QATAR | Page 20 SPORT | Page 8 Serena, Kerber advance to Qatar Museums hosts Wimbledon world-famous Pearls exhibition in Moscow semis published in QATAR since 1978

WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10876 July 11, 2018 Shawwal 27, 1439 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

PM visits Qatar Financial Centre Qatar Summer In brief Festival gives QATAR | Diplomacy Amir, Chinese president exchange congratulations fi llip to internal His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Chinese President Xi Jinping have exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary tourism, trade of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Qatar and China. QNA products which continue to attract the The two leaders expressed in cables Doha wide audience of Qatar and its visitors. of congratulations their satisfaction Al-Mughaiseb said the events regis- with the development and growth tered a great number of attendance, be of the Qatari-Chinese relations of atar Summer Festival, which it at the Summer Entertainment City at friendship and co-operation over HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani paid a visit to Qatar Financial kicked off during Eid al-Fitr Doha Exhibition and Convention Cen- the past three decades and aff irmed Centre (QFC) yesterday. During the visit, the prime minister listened to a detailed explanation by senior off icials at the Qand is scheduled to run un- tre or the Qatar Fan Zone at Ali bin Ha- their joint determination to continue centre about the strategy adopted and the achievements accomplished. Page 6 til August-end, achieved most of its mad al-Attiyah Arena at Al Sadd club. to work together to support and goals of supporting internal tourism, On the success of the festival to meet consolidate the strategic partnership encouraging the Qatari private sector the requirements of family members and between the two countries in various and supporting diff erent tourism sec- revitalising internal tourism, she said fields to serve the common interests tor partners through stimulating retail the festival has become the highlight of of their peoples. sales and increasing hotel occupancy family entertainment in Qatar during rates and restaurant reservations. summer, thanks to the development of QATAR | Offi cial In an interview with Qatar News the festival’s tools and continuous pro- France edge Belgium to Agency (QNA), the head of the festival motions. The mobile application enables Amir issues decree to at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), Raya the residents to follow all entertainment adjourn Advisory Council al-Mughaiseb, said the festival aims to events, in addition to the promotions and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim diversify tourism products, support en- discounts off ered by the festival partners bin Hamad al-Thani issued yesterday trepreneurs and revitalise the retail and including malls, hotels and restaurants. decree No (39) of 2018 adjourning reach World Cup fi nal hospitality sectors by stimulating do- She said this year’s festival which the 46th regular session of the mestic tourism in the country. runs parallel to the FIFA World Cup Advisory Council as of Tuesday, Dhul DPA She confi rmed that the festival is 2018, saw a special celebration for the Qadah 4, 1439 AH, corresponding to St Petersburg improving year after year and is con- passion of football through distribut- July 17, 2018. The decree is eff ective solidating its position as one of the ing fan zones in more than 25 diff erent from its date of issuance and is to be most prominent festivals in Qatar as it locations such as Hamad International published in the off icial gazette. amuel Umtiti’s close-range is the longest, by running from Eid al- Airport, Entertainment City and Ali header carried France 1-0 past Fitr to Eid al-Adha. bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena, which is ASIA | Accident SBelgium to reach the World Cup She said this year, the festival is of- one of the most important events for fi nal for the third time in their history fering a number of events and new the festival this year. To Page 6 All 12 boys and coach yesterday. rescued from Thai cave The Barcelona defender nodded An- Rescuers freed the last four of 12 Thai toine Griezmann’s corner past Thibaut boys and their soccer coach from Courtois in the 51st minute to settle a deep inside a flooded cave yesterday, tight semi-fi nal clash in St Petersburg a successful end to a perilous and give the 1998 winners another Trump, EU exchange barbs mission that gripped the world for shot at glory. more than two weeks. The “Wild France’s teenage star Kylian Boars” soccer team, aged between 11 Mbappe’s skill lit up the game, while ahead of Nato summit and 16, and their 25-year-old coach Belgium’s golden generation failed to became trapped on June 23 while ignite, looking short of ideas in attack DPA 2% of gross domestic product on de- exploring the cave complex in the as the clock ticked down. Brussels fence, a goal that only eight of them are northern Thai province of Chiang In Sunday’s Moscow fi nal, Didier France defender Samuel Umtiti (L) and forward Ousmane Dembele celebrate their expected to meet this year. Rai when a rainy season downpour Deschamps’s France face either Eng- team’s semi-final win over Belgium in Saint Petersburg yesterday. “Getting ready to leave for Europe. flooded the tunnels. Page 11 land or Croatia, who play in the second he European Union and the First meeting - Nato. The US is spend- semi today. range eff ort was well-fi elded by Cour- chances of note. Manchester City United States lashed out at one ing many times more than any other EUROPE | Diplomacy Although only one goal separated tois, while at the other end Eden Haz- star Kevin De Bruyne lashed over and Tanother yesterday in a row over country in order to protect them. Not the sides France endured few nervy ard dragged a shot narrowly wide and Romelu Lukaku was inches away from defence spending, one day before a fair to the US taxpayer,” Trump tweeted. Qatar to participate in moments, with Belgium struggling to saw another strike defl ected inches reaching a tempting cross, but Griez- Nato summit gets under way in Brus- “Nato countries must pay MORE, 29th Nato Summit make good on their early promise. over the bar by Raphael Varane. mann enjoyed the best chance of the sels with the issue expected to domi- the United States must pay LESS. Very Qatar will participate in the 29th A tense fi rst half saw two technically Mbappe continued to shine, pro- fi nal stages as France looked to counter nate the agenda. unfair!” Trump added later. summit of the North Atlantic Treaty supreme sets of players test each oth- ducing a marvellous backheel fl ick to and kill the game. US President Donald Trump, who Meanwhile in Brussels, European Organisation (Nato), which begins ers’ goalkeepers, who both passed with tee up Giroud, but the Chelsea striker The Atletico Madrid striker dragged arrived in Brussels late yesterday for Council President Donald Tusk took today in Brussels. The two-day fl ying colours. The superb Mbappe could not fi nish. his low shot and Courtois saved it eas- a tour that will also include a trip to the US president to task for “criticising event will see the 29 members blazed down the right wing in the Belgium coach Roberto Martinez ily, with Corentin Tolisso foiled as well Britain and a meeting with Russia’s Europe almost daily.” and 20 partners take part, besides opening seconds, but although his run threw on Dries Mertens for the cum- moments later, but their profl igacy did Vladimir Putin, has been calling on Eu- “Dear President Trump: America representatives from the UN, came to nothing it was a statement of bersome Mousa Dembele and Fellaini not matter as the Euro 2016 runners- ropean allies to increase their defence does not have, and will not have a bet- EU, World Bank, and the Nato intent from the 19-year-old. headed wide as the Red Devils tried up reached another fi nal. expenditure. ter ally than Europe,” Tusk said at a Parliamentary Assembly. Blaise Matuidi’s powerful long- to fi ght back, but produced few clear Sport Pages 1-5 Nato states have pledged to spend press conference. Ashghal starts converting Immigration R/A into intersection

he Public Works Authority (Ash- traffi c movement and increase the in- the Immigration Interchange towards ghal) has announced that it has terchange’s capacity. Al Rayyan Interchange, as well as im- Tstarted implementing Phase 1 of This phase also includes the devel- proving the entrance and exit points on a project to convert the Immigration opment of the storm-water drainage the road, developing the sewage system Roundabout into an intersection and system, protection of existing utility in the eastern service section of Febru- develop parts of the service roads along lines for Ooredoo and the Qatar General ary 22 Road and developing the storm- February 22 Road. Electricity & Water Corporation (Kah- water drainage system. This comes as part of its eff orts to ramaa) as well as the addition of new The third phase includes develop- develop the road networks and enhance lighting poles at the new intersection. ing the drainage system on the road traffi c fl ow across the country, the au- In order to implement Phase 1 and branching from the February 22 Road thority has said in a statement. starting from Friday morning (July towards the Al Messila area (between Mohamed Arqoub al-Khaldi, head 13), Ashghal will close the right lane of the new health centre and English of Doha City Section in the Roads the underpass below the Immigration Modern School), Ashghal has said. Projects Department of Ashghal, said Roundabout in both directions while The fourth phase comprises the con- the project will contribute signifi cantly keeping the other two lanes open to struction of additional parking bays to enhancing traffi c fl ow and improv- traffi c. This is in addition to the full clo- on the west side of February 22 Road, ing movement between the areas sur- Mohamed Arqoub al-Khaldi sure of the underpass daily from 11pm while the fi fth and fi nal phase will see rounding the interchange in addition to 5am for three months. the development of the entrance and to facilitating access to the February 22 Al-Khaldi explained that the project Road users can use the Immigration exit points on February 22 Road in the Road from nearby residential and com- consists of fi ve phases, and that Ash- Roundabout (at ground level) as an al- area between Al Rayyan Interchange mercial areas, by improving entrances ghal has started implementing the fi rst ternative route. and Rashida Interchange. oad Trading & Contracting, and it is vising motorists of the closure. It has and exit points to and from the road phase - which will convert the Immi- The second phase of the project in- The project is being implemented expected to be completed in the third requested all road users to abide by the and developing service roads on both gration Roundabout into a signal-con- cludes developing the service roads through a joint venture of Urbacon quarter of 2019. speed limit and follow the road signs to its sides. trolled intersection in order to improve along February 22 Road, starting from Trading & Contracting and InfraR- Ashghal will install road signs ad- ensure their safety. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 QATAR

Speaker visits Doha Metro, mega strategic reservoirs project

QNA Doha

E the Speaker of the Ad- visory Council Ahmed Hbin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud and a number of the council’s members yesterday visited the Doha Metro project, where they were briefed on the work progress and the stages completed. The Advisory Council del- egation led by HE al-Mahmoud also visited the mega strategic reservoirs project in Al Thu- mama, and learned about the operational mechanism and modern technologies used in HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud and other the project. dignitaries being briefed by Director of Technical Aff airs at Qatar General Electricity and Water In press statements, HE the HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, accompanied by other Corporation (Kahramaa), Engineer Ahmed Nasser Mubarak al-Nasr during their visit to the mega strategic Speaker of the Advisory Coun- dignitaries, during the visit to the Economic Zone station yesterday. reservoirs project in Al Thumama yesterday. cil said what he saw during the two visits was a source of pride His Highness the Amir Sheikh future for the future genera- the country’s achievements, and praised the mega strate- vide the country’s water needs ciation for the efforts exerted and confi dence, and reaffi rmed Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani tions. sends a strong message to any- gic reservoirs project, whose in the present and future, by the honourable government the ability of the people of Qatar who adopted a sound and HE the Advisory Council one trying to obstruct the devel- first phase was commissioned thereby contributing to food and its implementation of de- to make achievements and turn thoughtful planning approach Speaker underlined that the opment process in the country by His Highness the Deputy security and water develop- velopment plans and major ambitions into reality, despite in the conduct of State af- Doha Metro, which is consid- by marginal battles away from Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Ha- ment requirements. projects to achieve the inter- the unjust siege imposed on the fairs, and a comprehensive ered one of the most advanced the basic objectives of building, mad al-Thani last Thursday. HE the Speaker of the Ad- ests of the homeland and the country. strategic vision as a path to transport projects in the region progress, glory and serve the He noted that the reservoirs visory Council expressed, in citizens, with all efficiency and He hailed the wisdom, the development, modernisation, and uses the latest technology homeland. project, which is the largest of his name and on behalf of the ability despite the conditions directives and follow-up of achievement and securing the in this fi eld, is a great addition to HE al-Mahmoud also its kind in the world, will pro- members of the council, appre- of the siege. Reservoirs project Metro stations work set worth QR14.5bn: for year-end completion Kahramaa offi cial QNA each stage. He added that a total atar Rail expects most of Doha of 650km of pipes will be used in the construction work the project. Qat Doha Metro stations He underlined that the unjust to be completed by the end of he mega strategic reser- siege of Qatar imposed by the the year, which will put it on the voirs project will ensure Saudi-led quartet, which came verge of the crucial operational TQatar’s water security, at a sensitive time in the process phase. providing long-term safe water of implementation of the project, The observation was made by in emergency situations, link- did not aff ect the progress of Abdulla al-Subaie, managing ing the country’s main areas and work thanks to Qatar’s strong director and CEO of Qatar Rail production sites in the south and relations with the internation- yesterday, while also expressing north, Director of Technical Af- al companies involved in the pleasure at receiving a delega- fairs at Qatar General Electric- project, and the confi dence and tion from the Advisory Council ity and Water Corporation (Kah- keenness of these companies to yesterday. ramaa), Engineer Ahmed Nasser implement the projects in Qatar. HE the Speaker of the Advi- Mubarak al-Nasr, has stressed. “The companies shipped sory Council Ahmed bin Abdul- In press statements on the equipment, pipes and pumps by lah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud and a sidelines of the visit paid by air and on board the largest cargo number of the council’s mem- HE the Speaker of the Advisory aircraft in the world without fi - bers paid a visit to the Doha Met- Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin nancial burdens on the State”, ro project yesterday to review its Zaid al-Mahmoud to the project al-Nasr added, noting that water progress as well as Qatar Rail’s in Al Thumama yesterday, al- projects in Qatar are the largest major achievements. Nasr noted that the project is in the world. The tour started with a visit worth QR14.5bn and it is being He said that the completion to the Economic Zone sta- implemented in fi ve areas in the rate of the project in Al Thu- tion and this was followed by country, including Umm Salal, mama site exceeded 90% and a journey on board the Doha Al Thumama, Rawdat Rashid ranges in other locations be- Metro to Ras Bu Fontas sta- and Umm Baraka. tween 85 and 90%, explaining tion. Afterwards, the delega- It is expected to be completed that all construction work has tion visited the Doha Metro HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, accompanied by Qatar Rail managing director and CEO by the end of 2018. been completed and the remain- Depot located in the Ras Bu Abdulla al-Subaie and other dignitaries during a ride on board the Doha Metro. Al-Nasr reviewed the eff orts ing are only complementary. Fontas area and the main con- made by Kahramaa to implement Al-Nasr explained that the trols centre of the Doha Metro We went a long way in the imple- requires thorough preparations passengers per hour. The station chitectural motifs, in addition to the project within the frame- project includes 15 water res- networks to observe the con- mentation of the railways project and extensive eff orts to achieve will serve as the main hub of the being safe, sustainable, practical work of the State’s plans to raise ervoirs, each with a capacity of trol, surveillance and central as we now continue the testing the goal we have been work- Qatar Economic Zone in Ras Abu and modern. strategic water reserves, high- 1mn gallons. operation systems. of the trains. ing for, that is the provision of a Fontas due to its close proximity Passengers will enjoy the lighting the success achieved by He highlighted the distin- On his part, al-Subaie said: “By the end of the year, we world-class transport system for to Hamad International Airport. beauty of the design in terms operating the project six months guished role of Qatari cadres “We are pleased to receive the expect most of the construc- the people of Qatar.” The architectural design of of spacious interior, natural ahead of schedule. in the implementation of the members of the Shura Council tion work of the stations to be The Economic Zone station is the Economic Zone station is lighting and smooth passenger He explained that the total project, including that of the at Doha Metro stations to ob- complete, which puts us on the located at the intersection of F- characterised by a combination fl ows, which will give the user a capacity of the project is cur- project manager, engineers and serve the tremendous progress verge of a very important phase, Ring Road and Al Wakrah Road of Qatari traditional models and positive and distinctive experi- rently 960mn gallons of water, supervisors. the project has reached thus far. the operational one. This phase and can accommodate 15,000 modern and contemporary ar- ence. and will reach 2,300mn gallons He noted that Kahramaa com- by the end of the fi rst phase, pleted more than 105mn work- adding that the capacity will ing hours in the project without Qatar marks World increase with the completion of injuries. Nama-UNFPA workshop discusses Population Day Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 International Con- OFFICIAL ference on Human Rights the role of Qatari youth in development annual World Population Day 2018 will be celebrated under the theme “Family Planning is a QNA Human Right.” Doha The conferences outcome Minister of Justice meets British envoy document, known as the Teheran Proclamation, stated HE the Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet he Social Development unequivocally: “Parents have Aff airs Dr Hassan Lahdan Saqr al-Mohannadi met yesterday with the Centre ‘Nama’, in co- a basic human right to deter- ambassador of the United Kingdom to Qatar Ajay Sharma. During the Toperation with the United mine freely and responsibly meeting, the two sides reviewed areas of co-operation between Qatar Nations Population Fund (UNF- the number and spacing of and the United Kingdom, as well as ways to enhance and develop them PA), organised yesterday a work- their children.” in various fields, especially legal and legislative, besides discussing a shop on the role of Qatari youth Annually celebrated on July number of issues of common concern. in the country’s development. 11, World Population Day A number of experts and re- seeks to focus attention on El Salvador honour for Qatar’s envoy searchers interested in issues of the urgency and importance development and empowerment, of population issues. Qatar El Salvador awarded the Diplomatic Order of Merit (the National Order as well as specialists in youth celebrates the day this year in of Jose Matias Delgado) to the Acting charge d’aff aires at Qatar’s studies and their roles at various line with the first anniversary embassy to El Salvador, Ahmed bin Mohamed al-Horr, in recognition levels, especially those related to of launching Qatar Popula- of his eff orts to promote relations between the two countries. This their participation in compre- tion Policy 2017-2022, which took place when the Acting Minister for Foreign Aff airs of El Salvador hensive community development Participants of the workshop organised by the Social Development Centre ‘Nama’ and United Nations was set by the Permanent Carlos Casteneda met the outgoing acting charge d’aff aires at Qatar’s plans, attended the workshop. Population Fund. Population Committee (PPC). embassy to El Salvador Ahmed bin Mohamed al-Horr. The acting The workshop discussed the Qatar National Library will minister for foreign aff airs of El Salvador praised the bilateral relations results of a study prepared by CEO of Qatar Foundation for signed by the Qatar Foundation Foundation for Social Work op- be holding an open seminar between Qatar and his country. For his part, the Acting charge d’aff aires Nama in co-operation with UN- Social Work Amal Abdullatif for Social Work with the UNFPA erates according to a methodol- celebrating the World Popula- Ahmed bin Mohamed al-Horr thanked the government for support for FPA under the title “Youth in al-Mannai said that the work- in 2015, takes 18 months and this ogy based on research, studies tion Day with the participa- Qatar in the Gulf crisis. Qatar: Situation Analysis and shop comes in the context of a workshop aims to discuss the and knowledge of the needs and tion of the PPC and Ministry Response Assessment” as part of joint project between the Nama outputs of the fi rst phase, which the impact of the centres on the of Development Planning and Qatar’s fight against cybercrime stressed a project in which the two sides Centre and the UNFPA, which lasted four months. target groups. Statistics. will co-operate for a year-and- was signed in October 2017 to Al-Mannai expressed the hope For her part, Director of Com- The PPC seeks to achieve a The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations and a-half on the same issue. provide technical support to the that the results of the study dis- munity Services Department at balance between population international organisations in Vienna Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani The workshop also discussed a Centre and achieve its objectives cussed by the workshop will out- Nama Mariam al-Mannai said growth an the requirements has met with UN Chief of Cybercrime, Anti-Money Laundering and number of concrete recommenda- in building the capacities of the line a roadmap for the development that noted that the study of the for sustainable develop- Counter-Financing of Terrorism Department Neil Walsh at the UN tions on how to improve the work- Qatari youth. of “Nama” plans and youth centres youth in Qatar came in response ments, which improves the Off ice on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna. During the meeting, ing methods with young people in She added that this joint operating in the country, which to the results showed by the quality of life for residents they discussed enhancing relations between Qatar and the United Qatar, in order to achieve progress project, which was the result also participated in the event. comprehensive development in- of Qatar. Nations in combating cybercrime. He reiterated Qatar’s commitment to and advancement of the State. of the co-operation protocol She underlined that Qatar dicators in the country. supporting the United Nations eff orts to combat organised crime. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 3 QATAR Chinese envoy Minister meets Kenya’s top official hails agreement on visa waiver he Chinese ambas- dures. He also stressed his sador in Doha, Li country’s desire for more TChen, has described co-operation with the State Qatar and China’s signing of Qatar in various fi elds. an agreement exempting On the Chinese-GCC nationals of the two coun- free trade negotiations, he tries from visa require- pointed out that the current HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti met Kenya’s cabinet secretary ments as a major achieve- crisis has had an impact on for Foreign Aff airs, Monica Juma, in Nairobi yesterday. The meeting discussed bilateral relations and means of ment in the development of their progress. Despite that, enhancing them, in addition to a number of matters of common interest. The meeting was also attended by relations between the two he added, China was com- Qatar’s ambassador to Kenya Jabr bin Ali al-Dosari. countries. mitted to persevere with The Chinese ambassa- the negotiations until they dor was speaking at a press succeed. conference in Doha on The ambassador then the occasion of the eighth discussed the current fo- ministerial meeting of the rum, and said it was es- Chief of Staff holds talks with Kuwaiti delegation Arab-China States Co-op- tablished in 2004 and has eration Forum being held in grown a lot since then. He Beijing. highlighted the announce- He added that the agree- ments made by the Chinese ment coincides with the president during the open- celebration of the 30th an- ing of the forum, which in- niversary of the establish- cluded investments as well ment of diplomatic rela- Chinese ambassador Li Chen speaking at a press conference as economic and political tions and refl ects the high in Doha. initiatives that refl ect the level of China-Qatar rela- countries commitment to tions in various political, countries to strengthen- and trade,” he added. partnering with the Arab economic, commercial, ing ties, co-operation and Ambassador Li Chen World. cultural, scientifi c and strategic partnership. “The predicted that the agree- He also praised Qatar’s other fi elds. agreement will push for- ment will enter into force hosting of the 2016 edition, He also pointed out that ward the Chinese-Qatari in the next few months af- saying it was a huge success this agreement refl ects the co-operation especially ter the countries complete and a turning point for the commitment of the two in the fi eld of tourism some domestic legal proce- forum. (QNA)

HE the Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Major General (Pilot) Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem yesterday met the chief of the National Service Authority of Kuwait, Lt Gen Mohamed Ahmed al-Khader, and his accompanying delegation, currently visiting Qatar. The meeting discussed prospects of co-operation between Kuwait’s National Service Authority and Qatar’s National Service Academy. The two sides also discuss the mechanism of co-ordination and the exchange of expertise between the two sides with regard to WISE announces fi ve the national service recruits, and ways of developing training and rehabilitation. The meeting was attended by National Service Academy president Major General Saeed Hamad al-Nuaimi and Kuwait’s Military attache ‘EdTech’ initiatives in Qatar Brig Gen Huwaidi Sahan al-Hajeri.

he World Innovation tor immersive learning Summit for Educa- experiences using Virtual Ttion (WISE), an ini- Reality and Augmented tiative of Qatar Foundation Reality technology. Uptale (QF), has revealed the fi ve allows anyone – without ‘EdTech’ initiatives select- any technical background ed to join its 2018-19 WISE or prior training – to create Accelerator programme. gamifi ed interactive VR and The fi ve 2018-19 WISE AR learning content and Accelerator initiatives publish it using the Uptale will kick off the pro- platform. gramme during the WISE@ The WISE Accelera- NewYork forum that will tor team will also organ- take place on September ise high-level meetings 22 in New York. During the between representatives forum, representatives of SmartScience, US. of the fi ve initiatives and these initiatives will take leaders and entrepreneurs part in workshops, attend from organisations that are classes, and participate in developing solutions and pitching sessions. programmes in education The fi ve 2018-19 WISE and EdTech. Accelerator initiatives are: The WISE Accelera- ScholarX; Chatterbox; Im- tor supports the develop- Blaze; SmartScience and ment of innovative educa- Uptale. tion technology initiatives ScholarX is a social im- with high potential to make pact startup based in Ni- a positive impact. The se- geria and enables African lected initiatives receive youth to access education support from mentors and through various education WISE partners to scale up fi nancing solutions, regard- their startups, improve their less of their socio-econom- international visibility, and ic background. ScholarX identify potential part- off ers a scholarship ag- ScholarX, Nigeria. ners, donors, and investors gregator mobile/web app, through networking oppor- which has over 10,000 local barrier to refugee employ- the US, provides students tunities organised by WISE. and foreign-targeted schol- ment – their native lan- with an online platform Chibeza Agley, co- arships. It also provides a guage – into an asset. that facilitates learning in founder and CEO of Cam- micro-scholarship crowd- An initiative of the Big the sciences. The company BioScience, a member of funding platform called Picture Company, in the US, developed a technology the programme’s 2017-18 ‘Village’ that connects local ImBlaze is an online man- that allows students to test cohort, said: “The WISE students with tuition fund- agement platform that ena- a hypothesis by measur- Accelerator has had a pro- ing sponsors worldwide. bles educators and students ing results on videos of found impact on the de- Based in the UK, Chat- to easily and effi ciently real-world experiments. velopment and scale-up of terbox is a language-tu- manage out-of-school in- SmartScience off ers over CamBioScience. The pro- toring platform created ternship experiences, to 300 lessons in the sciences, gramme provided the team and delivered by refugees. support real-world, per- and every lesson is designed with hand-picked mentors Chatterbox fi nds, trains sonalised learning. It sup- with the goal of fostering whose profi le and experi- and then contracts highly ports students to look for the learning of the experi- ence matched the needs of skilled refugees to deliver an internship, and once mentation method among our business, and the level language training to their the internship starts, the students. of expert support we have clients. Chatterbox tackles educator in school and the Uptale is a French star- received from our selected the problem of unemploy- mentor in the workplace tup that off ers a software- mentors and the WISE Ac- ment among refugee popu- accompany the student in as-a-service platform to celerator management team lations, turning what would the learning process. enable creators to imagine, over the last year has been usually be considered a SmartScience, based in create, publish, and moni- phenomenal.”

Bonus data for new Hala SIM card customers

oredoo has announced that all and has been designed to “give back to new Hala SIM card customers prepaid customers for choosing Oore- Owill enjoy a special data bo- doo’s award-winning Hala service”, nus for making their fi rst top-up or First time Hala top-ups of QR30 will the statement notes. recharge. give users 2GB bonus data valid for fi ve On top of pay-as-you-go services, Thanks to the new off er, any cus- days, a QR100 Flexi card will activate Hala off ers a host of daily and weekly tomer activating their fi rst recharge 7GB data valid for fi ve days (on top of calling bundles, designed to cover on a new Hala SIM will get extra data regular Flexi allowances) and Dawli international needs, data, and local based on the amount and top-up QR10 card recharges will enjoy 0.5GB calling/SMS. type selected, Ooredoo has said in a bonus data for fi ve days. To fi nd out more about the off er, one statement. The new off er is valid until July 26 can visit Ooredoo.qa Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 QATAR

‘Qatar, China enjoy strong QC, UNHCR to support over 30,000 ties based on respect’ refugee families in Lebanon and Jordan

E the Minister of State Doha Declaration and the Execu- in particular, the principle of non- heikh Hamad bin Nasser having struggled to seek safety for Foreign Aff airs Sultan tive Programme 2016-2018. interference in the internal aff airs al-Thani, chairman of and often after seven years of Hbin Saad al-Muraikhi has He said China is one of the main of other States and respecting SQatar Charity (QC), and displacement. hailed the development of Chi- trading partners of Qatar with a their sovereignty as one of the Filippo Grandi, United Nations “We must, therefore, do eve- nese-Arab relations in general trade volume of about $8bn, as most important tasks incumbent High Commissioner for Refu- rything we can to support those and Qatari-Chinese relations in well as importing about 40% of its upon all to envisage a new era of gees (UNHCR), have signed an who are victims of circum- particular. total needs of liquefi ed natural gas peace and development in the re- agreement in support of more stances beyond their control. In a speech at the eighth edition from Qatar, while appreciating the gion and in the world. He added than 30,000 vulnerable Syrian UNHCR’s Zakat Initiative pro- of the Ministerial Meeting of the contribution of the Chinese side that Qatar always calls for resolv- refugee families living in Jordan vides us and others with alter- Arab-China Co-operation Forum in the infrastructure, energy and ing all diff erences in light of these and Lebanon. native ways to directly support in Beijing, he said Qatar and China petrochemical sectors in Qatar. principles, stressing that dialogue The agreement is linked to refugees with cash assistance.” are celebrating the 30th anniver- He said Qatar was one of the fi rst and negotiation must be the basis a contribution of over $10mn Off icials signing the agreement in Geneva, Switzerland. Since the start of the year, sary of the establishment of diplo- countries to support the initiative for resolving diff erences. by Qatar Charity that will be Qatar Charity has provided matic relations, noting that the two of Chinese President Xi Jinping to HE al-Muraikhi praised Chi- channelled towards UNHCR’s and North Africa region are eli- healthcare or other necessities”. over $16mn to UNHCR in countries have strong and stable build the Silk Road economic belt, na’s position in support of the Zakat Initiative. The donation gible for cash assistance. UNHCR and Qatar Charity support of Rohingya refu- relations based on mutual respect. considering it an initiative that Palestinian issue and its honour- will help secure much-needed Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Re- have a long track record of co- gees and those aff ected by the He recalled the visit of His promotes co-operation in trade, able attitude towards opposing cash assistance for more than gional Representative to the GCC operation in support of displaced humanitarian crisis in Somalia. Highness the Amir Sheikh investment and infrastructure. the transfer of foreign embassies 150,000 vulnerable Syrian ref- countries, praised QC’s col- persons. To date, QC has provid- Within this context, QC Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to He added that the Doha Dec- to Al Quds and its support for the ugees in Lebanon and Jordan laboration with UNHCR, noting: ed contributions of some $23mn aims to strengthen partner- Beijing in 2014, which contribut- laration and Beijing Declaration establishment of a fully sovereign until the end of this year. “Qatar Charity’s donation to the in support of UNHCR’s opera- ships with international hu- ed to boosting bilateral relations stressed the importance of safe- Palestinian state on the 1967 bor- More than 1.6mn Syrian Zakat Initiative is the fi rst of its tions in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, manitarian organisations, espe- to the level of strategic relations. guarding the sovereignty and sta- ders with Al Quds as its capital. refugees live in Lebanon and kind from any large donor. This Bangladesh, Iraq and Somalia, cially UNHCR, towards further HE al-Muraikhi also referred bility of states, non-interference He said the spread of terrorism Jordan, with the vast major- generous contribution not only according to a statement. co-operation for the delivery to Qatar’s hosting of the seventh in their internal aff airs, enshrin- and extremism represents a big ity of refugees living below the enhances our co-operation with Highlighting the importance of humanitarian assistance session of the Ministerial Meet- ing the concept of justice and challenge and international co- poverty line (approximately Qatar Charity but also emphasis- of supporting refugees, Yousuf to the displaced globally. Simi- ing of the Arab-China Co-oper- equity and promoting eff orts to operation is needed to overcome it, 89% of refugees in Jordan and es their philanthropy, particularly bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, CEO of larly, UNHCR works to protect ation Forum back in 2016, saying fi nd political solutions to issues, noting that Qatar has signed agree- 71% of them in Lebanon). It is with regards to helping hundreds QC, said: “Syrian refugees face and support over 68mn refu- it issued recommendations and a crises, security and development. ments with a number of countries estimated that some 1.2mn ref- of thousands of refugees secure diffi culties beyond imagination gees, displaced persons and common vision refl ected by the He stressed that Qatar values, to confront this threat. – QNA ugees living in the Middle East their basic needs whether rent, to meet their basic needs, after asylum seekers globally.

QNB hosts students at QCDC’s summer career camp Mitsubishi ASX models

NB has hosted a number uted to enhancing their academic of 2011-2016 recalled of high school stu- knowledge and practical skills. Qdents on a fi eld visit to The visit “affi rms the bank’s its Mathaf building as part of keenness to reach out to educa- he Ministry of Economy The MEC will co-ordi- the Summer Career Camp 2018 tional institutions in Qatar and and Commerce (MEC), in nate with the dealer to fol- organised by Qatar Career De- support various activities aimed Tcollaboration with Qatar low up on maintenance and velopment Centre (QCDC), a at serving the community and Automobiles Company, dealer repair works and communi- member of Qatar Foundation. developing Qatari youth within of Mitsubishi vehicles in Qa- cate with customers to ensure During the one-day visit, its ongoing corporate social re- tar, has announced the recall of that the necessary repairs are the students toured the bank’s sponsibility programmes”, the Mitsubishi ASX models of 2011- carried out. It has urged cus- various departments and learnt bank has said in a statement. 2016 because the front wiper tomers to report violations about QNB’s work environment “It also refl ects its commitment link ball joint may corrode. to its Consumer Protection and its innovative products and to provide training programmes In a statement, the minis- and Anti-Commercial Fraud banking solutions. for Qatari students and gradu- try said the recall campaign Department through the call The students interacted with ates such as the summer train- came within the framework of centre: 16001, e-mail: info@ QNB staff and asked various ques- ing programme and fi eld training its ongoing eff orts to protect mec.gov.qa, Twitter: @MEC_ tions about a career in banking to support education and human consumers and ensure that car Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar and the skills needed to effi ciently development as essential pillars dealers followed up on vehicles’ and its mobile app for An- accomplish it which contrib- of Qatar National Vision 2030.” Students during the visit. defects and repair them. droid and iOS: MEC_Qatar Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 5 QATAR Charitable causes spur Qatari to great heights Qatari athlete Fahad alongside my friend Talal al- Qatar Petroleum, will join com- al-Buenain now aims to Emadi, we climbed the Kiliman- patriots Dr Mohamed al-Kuwari, The initiative provides conquer the English Channel jaro – the highest mountain in Dr Faleh Mohamed Ali, Dr Jamal psycho-social support for with his teammates Africa – to highlight the food Rashid al-Khanji, Dr Khalid individuals living with cancer. crisis in the continent,” Fahad al- al-Jalham, professor Nasser al- By Joey Aguilar Buenain, one of the seven mem- Mohannadi, and al-Emadi, in a Staff Reporter bers of the Qatar Team Channel historic attempt between July 20 Swim, told Gulf Times. and 27 to become the fi rst Qataris “Then, we conquered the Ac- to swim across the English Chan- Support haritable causes and a oncagua in Argentina, the high- nel. desire to help inspire the est peak in the Western and All members of the team have Cyouth are the motivations Southern hemispheres, to raise achieved success in their careers initiative for a Qatari amateur athlete to awareness about the suff ering of in the fi elds of medicine, busi- take on some serious challenges, children in Yemen. It makes me ness, entrepreneurship, oil and such as swimming across the feel so proud,” the 34 year-old gas, law, and management. for cancer English Channel. Qatari professional added. Asked what motivated him “As part of Qatar Charity’s Al-Buenain, who is the head of to take on this tough challenge, ‘Challenge for Life Campaign’, branding and communications at al-Buenain explained: “It is the patients fi rst-ever attempt by Qataris and it involves sea, and I love the sea. It also involves team eff ort and he Qatar Cancer Society collaboration, and this brings a (QCS) has launched “Step lot of commitment and value.” Tof Hope”, an initiative to “It also adds to one’s experi- provide psycho-social support ences in life. I always aim for for individuals living with can- unique challenges and this one cer, as well as emphasising the is just like no other, especially importance of a healthy lifestyle when you know that the number such as exercise and healthy food of people who have swum across to prevent disease. the channel is fewer than those During the “Step of Hope” in- who have climbed Mount Ever- itiative, an individual living with est,” he noted. colorectal cancer walks about Aimed at inspiring their coun- Al-Buenain and al-Emadi. 555km in 15 days in the fi rst stage try and promoting sports and and reaches 2,022km at a later a healthy lifestyle, the team has taken him to all corners of the Ministry to sign six contracts to stage. will take around 18-20 hours of world. Mohamed Shaaban, the ini- swimming to cover a distance of He has visited more than 60 lease and operate private schools tiator, said: “This initiative aims more than 34km on relay basis countries, sailed 5,000km across to emphasise the importance of – one of the toughest physical two oceans, cycled 2,000km in The Ministry of Education and Higher Education will sign six psychological support for this challenges in the world. 10 countries, and climbed fi ve contracts in Doha today to lease and operate private schools group, which will help them About being a member of the mountains in four continents. with national companies that won the bids after tenders were overcome the treatment stage Team Qatar Channel Swim, he He is also a former national off ered by the Technical Committee to Stimulate Private Sector with patience and determina- feels proud to be part of such an record holder in freediving, Participation in Economic Development Projects. tion.” inspiring team, which has one achieving 5.12 minutes of un- The committee was headed by Prime Minister and Minister of “The initiative also aims to common goal of inspiring the derwater static breath hold, and Interior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani. raise awareness among people youth. 40.3m of constant weight diving The contracts were awarded to the winning companies after a of cancer prevention by leading a Al-Buenain said that sport is a with one breath. process of studying and evaluating the off ers of the investors healthy lifestyle,” he added. Al-Buenain: has cycled 2,000km in 10 countries. vital part of his daily life, which and holding meetings with them on a competitive basis. Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 QATAR

PM briefed Oxy Qatar, QYH sign new on QFC’s sponsorship agreement future plans

ccidental Petroleum guages and will later be with Qatar Youth Hos- QNA of Qatar Ltd (Oxy published as a luxury book tels Association.‘Discover Doha OQatar) and Qatar to serve as a historical Qatar in 144 Hours’ and Youth Hostels Association reference guide for Qatar ‘Qatar Explorer Guide’ (QYH) have signed a spon- travel enthusiasts. provide a unique opportu- E the Prime Minister and sorship agreement to sup- The guide addresses nity to highlight the coun- Interior Minister Sheikh port youth tourism activi- Arab youth in general as try’s cultural diversity to a HAbdullah bin Nasser bin ties carried out by QYH. well as Qatari youth in worldwide audience.” Khalifa al-Thani paid a visit to These activities are be- Off icials at the agreement-signing ceremony. particular, conveying ex- Alobaidly said: “We Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) ing carried out through a periences in tourism and would like to thank Oxy yesterday. number of initiatives and courage the youth to be an Qatar in 144 Hours’. This travel and engaging in var- Qatar for supporting us During the visit, the prime programmes such as ‘Dis- eff ective building block in is a tourist programme di- ious adventures. by sponsoring our pro- minister listened to a detailed cover Qatar in 144 Hours’ society. rected towards youth groups It will also provide a grammes. We ensure that explanation by senior offi cials and ‘Qatar Explorer Guide’ The sponsorship agree- from various youth hostels vivid picture of Qatar to our initiatives are qualita- at the centre about the strategy as part of the role of Oxy ment was signed by Ahmed around the world to discover young explorers around tive and aligned with the adopted and the achievements Qatar in community devel- Hassan Alobaidly, CEO of Qatar in 144 hours, to learn the world. objectives of the Qatari accomplished. opment, according to press QYH, and Andrew H Ker- about the most important Kershaw said: “As Qa- Youth Hostels Association The offi cials also briefed him statement. shaw, president and general tourist, heritage and sports tar continues to grow movement in particular about the centre’s future plans, The supporting pro- manager of Oxy Qatar. places and to explore Qatar. in importance as an in- and the objectives of the Qatar International Court and grammes are concerned QYH recently launched The ‘Qatar Explorer ternational destination, Ministry of Culture and Dispute Resolution Centre and with youth development a series of qualitative ini- Guide’ initiative has been we are very pleased to Sports in general and Qa- Qatar Finance and Business and care in order to en- tiatives, including ‘Discover launched in several lan- form a new partnership tar National Vision 2030.” Academy. The visit included the com- mercial section of the centre, Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, which is an independent court AAB announces Ramadan promotion winners affi liated with the QFC and Qa- tar Finance and Business Acad- emy, which is QFC educational bdullah Abdulghani Global Architecture (TNGA) arm. & Bros Co (AAB), platform, which represents The prime minister stressed Athe exclusive dealer an entirely new strategy to the importance of the piv- for Toyota cars in Qatar, has the way the company de- otal role of QFC as one of the announced the winners of signs, engineers, and pack- “most important pillars of its Ramadan campaign for ages its vehicles. strengthening the national two Camry Hybrid and two TNGA retains all of Toy- economy”, and the signifi- Prius Hybrid vehicles. ota’s traditional values of cance of its role in creating a The draw was held re- superlative build quality “successful and distinct glo- cently at Toyota’s main and safety while injecting a bal financial business envi- showroom in Abdullah Ab- fun driving experience that ronment in the State of Qatar dulghani Tower in the pres- plays on all the senses. and the region”. ence of senior offi cials of the The class-leading model He praised the centre’s con- company and a representa- can be driven entirely by tribution to the efforts of di- tive from the Ministry of either electrical power with versifying the Qatari economy, Economy and Commerce. zero-fuel consumption and and to supporting the State’s AAB had announced its carbon emissions, or with march towards achieving the promotional campaign dur- a combination of a petrol objectives of Qatar National ing Ramadan under the title engine and two electric mo- Vision 2030. “Celebrate the month of tors depending on the ve- The prime minister was ac- giving with our wonderful hicle speed and customer’s companied during the visit by off ers”. It included giving driving behaviour. HE the Minister of Finance Ali every Toyota buyer a chance The batteries in the hy- Sherif al-Emadi and senior of- to win one of two Camry brid electric drivetrain are Off icials at the draw. fi cials at the QFC. Hybrid or two Prius Hybrid automatically charged by cars through a draw at the either the petrol engine or end of the campaign period. when braking and deceler- “AAB is keen to off er ex- ating, eliminating the need clusive off ers and distin- to plug in a power cord. guished services to its valued Further, the all-new Cam- customers in recognition ry HEV does not require a of their trust in the Toyota special fuel yet drives like any brand and its local agent in other conventional car. order to achieve the high- In 1997, Toyota intro- est customer satisfaction,” duced the world’s fi rst mass AAB said in a statement produced hybrid vehicle — yesterday. “The company is the Prius — off ering much also keen to provide the best better fuel economy than after-sales service through any other vehicle powered the largest network of quick by a gasoline engine. service centres spread in In 2008, there were a most regions of the country million new Priuses on the as well as the main service road. centre in the Industrial Area By 2013, it was 3mn, in- to save the time and eff ort of dicating that the new eco- its customers.” technology had gone main- The all-new Camry Hy- stream and was no longer brid Electric Vehicles pro- just something for a few vides a comfortable and environmentally conscious stable ride with superior progressives — but rather handling characteristics, the best choice for just thanks to Toyota’s New about everyone.

Qatar Summer Festival gives fi llip to internal tourism and trade

From Page 1 Al-Mughaiseb said many entities have participated Since the start of the in the success of the festival World Cup this year the fan including a number of ho- zones welcomed more than tels which provided other 62,000 visitors and is pre- aspects of comprehensive paring to welcome a larger family entertainment, as number in the coming days. well as the fan zone area in This registers a success- the entertainment city at ful co-operation between Doha Exhibition and Con- QTA, Supreme Committee vention Center. for Delivery & Legacy (SC) She said the entertain- and Ministry of Culture and ment city at DECC con- Sports. tinues to attract a large She said the Qatar Fan number visitors thanks to Zone at Ali bin Hamad al- the games and diverse en- Attiyah Arena at Al Sadd tertainment it provides. club is a popular destina- The city is able to add joy to tion for both football lovers the summer season in the and families due to the en- country as it has welcomed tertainment that caters to more than 40,000 visitors all members of the family. since it started . The fan zone includes two She said the entertain- areas, one of which holds ment city, which is spread a large screen to broadcast over an area of 29,000sq m the matches live and a large is one of the most promi- stage for concerts by Arab nent activities of the sum- stars and live entertain- mer festival. She said ment. The second area also QSports which is the or- includes a large screen to ganiser of the event was broadcast matches live , able to develop the games, a playstation area, virtual technology and activities reality games and other in the city, which meets the games related to football. aspirations of all the visi- Both areas also include food tors of all ages, with more and beverages off ered by than 75 gaming experiences nearly 40 outlets operating and 40 food outlets under on match days. one roof. Page 20 Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 7 AFRICA Casualties in 100 Men March SA vintage plane crash

AFP The ER24 medical service Pretoria confi rmed the fatality. The Aviodrome aerospace theme park near the central ne person was killed Dutch city of Lelystad said on and about 20 were in- its Facebook page that it was Ojured when a vintage “hugely shocked” by the crash. plane crashed yesterday after The plane, which had been it took off on a test fl ight from expected to arrive at the Av- a small airport in the South iodrome on July 23, “crashed African capital Pretoria, in South Africa during take- emergency services said. off on a test fl ight,” it said. The Convair-340 plane It said the Convair-340 was built in 1954 was due to soon a US-built passenger plane be fl own to the Aviodrome air that could carry 44 people. museum in the Netherlands “We are not sure what hap- from Wonderboom airport in pened at this stage,” Rosella Pretoria. Passier, the Aviodrome’s The plane came down on marketing manager, told AFP rough ground about 5km east in The Hague. South African take part in the 100 Men March to the Union Buildings, raising awareness on violence against women and children in Pretoria. The 100 Men March was attended of the airport, hitting a small “All we know is shortly af- by government representatives and supporters from various other sectors of society such as lawyers, judges, clergy from diverse faith movements. factory building, injuring two ter take-off the plane experi- people inside. enced trouble and crashed.” Images from the site The plane had been due showed the plane broken into to fl y later this week to Av- several pieces. iodrome via east Africa, Paramedics helped survi- through Egypt, Croatia, Aus- vors out of the aircraft and tria to the Netherlands. 3 cops killed in fl ashpoint English-speaking Cameroon city treated patients at the scene The fuselage was marked as fi refi ghters tackled the Martin’s Air Charter. smoking wreckage. A spokesman for Martin AFP “two police were killed (on Mon- said. The report was confi rmed by According to a government re- But the main opposition So- “The plane had 19 passen- Air said it had no information Yaounde day) on the southern part of the a local resident. port last month, separatists had cial Democratic Front (SDF), gers on board which includes about the plane or the crash. city by terrorists.” Separatists in the English- killed 74 soldiers and seven police traditionally associated with the the pilot and the engineer,” According to the Avio- A policeman was also kid- speaking Southwest and North- since late 2017 while more than anglophone regions, has desig- Johan Pieterse, the local gov- drome’s website, it cost t least three policemen, in- napped “and we have no news of west Regions want to break free of 100 civilians had died “over the nated a candidate, Joshua Osih. ernment emergency services $410,000 to make the plane cluding a superintendent, him,” the source said. the rest of the country, after long past 12 months”. The presence of a large English- spokesman, told AFP. “fl ight ready” and buy parts Ahave been killed in fi ght- A hospital source gave a higher protesting at perceived neglect by The United Nations says speaking minority in Cameroon “There was one fatality in for the planned trip to Europe. ing between English-speaking toll, saying fi ve police and a civil- Cameroon’s francophone rulers. 160,000 people have been inter- originates in the colonial period. the cockpit, we are not sure if The plane was supposed to separatists and security forces in ian had died on Monday, and an- The campaign began in 2016 nally displaced and 20,000 have The former German colony it’s the pilot or the engineer. leave South Africa around to- western Cameroon, local sources other civilian had been wounded. with demands for greater autono- sought refuge in neighbouring was divided between Britain and We have got about 20 patients morrow, according to Dutch said yesterday. On Sunday, a police superin- my, but radicalised as the author- Nigeria. France after World War I. with injuries ranging from news agency ANP. The violence, which contin- tendent in Kumba, a town on the ities refused to make concessions. Violence continued yester- The French colony gained in- serious to critical, including The Aviodrome is one ued yesterday, marks a bloody main road out of Buea towards After the separatists issued a day in the wake of President Paul dependence in 1960, becoming two people who were on the of the Netherlands’ largest escalation in a campaign to gain Mamfe, was “slain in cold blood symbolic declaration of inde- Biya’s announcement on Monday Cameroon. ground.” theme parks, where visitors independence for two English- by armed men suspected to be pendence last October 1, the au- before of a presidential election The following year, the British- Pieterse said the plane hit a can view various aircraft close speaking regions from the rest of anglophone secessionists,” the thorities responded with a crack- nationwide on October 7. ruled Southern Cameroons were small factory premises where up, including a KLM Boeing the French-speaking country. offi cial said. down, and acts of violence and Biya, at 85 Africa’s longest- amalgamated into it, giving rise two patients were seriously 747 and Soviet-era MiG-21 A local offi cial in Buea, the “He was having a drink at home arson attacks on schools are now serving president, has not made to the Northwest and Southwest hurt. fi ghter jet. capital of Southwest Region, said, when they killed him,” the source almost daily occurrences. his intentions known. regions.

W Africa states in joint fi ght against root crop ‘Ebola’ Zimbabwe police say campaign By Christophe Koff i, AFP ter of higher education and scientifi c Abidjan research. “In Asia, they have yields of 22 tonnes per hectare.” violence down The WAVE project hopes to go be- esearchers from half a dozen yond the lab and test fi elds, though. states in West Africa have It also wants to harness the clout on past elections Rjoined together in a battle of community leaders and chiefs to against what one expert calls a root spread CBSD awareness and pro- crop “Ebola” — a viral disease that mote better farming practices, such AFP could wreck the region’s staple food as confi ning and destroying crops in Harare and condemn millions to hunger. infested areas and banning transport Their enemy: cassava brown streak of manioc cuttings. disease (CBSD), a virus that strikes “We kings and traditional chiefs imbabwean police said yesterday they cassava, also called manioc, which are the interface between the popula- have received fewer reports of election- in some of the region’s countries is tion and the government,” said Amon Zrelated violence ahead of the July 30 poll consumed by as many as 80% of the Tanoe, the ceremonial monarch of than in previous campaigns. population. the coastal Grand-Bassam region in “Prevalence of violence is less compared The root-rotting disease was fi rst Ivory Coast. to previous elections,” police spokeswoman discovered in Tanzania eight decades Ivory Coast is a huge consumer of Charity Charamba told journalists. ago and is steadily moving westward. cassava — the starchy root is typical- “President Emmerson Mnangagwa has “In outbreaks in central Africa, it ly pulped and fermented and served been preaching peace and there is compliance has wiped out between 90 and 100% in a side dish called attieke. from all political parties. There is commit- of cassava production — it’s now In Aff ery, a big cassava-growing ment and goodwill.” heading towards West Africa,” Justin region about 100km east of the eco- She denied opposition reports that the rul- Pita, in charge of the research pro- nomic capital Abidjan, makers of at- ing ZANU-PF had deployed the military who gramme, told AFP. tieke said they were deeply worried were intimidating opposition supporters in “It is a very big threat. It has to be about the threat of CBSD. rural areas. taken very seriously.” “Attieke is our husband,” said The main opposition Movement for Demo- In Uganda, 3,000 people died of Nathalie Monet Apo, head of the as- cratic Change and the People’s Rainbow Coa- hunger in the 1990s after the dreaded sociation of attieke producers, em- lition led by former vice-president Joice Mu- disease showed up, striking small phasising how the cassava dish is juru have complained about soldiers warning farmers in particular. intertwined with Ivorian life. villagers they would face dire consequences if “You can call it the Ebola of cas- A woman dries semolina of cassava in the sun ahead of the preparation of the attieke side dish in Abidjan. “If the disease shows up, it would they vote for the opposition. sava,” said Pita. be dramatic for our families and our The police, who have been accused of bias The West African Virus Epidemi- tries from West Africa — Benin, But there remain gaps in knowl- The scheme will also look at initia- community.” in the runup to previous elections, have vowed ology (WAVE) project, a multi-mil- Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, edge about West Africa’s specifi c tives to help boost yield — a key chal- “They have to fi nd a cure for this to demonstrate impartiality in handling any lion-dollar scheme funded by the Bill Nigeria and Togo — as well as the vulnerabilities to the disease. lenge in a region with surging popu- disease — it’s thanks to growing breach of electoral laws. and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims Democratic Republic of Congo. They include understanding the lation growth. cassava that I am able to provide an Erasmus Makodza, the offi cer in charge of to shield the region from the advanc- Much is already known about CBSD susceptibility of local strains of cas- “The current average yield from education for my four children,” said election policing, said there were more cases ing peril. — the virus is generally believed to be sava to the virus, and identifying cassava (in West Africa) is 10 to 12 Blandine Yapo Sopi, eyeing a mound of party infi ghting that between rival factions. Headquartered at Bingerville, on propagated by an insect called the sil- points in the cassava trade that can tonnes per hectare, but it has the po- of harvested manioc that she hoped “There are more cases of intra-party vio- the edges of the Ivorian economic verleaf whitefl y, and also through cut- help a localised outbreak of CBSD tential to reach 40 tonnes a hectare,” would bring in 450,000 CFA francs lence than inter-party and we have managed capital Abidjan, it gathers six coun- tings taken from infected plants. swell into an epidemic. said Odile Attanasso, Benin’s minis- ($800). to arrest 95% of the perpetrators,” he said, indicating police had also received reports about campaign posters being defaced or pulled down. The police “will deal with anyone who en- gages in any form of electoral malpractice Beyonce to lead South Africa anti-poverty festival for Mandela without fear or favour.” Later this month, Zimbabweans will vote in their fi rst election since the ouster of long- By Shaun Tandon, AFP will headline the music at the FNB Global Citizen has held festivals those policy outcomes — we believe model for the Global Citizen move- time ruler Robert Mugabe after a brief military New York Stadium alongside several other since 2012 in New York’s Central Park it has the potential to be the most ment through his magnanimous ef- takeover in November. stars: Coldplay frontman Chris Mar- on the sidelines of the annual UN signifi cant campaign we’ve ever been forts at racial reconciliation and de- Mnangagwa, 75, who replaced Mugabe and tin, English singer-songwriter Ed General Assembly to rally support, part of,” Evans told AFP. mocracy as well as through his focus is favoured by the military, will face opposi- eyonce and Jay-Z will lead an Sheeran, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Ved- especially among young people, in Unlike traditional benefi t concerts, on tackling poverty and global health. tion leader Nelson Chamisa, 40, in the presi- A-list lineup to mark 100 years der, hit pop producer Pharrell Wil- the fi ght against poverty. Global Citizen distributes tickets for Beyonce previously performed dential race in which there are 23 contenders. Bsince Nelson Mandela’s birth liams and R&B chart-topper Usher. The group has since branched out free to supporters who pledge to take in South Africa in 2003 at a concert He has pledged credible elections, free from in a Johannesburg festival by the The festival will also feature some overseas with seminars and music in actions such as writing their govern- hosted by Mandela to raise awareness the violence and intimidation that have taint- Global Citizen movement to eradi- of the continent’s most popular mu- India, Germany and elsewhere. ments to support international de- on HIV and Aids. ed previous votes in Zimbabwe as he seeks to cate poverty. sicians including South African hip- Hugh Evans, the founder and CEO velopment assistance. Two years later Mandela delivered revive the country’s moribund economy and The December 2 event, which will hop producer Cassper Nyovest and of the movement, said he expected For the Johannesburg edition, Glo- a landmark speech in London’s Tra- mend strained ties with the West. be internationally broadcast, will Nigerian artists Wizkid, D’banj and the Johannesburg festival to be the bal Citizen will also hand out tickets falgar Square urging concerted ef- In 2008, then opposition leader Morgan celebrate the late anti-apartheid Femi Kuti, who is the son of Afrobeat biggest Global Citizen festival ever in to people who are taking direct action forts to “make poverty history.” Tsvangirai, won the fi rst round of the presi- icon and draw a number of leaders legend Fela Kuti. terms of reach, symbolism and lineup. for good including community health Global Citizen said that South dential election but fell short of attaining in an attempt to throw a spotlight Global Citizen said it hoped that “On every way that we measure workers who conduct HIV tests or African President Cyril Ramaphosa the votes required to be declared the outright on fl edging eff orts to eradicate the the run-up to the festival would outcomes — the number of citizens who instruct mothers on child nu- as well as the leaders of Norway and winner. world’s worst poverty, Global Citizen raise commitments of $1bn to help engaged, the number of policy out- trition as well as teachers and South Ghana plan to attend the December He pulled out of the run-off , citing violence has announced. the world’s poorest, with half of the comes that are achieved, the number Africans who recycle plastics. 2 festival in honour of Mandela, who against his supporters which left at least 200 Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z amount aimed at women and girls. of lives that are aff ected as a result of Evans said that Mandela off ered a was born on July 18, 1918. dead. Tsvangirai died in February. Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 REGION/ARAB WORLD

UN envoy meets Kuwait Amir seeks boost Yemen president in Arab-China relations in push QNA situations in our Arab nation, Kuwait’s non-oil exports to for truce Beijing since the Palestinian cause, Beijing had reached $480mn, which is our central issue, is while China’s exports to Ku- still far from being given the wait hit $5.1bn. AFP he Amir of Kuwait Sheikh due world attention and prior- He also mentioned Kuwait’s Aden Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber ity. Yet, all this poses a threat huge investments in China. Tal-Sabah underlined yes- to our security and stability,” He also underlined the im- terday that boosting mecha- the Amir of Kuwait said. portance of co-operation be- he UN envoy for Yemen nisms of co-operation between He believed that China tween the two sides in the met with the country’s the Arab countries and China could play a role in the crises energy sector through mega Tembattled president will contribute to achieving su- in some Arab countries thanks investment ventures in oil and yesterday in another round of preme interests and enhancing to its international weight and natural gas, and tapping Chi- talks aimed at brokering a truce historical relations between the influence as well as sincere nese expertise in the peaceful between the government and two sides. commitment to the principles use of nuclear and renewable rebels. Addressing the opening of the of the UN Charter. energy. President Abd-Rabbu Man- eighth ministerial meeting of Constructive and continu- The Amir of Kuwait em- sour Hadi discussed “the pros- the China-Arab States Co-op- ing Chinese-Gulf co-oper- phasised that today’s critical pect of peace” with the UN’s eration Forum, which kicked off ation is a strong catalyst for circumstances and conditions Martin Griffi ths, the state-run in Beijing yesterday, the Amir of bilateral co-operation within require more insistence on Saba news agency reported. Kuwait said that the Sino-Arab the Arab framework, as ne- realising progress and the as- The internationally-recog- co-operation can help achieve gotiations of a free trade zone pired results. nised Hadi government is allied political consultations and co- between GCC member states Earlier, the eighth Minis- with a Saudi-led military coa- ordination over the current cri- and China becoming a reflec- terial Meeting of the China- lition in a war against Yemen’s ses in a way that achieves peace tion of this joint co-operation, Arab States Co-operation Houthi rebels. and stability in the regional and he said, estimating Arab-Sino Forum opened in Beijing yes- Griffi ths told state media that international arenas. Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi trade exchange at $191bn in terday with the participation he and the president had dis- He added that the meeting Jinping after witnessing a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, yesterday. 2017. of representatives of 21 Arab cussed the possible resumption comes within the framework The Amir elaborated that countries to discuss means of of political negotiations between to complete the march of long is viewed, with unlimited opti- was forged a decade and a half not even reach the desired China is ranked second in the promoting Arab-Chinese rela- Yemen’s government and rebels. and historical relations through mism. ago, would see neither growth goals, as long as we are living import of Kuwait’s oil and tions in all fields. He also fl oated the idea of which co-operation with China “This co-operation, which nor continuation, and would through tense and unstable its derivatives, adding that “prisoners being released and exchanged”, following press re- ports of secret prisons in Yemen where inmates have been subject to torture. The Yemeni government has UN says more than 800 child announced it would be investi- Pompeo to stress need gating prisons in areas under its control. The government, backed by soldiers recruited in Yemen the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for pressure on Iran Saudi Arabia and their regional allies, is battling the northern- AFP by the UN humanitarian af- from rebel-held territory in based Houthis for control of the Reuters ing with political directors of the so-called E-3 Dubai/Riyadh fairs agency (OCHA). The UN neighbouring Yemen, where a impoverished country. Brussels countries of France, Germany and Britain, who also verified the killing and military coalition led by Riya- The confl ict is now centred signed an international agreement on Iran that maiming of 1,316 children last dh is battling the insurgents. on the Red Sea city of Hodeidah, the Trump administration has withdrawn from, ore than 800 children year alone, 51% of them in air A coalition statement said home to the country’s most valu- S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived would now be held in Brussels today or tomorrow. as young as 11 years of strikes. the ballistic missile targeted able port and controlled by the in Brussels yesterday, where he plans He said it was postponed for a couple of days Mage were recruited to The Yemeni government, Al Shuqaiq on the kingdom’s Houthis. Umeetings on the sidelines of the Nato due to scheduling issues. Yemen’s devastating confl ict in backed by the United Arab southwestern coastline. On June 13, Yemeni forces summit aimed at stepping up pressure on Iran The United States pulled out of a multinational 2017 alone, the United Nations Emirates, Saudi Arabia and The area, located in Jazan supported on the ground by and reassuring allies about alternative oil sup- deal in May to lift sanctions against Iran in return said yesterday. their regional allies, is bat- province, is home to a major UAE troops, launched a major plies, a State Department offi cial said. for curbs to its nuclear programme. The latest report of the UN tling northern rebels, known water and power plant. offensive to retake Hodeidah, Pompeo fl ew from Abu Dhabi, where he dis- Washington has since told countries they must secretary general on children as the Houthis, for control of The Houthi rebels said a the entry point for some 70% of cussed Iran with leaders of the United Arab Emir- halt all imports of Iranian oil from Nov 4 or face and armed conflict verified the country. short-range ballistic missile imports to a country where 8mn ates. Senior State Department offi cials have also US fi nancial measures, with no exemptions. 842 boys had been recruited The Saudi-led alliance is had been fired at a military people face imminent famine. completed three days of talks on Iran in Saudi Since Trump’s decision to withdraw from the by various parties in Yemen, the only party directly in- “supply depot” on Saudi Ara- On July 1, the UAE an- Arabia, and “discussed new ways to deprive the agreement, European states have been scram- where years of war have left volved in the conflict that is bia’s western coast. nounced it had halted the of- regime of revenues,” a State Department offi cial bling to ensure Iran gets enough economic ben- thousands dead and pushed known to conduct air strikes The Houthis have ramped fensive to give a chance to UN told reporters travelling on Pompeo’s plane. efi ts to persuade it to maintain the nuclear curbs the country to the brink of in Yemen. up missile attacks against diplomatic efforts. “In our meeting with the Saudi energy minis- required in the deal. famine. In 2014, the Houthis drove Saudi Arabia in recent Griffiths on Thursday briefed ter, we discussed maintaining a well-stocked oil But so far it has proven diffi cult to off set the Seventy-six children have the government of President months. The kingdom usu- the UN Security Council on market to guard against volatility,” he said.”We impact of continued US sanctions, with Europe- been documented as used in Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi ally says it has intercepted the his latest talks in Yemen, after discussed US oil sanctions to deny Iran revenue an fi rms reluctant to risk far-reaching US fi nan- active combat. out of the capital into south- missiles and has reported one what he said was a “fruitful” to fi ght against terrorism. We talked about mini- cial penalties to do business in Iran. The rest were recruited to ern Yemen, prompting the in- casualty. discussion with rebel chief Ab- mising market disruptions and helping partners “No matter how much people write about “guard checkpoints and gov- tervention of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia last month dulmalik al-Houthi, in a rare fi nd alternatives to Iran oil.” trans-Atlantic rifts, in the case of Iran we agree ernment buildings, for pa- its allies the following year. tested a new siren system for confirmation of direct talks be- At Nato, Pompeo would discuss Iran with min- on much more than we disagree,” the US offi cial trolling, fetching water and MISSILE INTERCEPTION Riyadh and the oil-rich East- tween the two. isters from Britain, France and Germany, and in said.”The European nations are as frustrated as bringing food and equipment Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia ern Province, in a sign of the No truce has yet been other bilateral meetings, said the offi cial, who we are with Iran’s missile programme, the missile to military positions,” accord- yesterday said its air defences growing threat posed by the reached between the govern- spoke on condition of anonymity. He said a meet- attacks that they are facilitating.” ing to a statement released had intercepted a missile fired rebels’ arms. ment and rebels on Hodeidah.

Govt-backed forces face criticism over civilian targets

AFP acts of violence,” it said in a Geneva statement, pointing to peo- ple being hung from trees and others burned alive in he UN slammed their homes. government-backed The report also docu- Ttroops in South Su- mented the use of rape and dan yesterday for ruthlessly other sexual violence as a targeting civilians in op- weapon of war, highlighting position-held areas, killing that at least 120 women and hundreds and using sexual girls had been raped or gang- violence, including gang- raped, including children as raping young children, as young as four. weapons of war. At least 132 women and The UN human rights of- girls had been abducted, it fi ce said its monitors had in found. recent months documented A 20-year-old woman “what appear to be deliber- from Leer County who had ate, ruthless and brutally fl ed into the bush with her violent attacks on civilians, three-day-old baby told in- particularly against women vestigators that she was still and children”. bleeding from labour when a The agency said at least soldier raped her. 234 civilians were killed and More than 5,000 people many more injured in attacks had sought sanctuary at UN between April 16 and May 24 protected sites in Leer and by government and aligned Bentiu, and another 18,000 forces and armed youth in had sought refuge in Mayen- villages in opposition-con- dit town, the UN said. trolled areas in Mayendit and Another 8,000 were es- Leer in Unity State. timated to be hiding in the The agency said a bushes and swamps, it add- “scorched earth” approach, ed. and warned that some of the UN High Commissioner gross violations documented for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad in its report might amount to al-Hussein called on the “war crimes”. South Sudanese government “Civilians were targeted, to halt attacks on civilians with the elderly, people with and to ensure those behind disabilities and very young the violence are brought to children killed in horrifi c justice. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 9 ARAB WORLD

Non-profit group to land unmanned spacecraft on moon in February An Israeli non-profit group plans Israel seizes boat from Gaza to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in February in the first landing of its kind since 2013. The craft, which is shaped like a round table with four carbon fibre legs, is set to blast off in December from Florida’s Cape seeking to break blockade Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, said Ido Anteby, AFP chief executive of the SpaceIL Gaza City non-profit. It aims to transmit pictures and videos back to earth over two days after it lands srael’s navy seized a boat on Feb 13 as well as measuring yesterday that had left from magnetic fields. “Our spacecraft Ia Gaza port with wounded will be the smallest ever to land Palestinians aboard in a bid to on the moon,” said Anteby. challenge the blockade of the Since 1966, the United States and Hamas-run enclave. the former Soviet Union have put Hundreds of people had around 12 unmanned spacecraft gathered to see off the boat car- on the moon using braking rying nine passengers, includ- power to perform “soft” landings ing four people said to have been and China did so in 2013. SpaceIL wounded by Israeli soldiers was founded in 2011 by a group along with students. of engineers with a budget of The passengers “with specifi c about $90mn and they had to needs are prevented from trav- sacrifice size and operational ca- elling, receiving care and fi nish- pabilities for more eff icient travel. ing their studies,” said organiser The craft, unveiled yesterday at Raed Abu Dair. state-owned defence contrac- “We are determined to break tor Israel Aerospace Industries, the blockade.” stands about 1.5 metres high and Mahmud Abu Ataya, 25, who weighs 585kg.The spacecraft has recently suff ered a leg wound four carbon fibre legs and fuel east of Gaza City, said: “I am takes up two-thirds of its weight. leaving to be cared for abroad.” At 60,000km above Earth the But the boat was seized by spacecraft will deploy. It will orbit Israel’s navy a short time after Earth in expanding ellipses and, setting off . “After the boat and about two months later, cross the Palestinians on board are into the moon’s orbit. It will searched, the boat will be towed then slow and carry out a soft to the Israeli navy base in Ash- landing causing no damage to dod,” Israel’s military said in a the craft. “The landing is the most statement. complicated part. The spot chosen “The (military) assigned is relatively flat and the spacecraft medical personnel to treat Pal- has eye contact with Earth for estinians on board requiring Activists escort a blockade-running boat carrying Palestinian students and others injured during protests out to sea from the Gaza City harbour yesterday against Israel’s naval communication,” Anteby said. medical assistance.” blockade on the Gaza Strip. “From the moment the spacecraft A similar attempt was made reaches the point that it begins in May and also resulted in Is- the Gaza Strip, have fought stop Hamas and other groups in by kites and balloons carrying dollars/euros). Gazans began der on March 30, at least 139 the landing, it will handle it totally raeli forces seizing the main three wars since 2008. Gaza from obtaining weapons fi rebombs from the Palestinian launching the kites as part of Palestinians have been killed by autonomously.” SpaceIL is backed protest boat several kilome- UN offi cials and rights activ- or materials that could be used enclave. protests along the border call- Israeli fi re and more than 4,000 mainly by private donors, including tres out to sea. Israel’s block- ists have repeatedly called for to make them. A spokesman for Israel’s ing for Palestinian refugees to have been wounded by gunfi re. US casino magnate Sheldon Adel- ade restricts Gazan boats to Israel to lift the blockade, cit- On Monday, Israel also fi re service says 750 fi res have return to their former homes The majority were involved in son and billionaire Morris Kahn who up to six nautical miles off the ing deteriorating humanitarian closed its only goods crossing burned 2,600 hectares, putting now inside Israel. protests and clashes, but others co-founded Amdocs, one of Israel’s enclave. conditions. with the Gaza Strip in response the damage at millions of shek- Since protests and clashes were seeking to breach or dam- biggest high-tech companies. Israel and Hamas, which runs Israel says it is necessary to to weeks of fi res at farms caused els (hundreds of thousands of broke out along the Gaza bor- age the border fence.

14 dead in suicide car Rebels kill 27 regime fi ghters in northwest Syria bomb claimed by IS AFP several observation points after Beirut killing or wounding them.” AFP dated toll. IS claimed respon- Another 40 government loyal- Beirut sibility for the attack in a state- ists were wounded and six rebels ment posted on the Telegram ebels and hardline forc- were killed, he said. Al-Ateira lies messaging app, saying the car es killed more than two about two kilometres south of the suicide car bombing driven by a suicide bomber had Rdozen pro-government Turkish border. The Observatory yesterday killed 14 newly been packed with explosives. fi ghters in a joint attack in a said the opposition fi ghters in- Areconciled fi ghters from Zaizun lies near a sliver of northwestern stronghold of Syr- cluded local rebels from Latakia as pro-government and rebel southern territory controlled by ian President Bashar al-Assad’s well as more hardline forces. ranks in an attack on a south Jaish Khaled bin Walid, a mili- regime, a monitor said yesterday. Latakia is the heartland of As- Syrian village claimed by the tant faction that has pledged In retaliation, the govern- sad’s regime on the Mediterra- Islamic State group. allegiance to IS, which is not ment and its ally Russia pounded nean coast, and is home to the The Britain-based Syrian bound by the deal between the rebel-held areas in the coastal Hmeimim airbase where Russian Observatory for Human Rights rebels and the government. province of Latakia and neigh- troops and warplanes have been said the explosion hit Zaizun, a Abdel Rahman said it was bouring Idlib yesterday, killing based since 2015. village in the western country- likely that this faction was re- four civilians, the Syrian Ob- Forces opposed to Assad have side of Deraa province which sponsible for the attack, adding servatory for Human Rights said. repeatedly attacked the province rebels agreed in recent days to it was the fi rst suicide bombing It was the bloodiest opposi- since the uprising broke out in hand over to regime control. targeting regime forces since tion assault on the area in three March 2011. They hold a north- At least “14 regime and op- they launched an off ensive on years, according to the Britain- eastern sliver of territory border- position fi ghters who recently Deraa. Backed by Russia, Syrian based monitor, which relies on ing the neighbouring province of reconciled were killed in a sui- troops began a bombing blitz of a network of sources inside the Syrian rebels watch for pro-government fighters in western Deraa province, yesterday. Idlib. The regime and Russia bom- cide car bomb attack targeting Deraa province on June 19 that country. barded that strip of land and parts a military position in Zaizun,” killed dozens of civilians and The surprise off ensive late Latakia, near the Turkish border. offi cers, were killed in fi erce tory head Rami Abdel Rahman. of western Idlib with air strikes said Observatory head Rami displaced more than 320,000 Monday targeted a pair of vil- “At least 27 regime forces and clashes and shelling in the vil- “They took Al-Ateira and and artillery fi re yesterday, killing Abdel Rahman, giving an up- people. lages and observation points in allied fi ghters, including eight lage of Al-Ateira,” said Observa- kicked out regime forces from four civilians, the monitor said. A year after militants ousted, Iraq’s Mosul still in ruins

AFP mosque as the army closed in on from Mosul,” said its Iraq Coun- Like the mothers of Argen- Mosul them last summer. try Director Wolfgang Gress- tina’s Plaza de Mayo who staged Like many mosques, houses, mann. similar protests to seek informa- schools and other buildings Ghanem Hamid, a provincial tion on their children who van- year after pro-govern- across Mosul, all that is left of it offi cial, said the “central gov- ished during the 1976-1983 mil- ment forces recaptured is a pile of rubble. ernment has neglected the prov- itary junta, the women of Mosul AMosul from the Islamic Although life has gone back to ince” of Nineveh, of which Mo- have continued to demand an- State group, much of Iraq’s sec- normal in some parts of eastern sul is the capital. swers. ond city lies in ruins and many of Mosul, the massive clean-up of “They have not off ered us “The government is not telling its residents see little reason to the western part of the city only anything worth mentioning,” he us anything,” said Umm Qais, a celebrate. began a few weeks ago. said. 40-year-old whose son is miss- “We were liberated but what In a report released this week, He noted that two major in- ing. have we come back to? Our the Norwegian Refugee Council ternational conferences on re- In the midst of all this, securi- homes have been destroyed,” bemoaned conditions in the city. building Iraq were held before ty fears continue to overshadow said mother of seven Umm Mo- “More than 380,000 people and after Mosul was retaken — life across Iraq. hamed. are still displaced in and around one in Paris and the other in Ku- The militants still control On July 10, 2017, Iraqi Prime Mosul as the city lies in ruins wait — but said donors’ pledges pockets of territory along the Minister Haider al-Abadi de- with a staggering 8mn tonnes of of massive funds had not mate- porous border between Iraq and clared victory in the battle for debris,” it said. rialised. Syria, and have staged deadly the city after a nearly nine- No official festivities were “It’s only ink on paper,” he attacks since Abadi declared na- month off ensive against the planned yesterday to mark the said. tionwide victory over the group militants. first anniversary of Mosul’s lib- But destruction is not the only in December. The fi ercest fi ghting took eration from the brutal three- hardship facing the people of Last Wednesday, Iraqi forces place around western Mosul’s year rule of IS, which had used Mosul. launched a major operation Old City, where Umm Mo- the northern city as the capital Every Friday for the past year, against IS remnants after mili- hamed’s home near the Great of its “caliphate” straddling women dressed in black have tants murdered a group of ab- Mosque of Al-Nuri has been re- the border with neighbouring gathered in the city’s Al-Minas- ducted civilians and dumped duced to rubble. Syria. Iraqi construction workers rebuild houses in the northern city of Mosul. sa Square, holding up pictures their bodies on a highway north The mosque, once a famous Residents said they had little of missing husbands and sons as of Baghdad. landmark with its leaning mina- to celebrate. Ghadir Ibrahim Fattah, 35, Residents accused the central euros) is needed to repair basic they seek information on their Analyst Amr al-Bek noted ret, is where the militants’ elu- “The huge destruction has agreed. “We had expected re- government of dragging its feet, infrastructure in Mosul. “What fates. that security forces including sive chief, “caliph” Abu Bakr al- emptied our joy of any meaning,” construction to begin immedi- while the NRC has said the in- was hailed by the Iraqi authori- Some believe their loved ones troops, policemen and paramili- Baghdadi, made his only public said Abu Ghassoon, a 44-year- ately after (the militants were ternational community “is not ties and the international com- were taken by the militants, tary units have been deployed in appearance. old unemployed man who lives ousted) but nothing happened, doing enough.” munity as a victory a year ago while others think Iraqi security Nineveh governorate. Militants used explosives to in east Mosul after his home in and this has demoralised the The Norwegian aid group es- has not translated to relief from forces arrested them on suspi- But, he said, IS “could return, blow up the famed 12th century the west was destroyed. people,” he said. timates that $874mn (750mn abject misery for many Iraqis cion of collaboration with IS. under a diff erent name”. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 AMERICAS

RESCUE APPEAL UNSUSTAINABLE GRANT BUSINESS Baby found buried alive in Brazilians file 145 pleas Greyhound Canada puts YouTube to invest $25mn to Cuba imposes tighter western Montana forest seeking Lula freedom brakes on some services boost ‘trusted’ news sources controls on private sector

A 5-month-old infant was recovering yesterday after Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice has received at Intercity bus company Greyhound Canada YouTube has unveiled plans to invest $25mn in Cuba yesterday reauthorised private businesses being buried alive in cold western Montana woods least 145 appeals requesting the release of former said it would stop services in three western news organisations as part of an eff ort to boost after a year-long freeze, but with tighter controls for about nine hours, and a 32-year-old man was president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants to provinces in the country and eliminate 415 jobs trusted journalism and combat misinformation. The than before on a segment of the economy that in custody on charges of criminal endangerment, contest the October elections despite having been there as it loses riders to low-cost airlines and Google-owned online video service said it would now makes up 13% of the island’s workforce. The police off icials said. Police responding to Saturday jailed on corruption charges. The appeals that the subsidised passenger services. Greyhound, off er funding “across approximately 20 global off icial daily Granma said the stricter measures calls of a man acting strangely and possibly court received since Monday were sent by ordinary owned by Britain’s FirstGroup, said it would markets to support news organisations in building were necessary because of numerous breaches by armed near Lolo Hot Springs, outside Missoula, people all over the country, the newspaper O stop services both passenger and freight in sustainable video operations.” The grants “will private entrepreneurs, such as tax evasion, under- encountered Francis Crowley, 32, who told them Globo reported yesterday. The appeals followed Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, eff ective enable our partners to build key capabilities, train declaring the number of people they employed that a baby who had been left in his care was confusion over the case after a judge overturned October 31, blaming a 41 % decline in ridership staff on video best practices, enhance production and failure to pay employer contributions. The buried somewhere in the mountains, the Missoula a decision by another judge to release Lula since 2010. The job cut translates to nearly facilities and develop formats optimised for online government suspended the issuing of business County Sheriff ’s Off ice said in a statement. That pending an appeal. The 72-year-old began a 12-year 47 % of the company’s total workforce in video,” YouTube said in a statement late Monday. licences in August 2017 for around 30 of the island’s prompted a six-hour-long search that ended when prison sentence in April after being convicted of Canada. “Simply put, we can no longer operate The latest move is part of a $300mn Google most profitable business activities in order to the child, who was not identified, was found in a corruption and money-laundering in connection unsustainable routes,” Stuart Kendrick, senior News Initiative to help curb manipulation and review regulations. The number of trade categories soiled one-piece garment alive. with the renovation of a beachside penthouse. vice president, said in a statement. misinformation, which can spread easily online. to be authorised will be reduced from 201 to 123.

Firefi ghters Trump names Kavanaugh gain on California to US Supreme Court wildfi res Reuters By Michael Mathes, AFP An example of this came in 2015, Los Angeles Washington when, thanks to him, same-sex mar- riage was legalised across the United States. irefi ghters are gaining momen- resident Donald Trump on But Kavanaugh, who grew up in tum as they battle several wild- Monday nominated conserva- Washington as the son of a school- Ffi res that have destroyed dozens Ptive judge Brett Kavanaugh to teacher, has the reputation of a of homes and forced the evacuation of the US Supreme Court, a decision staunch conservative, one who many thousands of residents in California. likely to cement a rightward tilt on the Republicans no doubt hope could help Across the state, milder weather over top judicial body with momentous im- overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark the last couple of days has helped fi re- plications for American society. 1973 decision that guarantees women fi ghters to hold the line against several Trump’s decision stands to be the right to an abortion. blazes, allowing them to lift evacuation among the most consequential of his He has ruled on hundreds of cases, orders for residents forced to fl ee their presidency as he seeks to shape the and contributed to prosecutor Ken- homes. high court to his conservative leanings neth Starr’s report into president Bill Temperatures are expected to fall this for decades to come. With Kavanaugh Clinton’s aff air with White House week in parts of the state, the National a mere 53 years old, he could serve for a intern Monica Lewinsky, which out- Weather Service said, after scorch- generation or more. lined several grounds for Clinton’s im- ing heat, high winds and low humidity “Judge Kavanaugh has impeccable peachment. fanned dozens of fi res this summer in a credentials, unsurpassed qualifi cations, Later he was part of Bush’s legal particularly intense fi re season across and a proven commitment to equal jus- team working on the 2000 Florida re- the US West. tice under the law,” Trump said as he count, which resulted in Bush winning “The weather is starting to cooper- introduced his nominee in a prime-time the presidency. ate, so it’s letting fi refi ghters get the address from the White House, praising Kavanaugh recently voiced disa- upper hand on the fi res,” said Lynette him as “one of the fi nest and sharpest greement with a court decision allow- Round, a spokeswoman for the Cali- legal minds of our time”. ing an undocumented teenage immi- fornia Department of Forestry and Fire After days spent spent teasing his grant to get an abortion. Protection, called Cal Fire. highly-anticipated decision, Trump The nominee made no mention of US wildfi res have already burned ended up picking a jurist with extend- his leanings in brief remarks at the more than 3.3mn acres this year, more ed federal bench and administration White House, where he was joined by than the annual average of about 2.6mn experience to fi ll the vacancy left by his wife and their two daughters. acres over the past 10 years, according retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. “My judicial philosophy is straight- to the National Interagency Fire Center. Kavanaugh worked for president forward. A judge must be independent One person has been killed and three George W Bush, who appointed him and must interpret the law, not make fi refi ghters injured in a wildfi re on the in 2003 to the US Court of Appeals in the law,” he told the assembled digni- (From left) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Vice President Mike Pence and California-Oregon border. Washington — where he was fi nally taries, as Trump beamed. former senator Jon Kyl meet yesterday in McConnell’s office in Washington, DC. That blaze, the Klamathon Fire, has confi rmed by the Senate in 2006 after “I believe that an independent judi- torched 36,500 acres and destroyed 82 years of Democratic obstruction. ciary is the crown jewel of our consti- president’s decision as they prepare Liberal Democratic Senator Bernie respected as a fair, independent & homes since erupting on Thursday. He is also a robust supporter of the tutional republic. If confi rmed by the for the confi rmation battle ahead. Sanders said in a tweet that if Ka- mainstream judge. I look forward to Shifting wind patterns remained a executive power of the presidency. Senate...I will always strive to preserve In selecting Kavanaugh, Trump vanaugh is confi rmed “it will have a the Senate moving forward with a fair concern, but that fi re was not expect- Kennedy was long a swing vote on the constitution of the United States “has put reproductive rights and profoundly negative eff ect on work- & thorough confi rmation process” ed to grow signifi cantly overnight, a the nine-member court, and Trump’s and the American rule of law.” freedoms and health care protections ers’ rights, women’s rights and vot- McCain tweeted. spokesman for Cal Fire said. choice — his second opportunity in 18 Kavanaugh heads to Capitol Hill this for millions of Americans on the ju- ing rights for decades to come. We The Senate’s top Republican, In western Nevada, a fi re weather months to fi ll a Supreme Court seat — week to make his case for confi rma- dicial chopping block,” tweeted Sen- must do everything we can to stop this Majority Leader Mitch McCon- watch will be in eff ect today as winds stands to dramatically aff ect many as- tion, and he will face deep scepticism ate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, nomination.” nell, hailed a “superb choice” in Ka- up to 80kph and thunderstorms with pects of American life, from abortion and outright opposition from most if adding the hashtag #StopKavanaugh. Republican Senator John McCain, vanaugh and urged senators to “put lightning are expected in the area. to voting rights to immigration. not all Democrats. Schumer and other Democratic sena- key to a Republican ‘yes’ vote, en- partisanship aside and consider his Elsewhere in the US Southwest, While conservative on fi rearms and The minority party — unable to tors have blasted Trump for having cho- dorsed the new nominee. legal qualifi cations with the fair- dozens of active fi res remained burn- election fi nancing, Kennedy showed a block the nominee unless they lure sen Kavanaugh from a list pre-approved Kavanaugh has “impeccable cre- ness, respect, and seriousness that a ing, including the 107,900-acre Spring more progressive streak on issues such some Republican senators to their side by rightwing outside groups, including dentials & a strong record of uphold- Supreme Court nomination ought to Creek Fire, which is on pace to become as abortion and affi rmative action. — have stressed the high stakes of the the conservative Federalist Society. ing the Constitution. He is widely command.” the second-largest fi re in Colorado’s history, according to the Denver Post newspaper.

Trump most followed President pardons Oregon ranchers who inspired refuge standoff leader on Twitter

Reuters “I’m thankful that these men have As of 2018, Dwight had served ap- resident Donald Trump is by far Washington got some possibilities and have free- proximately three years in prison and the most followed world leader dom now,” he said in a telephone in- Steven had served four, according to Pon Twitter, with the Pope trailing terview from his ranch near Mesquite, the White House. him by some 4.5mn followers, a study S President Donald Trump yes- Nevada. The leaders of the 2016 Malheur showed yesterday. terday pardoned Oregon cat- “It’s a great day for the Bundys, it’s a standoff , including activist Ammon The number of Trump’s followers Utle ranchers Dwight Hammond great day for the ranching community, Bundy, were cleared of federal charges has “more than doubled since taking and his son, who had both been con- and it’s a great day for America that for their role in the protest in October offi ce”, the study authors said. victed on arson charges, sparking the there’s some justice here.” 2016. With more than 52mn followers, the 2016 occupation of a wildlife refuge, Dwight Hammond, 76, and his son, One of the occupiers, Robert “La- @realDonaldTrump account also counts according to a White House statement. Steven, 49, were convicted in 2012 for Voy” Finicum, was shot dead by Or- nearly 10mn more followers than third- The Hammonds’ case led to the setting a fi re that spread onto public egon State Police during the takeo- place holder, Indian Prime Minister armed 41-day occupation of the Mal- grazing land. ver. Narendra Modi, according to the latest heur National Wildlife Refuge, during The two were initially sentenced to Ammon Bundy and his father Cliv- “Twiplomacy” study by communica- which one occupier was shot dead by less than the legal minimum fi ve-year en also orchestrated a 2014 standoff tions fi rm Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW). police. prison sentence for their crimes and in Nevada between scores of armed In terms of interactions with follow- The takeover was the latest fl are-up later released, the father after three ranchers and supporters and law en- ers — in the form of likes and retweets in a decades-old confl ict over federal months and the son after a year. forcement agents over cattle grazing — Trump’s lead is even more impres- control of millions of acres of public But, in 2016, a federal judge ordered rights. sive, the study showed. land in the Western United States. the pair back to prison to serve the full Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Over the past 12 months, the US Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who fi ve years. encompassing 75,628 hectares, was president has had nearly 264.5mn in- did not attend the reserve occupation The order to return to prison in- established in 1908 by President The- teractions with his followers — more but advised his sons there from afar, spired the refuge occupation. odore Roosevelt as a breeding ground than fi ve times more than runner-up A US flag covers a sign at the entrance of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge said the pardons vindicated his fam- In a statement yesterday, the White for greater sandhill cranes and other Modi, and 12 times as many as Pope near Burns, Oregon, in this January 3, 2018 file photo. ily’s cause. House called it “unjust.” native birds. Francis, in third place.

Only some migrant families to be reunited as court-ordered deadline arrives

Reuters years old it had been ordered to ordered that the youngest chil- Some detained parents had the government was not telling she wrote in an email yesterday the missed deadline. “Tell people New York reunify. dren be returned to their parents been released from custody and them what would happen to their morning. not to come to our country ille- The children were taken from by July 10. could not be contacted. young clients. The other boy, a Honduran, gally,” he said. “That’s the solu- their parents under US President Judge Dana Sabraw also or- Many of the separated chil- The Legal Aid Society in New would remain with a foster fam- tion.” acing a court-imposed Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” dered an estimated 2,000 chil- dren are fl eeing violence in Gua- York said it is representing at ily while the father remained in Some of the separated fami- deadline yesterday, the US immigration policy, which called dren over fi ve years old must be temala, Honduras and El Salva- least two separated children government custody, although it lies arrived at US ports of entry Fgovernment has said it ex- for the prosecution and deten- reunited by July 26. dor, and US Homeland Security under 5 years old that meet the was not clear to her why. seeking asylum, which is not il- pects to have reunited 54 young tion of adult immigrants crossing The government has said it Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen met judge’s criteria for reunifi cation “I know very very little about legal. children and parents separated the border without authoriza- cannot fully meet the fi rst dead- with diplomats from those on Tuesday. this case,” she said. “It’s all very A judge in a separate case also by immigration offi cials after tion. line. countries in Guatemala yester- One boy, from El Salvador, was frustrating.” rejected on Monday the Trump crossing into the United States After public outcry and a In some cases, children’s par- day to discuss US immigration due to be released to his mother, Judge Sabraw issued a protec- administration’s request to mod- from Mexico. court challenge by the American ents had already been deported policies. according to Beth Krause, the su- tive order shielding children’s ify a decades-old ruling know as The government said in court Civil Liberties Union, Trump or failed a criminal background Some lawyers represent- pervising attorney of Legal Aid’s names and some reunifi cation the Flores Agreement that sharp- on Monday it could not meet stopped separating families last check. ing the separated children, who Immigrant Youth Project. details from disclosure. ly limits the amount of time im- the July 10 deadline for all of the month. Others, it said, were unable to have been scattered into foster “I have no details about where, Trump was yesterday dismiss- migrant children can be kept in roughly 100 children under fi ve A federal judge in California prove the relationship. systems across the country, said when, under what conditions,” ive of reporters’ questions about detention. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 11 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

CRIME VERDICT DECISION WARNING DEMAND Lanka arrests alleged Man who married 11-yr-old S Korea scraps war drill as Flights cancelled as Taiwan NZ nurses plan strike policeman killer monk punished by Malaysia court talks with North go on battens down for typhoon tomorrow over pay rise

Sri Lankan police yesterday arrested a Buddhist A village imam in Malaysia who married an South Korea said yesterday it has decided to Taiwan braced for Typhoon Maria yesterday, New Zealand nurses are planning to strike monk who allegedly strangled a police off icer 11-year-old Thai girl has been fined 1,800 ringgit scrap an annual government mobilisation drill prompting school closures and the cancellations tomorrow for the first time in 30 years after investigating a paedophilia charge against him ($450) and sentenced to six months in jail, a this year as part of a suspended joint exercise of hundreds of flights amid warnings of landslides rejecting a pay rise off er, creating a political and at a remote temple in the island’s south. The prosecutor said yesterday. Zaini Sulaiman, from with the United States but will carry out its own and floods on the island. Maria is expected to fiscal test for the new government. More than 53-year-old unarmed police off icer was killed by the the state Shariah court in northeastern Kelantan, drills to maintain readiness. The ministers of approach the northern coast early today as it 30,000 nurses will strike for 24 hours after weeks 37-year-old monk who resisted arrest at Ratnapura, confirmed the charges and said the marriage has safety and defence made the announcement moves in a west-northwesterly direction at 30kph of failed negotiations, their union said, after 100km (60 miles) southeast of Colombo, police been invalidated. Zaini said that Che Abdul Karim at a media briefing yesterday. The drill, called (19mph), weather off icials said. At one point a rejecting a government off er of a NZ$520mn spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. “The monk Che Abdul Hamid, 41, had violated Islamic family the Ulchi exercises, usually takes place every super typhoon, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau ($356mn) package to lift wages roughly 3% and has been avoiding summons from courts to answer laws. “That’s why the punishment imposed is August in tandem with the joint Freedom has downgraded Maria to a medium-strength add staff . The strike will disrupt health services allegations of child sexual abuse,” a senior off icer appropriate,” he added. The rubber scrap dealer, Guardian military drill with the US. Seoul and storm with wind gusts of up to 209km per hour nationwide and force all non-urgent treatment to in Colombo said, without wishing to be named. who is said to have six children from his first two Washington said in June they would halt the (129mph). Local governments in most part of be postponed, Winston Peters, the acting prime “When the off icer went to arrest him, the monk marriages, apparently got married in Thailand joint exercise after US President Donald Trump northern Taiwan plan to close off ices and schools minister of the Labour-led government, said. pushed him to the ground and strangled him with without the consent of his other wives. The pledged to end war games following his summit today, but financial markets will remain open, “This government is committed to working with his hands.” He said it was the first known case of a prosecutor had previously said that the case was with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in authorities announced late yesterday. Troops nurses to address their concerns but we can’t fix monk murdering a policeman in the country. being treated as “polygamy without consent.” Singapore on June 12. were deployed in some areas. everything in one pay round,” he added.

Cave rescue rules social media Audiences around the world cheered the successful rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a cave in Thailand with messages of support as the saga generated suggestions of help, prayers All 12 boys and coach and – finally – expressions of relief. People turned to television, news sites and social media to keep up with the fate of the “Wild Boar” soccer team that went missing while exploring the cave in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand on June 23. A Google search yesterday for the words rescued from Thai cave “Thai cave rescue” revealed 359,000,000 results, with interest peaking since last AFP heavy rains caused fl ooding that Many of the boys could not week when British divers found the boys Mae Sai forced them to take shelter on a even swim and none of them and the rescue mission began. muddy ledge. had diving experience, so the “Miracles may happen every day but They spent nine days in dark- rescuers trained them how to this is one for the ages,” said Cornell he fi nal fi ve members of ness until two British divers use a mask and breathe under- Brooks, chief executive of the NAACP a young football team found them, looking gaunt but water via an oxygen tank. civil rights group in the United States. Twere rescued from a off ering smiles to the divers and One fear had been that they With international journalists fl ooded Thai cave yesterday af- appearing to be in remarkably would panic while trying to stationed outside the cave, television ter spending 18 harrowing days good spirits. swim underwater, even with a stations have carried updates and the trapped deep inside, complet- The initial euphoria at fi nd- diver escorting them. story has ranked highly in terms of the ing an astonishing against- ing them dissipated as authori- Thai Prime Minister Prayut most read or viewed items on sites the-odds rescue mission that ties struggled to devise a safe Chan-O-Cha revealed yester- such as Britain’s BBC and NBC News. captivated the world. plan to get them out, with the day the boys had been given On social media, live Facebook videos Elite foreign divers and Thai shelf more than 4km (2.5 miles) some medication to help them from the reporters and volunteers on Navy SEALs extracted the fi - inside the cave and the laby- remain calm. the ground have been popular. nal batch of four boys, plus the rinth of tunnels leading to them “It was a minor tranquilliser On Twitter and Instagram, well- 25-year-old coach, yesterday fi lled with water. to prevent (the) boys from being wishers sent messages of support, afternoon via a treacherous Authorities mulled ideas anxious,” Prayut told reporters. advice and sketches of the boys escape route that required such as drilling holes into the The ups and downs of the in the cave using hashtags such them to squeeze in darkness mountain or waiting months rescue bid entranced Thailand as #Thaicaverescue #boarteam through narrow, water-fi lled until monsoon rains ended and and also fi xated a global audi- #Thainavyseals #PrayForThaiBoys tunnels. they could walk out, with the ence, drawing support from ce- and #Bringtheboarteambackhome. “All 12 ‘Wild Boars’ and coach rescue chief at one point dub- lebrities as varied as US Presi- A Thai navy SEAL Facebook post have been extracted from the bing the eff orts to save them dent Donald Trump, football confirming all 13 had been rescued cave,” the SEALs said in a Face- “Mission Impossible”. star Lionel Messi and tech guru yesterday had more than 200,000 book post, referring to the boys With oxygen levels in their Elon Musk. Onlookers wave as an ambulance carrying rescued schoolboys leaves a military airport in Chiang Rai likes and around 56,000 shares in the by the name of their football chamber falling to danger- “On behalf of the United yesterday. space of an hour, sparking comments team. ous levels and monsoon rains States, congratulations to the such as: “You are ALL HEROES! Thank “All are safe,” they added, threatening to fl ood the cave Thai Navy SEALs and all on are with those aff ected. We lead to dangerous infections. mental and physical conditions. you on behalf of a grateful world!” and then signed off with what above the ledge where the boys the successful rescue of the would love to welcome the team They also said counselling “All eight are in good health, “On behalf of all mothers I thank you”. has become their trademark were sheltering, rescuers de- 12 boys and their coach from from Wild Boars Football Club would be needed to deal with no fever... everyone is in a good On Twitter there were 160,000 tweets “Hooyah” that they used to cided on the least-worst option the treacherous cave in Thai- and their rescuers to Old Traf- the psychological trauma of mental state,” Jedsada Chok- containing “All 12”. celebrate the successful extrac- of having divers escort them out land,” Trump tweeted. “Such a ford this coming season,” the spending so long not know- damrongsuk, permanent sec- Reaction to the news dominated social tions of the other eight boys through the tunnels. beautiful moment – all freed, club said in tweet. ing whether they were going to retary of the public health min- media in the United States with the term over the previous two days. The escape route was a chal- great job!” Now they are out, concerns survive. istry, said before all 13 had been “All 12” the top trending topic on Twitter. The children, aged from 11 to lenge even for experts – a Manchester United also in- are set to focus on the physical But there were some promising rescued. The rescue operation was not a major 16, and their coach, ventured former Thai Navy SEAL diver vited the “Wild Boars”, as well and mental toll of the ordeal. initial signs. Nevertheless, the boys would trending topic on social media in China, into the Tham Luang cave in died when he ran out of oxygen as those involved in the rescue, Experts warned that drinking Medical chiefs reported yes- remain in quarantine in hospital where interest in an accident involving a mountainous northern Thai- in a fl ooded area of the cave on to travel to England and visit contaminated water or other- terday morning that the eight until doctors were sure they had boat carrying mostly Chinese tourists off land on June 23 after football Friday while trying to prepare the club. wise being exposed to bird or boys rescued on Sunday and not contracted any infections the Thai resort island of Phuket claiming at practice and got trapped when the escape route. “Our thoughts and prayers bat droppings in the cave could Monday were in relatively good from inside the cave. least 44 lives generated far more interest. Wife of late Japan rescuers go house to Monster croc caught Chinese after eight-year hunt dissident, house as fl ood toll hits 156 AFP it is. You’ve got to have a bit of Sydney respect for it.” The animal was taken freed AFP to a crocodile farm to keep Kurashiki n elusive monster it separate from the local saltwater crocodile human population, said DPA Aweighing 600kg (1,328 Northern Territory wild- Beijing opes of fi nding survivors pounds) has fi nally been life operations chief Tracey were fading yesterday as caught after an eight-year Duldig. Hrescue workers carried hunt in Australia, offi cials said “He is the biggest crocodile iu Xia, the wife of late Chi- out house-to-house searches yesterday. ever removed from the Kath- nese political dissident and after days of deadly fl oods and The 4.7m (15.4ft) beast was erine River by the Wildlife Op- LNobel Peace Prize-winner landslides that have claimed 156 found in a trap downstream erations Unit,” Duldig said in a Liu Xiaobo, arrived in Berlin yes- lives in Japan’s worst weather- from the northern outback statement. terday after spending eight years related disaster for decades. town of Katherine after fi rst Wildlife rangers capture under house arrest and constant The record downpours that being spotted in 2010. around 250 “problem croco- surveillance in China. began last week have stopped Authorities had tried in vain diles” each year. Liu, 57, had been confi ned to her and receding fl ood waters have for years to bag the croc, which Saltwater crocodiles are a home from the time her husband laid bare the destruction that is estimated to be 60 years old. common feature of Australia’s won the prize in 2010 to her de- has cut a swathe through the “We’ve called it a lot of tropical north and kill an aver- parture from China yesterday. west of the country. things over the years be- age of two people a year. She was never charged with a In the city of Kurashiki, the cause it’s been so hard The crocodile population crime. fl ooding engulfed entire districts to catch,” senior wildlife has exploded since they were China’s foreign ministry said at one point, forcing some people offi cer John Burke told declared a protected species she had been allowed to leave for to their rooftops to wait for rescue. broadcaster ABC. in the 1970s, with the killing “medical treatment in Germany.” Rescue workers were going “It is a bit of a thrill, but of an elderly woman last year She landed at Berlin’s Tegel door-to-door, looking for survi- you’ve also got to admire the reigniting calls to curb their Airport after a stopover in vors – or victims – of the disaster. size of the animal and how old numbers. Helsinki. “It’s what we call a grid op- Her departure from China eration, where we are check- comes the day after Chinese Pre- ing every single house to see if People clear debris caused by torrential rain at Aki ward in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, yesterday. WB off ers Myanmar $100mn for Rakhine mier Li Keqiang met with German there are people still trapped Chancellor Angela Merkel in Ber- inside them,” an offi cial with out the operation around the Fumiko Inokuchi, 61, was in- It is Japan’s deadliest weath- The World Bank has off ered in place the conditions for lin. the local Okayama prefecture clock,” said Akiko Harada, a side her home, sorting through er-related disaster in more than Myanmar $100mn in aid safe, voluntary and dignified Germany has previously said government said. spokeswoman at the disaster the damage caused by fl oods that three decades, and has sparked for development projects return of refugees,” read the it would welcome Liu Xia, who “We know it’s a race against management section of the city submerged the entire fi rst fl oor. national grief. in the conflict-torn state of statement. had expressed a desire to leave time, we are trying as hard as of Hiroshima, where 14 people She escaped the house on Satur- On Monday, Prime Min- Rakhine, hit by violence in The aid would be used in China following her husband’s we can.” were still unaccounted for. day, crossing the street to take shel- ister Shinzo Abe cancelled a 2017 that led to the exodus projects in Rakhine with death at age 61 almost exactly one Hideto Yamanaka was lead- In the Mabi district of ter in a three-storey care home for four-stop foreign trip as the of more than 700,000 a focus on job creation, year ago. ing a team of around 60 fi re- Kurashiki, the water left behind the elderly, from where she watched death toll rose, and he will visit Rohingyas, a Muslim micro and small-enterprise “Liu Xia went to Germany fi ghters dispatched from out- a fi ne yellow silt that has trans- in horror as the waters rose. Okayama today. minority community, to development and to ensure for medical treatment accord- side the prefecture searching formed the area into moonscape. “I saw my house sink under- Top government spokesman neighbouring Bangladesh, access to essential services ing to her own will,” Chinese homes. “I’m afraid elderly Cars driving through kicked water and I couldn’t do any- Yoshihide Suga said yesterday IANS reposts from Yangon. for all communities, including foreign ministry spokeswom- people who were living alone up clouds of dust. People walk- thing at all, there was just noth- that at least 156 people had been The off er came during a three- repatriated refugees, Efe news an Hua Chunying said, adding may have failed to escape,” said ing around wore medical masks ing I could do. I felt helpless,” killed. Media reports said dozens day visit by the World Bank reported. there were “no connections with Yamanaka, 53. or covered their mouths with she said, retrieving a photo of more were missing and the toll vice president for East Asia During her meeting with the current important leaders “Physically weak people may small towels to protect them- her children playing baseball. was expected to rise further. and Pacific, Victoria Kwakwa, Myanmar state counsellor and visiting.” have been late in getting out when selves against the particulates. “I got married here, and we Around 75,000 police, fi remen to Myanmar, according to a Nobel Peace Prize laureate In recent months, friends and it suddenly started raining hard, Stores were still closed, and built this house two years after- and troops have been deployed in statement released after the Aung San Suu Kyi, Kwakwa human rights organisations have swamping the area,” he said. inside one barber’s shop the wards. We raised our three small the search and rescue operation conclusion of her visit. discussed the importance expressed concern for her men- As night fell, rescuers con- red sofas, customer chairs, and sons to adulthood here, there are across parts of central and west- The World Bank “supports, of inclusive and sustainable tal health due to her isolation and tinued searches, “but we still standing hair dryers were all so many memories,” she said, ern Japan, Suga said, warning that in collaboration with the UN development for all grief over her husband’s death. don’t know if we will carry covered with the same silt. her eyes welling with tears. hot weather posed new risks. and other partners, to put communities in Myanmar. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 BRITAIN/IRELAND

VISIT ANGER AVIATION TRAGEDY VERDICT Customers hit out at TSB Pilot strike forces Ryanair Fifth cyclist dies Women found guilty of bank after second IT outage to cancel 10% of flights in capital this year emaciated teen’s death

Customers of Britain’s TSB complained they were Ryanair said it would cancel up to 30 of its 290 Irish A cyclist was killed in a collision with a bin lorry The mother and grandmother of an emaciated locked out of their online banking again yesterday flights tomorrow as a result of a planned pilots’ at a roundabout near the gates of Battersea Park. man who was allowed to “rot to death” have been only two months after a botched IT upgrade strike, limiting the disruption to high frequency The 34-year-old man, who has not been named, convicted of his manslaughter. Jordan Burling, plunged the bank into chaos. The bank said that British-Irish routes but warned further disruptions was critically injured in the crash at the Queen’s 18, went into cardiac arrest in Leeds in 2016 and the issue had been resolved but a number of could not be ruled out. Pilots directly employed Circus roundabout at 5.45pm on Monday. He died weighing less than six stone. Mother Dawn customers took to Twitter to flag that they were by Ryanair and who are members of its Irish trade was taken to hospital but died later. He is the Cranston and grandmother Denise were both still unable to access their accounts. Some said union voted to go on strike for the first time after fifth cyclist to die on London’s roads this year, convicted after a trial at Leeds Crown Court. computers were also down in their local branches. the union said last week that the budget carrier the third involving a collision with a lorry. The Burling’s sister Abigail Burling, 25, was convicted of “Why are you still insisting that the app is fixed?” had failed to meet demands over new working incident took place at a roundabout hailed as a allowing a vulnerable adult’s death. The teen left to One customer, Yvonne Nicol, wrote on Twitter practices. “These co-ordinated strike threats are breakthrough in cycle safety when it was built waste away The jury cleared her of manslaughter, to TSB. “Listen to your customers...” Others designed to cause unnecessary disruption to in 2014. The system was said to be the first fully following more than two days of deliberations. A Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and threatened to close their accounts. It occurred after customers and damage Ryanair’s low fare model, segregated roundabout in London. Works are police search of the property found the remains of Duchess of Sussex, arrive at the airport for a TSB, updated its mobile app, but a spokeswoman for the benefit of high fare competitor airlines in being carried out in a development near the a baby boy in a rucksack, hidden on the top shelf of two-day visit to Dublin, Ireland, yesterday. said the issues were unrelated to this. Ireland and Germany,” Ryanair said roundabout, so one exit is blocked. a cupboard in Jordan’s bedroom for 14 years.

Mayor Royal Air Force celebrates centenary defends May clings Trump balloon decision to power

London Evening Standard London amid Brexit ayor Sadiq Khan yes- terday defended a deci- Msion to let a giant blimp depicting Donald Trump as an angry, orange baby fl y near Par- liament during heated exchanges with TV host Piers Morgan. resignations The 20ft infl atable, dubbed “Trump Baby”, has been granted AFP ahead of his visit to Britain later ported staying in the European permission to rise above Parlia- London this week, said it appeared “in Union in the 2016 referendum. ment Square Gardens for two somewhat turmoil”. “Boris John- Dominic Raab, a Brexit support- hours on Friday morning. son is a friend of mine,” he added. er and former housing minister, On Good Morning Britain rime Minister Theresa May “He’s been very, very nice to me, was appointed to replace Davis. Khan said he supported the de- chaired a meeting of her very supportive. Maybe I’ll speak Hunt said it was a moment cision by the Greater London Pnew-look Cabinet yesterday to him when I get over there.” to show that Britain remained a Authority, adding that it was not as she clings to power following “strong, confi dent voice in the for him to be a “censor”. the resignation of her foreign and Two Conservative world”. He said he would “stand In a frank exchange with Piers Brexit ministers in protest at her vice chairs resign four square behind the prime min- Morgan, in which Khan some- strategy for leaving the European ister so that we can get through times struggled in get a word Union. Two vice chairs in Prime Minis- an agreement with the European in, the mayor said: “My views May has faced a backlash over ter Theresa May’s Conservative Union based on what was agreed are irrelevant. The issue is ‘do the plan from Brexit hardliners in Party are quitting over her Brex- by the cabinet last week”. The plan they have freedom to protest, her Conservative Party who say it proposals, said a government agreed at May’s country retreat freedom to assemble and should it gives too many concessions to off icial who spoke on condition at Chequers near London would they be allowed to do so?’ If the EU, but she has support from of anonymity. The news was involve Britain pursuing a “UK- it’s peaceful and it’s safe they moderates and there has been no reported earlier by BBC political EU free trade area” for goods that should, Piers.” formal challenge to her leadership. editor Laura Kuenssberg. “Two would involve regulatory align- Morgan, who has frequently Former foreign minister Boris of Tory vice chairs, Ben Bradley ment with the EU. spoken about his friendship Johnson, who wrote in his resigna- and Maria Caulfield, are quitting Both sides hope to strike a deal with Trump, accused the mayor tion letter that the Brexit “dream in protest at Chequers plan,” on Brexit withdrawal terms and of hypocrisy, asking if he would is dying” and that Britain was Kuenssberg said on Twitter. agree a plan for future trade ties in have endorsed a giant black baby headed for the “status of colony” “You may well not have heard time for an EU summit in October, blimp of Barack Obama in pro- under May’s leadership, is seen as of them but it’s warning from ahead of Britain’s departure from test during his presidency, or an a potential challenger. disgruntled Tories that they are the bloc on March 29, 2019. insulting image of Khan. Johnson’s dramatic resigna- capable of continuing to inflict Europe’s chief negotiator Khan said: “If it’s peaceful and tion on Monday just hours after damage on the PM unless she Michel Barnier said yesterday ne- if it’s safe. Look, I can’t be the Brexit minister David Davis quit changes tack.” gotiations will resume next Mon- censor. It’s not for me to decide late Sunday sent reverberations day as scheduled with the new what’s in good taste or bad taste.” through Westminster — and be- Brexit minister, while refusing to The mayor and the US leader yond. The Kremlin said it hoped for an comment on the political infi ght- have engaged in a long-running Rumours have swirled over pos- improvement in ties following the ing consuming London. war of words over issues like sible further resignations but ex- departure of Johnson, who had an- “I had with David Davis a frank crime and terrorism. perts said May appeared to have gered Moscow with his vociferous and cordial relationship, and now Trump’s schedule will largely weathered the crisis for now. accusations over the poisoning I will work next Monday with this keep him out of central London “I don’t see them pulling the with a nerve agent of a Russian spy negotiator appointed by May,” he and it seems unlikely that he will plug on her,” Polly Mackenzie, di- on English soil in March. said. May met German Chancel- come close enough to Westmin- rector of cross-party think-tank “Unfortunately his contribution lor Angela Merkel yesterday at a ster to see the blimp. Demos, said. “Everybody who to the development of bilateral ties Western Balkans summit in Lon- He will arrive in the UK on wants to be the prime minister with Russia was rather modest, to don, where the pair discussed the board Air Force One tomor- wants May to guide that process put it mildly,” President Vladimir recent developments. row afternoon, coming straight through until March so that (they) Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov Pressure had been growing for from a Nato summit in Brussels, could take over and say ‘what’s told reporters. months on the prime minister and is due to carry out a series passed is passed’. So I think she’ll The gaff e-prone Johnson was to reach a compromise on Brexit of engagements on Friday be- Planes fly over the Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace, to mark the centenary of stay.” quickly replaced by 51-year-old within her publicly divided Cabi- fore heading to Scotland for the the Royal Air Force in central London yesterday. US President Donald Trump, former health minister Jeremy net in order to restart stalled talks weekend. asked about the unfolding drama Hunt, who unlike Johnson sup- with the EU. Man exposed to Novichok Ex-foreign secretary regains consciousness Lord Carrington dies AFP have served our country for as London long, and with such dedication, Reuters Britain and its allies blamed gloves and gas masks were seen as Lord Carrington did,” said May, London Russia for the attack on the Skri- wrapping a white Audi in plastic, citing his wartime heroism to pals, prompting a major western loading it on to a lorry and taking ormer foreign secretary Lord serving in government under two expulsion of Russian diplomats. it away. Carrington, the last sur- monarchs and six prime ministers. man poisoned with the Moscow rejected the accusa- Wiltshire police said: “We have Fviving member of Winston “He was a much-loved and Novichok nerve agent 10 tions and hit back by expelling arranged the transportation of a Churchill’s post-war government, widely respected member of the Adays ago has regained con- western diplomats. car from an address in Swindon in has died at the age of 99, Downing House of Lords for nearly eight sciousness and is now in a critical The investigation became a relation to the ongoing incident. Street said yesterday. decades, and served with great but stable condition, Salisbury murder hunt after the death of The public should not be alarmed One of Britain’s most illustrious honour and integrity in govern- District Hospital said yesterday. Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother- by this. Those involved have the 20th century diplomats, Prime ment,” she said. Born in 1919, Car- Charlie Rowley, 45, was poi- of-three, who lived in Amesbury, a training and expertise to safely re- Minister Theresa May said his rington was a tank commander in soned along with Dawn Sturgess, town near Salisbury. move the vehicle.” death marked “the end of an era World War II and won the Military who died on Sunday, by the same Her family paid tribute to her The force added: “The current and the loss of a statesman who Cross, given for acts of exemplary nerve agent used in the attack on yesterday. “Dawn will always be advice from Public Health England was respected globally for his re- gallantry during active operations former Russian spy Sergei Skripal remembered by us as a gentle soul is that the risk to the public re- markable lifetime of public serv- against the enemy on land. and his daughter in March. who was generous to a fault,” they mains low. A dedicated phone line ice”. Carrington, who served under He inherited his father’s title as “We have seen a small but sig- said in a statement released by is up and running for anyone who Churchill in his 1951 to 1955 gov- Baron Carrington in 1938 but did nifi cant improvement in the con- London’s Metropolitan Police. has any concerns or information ernment, died on Monday. not take his hereditary seat in the dition of Charlie Rowley,” said “She had the biggest of hearts relating to this incident.” Known for his charm, patience House of Lords until after the war. Lorna Wilkinson, director of nurs- and she will be dreadfully missed The car is at least the third ve- and tenacity, as foreign secretary He was the parliamentary sec- ing at Salisbury District Hospital. by both her immediate and wider hicle to be seized since then. On he famously resigned from prime retary to the minister of agri- “He is in a critical but stable family.” Sunday night, service person- minister Margaret Thatcher’s gov- culture and food and then to the condition, and is now conscious.” Police are working to establish nel wearing protective gloves and ernment in 1982 over Argentina’s defence minister in Churchill’s Police have said Sturgess, who whether the Britons were exposed breathing apparatus towed a red invasion of the Falkland Islands. government. was Rowley’s partner, handled an to the same poison used in the at- van away from a road in Dur- Born Peter Carington, he sat in In a wide-ranging political ca- item contaminated by Novichok tack on the Skripals. rington, near Amesbury. It is parliament’s upper House of Lords reer, he became the high commis- in southwest England, a few miles Meanwhile, the investigation thought Rowley travelled in the as Baron Carrington of Upton, his sioner to Australia, then the fi rst from Salisbury where Skripal and into the nerve agent poisoning has van shortly before collapsing. hereditary title having a diff erent lord of the Admiralty, or political his daughter Yulia were struck spread to another site, 40 miles A bus the pair caught from spelling. head of the Royal Navy, before down. from Salisbury. Salisbury to Amesbury was also Taking his seat in 1945, he was becoming the leader of the House Novichok was developed by the A car was seized from a residen- seized and tested at the Porton the oldest and longest-serving of Lords, defence secretary from Soviet military during the Cold tial street in Swindon. Down government laboratory but Personnel arrange the transportation of a car in relation to the member of the Lords. 1970 to 1974 and Conservative War. Military personnel wearing declared clear of Novichok. ongoing nerve-agent incident in Amesbury, in Swindon, yesterday. “There can be few people who Party chairman from 1972 to 1974. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 13 EUROPE Erdogan puts son-in-law in charge of economy

Reuters has helped send the lira sharply A self-described “enemy of scrapped and the president se- the republic from the ruins of the Istanbul lower. interest rates”, Erdogan wants to lects his own cabinet, regulates Ottoman Empire. Erdogan has said that the pow- see lower borrowing costs to spur ministries and can remove civil Just as Ataturk transformed an erful executive presidency is vital growth. servants – all without parlia- impoverished nation at the east- ecep Tayyip Erdogan ush- to drive economic growth and to Investors, who have warned mentary approval. ern edge of Europe into a secular, ered in the new, executive ensure security after a failed 2016 that the credit-fuelled economy Likewise, the departure of Western-facing republic, Er- Rpresidential system he had military coup. is overheating, want to see de- market-friendly ministers such dogan has fought to bring Islamic long campaigned for by putting Western allies and rights group cisive interest rate increases in as Mehmet Simsek, the well- values back into public life and his son-in-law in charge of the decry what they say is increasing order to tame double-digit infl a- regarded former deputy prime lift millions of pious Turks – long economy and promising a great- authoritarianism and a push to- tion. minister, and Naci Agbal, previ- ostracised by the secular elite – er overhaul of a country he has ward one-man rule. Speaking during a handover ously the fi nance minister, has out of poverty. dominated for 15 years. Investors have been worried by ceremony in Ankara, Albayrak also undermined confi dence. “We are leaving behind the Hours after he was sworn in what they fear is Erdogan’s tight- pledged to work hard to bring in- “Nothing can be regarded as system that has in the past cost with sweeping new powers at a ening grip on monetary policy. fl ation down to single digits and positive on this one,” said Edwin our country a heavy price in po- Erdogan: wants to see lower borrowing costs to spur growth. ceremony in the capital of Ankara “Albayrak becoming the fi - also to ensure a sustainable and Gutierrez, the head of emerging litical and economic chaos,” Er- late on Monday, Erdogan named nance minister is not a good sign healthy growth. markets sovereign debt at Ab- dogan said in an address late on dozens of media outlets. policy committee members for a Berat Albayrak as treasury and especially because of his close re- “We are facing a period where erdeen Standard Investments. Monday. The government says its meas- four-year period. fi nance minister. lationship with President Erdog- we have to work hard to bring “Obviously it is going to be a step In the aftermath of the 2016 ures are necessary given the se- It was also announced in the Albayrak, 40, previously an. It is a sign that Erdogan will infl ation down to single digits down in capacity compared to coup, Turkey, a member of the curity situation. Offi cial Gazette that Erdogan had served as energy minister and, control economic policy even again,” Albayrak said adding that Simsek.” North Atlantic Treaty Organi- In one of three presidential de- appointed ground forces com- before that, led a company seen more,” said Guillaume Tresca, a Turkey will have a stronger mon- Erdogan, the most popular sation (Nato) military alliance crees issued in the government’s mander General Yasar Guler as as close to the government. senior emerging markets strate- etary policy in the upcoming pe- leader in recent Turkish his- and still nominally a candidate Offi cial Gazette yesterday, it was the new chief of the general staff , His appointment – and the ab- gist at Credit Agricole. “The in- riod. tory, has now formally become to join the European Union, has announced that the president replacing General Hulusi Akar, sence of familiar, market-friend- dependence of the central bank Under the new system, the the most powerful leader since detained some 160,000 people, would appoint the central bank who was appointed defence min- ly ministers from the cabinet – could be undermined.” post of prime minister has been Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded jailed journalists and shut down governor, deputies and monetary ister in the new government.

Catalan legislators German minister unveils suspended

AFP Madrid migration master plan pain’s Supreme Court has ordered former Catalan DPA/Reuters on the re-examination of their cies yesterday, language that is Spresident Carles Puigde- Berlin applications should the situa- sure to ruffl e feathers in the cen- mont and fi ve other separatists tion in their homeland change, tre-left junior coalition partner, be suspended as regional law- for example, or face sanctions. the centre-left Social Democrats makers after concluding a probe resh from a bruising spat The plan off ers develop- (SPD), members of which reject into their secession bid. with Chancellor Angela ment assistance to certain part- the idea of closed facilities. In a statement, the court said FMerkel about migration, ner countries in the form of a “Repetition of this circus that Judge Pablo Llarena had German Interior Minister Horst “Marshall Plan for Africa”, with turns it into a farce,” said senior ordered “the suspension of ... Seehofer presented his long-de- the aim of encouraging poten- SPD lawmaker Ralf Stegner. Carles Puigdemont and the oth- layed “migration master plan” tial migrants to remain in their The main opposition party in er fi ve lawmakers accused of the yesterday. home countries by improving the Bundestag, the anti-immi- off ence of rebellion”. Seehofer, who leads the more economic conditions there. gration Alternative for Germany, A total of 25 separatist leaders conservative German coali- Sanctions on those convicted was sharply critical of the plan. are under investigation for their tion partner, the Bavaria-based of crimes and greater co-oper- Party leader Alexander involvement in a failed inde- Christian Social Union (CSU), ation from asylum-seekers on Gauland said it meant no change pendence declaration on Octo- had originally hoped to unveil establishing their identity will at all in migration policy. ber 27, which prompted Spain’s his 63-point master plan four be stricter. The SPD’s leadership said then government to sack the weeks ago, but delayed this Any applicant claiming to yesterday that Seehofer should regional executive and impose when Merkel expressed con- be under threat in their home stop trying to renegotiate their direct rule on Catalonia. cerns about plans to unilaterally country who then returns to that coalition deal and stick to what This was only lifted last month turn some migrants away at the country during the procedure has already been agreed. when a new separatist execu- German border. will have their application re- He should stop putting on his tive took offi ce in Catalonia after Hardliner Seehofer has often jected. summer theatre productions, snap regional elections in De- sparred with his long-time ally, Legal procedures for dealing they said. cember voted pro-independence Merkel, regarding migration with appeals by asylum-seekers Seehofer said he would seek parties back into power. policies, ever since he took issue against a negative decision are to clarity on which EU countries Of the 25, 13 are accused of re- with her open-door approach be speeded up. would enter into a bilateral bellion and risk up to 25 years in to the massive wave of almost A key aim is to prevent “sec- agreement with Germany about prison. 1mn migrants, largely escaping ondary migration”, where an taking back refugees registered Seehofer poses with a copy of his Masterplan on Migration, ahead a presentation in Berlin. Nine are in preventative cus- confl ict in the Middle East and asylum-seeker makes applica- in those countries. tody in Spain while four others Africa, who arrived in Germany tion in one EU country and then The interior minister said he deal, DPA learned from sources for an increase in the pace of de- In the same period, the Feder- fl ed abroad. in 2015-6. moves to another. expected “diffi cult conversa- in the Greek migration ministry, portations of rejected asylum- al Offi ce for Migration and Refu- Puigdemont is awaiting pos- “This master plan is part of EU external borders should tions,” but that they could suc- while Seehofer and his Italian seekers. gees made decisions in 125,190 sible extradition from Germany. the asylum reversal that is ur- be better protected, with mi- ceed. counterpart Matteo Salvini were “Just on my 69th birthday – cases, a 69% drop from a year While they could not take part gently required for Germany,” grants rescued in the Mediter- “The less Europe is able to expected to discuss the issue in and I didn’t request it – 69 peo- ago. Some 36% of cases were re- in parliamentary sessions in Bar- Seehofer said as he presented ranean moved to embarkation do, the more important national Innsbruck today ahead of an EU ple were sent back to Afghani- jected. celona, the six lawmakers kept the plan in Berlin yesterday. platforms in North Africa – al- measures become,” he said. interior ministers’ meeting in stan,” he said. “That’s way above Meanwhile, German public their posts after being elected in Seehofer spoke of a “new though no North African coun- The inclusion of bilateral the Austrian city. earlier levels.” opinion is against the govern- the December polls, delegating border regime” at the German- try has agreed to this. agreements was necessary to On a side note, Seehofer noted The German interior ministry ment: 72% of people surveyed their votes to party colleagues. Austrian border to prevent asy- Those arriving in the Euro- gain the approval of the other with satisfaction yesterday that announced yesterday that the by YouGov fi nd Germany’s mi- With the suspension, Catalan lum-seekers who have already pean Union should go to “con- coalition partners, including 69 Afghans had been deported number of asylum applications gration policies slipshod. separatist parties will have to re- applied for asylum in another EU trolled facilities”, although here Merkel’s Christian Democrats on his 69th birthday. in the fi rst six months of 2018 Meanwhile, only 5% fi nd them place them if they want to main- country from entering Germany. again the details are not clear. (CDU). At the news conference to had dropped by 16% compared too strict and 12% just right, tain their absolute majority of 70 He also said that migrants Seehofer spoke of “transit German offi cials were in Ath- launch his migration master to the same period in 2017, to the survey published yesterday of the parliament’s 135 seats. would be expected to co-operate centres” on presenting the poli- ens yesterday to discuss such a plan, Seehofer claimed credit 93,316. found. “This decision highlights the quality level of the state’s de- mocracy,” Puigdemont tweeted. Tourist brings WWII shell to airport “Citizens’ votes, shattered by a ‘justice system’ that continues An American tourist brought an unexploded World War II shell to to engage in politics.” Italy stops another Vienna airport in her luggage, Austrian police said yesterday. The court’s ruling comes a The 24-year-old had found the bomb on Sunday while walking in day after Catalonia’s new sepa- the Dachstein mountains, according to police. ratist president Quim Torra met She kept the shell in her belongings as a souvenir and declared it to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro ship with migrants customs off icers when she came to the airport on Monday. Sanchez, with both pledging to A bomb disposal unit was called and in order to safely remove the ease tensions despite divergenc- device, the baggage hall and parts of the arrivals area were closed es over the region’s right to self- Reuters than safe and as minister I can for around 15 minutes. determination. Rome guarantee you that the good times are over for the traffi ck- ers,” Italian Interior Minister taly has refused to allow a Matteo Salvini said during a vis- commercial vessel fl ying an it to a camp for migrant fruit and IItalian fl ag to bring ashore vegetable pickers in the south- Ancient tablet of Odyssey epic found rescued migrants, sticking to a ern region of Calabria. hardline policy on new arrivals The move comes two days Salvini: We’ve done more than anyone else (to take in sea borne as it presses European allies to before a meeting of European migrants). That’s enough. It’s someone else’s turn. AFP share the burden of hosting an interior ministers in the Aus- Athens infl ux of displaced people. trian city of Innsbruck, where work of a European agreement. ing in European border control A commercial ship that sup- German Interior Minister Horst Italy’s new government, and anti-traffi cking missions plies oil platforms off the coast Seehofer wants his far-right which took offi ce on June 1, has should not bring rescued mi- n ancient tablet engraved with 13 verses of of Libya pulled 66 migrants to Italian counterpart Salvini to helped thrust immigration back grants to Italy. the Odyssey has been unearthed in southern safety on Monday, but it was agree to take back migrants who on to the European agenda by In less than a month, three AGreece in what is possibly the earliest-re- told not to bring them to Italy, arrive at its borders from Italy. closing its ports to humanitar- charity ships have ended up dis- corded trace of the epic poem, the culture ministry an interior ministry source said. “What is certain is that for ian ships that rescue migrants embarking in Spain and Malta said yesterday. Transport Minister Danilo Italy there is no plan to take back off the coast of Libya, and it has after Italy refused them safe ha- The clay slab is believed to date back to the third Toninelli, who oversees the who has gone abroad. It’s the so far refused to accept migrants ven. century, during the Roman era. coast guard and the country’s last thing that could happen,” sent back from the German bor- “Our position is to block in “If this date is confi rmed, the tablet could be the ports, said that the migrants had Salvini said in an interview with der. any way possible the traffi cking oldest written record of Homer’s work ever discov- been transferred to an Italian Il Messaggero newspaper. More than 650,000 migrants, of human beings,” Salvini told Il ered” in Greece, a ministry statement said. coast guard vessel yesterday af- “If the Germans and the Aus- mostly from Africa and the Messaggero. “We’ve done more The extract, taken from book 14, describes the re- ter some of them threatened the trians are thinking only about Middle East, have been put out than anyone else (to take in sea turn of Ulysses to his home island of Ithaca. lives of the Italian crew. sending migrants back to us, to sea on overcrowded boats by borne migrants). The tablet was discovered after three years of They will be brought to Italy, helping us close the external people smugglers since 2014. “That’s enough. It’s someone surface excavations by the Greek Archaeological one source said, though the in- borders fi rst would be a step for- Thousands have perished, else’s turn.” Services in co-operation with the German Institute terior ministry source would not ward,” he said. but those rescued have been Aid groups and UN agencies of Archaeology. confi rm. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s brought to Italy and many later on Friday asked Italy open its It was found close to the remains of the Temple of The commercial ship picked government teetered on the headed north to other European ports to rescue ships because Zeus at the cradle of the Olympic Games in western up the migrants though it had brink of collapse last week as countries. the policy could have a high hu- Peloponnese. been told that Libyan patrol Seehofer’s Bavarian conserva- Italian minister Salvini has man cost. First composed orally around the 8th century A picture released by the Greek culture ministry boats were coming to retrieve tives demanded a unilateral said that charity rescue vessels More migrants could die at BC, the epic – which is attributed to ancient Greek shows a clay tablet with an engraved inscription them, the interior ministry tightening of German border fl ying foreign fl ags would not be sea or be trapped indefi nitely author Homer – was later transcribed during the discovered in the archaeological site of ancient source said. controls that she was prepared allowed in Italian ports, and on in inhumane detention centres, Christian era onto parchment of which only a few Olympia, which has been shown to preserve 13 “The Libyan ports are more to concede only in the frame- Sunday he said ships participat- they said. fragments have been discovered in Egypt. verses of a rhapsody in Homer’s Odyssey. Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 INDIA

CONTROVERSY LAW AND ORDER RULING PEOPLE CRIME Eminence status for Delhi school booked for Top court stops release of Film star’s son Woman stabs JIO Institute questioned detaining children over fees accused in journalist killing weds while on bail husband to death

In wake of the Reliance Foundation’s proposed A private school’s management was booked on The Supreme Court yesterday stayed till July 13 Veteran actor Mithun Chakrabortys son Mahaak- A woman murdered her 28-year-old husband Jio Institute being named as an ‘Institution of Emi- charge of forcibly detaining over half a dozen minor the release from jail of an accused facing trial in shay, who is currently out on bail in a case of rape early yesterday when he returned home in south nence’ (IOE), the Congress said any institute seek- children within its premises for five hours after their the murder case of TV journalist Soumya Viswa- and cheating, yesterday wed actress Madalsa Delhi in a drunken state, police said, adding that ing such status must establish its credentials by parents failed to deposit tuition fees on time, police nathan. The court said the accused, Ravi Kapoor, Sharma in Ooty. The couple put out a photograph the woman also suff ered stab injuries. Police said “acknowledged established tests” and sought to said yesterday. Police said the incident occurred should not be released from jail till Friday, the day of themselves in wedding finery on social media the accused woman Chhutki, 21, has been admit- know from the government how was this granted. on Monday at the Rabiya School in Hauz Qazi area when it would hear the case next. The Delhi High to break the news. Madalsa is an actress who has ted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi in central Delhi. Complainant Shabeen Hasan said Court has granted bail to Kapoor, who was also worked in south Indian films while Mahaakshay trauma centre for treatment. Rana, a painter, had said: “This is not person specific, it is not company he had left his two daughters at the school around convicted in the 2009 murder of business executive started his Bollywood career with Jimmy. Mithun, returned drunk to their Aya Nagar home, to which specific. We are not bothered about individuals. 7.30am on Monday. When he returned to pick them Jigisha Ghosh. Soumya was shot dead while she who is said to be ailing for sometime, was not Chhutki objected, a police off icer said. “A heated Any institution seeking such status, must estab- after school hours, he found them not present in was returning home in her car from off ice late on seen in any of the photographs from the wed- exchange between the two led to violence, in lish its credentials by various established tests. their respective classes. “When I enquired, I got to September 30, 2008. The high court on January 4 ding. A woman has alleged that Mahaakshay, on which both stabbed each other with a kitchen What are those tests? Adequate infrastructure, know that some minor children had been forcibly this year had commuted, to life imprisonment, the the pretext of marriage, cheated and raped her. knife,” the off icer said. The couple hailed from outstanding faculty, credible research output, a locked in the school basement during school hours death sentence of Kapoor and one another convict A court in New Delhi granted anticipatory bail to West Bengal and were staying in Aya Nagar for place of prestige in the academia.” without food”. in murder of Jigisha. Mahaakshay and his mother. the last three months. India accuses Modi, S Korea president hold talks UN rights chief of bias on Kashmir

IANS tempts have not succeeded in the United Nations past in any forum and will not do so now.” Zeid, who ends his term as ndia has accused UN Human high commissioner in December, Rights Commissioner Zeid had called in his report for an in- IRa’ad Al Hussein of exhibit- ternational investigation by the ing “clear bias” in his report on Human Rights Council into the Kashmir and criticised secre- situation in Kashmir. tary-general Antonio Guterres The report was not taken up at of overstepping his mandate in the Human Rights Council ses- his report on children in armed sion that ended last week and confl ict. at least six countries opposed it In the double-barrel attack, during the general debate. India’s deputy permanent rep- Lal dismissed it as a “docu- Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in during his off icial visit in New Delhi yesterday. Moon held talks with Modi in the resentative Tanmaya Lal told ment that was not even found fi t capital a day after inaugurating the world’s largest smartphone factory in Noida. the Security Council that Zeid’s to be considered by the member- “so-called report” was “re- ship of the forum where it was flecting the clear bias of an of- submitted”. ficial who was acting without In his cirticism of Guterres’s any mandate whatsoever and report, Lal said he had gone be- relied on unverified sources of yond “the clear mandate” pro- information”. vided by a 2001 Security Council As for Guterres, he said: “We Resolution that set the terms for are disappointed that the report his report. of the secretary-general includes Guterres’s report released last situations, which do not meet month includes criticism of the Congress thumbs down the defi nition of armed confl ict government and also the Naxal- or of threat to maintenance of ites, Jaish-e-Mohamed and Hiz- international peace and securi- bul Mujahideen. ty.” The report deals with Jammu The government apparently and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and took exception to the report say- Jharkhand. ing that “children continued to During the debate on Children be killed and injured in the con- simultaneous polls plan in Armed Confl ict, Lal men- text of operations of national tioned Guterres by his title, but security forces against armed IANS “The historical fact is that our MP P Vijaysai Reddy, who met commission’s proposal of face Rubbishing the prime min- did not mention Zeid by name groups”. New Delhi party was the fi rst to moot this the law panel, said his party was to face discussion, it did not ister’s argument that simulta- or title while it was clear it was The report also said that “un- idea and in fact boldly imple- a supporter of the idea of ‘one turn up. Neither did it send any neous elections would save the about him from the rebuttal to verifi ed reports” indicate na- mented it in 2004,” Misra said nation, one election’ in the larg- written statement to the panel, exchequer hundreds of crores, Pakistan’s Permanent Repre- tional security forces use chil- he Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after meeting the law panel. er interest of the nation. stating it has already clarifi ed its Singhvi pointed out that the cost sentative Maleeha Lodhi who dren as “informants and spies”. and the YSR Congress, He, however, said that his “We support simultaneous views in a letter to the Election of all elections in the country was quoted Zeid saying in her report However, the report also ac- Twhich met the law com- party was “strongly against” any elections for various reasons. We Commission. still less than the cost incurred by that “there were multiple cases cused the Jaish-e-Mohamed and mission over the issue of simul- dilution of the anti-defection don’t consider this a proposal that Rejecting the proposal of si- Modi on “self-promotion”. of children under 18 years be- Hizbul Mujahideen as well as taneous polls to parliament and provisions for the sake of pro- comes from a particular party. In multaneous polls, Congress Noting a parliament standing ing arbitrarily detained and tor- Naxalites of recruiting children state assemblies, yesterday sup- longing the life of Lok Sabha or the interest of the development of spokesman Abhishek Manu committee estimates the entire tured”. and using them in confl ict in ported the idea – with certain any state assembly in case the this country, for optimal utilisa- Singhvi said that it was yet an- cost of Lok Sabha and all as- She also mentioned the blind- violation of UN resolutions and riders. However, the Congress government loses its majority tion of manpower and bureauc- other “preposterous suggestion sembly elections at Rs45bn, he ing of children by pellet guns convention. stayed away from the meeting prematurely. racy, ‘one country, one election’ by a narcissist and self-centred” said: “We would like to advise used by security forces. Security Council Resolution but aired its opposition to the “Instead we would suggest is defi nitely advisable provided Modi government and would him (Modi) to fi rst stop spend- Hitting back, Lal said Lo- 1379 that Lal referred to speci- idea. adoption of the German model there is a consensus among the endanger the “concept of feder- ing Rs46bn of public money on dhi’s reference to Zeid’s report fi es “confl ict situations”, “armed Deposing before the law com- by which no vote of ‘no confi - political parties,” Reddy said after alism ingrained into our Consti- self-promotion and propagan- was “deliberate self-serving at- confl icts” and situations that mission — that has invited all dence’ can be entertained unless meeting the commission. tution and multi-party parlia- da.” An RTI query by a Mumbai tempts” by Islamabad “to obfus- “threaten the maintenance of in- national and state recognised it is also accompanied by a vote He said if frequent elections mentary system”. activist revealed in May this year cate the reality of their own use ternational peace and security”. parties for face to face consul- of confi dence proposal. This will are avoided, the manifesto re- “Large parties with a larger that the Modi government had of terror organisations to under- Guterres apparently relied on tations on simultaneous polls ensure that no government can leased by political parties can be footprint will have more ad- spent Rs43bn on publicity since mine state sovereignty”. another element in the resolu- – BJD MP Pinaki Misra said his be voted out without also at the implemented “in its true letter vantages in campaign, spending it came to power in May 2014 on He said: “They also distract tion referring to “situations that party was among the fi rst to have same time voting in a fresh gov- and spirit”. and publicity and the voices of advertisements in the print and from our discussions away from are on the Security Council’s mooted this proposal several ernment,” he added. Though the Congress said regional parties would be sub- electronic media as well as out- the issues at hand. Such at- agenda,” Lal said. years ago and supports the same. YSR Congress Rajya Sabha that it did not boycott the law merged in the din,” he said. door publicity. Speaker rues frequent Under attack Congress’ Gujarat unit disruption of parliament plans to woo defectors IANS Asked if this would not create Gandhinagar dissatisfaction amongst the loyal IANS “If we accept this argument, which have evolved over the party workers who have been New Delhi then the cycle of interruptions years. Is it not our moral respon- consistently working hard over will continue endlessly and such sibility to ensure that these rules fter losing two bigwigs – the years, Dhanani said: “There’s tendency will never be checked,” are followed in letter and spirit?” senior legislator Kunwarji a diff erence between this re- ok Sabha Speaker Sumi- she said. she asked. ABavaliya and former MLA cruitment and the way we do. We tra Mahajan, in a letter Mahajan said that at times The Speaker said that during Indraneel Rajyaguru – in two will be asking our grassroots lev- Laddressed to all MPs, ex- some members have come to- her recent foreign visits, mem- months, the Congress in Gujarat el workers and party leaders be- pressed concern over the fre- wards her chair and shouted bers of Indian diaspora and other has decided to bring back the de- fore deciding whom to take back. quent disruptions of parliament, slogans, shown placards and foreign dignitaries also expressed fectors into the party fold, calling “But one thing is certain, the saying divergence of opinion and banners and interrupted the pro- their disappointment and con- it ‘Ghar Wapsi’. party won’t compromise on dis- dissent should be within the es- ceedings of the House, forcing its cern over the constant disrup- Leader of opposition, Paresh cipline and ideology. The party tablished norms. repeated adjournment. tions in the House. Dhanani, said the Congress was will only welcome those who are In the letter that was released to “All of you will agree that dis- She said it was the collective open to all those who had left ready to follow the ideology.” the media yesterday, Mahajan said cussion, debate, divergence of responsibility of the members to the party to join the BJP and He claimed that many BJP the tenure of the 16th Lok Sabha opinion and dissent are integral protect and keep intact the pres- were feeling suff ocated as well members have expressed a desire has entered into its fi nal year and part of functioning of any demo- tige and sanctity of Parliament. as disgruntled BJP members. He to join the party. “Many such BJP only three sessions were left. cratic system. Constructive op- “Thus, time has come for us to claimed that several such leaders members, once belonging to Con- The monsoon session is slated position and lively debates are introspect and decide what is the would return to the party in near gress and now repenting, are in to begin on July 18. the lifeline of democracy, but way forward and ideal image for future. touch with our rank and fi le and She said people observed the you will also agree that the dis- our Parliament and democracy.” “After having a detailed dis- keen to return. They believe in the performance of MPs very keenly cussion, divergence of opinion The Speaker said that conduct cussion in the party, it has been party’s vision and ideology. This and hoped that the members will and dissent should be within and quality of debate and discus- decided that the Congress will will be an attempt to save democ- establish high standards of par- the well-established parameters sion in Parliament also shapes up be holding a ‘Recruitment Mela’, racy, preserve the constitutional liamentary conduct, discipline and accepted norms of parlia- the level, norms and decorum of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press a sort of ‘Ghar Wapsi’, in the values and it will be a ‘Bharat and decorum. mentary dignity and decorum so debate and discussions on social conference after visiting the Coronation sewage treatment coming days for disgruntled BJP Bachao (Save India) campaign’. Mahajan asked if political par- that people may continue to have platforms. “I hope the electoral plant (STP) in Burari, New Delhi, yesterday. The BJP and members into the Congress. “Many former MLAs and local ties can justify their behaviour abiding faith in democracy and and political battles will be fought the Congress yesterday slammed Kejriwal after he said “They include all those BJP body representatives at various by advancing the argument of democratic institutions. in the constituencies and at the that the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) will follow the Singaporean members, who once originally levels, including political leaders improper conduct and interrup- “It is for this purpose that we same time members will discharge model for water treatment and is taking a slew of steps to belonged to the Congress as well from co-operative bodies, have tion of the business of the House have given ourselves the rules for their democratic responsibilities improve water availability by 15%-20% in two years. as BJP members dissatisfi ed with showed their willingness to join by other parties in the past. conduct of business in the House with decorum in the House.” the party,” he said. the Congress,” he added. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 15 INDIA

India goes past France Mumbai reels under heavy rains in World IANS Bank’s new Mumbai t least two people were rankings killed in rain-related ac- Acidents in Maharashtra’s Palghar while road, rail traffi c AFP and fl ights were severely hit as Paris the country’s commercial capi- tal and many parts of the state were battered by incessant rains ndia has become the world’s for the fourth consecutive day sixth-biggest economy, yesterday, offi cials said. Mum- Ipushing France into seventh bai has now been placed at high place, according to updated alert. World Bank fi gures for 2017. Chief Minister Devendra India’s gross domestic prod- Fadnavis informed the legis- uct (GDP) amounted to $2.597tn lature in Nagpur that all agen- at the end of last year, against cies including the Indian Navy, $2.582tn for France. the Disaster Management Cell India’s economy rebounded and others are working hard to strongly from July 2017, after provide all assistance to Mum- several quarters of slowdown baikars. blamed on economic poli- Anxious moments were ex- People gather around a submerged vehicle on a flooded street. A local authority worker helps a man cross a flooded road. cies pursued by Prime Minister perienced at Mumbai Airport Narendra Modi’s government. when an Air India Express tracks, causing major delays to thousands of stranded passen- At least 15 areas, includ- India, with around 1.34bn in- fl ight IX-213 with 89 passen- the morning commuters. gers at various stations and in ing Dahisar, Borivali, Malad, habitants, is poised to become gers, while landing on the al- There were brief disruptions 23 trains held up en route on the Jogeshwari, Andheri, San- the world’s most populous na- ternate runway 14 at around owing to waterlogging, signal network and eff orts were on to tacruz, Mahim, Kurla, Parel, tion, whereas the French popu- 3pm, overshot the runway by 10 failures, a crack in the tracks restore services after the waters Dadar, Chembur, King Circle, lation stands at 67mn. feet and stopped on the paved and other problems, but overall receded. Sion, Wadala, Masjid Bunder, This means that India’s per stopway. the services remained largely Over 300 passengers and Ghatkopar, Powai, Bhandup, capita GDP continues to amount An AIX spokesperson said functional. commuters stranded in station- Mankhurd were heavily water- to just a fraction of that of France though the aircraft landed cor- WR services on the critical ery trains were rescued by teams logged, impeding traffi c and pe- which is still roughly 20 times rectly and used maximum brak- Vasai-Virar sector were can- in boats and taken to safety destrian movement. higher, according to World Bank ing, it could not stop owing to celled. Services operated only along with their luggage. There were at least four mi- fi gures. the slippery conditions follow- between Churchgate and Va- Education Minister Vinod nor instances of house wall Manufacturing and consumer ing heavy rains and stopped sai, as tracks lay submerged in Tawde yesterday advised all crashes, 43 tree collapses, 30 spending were the main drivers only on the paved stopway. 650mm waters between Vasai- school and college principals to short-circuit fi res incidents of the Indian economy last year, There was no damage to the Virar, damaging electrical ca- monitor the rainfall situation in but no casualties were report- after a slowdown blamed on the aircraft or injuries to the pas- bles, signaling and other over- their areas and declare a holiday ed. demonetisation of large ban- sengers and crew. head equipment. if necessary today. In a rare instance, Mumbai’s knotes that Modi imposed at the An airport spokesperson said Several inbound and out- According to the IMD, Mum- famed Dabbawalas suspended end of 2016, as well as a chaotic fl ight arrivals and departures bound long-distance trains, bai recorded 165.8mm rains all their tiffi n box delivery op- implementation of a new har- were delayed by around 25 min- including the Rajdhani Express, so far yesterday morning plus erations yesterday, while many monised VAT regime. utes with no cancellations or August Kranti Rajdhani Express, 38mm in the afternoon, whereas private offi ces in south Mumbai India has doubled its GDP diversions. Shatabdi Express, Duronto Ex- the suburbs received 184.3mm permitted their employees to within a decade and is expected The Juhu Airport in Vile Parle press among others, were either rainfall in the morning plus leave a few hours early to enable to power ahead as a key econom- was fl ooded most of the day, cancelled, terminated en route 46mm in the afternoon. More them reach homes safely. ic engine in Asia, even as China halting all helicopter and small or diverted on the Mumbai-Gu- rains were forecast for the next In many areas of south- A youth walks along a flooded street in Mumbai yesterday. slows down. According to the aircraft operations. jarat and Mumbai-New Delhi couple of days. central Mumbai, disaster relief International Monetary Fund, Mumbai’s lifeline, the West- sectors. In the past 21 days, the city teams set out in infl atable rub- Massive traffi c snarls were Besides Mumbai, the adjoin- India is projected to generate ern Railway (WR) and Central WR spokesman G Ma- has received over 60% of its av- ber dinghies to guide people, witnessed on the Eastern Ex- ing districts of Mumbai Met- growth of 7.4% this year and Railway (CR) suburban trains, hapurkar said over 16,500 food erage seasonal total rains, said shift them to safer locations or press Highway, Western Ex- ropolitan Region (MMR) like 7.8% in 2019, boosted by house- were running late by 45-60 packets and water was distrib- the Brihanmumbai Municipal monitor the localities for any press Highway and the Eastern Thane, Palghar and Raigad also hold spending and a tax reform. minutes due to waterlogged uted with the help of NGOs to Corporation (BMC). emergencies. Freeway all over the city. received heavy rains. This compares to the world’s expected average growth of 3.9%. The London-based Centre for Economics and Business Re- search, a consultancy, said at the Rajinikath’s wife to face end of last year that India would overtake both Britain and France this year in terms of GDP, and trial for loan default had a good chance to become the world’s third-biggest economy by 2032. IANS March 10, 2016, order of the Karnataka New Delhi High Court quashing the proceedings against Latha, which were initiated af- ter a trial court order. WhatsApp offers tips atha Rajinikanth, the wife of She had approached the high court to spot fake news Tamil superstar-turned politi- after the trial court had referred the Lcian Rajinikanth, will face trial private complaint fi led by the advertis- WhatsApp took out full-page in a case relating to non-payment of ing agency to police for investigation. advertisements in newspapers an outstanding amount of Rs62mn to On July 3, the apex court had pulled yesterday off ering “easy tips” an advertising agency, as the Supreme up Latha for not complying with its to identify fact from fiction Court yesterday set aside the Karnataka order and her undertaking to repay the after a slew of recent murders High Court order that had quashed the outstanding amount to the advertising spurred by hoaxes shared on its criminal proceedings against her. agency. Yesterday, the counsel appear- platform. The Facebook-owned A bench of justice Ranjan Gogoi and ing for the agency told the bench that messaging service has been justice R Banumathi said the Karnataka Latha had not paid the money to them under immense pressure to High Court was not justifi ed in quash- as per the undertaking given by her in curb the spread of misinforma- ing the proceedings against Latha, add- the apex court earlier. tion in India after the lynching of ing: “This is a case which should have On February 20, the bench while keep- more than 20 people accused of gone for trial. You (Latha) can apply for ing the petition by the advertising agency child abduction in the last two discharge at an appropriate stage.” pending for three months, had said that months. Most recently a mob Latha Rajinikanth is allegedly one Mediaone would pay the amount in three surrounded and killed five men of the directors of the Mediaone Glo- months failing which Latha Rajinikanth in Maharashtra denounced as bal Entertainment that had taken a would bear the burden of payment. child kidnappers, a pernicious Rs149mn loan from the Bengaluru- The bench’s February order had rumour blamed for similar mur- based Ad-Bureau Advertising to fi n- stated: “Special leave petition is kept ders in at least 11 states. What- ish post-production work of the 2014 pending for three months. Within the sApp said it was “horrified” by Rajinikanth-Deepika Padukone starrer aforesaid period of three months if the the violence and promised swift fi lm Kochadaiiyaan, directed by Ra- company – Mediaone Global Enter- action but Indian authorities jinikanth’s younger daughter Soundar- tainment Ltd – does not pay the balance have accused the social media ya. The amount outstanding is Rs62mn. dues, the respondent-accused (Latha giant of acting irresponsibly. The bench was hearing a plea fi led Rajanikanth) has undertaken before the by Ad-Bureau Advertising against the court to pay the amount due.”

Malabar Gold showroom at Udupi opened

Miss World Manushi Chhillar inaugurated Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ new and bigger showroom at Udupi, Karnataka, on July 7. Present on the occasion were Malabar Gold & Diamonds managing director — India operations, Asher O, Iflu Rahman, regional head; and other heads of various departments along with the management team members of the group. Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 PAKISTAN

Pakistan fi lm fest Army denies meddling ends on high note

Internews in upcoming elections Islamabad 371,388 troops to be deployed to guard the vote he second edition of Paki- on July 25 stan Film Festival in New TYork came to a close on Reuters/AFP/DPA Sunday night. Islamabad The fi lm festival kicked off on Saturday with four movies, 7 Din Mohabbat In, Parchi, Verna, and he army said yesterday Cake screened to packed houses. that it will deploy about On Sunday, three fi lms, Na T371,000 troops to ensure Band Na Baraati, La La Begum, a “fair and free” election on July and Punjab Nahi Jaongi were 25, and has denied that it is rig- shown. ging the poll to tip the scales in “It has been exciting host- favour of former cricketer Imran ing the second Pakistan Film Khan. Festival and movie artists from The run-up to the general Pakistan and ensuring our lat- election has been marred by ac- est movies fi nd an international cusations that the military is platform,” Pakistan ambassador meddling in politics and muz- to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said in zling the media to help usher Major General Ghafoor: We don’t have a political party. her concluding remarks at Asia Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-In- We don’t have a loyalty. Society hall. saf (PTI) into power. “This festival is special, as Khan, an anti-corruption come down to a contest between lenged the military over foreign it brought our fi lms to a global crusader and conservative on Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League policy, which the generals tradi- audience, showing Pakistan in national security, has denied – Nawaz (PML-N) and Khan and tionally consider their domain. a light that the world rarely sees colluding with the military, his PTI party. He has vowed to return to Pa- in the Western media,” she said. which has ruled the nuclear- Ghafoor dismissed suspicions kistan on Friday. “The energy and dynamism of armed country for almost half that the military was favouring Though he cannot hold offi ce, our emerging fi lm industry re- its history. Khan. Sharif remains a hugely power- fl ects the energy and spirit of the “The Pakistan armed forces This picture taken on Sunday shows shroud-wearing supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz “We don’t have a political ful talisman for the PML-N, and people of Pakistan.” have no direct role,” military (PML-N) party – some with mock nooses around their necks – during a protest in Multan, following the party. We don’t have a loyalty,” his return could boost his party’s Lodhi thanked the stars, in- spokesman Major General Asif court decision against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. he said. troubled campaign, now led by cluding Mahira Khan, Mikaal Ghafoor told a packed news con- Ghafoor also dismissed any his brother Shehbaz – even if he Zulfi kar, Mehwish Hayat, and ference at army headquarters in sist, the army spokesman said. tacks by Islamist militants have since the Supreme Court oust- suggestion the military was is arrested and jailed. Aamina Sheikh, for taking time the garrison city of Rawalpindi, “We need to give them sup- decreased by around 50%. ed then-prime minister Nawaz forcing Sharif’s supporters to Army spokesman Ghafoor out of their busy schedules and adjacent to the capital Islama- port they have asked for,” Gha- “In 2013 the army was busy Sharif in 2017 for failing to re- switch parties. also refuted rumours the elec- travelling to New York to partici- bad, adding: “Let me make it foor said in the garrison city of fi ghting the war against terror- port a monthly income of 10,000 Sharif, who was last week tions could yet be postponed, pate in the festival. clear, that we have no direct Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. ism and we could not aff ord to Emirati dirhams ($2,723) from a sentenced to 10 years in prison vowing that it is up to the peo- “You did Pakistan proud,” the role.” There are fears that religious deploy them at all polling sta- company owned by his son. on charges linked to corruption, ple of Pakistan to vote for their envoy said, as a loud applause He said that a total of 371,388 militants might stage attacks at tions,” Election Commission of He denied drawing the has alleged that the military leaders. rang out. troops would be deployed inside the 85,300 polling stations. Pakistan (ECP) spokesman Altaf monthly salary and has de- and its security agency has been “We will accept anyone elect- Lodhi also congratulated of- and outside polling stations, The number of troops is far Khan told DPA. nounced his ouster as political- pressing his party’s candidates ed by the people as their prime fi cers and staff of the Pakistan some three times more than higher than in the last general “We want to provide condu- ly-motivated, often suggesting to switch loyalties. minister. He can be anybody,” he mission for their hard work in during the last election in 2013. election in 2013, when 75,000 cive environment for elections the military was to blame. Sharif, who is in London car- said. ensuring the success of the fes- The election commission had troops were deployed for secu- and have asked the army for de- The military denies involve- ing for his wife who is there for Ghafoor also said that troops tival. asked the armed forces to assist rity at 70,185 polling stations ployment at all polling stations,” ment in civilian politics but end- medical treatment, fell out with will also provide security for the On behalf of the visiting ac- in the conduct of the vote in a when the security situation was he added. ed Sharif’s second stint in power the military when he returned as printing of ballot papers and for tors, Zulfi kar thanked Lodhi for “free, fair and transparent man- much worse. The military’s role in politics in 1999 in a bloodless coup. prime minister for a third time the transmission of polling re- her initiative to hold the festi- ner”, and the army’s role is to as- Since then, the number of at- has again come into question The July election is likely to in 2013, partly because he chal- sults. val as part of the eff orts to pro- mote cultural diplomacy and to project the country’s soft power. One of the highlights of Sun- day evening was an animated conversation with double Oscar Six politicians reportedly under threat award-winning Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who discussed her fu- ture documentary projects, one Internews movement of heavy vehicles. of which is about how Lahore Islamabad “Moreover, boundary wall of activist Syed Ghulam Fatima the building is not constructed is tenaciously fi ghting for the on uniform pattern and is weak rights of men, women and chil- he National Coun- at diff erent parts. So we have dren working at brick kiln sites in ter Terrorism Author- enhanced the security,” he said. poor conditions. Tity (NACTA) of Pakistan The police offi cial added that Another documentary is about has revealed the names of six the NAB had also deputed 48 se- women being trained in Now- personalities, including Imran curity guards and there were 40 shera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khan, who could be targeted by CCTV cameras. for counter-terrorism opera- terrorists during the ongoing Moreover, he said, the NAB tions. election campaign. building is being monitored In addition, Chinoy said she is Sharif: would be returning this Friday with his daughter Maryam. “The six people are Pakistan through cameras as part of the working on Home 1947, a docu- Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Safe City project. mentary on the impact of parti- Imran Khan, Awami National “We have also enhanced se- tion on migrating populations. Party (ANP) leaders Asfandyar curity for other buildings of the Wali and Ameer Haider Hoti, NAB in the city and are remov- NAB mulls options Qaumi Watan Party head Aftab ing defi ciencies,” he added. Sherpao, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Senate standing committee – Fazlur (JUI-F) leader Akram chairman Malik said that since for arresting Sharifs Khan Durrani, and Hafi z Saeed’s the NAB is currently in the lime- 5 students son Talha Saeed. light, there should be arrange- “Moreover, there are threats ments for its security. Internews government to provide the bu- to senior leadership of the Pa- The committee also took se- in Canada Lahore reau with a helicopter,” an offi - kistan Peoples Party (PPP) and rious notice of an incident in cial source said. Pakistan Muslim League – Na- Cholistan, where three sisters He said that the NAB Lahore waz (PML-N),” NACTA director Imran Khan: allegedly under threat. aged six, eight and 11 were found to receive o save it from the kind of chief understands that moving Obaid Farooq said while briefi ng dead in a desert after having embarrassment it faced the Sharifs to Islamabad from the Senate Standing Committee during the general elections parties, voters, candidates, poll- been reported missing. Tin the arrest episode the Lahore airport by road on Interior. scheduled for July 25, and di- ing vicinities and for foolproof The parents of the chil- funding of retired Captain Moham- might require “elaborate secu- He said that NACTA had for- rected that such alerts be taken protection of those politicians dren attended the meeting and mad Safdar, the National Ac- rity arrangements”. warded 12 threat alerts to the seriously. for whom security threat alerts briefed the committee on the countability Bureau (NAB) is “Since the road option may federal interior and provincial Malik proposed that the pro- have been issued.” incident that had occurred on Internews weighing two options to arrest be diffi cult for the authori- home ministries as well as law vincial governments and law Islamabad Deputy Inspector June 13. Islamabad ousted prime minister Nawaz ties concerned with regard to enforcement agencies. enforcement agencies nominate General of Police Waqar Ahmed A representative of the Pun- Sharif and his daughter Mar- provide security cover, a heli- Committee chairman Senator focal persons to ensure security. Chohan informed the Senate jab police failed to brief the yam Nawaz upon their arrival copter should be provided,” he Rehman Malik, while expressing “The incident of pelting committee that the National committee as he lacked infor- he Canadian-Pakistan at the Lahore airport on Friday. said, adding that both convicts grave concern over the threats, (during) PPP chairman Bilawal Accountability Bureau (NAB) mation about the incident and Foundation of Friendship In the fi rst option, the NAB would be sent to the Adiala jail directed the interior ministry Bhutto Zardari’s rally [in Ka- chairman had received a letter knew nothing about the cause of T(CPFF) has announced may write to the caretaker gov- in Rawalpindi after producing to provide security to the heads rachi’s Lyari area] with stones threatening a bombing attack on death as mentioned in the post- scholarships to fi ve Pakistan- ernment seeking a helicopter them before the court. of parties and those for whom shows that there were serious the NAB headquarters. mortem report. origin students living in Cana- to move Sharif and Maryam to “The NAB chairman will threat alerts were issued. security lapses which cannot be “After that, we thoroughly The committee chairman da every year to pursue higher Islamabad after their arrival at take up the matter with the He said that Election Com- ignored in the prevailing situa- checked the building and it was expressed annoyance over the studies at the Ryerson University the Lahore airport. federal government,” he said. mission of Pakistan (ECP) sec- tion,” he said. “We will hold an observed that a building of the ignorance of the Punjab police of Toronto. The other option is to re- The accountability court retary Babar Yaqoob had already in-camera meeting to get brief- Islamabad High Court is being and asked the provincial police The foundation signed an quest that the government di- had on Friday handed down 10 informed the committee that ing on measures and plans for built behind the NAB building, chief to ensure his presence at agreement with the Ryerson vert their fl ight to the federal and seven years jail to Nawaz there is a possibility of violence the security of heads of political due to which there is frequent the next meeting. University at a ceremony in To- capital to take them into cus- Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, ronto on Saturday to donate tody at the (Islamabad) airport. respectively, in the Avenfi eld C$50,000 for fi rst-generation “Lahore NAB director gen- properties reference. Rs20mn donation to university Pakistan sends satellites into space students at Ryerson. eral Shahzad Saleem on Tues- Meanwhile, the NAB has Canada’s Immigration Minis- day wrote to its chairman also written to the Lahore po- Punjab Minister for Food, Agriculture Planning and Development Pakistan’s two satellites have been launched using a Chinese Long ter Ahmed Hussen and Pakistan retired Justice Javed Iqbal, lice chief for provision of se- Sardar Tanvir Ilyas Khan has announced a donation of Rs20mn March (LM-2C) rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in High Commissioner Tariq Azim requesting that he take up the curity to its team that will ar- for the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan northwest China. Khan were present at the event. issue of the arrival of the con- rest Sharif and his daughter (MNSUAM) out of his own pocket. One of the satellites launched is a remote sensing satellite (PRSS1), a The initiative is aimed at victs – Nawaz Sharif and Mar- on their arrival at the Lahore This will be used for promotion of research in agriculture. dual-purpose Earth observational and optical satellite. funding university programmes yam Nawaz – with the federal airport this Friday. He announced this during his visit to the university on Monday. With the launch of the PRSS1, Pakistan has become one of the few in Canada that are focused on The minister visited various departments and reviewed research countries to have its own remote sensing satellite in orbit. Pakistan for the purpose of pro- activities, accompanied by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Asif Ali and Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the moting diversity. Pakistan to witness eclipse on July 27 other university off icials. PRSS1 is the first optical remote sensing satellite that China has sold The foundation also an- While speaking with the students and faculty members, Khan said to Pakistan. nounced plans to raise funds It will be a total lunar eclipse in parts of the world, including that role of higher education in the agriculture sector is key to The second satellite launched by the same rocket is the PAK-TES-1A. from its members to provide Pakistan, towards the end of the current month. ensuring the development of the country. It is a scientific experiment satellite developed by the Space and donations to local hospitals in According to experts, the moon will pass straight through the He said that it is very important that students take an interest in Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) to enhance Canada and healthcare facilities Earth’s shadow on July 27, causing a total lunar eclipse. research as well as engage in creative thinking so that they can find satellite manufacture capabilities in the country. in Pakistan. The eclipse will be the longest of the century, lasting around four out-of-box solutions in their respective fields of research. This is the second instance of space co-operation between China It will take initiatives to pro- hours. The minister said that more than 60% of the country’s 220mn and Pakistan. mote a better understanding of The Earth will completely block the sunlight on the surface of the population are youth who need technology-based education to In August 2011, Pakistan launched the PAKSAT-1R, a communication Pakistani culture and traditions moon for around two hours. improve their economic future. satellite, with the help of China. in Canadian society. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 17 PHILIPPINES Bello urges fi rm to regularise 7,000 workers

By William Depasupil Manila Times

he Department of Labour and Em- ployment (DoLE) called on telecom- Tmunications giant Philippine Long Fans reacting as they watch the 2018 Russia World Cup match between France and Argentina at a sports Distance Telephone Co (PLDT), to regular- bar in Manila. ise more than 7,000 workers and pay them P51.6mn monetary benefi ts. Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello made the appeal amid the fi rm’s continued refusal to implement his department’s order. Instead of regularising the workers, PLDT Hoops-mad nation fi nally terminated its service contracts. “It is now fi nal and executory,” Bello said, referring to the resolution he signed on Jan- uary 10, 2018, that denied with fi nality the catches World Cup fever appeal of PLDT to the department’s reso- lution directing the telecommunications AFP giant and its contractors to regularise the Manila more than 7,306 workers. “Defi nitely it is wrong to terminate their workers. (PLDT) has to comply with the hirts are selling briskly, order and regularise their workers from its crowds pack sports bars to contractors,” the Labour chief said. Swatch matches and foot- Even if the contract between PLDT and ball is front-page news. its service contractors are terminated, he Whisper it quietly, but bas- said the workers should be regularised and ketball-crazy Philippines has their contractors blacklisted. Silvestre Bello: keen to implement department’s order fi nally been affl icted by World “The order is to regularise all of more Cup fever. than 7,000 workers which were outsourced desirable to the business of PLDT, hence are willing to consider. I’m sure that PLDT For decades, the nation of by the contractors because they are found to they should not be outsourced,” Bello said. is also a law-abiding company. We will have more than 100mn was on a very be labour-only contractors. The job, work “I told them already to propose their a meeting with them to clear the legal extent short list of global locations that or services of the workers are necessary and regularisation plan and submit it to us. We of the order,” he added. had failed to fall for the beautiful game. That is beginning to change as football’s narrow, but pas- sionate, Filipino following grows Staff display their faces painted with the flags of France (right) and fuelled by success of the national Argentina as fans watch the 2018 Russia World Cup match between Man dies team whose new coach is former France and Argentina at a sports bar in Manila. England great Terry Butcher — a Healthcare bill World Cup semi-fi nalist with in shootout the Three Lions in 1990. “Defi nitely, we do have... World Cup fever,” television outside sportscaster Bob Guerrero said certifi ed ‘urgent’ outside a Manila bar where he was watching France knock Ar- Manila Times the bill. “Under this proposed to specialists or to hospitals,” bishop’s gentina out of the global tourna- Manila law we seek to provide for the Roque added. ment. right to health by providing He said the UHC bill is one “We’re hoping that it’s going primary care to all Filipinos. of the 28 bills in the Duterte residence to be a snowball eff ect and foot- resident Rodrigo Du- This will give free healthcare administration’s legislative ball will really start to grow here terte has certifi ed the and free medicines to all Fili- agenda. in the Philippines,” said Guer- PUniversal Healthcare pinos,” Roque said. Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” DPA rero, who works for top TV net- (UHC) Bill as urgent. The Philippine Health In- Ejercito yesterday expressed Manila work ABS-CBN who are airing Palace spokesman Harry surance Corp. (PhilHealth) confi dence that the bill would World Cup matches live. Roque Jr, in a tweet on Mon- will be replaced and will be- be passed by the Senate when Grow it may, but at the mo- day night, said Duterte certi- come the “national purchaser the 17th Congress convenes 41-year-old man seeking ment there are only an estimated A recent photo shows student football club players training on a fi ed the bill as urgent during a of health services.” for its third and fi nal session a meeting with a Catho- 1.5mn football-playing Filipinos school pitch in Manila. Cabinet meeting. “The PhilHealth will be re- this month. Ejercito, who Alic archbishop was killed compared to fi gures claiming Roque, as Kabayan party- placed, its new name will be heads the Senate Commit- after the situation degenerated that some 40mn regularly fl ock ing football.” The former youth “There is a hype now,” said list representative, was one of the PhilHealth Security Corp, tee on Health and Demogra- into a shoot-out with Philippine to the basketball courts that player with English Premier Francis Castilla from sport mar- the primary authors of House which will give medical insur- phy, noted that the increasing police yesterday, offi cials said. populate every barangay (bor- League club Chelsea is one of keting fi rm MMC Sportz. “Eve- Bill 5784 or the UHC bill, ance,” Roque said. prices of basic goods made the The deceased, identifi ed as ough) across the archipelago. a wave of photogenic foreign- rybody wants to jump in on the which the House of Repre- Roque highlighted the im- passage of the bill more cru- Jeff rey Canedo, was seeking a It’s a love aff air that goes back based players of part-Filipino (Azkals’) achievement. sentatives passed on third and portance of barangay (village) cial in giving Filipinos access meeting with Cebu Archbishop to the 1900s when basketball parentage recruited by the Az- “It’s the bandwagon. The fi nal reading in September health workers in the imple- to quality healthcare. Jose Palma at the archbishop’s was introduced to the archipel- kals. problem will be how to sustain 2017. The Senate’s version, mentation of the law. “With the prices of fuel, palace. ago by the Americans. In a few short years they have it.” Senate Bill 1458, is still at the “The role of barangay transportation, and basic But when asked about his in- Rather than reject the pastime vaulted the team to qualifi ca- Other similarly less football- committee level. health workers is important. goods skyrocketing, the pas- tent, he was unclear, prompting of their colonial masters, Filipi- tion for the Asian Cup for the minded nations have seen their Following the certifi cation, They are the gatekeepers. sage of this bill will mean a lot staff at the archbishop’s palace nos made it their own. fi rst time, and in May they hit love for the game grow via in- the Senate will be able to pass They are the fi rst contact of to Filipino families in terms to seek police assistance, a police It became part of the curricu- their highest ever FIFA ranking creased television coverage, the bill on second and third patients, along with the com- of improving their quality of report said. lum in schools and since then of 111th in the world. which marketers say stimulates reading on the same day. In munity nurses and midwives,” life,” Ejercito said in a state- “When the police came,...the Philippine squads have played That success comes on the attendance at stadiums. a news briefi ng yesterday in he said. “Here, in barangay ment as he welcomed Du- suspect drew his fi rearm in the respectably on an international heels of the launching last year It was key in bringing cricket- Indang, Cavite, Roque wel- health centres, they will de- terte’s decision to certify the direction of the responding po- level. of the country’s fi rst pro-league, mad India into the football fold, comed the certifi cation of cide if the patients will be sent bill as urgent. licemen,” the report added. Basketball’s governing body the Philippines Football League, yet air time is still scarce for the Canedo opened fi re, trigger- FIBA has them ranked 30th out which added to the momentum. game in the Philippines. ing a shoot-out with police that of 159 nations, just behind Chi- Experts say the Azkals’ steady Basketball and boxing domi- ended in his death, the report na. rise, which has given fans hope nate. The next steps for Philip- Duterte sees lowest rating since becoming president: survey said. But, until recently Philippine of international success, has pine football will be strongly Palma, who was not at his res- love and prowess in hoops was been key to the game’s growth infl uenced by the nation’s youth Satisfaction in Philippine leader Rodrigo made controversial comments on religion after idence when the suspect arrived, missing from their football team, spurt of popularity in recent — and there are more and more Duterte fell to the lowest of his presidency bishops and priests criticised the killing of drug called for calm amid the shoot- a gap evident even in the nick- years. “We’re small (people). enthralled by the beautiful game. since coming into off ice in 2016, an independ- suspects in the government’s anti-narcotics ing, said Bishop Dennis Villaro- names of the respective squads. Let’s face it we can’t be world Kevin Raymond Sales, 15, has ent survey showed yesterday. Net satisfaction, campaign. “It was an unnecessary remark, it jo, the auxiliary bishop of Cebu. The Philippines basketball champions in basketball,” said been in love with football for used by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) really aff ected his ratings,” said analyst Earl “He appealed for calm, and team are dubbed the “Gilas”, the Edwin Gastanes, general secre- years and has been trying to stay as a rating of the president’s performance, was Parreno of the Institute of Political and Electoral don’t make any speculations local word for elegance, while tary of the Philippines Football up to watch late-night World down 11 points from the first quarter to 45 in Reforms. “The rising prices and unemployment because investigations are still the football team are called the Federation. Cup matches. the survey of 1,200 Filipinos conducted in the also had an impact, but this is only temporary. ongoing,” Villarojo said. “Let the “Azkals” which is a slang term “Our physique, our skill, He’s hooked on the dramatic last week of June. It was the president’s lowest He has to repair his relations with the bishops process take its course.” for stray dogs. moves and agility are really very personal stories of players who rating in eight surveys taken since 2016. and rebuild his image,” Parreno said. Duterte Villarojo said the suspect “ap- “When I arrived, the football good for football. That’s why we rose from poverty or teams from In the first quarter of this year, Duterte’s rating met with the head of the Catholic Bishops peared to be troubled and not in community was very small,” have a chance there,” he added. tiny nations taking out power- slipped to 56% from 58% in December 2017. group on Monday, promising to refrain from his normal self.” said Azkals captain Phil Young- The Azkals have never quali- houses 10 times their size. The president was unfazed by the drop in his attacking the Church. The SWS survey did not The shooting happened amid husband, who made his debut in fi ed for the World Cup, but “It’s something inspirational ratings. “I don’t care, it does not interest me at ask respondents to explain their rating for Du- concern about the security of 2009. Butcher last month made that and it’s inspired me personally all,” Duterte told a news conference north of terte, who took off ice in June 2016. Duterte had Catholic bishops and priests “You can probably count in his goal for the side after they to carry on with football, to play Manila. The survey was taken during the week enjoyed high satisfaction ratings since coming in the Philippines, where three the hundreds the people who make their Asian Cup debut in the sport with all my heart,” he when Duterte attacked the Catholic Church and to off ice, peaking at 66 in June 2017. priests have been killed since were aware of football and play- the UAE in January. said. December. Call to look beyond political motive in vice mayor’s killing

By Jeff erson Antiporda including corruption. authorities should also look at Trece Martires–Indang Road mayor was somehow involved whom he was able to talk to (Wednesday), was supposed to Manila Times Jimenez, who visited the corruption angle,” Jimenez said on Saturday, July 7. in corruption. “I’m not refer- when he visited the wake of the announce his plan to run for wake of the slain vice mayor, in an interview. The attack on Lubigan came ring to a specific individual, vice mayor. “I challenge them mayor on Monday during the said he had received informa- The PACC chairman how- days after the assassination of what I am asking is for the po- (authorities) now to not limit city council’s session. residential Anti-Corrup- tion from a source in Trece ever declined to elaborate be- Tanauan, Batangas Mayor An- lice to look at other possible their investigation on political The PACC chairman said au- tion Commission (PACC) Martires that the killing might cause of the sensitive nature tonio Halili during the city’s angles like corruption instead angle and focus on particular thorities should start checking Pchairman Dante Jimenez have something to do with cor- of the issue. Lubigan and his flag-raising ceremony, and the of limiting it to political mo- angles and they should speed the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday urged authorities to ruption happening in the city. assistant, Romulo Guillemer, killing of General Tinio, Nueva tives,” he added. up the investigation of the if there were cases filed against look into other angles behind “I have received informa- were aboard their vehicle when Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote. Jimenez said the information case,” he added. officials of Trece Martires City the killing of Trece Martires tion coming from a volunteer in the gunman, aboard a pickup Jimenez made it clear he was he got from his source was vali- Lubigan, who would have and start their investigation Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan, Trece Martires telling me that truck, opened fire along the not implying that the slain vice dated by some of the residents celebrated his birthday today from there. Gulf Times 18 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 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 Donald Trump’s anti-environment agenda to continue

Good riddance to America’s ethically challenged Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who brandished his abuse of power as if it were a badge of honour. Pruitt resigned last week under the weight of 14 federal and congressional investigations against him during just 18 months on the job. If that’s not some sort of record, it ought to be. Republicans and Democrats, and ultimately President Donald Trump, agreed that it was time for the vain Pruitt to go. A ‘Reagan moment’ for Pruitt resigned citing “the unrelenting attacks” on himself and his family, which “have taken a sizeable toll on all of us.” But he brought much of that “toll” upon himself with his grandiose, entitled attitude. His No 1 job, it seemed, was not serving the American people, but serving his own interests. His overreach included an expensive soundproof booth in international trade? his offi ce, fi rst-class travel at taxpayers’ expense, using his staff to inquire about buying a Chick-fi l-A franchise for his trade grievances against China, including – heightened protectionism would is far from guaranteed. Its execution wife, an expensive 24-hour security detail, the quest to buy a By Mohamed A El-Erian New York intellectual property theft, asymmetrical likely fuel even greater nationalism, will require more mutual trust than mattress from a Trump hotel and a deal to rent a ritzy condo technology transfers, and non-tariff populism, and inward-looking is currently on off er. A divided US in Washington for $50 a night – not to mention the most barriers, such as the requirement that policymaking. public will need to be kept on board recent revelation by CNN: that he purged his public calendar he latest round of tit-for-tat foreign companies enter joint-venture But the comparison to Reagan throughout the retaliatory phase, which to hide his meetings. tariff s by the United States agreements with domestic fi rms to access suggests that there may be other will lead to higher prices and, in some However, Pruitt, a climate-change sceptic, seemed and China has intensifi ed the Chinese market. broader, implications. By forcing the cases, greater job insecurity. perfect for the top job at the EPA, at least in the Trump Tthe ongoing global debate But most economists also agree that Soviet Union into a military spending Furthermore, the Trump administration. He about whether the world is facing a competitive tariff s are a risky way to race that only the US could win (at the administration will need to avoid address these grievances. Because tariff s cost of rising debt and a higher risk of actually pushing other countries embarked upon the biggest mere trade skirmish or heading rapidly Pruitt’s No 1 job, toward a full-blown trade war. But transmit stagfl ationary pressures (that is, confl ict), Reagan accelerated the demise (especially China) too hard too soon, rollback of protective what is really at stake may be even more they encourage simultaneous economic of what he called the “evil empire.” thereby threatening the entire global it seemed, was regulations in the EPA’s fundamental. Either accidentally or by contraction and infl ation), they risk It was a bold and risky strategy that economy with a possible recession history. Pruitt reversed, design, US President Donald Trump’s undermining a global recovery that is ultimately changed the political map and markets with disorderly declines. not serving delayed or blocked several administration may have paved the already facing challenges. And they of Europe. Even before the Soviet Already, the US Federal Reserve, relying Obama-era rules. Among way for a “Reagan moment” for the complicate long-overdue monetary- Union’s demise, resulting in 15 new on its contacts in the domestic business the American them were those aimed at international trade regime. policy normalisation, while increasing countries, its European “empire” had community, has warned that corporate mitigating global-warming In the 1980s, US President Ronald the likelihood of global fi nancial collapsed. The Berlin Wall had fallen, investment plans could be “scaled back people, but Reagan initiated a military spending instability. The resulting systemic cracks bringing German reunifi cation, and or postponed” because of uncertainty pollution from car and race with the Soviet Union that ended could jeopardise the entire rules-based Yugoslavia was disintegrating. Soon over global trade relations. And let us serving his own power plants. He pushed up altering the global balance of power multilateral trading system at a time when after, Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Divorce” not forget that China holds a massive Trump to withdraw the in ways that aff ected many countries there is no good alternative. gave rise to the Czech Republic and volume of US Treasury bonds which, interests United States from the worldwide. Today, Trump has launched Many economists hesitate on Slovakia, which – together with other if pushed too hard, it could use to try Paris climate agreement, a tariff race with China, an economic precisely what lies ahead. For example, Central and Eastern European countries to destabilise the US government bond crafted in 2015. superpower, perhaps with similarly far- one group, while recognising that the (including Hungary and Poland) – then market, which is essential to the health Now the obvious question is, with Pruitt’s departure reaching potential consequences. Like current tensions increase the risk of anchored themselves fi rmly in the West of the global fi nancial system. will America’s natural resources be better protected? In under Reagan, the US is better placed to a policy accident or mistake, views by joining Nato and the EU. It is too early to say whether a “Reagan win the current competition with China them as part of a process of posturing Today, a trade war would damage moment” on trade will play out and particular, will Florida’s coastline be spared oil drilling, will – but the risks are sizeable. and negotiation. When push comes to all economies. But the US – which is deliver more than a fairer system. After the Everglades be further protected from phosphorus water In the latest escalation of the trade shove, they argue, the world’s major relatively less dependent on foreign all, such an approach would require discharges? dispute, the US imposed levies on trade powers will avoid a mutually markets, possesses deeper domestic careful strategic design and skilful Doubt it. $34bn worth of Chinese imports. China destructive approach, opting instead markets, and is generally more implementation – not to mention plenty Whomever President Trump names to permanently immediately implemented retaliatory for negotiations that yield a still-free economically resilient than other of good luck – guided by a nuanced succeed the money-grubbing Pruitt will be no more inclined tariff s, spurring the US to threaten even but fairer regime. Reinforcing this view countries – would do better than most understanding of economic, political, and to hold the line on the destruction of America’s natural more protectionist measures. These are preliminary indications that the others in a contracting world economy. geopolitical factors. That is why we must assets. Rather, the new chief will continue to eliminate the actions exacerbate tensions over the European Union may now be willing Already, Chinese fi nancial markets have move beyond the question of whether many EPA guidelines that have kept oil drills out of protected Trump administration’s imposition of to consider a zero-tariff automobile suff ered, while those in the US have this is a trade skirmish or a trade war to tariff s on imports from other countries, initiative. held their own. develop real strategies for the “Trump lands and kept the air and waterways freer of pollution and including some of America’s closest Another group, citing historical Game theory suggests that rational trade moment,” should it arrive. - Project ensuring private industry was accountable. allies (such as Canada), and its threats precedent, warns that beggar-thy- actors, recognising how damaging a Syndicate Pruitt was one of the most eff ective implementers of the to withdraw from the World Trade neighbour trade measures can quickly trade war would be for them, would see president’s agenda. He was among the original Cabinet Organisation, which undergirds the spiral out of control, taking a heavy the merit of abandoning a retaliatory zMohamed A El-Erian, Chief Economic members who were assigned to head a department they rules-based system regulating cross- toll on living standards. At a time of strategy, and instead accede to many US Adviser at Allianz, was Chairman of loathed. Their job was to dismantle it. As a former Oklahoma border fl ows of goods, services, and pronounced political polarisation, demands. All of this could leave the US US president Barack Obama’s Global attorney general with ties to the oil and gas industry, Pruitt capital. anti-establishment anger, and mistrust more able and willing to halt the multi- Development Council and is the author had fi led more than a dozen lawsuits against the EPA when Many existing trade agreements would of expert opinion – owing to economic year erosion of its global economic of The Only Game in Town: Central benefi t from modernisation. And most disappointments and widespread fear infl uence and standing. Banks, Instability, and Avoiding the he was picked to lead it. economists agree that the US has genuine of cultural and technological change But the success of this approach Next Collapse. Pruitt was doing an “exceptional” job. Despite the ethical transgressions and the numerous investigations, Trump had his back. It was only when the fact that Pruitt had urged the president to fi re Attorney General Jeff Sessions and appoint him instead, did the president appear to realize Pruitt was an embarrassing liability. Still, Trump praised Pruitt on his way out: “Within the agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.” Unfortunately his departure will not derail the administration’s anti-environment campaign. The new boss might be less ethically tone-deaf, but, basically, will be as bad as the old boss. - Tribune News Service

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© 2018 Gulf Times. All rights reserved US President Donald Trump has launched a tariff race with China, an economic superpower. Gulf Times Wednesday, July 11, 2018 19 QATAR Generation Amazing uses sport to bring people together: ambassador

By Anthony Harwood Cup broadcaster in Russia. “It allows between France and Denmark, before London Correspondent me to give back what Qatar gave me in going to an exciting knock-out tie these past years, and I am so excited when hosts Russia beat one of the about the World Cup we will host in tournament favourites, Spain, on Qatari teenager chosen as 2022. penalties. a youth ambassador for the “I know that we can make it a The two-hour-long workshops 2022 World Cup in Qatar has wonderful event that people will included a basketball for development Aspoken of the inspiration enjoy. I like how Generation Amazing activity with Ivan Edeshko, 1972 she got from going to this year’s develops people as leaders and uses Olympic champion, and Dmitry tournament in Russia. football to make their community Minaev, longtime CSKA Moscow Maha al-Badr, 13, went to matches better.” player. and attended workshops at the CSKA Maha supports the Al Sadd team and Javier Saviola, who played for Basketball Arena in Moscow with her favourite player is Khalfan Ibrahim Argentina at the 2006 World Cup in legendary player Ibrahim Khalfan Khalfan, who was voted Asian Player Germany, said: “Some of these kids from Qatar’s memorable 1981 team, of the Year in 2006 and won the Asian come from difficult circumstances and former French World Cup fi nalist Champions League with Al Sadd. and it made us feel proud to be here Florent Malouda. His father, Ibrahim Khalfan, was a and join them with Generation Also on hand were former Barcelona member of the famous 1981 Qatar team Amazing. and Argentina star, Javier Saviola, that made the fi nal of the U20 World “The important thing is that they ex-England and Liverpool striker, Stan Cup in Australia, beating England and enjoyed themselves, and that they can Collymore and fi ve times World Cup Brazil on the way. take important lessons and values from coach, Bora Milutinovic. Describing what she loved about us, such as education, humility, all that Maha was among 16 young leaders her country the most she said simply: we had to be able to achieve what we from communities in The Philippines, “It gives opportunities to people – it’s did. I hope that in future they can take India and Qatar invited to experience always encouraging talent and seeking what we transmitted to them today their fi rst ever World Cup, and use the best.” back to their communities.” what they have learned to inspire Mead al-Emadi, Local and Regional As they prepared to depart at the others at home. CSR Manager with Generation end of the one-week trip, CSR senior They are part of Generation Amazing, said the young ambassadors manager Isabel Gultresa said: “This Amazing, a project launched by who went to Russia will take valuable event was a big success because we Qatar to improve the lives of a million lessons back home with them. were able to showcase the work we people in some of the poorest parts of She said: “We have signifi cantly are doing in communities across Asia, the world by connecting them with expanded the reach of Generation and how Generation Amazing can football. Amazing in Qatar and the region, and be adapted to diff erent sports and As an ambassador for the 2022 will be expanding into new countries contexts. tournament, Maha is tasked with in the near future. These young “The power of sport to bring people helping develop sport at a grassroots ambassadors we took to Moscow together is incredible, and it was level in Qatar, as part of the World Cup are a refl ection of the positive and great to work with CSKA Moscow and legacy. inspirational eff ect we are having in an honour to host the Best Buddies “It was amazing- I am so proud all of the diff erent communities which children. to be part of this programme,” said we are reaching through the power of “Our new ambassadors will bring Maha, who took part in a live studio football.” their expertise and learnings back to discussion on the beIN Sports World The party fi rst saw a group match their countries.” Ibrahim Khalfan with some members of Generation Amazing.

Three-day forecast Generation Amazing’s TODAY Maximum Temperature : 420c Minimum Temperature : 330c

THURSDAY Maximum Temperature : 440c Minimum Temperature : 330c India ambassador helps FRIDAY Maximum Temperature : 430c Minimum Temperature : 330c Fisherman's forecast

WARNING Inshore : Nil bring social change Offshore : Nil

WEATHER Inshore : Misty by early morning By Anthony Harwood with equal opportunities for boys and at places becomes hot London Correspondent girls. and relatively humid From there she got involved with daytime, humid by night. the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Offshore : Slight dust at times ne of Generation Amazing’s Generation Amazing. India ambassadors is Pallavi, who now works for Dream a WIND Inshore : Northeasterly-South- 22-year-old Pallavi Dream as a football life skill facilitator, easterly 05-15 KT Shyamsunder. said: “When I was at school there was O Offshrore : Northwesterly-North- Last December with Qatar’s help she no playground for sports and football persuaded local leaders in Bengaluru and I thought about that a lot when I easterly 02-12/15 KT to turn a derelict piece of land where left. Visibility : 4-8 KM/ 3 KM people dumped their rubbish into a “Dream a Dream helped me build football pitch that local children could my confi dence enough to go and talk Offshore : 1-3/4 FT at times. enjoy. with local leaders and private parties Around the region Now she works there every week about building a pitch for the local Weather with 150-200 children, organising children. Weather tomorrow Max/min practice sessions and arranging “There was a patch of land in where today Max/min Cloudy 46/30 tournaments. people used to dump their garbage and Baghdad Sunny 47/31 Sunny 47/35 Speaking in Moscow before the local leaders gave permission to Kuwait City Sunny 47/36 Sunny 43/33 returning to Bengaluru she said: construct new ground. Manama Sunny 42/33 Sunny 39/32 “Generation Amazing brings social “Throughout the year I conduct Muscat M Sunny 39/33 Sunny 38/26 change to our communities. It brings football sessions in my community Tehran M Sunny 38/27 together organisations which develop working with young people to develop life skills in the participants. their life skills so they can live “ I am working with over 150 independent lives.” children in my community and when To begin with Pallavi, who has four I go back to India I will take back my sisters, had to overcome her family’s new skills and implement them with doubts about her pursuing football. the children I work with.” But they soon accepted that this is The daughter of a labourer, Pallavi what she wanted to do. became interested in football while Pallavi in Russia during the World Cup as part of her work as India ambassador Sadly her mother, Sundaramma, still at school in Bengaluru and joined for Qatar 2022. died two years ago and is not around to the Dream a Dream project, which see her daughter’s good work. helps young people from vulnerable work for Dream a Dream full time. Janeiro. There she learned about But Pallavi says: “Her blessings backgrounds fi nd their way in the This led to her travelling to Brazil ‘football 3 methodology’, which are always with me and my father is world. in 2014 as part of Football for Hope helps youngsters develop themselves a good man who encourages me to do She left school at 17 and went to during the World Cup in Rio de through soccer and fair play rules, everything.” Around the world Weather Weather today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Athens M Sunny 32/22 Sunny 35/23 Beirut Sunny 29/24 Sunny 28/24 Bangkok T Storm 31/26 T Storm 31/26 Berlin T Storm 22/14 Showers 22/16 Cairo P Cloudy 36/24 P Cloudy 36/24 Cape Town Cloudy 21/12 Rain 14/09 Colombo T Storm 29/26 T Storm 29/26 Dhaka T Storm 32/27 S T Storms 33/27 Hong Kong P Cloudy 30/26 S T Storms 29/25 Istanbul M Sunny 29/22 Sunny 31/22 Jakarta P Cloudy 33/24 P Cloudy 33/24 Karachi M Cloudy 32/28 Cloudy 32/28 London M Cloudy 26/14 M Sunny 27/16 Manila T Storm 30/26 T Storm 29/25 Moscow S T Storms 24/15 M Sunny 26/15 New Delhi S T Storms 36/28 S T Storms 34/27 New York Sunny 31/20 P Cloudy 28/20 Paris P Cloudy 26/15 P Cloudy 27/17 Sao Paulo P Cloudy 16/08 P Cloudy 18/08 Seoul S T Storms 30/23 P Cloudy 31/24 Singapore I T Storms 31/26 S T Storms 30/26 Sydney M Sunny 17/06 M Sunny 17/06 Children playing football on the pitch in Roopena Agrahara, Bengaluru, which she persuaded local leaders to construct. It was previously a derelict piece of land Tokyo Clear 31/25 Clear 32/25 where people would dump rubbish. Gulf Times 20 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 QATAR

The exhibition showcases some of the most beautiful pieces of pearl jewellery and rare natural pearls from QM’s collection. Qatar Museums hosts world-famous Pearls exhibition in Russian capital new edition of the criti- cally acclaimed ‘Pearls: ATreasures from the Seas and the Rivers’ exhibition opened yesterday in Moscow as part of the Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture, Qatar Museums (QM) has said. The opening was attended by the QM CEO and special adviser to QM Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Kha- lifa al-Thani, Mansoor bin Ebra- him al-Mahmoud, and Qatar’s ambassador to Russia Fahad bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, among other VIPs. The exhibition, being hosted by the World Diamond Museum at the Exhibition Centre of the Mansoor bin Ebrahim al-Mahmoud, Fahad bin Mohamed al-Attiyah and other dignitaries at a press conference in Moscow. Senior off icials and dignitaries at the VIP opening. State Historical Museum in Mos- cow until October 1, displays 50 fascinating journey through the which includes rarities such as torical Museum visitors will and is the fi rst travelling exhibition Russia and Qatar both share last show taking place in China as pieces of jewellery and other ex- history of pearl diving and trade pearls from the American rivers. admire include jewellery pieces organised by the institution, was strong historical ties to pearls. part of the Qatar China 2016 Year amples of pearl craftsmanship in Qatar,” the exhibition’s cura- The exhibition continues by by Cartier, pearl earrings by Bv- designed to introduce audiences to In Russia, pearl usage in jewel- of Culture. made from freshwater pearls tor, Dr Hubert Bari, said. telling a story of pearl fi shing in lgari worn by Elizabeth Taylor, a the history and transformative im- lery and textiles was omnipres- “Pearls have long inspired art- born in Central Asia. The exhibition begins with an Qatar, drawing a parallel between broch designed by the sketch of pact that the pearl industry had on ent, stretching back to Byzantine ists and painters with their quiet Some 20 new and never-be- insight into the natural history of the history of pearl industry in Salvador Dali, a spectacular tiara Qatar and the world. traditions. elegance and mystery,” Dr Bari fore-shown artefacts specially pearls and their formation, shed- Russia and in the country. of Archduchess Marie Valerie of QM said the exhibition refl ects Pearls used in Russia where not said. “The exhibition is a major selected for the exhibition in ding light on many unknown Jewellery and handcraft mas- Austria and treasures from other Qatar’s great curiosity for its own cultivated from sea oysters, how- highlight of the Qatar Russia 2018 Russia are also on display, giving facts that will amaze visitors terpieces of diff erent countries European monarchies. past and for rediscovering its ever, but from mussels living in Year of Culture, which will see people a rare opportunity to see and dispel common myths, like and epochs — from an intricately The exhibition also shows heritage, often from a culture of almost all rivers and lakes across two great cultures explore unex- some of the most beautiful pieces the fact that pearls are formed cut fi gurine of the 17th century pearl jewellery of various eth- oral history. the empire. They were sewn onto pected historical parallels through of pearl jewellery and rare natural around a grain of sand. to a modern composition called nicities and tribes, such as head It chronicles pearl fi shing in beautiful textiles, kokoshniks, the use of pearls in traditional de- pearls from QM’s collection. Visitors also have the oppor- ‘Frozen’ by a Vietnamese master, decorations and earrings from Qatar, providing an insight into jewellery and adorned everyday sign and jewellery making.” “This diverse exhibition will tunity to learn about the diff er- Sam Tho Duong – are also fea- Tibet and pearl artefacts from the ancient methods and tech- objects like horse saddles. “We hope that this is some- answer many of the questions ent kind of pearls created by shell tured in the exhibition. Russia and Central Asia. niques used by pearl divers and QM noted that this is the sixth thing that will help bring our surrounding these natural won- fi sh from around the world, with Among other masterpiece ob- The show, which is considered an overview of the pearl trade in time that such exhibition trav- people and countries ever closer ders, while taking visitors on a a unique display of natural pearls, jects on show at the State His- one of QM’s fl agship initiatives the Gulf. elled around the world, with the together,” he added.

Summer Entertainment City continues to off er new, exciting features under one roof

By Joey Aguilar football matches,” he stressed, Shopping Souq,” which hosts Shahbik, director of festivals and Staff Reporter adding that the fan zone is 140 stalls from Qatar and other tourism events at QTA. equipped with giant screens. countries such as Kuwait, Oman, “We are particularly happy to Apart from the food and bev- Iran, Turkey and Lebanon. see our private sector partners he Summer Entertainment erage off ered at the fan zone, sev- “We work relentlessly to de- such as QSports evolve and grow City (SEC) Football Fan eral football-based activities and liver international standards their off ering every year to capi- TZone continues to provide games have also been a big hit. to place Qatar on the interna- talise on new trends and off er its visitors with a thrilling expe- It features a robo goalie, a fi rst tional map of leisure and tour- something for all members of the rience as it screens live the 2018 in Qatar, where visitors can put ism,” QSports deputy chairman family,” she added. FIFA World Cup semi-fi nals and their football skills to the test and Ghanim al-Mohannadi said in a The SEC, which forms part of fi nals, organiser QSports has try to score a goal. statement. Qatar Summer Festival 2018, is said. The fi rst three contestants to He noted more than 50,000 spread over 29,000sq m of space Speaking to Gulf Times, score against the goalie on any people from diff erent nation- at DECC. QSports founder and board given day will win a free Gold alities have already visited SEC It is open daily from 2pm to member Adil Ahmed said they Pass. since its opening. 11pm and runs until August 31, want people to feel the excite- According to QSports, the lat- Football fans in Qatar have featuring the world’s largest ment by bringing several new ac- est edition of the SEC at Doha been visiting various fan zones in bouncy castle, a synthetic ice tivations this year such as the fan Exhibition and Convention Cen- Doha, cheering for their favour- skating rink, an extensive virtual zone, which has been attracting tre (DECC) “caters to all ages, as ite football teams since the start reality setup with more than 15 thousands of SEC visitors since well as budgets, off ering an array of the prestigious tournament in VR games, as well as live enter- its opening on the fi rst day of Eid of games and activities at aff ord- Russia. tainment shows. al-Fitr. able prices” with an entry fee of “We are delighted to see hun- Besides an 18-hole mini-golf “People will surely enjoy their QR15. dreds of families fl ock to DECC course, QSports said the SEC stay at the SEC with the wide The SEC features more than each day to immerse themselves also hosts a driving school for range of entertainment off erings, 75 gaming experiences, 40 in the excitement that the SEC children with a complete circuit, A robo keeper tests an enthusiast’s football skills. especially live screening of the food outlets, and the “Summer off ers this summer,” said Mashal cars and driving teachers.