection court and or Abbottabad. others fl ee. two months. honour of the victims. juvenile court. In the second phase, he said The man is believed to be “We had a lovely time. He was Offi cials in Pakistan’s pictur- Sixty-two cases earlier Child Protection Court would Naeem Rashid, although his face a man who would be like a kid esque northern areas also con- pending with other courts be extended to divisional is blurred in the footage and he with children, and like an adult fi rmed that the main suspect, have been shifted to the child headquarter followed by set- has yet to be formally identifi ed. with grown-ups,” Alam said. 28-year-old white supremacist protection court for hearing. ting up these courts at every “Pakistan is proud of Mian Foreign Minister Shah Me- Brenton Tarrant, had visited the A children-friendly atmos- district across the province. Naeem Rashid who was mar- hmood Qureshi said the award region as a tourist in October, phere was created in the court Wajihuddin said the provincial tyred trying to tackle the White would be given on March 23, staying for more than a week. Rizwan Rashid, brother of Naeem Rashid, who was killed in the at- comprising a courtroom and government had already been ap- Supremacist terrorist & his Pakistan Day. Syed Israr Hussain, owner of tacks to the Christchurch mosques in New Zealand, shows his family side rooms by the use of at- proached about the fi nancial im- courage will be recognised with He confi rmed that nine Pa- Osho Thang Hotel in Minapin picture at Naeem house in Abbottabad yesterday. tractive paint and display of plication and provision of basic a national award,” Khan tweeted kistani citizens had been killed Nagar, said: “(Tarrant) ... stayed paintings. Carrom and ludo facilities in these courts. yesterday. in the attack while one was in for two days before leaving for rant among the many tourists Tarrant’s alleged involvement boards were also placed in He added that they had also Pakistan has several awards to critical condition. Khunjerab (Pass, on the border who visit the region “because in the massacre left him “sur- a children-friendly space sent some recommendations recognise civilian bravery, and One “is still not out of danger with China). he was so impressed by the area, prised and shocked”, he said. adjacent to the courtroom. related to certain legislations Khan did not specify which one but he is being treated”, he told “He was a decent and quiet and said he had heard so many Tarrant is also believed to have PHC registrar Khwaja Waji- so that in future the child pro- would be awarded to Rashid, whose reporters in Islamabad without guy.” negative things about Pakistan visited Gilgit and Skardu in the huddin told reporters that the tection court should hear all son also died in the massacre. identifying the victim. He said he remembered Tar- but he found it the opposite”. mountainous north. court would handle issues related cases related to children.

Foreign minister visiting China Pakistan’s foreign minister Train blast was scheduled to leave for China yesterday for strategic consultations, days after Beijing blocked a bid in the UN Security Council to designate the head of kills four Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as a global terrorist. China had said in a note to the UN Reuters where the blast occurred, said. Security Council on Wednesday Quetta The blast derailed six carriag- that it needed more time to es of the train, which was travel- examine the request to add ling from the northwestern city Maulana Masood Azhar to the UN our people were killed of Peshawar to the Balochistan terror blacklist. and 10 injured in Pakistan provincial capital of Quetta. China has blocked similar Fyesterday when a bomb It was second train attack in proposals against the JeM chief in went off on a train track in the two weeks in the area. No casu- the past. resource-rich province of Balo- alties were reported in the earlier “China supports Pakistan at chistan, where separatist rebels blast, said another police offi cer. international forums and has have been fi ghting the security Balochistan is an important once again proved to be a true forces for years. part of transport and energy fiend of Pakistan,” Foreign There was no immediate claim projects that form part of Chi- Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi of responsibility, but ethnic Ba- na’s Belt and Road initiative, told media yesterday, in a veiled loch separatists, fi ghting what which has brought $57bn of in- reference to the blacklisting of they call the unfair exploitation vestment to Pakistan. the JeM chief. of their province’s gas and other Violence in the province, which “We will have further consultation resources, have attacked trains borders Afghanistan and Iran, has about our future plan of action,” in the past. fuelled concern about security Qureshi said. “Four people - a teenage girl for the investment, in particu- On Saturday, China said it was her mother and two others were lar an energy link planned to run ready for more discussions on killed in the blast,” Irfan Bashir, from western China to Pakistan’s blacklisting Azhar with all parties police chief of Naseerabad district southern port of Gwadar. A police off icer and rescue workers stand near to a derailed passenger train, after a bomb went off on track in Naseerabad yesterday. concerned, including India. Pakistani authorities launched a crackdown on March 5 and have arrested hundreds of suspected Balochistan bans militants. (DPA) Dictionary board and Urdu Key bureaucrats carbonated drinks retiring in weeks Hectic lobbying has kicked off among the top bureaucrats, science board to be merged on campuses as several important federal secretaries are set to retire in the Internews In light of the situation, the next three weeks. Internews the board. The objective of the It has published 20 diction- the DG, all the employees of the Islamabad meeting decided to make it According to sources, the Lahore board was to print science and aries and encyclopedias. Cur- board are regular government mandatory on fl our mills and government will appoint new social sciences books, including rently, it’s working on 25 book employees, including three cooking oil producing factories secretaries finance, cabinet translations. projects. Many of its books assistant directors. he Balochistan govern- to include vitamins, minerals division, water resources, national he Task Force on Aus- Since the 18th amendment, printed decades ago are out of The recent decision of the ment has banned the and iron in their products. security division and industries terity and Restructuring the Urdu Science Board has print due to paucity of funds. task force is stated to be aimed Tsale and consumption The provincial government and production. Tof the Pakistan Govern- been working under the Na- Nasir Abbas Nayyar has been at saving funds. They give two of carbonated drinks in edu- will also establish the food The finance and cabinet division ment has decided to merge the tional History and Literary the director general of the Urdu arguments in favour of the cational institutions in the authority’s directorates at the secretaries will retire on March 21. Urdu Science Board, Lahore Heritage Division of the federal Science Board since December 21, merger, fi rst, saving funds and province. divisional level in the next six Muhammed Jehanzaib, Noor and the Urdu Dictionary Board, government. 2016. During his two-year stint, second, all three institutes are The decision was taken months. Ahmed and Younis Dhagga are Karachi into the National Lan- Earlier, it was working un- the board has published 63 books, of Urdu under the federal gov- in the fi rst meeting of the The authority also decided being considered for the post of guage Promotion Department der the Ministry of Education. 70% of which are new books ernment and they can work as recently-established Balo- to place a province-wide ban secretary finance. in Islamabad. In the past, it had been headed while the rest are out of print. one institution. chistan Food Authority, (BFA) on the sale of Chinese salt Aji- Jehanzaib belongs to 15th The Urdu Science Board was by Ashfaq Ahmed, Kishwar “I also opened the Urdu Sci- “Both these arguments are chaired by Chief Minister Jam nomoto, declaring it harmful Common and he will retire on established in 1962 and it was Naheed, Amjad Islam Amjad, ence Kitab Ghar which is a kind very weak. All three institu- Kamal Khan Alyani. for health. August 1, 2020. Dhagga from the then called the Central Urdu Zafar Iqbal among others. of display centre for publications. tions have totally diff erent BFA director general Bashir The meeting approved the Pakistan Administrative Service Board. “Its mandate included print- Earlier, the books were kept in roles. Dictionary board is work- Ahmed briefed the meeting appointment of special magis- belongs to 13th Common and will “The Commission on Na- ing books on science, social store but they were not on display. ing only on dictionary which is about the functions and mo- trates in BFA, and deputation of retire on April 22, 2022. Secretary tional Education 1959 (later sciences and humanities be- We also started mobile bookshop a mammoth task in itself. dalities of the authority. BFA a food technologist and health cabinet division Fazal Abbas known as Sharif Commission sides languages. Its work also which takes book to places within It has produced a 22 volume members Sardar Abdul Reh- experts. Sources said that it Maken will be retiring on March 21. after its chairman S M Sharif) included preparing dictionar- the city, especially educational dictionary, made it available man Khetran, Asghar Khan was decided to make a mobile The names of Shoaib Siddiqui, had proposed educational re- ies to develop and enrich the institutions, as well as out of the online and launched its app. It Achakzai and others attended testing unit and other facilities Naveed Kamran Baloch forms, including a recommen- Urdu language with inclusion city. Both of the initiatives in- needs constant changes. The the meeting. available to the food authority. and Maroof Afzal are under dation for making Urdu a me- of vocabulary from regional creased the sale of books.” National Language Promotion The authority also decided The authority will also take consideration of secretary dium of instruction. languages too. Nayyar says another initia- Department, under Iftikhar to ensure implementation of steps to ensure involvement of cabinet division. These grade 22 To implement the decision, It got dictionaries includ- tive taken during his tenure is Arif, works only on Urdu used the ban on sale of the gutka stakeholders, including trade off icers belong to the Pakistan science books were needed ing Urdu compiled and printed the Urdu Science Award which for government offi ces. chewing tobacco mix. It ex- organisations, in public aware- Administrative Service. in Urdu and the Central Urdu for Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi and is given annually on the best “The second argument is of pressed concern over the neg- ness campaigns. It also asked The permanent position of Board was set up through a English. After becoming the manuscripts on science. So far saving funds. All the employees ative impact of substandard people to provide information secretary Water Resources has resolution of the cabinet. Urdu Science Board, it was made the board has given two awards of the Urdu Science Board ex- and hazardous food items on about preparation of substand- been lying vacant for the last one “With its head offi ce in La- more specifi c to science books.” which also carry cash prizes. cept the DG are civil servants. If the health of the people, espe- ard food, off ering a cash reward month, while the post of secretary hore, three branches were The board has printed mainly Yet another initiative is the the merger happens, they would cially women and children. and assurance of anonymity. National Security Division has set up in Hyderabad, Quetta science books but in its about monthly lecture on science. still be employed and paid. The The members observed that Chief Minister Jam Kamal been vacant since March 15. and Peshawar. Its name was 700 books printed so far, many The total strength of employ- building of the head offi ce is iron defi ciency was badly af- Khan, addressing the meeting, Secretary Industry and changed to the Urdu Science are on other topics such as lan- ees of the board across Pakistan also government property. This fecting health of women and said that the government will Production Azhar Ali Chaudhry Board in 1982,” says Nasir Ab- guages, children literature, his- is 65 while only 50 employees argument of saving funds is not children and physical growth not compromise on the health will be retiring on April 8. bas Nayyar, director general of tory and technical education. are currently employed. Except valid in this way.” of children. of the masses. (Internews) Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 21 PHILIPPINES Blaze displaces 150 families Quezon City councillor gets suspension over graft

By Glee Jalea tion he may now or thereaf- Manila Times ter be holding, effective upon notice hereof and to continue for a period of 90 days,” the he Sandiganbayan’s anti-graft court said in its Seventh Division has eight-page decision. Tordered the suspension Paulate and liaison officer of Quezon City councillor Ro- Vicente Bajamunde are out derick Paulate for a period of on bail amid graft and falsi- 90 days over his graft and fal- fication cases in connection sifi cation charges. with 30 allegedly “fictitious “Wherefore, premises job contractors” in 2010, who considered, accused Rod- earned P1.109mn from July erick Mendenilla Paulate is to November 2010. hereby ordered suspended Paulate had argued that from office and the said ac- the reversal by the Court of cused is directed to cease and Appeals of the Ombudsman’s desist from further perform- judgment of dismissal in the ing and/or exercising the administrative case proved functions, duties and privi- that there was insufficient Firemen extinguish a fire that engulfed a slum area in Manila, yesterday. Fifty houses were destroyed aff ecting 150 families. lege of his position as mem- evidence against him. ber of the Sangguniang Pan- But the Sandiganbayan lungsod of Quezon City or said an administrative case any other government posi- fi led before the Offi ce of the Ombudsman and the crimi- nal case before the court were separate and distinct from each other. “Therefore, the criminal case may proceed independ- ently of the administrative Philippines out of ICC proceedings,” it said. The court also ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to im- plement the preventive sus- amid drug war inquiry Paulate: graft charges pension order.

AFP in recent years by high-profi le its actions a futile exercise,” he ternational said yesterday the of impunity and lawlessness in Manila acquittals and moves by several added. Duterte’s drug war is his withdrawal should prompt the the nation of 106mn. nations to drop out. signature policy initiative and UN Human Rights Council to The Philippines’ move to exit Survey shows more Manila moved to quit after the he defends it fi ercely, especially probe the killings. follows a string of setbacks for he Philippines was of- body launched a preliminary ex- from international critics like “Filipinos bravely challeng- the ICC, including the January fi cially out of the Inter- amination in 2018 into President Western leaders and institutions ing the ‘war on drugs’ or seeking acquittal of former Ivory Coast Filipinos unhappy Tnational Criminal Court Rodrigo Duterte’s drug crack- which he says do not care about justice for their loved ones need leader Laurent Gbagbo and the yesterday, though the belea- down that has killed thousands his country. international support to help June 2018 not guilty verdict for guered tribunal has pledged to and drawn international cen- However, court offi cials have them end this climate of fear, former DR Congo vice-presi- Manila Times 2017. It is also the lowest pursue its examination of al- sure. said the preliminary probe violence and impunity,” said dent Jean-Pierre Bemba. Manila since December 2014. On leged illegal killings in the gov- However, the president’s launched by ICC prosecutor Fa- Amnesty International regional Burundi in 2017 became the the other hand, the number ernment’s drug war. spokesman said yesterday the tou Bensouda in February 2018 director Nicholas Bequelin. first ever nation to leave the of those who said they were Under court rules, Manila’s nation never legally joined the into possible crimes against hu- The ICC examination, which court, which was founded in ore Filipinos entered satisfied with their lives withdrawal took force a year treaty that underpins the court, manity in the drug war would is one step before a full-blown 2002. In a wave of unprec- 2019 unhappy and dropped to 82%, down by 10 after it told the United Nations a reference to an argument that continue. probe, zeroes in on allegations edented defections, other Af- Mdissatisfi ed, a Social percentage points from De- that it was quitting the world’s the Philippines did not com- Under the court’s rules, any the government has been in- rican nations — Zambia, South Weather Stations (SWS) sur- cember 2017. This is the low- only permanent war crimes tri- plete all the steps to formalise its matter under consideration be- volved in illegal killings as part of Africa, Kenya and Gambia — vey found. est in over four years since bunal, the second nation to do adoption. fore a nation leaves the court is the crackdown Duterte launched have also made moves to quit The survey conducted the 79% in September 2014. so. “Our position on the matter still under its jurisdiction. in mid-2016. or expressed interest in with- from December 16 to 19, 2018 The number of dissatisfied “The Secretary-General... remains clear, unequivocal and Duterte has made it clear his Police say they have killed drawing as they accused the among 1,440 adult Filipi- is the highest since the 21% informed all concerned states infl exible: The Philippines never government will not co-operate 5,176 users or pushers who re- court of being biased against nos found that 87% of those in September 2014. that the withdrawal will take ef- became a state party to the Rome with the ICC in any way. sisted arrest, but rights groups Africans. polled were happy with their The survey had sampling fect for the Philippines on March Statute which created the ICC,” The court “can never acquire say the actual number of dead is However, the court this lives while 13% said they error margins of + or - 2.6% 17,” UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko spokesman Salvador Panelo said jurisdiction over my person, not at least triple that number. month got a boost when Ma- were not. for national percentages, and said yesterday. in a statement. in a million years,” he said in a Critics have alleged the crack- laysia officially joined, making The 87% figure is down by + or - 5% each for Balance The departure of the Philip- “As far as we are concerned, speech on Wednesday. down amounts to a war on the it one of just a handful of Asian seven points from the all- Luzon, Metro Manila, the pines follows the court being hit this tribunal is non-existent and Rights group Amnesty In- poor that feeds an undercurrent members. time high 94% in December Visayas, and Mindanao.

House ‘realigned Water supply restored in three cities Manila Times however, later became clear, to help to deliver 140mn litres Manila prompting residents to fi nally of clean, treated water to areas billions in stock up. affected by the supply cut. In a statement, Manila Wa- The MWSS lauded San recious water started to ter said water discolouration Miguel President and Chief budget’ fl ow through the faucets normally happens when pres- Operating Officer Ramon Pof thousands of house- sure and supply adjustments are Ang’s offer to provide potable holds that experienced a week done. water to over 6mn people in By Bernadette E Tamayo of little to no supply, as the serv- The water concessionaire the East Zone of the metropo- & Glee Jalea ices of Ayala-led utility Manila advised residents having this lis from its untapped 140 MLD Manila Times Water Co resumed in several ar- problem to allow a few minutes from Angat Dam. eas in Pasig, Mandaluyong and for water to fl ow until the water According to Ang, the un- Quezon City. becomes clear. dertaking, will not be easy enator Panfi lo Lacson yes- On its Twitter account, Ma- According to Manila Water, since an estimated 14,000 terday slammed the House nila Water said running water its water service interruption truck trips per day using Sof Representatives’ leader- was back yesterday in the vil- aff ected 250,000 to 260,000 10-kilolitre (kl) tankers, or ship in invoking “transparency” lages of Bagong Ilog (Nos 1 and people in Mandaluyong City (all 7,000 trips per day using 20 in trying to hide the realignment 19 Lakeview, Felpris Compound barangay or villages), San Juan kl tankers would be needed to of P95.1bn in the 2019 P3.757tn and Kawilihan Village), Kapi- City (fi ve barangay), and Pasig deliver clean water. budget to favoured districts. tolyo and Ugong (Valle Verde 1) City (seven barangay) in Metro In January this year, San The senator scored the “talking in Pasig City and Barangka Itaas Manila, as well as Angono (three Miguel operationalised Stage heads” of the House for insist- in Mandaluyong City. barangay), Antipolo (10 baran- Families spend their weekend swimming at the Rainforest Park in Pasig City amid a water shortage in 1 of its Bulacan Bulk Water ing that the manoeuvring in the Major hospitals and health gays), Taytay (three barangays), Metro Manila. Project. budget — after it had already been facilities in Quezon City also re- and Binangonan (12 barangays) The facility’s Phase 1 has a ratifi ed by congressmen and sena- gained water service. in Rizal. ers the cities of Manila, Pasay, According to Nograles, the be resolved, so the water supply production capacity of 200 tors — was for “itemisation.” These include the Philippine Manila Water was forced to Parañaque, Caloocan, Muntin- draft EO covers the diff erent management issues would not MLD. “National budget: Don’t be Blood Center, Lung Center of lower water pressure or cut lupa, Las Pinas, Valenzuela and components of integrated water be repeated in the future. However, as many water fooled by congressmen tasked the Philippines, St Luke’s Medi- water supply in certain areas to parts of Makati and Quezon resource management (IWRM). Last week, Nograles said an districts have yet to upgrade to make us believe they merely cal Center, East Ave Medical ensure enough water for all its City. It also asks for the reconstitu- inter-agency cluster and the and prepare their facilities to ‘itemised’ when in fact, they Center, Philippine Heart Center, customers. Earlier, the Metropolitan Wa- tion of the NWRB which is re- Executive branch of the govern- receive water from the BBWSP, arbitrarily realigned to favoured Philippine Children’s Hospi- While Manila Water is terworks and Sewerage System sponsible for allocating water ment started to craft the EO to the project uses only about 60 districts several appropriations tal, Veterans Memorial Medical still getting its allocation of (MWSS), which regulates Ma- from Angat Dam. “properly” address the water is- MLD. already approved by both houses Center, Quirino Memorial Med- 1,600mn litres per day (MLD), nila Water and Maynilad, asked It will be responsible for pol- sues in the country. Sen. Grace Poe, who is run- of Congress, thereby sacrifi c- ical Center and the National its requirement is now pegged at the National Water Resources icy, direction-setting, and the Duterte also ordered water ning for re-election, yesterday ing already vetted infrastructure Kidney Transplant Institute. 1,750 MLD due to the increase in Board (NWRB) to increase its integration of all government companies to release water from urged the MWSS and Manila projects,” Lacson said in a post Manila Water said tank- demand and population growth. water allocation from Angat eff orts pertaining to water. Angat Dam. Water to stop finger-pointing on his Twitter account. “Try- ers stood by to supply water if Manila Water services the Dam, Metro Manila’s water The board, under the Depart- The MWSS will lead an in- and instead offer solutions on ing to hide their unconstitu- needed. cities of Mandaluyong, Ma- source. ment of Environment and Nat- teragency meeting to address the water crisis. tional post-ratifi cation budget It clarifi ed that water might rikina, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, President Rodrigo Duterte ural Resources, will be placed the water crisis. MWSS Ad- The senator, chairman of the realignments by claiming they take time to reach elevated ar- Taguig, Makati and parts of will soon sign an executive order under the supervision of the Of- ministrator Reynaldo Velasco Senate Committee on Public wanted to itemise lump sums eas, but assured the public that Quezon City and Manila. (EO) to address the water crisis, fi ce of the President (OP). Nog- will meet top officials of Ma- Services, is scheduled to con- in the name of transparency. If it was working to restore normal It also serves Antipolo City a Palace offi cial said yesterday. rales said supervision of the OP nila Water, Maynilad, Bulacan duct an inquiry on the water that’s not irony — or hypocrisy, water supply. and the Rizal towns of Angono, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nog- would “help ensure that all 30- Bulk Water, concerned local shortage on March 19. I don’t know what is,” he added. In some villages of Quezon Baras, Binagonan, Cainta, Car- rales said in a statement that plus agencies involved in water government units, the Bureau Asked if she would recom- Lacson said the House continues City, water services resumed dona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililla, government agencies were fi - resource management are on of Fire Protection, Association mend the removal of offi cials to muddle the issue to confuse the though the water coming out Rodriquez, Tanay, Taytay and nalising the draft EO to address the same page.” of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and concerned who will be proven public that they merely itemised was yellowish and murky, like in San Mateo. water issues, following the Cab- Nograles said that during the Firefighters of the Philippines. to be remiss of their duties, Poe what was discussed in the bicam- Barangka in Mandaluyong. Another utility, Mayni- inet Assistance System (CAS) meeting, the agencies agreed The meeting will also dis- said, “We need to fi nd out who eral conference committee level. Water in Mandaluyong, lad Water Services Inc, cov- meeting in Leyte on Friday. on the problems that needed to cuss San Miguel Corp.’s offer neglected their duties.” Gulf Times 22 Monday, March 18, 2019 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar [email protected] 44350478 (News), 44466404 (Sport), 44466636 (Home delivery) 44350474 facebook.com/gulftimes twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar GULF TIMES Eggs ‘linked to increased risk’ of heart disease Eggs and cholesterol have been a contentious topic for long. New research from Northwestern Medicine has reignited the debate. The fi nding is that those who eat three or four eggs a day or any equivalent of 300mg of dietary cholesterol had a signifi cantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause. It is estimated that one large egg contains about 186mg of dietary cholesterol in the yolk. One of the authors, Norrina Allen, an associate professor of preventive What is wrong with medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement that as part of a healthy diet, people need to consume lower amounts of cholesterol. The study was published in medical journal JAMA. contemporary capitalism? The research team pooled data on nearly 30,000 racially and ethnically diverse adults between 1985 and 2016. By Angus Deaton their workers manage the disruption, In The Future of Capitalism, Financial Times points out, these Princeton corporations made it worse by using Collier gives a parallel account from metropolitan elites now fi nd themselves Participants were asked about their dietary habits over their employees’ vulnerability to enrich Britain, telling the story of the most “shackled to a corpse.” the last month or year in an extensive questionnaire. their shareholders and managers. admired British company of his (and For his part, Rajan sees the By the end of the follow-up period, the group had ather suddenly, capitalism And how they enriched themselves! my) childhood, Imperial Chemical meritocracy as a product of the ICT is visibly sick. The virus of With median household incomes largely Industries. Growing up, we all hoped revolution. But I suspect it is older than experienced 5,400 cardiovascular events and 6,132 socialism has reemerged and is stagnant and a growing share of wealth someday to work at ICI, whose mission that. After all, the British sociologist deaths from any cause. An analysis found that consuming Rinfecting the young once more. accruing to the rich, capitalism became was “to be the fi nest chemical company Michael Young published his prescient 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day was associated with Wiser heads, who respect capitalism’s manifestly unfair, losing its popular in the world.” But in the 1990s, ICI dystopia, The Rise of the Meritocracy, in past achievements, want to save it, support. To manage its opponents, amended its primary objective by 1958. Indeed, Collier and I are among 17% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 18% higher and have been proposing diagnoses Behemoth called on Leviathan for embracing shareholder value. And in the fi rst British meritocrats. And just risk of death. The researchers found that eating three and remedies. But their proposals protection, not understanding that a Collier’s telling, that single change as Young predicted, our cohort broke to four eggs per week was linked to a 6% higher risk of sometimes overlap with those who right-wing populist Leviathan eats destroyed the company. the system for subsequent generations, would tear the system down, making Behemoth in the end. What of community? The United while continuing to extol its virtues. cardiovascular disease and an 8% higher risk of any cause nonsense of traditional left-right Two points of Rajan’s story need to States once led the world in public In Scotland, where I grew up, of death. distinctions. be emphasised. First, declining growth education, providing local schools the local community talent, the Compared with previous Fortunately, Raghuram G Rajan, is a key, albeit low-frequency, cause of where children of all talents and intellectuals, writers, historians, and studies, “this report is a former governor of the Reserve today’s social and economic distress. economic backgrounds learned artists have all gone in search of wider One large Bank of India who teaches at the Second, the unfortunate consequences together. And when elementary pastures, or simply given up competing far more comprehensive, University of Chicago Booth School of the ICT revolution are not inherent education became insuffi cient, with mass-market superstars. We are egg contains with enough data to make of Business, brings his unparalleled properties of technological change. communities started providing access the poorer for it. a strong statement that knowledge and experience to bear Rather, as Rajan notes, they refl ect a to secondary school for all. Like Rajan, I think that community about 186mg on the problem. In his new book, “failure of the state and markets to Today, however, when a college is a casualty of an elite minority’s eggs and overall dietary The Third Pillar: How Markets and modulate markets.” Though Rajan does degree is a prerequisite for success, the capture of both markets and the state. of dietary cholesterol intake remain the State Leave Community Behind, not emphasise it, this second point more talented kids pursue theirs far But unlike him, I am sceptical that important in affecting he argues that the cancer afflicting gives us cause for hope. It means that outside of the community, ultimately stronger local communities or a policy cholesterol in contemporary capitalism is the failure ICT need not doom us to a jobless self-segregating in fast-growing of localism (inclusive or not) can cure the risk” of heart disease neither of “Leviathan” (the state) nor future; enlightened policymaking still cities from which the less talented are what ails us. The genie of meritocracy the yolk and death, Dr Robert H of “Behemoth” (the market), but of has a role to play. excluded by the high cost of living. cannot be put back in the bottle. - Eckel of University of community, which no longer serves Rajan’s account of corporate Ensconced in their glittering cloisters, Project Syndicate Colorado School of Medicine writes in an editorial as a check against either monster. misbehaviour is very well told, and it those who succeed form a meritocracy Rajan thus prescribes an “inclusive is all the more eff ective coming from a in which their kids – and almost z Angus Deaton, the 2015 Nobel published along with the study. He was not involved in localism” to rebuild communities that professor at a prominent business school. exclusively their kids – do well. laureate in economics, is Professor of the research. can furnish people with self-respect, From the start, the near-absolutist Collier tells the same story for Economics and International Aff airs It’s important to note that no one, including the study status, and meaning. doctrine of shareholder primacy has Britain, where talent and the share Emeritus at Princeton University’s Rajan’s book, like Oxford University served to protect managers at the expense of national income have become Woodrow Wilson School of Public and authors, is saying you need to cut eggs completely out of economist Paul Collier’s The Future of of employees, and its malign eff ects increasingly concentrated in London, International Aff airs. He is the author of your diet. “We want to remind people there is cholesterol Capitalism, is part of a rapidly growing have been exacerbated by the practice of leaving gutted and angry communities The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and in eggs, specifi cally yolks, and this has a harmful eff ect,” genre of critiques by capitalism’s paying managers in stock. behind. Yet as Janan Ganesh of the the Origins of Inequality. friends. Rajan is a proponent of said Allen. A major limitation of the study is participants’ capitalism who has accepted that it no long-term eating patterns weren’t assessed. longer works in the interest of the social Other animal products such as red meat, processed good, and must be brought back under control. meat and high-fat dairy products (butter or whipped The Third Pillar off ers deep historical cream) also have high cholesterol content, said lead context to explain the current moment, author Wenze Zhong, a postdoctoral fellow in preventive but it is most successful when it medicine at Northwestern. Based on the study, people retraces developments after World War II to explain why everything started should keep dietary cholesterol intake low by reducing unravelling around 1970. Until then, cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs and red meat in the world had been busy recovering their diet. But don’t completely banish eggs and other and rebuilding, and economic growth had received an added boost from cholesterol-rich foods from meals, Zhong said, because the adoption of frontier technologies eggs and red meat are good sources of important through replacement investment. nutrients such as essential amino acids and iron. Instead, But trend growth has decelerated since 1970, accounting for many of choose egg whites rather than whole eggs or eat whole our current diffi culties. Through it all, eggs in moderation. Egg whites remain a much healthier governments have had no idea how choice than the whole egg, full of protein and having to address the slowdown, other than to promise a restoration of the lost no cholesterol. Those who crave the taste of a yolk can postwar paradise. In most cases, that always use three or four egg whites mixed with one yolk. has meant additional borrowing. And in Moderation is the key. Europe, elites have pursued continental unifi cation with the great aim of stopping recurrent episodes of carnage. To Advertise Yet in their rush to secure the obvious benefi ts of integration, they forgot to [email protected] bring their citizens along. They have Display since learned that after hubris comes nemesis. 44466621 44418811 The success of social democracy in the postwar era weakened the market’s Classified power to act as a moderating infl uence 44466609 44418811 on the state. According to Rajan, these weakened actors, in both Europe and Subscription America, were in no position to deal with the revolution in information [email protected] and communication technology (ICT) that they were about to face, leaving ordinary people to face the threats FILE PICTURE: Raghuram G Rajan, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India teaches at the University of Chicago Booth © 2019 Gulf Times. All rights reserved on their own. Rather than helping School of Business. Gulf Times Monday, March 18, 2019 23 COMMENT Journalism’s risky tech attraction

Borchardt Alexandra remains to be seen: the fi rst attempt click on a larger share of articles if Oxford to leverage the blockchain to free algorithms are used to personalise their journalists from ad-driven business experience; but if users become bored models, by Civil Media Company, had by the same topics and perspectives, echnology was supposed to a bumpy start. personalisation will not help. solve some of the world’s There is nothing wrong with Tech-based solutions are a means, not biggest problems. Connect using technology to solve problems, an end. That is why The New York Times, Teveryone to the Internet, it including those created by technology, for example, is leveraging its digital was once assumed, and democracy or to give a company a competitive success to invest more in journalism. would follow. Collect enough data, and edge. That is what The Washington Last year, the company added 120 all of our questions would be answered. Post, for example, has been doing in newsroom employees, bringing the total Put everything online, and algorithms the six years since Amazon CEO Jeff number of journalists there to an historic would do the rest. The world would Bezos purchased it (at a time when high of 1,600. practically run itself. it was haemorrhaging money and For organisations without the clout Instead, we now know that digital shedding jobs). – and digital revenue – of the Times, a technology can be used to undermine But not even the most advanced people-oriented approach may also be democracy; that it raises more questions tech will save the media industry, or needed to secure investment. With the than it answers; and that a world that anybody else, if there is no regard for limits of the ad-driven business model runs itself seems more like an Orwellian the people using it. And that does becoming increasingly apparent, many nightmare scenario than a noble goal. not mean just audiences. After years media leaders – close to one-third, But while technology isn’t the solution, of chasing the latest tech trends, according to the Reuters Institute it isn’t really the problem either; our the media industry is increasingly survey – believe that in the future single-minded focus on it is. confronting burnout among existing foundations and non-profi ts will play a Consider the experience of the management and staff , and a shrinking central role in supporting the media. media industry, where the digital pool of new talent. But persuading foundations and revolution has wreaked havoc on According to the Reuters Institute philanthropists to open their hearts prevailing business models over the report, some 60% of media leaders and wallets will require human last decade. Publishers and editors are concerned about burnout on connection and engagement, not responded by putting all their faith their teams, and 75% now worry algorithms or AI-enabled software. in technology: tracking all manner of about retaining and attracting staff . Potential funders need to be convinced metrics, embracing data journalism, Another report, Lucy Kueng’s Going that journalism is as noble a cause as, hiring video teams, and opening Digital. A Roadmap for Organisational say, cancer research. podcast studios. Transformation, shows that middle Technology alone cannot More recently, media organisations managers, in particular, have been encourage democracy, help answer have shifted their attention toward exiting the industry. important questions, and facilitate artifi cial-intelligence solutions This should not be surprising. eff ective leadership by boosting that track audience preferences, Journalists have always faced pressure in Pedestrians pass in front of the New York Times headquarters in New York, in this February 3, 2019 file photo. The Times is accountability. But, to some extent, automatically produce desired content managing the churn of time-sensitive, leveraging its digital success to invest more in journalism. high-quality, responsible journalism and translations, alert journalists to demanding, and constantly changing can. If it is to fulfi l that purpose, breaking news, and much more. news situations. But, in the past, morale requires implementing a of an organisation’s leaders include psychological impact would be (on however, news organisations must In the Reuters Institute for the Study they could at least count on the news people-oriented approach. This is making their employees feel secure audiences or staff ). While data can not allow themselves to be swept of Journalism’s latest annual report organisations that employed them to not a straightforward process. For and appreciated. That means paying deliver useful insights about audience up by every new tech trend. If they on media trends, 78% of respondents off er stability and consistency. Now, they tech solutions, managers can attend attention to employees’ needs and preferences, listening to people can treat technology as more than a tool in a non-representative survey of must also navigate relentless, tech- shiny digital conferences, take some fostering an organisational culture lead to very diff erent impressions and for implementing people-centred international media leaders said that driven organisational change – often sales team’s advice, sign a contract, that provides them with a sense of conclusions. strategies, the people they need – both they planned to invest more in AI this poorly explained and hastily introduced. and dump the new tools on their belonging and purpose. For example, the data might show staff and audiences – will continue year. The level of uncertainty can drive away newsrooms. With people, they have to A similar approach must be that more content means more page to vote with their feet. – Project But the fi nal frontier in the quest even the most loyal staff . listen carefully, acquire an in-depth applied to audiences. Not even the views; but if audiences long for fewer Syndicate to save journalism, many believe, To be sure, change is unavoidable; understanding of the problem, and most accurate metrics can provide distractions and higher-quality is the blockchain – the distributed the digital age demands constant then devise their own strategy. the needed guidance, if nobody reporting, fl ooding the market with z Alexandra Borchardt is Director of ledger technology that underpins adaptation. But making needed A good place to start is leadership. In understands what they actually mean, robot-produced content will not Leadership Programmes at the Reuters cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. That adjustments without destroying any industry, the key responsibilities why they were chosen, or what their satisfy them. Likewise, users might Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Three-day forecast

TODAY Governing geoengineering Maximum Temperature : 270c Minimum Temperature : 170c

By Ban Ki-moon unknown unknowns – especially with to address this. This week, the UN to these technologies could reduce TUESDAY Maximum Temperature : 240c New York solar geoengineering – could be just as Environment Assembly – the world’s pressure to cut emissions. bad as the known challenges presented highest-level decision-making I understand these concerns, Minimum Temperature : 170c by climate change. body on environmental issues – will and I agree that our main collective WEDNESDAY limate change poses an What’s more, as with global consider whether to initiate a global priority must still be to cut Maximum Temperature : 260c unprecedented threat to warming, the impact of these learning process on both the science emissions; end the use of fossil fuels; Minimum Temperature : 180c technologies will transcend national and governance of geoengineering. and promote a zero-carbon, climate- humanity, one that appears Fisherman's forecast increasingly likely to reduce borders. This puts those who have To this end, the UNEA would call resilient, and people-centred C WARNING global standards of living dramatically the least say – the vulnerable and for a worldwide assessment of these economic transition. emerging technologies, giving all But we also need to acknowledge within our lifetime, and cause untold the poor – on the front line. It also Inshore : Nil damage in the longer term. And, risks exacerbating wider threats to countries a common platform of that the geoengineering genie because addressing such a daunting international peace and security, such knowledge. is already out of the bottle. The Offshore : Expected strong wind planetary challenge requires radical as resource scarcity and forced climate This shared understanding is an likelihood of unilateral deployment and high sea on some places. approaches, there have been wide- migration. important fi rst step toward ensuring of solar geoengineering increases WEATHER ranging discussions about what the This is why the Elders, a group of that decisions concerning the use or every year. The global community Inshore : Moderate temperature world must urgently do to limit the independent global leaders, is calling non-use of geoengineering are based must decide whether to engage now, daytime with slight dust at times, relatively cold rise in global temperature to less than on the international community on the principles of equality, justice, by setting clear governance rules and by night. 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. to agree on a rigorous governance and universal rights. These are the guardrails, or allow individual actors to Although reducing greenhouse- framework for geoengineering, and values underlying the 2015 Paris take the lead, creating a fait accompli Offshore : Some clouds. WIND gas emissions must remain the to put it in place without delay. Such climate agreement and the Sustainable for the rest of us. Inshore : Northwesterly 05-15/20 highest priority, the United Nations a decision-making system must Development Goals, both of which Ignoring this debate would be a KT Intergovernmental Panel on Climate be transparent, participatory, and were adopted during my tenure as UN mistake. Instead, the world should Offshrore : Northwesterly-Westerly Change (IPCC) says this is not enough. accountable. It should include the Secretary-General. focus on learning more, including via 10-20/25 KT Some now suggest that we also need voices of those most aff ected and The UN is best placed to the process at the UNEA, in order to Visibility : 4-8 KM to remove huge amounts of carbon enable all governments and non- accommodate the governance understand the full range of options dioxide from the air. Others argue that governmental stakeholders to gain the framework requirements we now need. and assess their risks with the best Offshore : 3-5/8 FT Only through the UN’s multilateral information available. we may also need to refl ect sunlight fullest possible understanding of these Around the region back into space, to buy the world more new technologies for more informed processes can we ensure that How to understand and potentially Weather time to reduce and remove emissions. decision-making. geoengineering technologies, and harness disruptive new technologies Weather tomorrow Max/min Taken together, these two Since the Industrial Revolution, we how they might be applied, are not the for the benefi t of all humanity is one today Max/min Sunny 22/09 approaches are known as have known that technology is not a preserve of individual states. This is of the defi ning questions of our age. Baghdad Sunny 19/07 Sunny 24/13 geoengineering. And as the eff ects panacea, and that it advances human vital for environmental sustainability, Future generations will not forgive us Kuwait CitySunny 24/11 Sunny 23/17 of climate change worsen, a growing wellbeing only if all those aff ected are international security, and the if we fail to answer it convincingly. – Manama Sunny 24/17 Sunny 26/19 number of policymakers, scientists, given the chance to participate in its wellbeing of future generations around Project Syndicate Muscat Sunny 27/20 Sunny 15/07 and entrepreneurs are considering development. This consideration is all the world. Tehran P Cloudy 14/04 such options more seriously. especially relevant to geoengineering, Many people are wary of this debate, zBan Ki-moon, Deputy Chair of The But at present, we have no idea because our knowledge of these particularly in international fora. Elders, was Secretary-General of the what unforeseen and unintended technologies and their impact remains They fear that it could be a foot in the United Nations from 2007-2016, prior consequences deploying these limited. door for highly dangerous ideas, and to which he was South Korea’s foreign new technologies might have. The Fortunately, eff orts are underway that the very act of drawing attention minister.

Live issues Around the world Weather Weather today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Mushroom may prevent cognitive decline in elderly Athens Sunny 19/10 Sunny 20/09 Beirut Sunny 18/14 M Sunny 19/15 Bangkok Sunny 34/27 M Sunny 34/27 QNA encouraging. It seems that a commonly Berlin S Showers 08/02 M Cloudy 09/0 Singapore available single ingredient could have Cairo Sunny 26/12 P Cloudy 28/13 a dramatic eff ect on cognitive decline”, Cape Town M Sunny 23/18 P Cloudy 22/16 said lead author Lei Feng, Assistant Colombo S T Storms 30/25 S T Storms 30/25 lder adults who eat Professor at the varsity. Dhaka Cloudy 29/21 P Cloudy 32/22 mushrooms more than The reason could be a specifi c Hong Kong P Cloudy 24/19 M Sunny 26/22 twice a week can halve their compound found in almost all varieties Istanbul Sunny 19/09 M Sunny 18/08 Orisk of losing memory as of mushrooms called ergothioneine Jakarta I T Storms 32/25 T Storm 31/24 well as language and attention skills, (ET). Karachi Sunny 31/21 M Sunny 27/20 a key factor for the development of “ET is a unique antioxidant and London M Cloudy 12/03 M Cloudy 13/07 Alzheimer’s disease, fi nds a new study. anti-inflammatory which humans Manila M Sunny 34/25 P Cloudy 34/26 The study, led by a team from the are unable to synthesize on their Moscow Cloudy 05/02 Showers 04/01 National University of Singapore, own. But it can be obtained from New Delhi M Sunny 29/16 Sunny 31/17 found that even one small portion dietary sources, one of the main New York M Sunny 08/0 M Sunny 09/0 three quarters of a cup of mushrooms ones being mushrooms,” added Paris M Sunny 12/0 M Sunny 14/04 a week may still be benefi cial to Irwin Cheah, researcher from the Sao Paulo S T Storms 31/22 S T Storms 29/20 reduce the chances of mild cognitive varsity. Seoul M Cloudy 13/01 Sunny 17/03 impairment. For the study, published in the Singapore P Cloudy 34/25 P Cloudy 34/26 It also improved their cognitive tests Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the Sydney S Showers 23/18 Rain 23/19 and led to faster processing speed. team collected data from more than Tokyo Clear 14/04 Cloudy 17/06 “This association is surprising and 600 men and women aged above 60. Gulf Times 24 Monday, March 18, 2019 QATAR

The participating teams. Harvard among six American universities for debate contest total of six American uni- tinues to contribute to increas- compete at this championship. versities, including Har- ing the art of debate skills and Amanda Laura, another student Avard, established in 1636 exchange of peoples’ cultures. A from Harvard, said she was not as the oldest institution of higher total of 107 teams from 51 coun- only mastering the Arabic lan- education in the US, are partici- tries are participating in the fi ve- guage but also learning about pating in the ongoing 5th Inter- day tournament, being held at diff erent cultures through the national Universities Debating the Qatar National Convention championship. Championship, organised by Qa- Centre, until Wednesday. Dr Ahmed Ferhadi from New tarDebate Centre. Over the past few years, Qa- York University, former presi- The other US universities par- tarDebate has expanded its ac- dent of American Association of ticipating in the competition are: tivities beyond the Arab region Teachers of Arabic, spoke about Brigham Young University, Utah and has established partnerships the importance of the champion- University, New York University, with many educational institu- ship at the event. The University of Chicago, and tions in the US, including Har- He noted that the champion- Western Kentucky University. vard University. ship aims to facilitate communi- On the second day of the cham- During a press conference yes- cation and co-operation between pionship, 107 teams took part in terday, participating teams from teachers of Arabic and promote the competition, completing the the US talked about the transfor- study, criticism, research and fi rst three rounds of the tourna- mational experience this inter- instruction in Arabic language, ment. national championship has had linguistics and literature. Dr Fer- The teams discussed chal- on them. hadi praised the eff orts of Qa- lenging debate motions on issues Jude Najjar, representing Har- tarDebate Centre in spreading ranging from sports, war crimes vard University, explained that in the Arabic language. to workers rights and the par- the past, they only had opportu- “The keenness of QatarDe- ticipants came out with excellent nities to debate in English at the bate’s leadership in disseminat- arguments for and against the university. Now, because of Qa- ing debate in Arabic as a way to motion. tarDebate, they have the chance communicate with others from Held under the patronage of to debate in Arabic as well. She all over the world through this HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad thanked QatarDebate for organ- championship is commendable. al-Thani, Vice Chairperson and ising debate skills workshops The on-going tournament is an CEO of Qatar Foundation, the for them at Harvard which im- exceptional opportunity for lin- 5th International Universities proved their debate competence guistic and cultural integration,” Debating Championship, con- and made it possible for them to he added. Members of the six teams from the US. 34 HMC physiotherapists receive Welcome campaign teases dry needling certifi cation National Museum opening ith the new National Renowned Qatari singer and Kubaisi said: “Qatar was and Museum of Qatar record producer Fahad Kubaisi, will always be my muse. I look physical therapy inter- has become increasingly popu- vention and that it is done cor- and conditions like shoulder, W(NMoQ) set for open- artist Aisha Nasser al-Sowaidi forward to NMoQ’s opening as a vention technique called lar in recent times as many rectly. back, and neck pain, it can also ing on March 28, Qatar Museums and QM Board Member HE Dr new source of inspiration for my Adry needling is gaining practitioners and patients look “When a fi ne fi lament needle help speed up a patient’s return to (QM) launched an emotive social Hessa Sultan al-Jaber will be fea- music and art.” popularity to manage muscle for non-pharmacological pain is inserted into the centre of a active functional status. media campaign with some of tured in future videos. “A lot of The NMoQ tells the story of pain and movement impair- management options. It in- myofascial trigger point, blood Ayman Raafat Mahmoud, the country’s most prominent my works are inspired by memo- the people of Qatar, giving voice ments, according to a statement volves inserting a sterile, sin- pools around the needle, trig- supervisor of Male Outpatient personalities welcoming visitors. ries and heritage, I always try to to the country’s rich heritage and from Hamad Medical Corpora- gle-use, fi ne needle through gering the contracted muscle fi - Physiotherapy at Rumailah The start of the campaign was merge new ideas and old tradi- history whilst celebrating its fu- tion (HMC) . the skin, into the muscle. It has bres to relax. In addition to pro- Hospital, said the course pro- marked with a welcome video tions,” said al-Sowaidi, who is a ture. Last month, the Physiother- been shown to eff ectively de- viding those fi bres with fresh vided an opportunity for quali- featuring HE Dr Hamad bin Ab- graduate of the prestigious Fire Visitors to the museum will be apy Department at Rumailah crease pain and improve func- oxygen and nutrients, it helps fi ed physiotherapists to be dul Aziz al-Kuwari, member of Station: Artist in Residence pro- able to learn about Qatar’s ances- Hospital, HMC, organised a Dry tion through releasing myofas- fl ush away additional acidic trained and licensed to use dry QM’s Board of Trustees, who gramme and participant in the tors and the formation of early Needling workshop for clinical cial trigger points, commonly chemicals. needling. “Physiotherapists said: “Qatar is a country with a internationally-acclaimed Con- cities, as well the modernisation physiotherapists. The six-day known as knots in the muscle. The technique leads to the who attended the course ac- rich past and heritage, through- temporary Art Qatar exhibitions. of Qatari society. course, conducted by South Af- The needles contain no liquid, decompression of the local quired both the technical skills out the ages we have faced many She has created an installation Exhibitions will combine his- rican-based Optimal Dry Nee- and nothing is injected, hence blood and nerve supply and and the theoretical understand- challenges but we were always that is placed within the NMoQ’s toric objects and contemporary dling Solutions Institute, saw the name ‘dry’ needling,” said can eff ectively assist with pain ing required to perform dry able to turn them into successes.” VIP Lounge called Central Mid- infl uences, opening up a dia- 34 physiotherapists certifi ed. Dr al-Mudahka. management and help to restore needling therapy safely and ef- “NMoQ is a celebration of khan, which takes the idea of a logue around the impact of rapid Similar to acupuncture, the While the evidence-based movement if a joint is con- fectively. These practitioners what our country has achieved traditional and local ritual and change. Innovative presentation technique involves inserting a technique is invasive, dry nee- strained by myofascial trigger are now able to use this tech- and what it continues to aspire transforms it into a global con- techniques will excite audiences fi ne needle into a trigger point, dling is only minimally invasive points,” added Dr al-Mudahka. nique to help alleviate their pa- to,” he added. cept of home systems. and push boundaries. or knot, to release pressure. and minimally discomfort- The treatment can be used in tients’ pain, and ultimately im- Dr Noora al-Mudahka, chief ing. While it can be an eff ective combination with other tech- prove their clinical outcomes,” of physiotherapy at Rumailah treatment for many patients niques such as manual therapy he said. Qatar National Tourism Council honours participants of DJWE Hospital, says a number of pa- with chronic pain, it is not ap- and exercise as part of a physi- Mahmoud said patients tients treated using physical propriate for all and therefore cal therapy or pain management treated by physiotherapists us- therapy at HMC are benefi ting requires a comprehensive as- programme. Dr al-Mudahka said ing the technique showed sig- Qatar National Tourism Council from the innovative therapy. sessment and clinical reasoning that in addition to eff ectively nifi cantly improved clinical (QNTC), in collaboration with “The dry needling approach to ensure it is the right inter- managing headaches, sciatica, outcomes. Auditoire, held a ceremony honouring the exhibitors, government agencies and partners who contributed to the success of the 16th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition. The exhibition was also the largest with participation from over 500 brands and over 27,000 visits. The event witnessed the participation of 12 young Qatari designers, and a pavilion to display the jewellery of 13 Indian designers celebrating the Qatar- India Year of Culture 2019. The event included the second An award being presented at the event. edition of the DJWE Forum, a charity auction held in designers. Six exhibitors were traditional Qatari craftsmanship. partnership with the French presented with awards: ‘Best Ali Bin Ali Luxury was awarded Auction House, Artcurial, as well Stand Activation’ was presented ‘Best Stand Design,’ and Amiri as valuable expert discussion to Alfardan Jewellery for its Gems for ‘Best Social Media sessions and workshops on the efforts in organising highly Campaign.’ The award for watch and jewellery industry. relevant events during the ‘Best Print Campaign’ went Khalid al-Jumaili of QNTC, along show; and Best Cultural Heritage to Fifty One East, and the with Auditoire Middle East vice Activity went to Al Majed ‘Best New Participant’ award president Mazen Abed Rabbo Jewellery for its distinctive to Mujawhraty Watches and The HMC physiotherapists, who received dry needling certification, in a group photo. honoured the young Qatari presentation of the craft of Jewellery.