QATAR | Page 20 SPORT | Page 1 Brilliant Neymar INDEX dazzles DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2-6, 20 COMMENT 18, 19 QF Social Work is REGION 7 BUSINESS 1–7, 12-16 21,703.75 9,065.18 47.42 ARAB WORLD 7 CLASSIFIED 8-12 granted consultative again +29.24 -68.75 -1.09 INTERNATIONAL 8–17 SPORTS 1–8 status at UN body +0.13% -0.75% -2.25% Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 TUESDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10553 August 22, 2017 Dhul-Qa’da 30, 1438 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals PM visits ‘Artist in Residence’ In brief ARAB WORLD | Confl ict Iraqi forces close in Senegalese President Macky Sall His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim on IS-held Tal Afar bin Hamad al-Thani Iraqi forces closed in yesterday on Tal Afar on the second day of an off ensive against the last major bastion of the Islamic State group in the country’s north, seizing several villages around the city. In the desert Senegal sends its plains around Tal Afar, convoys of tanks and armoured vehicles could be seen heading for the militant-held city, raising huge clouds of dust. HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday visited the Fire Station envoy back to Doha The off ensive launched at dawn on building hosting ‘Artist in Residence’, which is one of the most important initiatives to support artistic talents in Qatar. The Sunday comes only weeks after Iraqi prime minister was welcomed upon his arrival at the Fire Station by HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, enegal has decided to send its ing states. “Senegal is ready to con- forces retook Mosul from IS. Page 7 the Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Board of Trustees. He toured the existing studios and exhibitions where he listened ambassador back to Doha, after tribute to all eff orts in this direction,” to a brief about the ‘Artists in Residence’ programme. The nine-month programme allows resident artists to benefit from Sbeing previously summoned for it added. REGION | Tweet weekly mentoring sessions and meet arts professionals from all over the world, representing Qatar in the international cultural consultation, it was announced yes- Senegal’s foreign ministry had an- community. ‘Artist in Residence’ hosts 20 artists, including 10 Qataris. terday. nounced on June 7 that it would recall Julian Assange blasts His Highness the Emir Sheikh its ambassador in Qatar for consulta- UAE media lies Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held yes- tions after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the The Al Arabiya network, terday evening a telephone conversa- United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut headquartered in the United Arab tion with Macky Sall, the President of diplomatic relations with Qatar on Emirates, has been publishing Senegal, the offi cial Qatar News Agen- June 5. increasingly absurd fabrications as cy (QNA) said. The Saudi-led bloc also imposed a the ‘UAE vs Qatar’ dispute continues, During the phone call, the two sides blockade on Qatar, accusing Doha of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discussed bilateral relations and means supporting militant organisations. Qa- yesterday said. In a tweet, he said the Saudi travel curbs of boosting them in various fi elds. tar has denied the charges and the siege latest lie was quoting a purported The latest developments in the Mid- countries have not been able to pro- report in the Daily Telegraph that dle East, especially the Gulf crisis, were duce even a single piece of evidence to said Qatar paid money to influence also reviewed, QNA added. prove their allegations. the website’s administration. An offi cial statement from Dakar The Republic of Senegal is a country said Senegal is encouraging the con- in West Africa bordered by Mauritania AMERICA | Astronomy on Qatari Haj tinuation of the ongoing initiatives to in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea reach a peaceful settlement of the cri- to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to Rare total solar eclipse sis between Qatar and its neighbour- the southwest. mesmerises America Emotional sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America yesterday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total pilgrims ‘illogical’ eclipse that swept the continent Thumama reservoir to be coast-to-coast for the first time in O Foreign ministry surprised ganisations in that country, in addition formance of Haj would be through an nearly a century. Eclipse chasers at restrictions placed on to other foreign means of transporta- unconditional lifting of the siege on and amateur star watchers alike tion, with the latter taking place as Qatar which would go in line with the opened partially by year-end converged in cities along the path of Qatari pilgrims’ transport part of the national Haj mission. nature of this rite and comply with the totality, a 70-mile (113-km) wide swath QNA He pointed out that in previous teachings of Islam and international By Joseph Varghese tamp Oman for the supply of trans- cutting through 14 US states, where Doha cases of severing of diplomatic ties conventions; enabling the Qatari Min- Staff reporter formers. the Moon briefly blocked out all light between Saudi Arabia and other coun- istry of Endowments and Islamic Af- The offi cial also revealed that Kah- from the Sun. Page 8 tries, this demand for transferring pil- fairs to steer the Qatari Haj mission; and ramaa has started the work on a new atar’s Foreign Ministry has ex- grims of those countries on Saudi Ara- transporting Qatari pilgrims through he Al Thumama water reservoir power generation facility. “It is under EUROPE | Barcelona attack pressed its surprise at the an- bian Airlines has not been ma de. the airline of their choice - whether project (Package-C), part of the the planning stage now. We have al- Qnouncement by Saudi Arabia As for allowing Saudi Arabian Air- Qatar Airways or other airlines. TWater Mega Reservoir Project, ready identifi ed the consultants for the Spanish police shoot that Qatari pilgrims can travel only by lines to transfer Qatari pilgrims, the The offi cial stressed the need to will partially start operating by the end project. We have applied to the munici- dead terror suspect Saudi Arabian Airlines to perform Haj. Information Offi ce director reiterated separate Haj from political diff erences of this year, a top offi cial of Qatar Gen- pality to allocate the land for the new Spanish police shot dead yesterday Ambassador Ahmed bin Saeed al- the content of the Civil Aviation Au- between states and not to hinder its eral Electricity and Water Corp (Kah- facility.” Barcelona terror suspect Younes Rumaihi, Foreign Ministry’s Informa- thority’s statement on August 20 that performance by placing conditions ramaa) has disclosed. “We expect to start the work by next Abouyaaqoub, in a dramatic end to a tion Offi ce Director, yesterday said in co-ordination be held in this regard that aff ect the sovereignty of states or “We will start pumping water from year. The location is not yet decided. massive manhunt for the Moroccan a statement that limiting the transport through the Haj mission according to the rights and dignity of their citizens. the project by the end of this year. It We have identifi ed three to four loca- national who was wearing a fake of Qatari pilgrims to Saudi Arabian previous regulations so as to ensure It is also important to stay away from will be a partial opening. Later, we will tions. Most probably, it could be in the suicide belt when he was killed. Airlines only is unprecedented, illogi- the safety and security of Qatari pil- exploiting it as a tool for political ma- lay the pipeline and open all the other north,” he noted. “We confirm the death of Younes cal, surprising and contravenes the grims. nipulation, he added. facilities gradually. We hope to com- Al-Nasr said that Kahramaa has Abouyaaqoub shot in Subirats,” teachings of Islam, which urge the fa- He stressed that Qatar and Qatari Earlier, Doha had denied a claim mission the whole project by the end completed a study on the use of police in Catalonia tweeted. The cilitation of performing this duty to all pilgrims did not need aid for covering from Saudi Arabian Airlines accusing of next year,” Ahmed Nasser al-Nasr, ground water in the country. “We Moroccan was the last remaining Muslims. the cost of Haj and portraying it as a Qatari authorities of refusing to allow director, technical aff airs, Kahramaa, have identified all wells which are member of a 12-man cell suspected Ambassador al-Rumaihi noted that charity, because there are others who one of its fl ights to land at Hamad In- said yesterday. suitable for drinking water. We have of plotting last week’s deadly it is usual and customary for pilgrims need charity more than Qatari pil- ternational Airport. An offi cial source Al-Nasr was speaking to the me- also selected the ones that needed vehicle rampages in Barcelona and from any country to be transported by grims. in the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority dia on the sidelines of a contract some treatment to be made suitable,” Cambrils. Page 12 the national air, land and sea travel or- He added that facilitating the per- said the claim was “baseless”. signing between Kahramaa and Vol- explained al-Nasr. Qatar launches plan to boost public transport O Transport minister ment of an integrated transport resil- the MoTC’s eff orts for developing the unveils Qatar Transport ience framework for Qatar, including performance of all transport mediums management and monitoring of key across the country, particularly with Resilience Programme threats and risks and the establishment the operation of railroad networks and of a national Transport Co-ordination the upgrading of public transport serv- he Ministry of Transport and Com- Centre (TCC) to support the country’s ices that support sustainable social and munications (MoTC) launched intermodal operations.