BUSINESS | Page 1
Qatar, Kazakhstan looking
to bolster business relations
GULF TIMES
Gulf Cup is an
organisational
success: al-Khater
By Mikhil Bhat
Doha
W
ith Qatar being treated to
24 days of fantastic football
between the ongoing 24th
Arabian Gulf Cup and the upcoming
FIFA Club World Cup, the hosts are
considering it as a dress rehearsal for
the football extravaganza that will be
the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
And what’s heartening for the or-
ganisers is the encouraging feedback
they are getting from the various dele-
gations in Doha for the Gulf Cup, part-
ners and FIFA among others.
“In terms of organisation we are very
happy with the level of co-ordination
between ourselves, Traffic Police, the
security apparatus, whether it is the
Ministry of Interior… We have been
seeing from the opening match on-
wards that there has been an increase
in efficiency, which is normal in every
mega event,” said Nasser al-Khater, the
Chief of Experience and Tournament
Readiness at Supreme Committee for
Delivery & Legacy (SC).
“The opening match is always the
most challenging one. We have not had
any complaints from any of the teams
and delegations that we have here. We
think overall the organisation has been
a success. We have three more matches
to go…”
According to al-Khater, all aspects
of the organisation from ticket sales to
transport infrastructure have thrown
up good numbers.
As many as 150,000 tickets were
sold during the group stages, which
represented around 69.2% of the total
tickets that were available. “And that’s
a very good number,” al-Khater said.
With the Gold Line on Doha Metro
starting in time for the Gulf Cup and
the FIFA World Cup, it has made com-
muting to and from the venues, espe-
cially the Khalifa International Sta-
dium, much easier for the fans.
“The Metro has been very success-
Ooredoo unveils Qatar’s 1st 5G-enabled smart wheelchair
By Peter Alagos
Business Reporter
I
n commemoration of International
Day of Persons with Disabilities,
Ooredoo unveiled yesterday Qa-
tar’s first smart wheelchair that is 5G-
enabled and compatible with Google
Assistant to help users identify areas
and tourist destinations that are inclu-
sive and accessible.
The unveiling event was part of
Ooredoo’s aim of opening up the many
tourist attractions in Qatar to all by
partnering with Wheel the World,
which “encourages touristic activi-
ties for people with disabilities, their
friends, and family.”
Wheel the World promotes tourism
for those with disabilities, raising aware-
ness of the challenges they face when
choosing travel options and working to
make experiences possible. The collabo-
ration has many high-profile backers,
including celebrities and influencers like
Nasser al-Khater, the Chief of
Experience and Tournament
Readiness at Supreme Committee
for Delivery & Legacy, addressing
the press conference yesterday.
PICTURE: Ram Chand
ful. The opening match we had 9,000
passengers. For the match yesterday
between Qatar and the UAE - we had
14,000 passengers. These are good
numbers for us,” al-Khater said.
Three days after the Gulf Cup con-
cludes on Sunday, the FIFA Club World
Cup will kick-off at Jassim Bin Hamad
Stadium in Doha with Qatari cham-
pions Al Sadd taking on New Caledo-
nian club Hienghene Sport, winners of
this year’s Oceania Football Confed-
eration (OFC) Champions League, on
Wednesday.
“For us, we are not looking at these
tournaments as two tournaments
back-to-back,” al-Khater said.
“We have the Gulf Cup, which start-
ed on (November) 26 and will run till
(December) 8, and then we have the
Club World Cup, which will start on
(December) 11 and run till (Decem-
ber) 21. That’s almost the length of the
World Cup in 2022,” the FIFA World
Cup Qatar 2022 CEO added.
Ooredoo Kuwait CEO Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdullah bin Mohamed al-Thani and other dignitaries during the event held
yesterday in Doha. PICTURE: Thajudheen
Rush for tickets
A large number of people queued
up at the outlets selling tickets
for the two semi-finals of the
24th Arabian Gulf Cup after sales
began at 4pm yesterday. There
was a major rush online as well
(http://gulfcup2019.qa). A total of
25,000 tickets for the two semi-
finals had been sold until late
last evening, the Qatar Football
Association (QFA) said in a tweet.
Of these, 17,000 were sold online
and 8,000 at the ticket counters.
Earlier in the day, QFA announced
that the ticket sales would
begin at 4pm both online and at
Villaggio, Doha Festival City, Mall
of Qatar and Katara - the Cultural
Village. Serpentine queues were
reported from some of these
places as football enthusiasts
turned up in large numbers to
buy tickets for the semi-finals
tomorrow. The QFA also tweeted
that “due to the huge demand,
you may experience a longer wait
to enter the website”. Qatar will
play against Saudi Arabia at Al
Janoub Stadium, while Iraq will
take on Bahrain at Abdullah Bin
Khalifa Stadium (Duhail) in the
semi-finals.
“For us it’s good. The venue teams
are the same, the planning stage was
one. So we are looking at them as one
tournament with three days in be-
tween.”
Talking about the co-operation
with FIFA, he said, “Our work with
FIFA continues. We have them on the
ground. They have been involved with
us in the Gulf Cup, their people are on
the venues with us. The feedback has
been good. We have debriefs every day,
we talk about lessons learnt every day.
So it is a good working relationship.”
To Page 8 Sport Pages 1,2,3
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in
WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11386
December 4, 2019
Rabia II 7, 1441 AH
www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals
Amir chairs Supreme Committee meeting
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani chaired yesterday this year’s third meeting of the Board
of Directors of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy at the Amiri Diwan. The meeting was attended by His
Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness the Personal Representative of the Amir
and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, HE the Prime Minister, Minister
of Interior and Board member Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, and the other members of the board.
During the meeting, they reviewed the progress of work on all the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 projects, and the
progress of the operational and security plan for 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.
Amir gets invitation to attend GCC Summit
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has received a written message from the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inviting him to attend the
GCC Supreme Council 40th session to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 10. The message was received
by HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani,
during his meeting yesterday with GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani.
International Junior Science Olympiad to kick off today
Under the auspices of HE the Prime with the participation of 70 countries the keynote address at the opening
Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh at Qatar National Convention Centre. ceremony. Qatar is hosting this year’s
Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al- HE the Minister of Education and edition, under the slogan “Inspiring
Thani, the 16th International Junior Higher Education Dr Mohamed Abdul Today’s Young Generation for the
Science Olympiad will kick off today Wahed Ali al-Hammadi will deliver Skills of Tomorrow”. Page 5
Samanta Bullock, Ghanim al-Muftah, “Now, they have included Qatar on
and Ahmed al-Shahrani. their website as the first Middle East-
“As a telecommunications provider ern Arab country for people with dis-
and digital partner, we thought of what abilities. People with disabilities from
we could offer to Qatar as it observes other countries can go to https://qatar.
International Day of Persons with Dis- gowheeltheworld.com/ and find the
abilities (IDPD),” Ooredoo Qatar chief different hotels and other tourist at-
consumer officer Fatima Sultan al-Ku- tractions that are inclusive and acces-
wari told Gulf Times on the sidelines of sible, and they can also book the smart
the event. wheelchair before visiting Qatar,” al-
“In terms of tourism and consider- Kuwari pointed out.
ing that Qatar is going to host one of Aside from the smart wheelchair,
the biggest sporting activities in the Ooredoo also launched ‘Sarah’, which
coming two years, we decided that could be accessed via Google Assistant.
‘tourism for all’ is something that Sarah will answer questions about Qa-
Ooredoo must support in every indus- tar, its tourism destinations, and other
try in the country, so we worked very locations in the country that are inclu-
closely with our partners to ensure that sive and accessible, al-Kuwari said.
there is inclusion for tourism in Qatar,” Before visiting Qatar, al-Kuwari said
she explained. people with disabilities could also book
After visiting many locations in Qa- for a smart wheelchair at https://qatar.
tar and working with Ooredoo and sev- gowheeltheworld.com/. “We are work-
eral tourism-related companies in the ing to include more smart wheelchairs
country, Wheel the World has certified depending on the demand but definite-
many activities and attractions here, ly there would be more of these chairs
according to al-Kuwari. available in the country.” To Page 8
2 Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019

QATAR
Qatar participates
PM meets CEO of Thales Group Qatar, Philippines sign pact in UN climate
change conference
Qatar is participating in the 25th
session of the Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on
Climate Change in Madrid, Spain,
with a delegation headed by
HE the Minister of Municipality
and Environment, Abdulla bin
Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie.
On the sidelines of the
conference, the Ministry of
Municipality and Environment
will hold an exhibition. It will
include presentations, videos and
activities to demonstrate national
efforts, projects to address
climate change.

Qatar reaffirms
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi met the Secretary of Foreign support to IAEA
Affairs of the Philippines Teodoro L Locsin, in Manila yesterday. During the meeting, they reviewed
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani met bilateral relations and a number of issues of common concern. The meeting witnessed the signing Qatar has continued to provide
yesterday with the Chairman and CEO of Thales Group Patrice Caine, on the occasion of his visit to of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to hold political consultations between the two foreign all necessary support to the
the country. During the meeting, they reviewed areas of co-operation and ways of enhancing them. ministries on issues of common concern. International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) and its new
Director-General Rafael Grossi,
in order to promote peaceful
uses of nuclear energy and
non-proliferation. This came in

Health ministry holds workshop on correcting cancer misconceptions a statement delivered by HE

QNA rounding cancer, there is an ur-
Doha gent need to raise awareness and
disseminate more information
the Permanent Representative
of Qatar to the United Nations
Organisations in Vienna Sultan
bin Salmeen al-Mansouri
during the special session of
the IAEA General Conference

T
he Ministry of Public
Health is working with
many of its partners to
correct cancer-related miscon-
ceptions and raise awareness
about the importance of early
detection and prevention.
The ministry organised a
workshop for about 100 social
workers and psychologists in
public primary and secondary
schools on awareness and cor-
recting misconceptions about
cancer in collaboration with
cancer awareness partners at
Hamad Medical Corporation,
Primary Health Care Corpora-
tion and Qatar Cancer Society.
During the workshop, several
important topics related to can-
cer were discussed, including the
role of partners in cancer aware-
ness, identification, risk factors,
signs, symptoms and preven-
Participants in the workshop.
tion through a healthy lifestyle
that includes protection from
sunlight, nutrition, physical ac-
tivity, abstaining from tobacco
consumption, and correcting
misconceptions about cancer.
They also discussed the im-
portance of early diagnosis,
screening and disease-related
services in Qatar, as well as the
experience of the Qatar Cancer
Society in cancer prevention
programs in schools and how
schools can help prevent cancer.
The workshop is part of a
worldwide initiative to combat
the global cancer epidemic, fo-
cusing on correcting misconcep-
tions about cancer, as well as the
negative impact on cancer con-
trol mechanisms in society where
misconceptions can affect how
health interventions are accepted,
prevent early screening efforts and
hinder preventive measures.
Head of the Health Promotion
and Non-Communicable Dis-
eases at the Ministry Dr Kholood
al-Mutawa said that the Nation-
al Cancer Strategy states that
besides the need to uncover the
beliefs and misconceptions sur-
about the disease.
She pointed out that aware-
ness of the disease by making it
part of the school curriculum for
children is one of the effective
ways to reach a wide audience,
adding that it is recommended to
include the definition of cancer,
its prevention, early detection
and how to act when suspected
of infection in the programme
of teaching students, so that all
school students have at least one
lesson covering this informa-
tion.
The cancer awareness and
prevention initiative in schools
is concerned with providing a
proactive approach to informa-
tion so that children and young
people are educated before they
reach the age at which the risk of
developing the disease increases
with age.
held in Vienna. HE al-Mansouri
congratulated Rafael Grossi
on his new position as IAEA
director-general, affirming
that Grossi’s qualifications and
long experience in the field of
nuclear policies and multilateral
international relations will
lead the work of the Agency
professionally towards achieving
its objectives in the field of
peaceful uses of atomic energy.
Qatar-Nepal
ties reviewed
Vice-President of Nepal Nanda
Bahadur Pun has met Qatar’s
ambassador Yousuf bin
Mohamed al-Hail, in Kathmandu.
During the meeting, bilateral
relations as well as issues of
common concern were reviewed.

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 ulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 5

QATAR

QRCS distributes educational aid in Afghanistan

QNA Afghanistan, especially the
Doha education supplies to the needy
schools.
He added that this aid would

T
he Qatar Red Crescent So-
ciety (QRCS) in Afghani-
stan has launched Phase 2
of a project to support education
in remote and poor provinces of
the country, with educational
aid distributed to five schools in
Urozgan Province, southern Af-
ghanistan.
This assistance includes the
distribution of 548 double chairs
and desks, 38 classroom tents,
9,500 copies of textbooks, 1,095
school bags with stationery, 300
kits of teaching aids, and five
containers to be used as admin-
istration offices at a total cost of
$180,000.
Estimated to benefit up to
1,095 students, the project was
co-implemented with the Af-
ghan Welfare Society, in co-
ordination with the Ministry
of Education and the Provin-
QRCS officials delivering aid in Afghanistan.
The assistance includes the distribution of 548 double chairs and
desks.
cial Department of Education.
Earlier this year, a memoran-
dum of understanding (MoU)
was signed by the three parties
to stipulate partnership in all
preparations, logistics, selec-
tion of beneficiaries, purchase of
aid, delivery to the province, and
handover to the target schools in
the Chora and Tarinkot Districts,
central Urozgan.
In a statement Governor
of Urozgan Asadullah Shafiq
Saeed expressed his gratitude
for QRCS’s diverse humanitar-
ian and development aid across
meet the needs of the students
in such difficult conditions,
promote the development ef-
forts in Afghanistan, and em-
body the strong relations be-
tween the Afghan and Qatari
peoples. “I hope that this sup-
port would continue and ex-
pand to other fields in the fu-
ture,” he added.
Urozgan’s Chairman of Pro-
vincial Shura Council Ameer
Mohamed Barkzai described the
educational aid as a top prior-
ity. “Supporting education, im-
proving the school environment,
and encouraging the students to
attend the school is the way to
enable national advancement,
engage the Afghan children in
the development of the war-torn
country, and build a better fu-
ture for all the Afghan people,”
he said.

Qatar’s population
rises to 2.75mn
Annual increase in vehicle sales
QNA beneficiaries.
Doha Total electricity con-
sumption during October
2019 was 4,761.9 GWh reg-

Q
atar’s population at
the end of October
this year stood at
2.75mn, registering an in-
crease of 0.3% from the cor-
responding period in 2018
when it was 2.74mn, data
released by the Planning
and Statistics Authority re-
vealed.
Data released by the au-
thority also showed that
the population increased by
0.2% in October 2019, com-
pared to the previous month.
The data were published
in the 70th issue of the
monthly statistics.
In addition, October
2019 month also witnessed
an increase in the total live
births by 5.7%, offset by the
decrease in total deaths at
a rate of 7.4% (compared to
September 2019).
Regarding vital statistics,
2,369 live births has been
registered during October
2019. Also, the total Qatari
live births increased by 9.8%
compared to last month. On
the other hand, 174 deaths
were recorded during the
same period, a decrease of
7.4% compared to Septem-
ber 2019.
Moreover, October 2019
saw a monthly increase by
9.4% and 27.3%, respective-
ly, in marriage contracts and
divorce certificates. The to-
tal number of marriage con-
tracts was 313, whereas the
total number of divorces has
reached 154 cases; namely,
one divorce for every 2 mar-
riages.
Social Security state-
ments, reached QR87mn
in October 2019, for 15,735
istering a monthly decrease
of 5.8% and an annual rise of
35.6%.
The total water con-
sumption has reached
40,814,8000 cu m during
the same month attaining a
monthly decrease of 29.7%
and an annual rise of 9.1%.
The data of buildings
permits issued, the to-
tal number of permits has
reached 954 permits during
October 2019, recording a
monthly increase of 25.9%.
As regards traffic acci-
dents cases, a total of 599
cases were recorded during
October 2019, showing a
monthly increase of 10.9%.
Light injuries accounted for
the vast majority of traffic
accidents during the same
month, with 85%, followed
by severe injuries (12%).
However, 16 deaths were
recorded, equivalent to only
3% of total traffic accidents.
The total number of reg-
istered new vehicles during
October 2019 reached 6,557.
The figure showed a month-
ly increase of 10.7% and an
annual increase of 3.4%.
For Banking Sector; Total
Broad Money Supply (M2)
recorded about QR559.0bn
during October 2019, an an-
nual decrease of 2.1% com-
pared with October 2018. On
the other hand, cash equiva-
lents; including Commercial
Bank Deposits amounted to
QR825.3bn during October
2019.
The figure represents an
annual increase of 2.4%
compared to October 2018,
when deposits recorded ap-
proximately QR806.0bn.

International Junior
Science Olympiad
to kick off today
U
nder the auspices of
HE the Prime Minis-
ter and Interior Min-
ister Sheikh Abdullah bin
Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani,
the 16th International Jun-
ior Science Olympiad will
kick off today with the par-
ticipation of 70 countries at
Qatar National Convention
Centre.
HE the Minister of Educa-
tion and Higher Education
Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed
Ali al-Hammadi will deliver
the keynote address at the
opening ceremony.
Qatar is hosting this year’s
edition, under the slogan “In-
spiring Today’s Young Genera-
tion for the Skills of Tomorrow”.
Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh al-
Nuaimi, chairman of the
Supreme Committee for or-
ganising the Olympiad, and
Dr Khalid Mohamed Yousuf
al-Ali, the official spokes-
person for the Olympiad,
as well as Prof Paresh Joshi,
president of the Interna-
tional Junior Science Olym-
piad, will speak at the event.
The winning students of
the competition organised
by Qatar Environment and
Energy Research Institute
competition will be hon-
oured during the ceremony.
Sheikhs, ministers and sen-
ior officials of Qatar and dig-
nitaries and undersecretaries
from friendly countries will
attend the opening ceremony.
Representatives of regional
and international organisa-
tions, diplomats from various
mission in Qatar, educational
leaders, teachers and students
will also be present during the
ceremony.
The 16th International
Junior Science Olympiad is
to conclude on December 11.

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4 Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019

QATAR
Shura Council officials meet EWEI delegation
Doha conference to
address issues of
disabled persons
 Global conference sponsored by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser

T
he Qatar Foundation for
Social Work (QFSW) has
concluded a series of
workshops leading up to the in-
augural Doha International Con-
ference on Disability and Devel-
opment (DICDD), sponsored by
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint
Nasser, founder of Qatar Foun-
The Qatari-European Friendship Association of the Shura Council, headed by HE Yousef bin Rashid al-Khater, yesterday met with Head dation for Social Work (QFSW),
of the Delegation of the Eastwest European Institute (EWEI) Stefania Paradisi, and the delegation of Italian students accompanying her. on December 7-8 at the Qatar
During the meeting, they reviewed the positions of Qatar, and its internal and external policies, as well as the legislative and supervisory National Convention Centre.
role of the Shura Council. The delegation praised the efforts of Qatar in supporting the Arab-European relations for peace and stability in The aim of the DICDD is to high-
the region and the world. light and address the issues and
challenges faced by people with
disabilities, which affect more than
1.5bn people worldwide.
The DICDD will culminate in
the announcement of the “Doha
local and international partners.
More than 20 sessions were
held at the workshop, which in-
cluded the participation of Amal
bint Abdullatif al-Mannai, CEO
of QFSW, and hundreds of ex-
perts from universities and min-
istries, private organisations and
centres related to persons with
disabilities.
“We hope that the
conference will garner
international support from
different countries for
people with disabilities and
that the announcement
of the Doha Declaration
will act as a roadmap for
Al-Mannai said, “It took us a
long time to prepare for this con-
ference and among these prepara-
tions were the five workshops that
we organised with the participa-
tion of hundreds of experts. We
carefully chose the topics of the
workshops to complement the
theme of the conference and to
enrich its outcomes. We hope that
the conference will garner inter-
national support from different
countries for people with disabili-
ties and that the announcement of
the Doha Declaration will act as a
roadmap for countries to follow
to enhance their people with dis-
abilities.”
The conference will feature

HMC’s rehabilitation institute Declaration,” which will become

a key international reference
point for policy development
and the advancement of human
rights and sustainable social de-
countries to follow to
enhance their people with
disabilities”
The sessions discussed impor-
several distinguished speak-
ers including Amina Mohamed,
deputy secretary-general of the
United Nations, deputy secre-
tary general of the UN; Xavier

registers over 28,000 visits velopment for persons with dis-

QNA considered the largest rehabili-
Doha tation hospital in the region.
Meanwhile, Officials at Qatar
Rehabilitation Institute are ex-
tending various facilities of Ha-
mad Medical Corporation for
treatment, and second is the
commitment of many patients to
fer from disabilities, muscle or
bone problems, including joint
inflammation and pain, he also
said in a statement yesterday.
abilities.
The DICDD will take place un-
der the theme “Leaving no one
behind” and will be organised by
the QFSW in collaboration with
tant topics such as: data collection
and analysis strategies, disabil-
ity policies, assistive technologies,
empowerment of women and girls
with disabilities, and internation-
Torres, adviser of the Presiden-
tial Government of Ecuador; and
Edward Ndopu, United Nations
secretary-general’s advocate for
the Sustainable Development
al co-operation on disability. Goals.

Q
atar Rehabilitation Insti-
tute of Hamad Medical
Corporation (HMC) has
revealed that more than 28,000
visits have been registered for
patients who visited the Insti-
tute for physiotherapy in 2019.
That represents half of the
total number of patients who
have received various healthcare
services at the institute, which is
pecting 30,000 visits for physio-
therapy by the end of December,
that would be an increase of 15%
compared to the year of 2018.
The physical therapy supervi-
sor at Qatar Rehabilitation in-
stitute Modher Ahmed said that
the increase in the number of
physiotherapy patients is due to
two factors, first is the increase
in the number of patients at-
improve their physical mobility
after it got low due to ageing or
as a result of injuries or diseases.
In addition, patients who
suffered from neurological and
muscular problems caused by
strokes or neurological dis-
eases make up the majority of
physiotherapy patients, while
30 percent of these patients are
older people over 70 who suf-
Moreover, Qatar Rehabilita-
tion Institute contains seven
hydrotherapy pools, 11 physical
exercise rooms and a sensory
exercise room in addition to a
unit of assistive devices where
patients are trained to perform
various physical functions nec-
essary to practice daily life,
modify and adapt their daily
lifestyles at home. Amal bint Abdullatif al-Mannai speaking at the workshop. Right: Some of the participants.

Workshop on combating human trafficking held

T
he Public Prosecu-
tion, represented by
the Institute of Crim-
inal Studies and the De-
partment of International
Co-operation, organised the
second workshop on com-
bating human trafficking in
co-operation with the Na-
tional Committee to Com-
bat Human Trafficking and
the British embassy in Doha
as part of the implementa-
tion of the international ef-
forts to combat human traf-
ficking.
The three-day workshop
Public Prosecution workshop.
aimed at equipping par-
ticipants with the necessary
information and skills and
knowledge of the rules of in-
ternational law and the provi-
sions of international conven-
tions in the field of combating
human trafficking.
The workshop is part of a
series of other training pro-
grammes to be held in Doha
and London this year and
early next year.
The workshop was at-
tended by representatives of
several official authorities in
the country, namely the Na-
tional Committee for Com-
bating Human Trafficking,
the Supreme Council of the
Judiciary and the Ministry
of Interior, as well as the
Public Prosecution. - QNA

Qatar takes part

in Interpol
operation
Qatar participated for the
second consecutive year in the
maritime operation launched
by the General Secretariat
of the International Criminal
Police Organisation (Interpol)
with the participation of 60
countries under the slogan: 30
Days at Sea.
The operation aims to combat
violations of regulations
related to marine pollution.
The Ministry of Interior,
represented by the General
Directorate of Coasts and
Borders Security, the Amiri
Navy, Ras Laffan Port,
Mesaieed Port, the Maritime
Operations Department
(Qatar Petroleum), Qatar
Ports Management Company
and the Maritime Systems
(Ministry of Transport and
Communications) participated
in the operation.

Qatar condemns
attack on church
in Burkina Faso
Qatar has voiced strong
condemnation and
denunciation of the attack that
targeted a church in eastern
Burkina Faso killing 14 people
including children.
In a statement yesterday,
the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs reiterated Qatar’s firm
position on rejecting violence
and terrorism, regardless of
motives and reasons, and
affirmed Qatar’s total rejection
of targeting places of worship
and intimidating the safe

All News Network 3316362354 civilians. - QNA

 Gulf Times
6 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

QATAR
Doha Bank names
33 winners of
Al Dana Savings
Scheme raffle draws
D
oha Bank announced Banana Island Resort Doha
the lucky winners of by Anantara. ing new ways to make sav- and above on top of previ-
the eighth Al Dana Braik al-Marri, chief re- ing even more rewarding.” ous month’s average bal-
Savings Scheme raffle draws tail banking officer at Doha Doha Bank’s Al Dana ance will enable account
Professionals from government and private entities attending the seventh National Cybersecurity Drill (Star 7). held on October 24 at Doha Bank, said: “It has increas- Saving Scheme 2019 in- holders to enjoy double
Bank Tower, underlining its ingly become important cludes Al Dana Savings loyalty chances in the draw
commitment to offering re- for everyone to develop a Account, Al Dana Young for every QR1,000 incre-
warding banking experiences habit of saving to not only Savers Account, Al Dana mental balance, whereas

Cybersecurity drill
to customers.
F al-Shamari won
QR50,000, the biggest
prize of the monthly draws,
while 30 other custom-
ers took home a total of
have a safety net in case
of an emergency but also
become financially secure
to meet future goals and
aspirations.
“With our wide-ranging
Savings Plan, and Al Dana
Family Savings Account and
Current Account.
Customers holding
a minimum balance of
QR5,000 in any of these ac-
customers can benefit from
triple loyalty chances for
every QR1,000 incremental
balance with an additional
deposit of QR10,000 and
above on top of the previous

focuses on securing
QR160,000 in cash prizes.
M Goel won QR10,000
from the Al Dana Savings
Plan draw. Meanwhile, M
al-Abdulghani won the Al
Dana Family Savings Ac-
Al Dana Savings Scheme
products, at Doha Bank,
we have been incentivising
our customers to embrace
the savings culture through
the provision of attractive
counts will be automatically
entered into monthly and
quarterly draws, as well as a
year-end draw, which has a
grand prize of QR1mn, with
each QR1,000 giving them a
month’s average balance.
New customers of Al
Dana Savings Scheme 2019
stand even more chances
to win raffle draws, with
Doha Bank rewarding them

major events
count draw, making him rewards for their money chance to win. with 100 bonus chances
eligible for a free relaxing saved for a rainy day. We re- Meanwhile, an addi- against a minimum deposit
staycation with family at main committed to explor- tional deposit of QR5,000 of QR20,000.

T
he National Cybersecurity
Drill focuses on securing ma-
jor events from a cybersecurity
standpoint, a Ministry of Transport
and Communication (MoTC) official
has said.
“The seventh drill complements
last year’s sixth National Cybersecu-
rity Drill that focused on securing ma-
jor events from a cybersecurity stand-
point with deeper details and more
thorough exercises this year in prepa-
ration for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Qatar,” said Nora Yousef al-Abdulla,
director, Critical Information Infra-
structure Protection, Cyber Security
Sector at MoTC.
The events of the seventh National
Cybersecurity Drill (Star 7) began on
Sunday at Al-Messila Resort and Spa
with participation by more than 900
professionals from 95 government
and private entities across Qatar. Star
7 includes various exercises that test
entities’ preparedness to address and
handle cyberattacks. And it discusses
various topics and includes training
sessions. The events will conclude
tomorrow.
It is part of a series of national drills
that the ministry began in 2013 in order
to develop and improve the efficiency
and preparedness of government in-
stitutions to address the cyberattacks.
The theme for this year’s exercises is
Defending the Nation – Know Your Ad-
versary. The exercise is a simulation of
tightly integrated process and technical
scenarios.
“Star 7 scenarios were designed
based on the outcomes of all previous
exercises, in addition to other various
cyber threats that target Qatar and
the region in general,” the MoTC of-
ficial said. Year after year, she said,
the scenarios of each national drill
are becoming closer to reality where
problem solvers are divided into two
teams; the operation team and the
technology team with each of them
having to face and address the chal-
lenge their own way separately but
this year’s exercises are based on
teamwork. “This means the two teams
will have to work together to make
decisions together and thus giving a
more rapid response,” she added.
MoTC holds a national cyber-
security drill every year to achieve
the objectives of the Qatar National
Cybersecurity Strategy in terms of
sharpening national cybersecurity
capacity and boosting cyberattacks
response preparedness like detect-
ing, investigating, managing and re-
sponding to cyber breaches.
Khalid al-Hashmi, assistant under-
secretary of Cybersecurity at MoTC,
while delivering the opening speech,
said that such national drills help
measure the level of maturity across all
institutions and entities in Qatar re-
garding defending their electronic as-
sets and addressing weaknesses. These
drills, he added, help diagnose key
information security issues, suggest
appropriate solutions and enhance the
relevant policies and standards.

Qatari and Somali dignitaries at the opening of the Diplomatic Institute.

Minister praises Qatar

support to Somalia
Q
atar Fund for De-
velopment (QFFD)
participated in a
ceremony held by Somalia
in connection with the re-
habilitation project of the
Diplomatic Institute.
The ceremony was at-
tended by Minister of For-
eign Affairs and Interna-
tional Co-operation Ahmed
Eissa Awad, Qatar’s ambas-
sador to Somalia Hassan
bin Hamza Hashim, minis-
ters, parliamentarians and
ambassadors accredited
to Somalia, and the chair-
man and members of the
Parliamentary Friendship
Committee of Somalia.
Awad, in his speech,
lauded the Qatar govern-
ment’s continuous support
to Somalia. He pointed out
that the opening of the in-
stitute represents a qualita-
tive addition to the Somali
diplomatic activity through
the training of diplomatic
cadres at the ministry in
co-operation with broth-
erly and friendly countries.
The renovation works in-
cluded the rehabilitation of
the entire building from the
facades, units and interior
halls, the improvement of
the infrastructure as well
as the extension of public
and private facilities for the
project. In addition to the
rehabilitation of the Prime
Minister’s Building, the
works covered the Minis-
try of Planning, Investment
and Economic Develop-
ment, and the Mogadishu
Municipality building.
QFFD is currently imple-
menting a range of differ-
ent development projects
in Somalia, where the work
is underway on the con-
struction of the 90km
Mogadishu-Jowhar road
and the 22km Mogadishu
Afgoye road.
The project is part of
the ongoing efforts of Qa-
tar to empower developing
countries and bring them to
stability and prosperity in
order to achieve peace and
justice.

QC providing relief to
Albania quake victims
W
ith funding from sands of them are displaced
the Qatar Fund due to the destruction of
for Development their homes, the statement
(QFFD), Qatar Charity notes.
(QC), through its field office Albania was recently hit
in Albanian capital Tirana, by a strong 6.4-magnitude
continues to provide emer- earthquake, causing doz-
gency relief aid to victims of ens of deaths and hundreds
the earthquake that struck of casualties, in addition to
several areas of the country material losses and damage Qatar’s ambassador to Albania Hamad bin Ali al-Marri with
a few days ago. to infrastructure. other officials.
The assistance, which
included water, ready-to-
eat meals and food baskets,
benefited more than 1,150
people in several affected
areas of Albania, QC said
in a statement. This was in
addition to the distribution
of blankets, mattresses and
winter clothes.
The aid was delivered in
the presence of Hamad bin
Ali al-Marri, Qatar’s am-
bassador to Albania, and
the mayors of the targeted
governorates.
The urgent response
comes within the frame-
work of humanitarian and
fraternal duty towards
communities affected by
disasters and crises to help
the earthquake victims in
Albania and ease their hu-

All News Network 3316362354 man suffering, as thou- Relief work in progress.
 Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 7

QATAR

Kahramaa chief for

joint efforts to tackle
climate challenges A section of the Caravan Complex in Doha.

E
ssa bin Hilal al-Kuwari,
president of Qatar Gen-
eral Electricity & Water
Sterling Restaurants begins
‘Dine & Win’ promotion
Corporation (Kahramaa), and
vice chair of Board of Trustees
of Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer-
sity (HBKU), participated in
the opening day of the Inter-
national Conference on Sus-  Promotion starts today and Steakhouse, Bennigan’s, through its many support
tainable Energy Water and will run until second week of Shebestan Palace, Caravan centres. It is also supported by
Environment Nexus in Desert March 2020 Bukhara, Coffee Beanery, other divisions of the company
Climates 2019 (ICSEWEN’19)  Diners have chance to Kababji, TCBY, Fuddruckers, in Qatar, as well as the region,
yesterday. win 2 Toyota Land Cruisers Asiana, Star of India and to ensure maximum efficiency
ICSEWEN’19 is the flagship and/or food coupons worth others, the statement notes. and output,” the statement
conference of Qatar Environ- QR500,000 The promotion starts today points out.
ment and Energy Research In-  Two raffle draws to be and will continue until the The executive added, “Our
stitute (Qeeri), part of HBKU. conducted at Caravan second week of March 2020. business is to serve great food
The conference is being held at complex on January 30, 2020 The promotion will offer to our guests at all times. We,
the Qatar National Convention and March 11 diners the chance to win two as a company, believe that the
Centre until tomorrow. Land Cruisers and/or food measure of success of any

Other dignitaries who partic-
ipated in the ceremony included
Dr Ahmad M Hasnah, president,
HBKU; Alistair Routledge, pres-
ident and general manager of
ExxonMobil Qatar; Luca Sutera,
chief financial officer, Nebras
Power; Dr Richard O’Kennedy,
vice president, Research, Devel-
opment and Innovation at Qatar
Foundation and vice president
for Research at HBKU; Dr Mar-
iam al-Maadeed, vice presi-
dent for Research and Graduate
Studies at Qatar University and
Dr Marc Vermeersch, executive
director, Qeeri.
Commenting on the confer-
ence, al-Kuwari said, “The ener-
gy-water-environment nexus is
associated with human, econom-
ic, and environmental sustain-
ability. This connection is becom-
ing more pronounced with climate
change. The understanding of the
difficulties of these complex rela-
tionships is necessary to balance
Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari and other dignitaries at ICSEWEN’19 yesterday.
the needs of diverse stakeholders,
policy decisions, and to protect
valuable resources.
“This conference provides a
platform for collaboration be-
tween our guests from around the
world to share ideas and to inten-
sify our combined efforts in devel-
oping tangible solutions that posi-
tively impact our communities.”
Dr Vermeersch said, “The
conference is an important mile-
stone towards Qeeri’s objec-
tives of being recognised as a
key player in the local, regional,
and international arenas. Qeeri’s
efforts to align with Qatar’s Na-
tional Research Strategy and
become a reference centre in the
fields of energy, environment
and water research and technol-
ogy development are important
for the country’s industries. IC-
SEWEN’19 is a knowledge plat-
form that seeks to bridge the gap
between research and public and
private sectors, and we look for-
ward to seeing it unfold over the
next two days.”
Routledge delivered keynote
address on ‘Technology for Sus-
tainable Energy’, while Sutera
spoke on the topic of ‘Global
Energy Transition’, and Dr al-
Maadeed on ‘Industry 4.0 and
the Energy-Water-Environment
nexus’. Meshaal al-Shamari, vice
chair of Mena Regional Network,
World Green Building Coun-
cil, and director of Qatar Green
Building Council explored the
‘Social Impact of Social Develop-
ment’ with Dr Vermeersch high-
lighting the work being carried
out at Qeeri.
Dr O’Kennedy moderated a
panel discussion on ‘Oppor-
tunities and Challenges within
EWE the nexus’ with the par-
ticipation of Fahad bin Hamad
al-Mohannadi, managing direc-
tor and general manager, Qatar
Electricity & Water Co; Dr Abdul
Sattar al-Taie, executive director,
Qatar National Research Fund;
Amit Singh, managing direc-
tor, Schlumberger; and Dr Huda
al-Sulaiti, Qeeri.
“Through this conference,
we aim to exchange ideas, share
knowledge, and provide up-
dates on our technology devel-
opment status, and learn from
leading experts around the
globe. The challenges that Qa-
tar and other hot arid regions
face are unique, and we hope
to explore potential solutions
for relevant issues in the im-
plementation of research in the
area of energy, water and envi-
ronment,” Dr Veronica Bermu-
dez, senior research director of
Qeeri’s Energy Centre and the
chair of ICSEWEN’19, added.
S
terling Restaurants,
known for providing
“exceptional promo-
tional offers” to its diners
through its restaurant chains
in Qatar, has announced that
it is back with an “exciting”
‘Dine & Win’ promotion this
month.
“Renowned all over Qatar for
providing exceptional dining
services and experiences,
Sterling Restaurants will be
offering their patrons the
chance to win two Toyota Land
Cruisers and/or food coupons
worth half-a-million Qatari
riyals,” the company has said
in a statement.
Diners will now have the
chance to enjoy their favourite
food as well as stand a chance
to win the prizes on offer
through Sterling’s diverse
roaster of restaurant chains,
including Pizza Hut, Ponderosa
coupons worth QR500,000.
Two separate raffle draws will
be conducted at the Caravan
complex (C-Ring Road/Salwa
Road junction) on January 30,
2020 and March 11.
“We value our customers
and believe that our regular
clients deserve something
in return for their continued
patronage of our restaurants,”
a senior executive of Sterling
restaurants said.
Sterling Restaurants has been
in the food and beverage
business in Qatar for a long
time since its inception under
the Tri-Star Group.
“Having various business
interests throughout the GCC,
Sterling Restaurants is the
single largest operator of high-
quality restaurants and catering
operations in Qatar and brings
a wealth of knowledge and
experience to its projects
food establishment is ‘quality’.
“We believe that food quality
begins with the proper
ordering of food supplies.
We have a strong purchase
team who, over the years,
have developed vendors who
share the same vision as we
do. Ordering quality products
and equipment is a business
mentality and we take it very
seriously.”
Sterling Restaurants has
“always been evolving,
changing, modifying and
adapting to new business
environments and needs”. It
has a large number of qualified
and experienced employees in
Qatar. This mix of culture from
over 18 countries “ensures
communication in any
endeavour, understanding of a
guest’s needs and the ability to
excel in service standards”, the
statement adds.

Qatar-India 2019 Year of Domasco launches GAC

Culture to end this month
By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter
high-end MPV in Qatar
D
oha Marketing Services Company
(Domasco), the exclusive distribu-

T
he activities of Qatar-In-
dia 2019 Year of Culture
will conclude by the end
of December with some major
events planned throughout the
month.
“The high-profile events tak-
ing place in various places in
the country include the Jaipur
Literary Festival Doha, and the
great Indian musical, Mughal-
e-Azam,” said Indian ambassa-
dor P Kumaran.
The legendary M F Husain’s
latest installation, the ‘Seeroo
fi al Ardh’, will soon be unveiled
in Qatar Foundation’s Education
City. A photo exhibition about
India by Qatari and Indian pho-
tographers is going on at Katara.
Kumaran was speaking to
Gulf Times on the sidelines of
a tree planting event at Oxygen
Park, Education City, as part of
the Qatar-India 2019 Year of
Culture on Monday.
The Indian envoy pointed out
that events highlighting Indian
culture could be presented in
Qatar in a big way with an ar-
ray of diverse and distinct pro-
grammes throughout Qatar-
India 2019 Year of Culture.
“We could highlight differ-
ent areas of culture such as art,
fashion, cinema, music among
Indian ambassador P Kumaran.
others. It is truly gratifying and
we got great support from the
government of Qatar in organis-
ing all these events,” explained
Kumaran.
“The musical, Mughal-e-
Azam will be showcased at Al
Mayassa Theatre, Qatar National
Convention Centre, with three
shows from December 19-21. The
Jaipur Literary Festival will run
from December 12-14 at Qatar
National Library,” he added.
The ambassador also pointed
out that the embassy is organ-
ising many programmes this
month to mark the 150th birth
anniversary of the father of the
nation Mahatma Gandhi.
“We are planning to plant 150
tree saplings in Qatar with the
participation of students from
Indian schools. We will also have
a rally with 150 cycles on Decem-
ber 6. We have lined up several
activities this month,” he said.
“We would like to present more
programmes, especially as India is
a big country and every state and
region has distinct cultural back-
ground. However, we have been
able to bring some of the best of
the Indian culture during this
year,” added the ambassador.
tor of GAC Motor in Qatar, has an-
nounced the launch of GAC’s first high-end
multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the GN8, in
the market.
The launch took place at an event held at
Dana Club.
The release is a “major milestone” for
GAC Motor as it now covers the mid-to-
high-end sedan, SUV and MPV markets,
according to a press statement.
Speaking at the launch, Faisal Sharif,
managing director of Domasco, said: “With
this launch, GAC Motor has taken the line
of luxury MPVs to a whole new level and
continue to redefine its landscape. The GN8
is designed to meet the market’s growing
demand for high-end seven-seaters that
cater to family and business needs alike. The GN8 from GAC Motor.
We are now able to offer customers an even
wider choice from GAC and welcome all to designed to meet ever-growing demand ic Sunroof, Power Liftgate, 10.1-inch colour
test-drive and experience this amazing new from consumers for a better driving expe- LCD screen display, Apple CarPlay, wire-
vehicle.” rience, quality and safety for their family,” less phone charging and the Bosch ESP 9.1
Developed on GAC Motor’s C-Class the statement notes. that can effectively prevent side slip with 14
platform, which integrates the “world’s For convenient ingress and egress, the active safety systems.
most cutting-edge technologies”, the GN8 GN8 is equipped with automatic sliding Adhering to GAC Motor’s brand philoso-
is company’s first large-scale MPV model. doors with four opening modes, including phy of “innovation, quality and pleasure”
It measures 5m in length and has a 3m long remote key control, external handle, inter- and embracing “cutting-edge technol-
wheelbase to “ensure plenty of interior nal handle and front-row integrated switch. ogy”, the GN8 completes its line of luxury
space”. Once inside the GN8’s cabin, passengers C-Class vehicles, which also includes the
“The grandeur of this new MPV is also are treated with climate control and an eco- GA8 sedan and GS8 SUV.
reflected in its spectacular exterior design, friendly, low-VOC “odourless sanctuary” Customers wanting to book a test drive
luxurious cabin design, smart technology while on the move. can call 8008123/44248989 or visit the
and excellent safety features. Powered by a Aside from these intelligent controls, the exclusive GAC Motor showroom on Salwa
2.0-litre turbocharged engine that is con- GN8 also has a Tyre Pressure Monitoring Road, near the Qatar Decoration signal, op-
nected to a six-speed automatic transmis- System, Electronic Parking Brake with auto posite HSBC Bank. The showroom is open
sion, this high-end seven-seater MPV is hold, Automatic Parking System, Panoram- from Saturday to Thursday, 8am to 8pm.

Preparations for Qatar National Day celebrations in full swing at Darb Al Saai
Preparations for the 2019
Qatar National Day (QND)
celebrations at Darb Al Saai are
in full swing. The Organising
Committee of the Qatar
National Day celebrations had
recently released the 2019 Darb
Al Saai events calendar for
visitors. The events will run
from December 12-20.
PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil

All News Network 3316362354

 Gulf Times
8 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

QATAR
Kazakhstan National Day celebrated Al Daayen Municipality honours employees

Kazakhstan ambassador Askar Shokybayev is joined by Qatar’s Minister of Administrative

Development, Labour and Social Affairs HE Yousef bin Mohamed al-Othman Fakhro, HE the
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, HE the
Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari in cutting a cake at the Kazakhstan National Day
celebrations in Doha yesterday as Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chief of Protocol Ibrahim Yousif
Fakhroo and dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Eritrean ambassador Ali Ibrahim Ahmad look on.
PICTURE: Ram Chand
Al Daayen Municipality has honoured 112 workers under the patronage and with the support of Doha Festival City, in recognition
of their distinguished efforts. Al Daayen Municipality director Rashid al-Khayareen honoured the employees at a ceremony in the
presence of Robert Hall, general manager of Doha Festival City, and other officials. All the targeted employees were given gifts
as a token of appreciation. Al-Khayareen said the event was meant to appreciate the field efforts exerted by the employees in
carrying out their designated tasks. It will also encourage them to exert more efforts in the future. He added that the honouring
event would be held annually to help improve the quality of work.

Winners of Qatar Global Award announced

QNA on Chinese, Japanese, Korean the executive programme of the He noted that Qatar Univer-
Doha and other Asian civilisations. Alliance of Civilizations Plan sity is proud of its achievements
He pointed out that the min- 2018-2022 which emphasises and its ability to overcome the
istry will work through its diplo- on recognising outstanding re- challenges, as part of its quest to

W
inners of Qatar Global
Award for Dialogue
among Civilizations
— second session 2019 were an-
nounced in Doha yesterday by
the Committee for the Alliance
of Civilization at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and the Isesco
Chair in Alliance of Civilizations
at the College of Sharia and Is-
lamic Studies at Qatar Univer-
sity.
Dr Mohamed Ahmed Abdel-
salam from Egypt won the first
place for his research entitled
“The impact of Muslim migra-
tion on the culture and arts of
the Far East”.
Dr Bachir Khalafi from Alge-
ria won the second place for his
research “Muslim immigrants
in the West between identity
requirements and the require-
ments of citizenship”.
Officials announcing the winners.
In his speech during the cer-
emony announcing the winners,
HE the Secretary-General of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr
Ahmad bin Hassan al-Hamma-
di, said that the first place win-
ner confirmed the depth of the
impact of Muslim immigrants
on the culture and arts of the Far
East countries, which reflected
the advancement of Islamic civ-
ilisation and its positive impact
matic missions in Beijing, Tokyo
and Seoul to organise cultural
events to publicise the winning
book and distributed to various
universities, research centres
and institutions, as well as cul-
tural centres to familiarise the
peoples of Asia with the role
played by Muslim immigrants
in the civilisational, cultural
and artistic construction in the
countries of the Far East.
He stressed the importance of
mobilising energies in the next
session of Qatar Global Award
to secure a large participation,
especially from researchers of
the Organisation of Islamic Co-
operation.
HE Dr al-Hammadi pointed
out that this award, which is the
fruit of co-operation between
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Qatar University, is part of
search work.
For his part, Qatar University
president Dr Hassan bin Rashid
al-Derham said that the annual
award, which is sponsored by HE
the Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Chairman of Qatar Committee
for the Alliance of Civilization
Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrah-
man al-Thani, achieved within
a short time a significant in in-
ternational participation, depth
in the curriculum and scientific
content, and an important influ-
ence in the field of civilisational
dialogue in terms of creating a
deep intellectual movement and
a wide discussion in various top-
ics of civilised dialogue, which is
in line with the mission of Qatar
University in its directions and
strategy based on its qualitative
excellence in education.
achieve its vision.
For his part, Dean of the Col-
lege of Sharia at Qatar University
Dr Ibrahim Abdullah al-Ansari
praised the scientific level of the
award’s researches this year, and
said that critical subjects were
addressed in an innovative and
realistic manner, with deep and
solid approaches to the tools of
acculturation and the relation-
ship with the other civilisation.
Commenting on the occa-
sion, Secretary-General of Qatar
National Commission for Edu-
cation, Culture and Science Dr
Hamda al-Sulaiti said that the
award consolidates the construc-
tive co-operation between the
commission, the Isesco and the
Faculty of Sharia of Qatar Uni-
versity, which resulted in the cre-
ation of Isesco Alliance of Civili-
zations Chair at Qatar University.

Ooredoo unveils
Metro clocks up huge passenger numbers
MIA hosts photography show to mark 5G-enabled smart
wheelchair
Shafallah Centre’s 20th anniversary From Page 1

Ooredoo Kuwait CEO Sheikh

T
he Museum of Islamic Art
(MIA) hosted a photogra-
phy exhibition to celebrate
the 20th anniversary of the Sha-
fallah Centre and to mark the In-
ternational Day of Persons with
Disabilities 2019.
Guests who attended include
Dr. Julia Gonnella, director of
MIA; Amal al-Mannai, CEO
of Qatar Foundation for Social
Work; Laalei Abu Alfain, manag-
ing director of Best Buddies Qatar
and CEO of Shafallah Centre; and
Salem al-Marri, deputy director
of Learning and Outreach at MIA.
The exhibition featured 70
photographs that captured vari-
ous activities, events and mile-
stones that Shafallah Centre has
achieved over the past 20 years.
Various activities for mem-
bers of Shafallah Centre were
also organised; including a treas-
ure hunt and an arts workshop,
among others.
The first group of students vis-
The opening of the exhibition.
ited the library for a storytelling
session, while the second group
worked as a team to recreate one
of the pieces displayed in the Set
in Stones: Gems and Jewels from
Royal Indian Courts exhibition.
The final group visited the gal-
leries and explored the pieces
displayed at MIA.
The event was jointly organ-
ised by Qatar Museums, Shafal-
lah Centre, Best Buddies Qatar
and Seashore Group of Compa-
nies.
Mohamed bin Abdullah bin Mo-
hamed al-Thani said: “We’re
delighted to be working with
Wheel the World and using
Google Assistant API technol-
ogy to make Qatar accessible to
all, and this initiative is an ideal
opportunity for us to live our
Ooredoo brand pillars.
“In making a difference to
those with disabilities we’re
caring, we’re challenging the The Doha Metro witnessed a huge rush of passengers on Monday, when Qatar won its last group match
current status that some ac- against the UAE to qualify for the semi-finals of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup. “Yesterday (Monday) was a
tivities in Qatar, such as dune momentous day for Qatar. 95,000 journeys were made using the Doha Metro, this really is changing
bashing are off-limits to those the way we move. Thank you,” Qatar Rail said in a post on its Doha Metro & Lusail Tram Twitter page
with disabilities. We’re con- yesterday. Many spectators used the Metro on Monday to travel to and from Khalifa International
necting people with disabili- Stadium, where the Qatar-UAE match took place. Qatar Rail also tweeted photographs showing the
ties all over the world to enable huge rush yesterday, with passengers - both citizens and expatriates - turning in large numbers to avail
them to book unique experi- of the Metro services. The Sport City station is closest to the stadium.
ences in Qatar via the Ooredoo
and Wheel the World branded
booking portal. We want to
make the incredible experi-
ences our wonderful country
has to offer available to all, and
we look forward to welcoming
visitors of all abilities to enjoy
them.”
The collaboration between
Ooredoo and Wheel the World
is made possible with strategic

Italian students visit Diplomatic Institute partners Qatar National Tour-

ism Council, Accessible Qatar,
Supreme Committee for Deliv-
ery & Legacy, and Plug & Play,

T
he Department of Inter-
national Co-operation at
the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, in co-operation with the
Diplomatic Institute, organised
an interactive meeting with an
Italian student delegation cur-
rently visiting the country.
The director of the Diplomatic
Institute, Dr Abdulaziz bin Mo-
hamed al-Horr, welcomed the
delegation and expressed his
hope that the visit would be use-
ful to learn about the develop-
ment achieved by Qatar.
During the meeting, secre-
tary-general of the Qatar Na-
tional Commission for Educa-
tion, Culture and Science, Dr
Hamda al-Sulaiti, touched on
Qatar’s efforts to support edu-
cation and culture in the world
through programmes imple-
mented in co-operation and
partnership with Unesco.
For his part, the director of
the Department of Internation-
al Co-operation, Tariq Ali Faraj
The Italian delegation with officials.
al-Ansari, gave a presentation
on Qatar’s development policy
in bilateral and multilateral
global partnerships, Qatar’s re-
lief and development assistance
and direct support to nearly
140 countries over the past five
years.
Al-Ansari touched on the ob-
jectives of Qatar National Vision
2030 and the strategies and plans
to achieve them internally and
externally as they are in line with
the United Nations Vision 2030.
He pointed to Qatar’s inter-
est in supporting programmes
of health, education and eco-
nomic empowerment, and the
importance of cultural exchange
for its role in raising awareness
and tolerance and narrowing the
scope of violence and terrorism,
which embodies preventive di-
plomacy. – QNA
and supported by Qatar Air-
ways, Katara Hospitality, Sharq
Village & Spa, Embrace Doha,
Qatar International Adventures,
and 365 Adventures.
Gulf Cup an organisational success: al-Khater
From Page 1
With some big numbers coming into the
venues for the Gulf Cup matches and more
expected during the Club World Cup, it is a
good test for the security apparatus in place
and al-Khater reposed confidence in the
crowd control measures.
“There is definitely very, very good crowd
control organisation, in terms of efficiency,
people entering the stadiums through the
security gates… some matches were a lit-
tle more challenging just because they were
bigger matches. But they were all important
steps towards organising a successful World
Rush at a metro station on Monday.
the measures, and all the organisational part
of the tournament.” The organisers have also
ensured that the fans have a good time be-
“We are working together with Qatar Na-
tional Tourism Council (QNTC), Qatar Air-
ways, Katara - the Cultural Village and the
Ministry of Sports and Culture. There is a
fully integrated plan for fans that will be at-
tending the FIFA Club World Cup. It’s simi-
lar to we are doing for the Gulf Cup. There
are a lot of activities and events happening
in Katara, in Souq Waqif. And for the Club
World Cup too we will have these cultural
and traditional activities and events. But we
will also make sure that we have something
for all the fans that will be attending,” said
al-Khater, who also added that the ticket
sales for the Club World are “going very

All News Network 3316362354

Cup. So all in all we are very satisfied with all sides the football action on the field. very well”.

QCDC, QU officials at the signing ceremony.
QCDC, Qatar University sign pact
to promote career guidance
Q
atar Career Develop-
ment Centre (QCDC)
has signed a memo-
randum of understanding with
Qatar University’s College of
Education to promote aca-
demic and career guidance, and
advance professional develop-
ment.
Abdulla al-Mansoori, di-
rector, QCDC and Dr Ahmed
al-Emadi, dean of College of
Education (CE), Qatar Univer-
sity, signed the agreement dur-
ing a ceremony held recently at
Multaqa,Education City.
The MoU lays the founda-
tions for a strategic partner-
ship that will enable QCDC – a
member of Qatar Foundation –
Police College holds cultural
event to mark ‘Arabic Day’
T
he Police College in co-
operation with the Doha
Institute for Graduate
Studies yesterday organised a
cultural event as part of observ-
ing the World Arabic Language
Day.
The event was entitled Ara-
bic language and society; the
role of Qatar.
The programme, according
to a tweet by the Ministry of In-
terior (MoI), included a number
of sessions about poetry, the
Qatari dialect, teaching Arabic
to non-Arabic speakers in the
security field and Doha Histori-
cal Dictionary.
Brigadier Dr Mohamed
Abdullah al-Muhanna, di-
rector general of the Police
Ministry recalls vehicles over defective air bag inflator
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in co-operation with Al-
mana Motors Company, announced the recall of Mustang models
of 2005–2014, GT models of 2005–2006, Fusion & MKZ models of
2006–2012, Milan models of 2006–2011, and Edge & MKC models
of 2007–2010.
A defect in the air bag inflator on the passenger side may result in
sharp metal fragments coming out of the passenger airbag if an
accident occurs.
The Ministry confirmed the recall campaign comes within the
framework of its ongoing efforts to protect consumers and en-
Applications open for QSTP’s ninth cycle of XLR8 programme
Q
Participants in QSTP’s XLR8 programme during one of the previous sessions.
and CE to advance their shared
objectives at both local and in-
ternational levels.
Commenting on the MoU,
al-Mansoori said that the
agreement with CE will further
empower QCDC to achieve its
goal of helping youth make and
implement sound career deci-
sions.
“By providing support for
youth to grow professionally
and achieve their life goals, we
contribute to Qatar’s develop-
ment and sustainable growth in
line with our shared objective
with Qatar University, as well
as the Qatar National Vision
2030,” al-Mansoori said.
“QCDC understands and
Officials and representatives attending the event at Police College yesterday.
College, said the event was
aimed at contemplating ways
of protecting the Arabic lan-
guage and dealt with a vari-
ety of topics related to Arabic
values collaborations with key cadres who can perform their
stakeholders, such as Qatar duties and accomplish the
University, to ensure laying the tasks entrusted to them to the
foundations of solid and world- fullest, ultimately serving Qa-
class career guidance services tar’s national priorities.”
in our beloved country.” These activities will be
In line with the MoU, QCDC jointly planned and conducted
and CE will exchange exper- to advance career guidance
tise to advance each other’s and meet development needs
goals through diverse forms of within the Qatari context and
collaboration including train- in accordance with interna-
ing, advisory, consultancy, tionally recognised best prac-
and multifaceted service pro- tices.
visioning. The MoU builds on QCDC
Al-Emadi said, “We are and CE’s unique collabora-
confident that our joint efforts tion with local and interna-
will contribute to key achieve- tional partners to serve the
ments in terms of promoting local community and to meet
academic and career guidance the needs of Qatar’s education
in order to develop qualified and training sector.
and the laws to preserve it. number of officers of the Police
The event also discussed the College and the Doha Institute
role of Police College in mak- for Graduate Studies attended,
ing use of the Arabic language in addition to specialists and
in security and legal sectors. A researchers.
sure that vehicle dealers follow up on defects and repairs.
The Ministry has said that it will co-ordinate with the dealer to
follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will com-
municate with customers to ensure that the necessary repairs
are carried out. The Ministry urges all customers to report any
violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud
Department, which processes complaints, inquiries and sugges-
tions through the following channels: Call Centre: 16001, e-mail:
info@moci.gov.qa, Twitter: @ MOCIQATAR, Instagram: MOCIQA-
TAR, mobile app for Android and IOS: MOCIQATAR.
atar Science & Tech-
nology Park (QSTP), a
member of Qatar Foun-
dation Research, Development,
and Innovation (QF RDI), has
announced that applications
are now open for ninth cycle of
the XLR8 programme.
Interested entrepreneurs
may apply for Cycle 9 of the
programme at https://qstp.org.
qa/qstp-xlr8/. Deadline for ap-
plications is January 31, 2020,
QSTP said in a statement.
XLR8 is QSTP’s flagship ac-
celerator programme, which,
since its inception four years
ago, has contributed to the
growing innovation ecosys-
tem in Qatar, and propelled the
growth of aspiring tech entre-
preneurs around the world.
Out of the startups that have
emerged from XLR8, a number
All News Network 3316362354
of companies have achieved
WCM-Q research
probes causal link
between obesity
and diabetes
R
esearchers at Weill Cornell
Medicine - Qatar (WCM-
Q) have made new discov-
eries that could help explain why
some obese people get type-2
diabetes while others do not.
The multi-institutional team
of researchers, led by WCM-Q’s
Dr Nayef Mazloum, analysed
blood samples from 107 people
resident in Qatar and identi-
fied significant differences in
the metabolites of those who
were obese but insulin sensitive
and did not have type 2 diabetes
compared to equally obese indi-
viduals with insulin resistance
and/or type-2 diabetes.
Dr Mazloum, assistant pro-
fessor, Microbiology and Im-
munology, said, “One of the key
characteristics of type-2 diabe-
tes is reduced insulin sensitivity,
strongly associated with obes-
ity. However, some individuals
who are obese somehow main-
tain their insulin sensitivity and
therefore have a far lower risk
of developing type-2 diabetes
and associated complications. In
this study we were able to iden-
tify for the first time a number
of individual metabolites that
are involved in helping some
obese people maintain insulin
sensitivity - we hope that it may
eventually be possible to use
these discoveries as the basis for
developing new diagnostic tools
and even therapeutic medi-
cines.”
The research identified me-
tabolites involved in the me-
tabolism of phospholipids, a
type of fat found mainly in the
membranes of cells. A total of
three phospholipid metabolites
were identified by the research-
ers as ‘potential novel biomark-
HBKU CIS professor takes
part in World Halal Summit
A
faculty member from the
College of Islamic Studies
(CIS) at Hamad Bin Kha-
lifa University (HBKU) recently
participated in this year’s World
Halal Summit, in Istanbul.
The summit is one of the
largest halal events that gather
leading experts from around the
world to discuss current issues in
the halal sector.
Dr Dalal Aassouli, assistant
professor and programme co-
ordinator of the MSc in Islamic
Finance programme, gave a
presentation on efforts to embed
sustainability into the Islamic fi-
nancial industry.
She emphasised that the
United Nations’ Sustainable De-
velopment Goals (SDGs) provide
opportunities for this sector to
incorporate sustainability prin-
ciples into its activities to better
support development objectives.
Key enabling factors include
success both in Qatar and for-
eign markets. These include
WakeCap, a company that de-
velops wearable technologies to
improve the safety of construc-
tion workers and increase pro-
ductivity on sites, and Stellic,
a fully-integrated portal that
brings together academic plan-
ning, data analytics, and career
navigation.
Both companies have suc-
cessfully expanded beyond
Qatar, making their mark in
international markets, such as
China, the US, and Mexico.
Through the intensive 10-
week training and mentorship
programme, QSTP provides
participants with the opportu-
nity to interact with like-mind-
ed people to explore innovative
solutions to an array of chal-
lenges, and equips them with
the tools necessary to succeed.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
QATAR
Dr Mohamed A Elrayess
ers’ which, if present, appear to
indicate that an obese individual
may be resistant to type-2 dia-
betes.
Of the 107 subjects in the
study, 32 were control subjects
of healthy weight, while 75 were
obese, including 20 who were
obese and insulin sensitive, 41
who were obese and insulin re-
sistant, and 14 who were obese
and had type-2 diabetes. The
majority of subjects in the study
were Qatari nationals.
The team comprised re-
searchers from WCM-Q, Qatar
Biomedical Research Institute,
the Biomedical Research Centre
(BRC) at Qatar University, the
Royal College of Surgeons in Ire-
land – Bahrain, and the Univer-
sity of Groningen in the Nether-
lands.
Dr Mohamed A Elrayess of the
BRC at Qatar University, who
co-led the project said, “This in
an extremely exciting piece of
research for us because if we can
understand what makes some
obese individuals with lower risk
to insulin resistance and type-
2 diabetes, we might be able
to help those who are prone to
HBKU’s Dr Dalal Aassouli (centre) at the World Halal Summit in Istanbul.
financial innovation, partner-
ships, awareness and impact
assessment. Dr Aassouli also
outlined how HBKU’s Islamic fi-
nance programmes can support
fulfilment of SDGs on a global
level.
On educating current and
future practitioners in the Is-
lamic Finance world, Dr Aas-
souli says: “The Islamic finan-
It features three modules that
take participants on a journey
to transform their ideas into
products with the potential to
make a commercial impact. The
first module helps participants
identify target markets, design
an early prototype, and solicit
customer feedback, while the
second enables entrepreneurs
to assess whether the market is
large enough to sustain a star-
tup. The third module trains
them to attract early stage in-
vestors and additional invest-
ment to grow their startups.
QSTP executive director
Yosouf Abdulrahman Saleh
said, “XLR8 is contributing a
great deal to fostering the local
startup ecosystem and private
sector investments in emerg-
ing technologies, which will
strengthen Qatar’s position as
a regional tech hub. The pro-
Gulf Times
9
Dr Nayef Mazloum
developing those conditions or
who already have them. How-
ever, while we have gained an
improved understanding of the
metabolic processes at work,
the full nature of the underly-
ing metabolic pathways involved
is still quite poorly understood.
This research does point the
way towards further studies that
could help us develop a far richer
and more detailed picture of
how type-2 diabetes functions,
which could potentially help
with the development of new di-
agnostic tools and therapies.”
The other researchers who
contributed to the study were
Haya al-Sulaiti, Ilhame Diboun,
Maha Agha, Fatima Mohamed,
Stephen Atkin and Alex Dom-
ling.
“This research has opened
up promising new avenues to
identify and validate biomar-
kers that would, with further
studies, hopefully improve our
ability to both prevent and treat
type-2 diabetes and associated
conditions,” added Dr Khaled
Machaca, senior associate dean,
Research, Innovations, and
Commercialisation at WCM-Q.
cial industry is well positioned
to play a key role in achieving
the SDGs. Our Islamic finance
programmes at HBKU offer
a great platform for students
and professionals to attain the
skills needed to understand
global sustainable develop-
ment challenges, and propose
viable ethical financial alterna-
tives to tackle them.’’
gramme’s success is evident
through the increasing number
of participants and successful
startups graduating from each
cycle.”
The eighth cycle of the pro-
gramme held earlier this year
attracted a record number of
participants and featured, for
the first time, the three final-
ists of season 11 of Stars of
Science, Qatar Foundation’s
edutainment TV initiative and
the Arab world’s leading inno-
vation show.
Over the last eight seasons,
XLR8 has attracted over 120
teams and more than 300 as-
piring entrepreneurs, resulting
in 20 startups.
Additionally, 11 of these star-
tups are incubated at QSTP and
six have set up shop in Qatar,
while three companies have
launched abroad.
 Gulf Times
10 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

REGION/ARAB WORLD
Nature close-up
Lebanese politicians
suggest progress
in government talks
Reuters backed Lebanese businessman
Beirut Samir al-Khatib to head the
next cabinet but added that
“some details” still had to be

L
ebanese politicians sig-
nalled progress yester-
day towards agreeing a
new government to tackle the
country’s worst economic cri-
sis in decades, though a deal
had yet to be done.
Talks between the main
feuding parties have been
deadlocked since Saad al-
Hariri resigned as prime min-
ister in late October under
pressure from huge protests
against the ruling elite.A pre-
vious deal had appeared to be
finalised, but it unravelled last
month after a candidate for
prime minister withdrew.
The next government will
have to enact urgent reforms
and attract foreign support to
stave off even worse collapse
after years of bad governance,
corruption and waste.
Hariri said yesterday that he
hashed out.
He said his party would only
name technocrats as ministers.
Hariri, whose government
grouped all of Lebanon’s dom-
inant parties including the
Hezbollah movement, is still
serving in a caretaker capacity.
Political sources said nego-
tiations were moving quickly
towards creating a cabinet
with Khatib as prime minister.
Caretaker Foreign Minis-
ter Gebran Bassil said there
was agreement on forming a
government led by “a trusted
figure Hariri fully backs” and
with a majority of “compe-
tent” specialists from each
side.
“We have hope that mat-
ters have reached close to a
happy ending,” Bassil, Presi-
dent Michel Aoun’s son-in- A Palestinian man holds up a lion cub before children along a street in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday, placed there by a local zoo owner to promote the
law, told a news conference. venue. The Rafah Zoo in the southern Gaza Strip was known for its emaciated animals, with the owners saying they struggled to find enough money to feed them. In April,
international animal rights charity Four Paws took all the animals to sanctuaries, receiving a pledge that the zoo would close forever. However it reopened again in August
with two lions and three new cubs, penned in cages only a few square metres in size.

Iran rejects ‘lies’ about

casualty figures
AFP
Tehran
nuclear agreement and reim-
posed crippling sanctions.
The days of unrest in Iran from
November 15 saw protesters at-
23 killed in ceramics
I
ran yesterday rejected tack police stations, loot shops

factory fire in Sudan

as “utter lies” unofficial
casualty figures given for
street violence that erupted
last month during demonstra-
tions against a shock decision
to hike fuel prices.
US President Donald Trump,
speaking in London, told re-
porters that “the word is that
thousands of people are being
killed in Iran that are protest-
and torch banks and petrol sta-
tions as authorities imposed a
week-long Internet blackout. Te-
hran has not yet given any overall
death toll, but yesterday strongly
rejected such reports and figures
as enemy “propaganda”. Iran’s
judiciary spokesman Gholam- Reuters
hossein Esmaili said: “I explic- Khartoum
itly announce that the numbers
and figures that are being given

ing,” without providing details.
“That’s why they cut off the In-
ternet. They cut off the Internet
so people can’t see what’s go-
ing on,” he said ahead of a Nato
summit.
Iran’s economy has been
battered since last year when
Trump unilaterally withdrew
the United States from a 2015
by hostile groups are utter lies
and the statistics have serious
differences with what they an-
nounced.
“They announced some
numbers as well as some
names... Their claimed num-
bers are sheer lies and fabri-
cated,” he said in remarks aired
on state television.
T
wenty-three people were
killed and more than 130
injured when a fire broke
out after a gas tanker exploded
while unloading at a ceramics
factory in the Sudanese capital
Khartoum yesterday, the gov-
ernment said.
The blast at a factory in a
northern suburb was so pow-
erful it blew the tanker into a
nearby lot, according to wit-
nesses and a senior civil defence
official. Video footage showed

12 Palestinians held people running and shouting for

QNA prisoner Essam Zuhair Taher.
Jerusalem Also arrested were four
young men from Nablus gov-
ernorate following raids and
help at the site of the accident.
Flames and smoke billowed
from the factory as volunteers
and security forces tried to put
out the fire.
The fire completely destroyed
the factory, a government state-

I
sraeli occupation forces
arrested 12 Palestinians,
including a liberated pris-
oner, from different parts of
the West Bank.
Israeli occupation forces ar-
rested five Palestinians from
Ramallah and Al-Bireh Gov-
ernorate, including the freed
search of their homes, while
three others were arrested
from Hebron governorate,
southern West Bank.
On the other hand, the Is-
raeli occupation authorities
were informed to seize lands
in Jab’a village, southwest of
Bethlehem.
ment said.
“I don’t understand what
happened, I heard a blast and
ran. One man in a long flowing
garment was running behind me,
he suffered a serious injury and I
was also injured in my leg,” said
William, a factory employee.
“I pulled out 14 bodies which
Members of the Sudanese Civil Defence put out a fire at a tile manufacturing unit in an industrial zone in north Khartoum, yesterday.
were completely burnt,” said wounded. “Preliminary obser- ble materials,” the government countries, medical sources said.
Hussein Omar, a volunteer at the vations indicate a lack of neces- statement said. Those injured were trans-
scene. sary safety measures and equip- The casualties included em- ferred to hospitals in the capital.
The government called on cit- ment at the factory, in addition ployees of various nationalities, Some were in critical condition,
izens to donate blood to treat the to random storage of flamma- among them some from Asian a local police chief said.

Iraq parties, allies debate new PM as violence hits southern cities

AFP the luxury of time and must rise government posts and making ethnic northern city of Kirkuk
Baghdad to the moment,” Jeanine Hennis- sure constitutional amend- yesterday.
Plasschaert said yesterday. ments do not threaten its re- In the shrine city of Najaf, 35
Demonstrators have protested cent “gains”, said analyst Adel protesters were wounded when

I
raqi politicians and their
regional allies gathered in
Baghdad yesterday to dis-
cuss how to resolve two months
of protests that brought down
the government, as violence hit
southern cities.
Demonstrators demanding
reform have flooded the capi-
tal and the south since October,
in the largest grassroots move-
ment the country has witnessed
in years.
Seen as a threat to the rul-
ing elite, rallies were met with
violence from security forces
and armed groups, leaving more
than 420 people dead and nearly
20,000 wounded — the vast ma-
jority demonstrators.
After violence increased last
week, prime minister Adel Abdel
Mahdi resigned.
Talks to find a replacement
intensified this week. Among
those attending the negotiations
are two key allies of Iraq’s main
parties: Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards commander Major Gen-
eral Qasem Soleimani and Leba-
nese power-broker Mohamed
Kawtharany, a high-ranking po-
litical source said.
University and college students attend the ongoing anti-government protests in Basra, yesterday.
“Soleimani is in Baghdad to
push for a particular candidate
to succeed Abdel Mahdi,” the
source said, without providing
details.
Kawtharany, who is Lebanese
group Hezbollah’s pointman on
Iraq, “is also playing a large role
in persuading political forces on
this”, the source added.
Political powers in Iraq have
All News Network 3316362354
long had close ties with counter-
parts in Iran and Lebanon.
The United Nations envoy to
Iraq called on decision-makers
to respond urgently to demands
for change.
“Political leaders do not have
rampant corruption, lack of jobs
and poor public services.
Despite the oil wealth of
Opec’s second-biggest produc-
er, one in five Iraqis lives in pov-
erty and youth unemployment
stands at one quarter, the World
Bank says.
Protesters say such problems
require more deep-rooted so-
lutions than the resignation of
Abdel Mahdi, the first premier
to step down since Iraq installed
a parliamentary system after
Saddam Hussein’s overthrow in
2003.
The 77-year-old said it
would be a “waste of time”
to keep a caretaker cabinet in
place, in a hint that a political
deal to name a new premier was
in the offing.
But any successor would
need the approval of divided
factions, Kurdish authorities
and Iraq’s key allies, the US and
Iran.
The Kurdistan Regional
Government supported Abdel
Mahdi and is likely worried by
his resignation.
The KRG is prioritising keep-
ing a sizeable share of federal
Bakawan.
The Kurdish administration
said yesterday it “hoped for
the implementation” of a deal
agreed in principle days be-
fore the premier’s resignation,
granting it a share of the 2020
federal budget in exchange for
exporting its oil through the
national seller.
Other parties were also seek-
ing guarantees, a government
source said.
“Political blocs want to
maintain their positions,” the
source said, describing discus-
sions as “very difficult”.
Parties are considering a
six-month “transitional” cabi-
net to oversee electoral reform
before an early parliamentary
vote, government and political
sources said.
A new electoral law is a key
protest demand and is now a
centrepiece of proposed re-
forms, with parliamentary
blocs expected to discuss it.
Meanwhile, protests con-
tinue.
In solidarity with southern
provinces, hundreds of stu-
dents marched in the multi-
plainclothes guards fired shot-
guns and tear gas on crowds
near the tomb of Ayatollah Mo-
hamed Baqir al-Hakim, a cleric
who founded a major political
party, medics said.
Najaf has been rocked by vi-
olence since protesters torched
the Iranian consulate there last
Wednesday, accusing Tehran of
propping up the government.
Tribal dignitaries called on
populist cleric Moqtada Sadr to
intervene, his office said.
He has yet to respond. In
Karbala, riot police fired live
rounds and tear gas at protest-
ers, an AFP correspondent re-
ported.
Police dispatched reinforce-
ments to the flashpoint city of
Nasiriyah, where deaths have
been highest in recent days,
and to Basra.
Some 500 extra officers in
Nasiriyah and 150 in Basra rein-
forced prisons holding accused
militants, to prevent breakouts
amid the chaos.
In Baghdad, authorities
announced yesterday they
were releasing 16 detained
protesters.

Anti-corruption drive in Gabon reshuffles political pack
AFP
Libreville
T
he oil-rich central African
state of Gabon has carried
out a string of top-level
arrests and reassignments as it
ramps up a drive against corrup-
tion. Nearly two dozen people,
some of them in the inner circle
of power, have been ousted from
office, arrested or given other
duties.
A leading figure is President
Ali Bongo Ondimba’s chief of
staff, Brice Laccruche Alihanga,
who has been dismissed from
Mugabe left behind $10mn,
some properties, says report
Reuters
Harare
Z
imbabwe’s former leader
Robert Mugabe, who died
in September, left $10mn
and some properties in the capi-
tal, but no will naming his ben-
eficiaries, details of his estate
published by state-owned news-
paper the Herald showed yester-
day.
Zimbabweans have specu-
lated for years about the extent
of Mugabe’s wealth, with many
assuming that he and his family
amassed a vast fortune during his
37 years in power.
Mugabe’s daughter Bona
Chikowore wrote in October to
the Master of the High Court
seeking to register her father’s
estate, the Herald reported. It
listed assets including $10mn
held in a local bank, four houses
in Harare, 10 cars, one farm, his
rural home and an orchard.
One of the properties is the pa-
latial home known as Blue Roof in
an upmarket suburb of the capi-
tal where Mugabe lived.
The list does not include sev-
eral farms that he reportedly
owned or a dairy business he ran
with wife Grace, or any proper-
ties outside Zimbabwe.
The Herald said Mugabe’s law-
yer Terrence Hussein had also
asked the court to register the es-
tate, saying he and the family had
‘Kenya forcing importers to use costly new railway’ S African court cuts
Reuters
Mombasa
K
enya’s new Chinese-
built railway should
have been a boon for
business. The $3.3bn line sliced
hours off the journey from the
port city of Mombasa to the
capital, Nairobi. But some im-
porters said their transport
costs shot up by nearly 50%
when they used the rail due
to extra fees, more time spent
clearing goods at the congest-
ed Nairobi train depot and the
need to send a truck to collect
the goods from there.
These importers used to
truck their goods in from the
coast. But port authorities now
say businesses based in Nairobi
and upcountry must use the
new line because the Mombasa
port is contracted to supply
it with a minimum amount of
cargo. “KPA has an obligation
to feed the railway ... we were
the guarantors of the rail,” said
Daniel Manduku, head of the
state-run Kenya Ports Author-
ity.
The railway’s problems are a
cautionary tale, both for devel-
oping nations loading them-
selves with Chinese debt, and
for China as it seeks to expand
global trade links and project
soft power through its massive
Belt and Road initiative.
“The vast majority of its
(China’s) overseas spending
has no detectable effect on
economic growth,” said Brad-
ley Sparks, executive director
of AidData, a research facil-
ity that tracks development
finance at William and Mary
university in Virginia.
China has sought to allay
fears that its infrastructure
projects overload some coun-
his job. He was sacked as minis-
ter late Monday, Prime Minister
Julien Nkoghe Bekale said in a
video message.
“The president decided to act
fast,” the prime minister said.
Others are the former director
of the National Fund for Health
Insurance (CNAMGS), Renaud
Allogho Akoue and the head of
presidential communications,
Ike Ngouoni, who was regarded
as Laccruche’s right-hand man.
Both have been arrested.
Key changes have also been
made in the intelligence and se-
curity forces, under decisions
carried out by the president’s
Mourners hold a poster during the state funeral of Zimbabwe’s longtime ruler Robert Mugabe at a
national sports stadium in Harare in a file picture.
not found any will left by Zim-
babwe’s founding leader. Under
Zimbabwean laws, the estate of a
person who dies without a will is
distributed between their spouse
and children.
“Thus far, we have not been
able to locate a will, but have sent
out enquiries to other law firms,
although the family members are
A Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo train transferring containers near the town of Sultan
Hamud, Kenya.
tries with debt. Last year, it
agreed to restructure more
than $12bn in repayments owed
by Ethiopia, whose Chinese-
funded railway is also strug-
gling.
Now some Kenyan politi-
cians are asking whether their
railway was worth the cost.
Hundreds of people - resi-
dents, business owners and
local leaders - hold weekly
demonstrations in Mombasa
against the mandatory move-
ment of cargo by rail.
The contract between Chi-
na’s Exim Bank, the Kenya
Ports Authority (KPA) and
Kenya Railways requires KPA
to provide 1mn tonnes of cargo
to the railway per year, rising to
6mn by 2024.
KPA says rail cargo is expect-
ed to hit 5mn tonnes this year,
after more than 4mn last year.
office. Laccruche adopted a low
profile as government minis-
ter, though his influence stead-
ily grew after Bongo suffered a
stroke in October 2018.
The pro-government daily
L’Union reported that more
than 85bn CFA francs ($142mn
/ 129mn euros), had disappeared
from the funds of the Gabon Oil
Company (GOC) over the past
two years. GOC is a state firm
run by Patrichi Tanasa, who is
close to Laccruche.
Tanasa has been in custody
since late November. An inves-
tigation by L’Union also targeted
the Dupont Consulting Com-
not aware of any,” Hussein wrote
in a letter to the High Court that
was quoted by the Herald.
Hussein did not respond to
calls and questions from Reuters
for comment. Chikowore did not
answer calls to her mobile phone.
A diplomatic cable from the US
Embassy in Harare in 2001 that
was published by Wikileaks said
Businesses say
little has changed
and they are still
required to use
the more
expensive railway
Mombasa is projected to han-
dle 34mn tonnes of cargo this
year; most does not go by rail.
Cargo destined for Mombasa,
or countries other than Kenya,
can still go by road. But Kenyan
importers in and around Nairo-
bi say they have been forced to
use the line since October last
year. The port confirmed the
policy in August, but rescinded
the order in October after pro-
tests.
Businesses say little has
All News Network 3316362354
changed and they are still re-
pany, whose executives included
Laccruche’s brother Gregory
Laccruche, a businessman and
mayor of Akanda, a coastal town
northwest of Libreville.
Gregory Laccruche was de-
tained, a source close to the
presidency told AFP. The public
prosecutor said that suspects
have been charged with embez-
zlement and money laundering.
“This is a political vendetta,”
declared Boris Rosenthal, aide
to detained presidential spokes-
man Ngouoni. Bongo’s office
said the inquiry has no political
link. “Whatever your position, if
there are suspicions against you,
Mugabe was rumoured to have
more than $1bn of assets in Zim-
babwe and overseas but that it
had no reliable information.
Social media posts showing
his sons Robert Jr and Bellarmine
Chatunga with bottles of expen-
sive champagne at a Johannes-
burg nightclub and reports of
Grace’s shopping sprees have of-
quired to use the more expen-
sive railway. Port authorities
are diverting shipments to the
new railway, said a Nairobi-
based customs clearance agent.
“You are made to pay for it
whether you like it or not.”
Moving a 40-ft container
to Nairobi by rail costs 80,000
shillings ($800) - roughly the
same as a truck, said Mercy
Ireri, chief operations officer
for the Kenya Transporters As-
sociation. But importers must
also pay at least 25,000 shil-
lings for a truck to collect the
goods from the Nairobi depot
and 15,000 shillings in depot
fees, said three businessmen
who asked not to be named.
Manduku, also a board mem-
ber of Kenya Railways, said the
higher charges are necessary to
meet loan repayments. Ken-
ya owes Exim Bank of China
you do not have impunity. Now
it’s up to the judiciary to do its
work and to decide,” said Jessye
Ella Ekogha. Current investiga-
tions are a follow-up to Opera-
tion Mamba, an anti-corruption
campaign launched by Bongo in
2017, Ekogha said.
Bongo himself chaired an ex-
traordinary council of the judi-
ciary last Friday, a first in his 10
years in office, which began with
an election in 2009 after the
death of his father, Omar Bongo,
ruler of Gabon for 41 years.
After the council session, Li-
breville’s chief prosecutor Ol-
ivier N’Zahou lost his position
Establishing Mugabe’s assets
will take a long time: lawyer
The process of establishing
the assets of the late Robert
Mugabe will take some time, his
lawyer said yesterday, casting
doubt on a state media report
that the former Zimbabwean
leader left $10mn and some
properties in the capital. Zim-
babweans have speculated for
years about Mugabe’s wealth,
with many assuming that he
and his family amassed a vast
fortune — perhaps as much as
$1bn, according to a leaked US
cable from 2001 — during his 37
years in power.
The government-owned Herald
newspaper said Mugabe’s
daughter Bona Chikowore wrote
in October, the month after
her father’s death, to the High
Court seeking to register the
estate. The paper listed assets
fered tantalising glimpses of the
family’s lavish spending.
A legal dispute in 2014 over a
$5mn villa in Hong Kong sug-
gested the family had been
buying overseas property. The
government said it owned the
house. Towards the end of his
life, Mugabe complained about
the size of his retirement package
660bn shillings for the rail-
way and other projects, about a
tenth of its total national debt.
The bank did not immediately
respond to a request for com-
ment. Kenya Railways did not
respond to requests for com-
ment.
The China Road and Bridge
Corporation, which built
the railway and now runs it
through its Kenya subsidiary
Africa Star Operations, said it
did not set policy on cargo.
The exact terms of the
agreement are not public. The
new line opened in 2017. Run-
ning alongside a dilapidated
track British colonialists built
a century ago, it cut the Nai-
robi-Mombasa journey to four
hours from 12 for passengers
and to eight hours from 24 for
cargo. China supported the di-
rective requiring importers to
use the railway, said Wu Peng,
Beijing’s ambassador in Nai-
robi.
“That is a responsible and
smart move by the Kenyan gov-
ernment,” Wu told Reuters.
After the directive was lifted,
the embassy said the line “has
revolutionised cargo and pas-
senger movement”. Parliament
summoned the transport min-
ister to answer questions about
the cargo policy in November
but he did not appear. Esther
Koimett, principal secretary at
the department of transport,
told Reuters the government
was no longer making import-
ers use rail.
But Daniel Nzeki, chairman
of the Container Freight Sta-
tions Association of Kenya,
and Ireri of the Kenya Trans-
porters Association, said port
security in Mombasa was still
preventing trucks from picking
up some cargo. “It is a circus,”
Nzeki said.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
AFRICA
in the capital to be appointed
general attorney of Franceville,
at the far end of the country.
“Mr N’Zahou is hiding be-
cause he is being followed and
has the impression that some-
one wants to do away with him,”
said lawyer Anges Kevin Nzigou,
who represents about a dozen
suspects.
“The common point in all
these arrests is Laccruche Ali-
hanga. You perfectly know this
yourselves. The starting piont
for all these arrests is Laccruche
Alihanga’s dismissal,” he said.
Earlier this year, Bongo ap-
pointed Lee White, a British-
including $10mn in a local bank,
four houses in Harare, 10 cars,
one farm, his rural home and an
orchard. One of the properties
is the palatial home known
as Blue Roof in an upmarket
suburb where Mugabe lived.
The list does not include several
farms that he reportedly owned
or a dairy business he ran with
his wife Grace, or any property
outside Zimbabwe. Mugabe’s
lawyer, Terrence Hussein, told
Reuters that the Master of the
High Court would this week
appoint an executor to compile
Mugabe’s assets and liabilities.
He said the properties listed in
the Herald report were not in
Mugabe’s name while his rural
homestead had no title because
all communal land in Zimbabwe
is owned by traditional chiefs.
and said he did not have enough
money to pay for the upkeep of
the Blue Roof.
Mnangagwa hinted last week
that the Mugabe family owned
a number of farms in Zimbabwe
and that the government would
leave them with just one, in line
with rules limiting farm owner-
ship.
jail term for white
farmers in coffin case
AFP
Johannesburg
A
South African court has
cut the sentences of two
white farmers who forced
a black man into a coffin and
threatened to kill him, sparking
nationwide outrage. South Af-
rica is beset by deep-rooted racial
inequality even after the end of
white-minority rule in 1994 and
racist incidents regularly erupt on
social media.
Willem Oosthuizen and Theo
Martins Jackson had been sen-
tenced to 16 and 19 years in Octo-
ber 2017 after a video of their act
in the eastern Mpumalanga prov-
ince went viral. They had pleaded
not guilty and said the incident
was only intended to scare Victor
Mlotshwa, whom they accused of
stealing copper cables from their
farm.
The pair were convicted of at-
tempted murder as well as kidnap,
intimidation and assault with in-
tent to do grievous bodily harm.
On Monday, the Supreme Court
of Appeal set aside the convic-
tions for attempted murder and
intimidation, a move that effec-
Two Malian troops killed in bomb blast
Two soldiers were killed and seven were injured by a roadside bomb in
central Mali on Monday, the army said. The attack follows the deaths
of 13 French troops in a mid-air helicopter collision last week as they
were chasing militants in northern Mali. Mali has been struggling to
contain an insurgency that erupted in the north in 2012, and which has
claimed thousands of military and civilian lives since. Despite some
4,500 French troops in the Sahel region, plus a 13,000-strong UN
peacekeeping force in Mali, the conflict has engulfed the centre of Mali
and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Gulf Times
11
born green activist who has
lived in Gabon for three decades
and become a citizen, as new
minister of water and forests.
His predecessor, Guy Bertrand
Mapangou, was fired over a
scandal involving illegal logging
of kevazingo, a precious and
protected wood, by a Chinese
firm.
Running in parallel with this
political upheaval is continu-
ing speculation about Bongo’s
health. Part of the Gabonese op-
position continues to call for an
expert assessment on his condi-
tion to see if he is fit to run the
country.
Food aid
expanded in
Zimbabwe
The World Food Programme
announced yesterday that it will
have to expand its emergency
operations in Zimbabwe because
half of the population is suffer-
ing from severe hunger due to
climate change and an economic
meltdown. “The scale of hunger in
the country is going to get worse
before it gets better,” said WFP Ex-
ecutive Director David Beasley. He
said the organisation would have
to more than double the number
of people it is already helping to
4mn by January as the “unprec-
edented climate-driven disaster
gripping southern Africa” contin-
ues apace. According to the WFP,
temperatures are rising at more
than twice the average global rate
and drought and flooding have
hit both urban and rural areas. In
Zimbabwe, this is exacerbated by
an ongoing economic crisis along
with a “shortage of foreign cur-
rency, runaway inflation, mount-
ing unemployment, lack of fuel,
prolonged power outages and
large-scale livestock losses.”
The announcement comes a few
days after Hilal Elver, the United
Nations’ special rapporteur on the
right to food, called on the West to
lift sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying
they were helping to push the
southern African country to the
brink of “man-made starvation.”
Western sanctions were imposed
on Zimbabwe over human
rights violations during the rule
of Robert Mugabe, who died in
September, but also more recently
in response to violence against
protesters, civil society and oppo-
sition leaders. Elver also urged the
Zimbabwean government to fulfil
its human rights obligations and
reform the country’s agricultural
and food system. According to the
WFP, 7.7mn people lack adequate
food supplies in the beleaguered
country.
tively left them to serve five years
instead. “This Court has found
that the appellants should have
been convicted of assault with
intent to do grievous bodily harm
instead of attempted murder,”
Judge Yvonne Thokozile Mbatha
said, sentencing each man to five
years in prison.
“I have considered the ra-
tionale of sentencing, namely
deterrence, retribution and reha-
bilitation,” Mbatha said. She also
handed each man a one-year sen-
tence for kidnapping, while Jack-
son received an additional year’s
imprisonment for defeating the
ends of justice by assaulting the
sole witness in an attempt to stop
him from testifying.
The shorter terms will run
concurrently with the five-year
sentence. Two clips of the 2016
incident, taken on their mobile
phones, showed the men shoving
Mlotshwa down into the wooden
coffin and pressing the lid with
their boots as he begged for mer-
cy. They are also seen threatening
to put a snake in the coffin.
Throughout the case, the men
denied that their actions had
caused the victim to fear for his
life.
 Gulf Times
12 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

AMERICAS
POLITICS
Senator Kamala Harris
‘ending presidential bid’
First-term US senator Kamala Harris of
California, a rising Democratic Party star and
outspoken critic of Republican President
Donald Trump’s immigration policies, will end
her bid in the 2020 presidential race, according
to a campaign source. Harris, 55, positioned
herself as a unifying candidate who could
energise the party’s base of young, diverse
progressives while also appealing to more
moderate voters. Yet after climbing into double
digits in opinion polls following a strong debate
performance in June, Harris slid out of the top
tier in recent months and lags behind leading
candidates’ fundraising hauls.
LAW AND ORDER
Armed student shot by
police at Wisconsin school
Police shot an armed student who confronted
an officer at a Wisconsin high school
yesterday, marking the state’s second school
shooting in as many days, authorities said.
Details of the latest incident were still unclear
late yesterday morning, but police in the city
of Oshkosh said a student who was “armed
with a weapon confronted” a school resource
officer and the cop fired at least one shot. Both
the teen and the officer sustained injuries and
were taken to local hospitals, according to the
city’s police department. Authorities said no
other students were injured and there was no
threat to the community.
PEOPLE
Former president Carter
hospitalised in Georgia
Former US president Jimmy Carter, released
from one hospital in Georgia the day before
Thanksgiving, was admitted to another over the
holiday weekend for treatment of a urinary tract
infection, the Carter Center said. “He is feeling
better and looks forward to returning home soon,”
the statement said of Carter, who at age 95 has
lived longer after leaving the White House than
any former president in US history. The former
peanut farmer and Georgia governor was admitted
to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus,
Georgia, over the weekend, the Carter Center said,
adding that its next statement would be issued
“when he is released for further rest and recovery.”
DECISION
Government proposes
face scans for travellers
The Trump administration intends to propose
a regulation next year that would require
all travellers — including US citizens — to be
photographed when entering or leaving the US,
according to the administration’s regulatory
agenda. The proposed regulation, slated to
be issued in July by the Homeland Security
Department, would be part of a broader system to
track travellers as they enter and exit the US. Jay
Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American
Civil Liberties Union, blasted the idea. “Travellers,
should not have to submit to invasive biometric
scans simply as a condition of exercising their
constitutional right to travel,” he said.
OFFBEAT
Baltimore police dismiss
mayor’s kidnap claims
In a recent interview, Baltimore mayor Bernard
C Young said he’s concerned about a white van
“snatching” young girls to sell their organs. But
Baltimore police say they have no reports of any
such incidents. Young’s source, according to
an interview with WBAL, is social media. “We’re
getting reports of somebody in a white van trying
to snatch up girls for human trafficking and for
selling body parts, I’m told. So we have to be careful
because there’s so much evil going on, not just
in the city of Baltimore, but around the country,”
he said. Police spokesman Matt Jablow said the
department is “aware of the posts on social media
but we do not have any reports of actual incidents.”

First snow of the season

Mum charged
with murder in
death of kids
found hanged
Tribune News Service The district attorney said the
Allentown, Pa. investigation, which drew inter-
national attention, was difficult
for both police and the commu-

I
n the weeks before her two
children were found hanging
in the basement of her Berks
County home, Lisa Snyder told
a friend that she was depressed
and “didn’t care about her kids,”
an investigation showed.
Snyder, 36, searched the Inter-
net for information about death
by hanging and carbon monox-
ide poisoning, and perused true-
crime television shows about
getting away with murder. One
day before the hanging, Snyder
ordered the dog lead, a type of dog
leash, that was found wrapped
around their necks.
She picked it up the next
morning from the Hamburg
nity.
“It is very emotional for all
of us,” Adams said at a news
conference at the Berks county
courthouse in Reading to an-
nounce the charges. “To have
two children taken at such a
young age, what appears to be
two very innocent people. It’s
not right. It hits us in the heart.”
Police were called to Sny-
der’s home on Route 143, near
Kempton, around 4.30pm on
September 23 and found Conner A woman passes a car jumpstarting another, following the first snow of the season during the morning commute in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, US, yesterday.
and Brinley hanging about three
feet apart from opposite ends of
a plastic-coated wire dog lead.
The children were unresponsive
and in cardiac arrest.

Trump loses court fight

Walmart, police said, hours be-
fore the children were found.
After more than two months
of investigation, authorities have
now charged Snyder with first-de-
gree murder, third-degree murder,
tampering with evidence and en-
They were airlifted to Lehigh
Valley Hospital Cedar Crest,
where they were taken off life sup-
port three days later, Adams said.
Adams said Snyder told first
responders that she attempted
to get Brinley, who weighed

over financial records

dangering the welfare of children.
As Snyder, of Albany Town-
ship, was arrested she showed
“little to no emotion,” said Berks
County district attorney John
Adams, and continued to insist
that her son, Conner, was bullied
at school and took his own life
and that of his sister, Brinley.
Adams said interviews with
Conner’s classmates and teach-
about 40 pounds, down from the
lead, but became overwhelmed
by anxiety and left the basement
to call 911. Rescue workers cut
the children down. Snyder never
returned to the basement while
paramedics worked to save the
children, Adams said, which po- Reuters Trump is expected to appeal significant public interest than at the Supreme Court of the US.” to keep his financial and tax
lice found suspicious. New York the case to the US Supreme whatever public interest inheres The Supreme Court’s 5-4 records private.
“I would agree that we all may Court. in avoiding the risk of a chief conservative majority includes He broke with tradition by not
think that a mother of children The 2nd Circuit rejected executive’s distraction arising two justices appointed by releasing his tax returns as a can-

ers, as well as a video of him
getting off the bus shortly be-
fore Snyder called 911 to report
finding the children hanging,
showed that wasn’t true.
“The video shows no sign that
Conner was in distress whatso-
ever,” Adams said. “In fact, from
the video he appeared to be a
happy child.”
Adams confirmed that Berks
County Children and Youth had
previously removed Conner and
Brinley from Snyder’s care, later
returning the children to their
mother.
Snyder is being held in Berks
county jail without bail.
who are found hanging would
make every effort possible to
save them,” Adams said. “That
was not done in this situation.”
Recordings of 911 calls re-
vealed that Snyder told rescue
workers that Conner was bul-
lied and had been threatening
suicide. She claimed he killed his
sister because he “didn’t want
to go alone.” Adams said police
had doubts about that part of the
story from the start.
“Eight-year-olds, generally,
that I am aware of, do not com-
mit suicide, so of course we had
questions almost immediately,”
Adams said.
A
US appeals court yes-
terday handed President
Donald Trump another
defeat in his bid to keep his fi-
nancial records secret, directing
Deutsche Bank AG and Capital
One Financial Corporation to
comply with subpoenas from
congressional Democrats de-
manding the material.
A three-judge panel of the
Manhattan-based 2nd US Cir-
cuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1
against Trump’s bid to block
two House of Representatives
committees from enforcing sub-
poenas issued in April to the two
banks seeking the documents.
Trump’s arguments that Con-
gress lacked a valid purpose for
seeking his records and that
disclosure of the material would
compromise his and his family’s
privacy and distract the Repub-
lican president from his duties.
The material sought by the
committees include records of
accounts, transactions and in-
vestments linked to Trump, his
three oldest children, their im-
mediate family members and
several Trump Organisation
entities.
“The Committees’ interests
in pursuing their constitutional
legislative function is a far more
from disclosure of documents
reflecting his private financial
transactions,” Judge Jon New-
man wrote in the ruling.
Trump had sued the two
banks in an effort to prevent
the disclosure of his financial
records.
US district judge Edgardo
Ramos ruled in May that the
subpoenas could be enforced,
prompting Trump to appeal.
“We believe the subpoenas
at issue are not invalid,” said Jay
Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump. “In
light of the 2nd Circuit decision,
we are evaluating our next op-
tions including seeking review
Trump.
In separate legal cases, Trump
also has sought to block House
Democrats from obtaining his
tax and financial records from
his long-time accounting firm.
The subpoenas involved in
yesterday’s ruling were issued
months before House Demo-
crats began an inquiry in Sep-
tember into whether there were
grounds to impeach Trump over
his request to Ukraine to inves-
tigate Democratic political rival
Joe Biden and his son Hunter
Biden.
Trump, running for re-elec-
tion in 2020, has fought hard
didate in 2016 and as president.
Germany’s Deutsche Bank
has long been a principal lender
for Trump’s real estate business.
A 2017 disclosure form showed
that Trump had at least $130mn
of liabilities to the bank.
“As we have said previously,
we remain committed to pro-
viding appropriate information
to all authorised investigations
and will abide by a court order
regarding such investigations,”
a Deutsche Bank spokesman
said of yesterday’s decision.
Capital One did not imme-
diately respond to a request for
comment.

Fire shuts subway

Ontario focused on rare Buttigieg ‘stole’ my
disease drugs ahead of talks healthcare plan: Biden
Reuters favours the public option and
Reuters “On the other issues, we don’t grammes support older Canadi- Fort Dodge, Iowa coined the phrase “Medicare
Toronto see that there’s a problem, with ans and people with low income for all who want it” to describe
respect to Ontario.” or very high costs. the concept.

U
There is likely room for consen- Most rely on employer-fund- S Democratic presi- “He stole it,” Biden told re-

T
he Canadian province
of Ontario will push for
the federal government
to tackle the high cost of treat-
ments for rare diseases as ne-
gotiations over a new national
prescription drug programme
are set to kick off, the province’s
health minister said.
Prime Minister Justin Tru-
deau’s Liberal Party, which was
reduced to a minority govern-
ment following the October
election, made a universal phar-
macare programme a key cam-
paign promise of their re-elec-
tion bid, without offering much
detail on how it might work.
The details will need to be ne-
gotiated with provincial and ter-
ritorial governments, responsible
for delivering most healthcare.
“I think that we should start
with where we see a real prob-
lem, and Ontario sees a real
problem with the rare and or-
phan disease drugs,” Christine
Elliott, the provincial health
minister, said in an interview.
sus on rare diseases, as the federal
government promised a new na-
tional strategy to improve access
to the drugs in the last budget.
But since by definition few
patients have rare diseases, a
programme focused there would
not get Canada much closer to
the universal coverage Trudeau
promised.
While rare disease treatments
face small markets, the extreme-
ly high prices they command
and policies that speed their ap-
proval have made them a hot and
profitable niche for drugmakers.
Elliott said she told new feder-
al Minister of Health Patty Hajdu
during a call on Friday that pro-
vincial and territorial ministers
would like to teleconference
early in the new year and meet in
the spring on a number of issues,
including drug costs.
Canada is the only devel-
oped country with a universal
healthcare system that does not
cover prescription drugs for all,
although a patchwork of pro-
ed plans to pay for medicines.
Trudeau’s Liberals will need
the support of rivals like the left-
leaning New Democratic Party
(NDP) to govern.
The NDP has pushed for a
comprehensive, single-payer
drug programme.
Ontario, with a right-wing
populist premier, Doug Ford, is
one of several provinces led by
rival parties.
If too many provinces opt
out of pharmacare, that would
weaken the programme as lower
participation means less bar-
gaining power in buying drugs.
As Canada’s most populous
province, Ontario is particularly
important, but the promise of
billions in new federal funding
could make a deal possible.
Elliott also said the province
needs to make a decision on
whether to switch patients to
biosimilars, cheaper near copies
of expensive biotech drugs for
which exact generic copies are
not possible.
dential contender Joe
Biden said his fast-ris-
ing rival Pete Buttigieg “stole”
the former vice president’s
healthcare policy proposals,
as the two battle for support
in the early nominating state
of Iowa.
Biden, among the leaders in
the 16-member Democratic
field for the right to take on
Republican President Donald
Trump in next year’s election,
is proposing expanding the Af-
fordable Care Act.
Popularly known as
Obamacare, the healthcare law
was the signature domestic
policy achievement of former
Democratic president Barack
Obama, whom Biden served as
Nearly 200 commuters were forced to evacuate a train No 2.
and trudge through a smoky tunnel after a small fire shut Biden would add a “public
down a stretch of Toronto’s busy crosstown line for several option,” allowing individuals
hours. The blaze broke out on the tracks near the platform at to opt into a government plan
Dundas West Station around 7am, prompting the evacuation but preserving the existing role
of that station and a neighbouring one, the city’s fire for private insurers.
department and the Toronto Transit Commission said. Like Biden, Buttigieg, the
porters on his campaign bus in
Iowa.
Biden said he would have
been criticised if he had copied
someone else’s health plan.
“What would you have done
to me? You’d have torn my ears
off,” he said.
A spokesman for Buttigieg’s
campaign declined to com-
ment but pointed to state-
ments by Buttigieg about
“Medicare for all who want it”
that pre-date Biden’s current
presidential campaign.
Biden was in Iowa for eight
straight days of campaign-
ing to thwart a slide in public
opinion polls that has ben-
efited Buttigieg, who leaped
into first place in some recent
surveys there.
The Iowa caucus on Febru-
ary 3 will be Democrats’ first
nominating contest.
Polls show Senators Bernie
Sanders and Elizabeth War-
ren are also in the running in

All News Network 3316362354 mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Iowa.


Smoke grenade blast
injures two in Jakarta
Reuters
Jakarta
A
suspected smoke grenade
exploded yesterday at
a park near Indonesia’s
presidential palace in the capi-
tal Jakarta, injuring two military
personnel who were jogging, the
city’s police chief said.
President Joko Widodo was
not at the palace at the time, a
presidential spokesman said.
It was not immediately clear if
the blast was the result of an at-
tack, but Indonesia, the world’s
most populous Muslim-majori-
ty country, has suffered a resur-
gence in homegrown militancy
in recent years.
The explosion, at 7:15am
(0015 GMT) on the north side
of the park, was thought to have
been caused by a smoke grenade,
Jakarta police chief Gatot Eddy
Pramono told a televised news
conference.
It injured two military per-
sonnel who were there for exer-
cise, Jakarta military chief Eko
Margiyono said, adding that
they were taken to hospital and
were conscious.
Lankan ambassador
summoned over mission
worker’s abduction
AFP
Geneva
S
witzerland has sum-
moned Sri Lanka’s am-
bassador and asked to
see the “purported evidence”
that Colombo says casts doubt
on claims by a Swiss embassy
staff member that she was
abducted.
Envoy Karunasena Hetti-
arachchi, who is based in Ber-
lin, met Switzerland’s State
Secretary Pascale Baeriswyl in
Bern on Monday, a statement
said.
The diplomatic spat began
when a senior Sri Lanka police
officer sought asylum in Swit-
zerland after investigating sev-
eral cases involving members
of the powerful Rajapaksa fam-
ily - Gotabaya Rajapaksa cur-
rently serves as president.
Boat rescue
Residents ride a boat along houses submerged by floodwaters following heavy rains in Sungai Kolok district in southern
Thai province of Narathiwat yesterday.
Nepal village to offer cash rewards to women who shun ‘menstrual huts’
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Kathmandu
A
Nepali village will give
cash rewards to women
who refuse to be isolated
in illegal ‘menstrual huts’ dur-
ing their periods, an official said
yesterday after the custom led to
another death.
Parbati Buda, 21, was on the
third day of her period on Sun-
“A smoke grenade was found
and we’re looking into why it
was there,” Margiyono said, in
comments aimed at reassuring
the public that described the in-
cident “as not so extraordinary”.
Asked if the blast was the
result of an attack, Pramono
responded, “We haven’t con-
cluded so, because we’re still
investigating.”
Pramono was cited by CNN
Indonesia as saying that smoke
grenades were sometimes car-
ried by personnel in the riot
squad or other units.
“Maybe it was left behind or
something,” he said.
Jakarta police spokesman
Yusri Yunus said his officers
were awaiting the go-ahead
from doctors to question the two
injured soldiers.
Within three hours, authorities
had reopened the park area where
the blast took place, across the
street from the headquarters of
Indonesia’s home ministry.
The park in the heart of the
city is a popular spot for people
working out and also tourists.
Last month, six people were
wounded after a 24-year-old
university student blew himself
The next day a local worker
at the Swiss embassy in Co-
lombo claimed she had been
abducted and forced to hand
over sensitive information -
reportedly including the names
of Sri Lankans who had sought
asylum in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss for-
eign ministry, the woman was
“threatened by unidentified
men” and forced “to disclose
embassy-related information”.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka sought
to raise doubts about the Swiss
narrative, claiming ambassa-
dor Hanspeter Mock had been
given “clear evidence” that the
staff member’s account did not
add up.
But in a statement issued late
on Monday, the Swiss foreign
ministry indicated that such
proof had not been shared.
The state secretary “asked
ambassador Hettiarachchi to
day when she lit a fire to keep
warm in the freezing mud and
stone hut, but was discovered
dead the next morning in west-
ern Nepal’s Achham district,
police said.
“It appears she died after suf-
focating,” Narapati Bhatta, a
police inspector, said.
Outrage led to a parliamentary
investigation into the centuries-
old Nepali practice of “chhau-
padi”, outlawed in 2005, after a
Police cover a blood spilled with soil at the blast site in Jakarta yesterday.
up outside police headquarters
in the Indonesian city of Medan.
The attack was linked to the
Islamic State-inspired Jamaah
Ansharut Daulah (JAD), respon-
explain the purported evidence
against the events described
by the embassy, which the Sri
Lankan Ministry of Foreign
Affairs had alluded to”, the
statement said.
Meanwhile, Colombo Chief
Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne
has ordered the woman to
make a statement to inves-
tigators by December 9 after
police said they needed to in-
terview her. The magistrate
restricted her travel abroad
until December 9.
The Swiss repeated that it
supported Sri Lanka’s desire to
investigate the matter but reit-
erated that “the employee con-
cerned still cannot be questioned
on health grounds”.
The Sri Lankan government
this week alerted airport im-
migration authorities to stop
any police officer leaving the
country without permission.
teenage girl and a mother and
her young sons died in two simi-
lar incidents earlier this year.
The custom remains prevalent
in Nepal’s remote west where
some communities fear misfor-
tune, such as a natural disaster,
unless menstruating women and
girls - seen as impure - are sent
away to animal sheds or huts.
They are also not allowed to
meet other family members or
All News Network 3316362354
venture out, must eat frugally,
sible for a series of attacks across
the country.
In October, a suspected mili-
tant stabbed and wounded
former security minister Wiran-
Shelling by Myanmar
army kills three in
Rakhine: lawmaker
Reuters
Yangon
S B
helling by Myanmar’s
military killed three - a
woman and two infants
- and wounded six others in
Rakhine State on Monday, ac-
cording to residents and a law-
maker in the town of Mrauk U,
where security forces are fight-
ing against an ethnic militant
group.
The army unleashed a
counter-insurgency campaign
against the Arakan Army,
which recruits from the re-
gion’s mostly Buddhist ethnic
Rakhine population, almost a
year ago.
The militants are fighting
for greater autonomy from the
and are barred from touching a
range of items - including milk
and cattle.
The chairman of Purbichowki
village municipality in Doti dis-
trict - on the western border of
Achham district where the latest
victim died - said he will reward
women who reject chhaupadi
with 5,000 Nepali rupees ($44).
“We need to tear down the
huts in our minds, change atti-
tudes and accept menstruation
to at a function to open a univer-
sity building. Wiranto, who uses
just one name, like many Indo-
nesians, had to have surgery, but
has since left hospital.
central government, and au-
thorities cut internet access to
most of the region in June.
Tens of thousands of peo-
ple have been displaced across
Rakhine since clashes began in
December last year, bringing
fresh chaos to the region, from
which more than 730,000 Ro-
hingya Muslims fled a military
crackdown in 2017.
Two military spokesmen did
not answer phone calls from
Reuters seeking comment,
while a spokesman for the Ar-
akan Army also blamed the
army for the shelling, saying
there were no clashes involving
its fighters in Mrauk U.
Two pregnant women were
among the wounded, and the
woman killed in the shelling
was a mother of three, Tun
Dhaka campus vending machines
offer menstrual pads to students
Vending machines have been
installed at Bangladesh’s
leading university to provide
female students with sanitary
pads as part of efforts to break
the “taboo” of menstruation in
the South Asian society.
Students at the University of
Dhaka will be able to collect
sanitary pads whenever
they need them from 10
machines installed on the
campus, Tilottama Sikder, an
elected member of the Dhaka
University Central Students
Union (DUCSU), said yesterday.
Education Minister Dipu Moni
is expected to formally open
the service, jointly brought in
by the DUCSU and Advanced
Chemical Industries, a leading
conglomerate that makes
pharmaceutical products,
today.
Each pad will cost 10 taka
(slightly higher than 10 dollar
as a natural process in the life of
a woman,” said Dirgha Raj Boga-
ti, adding that demolishing the
huts had proven ineffective.
“If we dismantle one hut, they
move away and build another
one,” he said.
The new reward - a one-off
payment to deter families from
using the huts - will benefit 100
women this year, he said, in one
of the world’s poorest nations,
where World Bank data shows
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
ASIA
Bangladesh
shuts recruiting
agencies after
abuse claims
AFP
Dhaka
B
angladesh said yes-
terday that it has shut
down 166 recruiting
agencies hiring people to work
in Saudi Arabia after a spate of
sexual abuse and torture al-
legations at the hands of em-
ployers in the Gulf kingdom.
Since 1991, some 300,000
Bangladeshi women have
travelled to Saudi Arabia, ac-
cording to the Dhaka gov-
ernment, mostly to work as
household staff.
But a string of them have re-
turned to Bangladesh in recent
months levelling allegations of
sexual abuse and torture and
even that recruiters had sold
them as sex slaves.
Last month videos secretly
shot by Bangladeshi female
workers were shared hun-
dreds of thousands of times
on social media and sparked
protests across Bangladesh.
Government spokes-
man Munirus Saleheen said
that the agencies that were
Aung Kyaw, a regional MP from
Mrauk U, said.
“The government must pri-
oritise the safety of civilians
immediately. They must con-
trol their security forces,” he
said.
Before the recent fighting,
Mrauk U was popular with in-
ternational tourists who came
to see the ancient temples that
dot the landscape.
Now, displaced villagers
camp in tents in the shadows
of the monuments and, in the
town, families sleep in bunkers
built with sandbags to escape
shelling and gunfire.
“This has happened in a ci-
vilian area in Mrauk U town and
also near … an ancient pagoda,”
said Zaw Htun, a local teacher.
“It is unacceptable.”
cents), Sikder said.
The services will be available
in women’s common rooms,
libraries and all female
dormitories.
“It is part of a social movement
against the taboo over
women’s menstruation in
Bangladesh,” Sikder said,
adding that the service will
significantly ease women’s
difficulties during their period.
Menstrual hygiene is a
challenge as the majority of
women and girls use old cloth
to soak up the blood, according
to a 2014 national hygiene
study in Bangladesh.
About a third of teenage
girls and half of adult women
are forbidden from religious
activities while menstruating,
and a further quarter to third
are forbidden from non-
religious activities during that
time, the report said. (DPA)
41% of a 28mn population live
on less than $3.20 a day.
Bogati repeated warnings by
local officials that families would
be denied state benefits if found
practising chhaupadi.
The government introduced
three-month jail terms and fines
of 3,000 rupees for those who
exclude menstruating women
and girls, which puts them at
risk of snake bites, attacks by
wild animals and abuse, as well
Gulf Times
13
shut down had failed to pro-
vide safeguards to the mi-
grant workers and in some
cases sent them back to their
employers.
“Our campaign will
continue,” Saleheen said.
Their closure followed talks
between Bangladeshi and
Saudi officials in Riyadh.
Both countries also decided
to update an online database
of the female workers to en-
sure their safety, a statement
issued by the Bangladeshi ex-
patriate welfare ministry said.
Saudi police have also
agreed not to hand back any
Bangladeshi woman who es-
caped from a Saudi employer
to her workplace, it said.
The ministry also said that
the Saudi Department of Pro-
tection and Support “will
take prompt action if a female
worker falls in danger”.
Dhaka last week said it was
also trying to repatriate an-
other 32 women who filmed
a joint distress call from a
Saudi detention centre af-
ter they ran away from their
employers.
Rohingya
child refugees
being denied
education,
says HRW
Reuters
Yangon
angladesh is blocking hun-
dreds of thousands of Ro-
hingya children from ac-
cessing meaningful education,
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
said yesterday, urging authorities
to lift restrictions on schooling in
refugee camps.
In a report called ‘Are we not
human?’, HRW accused Bang-
ladesh of violating the rights of
400,000 school-age children
who have fled Myanmar and are
currently living in the Cox’s Ba-
zaar refugee camps.
“Depriving an entire genera-
tion of children of education is
in no one’s interest,” Bill Van Es-
veld, associate children’s rights
director at HRW said. “The in-
ternational community needs to
act and demand that Bangladesh
and Myanmar change course.”
More than 730,000 Rohingya
Muslims have fled Myanmar to
neighbouring Bangladesh since
a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar’s
military, which followed attacks
by Rohingya insurgents.
The HRW report said Bangla-
desh had banned Rohingya refu-
gees from enrolling in schools out-
side the camps or taking national
exams and also barred UN agencies
and foreign aid groups from giving
formal accredited education.
It accused Myanmar of not
agreeing to recognise the use of its
school curriculum in the camps.
Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief
and Repatriation Commission
chief Mahbub Alam Talukder
said it was untrue that children
in the camps were not being edu-
cated and that there were 4,000
learning centres in the camps.
“Rohingya will have to go back
to Myanmar,” he said. “They are
not our citizens and we can’t
allow them to use our national
curriculum.”
as carbon dioxide poisoning.
Campaigners say few are pun-
ished as victims rarely file com-
plaints against their own family
members. Om Prakash Aryal, a
human rights lawyer, urged po-
lice to prepare their own reports
and file cases in courts if victims
feared coming forward.
“It is shame that such an in-
human practice still prevails
in Nepal. It is a blot on our
civilisation,” he said.
 Gulf Times
14 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

ASIA/AUSTRALASIA
WHO warns measles resurgent as Samoa deaths continue to climb
AFP since the epidemic began in mid-
Wellington October, 50 of them children
aged four or under, officials in
the Pacific nation said yesterday.
have so far done little to stop the higher than people realise,” he past 20 years. “But we are start- eliminated” status a few months from anti-vaccine campaigners.
virus spreading in a country that told Radio New Zealand. ing to have a slide back and there later, despite experiencing its Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele
was particularly vulnerable to “This is quite a severe disease are outbreaks happening all over worst outbreak since 1992. The Malielegaoi this week said vac-
measles due to low vaccination and we just aren’t used to seeing the world in all WHO regions WHO has pointed to various rea- cination was the only answer to

T
he World Health Organi-
sation (WHO) warned of
a “slide back” in global
efforts to eliminate measles yes-
terday, as the death toll from an
outbreak that has killed dozens
of children in Samoa continued
to climb.
A total of 55 people have died
Another 18 infants are criti-
cally ill in hospital and the cri-
sis shows no sign of slowing,
with 153 new cases in the past
24 hours, taking the national
total to 3,881 in a population of
200,000. Emergency measures
including compulsory mass im-
munisations and school closures
rates of about 31%.
World Health Organisation
medical officer for the western
Pacific, Jose Hagan, said it was
a grim reminder of the danger
posed by “probably the most
infectious disease that we know
of”. “Unfortunately the case (to)
fatality rate of measles is much
it, so it comes as quite a surprise
when we see how fatal it can be.”
He said the fatality rate in Sa-
moa was less than 2% but had
been known to reach 5% in de-
veloping countries.
Hagen said increased access to
measles vaccines was estimated
to have saved 21mn lives over the
and it’s leading to the virus being
exported through internation-
al travel,” he said. Cases have
skyrocketed in Europe, leading
to Britain, Greece, the Czech
Republic and Albania all los-
ing their measles-free status in
August. The United States nar-
rowly maintained its “measles
sons for declining immunisation
rates including lack of access
to healthcare and complacency
about the need to vaccinate.
Another major factor, which
has been cited by the WHO as
a reason for the severity of the
Samoa outbreak, is misinfor-
mation about immunisation
the epidemic.
He has ordered the govern-
ment to cease non-essential
operations on Thursday and
Friday so public servants can
help a mandatory vaccination
campaign that aims to give anti-
measles jabs to everyone aged
below 60.

North Korea’s Kim

opens huge flagship
construction project the area several times, report-
AFP
Seoul edly riding a white horse to the
mountain’s summit in October.
The vast Samjiyon project in-

N
orth Korean leader Kim
Jong-un has opened a
flagship construction
project close to Mount Paektu,
a symbol of the Korean nation
and officially the birthplace of
his father and predecessor, state
media reported yesterday.
The ceremony was held in
snowy scenes before thousands
of soldiers and civilians, and
portrayed as a demonstration
of the resilience of the North,
which is subject to international
sanctions imposed over its nu-
clear weapons and ballistic mis-
sile programmes.
It comes with time running
out on Pyongyang’s demand for
the US to offer it fresh conces-
sions by the end of the year, and
ahead of Kim’s New Year speech
on January 1, a key political
set-piece in the isolated coun-
try. Kim donned a black leather
trench coat and gloves for the
opening, and — surrounded by
fur-hatted officials — cut a red
ribbon in front of a statue of his
father Kim Jong-il.
Winter already has North Ko-
rea’s far north firmly in its grip,
and icicles hung from build-
ings, Korean Central Television
(KCTV) footage showed — the
Skiers watching fireworks during a ceremony to mark the completion
of the construction of the township of Samjiyon County.
largely empty streets covered
in snow. Banners proclaimed:
“Long live the great leader of the
force of our party and country,
comrade Kim Jong Un!” Kim had
“worked heart and soul to turn
Samjiyon County, the sacred
place of the revolution, into the
utopia town under socialism”, the
official KCNA news agency said.
The Korean people were,
it said, “advancing along the
straight road chosen by them-
selves without any vacillation
despite the worst trials”. Nuclear
negotiations with the United
States have been deadlocked
since the Hanoi summit broke
up in February, and Pyongyang
has issued a series of increas-
ingly assertive comments in re-
cent weeks as its time limit ap-
proaches.
In a separate report yester-
day, KCNA quoted vice foreign
minister Ri Thae-song saying:
“What gift the US receives for
Christmas depends entirely on
the US’ decision.”
Pyongyang has poured huge
resources into the rebuilding of
Samjiyon, the closest town to
Mount Paektu, a dormant volca-
no that straddles the border with
China. Kim is closely associated
with the scheme and has visited
cludes a museum of revolution- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accompanied by Pak Pong-ju, vice-chairman of the State Affairs
ary activities, a winter sports Commission of the DPRK, cuts the ribbon during a ceremony at the township of Samjiyon County,
training complex, processing North Korea, in this undated picture released by North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA).
plants for blueberries and pota-
toes, and 10,000 apartments.
Thousands of workers
swarmed over the site during
construction, AFP saw, many
of them soldiers. Much of the
North Korean army is devoted to
construction.
Students have been sent to
work on the scheme during uni-
versity holidays, KCNA reported
previously, while diplomats
say children have also been de-
ployed.
According to North Korean
propaganda, Kim Jong-il was
born at the nearby Mount Paektu
Secret Camp where his own fa-
ther Kim Il-sung was fighting
the Japanese — although inde-
pendent historians and Soviet
records say he was actually born
in Russia, where North Korea’s
founder was in exile.
The official story plays a cen-
tral role in Pyongyang’s teach-
ings about the Kim family, who
have led the country for three
generations, and every year
100,000 or more students and
workers are taken on study trips
to the area. A view of North Korean township of Samjiyon County after its completion.

Imperial Springs Forum in Beijing

Former Malaysia PM Najib attends
court proceedings in 1MDB trial
AFP
Kuala Lumpur

F
ormer Malaysian prime
minister Najib Razak was
a “victim” of the multi-
million dollar 1MDB scandal that
saw state coffers drained on his
watch, his lawyer said yesterday,
as the ex-premier gave evidence
in his own fraud trial.
Huge sums were stolen from
sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia
Development Berhad, allegedly
by the ex-prime minister and his
cronies, and spent on everything
from high-end real estate to art-
work.
China’s President Xi Jinping shakes hands with former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai Najib’s coalition was ousted at
before posing for a photo with representatives of the Imperial Springs International Forum the polls last year after six dec-
at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. ades in power, largely due to pub- Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak with his supporters before entering a court room at the
lic anger over the scandal. He has High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.
since been arrested and hit with
dozens of charges linked to the achieve its goals and attract in- fence lawyers had earlier said it manner as the prime minister
looting of the investment vehi- vestments.” would take two days for him to and minister of finance and in the

Tourists found alive after two cle. “Najib is not part of the con-
spiracy. He is a victim as much as
others in the 1MDB scandal,” his
Najib, 66, went on trial in
April over the controversy, in a
case centred on the transfer of
read the entire statement, but
as his testimony went on, it ap-
peared it would take longer.
interest of the public.”
Lawyer Shafee said they will
prove that Najib “did not misap-

weeks lost in Australian outback lawyer Muhammad Shafee Ad-

AFP put and waiting for a rescue,
Sydney the group feared supplies were
dwindling and two of them de-
cided to walk along a property
ley told public broadcaster ABC
that the trio — accompanied by
their blue Staffordshire terrier
Raya — had survived by drink-
bullah told reporters.
“The leader of the pack is Jho
Low,” he said, referring to fugi-
tive Malaysian financier Low
Taek Jho, a member of Najib’s in-
ner circle who allegedly master-
minded the elaborate fraud that
42mn ringgit ($10.1mn) from
former 1MDB unit SRC Inter-
national into his bank accounts.
The former leader arrived at the
court wearing a blue suit and held
a brief prayer with supporters at
the building’s steps. Defence
proceedings began with Najib
He was able to read only 70
pages in his statement by the end
of the day. The trial will resume
today. Najib is facing four charges
of corruption and three counts of
money-laundering in the trial.
Each charge of corruption carries
a maximum jail term of 20 years,
propriate funds... either directly
or indirectly” and “did not act
dishonestly”.
The amount transferred to
his account “was done without
his knowledge or involvement”
as the transactions “were be-
ing manipulated by third parties

A
man and woman have
been rescued after sur-
viving two weeks in
Australia’s arid outback on lit-
tle more than groundwater and
biscuits, but a third person is still
missing, police said yesterday.
The three friends set out to
explore the country’s vast sun-
baked interior near Alice Springs
on November 19 when their car
became bogged down in a river
bed. After three days staying
fence line in the hope of finding
help.
Police said yesterday that a lo-
cal rancher had found the man,
40-year-old Phu Tran, “slightly
disorientated” but in a “good
condition” a two-day walk from
the vehicle.
His discovery came after
Tamra McBeath-Riley, 52, was
found on Sunday less than 2km
from the same vehicle suffering
from dehydration. McBeath-Ri-
ing pre-mixed vodka drinks and
water from a hole dug for cattle,
eating biscuits and sheltering in
a hole dug under her car.
But the third person, 46-year-
old Claire Hockridge, has not
been seen since splitting from
Phu two days ago.
“She was still fine when he
left but we obviously are now
focusing our search to identify
where she is,” police superin-
tendent Pauline Vicary said.
spanned from the United States
to Switzerland, Dubai and Sin-
gapore.
“The crux of my defence is
the entire scheme is designed
by Jho Low,” Shafee added. Low
“portrayed himself as someone
influential in the Middle East
countries” Najib told the packed
courtroom, speaking calmly dur-
ing five hours of testimony.
“I thought his influence and
giving testimony under oath. He
will be cross-examined by pros-
ecutors and is expected to be on
the witness stand for around four
days.
He began his testimony read-
ing from a 243-page statement,
recalling his long career in poli-
tics and ministerial posts he held
since 1978, including the post
of finance minister, and giving
lengthy background on the set-
and each money-laundering
count is punishable by a term of
up to 15 years.
Prosecutors have argued that
Najib wielded huge influence
over the unit and knew that sto-
len money was being funnelled
from it into his accounts.
But Najib told the court: “I,
in an absolute and unequivo-
cal manner, like to state that I do
not have any personal interest
without his knowledge and ap-
proval,” Shafee said. The case is
one of several 1MDB-linked tri-
als investigating Najib’s conduct.
The biggest opened in August,
centring on allegations he illicitly
obtained over $500mn from the
fund. US authorities who are also
investigating the fraud, as money
was allegedly laundered through
the American financial system,
believe $4.5bn was looted from

All News Network 3316362354

connections will help 1MDB ting up of 1MDB and SRC. De- in SRC, except in a professional the fund.
 Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 15

SETBACK
Tories’ ice sculpture
complaint dismissed
Britain’s TV regulator rejected a complaint by the
Conservatives over an election debate on climate
change in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson was
replaced by a melting ice sculpture. Channel 4 had
invited all political leaders to take part in last week’s
hour-long debate but Johnson refused, suggesting
that minister Michael Gove could go in his place. But
the broadcaster would not accept Gove and instead
replaced Johnson with a ice sculpture of planet
Earth. The Conservatives complained to broadcast-
ing watchdog Ofcom about a lack of impartiality. But
Ofcom ruled the programme “did not raise issues
warranting further investigation under our due
impartiality and elections rules”.
DECISION
US broadcaster Sky to
invest $3.9bn in studio
US-owned broadcasting group Sky launched
plans yesterday to develop a major new television
and film studio in Elstree, north of London, in an
area steeped in movie history. The broadcaster
said in a statement that Sky Studios Elstree will
support over 2,000 jobs in the creative sector
and will receive £3bn production investment over
five years. British-based Sky, formerly owned by
media baron Rupert Murdoch but run by US ca-
ble giant Comcast since 2018, added that the facil-
ity would include 14 stages. “Sky Studios Elstree
will play a pivotal role in bringing the wealth of UK
and European talent and creativity to the world,”
said Sky Chief executive Jeremy Darroch.
OFFBEAT
Full stop for
Apostrophe Society
The Apostrophe Protection Society is closing down,
its founder has announced. Former journalist John
Richards, 96, started the society in 2001, aiming to
preserve the correct use of the “much abused punc-
tuation mark”. Richards spent the last quarter of his
career as a sub-editor – a task which also involved
correcting journalists’ use of Apostrophes. When he
retired, he kept spotting the same glaring mistakes
and decided to take action. But Richards said he was
now closing down operations for two reasons. “One
is that at 96 I am cutting back on my commitments
and the second is that fewer organisations now
care about the correct use of the Apostrophe in the
English language.”
BRITAIN
POLLUTION
Whale died with 100kg
plastic junk in its belly
A sperm whale washed up on a British beach
may have starved to death because its stomach
was packed with so much plastic waste. The
46ft-long whale had a gut full of discarded fishing
nets and other debris such as cups and carrier
bags weighing around 100kg. It was found on a
beach on the Isle of Harris in the Hebrides and
dissected by scientists to try to find the cause of
its stranding. A member of the Scottish Marine
Animal Stranding Scheme said on Facebook: ‘It
was a sad, sad ending for this juvenile whale. The
intestines had virtually nothing in them as it could
no longer process food. Debris in our oceans is
everyone’s problem.”
U-TURN
School drops beard ban
for pupils after outcry
A school has ditched plans to stop pupils growing
beards after an outcry from parents. The mixed
secondary said it was outlawing all facial hair, also in-
cluding moustaches and sideburns, so that younger
pupils won’t feel ‘intimidated’. The “additional dress
regulation” was outlined in an e-mail to parents at
The Brakenhale School in Bracknell, Berkshire. It said
the rule was “in line with other schools”. But Jane
Coley, headmistress at the comprehensive, now
says she is ditching the proposal after a backlash
from parents. She said it had been the school’s
intention to upset anyone, adding: “We have now re-
flected and as a result we will not be asking students
to remove facial hair.”

Harry Dunn’s
father attacks
Raab over
road death
Guardian News and Media “Raab was cold, stiff and im-
London personal. He offered his condo-
lences, yet they only came across
as empty words. The worst of it

T
he grieving father of Harry
Dunn, the British teenager
killed in a hit-and-run,
has issued a stinging attack on
Dominic Raab, accusing the for-
eign secretary of “empty words”
and only meeting the family as a
publicity stunt.
Harry’s parents, Tim Dunn
and Charlotte Charles, are cam-
paigning for Anne Sacoolas, the
wife of a US intelligence official
who was allegedly responsible
for the fatal crash, to be brought
back to the UK to face justice
after she fled to the US claiming
diplomatic immunity.
In a comment piece for the
Guardian, Dunn accuses Raab of
being “cold, stiff and imperson-
al” when he and Charles met the
politician in a “terrible” encoun-
ter set up under “false pretences”
following their 19-year-old son’s
death.
Dunn, who was dismissed by
the foreign secretary when he
confronted him outside a hus-
tings in Raab’s constituency last
month, condemned the politi-
cian’s conduct. “We think politi-
cians should be honest and de-
cent, and we feel Raab is neither
of those,” he wrote.
“He seemed really troubled to
see me at the hustings. He was
rude and dismissive, he pointed
his finger at me. He could have
was that he didn’t actually have
any good news: he insisted that
Sacoolas had diplomatic immu-
nity. Charlotte, my wife, asked
him if he would put in another
request for a waiver and he said
he would do that,” Dunne wrote.
“I had allowed my hopes to
build up, and now I realised we
had been brought in on false pre-
tences. It felt to us like a public-
ity stunt so that Raab could make
it look to the public as though
he was doing something for
us. After we left the meeting, I
broke down outside his office. I
have been furious with him ever Protesters hold a placard at a demonstration during US President Donald Trump’s visit for the Nato summit, in London yesterday.
since.”
The parents accuse Raab of
giving a statement to the House
of Commons two weeks later
that contradicted what he told
them in the meeting. “He said
that on October 8, the day before
we met him, the US and UK had
agreed that the question of dip-
lomatic immunity was no longer
pertinent because Anne Sacoolas
Trump vows to ‘stay out’
had left the country. As a result,
there were no longer any obsta-
cles to justice. Why, then, had he
told us that she still had immu-
nity? When we heard that state-
ment, we were horrified. After
that, there was no way we could
of UK vote during visit “I’ll stay out of the election,” state visit to Britain earlier this ident who is deeply unpopular in on the NHS were greeted with
AFP
trust him.” London Trump said, adding: “I don’t year by stating that “every- Britain. scepticism.
Another blow came, they say, want to complicate it.” thing” would be on the table in Opinion polls suggest John- “If that’s the case, why have
when Raab told Sky News he was He declined to repeat his any post-Brexit trade talks. son’s Conservative party is these talks gone on for two

easily pulled me aside and talked
to me. If he didn’t have time to
speak, he could have arranged for
us to meet another time. Instead,
he wouldn’t even shake my hand.”
The family first met Raab in
early October.
Their son was killed two
months earlier, outside RAF
Croughton, in Northampton-
shire, when his motorbike was
involved in a crash with a car al-
legedly driven by Sacoolas on the
wrong side of the road. Sacoolas
returned to the US, but Charles
and Dunn hoped Raab could
push for her return to the UK.
However, they were left disap-
pointed after the meeting.
trying to clear the path to justice,
despite having said a month ear-
lier that there were no obstacles.
Having heard nothing from
Raab since their meeting, the
parents decided to travel to his
constituency, Esher and Walton,
to confront him. “If Raab wasn’t
going to let us know what he was
doing, I wanted to ask him face to
face, so he could explain all the
lengths he had supposedly gone
to,” Dunn explained. “We also
wanted to meet local voters and
let them know precisely what
was going on. We think politi-
cians should be honest and de-
cent, and we feel Raab is neither
of those.”
U
S President Donald
Trump yesterday prom-
ised to “stay out” of Brit-
ain’s election campaign during a
two-day visit, while also seek-
ing to defuse a key attack line
against the Prime Minister Boris
Johnson over healthcare.
Downing Street is braced for
fireworks as Trump attends a
meeting of the Nato military al-
liance in Britain, just days before
a crucial election on December
12.
In his first press conference
yesterday, the notoriously un-
predictable US leader tried to
avoid controversy in repeated
questions about British politics.
previous criticism of main
opposition Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn, although he
praised Johnson as “very ca-
pable and I think he will do a
good job”.
But answering questions dur-
ing talks with Nato chief Jens
Stoltenberg, he could not stay
out of an election issue that La-
bour has put at the heart of its
campaign.
Corbyn claims US firms are
seeking to exploit Britain’s
state-run National Health Serv-
ice (NHS) in any UK-US trade
deal London signs after leaving
the European Union.
Trump fuelled the row on his
But Johnson said last week
that if Washington tried to in-
clude the NHS in trade talks,
“we’d walk away”.
Trump yesterday insisted:
“We have absolutely nothing to
do with it and we wouldn’t want
to if you handed it to us on a sil-
ver platter.”
The president confirmed
he would be meeting Johnson,
who is co-hosting the Nato
summit, but it is not clear if
the pair will have formal one-
to-one talks.
There is speculation that, in
the middle of an election cam-
paign, Johnson wants to avoid
appearing too close to a US pres-
heading for a comfortable win
in next week’s election, which
has been dominated by Britain’s
looming EU exit.
Trump supports Brexit but
he publicly criticised former
prime minister Theresa May’s
approach, suggesting she give
up on trying to get a divorce deal
with Brussels.
The US leader has since ques-
tioned whether Johnson’s own
deal would allow a trade deal with
Washington — something the pre-
mier touts as a big prize of Brexit.
NHS doctors and nurses were
among many who held protests
at Trafalgar Square yesterday,
while the president’s assurances
years?” said Corbyn, who claims
to have evidence of secret dis-
cussions with Washington that
include the health service.
The US president has previ-
ously criticised Corbyn as “bad”
for Britain, but he declined to
repeat this yesterday.
In an intervention timed for
the Nato summit, Johnson ac-
cused the Labour leader of be-
ing a security threat, saying that
“every time he has the chance,
he sides with our enemies”. He
told The Sun tabloid that Brit-
ain’s intelligence allies — in-
cluding the US — were “very
anxious” about working with a
Corbyn-led government.

Official visit Man held after boy

Comic Kumar booed dies in hit-and-run
off stage at charity bash Guardian News and Media Essex police said those injured
included two 15-year-old boys,
London
Guardian News and Media about Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg, of I’m a Celebrity 2018. a 13-year-old boy, a 16-year-old
London Theresa May and the Brexit proc- The comedian said at the girl and a 53-year-old woman. At

P
ess for not going well.” opening of the event that mem- olice investigating the least three of the teenagers were
He said he was amazed by how bers of the audience were asked death of a 12-year-old boy thought to be pupils at the school.

T
he comedian Nish Kumar
has spoken out after he
was heckled and forced
to cut his set short at a char-
ity Christmas lunch after making
jokes about Conservative politi-
cians and Brexit.
Kumar said he had a warm
reception at the start of his set
at the Lord’s Taverners Christ-
mas lunch, but that the audience
quickly turned against him once
he spoke about a number of is-
sues including Brexit and Boris
Johnson.
Kumar, who hosts the BBC
comedy series The Mash Report,
said he was surprised by how
angry the audience became at
the event, held at the Grosvenor
House hotel, London, on Mon-
day.
“I made what I considered to
be some extremely mild jokes
“easily offended” the audience
was, and how people had booed
and heckled him for much of his
set. “I sort of knew what I was
doing and I knew the risk,” Ku-
mar said. “They were more eas-
ily offended than I thought they
would be. I would like to apolo-
gise if I triggered any of them.”
He added it was particularly
funny when he told the jeering
audience “I should have known
this would happen when I agreed
to do a set in front of people who
colonised my ancestors”.
One man shouted back: “That
was ages ago.”
Kumar was the headline act of
The Lord’s Taverners Christmas
Lunch, which supports children
living in poverty or with a dis-
ability through sport. The celeb-
rities included Harry Redknapp,
the football manager and winner
to find someone on the table that
most resembled Jeremy Corbyn.
The former Commons Speaker
John Bercow, who was present
at the lunch, was booed by the
room, while Redknapp joked
about tax evasion and the likeli-
hood of Arsenal’s next manager
being English.
“If he is allowed to say that,
why am I not allowed to say what
Boris Johnson said in a newspa-
per column? I don’t understand
why all these things are not fair
game.”
Kumar said, however, he was
glad he had agreed to do the set.
He supports the organisation’s
charitable work and said it was
important for comedians to get
out of their comfort zone, add-
ing: “I was surprised at how an-
gry they were but that’s the way
who was hit by a car out-
side a school in a suspected hit-
and-run have arrested a 51-year-
old man on suspicion of murder.
Four teenagers and a woman in
her 50s were also hurt during the
incident in Loughton, in Essex,
though their injuries were not
thought to be life-threatening.
“As a school and a commu-
nity, we are devastated to say
that as a result of the incident in
Willingale Road, it is with great
sadness that we must report
that a 12-year-old student from
our school has sadly died,” said
Helen Gascoyne, the headteach-
er of Debden Park high school.
“Our thoughts are with the
Queen Elizabeth receives the High Commissioner for family and all those affected. As a
Cyprus Andreas Kakouris and Kareen Farrell Kakouris school we continue to work with
during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in London the police supporting the ongo-
yesterday. ing investigation.”
Essex police said: “A man has
been arrested following a fa-
tal collision in Loughton. The
51-year-old, from Loughton, was
arrested on suspicion of murder,
six offences of attempted mur-
der, one offence of causing death
by dangerous driving, six of-
fences of causing serious injury
by driving, failing to stop at the
scene of a collision and driving
without insurance.
“There is no wider threat to the
public at this time, but we contin-
ue to ask anyone with information
to come forward and assist with
our inquiries.” The arrest came
after police earlier said they were
searching for Loughton man Terry
Glover over the incident.
Officers had earlier urged peo-
ple not to speculate about the
circumstances surrounding the

All News Network 3316362354

it goes at the end of the day.” The boy died in hospital, while collision.
 Gulf Times
16 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

EUROPE

2010s the hottest decade in history, says WMO

AFP hottest non-El Nino year yet. sea level reached its highest on due to weather extremes could temperature rises to “well below” drid over how countries already to increase their climate action
Madrid Man-made emissions from record, fuelled by the 329 bil- reach 22mn. 2C. dealing with climate-related ambition ahead of a deadline next
burning fossil fuels, building in- lion tonnes of ice lost from the “Once again in 2019 weath- The Intergovernmental Panel catastrophe can fund efforts to year.
frastructure, growing crops and Greenland ice sheet in 12 months. er and climate related risks hit on Climate Change (IPCC) last adapt to the new reality. Friederike Otto, deputy direc-

T
his decade is set to be the
hottest in history, the
United Nations weather
agency said yesterday in an an-
nual assessment outlining the
ways in which climate change is
outpacing humanity’s ability to
adapt to it.
The World Meterological Or-
ganisation (WMO) said global
temperatures so far this year
were 1.1° Celsius (2° Farenheit)
above the pre-industrial average
between 1850-1900.
That puts 2019 on course to be
in the top three warmest years
ever recorded, and possibly the
transporting goods mean 2019 is
set to break the record for atmos-
pheric carbon concentrations,
locking in further warming, the
WMO said.
Oceans, which absorb 90%
of the excess heat produced by
greenhouse gases, are now at
their highest recorded tempera-
tures.
The world’s seas are now a
quarter more acidic than 150
years ago, threatening vital ma-
rine ecosystems upon which bil-
lions of people rely for food and
jobs.
In October, the global mean
Each of the last four decades
has been hotter than the last.
And far from climate change
being a phenomenon for future
generations to confront, the ef-
fects of humanity’s insatiable,
growth-at-any cost consump-
tion means millions are already
counting the damage.
The report said more than
10mn people were internally dis-
placed in the first half of 2019
– 7mn directly due to extreme
weather events such as storms,
flooding and drought.
By the end of the year, the
WMO said new displacements
hard,” said WMO secretary-gen-
eral Petteri Taalas. “Heatwaves
and floods which used to be ‘once
in a century’ events are becoming
more regular occurrences.”
At just 1C hotter than pre-in-
dustrial times, 2019 has already
seen deadly heatwaves in Europe,
Australia and Japan, superstorms
devastate southeast Africa, and
wildfires rage out of control in
Australia and California.
Nations are currently in cru-
cial talks in Madrid aimed at fi-
nalising rules for the 2015 Paris
climate accord, which enjoins
countries to work to limit global
year outlined how vital it was for
mankind to aim for a safer cap of
1.5C – ideally by slashing green-
house gas emissions and retool-
ing the global economy towards
renewable energy.
The UN said last week in its
annual “emissions gap” assess-
ment that the world needed to
cut carbon emissions by 7.6%
each year, every year, until 2030
to hit 1.5C.
Instead, emissions are rising.
And while governments spend
hundreds of billions of dollars
subsidising fossil fuels, there ap-
pears to be no consensus in Ma-
“Our economic activities con-
tinue to use the atmosphere as a
waste dump for greenhouse gas-
es,” said Joeri Rogelj, Grantham
Lecturer in Climate Change at
Imperial College London.
Even if all Paris pledges were
honoured, Earth is still on course
to be more than 3C warmer by the
end of the century.
“There is no indication of a
fade out of the warming,” Taalas
told reporters. “The numbers will
be higher if we continue our cur-
rent behaviour.”
Part of the discussions in Ma-
drid is aimed at getting countries
tor of the University of Oxford’s
Environmental Change Institute,
said the WMO report “highlights
that we are not even adapted to
1.1 degree of warming”.
“And there is no doubt that
this 1.1 degree is due to the burn-
ing of fossil fuels,” she said.
Christian Aid’s global climate
lead Kat Kramer said the WMO
report showed the need for con-
crete progress in Madrid.
“Delegates have no excuse to
block progress or drag their feet
when the science is showing how
urgently action is needed,” she
said.

UN sounds alarm on
This handout image obtained on Monday shows unmanned aerial
climate health risks
Reuters capacity and connections.
vehicle (UAV, or ‘drone’) imagery that captured the lake drainage in Madrid As a result, less than half a
unprecedented detail, before (left) and after, five hours later, showing percent of international climate
a loss of 5mn cu m of water, or two-thirds of its volume. finance has gone to projects to

H
uman health is paying the head off climate risks to health,
price of the world’s fail- Campbell-Lendrum said.
ure to curb global warm- “These countries are exposed,

Drones show ice sheet ing, the World Health Organisa-

tion (WHO) warned yesterday,
urging governments at UN cli-
they are vulnerable and they are
unsupported,” he added.
The WHO plans to help de-

fracturing in real time mate talks to cut climate-chang-

AFP By making use of on-board
Washington GPS, the team was able to geo-
locate and stitch together thou-
sands of photos that were in turn
ing emissions faster and provide
funds to address growing threats.
veloping countries put together
projects to bolster their health
systems that can secure backing
Those range from lung and from international climate funds,
heart problems caused by toxic he added.
air to deaths in storms and wild- One of the biggest potential
fires, and the expansion of den- sources of finance, the Green Cli-
gue, malaria, cholera and other mate Fund, has identified health

S
cientists said on Monday
that they had used a drone
to observe the rapid frac-
turing and draining of a lake on
the Greenland ice sheet, a phe-
nomenon that may become more
frequent as a result of climate
change.
The ice sheet is typically about
1km thick, and during summer,
it is normal for some of the sur-
face to melt and form thousands
of lakes.
Many of the lakes drain in just
a few hours, creating vast open-
ings at the base of the ice, up to a
kilometre deep.
Meltwater from surface
streams continues to flow down
them for the rest of the melt sea-
son, creating some of the world’s
largest waterfalls.
This process has been ex-
tremely difficult to observe
firsthand, but a group of gla-
ciologists from the Scott Polar
Institute at the University of
Cambridge were fortunate when
they arrived at the Store Glacier
in northwest Greenland in July
2018.
A few days after their arrival,
over the course of five hours,
two-thirds of the lakes or rough-
ly 5mn litres of water disap-
peared from the surface through
a fracture.
Aerial photography captured
by the drone from before and
after showed a dark blue oval
shrink into a smaller, shallower
and lighter blue circle.
Tom Chudley, co-first author
of the study that appeared in
the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, told AFP
that the “thing that drones can
do is allow us to take these kind
used to create detailed 3D recon-
structions of the ice sheet’s sur-
face.
A glacier is a river of ice that
moves slowly under its own
weight toward the ocean.
When it reaches the sea, it
breaks off into icebergs, which
represent about 40% of Green-
land’s contribution to rising sea
levels (the rest is from the actual
melting of the glaciers).
The Store Glacier advances at
a rate of 600m per year.
The team, which also included
scientists from Aberystwyth and
Lancaster Universities, found
that the sudden drainage of the
lake temporarily increased its
speed from 2m to 5m per day.
The water that fell under the
ice served as a lubricant.
Even more surprising was that
this bed of water lifted the gla-
cier’s height by 55cm, the team
said.
“That’s 1km of ice lifted up
half a metre, so you can imagine
the kind of pressures that were
involved,” said Chudley, a doc-
toral student at Cambridge.
The research team’s paper de-
scribes in fuller detail the for-
mation of these vast fractures,
which in turn create water beds
that accelerate the glacier’s
movement.
“As we see climate change
progressing in Greenland, we’re
seeing more lakes, and we’re see-
ing them get larger, and we’re
seeing them higher up into the
colder section of the ice sheet,
and we can see that some of these
lakes are beginning to drain,” said
Chudley.
“Potentially we’re increas-
ing the amount of lakes that are
diseases spread by mosquitoes
and contaminated water.
“The cost of not taking enough
action at the climate summit... is
paid by my lungs and your lungs,”
said Maria Neira, director of the
department of environment,
climate change and health at the
WHO, a UN agency.
The causes of climate change
and air pollution overlap, she
added, calling for societies to
“decarbonise”, including by
ditching coal as a source of power
and heat, and ending subsidies
for the extraction and use of fos-
sil fuels.
According to the WHO, the
burning of oil, gas and coal is re-
sponsible for two-thirds of the
outdoor air pollution that causes
about 4 million premature deaths
each year.
More intense and longer
heatwaves are another growing
health problem in many parts of
the world.
A study published in the jour-
nal Nature on Monday found ex-
treme heat in the United States
from 1969-1988 caused an in-
A visitor walks by the logo of the UN Climate Change Conference COP25, decorated with plants at the
‘IFEMA – Feria de Madrid’ exhibition centre, in Madrid.
crease in deliveries of babies on
the day it hit and the day after,
with those births happening up
to two weeks before they were
due.
Such early births can poten-
tially harm children’s later devel-
opment, researchers said.
At the Madrid climate talks
yesterday, activists and aid agen-
cies cited a rise in hospital emis-
sions linked to smoke from Aus-
tralia’s recent bushfires.
In southern African countries
hit by Cyclone Idai this year, they
said, people are struggling to
feed their families after fields and
homes were destroyed.
To deal with the rising human
and financial health costs of cli-
mate change, health services and
related institutions need a boost
in funding – currently sorely
lacking, the WHO said.
Yesterday, it released a report
highlighting how countries are
increasingly prioritising dealing
with climate change threats to
health.
Half of about 100 nations sur-
veyed said they had developed a
national strategy or plan to tackle
the risks.
However, only about 38% had
finances in place to even par-
tially implement their plans, and
fewer than 10% had the money to
put them fully into practice, the
Activist Thunberg
channels youth fury
Reuters
Lisbon
WHO report showed.
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum,
WHO’s co-ordinator for climate
change and health, said that all
countries surveyed – from Eu-
rope to the Americas, Africa and
Asia – are struggling to finance
measures such as protecting hos-
pitals from weather disasters and
ramping up disease surveillance.
In richer countries, the diffi-
culty lies in securing allocations
from national budgets due to
competing priorities.
Poorer nations, on the other
hand, need international climate
finance to help them cope, but
are struggling to access it be-
cause of a lack of information,
In September, she carried her
message to a one-day climate
summit at the United Nations in
New York, furiously telling lead-
and well-being as a priority
area but has yet to approve any
projects with that focus, Camp-
bell-Lendrum noted.
Things that could be financed
might include “smart hospitals”
– now being tested in the Carib-
bean – built to withstand strong
winds and floods while also har-
vesting rainwater and running on
solar power.
Off-grid renewable energy
projects also can cut emissions
from health facilities and make
them more resilient in disasters
when electricity networks go
down, Campbell-Lendrum said.
He noted that the mental
health impacts of climate change
had “shot up the agenda”.
The effects can range from the
trauma of going through disas-
ters to the shock of being made
homeless, or young people feel-
ing anxious and frustrated about
climate change.
Once a “hidden issue”, it is
“the one that we have heard the
most about in the past four to
five months”, he told journalists
in Madrid.
Meteorological Organisation
(WMO) launched a report at the
talks that found the past decade
was almost certain to have been

T
of high quality measurements in draining in new places that we een activist Greta Thun- ers “you have stolen my dreams”, the hottest on record.
regions that aren’t safe to access haven’t previously identified,” he Thunberg waves as she arrives at the Santo Amaro docks in Lisbon, berg reached Europe yes- before sailing back to Europe for In a stark reminder that burn-
for scientists on the ground”. warned. onboard the catamaran La Vagabonde. terday after a 21-day cata- the latest round of talks. ing fossil fuels has fundamen-
maran dash across the Atlantic Thunberg was due to spend the tally changed the composition
for a United Nations summit rest of the day meeting activists of the Earth’s atmosphere, the
Finnish prime minister resigns amid cabinet row over postal services where she will invoke the fury of in Portugal before departing for report said the concentration of
global youth at politicians’ foot- Madrid, where the negotiations carbon dioxide (CO2) hit a record
Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne stepped in a caretaker capacity, as the president If the five parties in the outgoing coalition dragging over climate change. are being held in a series of hang- 407.8 parts per million in 2018
down yesterday and handed in his requested. agree to continue to work together, “People are underestimat- ar-like halls. and rose again in 2019, hovering
government’s resignation at a meeting with Parliamentary speaker Matti Vanhanen later Vanhanen told reporters that he believed a ing the force of angry kids,” the Carolina Schmidt, environ- at the highest levels seen in mil-
President Sauli Niinisto, after a row erupted told reporters that Finland has changed new government could be in place within a young Swede told a crowd of ment minister of Chile, which lions of years.
over the state-owned postal services and his prime minister a few times in the past 15 week. reporters and supporters as she is chairing the negotiations, Opening the climate sum-
leadership style. years, so the country has some experience Rinne resigned after one of his coalition disembarked from a white cata- said that she hoped Thunberg’s mit on Monday, UN Secretary-
The government was expected to stay on for the transition ahead. partners withdrew its support. maran, La Vagabonde, in Por- presence would galvanise more General Antonio Guterres had
tugal. “They’re angry and frus- ambitious commitments by gov- warned that 400 parts per mil-
trated.” ernments at talks aimed at bol- lion had once been considered an
France’s SNCF cancels 90% of TGV trains for tomorrow due to union strike The prospect of another fiery stering the 2015 Paris Agreement “unthinkable” tipping point.
intervention by the 16-year- to avert catastrophic tempera- Despite the grim statistics,
French rail operator SNCF said yesterday as well as those on suburban lines in the cancelled, according to its website. old, whose ability to stare down ture increases. young delegates said they were
that 90% of high-speed TGV trains across Paris region will also be cancelled, while Only one in three Thalys trains between Paris politicians has inspired a global “We need that tremendous inspired by Thunberg’s deter-
the country will not run tomorrow, when international services will be “severely and Brussels will operate, and just one round- protest movement, electrified force in order to increase climate mination to minimise her own
unions kick off an open-ended strike against disrupted”. trip Lyria TGV serving Switzerland will run. younger delegates at the interna- action,” Schmidt told Reuters carbon footprint by twice brav-
a planned pension overhaul. Around half of Eurostar trains, including 16 The Paris metro is also bracing for gridlock, tional climate talks underway in television. “We need Greta in ing the Atlantic instead of flying:
The SNCF expects 90% of regional trains between Paris and London have already been with 11 of the city’s 16 lines completely shut. neighbouring Spain. here with all that force.” which they saw as a symbol of re-
Since staging a solitary protest Increasingly erratic weather sourcefulness and defiance.
outside the Swedish parliament patterns, from wildfires in Aus- “She is making a statement
Italians campaign to have Unesco heritage status for espresso more than a year ago, Thunberg tralia and California to floods in that you don’t always have to
has channelled the anger felt by Europe, have added to the sense take the easy way,” said Lander
A campaign seeking Unesco World Heritage be added to the UN culture agency’s list drink for a good start of the day, it is a millions of teenagers saddled of urgency around the two-week Wanters, 20, a Belgian climate
status for Italy’s famous espresso coffee was of “intangible” world heritage traditions, real social ritual”, the Consortium for the with the prospect of an escalat- summit in Spain. activist.
presented in the Italian parliament yesterday. campaigners said at a press conference. Protection of the Traditional Italian Espresso ing climate crisis their parents Underscoring the pace of “We have to act now to do
Espresso-making and -drinking should Italy’s espresso is “not just an indispensable

All News Network 3316362354

said in a statement. failed to avert. change, the Geneva-based World something for the climate.”
 Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 17

EUROPE
Turkey
threatens to
block Nato
Trump slams European
Baltics plan
Reuters
London
allies ahead of Nato meet
Reuters It will add to the growing In a swipe against Nato mem- advantage of on Nato and also to block a plan to defend Baltic Russian President Vladimir

T
urkey will oppose a Nato plan London doubts over the future of the ber Turkey, which he accused of then to be taken advantage of states and Poland against Rus- Putin told a meeting of military
to defend Baltic countries 29-member alliance, described working with Islamic State (IS) on trade, and that’s what hap- sian attacks unless the alliance leaders yesterday that Nato’s ex-
unless the alliance backs it last month by Macron as “brain proxies, Macron said the alliance pens. We can’t let that happen,” backs Ankara in recognising the pansion was a danger for Russia.

U
in recognising a Kurdish militia as S President Donald dead” in the run-up to a London could not even agree on the defi- he said of transatlantic dis- Kurdish YPG militia as a terror- In a bid to placate Trump,
a terrorist group, President Recep Trump slated European meeting intended to be a 70th nition of terrorism. putes over everything from the ist group (see accompanying Europe, Turkey and Canada
Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday ahead allies yesterday ahead anniversary celebration. The leaders of Canada and the aerospace sector to a European report). will pledge $400bn in defence
of an alliance summit in London. of a Nato anniversary summit, “It’s a tough statement, Netherlands added their sup- “digital tax” on US technology Erdogan has already strained spending by 2024, and also agree
The threat underlined the mount- singling out France’s Emmanuel though, when you make a state- port yesterday to a Franco-Ger- giants. alliance ties with a move to buy to reduce the US contribution to
ing challenges to a bloc hailed by Macron for “very nasty” com- ment like that, that is a very, very man proposal to reform Nato. Dismissing signals from Ger- Russian air defence systems. fund the alliance itself.
backers as the most successful ments on the health of the alli- nasty statement to essentially “I don’t think you survive many that it would do more to Trump told reporters in Lon- The allies will approve a new
military alliance in history just as ance and Germany for spending 28, including them, 28 coun- 70 years as an alliance without hit a Nato target of spending 2% don that he was looking at im- strategy to monitor China’s
its leaders, including US President too little on defence. tries,” Trump told reporters as regularly reflecting,” Canadian of national output on defence, posing sanctions on Ankara over growing military activity, and
Donald Trump, gather in London to Underlining the breadth of he met the head of Nato. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Trump accused it and other na- the issue. name space as a domain of war-
celebrate its 70th anniversary. strife in a transatlantic bloc In an interview with theEcon- told a forum before the sum- tions of being “delinquent”. The question mark over the fare, alongside air, land, sea and
Turkey’s defiance will only add to hailed by backers as the most omist last month, Macron made mit, sitting alongside his Dutch Nato Secretary-General Jens Baltics’ plan, which was drawn computer networks.
doubts over the political future of successful military alliance in headlines by faulting Nato for counterpart Mark Rutte. Stoltenberg, who shared ome- up at their request after Russia They will issue a statement
the North Atlantic Treaty Organi- history, Trump demanded that failing to update its strategy to Trump explicitly linked his lette and sausages with Trump annexed Crimea from Ukraine in condemning Moscow’s Crimea
sation (Nato), already described by Europe pay more for its collec- respond to newer threats such as complaint that Europe does not over breakfast, tweeted that the 2014, raises issues about secu- annexation.
French President Emmanuel Macron tive defence and also make con- instability in Syria. pay enough for Nato’s security pre-summit talks had got off to rity on all of Nato’s frontiers. While giving few specifics,
as “brain dead” and undermined by cessions to US interests on trade. Macron, speaking alongside missions to his “America First” an “excellent start”. Under Nato’s 1949 founding Trump said he believed Russia
Trump’s questioning of the entire The attack echoed a tirade Trump yesterday, stood by his defence of US commercial inter- But the US leader’s broad- treaty, an attack on one ally is an wanted deals on arms control
premise of his superpower defend- by Trump ahead of the North comments and said that Nato ests, saying it is time for Europe side came only hours after splits attack on all, and the alliance has and nuclear issues, and that he
ing the West. Atlantic Treaty Organisation needed to be clear about its core to “shape up” on both fronts. opened up elsewhere in the al- military strategies for collective would be willing to bring China
Erdogan, who has strained alli- (Nato)’s last summit in July 2018. purposes. “It’s not right to be taken liance, with Turkey threatening defence across its territory. into such accords.
ance ties with a move to buy Russian
air defence systems, repeated his
threat to block a defence plan for the
Baltics and Poland unless Nato steps
up support for its fight in northeast-
ern Syria against the Kurdish YPG
Poll: Most
militia.
“With pleasure, we can come to-
gether and discuss these issues there
Germans
as well,” Erdogan said of the Baltics
plan ahead of his departure from
Ankara for the Nato summit. “But if
favour
our friends at Nato do not recognise
as terrorist organisations those we
consider terrorist organisations ...
reducing
we will stand against any step that
will be taken there.”
Erdogan added that he had spoken
reliance
to Polish President Andrzej Duda on
the phone and had agreed to meet
him and leaders of Baltic countries
on US
in London.
Turkey, France, Germany and DPA
Britain are also expected to hold sep- Berlin
arate meetings around the summit.
In an interview with Reuters,

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper
warned Ankara that “not everybody
sees the threats that they see”, and he
urged it, in the name of alliance uni-
ty, to stop blocking the Baltics plan.
Nato Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg reaffirmed the mutual
defence clause at the heart of the
Nato pact, insisting it would respond
to any attack on Poland or Baltic
countries.
“Through the presence of Nato
forces in Poland and in the Bal-
tic countries, we are sending Rus-
sia a very strong signal: if there is
an attack on Poland or the Baltic
countries, the whole alliance will
respond,” Stoltenberg, a former Nor-
Leaders of Nato alliance countries, and its secretary-general, join Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales for a group picture to mark 70 years of the alliance.
Nato recognises China ‘challenges’
AFP don to mark the alliance’s 70th
London birthday, will also approve an
internal report drawing up an
action plan for how Nato should
point for Beijing and the US,
with Washington accusing Chi-
na of “intimidation”.
Beijing has built military in-
balanced way to the challenges
China poses”.
Europe has struggled to find
a common position on China,
developing 5G networks, saying
that it has close ties to the Chi-
nese government and its equip-
ment could be used to spy for
T
he majority of Germans
are in favour of reducing
reliance on US defence
and having closer ties with Rus-
sia, according to a YouGov sur-
vey commissioned by DPA.
Fifty-five per cent of Germans
said that in the case of an attack,
they would want European Nato
nations to defend themselves
without support from the United
States.
Around one-fifth (21%) of
Germans do not want to relin-
quish US military support, the
poll found.
Additionally, 48% are in fa-
vour of a full or partial with-

wegian premier, said in interviews
with several European newspapers.
Queen Elizabeth will host the
leaders at Buckingham Palace.
But even the British hosts, for gen-
erations among the most enthusias-
tic champions of the trans-Atlantic
partnership that Nato represents, are
disunited over their project of quit-
ting the EU and distracted by a ran-
corous election due next week.
“The question is, as we celebrate
70 years, are we waving in cel-
ebration or do people think we are
drowning?” said a senior European
Nato diplomat.
Stoltenberg argues that despite
quarrels that have made headlines,
the alliance is in fine health, having
strengthened its capability to carry
out its core mission of defending Eu-
rope.
T
he Nato alliance is to
formally recognise the
“challenges” posed by
China for the first time, but the
alliance chief insisted Tuesday
he did not want to make an ad-
versary of Beijing.
Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg said China’s grow-
ing military capabilities – in-
cluding missiles that could hit
Europe and the United States –
meant the alliance had to tackle
the issue together.
The leaders of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(Nato)’s 29 member states will
sign off a joint summit state-
ment today acknowledging the
“opportunities and challenges”
posed by China’s rise.
The meeting outside Lon-
approach China.
“We have now recognised
that the rise of China has secu-
rity implications for all allies,”
the Nato chief said at an event in
London.
“China has the second larg-
est defence budget in the world
and has recently displayed a lot
of new, modern capabilities in-
cluding long-range missiles able
to reach the whole of Europe and
the United States.”
Under President Xi Jinping,
China has adopted a more bull-
ish attitude to foreign relations
and has been accused of mount-
ing cyber-attacks against Eu-
rope and spying to steal intellec-
tual property.
The fiercely contested South
China Sea has become a flash-
stallations, rammed vessels and
sent survey ships into disputed
territory in the sea, where sev-
eral countries have competing
claims.
Nato’s defence remit is lim-
ited to Europe and North Amer-
ica, but Stoltenberg said China’s
influence was beginning to reach
its shores.
“It’s not about moving Nato
into the South China Sea but
about taking into account that
China is coming closer to us in
the Arctic, in Africa, invest-
ing heavily in our infrastruc-
ture in Europe, in cyber-space,”
Stoltenberg said.
He insisted the new Nato ap-
proach was “not to create a new
adversary but to analyse and
understand and respond in a
with some states stressing the
risk it poses while others – nota-
bly poorer countries in the south
and east – welcoming Beijing’s
willingness to invest in infra-
structure projects.
The draft summit declaration
– agreed by ambassadors but yet
to be approved by leaders – also
stresses the need for “secure
and resilient” communications
systems, particularly 5G infra-
structure.
This points to growing anxi-
ety in Nato and the West at large
about the role of Chinese com-
panies, particularly Huawei, in
building the networks needed
for the next generation of mobile
communications.
Washington has pressured
Europe to exclude Huawei from
Beijing.
Last week Germany said it
planned to tighten rules on non-
EU takeovers of its high-tech
firms, following concern about
acquisitions by Chinese com-
panies.
The move affects firms work-
ing in the areas of robotics,
artificial intelligence, semi-
conductors, biotechnology and
quantum technology.
Tomas Valasek, a senior fel-
low with the Carnegie Europe
think tank, said that Nato would
likely take time to build a policy
on China.
He said that long-term it
could represent “a bigger prob-
lem but a slower burning one”
than Nato’s traditional adver-
sary Russia.
drawal of the roughly 35,000 US
soldiers stationed in Germany.
Around a third (32%) of re-
spondents said the full US troop
contingent should stay in Ger-
many.
There is also strong support
for closer relations with Russia,
with 54% of respondents saying
that the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (Nato) should work
more closely with Russia once
again.
Only 21% are in favour of con-
tinuing the hard-line stance
against Moscow.
The poll showed a divide when
it comes to the EU’s economic
sanctions against Russia: 34%
are in favour of a suspension,
37% are against it, while 29% did
not specify their choice.

New SPD leaders pull back from Spanish legislators are sworn in
sinking German govt coalition AFP
Madrid
52 mandates and becoming the
third-largest faction within the
350-seat parliament.
ers handed heavy jail terms in
October over a failed 2017 inde-
pendence bid in a move which
Days after the election, sparked a wave of mass demon-

S
Reuters setting tough conditions for snap election. more staff to boost capacity. pain’s new parliament met Sanchez and the radical left- strations, some of which turned
Berlin staying in the coalition, three A draft of the main motion “In this sense, steady invest- for its opening session yes- wing Podemos agreed in princi- violent.
people familiar with the matter seen by Reuters showed that ment must not be prevented terday, with the far-right ple to form a coalition govern- ERC and the Socialists are due
said. SPD leaders are set to call for a by dogmatic positions such as Vox as the third-largest party ment. to meet again, with Eurasia ana-

L
eaders of Germany’s So-
cial Democrats are lean-
ing away from proposing
that the party quit Chancellor
Angela Merkel’s government as
they work on a motion to put to
delegates at a party congress,
party sources said.
Norbert Walter-Borjans and
Saskia Esken, leftist critics of
the coalition with Merkel’s con-
servatives, won a vote for lead-
ership of the SPD on Saturday,
putting Europe’s largest econo-
my at a political crossroads.
But Esken and Walter-Bor-
jans, interim SPD leader Malu
Dreyer and Vice Chancellor Olaf
Scholz agreed a wording yester-
day for the motion that avoids
At the congress, starting on
Friday, the SPD is set to call on
Merkel’s conservatives to dis-
cuss new measures to stabilise
Germany’s slowing economy
and improve an already agreed
climate package, the sources
said.
“Today, we constructively
discussed the right path into the
new era,” Walter-Borjans told
the SPD’s party newspaper Vor-
waerts.
He added: “One thing is clear:
We do not want to get out of the
grand coalition head over heels.”
A decision by the SPD to leave
the coalition would have thrown
Germany into a political crisis
and opened the prospect of a
large public investment push
that should not be hindered by
“dogmatic positions” such as
the government’s “black zero”
budget policy of no new debt.
The SPD shares the view of
leading economists and busi-
ness groups that public invest-
ment of more than €450bn
($500bn) needed over the next
10 years cannot be financed
through reallocation of existing
funds alone, the draft said.
Public investment should not
be limited to times of economic
growth because keeping invest-
ment levels persistently high
would help local authorities to
overcome planning bottlenecks
and construction firms to hire
Schaeuble’s black zero,” the
document said, referring to
former finance minister Wolf-
gang Schaeuble, the master-
mind of the self-imposed budg-
et goal of not incurring any new
debt.
The SPD leaders’ main mo-
tion calls for a higher minimum
wage, without repeating previ-
ous demands from Esken and
Walter-Borjans for increasing
Germany’s wage floor to €12 per
hour from €9.19 currently.
The SPD’s party board is ex-
pected to discuss and finalise
the main motion for the party
conference tomorrow morning,
with changes to the wording still
following a divisive election that
failed to resolve years of political
deadlock.
Just over three weeks after the
vote, lawmakers were yester-
day taking the oath of office, al-
though there was little indication
of when a government would be
formed.
The legislature has been grid-
locked since an inconclusive
April election which the Social-
ists won but without a major-
ity – in an outcome repeated
on November 10, leaving Pedro
Sanchez a winner but weakened.
And this time round, Vox –
which only a year ago was just
a marginal player – more than
But such a government would
only have 155 seats, leaving it de-
pendent on support from other
factions for the 176 mandates to
pass an investiture vote.
Last month, Sanchez’s ne-
gotiating team began talks with
the Republican Left of Catalonia
(ERC), a Catalan separatist party
which won 13 seats in Novem-
ber’s election.
But so far it has refused to of-
fer its backing, demanding in
exchange talks on the Catalan
crisis which would likely include
its call for a referendum on self-
determination – an idea Madrid
has rejected out of hand.
ERC is headed by Oriol Jun-
lyst Federico Santi saying that
a deal between them “remains
likely” although the talks “will
probably drag on for several
weeks”.
But opposition to the proposed
coalition, notably from business
leaders over a government in-
cluding Podemos with support
from the separatists, has sparked
growing calls for Sanchez to talk
with the right-wing opposition
People’s Party (PP).
During yesterday’s session,
MPs reelected Socialist Meritxell
Batet as parliamentary speaker,
while Pilar Llop, a judge special-
ising in gender violence who has
ties to the Socialists, was chosen

All News Network 3316362354

possible. doubled its showing, snaring queras, one of nine Catalan lead- as president of the Senate.
 Gulf Times
18 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

INDIA
DEFENCE
Indian warship ‘drives
away Chinese vessel’
The navy chief yesterday said an unauthorised
Chinese vessel had entered its waters in the
Indian Ocean Region in September, with media
reports suggesting New Delhi deployed a warship
to repel the vessel. India is wary of Chinese clout
in the Indian Ocean Region which it considers to
be in its sphere of influence. The Chinese research
vessel, Shi Yan 1, was spotted in September in
India’s exclusive economic zone in the Andaman
Sea, within 200 nautical miles from the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands. Indian media reports said the
navy’s maritime surveillance aircraft had spotted
the vessel in the region, prompting the navy to
send a warship that pushed it away.
CRITICISM
Vadra hits out over removal
of security to Gandhi family
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s
husband Robert Vadra said the removal of Special
Protection Group (SPG) security cover from the
Gandhi family was part of a political agenda
and a major blunder of the central government.
“The SPG security cover should not have been
removed from the Gandhi family,” he said. Vadra
was on his way to Ajmer via Jaipur. Speaking to
media at Jaipur airport, he said, “This is vendetta
politics. The government is making wrong use of
its agencies.” Speaking about the investigation
into the land scam involving him, he said, “I will be
present for investigation before any agency from
wheresoever I have been summoned.”
DECISION
Maharashtra to review
Bullet Train project
Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government
will ascertain if mega-projects like the
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train can be
shelved in view of a staggering Rs6.71 lakh
crore debt burden on the state, Minister Jayant
Patil said. He said the debt burden comprises
Rs4.71 lakh crore debt besides the obligation
of another Rs2 lakh crore on ongoing projects.
His comments came a couple of days after
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered a
review of all undergoing development projects
taken up by the previous BJP-led government,
especially the big ticket ones like the Bullet
Train.
BIZARRE
Fugitive guru sets
up own ‘nation’
Even as the Gujarat Police is looking for self-
styled guru Swami Nithyananda in an alleged
case of kidnapping and wrongful confinement
of children, a website named Kailaasa.
org has popped up suggesting that he has
founded his own country and designed its
flag, constitution and emblem. The website
declared that the fugitive has declared a
‘Hindu sovereign nation’ and even has a
Cabinet along with a prime minister. It has
also called for donations for the country and
through it, an opportunity to gain citizenship
of ‘Kailaasa’. However, it is yet not clear where
the nation is located.
SPACE
Nasa spots Indian crashed
lander on Moon’s surface
India’s Vikram lunar lander, which crashed
on its final approach to the Moon’s surface in
September, has been found thanks in part to the
sleuthing efforts of an amateur space enthusiast.
Nasa released an image taken by its Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter that showed the site
of the spacecraft’s impact. Nasa said it released
a mosaic image of the site on September 26,
inviting the public to compare it with images
of the same area before the crash to find signs
of the lander. The first person to come up
with a positive identification was Shanmuga
Subramanian, a 33-year-old IT professional from
Chennai.

Akali Dal rues

Shah stance
on Rajoana’s
death sentence
IANS Addressing the home minister,
Chandigarh the Ludhiana MP Bittu had asked
in the Lok Sabha: “Why did you
commute the death sentence of

T
he Akali Dal yesterday
described as “very un-
fortunate” a statement
by Union Home Minister Amit
Shah ruling out the commuting
of the death sentence of Babbar
Khalsa terrorist Balwant Singh
Rajoana for the assassination
of former Punjab chief minister
Beant Singh.
Shah made the announcement
in the Lok Sabha while respond-
ing to Congress MP and Beant
Singh’s grandson Ravneet Singh
Bittu during Question Hour.
Shiromani Akali Dal president
Sukhbir Singh Badal, whose par-
ty is in alliance with the BJP in
Punjab, said in a statement: “We
all feel pained today. We thought
we had moved ahead when me-
dia reports appeared last month
claiming that Rajoana’s death
sentence had been commuted.
“However, today’s assertion
has shocked everyone. There
is a feeling of hurt that justice
has not been done to the Sikh
community and the spirit of the
clemency which was espoused
on the occasion of the 550th Pra-
kash Purb has not been carried
through.”
He said the Akali Dal stood
for adopting a humanitar-
Balwant Singh Rajoana?”
Shah then said: “Please, don’t
go by media reports. The sen-
tence has not been commuted.”
Shah’s statement was contra-
ry to reports last month which
stated that the home ministry
had commuted Rajoana’s death
sentence.
Rajoana, 52, who is currently
lodged in the Patiala Central Jail,
is the prime accused in the case
and is serving a life term.
A former Punjab Police con- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) parliament members Sanjay Singh (right) and Shushil Gupta wearing garlands made out of onions and display placards to protest against onion price
stable, Rajoana was sentenced hike at the Parliament House in New Delhi yesterday.
to death on August 1, 2007, by a
special Central Bureau of Inves-
tigation (CBI) court in Chandi-
garh.
It was claimed that the Home
Ministry this September had ap-
proved the commutation of Ra-
joana’s death sentence to a life-
term as a humanitarian gesture
ahead of the 550th birth anni-
Kejriwal govt rapped for
spending Rs10bn in a month
versary of Sikhism founder Guru
Nanak Dev, a decision which was
criticised by Bittu.
Media reports said besides
Rajoana, the home ministry
had granted a special dispen-
sation to eight other Sikh pris- IANS The CAG’s report on the ter, especially in March, shows duced corruption, unwanted the chief minister stressed.
oners from various jails in the New Delhi ‘State Financial Management that the rules were not followed. expenditure and spent the He said all agencies control-
country. of the Government of Delhi be- The report of the CAG was money for providing facilities led by his political opponents
On March 28, 2012, the home tween 2017-18’ adds: “General tabled in the Lok Sabha on De- to the people. It got clean chit had scrutinised them.

ian approach in the case and
had conveyed this to the Union
government through various
representations.
“We feel this is a deserving
case for clemency as Rajoana
has spent more than 23 years in
prison without parole. The SAD
is against the death penalty as a
matter of principle and has also
conveyed this to the government
as well as the president,” Sukhbir
Badal said.
He added that a high-level
delegation would meet the Un-
ion minister soon and apprise
him about the sentiments of the
Sikh community and urge that
Rajoana’s death sentence be
commuted.
ministry had stayed Rajoana’s
execution following clemency
appeals filed by the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Commit-
tee (SGPC), the Sikh body man-
aging religious shrines.
Beant Singh and 16 oth-
ers were killed in an explosion
outside the civil secretariat in
Chandigarh on August 31, 1995.
Dilawar Singh, a Punjab Po-
lice officer, had acted as a sui-
cide bomber to assassinate Beant
Singh.
Rajoana was the second
bomber in case Dilawar Singh
failed to kill the Congress leader.
Rajoana had cited the 1984 anti-
Sikh riots as the reason behind
the killing of Beant Singh.
T
he Comptroller and Au-
ditor General (CAG) has
raised questions over the
Arvind Kejriwal government in
Delhi spending more than Rs-
10bn in a gap of 30 days. It said
the spending was against finan-
cial rules.
The CAG has pulled up the
government for dumping funds
meant for several items into an
account for the entire year and
then spending suddenly while
approaching the end of the fi-
nancial year.
The Delhi government has been
questioned for spending money
overstepping the rules in 26 items,
including health, education, city
development and social welfare.
Financial Rule (GFR) 56 states
that the process of spending the
entire budget suddenly in the
last months of the financial year
is against financial rules. This
should be avoided”. Despite this
in the last quarter of 2017-18, a
huge amount was spent under
26 sub-heads, the report said.
The CAG further stated that
during the audit, it was revealed
that a total of Rs14.04bn was
spent on 26 items in 2017-18,
of which Rs11.01bn was spent
in the last quarter (January,
February and March). Of this,
Rs10.64bn was spent in just one
month – March, 2018.
The CAG said the amount
spent so hastily in the last quar-
cember 2.
Meanwhile Kejriwal yester-
day claimed his government
had eradicated corruption and
did away with unwanted ex-
penditure, adding the AAP
government and legislators got
a clean chit from the CAG for
the five consecutive years and
other investigation agencies,
like the CBI, the enforcement
directorate and the Income Tax,
couldn’t find fault irrespective
of ruthless scrutiny.
Speaking in the Assembly, he
said his government spent the
money on people and it was the
most accountable government
ever in India.
“The Delhi government re-
from CAG and other investi-
gation agencies irrespective of
ruthless scrutiny in the last five
years,” Kejriwal said during the
concluding session of the As-
sembly yesterday.
While Delhi offered a people-
centric development model, the
Union government followed
crony-capitalism, he said.
“In spite of harsh scrutiny,
the CAG couldn’t find anything
wrong with the Delhi govern-
ment in the last five years. In
2015, people of Delhi gifted us
an unprecedentedly massive
victory with 67 seats out of 70.
After five years, we have ful-
filled the responsibilities en-
trusted to us by the public,”
“The CBI raided my office.
The Delhi Police raided my
house. My fellow ministers –
Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain
and Kailsah Gahlot – were also
raided by the central agencies.
They got nothing suspicious. It
was the first time a chief minis-
ter’s bedroom was searched by
the police.
“Our principle on probity
that a public servant should al-
ways be ready for public scru-
tiny took us ahead. When some
people expressed fear over
complaints against MLAs, I said
don’t worry; Prime Minister
(Narendra) Modi and his agen-
cies will take care of such com-
plaints,” Kejriwal said.

Elephant electrocuted
Chidambaram bail Not quitting BJP,
says Pankaja Munde
plea decision today IANS
Mumbai
After emerging from his
meeting, Tawde said that Pan-
kaja has been very disturbed
IANS custody”, while senior advocates witnesses involved in the case. after seeing the media reac-

T
New Delhi Kapil Sibal and A M Singhvi, ap- “One of the witnesses has hree days after her tions to her Facebook post
pearing for the former minister, written a letter, and two oth- social media actions but she has no issues with the
told the bench that the ED can- ers have requested that he not caused concerns amid party, adding that rest what-

T
he Supreme Court is today
scheduled to pronounce
its judgement on senior
Congress leader P Chidambar-
am’s bail plea in the INX Media
money laundering case regis-
tered by the enforcement direc-
torate.
On November 28, a bench
headed by justice R Banumathi
had reserved judgement on the
appeal filed by Chidambaram
challenging the November 15
verdict of the Delhi High Court
denying him bail.
The apex court had allowed
the ED to submit three sets of
sealed covers in two volumes.
“The registry is directed to re-
ceive the sealed cover and keep
them in safe custody for perusal
of the court, if required,” the
court said.
Solicitor General Tushar Me-
hta, representing the ED, told
the court “Chidambaram is ex-
tremely influential even from
not orally prejudice the court
against the grant of bail.
Sibal told the court that al-
though the ED claims to have
e-mails and bank transactions
indicating money laundering
connected to Chidambaram,
evidence to link all these to him
had yet to be presented. “Show
us one piece of evidence... you
cannot destroy reputations,”
Sibal contended.
Attacking the ED case against
Chidambaram, the senior law-
yer said that the ED should show
at least one property, bank ac-
count or telephone call, which
establishes that Chidambaram
was involved in the case. Sibal
insisted that “the entire case was
nothing beyond allegations”.
On the other hand, Mehta told
a three-judge bench headed by
Justice Banumathi that whether
in custody or not, the former
finance minister was powerful
enough to wield influence on
be brought face-to-face with
them....in fact, his presence may
influence the prosecution,” Me-
hta claimed.
Citing the gravity of the eco-
nomic offences, Mehta told the
court that the entire world was
facing the menace of money
laundering.
Mehta told the bench, also
comprising justices A S Bopanna
and Hrishikesh Roy, that the ED
probe had uncovered 12 bank ac-
counts where proceeds of crime
were deposited and the agency
had also gathered the details of
12 properties, with specific ad-
dresses, which have been togeth-
er tracked down in 16 countries.
He also informed the apex
court that economic offence was
a separate class of offence graver
than murder. It is a white collar
crime which has the potential
to shake the faith of the com-
mon man in the establishment,
he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party circles,
former Maharashtra minister
Pankaja Munde-Palwe yester-
day said that she has no plans
to quit her party.
Her statement came after
former ministerial colleague
Vinod Tawde called on Pankaja
and had detailed discussions
with her this afternoon at her
official residence.
Pankaja said that her Face-
book post of Sunday was being
misinterpreted and rumours
were being spread that she was
planning to quit the BJP, par-
ticularly after she dropped the
party name from her Twitter
handle on Monday.
She also claimed that her
post was not intended to
“pressurise” the BJP lead-
ership in any manner, amid
speculation that after losing
The carcass of an elephant that was electrocuted lies at the October 2019 Assembly
Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, yesterday. elections, she was eyeing reha-
ever she has to say would be
conveyed on December 12, the
birth anniversary of her father
and former Union minister, the
late Gopinath Munde.
Meanwhile, political sources
said that top state and cen-
tral BJP leaders have been in
contact with Pankaja in the
past three days in an attempt
to mollify her and prevent her
from taking any drastic steps,
including quitting the party,
particularly after Sena MP
Sanjay Raut’s statement that
besides her, many other BJP
leaders are in contact with
him.
Curiously, after a series of
warm greetings to Maha Vikas
Aghadi’s Chief Minister Ud-
dhav Thackeray, who recipro-
cated with equal warmth on
Monday, Pankaja has been si-
lent on Twitter since past five
days, barring her Sunday post

All News Network 3316362354 bilitation vide a top party post. on Facebook.

US Marine charged with smuggling guns into Haiti
DPA/TCA
Miami
A
active-duty US Marine
was arrested last month
when investigators say he
landed in Haiti with boxes filled
with guns, ammunition and body
armour. Federal prosecutors in-
dicted Jacques Yves Sebastien
Duroseau, a native of Haiti, in
North Carolina last week on gun-
smuggling charges.
Mexico hunts
cartel gunmen
after deadly
firefight kills 22
AFP
Villa Union, Mexico
M
exican forces hunted
for a drug cartel behind
a bloody firefight in a
town near the US border that left
six locals and 16 gunmen dead
— the latest security embar-
rassment for President Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador.
At least 60 gunmen terrorised
the small northern city of Villa
Union over the weekend, riding
into town in heavily armed four-
by-fours and spraying dozens of
houses with bullets before at-
tacking city hall, taking seven
hostages along the way, includ-
ing five minors.
Officials responded by deploying
the army, National Guard and state
and local police, triggering a series
of firefights Saturday and Sunday
that left 22 people dead: two kid-
napped city employees, four state
police and 16 gunmen, according to
authorities in Coahuila state, where
Villa Union is located.
Witnesses said the gunmen
wore the insignia of the North-
east Cartel, a breakaway from the
ultra-violent Zetas, a drug cartel
founded by corrupt army com-
mandos in the northern state of
Tamaulipas in 2010.
Authorities arrested two of
the gunmen, who told investi-
gators the cartel’s objective was
to “come in and hit Villa Union
hard” in order to “intimidate”
the state government, accord-
ing to Governor Miguel Angel
Riquelme.
Riquelme praised the “brav-
ery” of the group of 15 police
who responded to the initial at-
tack, whom he said managed to
contain the gunmen even though
they were badly outnumbered.
“Within an hour and a half, we
had the criminals surrounded,”
he told radio network Formula.
“Security forces are deployed
on the ground and in the air across
the region, to ensure this cowardly
attack does not go unpunished,”
the state’s emergency response
Honduras jails seven for
murder of dam activist
Reuters
Tegucigalpa
A
Honduran court handed
down jail terms of up to
five decades for seven
men convicted of the 2016 mur-
der of indigenous activist Berta
Caceres, who led a battle against
a major dam on the ancestral
lands of her Lenca tribe.
“Five of those accused of the
murder...were sentenced to 50
years in jail and another two to
a term of 30 years,” said court
spokeswoman Lucia Villars.
Honduran law gives the men
20 days to appeal the sentences.
Caceres, shot to death at her
home in the town of La Esper-
nanza, was a veteran land rights
activist who started out in the
early 1990s, setting her sights on
illegal logging.
Since 2006, she had organised
opposition to the $50mn Agua
Zarca hydroelectric dam, where
Duroseau, described in the
indictment as a military fire-
arms instructor, reportedly
told investigators he brought
the eight guns to the Caribbean
country to teach marksmanship
to the Haitian army.
Investigators say Duroseau
bought some of the guns in
Jacksonville, near Camp Leje-
une in Eastern North Carolina.
An unidentified “known in-
dividual” told federal investiga-
tors that Duroseau “wanted to
agency said in a statement.
The attack was the latest in a
string of security disasters for
Lopez Obrador’s government
since the leftist leader took office
a year ago promising a change in
strategy against Mexico’s power-
ful drug cartels.
His plan — summed up in his
mantra “hugs not bullets” — is to
attack violent crime at its roots
by fighting poverty and inequal-
ity with social programmes,
rather than with the army.
But there are few signs that is
working.
Mexico appears on track to set
a new murder record this year,
with 28,741 so far.
Recent high-profile episodes
have heightened the pressure on
the government.
Last month, gunmen believed
to be from the La Linea drug
cartel massacred nine Mormon
women and children with dual
US-Mexican nationality in a re-
mote area between the northern
states of Sonora and Chihuahua.
And in October, authorities
briefly arrested Ovidio Guzman,
son of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El
Chapo” Guzman, then were forced
to release him when gunmen from
their Sinaloa cartel laid siege to the
western city of Culiacan.
That incident, in particular,
appears to have “radiated” to
other cartels, convincing them
they can gain the upper hand
with violent attacks, said secu-
rity expert Raul Benitez of Mex-
ico’s largest university, UNAM.
“What happened in Villa Un-
ion is a reflection of what hap-
pened in Sinaloa,” he said.
“The cartels are getting the
idea they can act with impunity
and that they are winning the war
against the government.” Lopez
Obrador, who marked one year in
office Sunday — just as the attacks
took place — called the latest in-
cident an “exception.” “This isn’t
something that happens every day
in Coahuila. The government has
been taking great care on the se-
curity issue,” he told his daily news
conference.
building came to a halt after
completing as much as a fifth of
the project.
Lenca activists criticised the
dam on the Gualcarque River for
what they said would probably
cause major disruptions to their
water and food supply, and fault-
ed the project for a lack of re-
quired indigenous consultations.
Those already convicted in-
clude an employee of the Hon-
duran project operator Desarrol-
los Energeticos, or DESA; an
active duty military officer and
a retired officer who was a DESA
employee.
While DESA ran the project,
Chinese state-owned Sinohydro,
one of the world’s largest dam
developers, was originally con-
tracted to build it but eventually
backed out in 2013.
The sentences announced
nearly a year after the seven men
were convicted, were harshly
criticised by Caceres’ daugh-
ter Olivia Zuniga, who said they
help Haiti and wants to become
president of Haiti,” according to
the indictment filed.
The unidentified person
helped Duroseau check in to fly
to Haiti from an airport in New
Bern, North Carolina, accord-
ing to the indictment.
Duroseau had three boxes
with five handguns and three
military-style rifles and ammu-
nition, which he declared when
he checked the luggage, accord-
ing to the indictment.
Corruption trial
Argentina’s former president and vice president-elect Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner waves as she arrives for a hearing of a corruption trial in a case involving her, in
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Chile unveils $5.5bn plan to
prop up faltering economy
AFP
Santiago
C
hile has launched a
massive $5.5bn stimu-
lus package after data
showed its economy contracted
3.4% in October — the largest
year-on-year drop in a decade
— as widespread social unrest
continues.
The package unveiled by Fi-
nance Minister Ignacio Briones
includes boosting 2020 public
spending by $3.03bn, to support
small, medium and large busi-
nesses.
Another $525mn is earmarked
for other initiatives like the ren-
ovation of the metro system in
Santiago, which has sustained
serious damage since protests
erupted on October 18.
“Estimates show that this
sidestepped the larger culprits.
“This is a day of pain because
the intellectual authors of my
mother’s murder are still en-
joying impunity,” Zuniga told
reporters. “We are not going to
believe that there’s true justice
until these people are in jail.” Zu-
niga has in the past accused the
Atala-Zablah family, a promi-
nent Honduran business group
and major DESA shareholders, of
being behind the murder.
Both the family and represent-
atives of the business group have
denied the accusation.
In a separate case, Roberto
David Castillo, a former DESA
executive president who had led
the dam’s construction, was ar-
rested in March of last year and
accused by prosecutors of being
behind the murder.
It is unclear when his trial will
conclude.
DESA has rejected accusations
that it was responsible for Cac-
eres’ murder.
All News Network 3316362354
Haitian officials told the
Miami Herald “that they be-
came suspicious when they
saw the three black cases, two
of which were long. Most of-
ten the cases mean guns are
inside.”
Haitian police arrested Du-
roseau when he landed in the
capital, Port-au-Prince, on
November 12, according to US
court filings.
Duroseau told investiga-
tors he “picked every gun” so
agenda will generate 100,000
new jobs next year,” Briones
said.
But the measures will mean a
real increase in public spending
next year of 9.8% as compared
to 2019, pushing the fiscal defi-
cit up to 4.4% of gross domestic
product.
“Like any Chilean household
that faces unforeseen trouble,
we will turn to our savings and
our borrowing capacity, while
remaining aware that both have
limits that cannot be exceeded,”
Briones said.
The government announced
the stimulus measures after the
central bank reported the wor-
risome GDP figures for October.
The 3.4% drop was far greater
than the 1% decrease anticipat-
ed in official estimates, and rep-
resented the economy’s worst
performance since 2009 at the
Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse, who was convicted of murder
for the execution of opponents by a court in Suriname, addresses
the media in Paramaribo, Suriname.
LATIN AMERICA
he could teach Haitian soldiers
how to shoot, according to the
indictment.
He said he knew that bring-
ing guns and body armour into
Haiti was illegal, the court filing
said.
According to the indictment,
the Marine told investigators
that he planned to be arrested
when he arrived in Haiti so he
could “gain a platform to make
a statement.”
“I know why I brought (the
height of the global economic
crisis.
“Economic activity during
the month was affected by the
drop in services, commerce and
manufacturing,” the central
bank said.
Mining activity — Chile ac-
counts for nearly a third of the
world’s copper production —
grew by 2%, but non-mining
sectors contracted by 4%, the
bank said.
The government’s plan “loses
meaning if we do not manage to
isolate the vandals, looters, nar-
cos and all those who threaten
our democracy,” said Interior
Minister Gonzalo Blumel.
Protests broke out across the
country on Monday night, the
46th consecutive day of dem-
onstrations.
In Santiago, protesters gath-
ered in the Plaza Italia, a main
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
guns),” he told federal agents,
according to the indictment.
“It’s still a part of the attention
I need.”
In an interview with Naval
Criminal Investigative Services
agents in Haiti, Duroseau said
he wanted to help the Haitian
people, according to the indict-
ment.
He told them he wanted to
“wear the uniform of the mili-
tary that’s been established”
and “defeat the thugs that have
hub for the city’s rallies, and
dozens of young people broke
into different metro stations.
A 12-year-old boy was ar-
rested during a demonstration
in the southern city of Con-
cepcion for stealing glasses
from an optician, police told
local media.
He was placed in the custody
of an adult since he was too
young to be charged, they said.
Protests initially erupted in
mid-October over metro fare
hikes but quickly escalated into
the most severe outbreak of so-
cial unrest since the end of the
dictatorship of Augusto Pinoc-
het in 1990.
Furious Chileans have taken
to the streets to protest social
and economic inequality.
Businesses have remained
closed during the period of un-
rest, public transport came to a
Suriname president
to seek re-election
AFP
Paramaribo, Suriname
S
uriname President Desi
Bouterse said he will seek
re-election in the South
American country despite be-
ing convicted of murder for the
execution of political opponents.
“Of course, with big bold let-
ters. You will not be able to miss
the name,” Bouterse told a radio
programme when asked if he
would appear on the list of can-
didates for the May 2020 elec-
tions.
Bouterse, 74, returned on Sun-
day from a state visit to China
and will appeal Friday’s judge-
ment, according to his lawyer
Irvin Kanhai.
A three-judge court convicted
Bouterse over the executions of
15 regime opponents in Decem-
ber 1982 when he was the coun-
try’s military ruler.
A two-time coup leader, two-
term president and convicted
drugs-trafficker, Bouterse has
Gulf Times
19
been creating a little bit of part
of the instability in Haiti,” the
indictment said.
There is no attorney listed for
Duroseau.
Federal records show a war-
rant for his arrest has been sent
to the US Marshals Service.
The US Marine Corps pub-
lished a profile of Duroseau in
2016 that said he was in Haiti
during the devastating 2010
earthquake and was trapped for
four days before being rescued.
halt, and many people worked
shorter days.
At least 23 people have been
killed, including five at the
hands of security forces, and
more than 2,000 were wounded.
In the third quarter, Chile’s
gross domestic product was up
3.3%.
But the new GDP figures an-
nounced on Monday prompted
the government to revise official
estimates of about 2% growth
for the year downward, to 1.4%.
In 2020, they estimate GDP
will increase 1-1.5%.
With the markets unsettled,
the central bank on Thursday
announced it was intervening
in the foreign exchange mar-
kets to support the peso, which
last week fell to a historic low of
828.36 to the dollar.
On Monday, the peso ended
trade at 805.24 to the dollar.
dominated Suriname’s politics
since taking power in a 1980 mil-
itary coup.
The so-called “December kill-
ings,” in which the regime rounded
up and executed 13 civilians and
two military officers, have long
clouded Bouterse’s rule.
The president said he would
address a meeting of his National
Democratic Party (NDP) on Fri-
day where a team of legal experts
would explain the verdict to law-
makers.
On the radio programme
— hosted by the government
spokesman — Bouterse thanked
party supporters who turned out
at the airport to greet him on his
return from China on Sunday.
“People are playing a political
game with me and the support-
ers came to power me, to support
me,” he said.
He also snubbed calls from
lawmakers for his resignation
after being convicted on Friday
over the executions when he
was the country’s dictator in the
1980s.
 Gulf Times
20 Wednesday, December 4, 2019
PAKISTAN
Amendment to army law
likely to be tabled today
Internews
Islamabad
P
resident Dr Arif Alvi has
summoned the National
Assembly to meet today
(December 4).
Earlier, he had exercised his
powers under Article 54 of the
Constitution to revoke orders
made on November 22 to sum-
mon a National Assembly ses-
sion for December 2.
Fighting financial crime is
govt’s main agenda: Imran
Tycoon agrees to hand over
$244mn to settle UK probe
Internews/Reuters
Islamabad/London
P
rime Minister has said that
fighting financial crime
is the main agenda of his
government, during a meeting
with the newly-appointed Fed-
eral Investigation Agency (FIA)
director-general Dr Wajid Zia,
who called on the prime minister.
Special Assistant to the Prime
Minister on Accountability Mirza
Shahzad Akbar was present.
Zia assured the prime minister
that he would do his best to serve
the country with commitment.
His predecessor, Bashir Mem-
on, had earlier quit his post in
protest, terming his removal
from the office victimisation.
Memon quit the office 15 days
before his retirement and for-
Zardari files bail
plea in court on
medical grounds
Jailed former president Asif Ali
Zardari has approached the
Islamabad High Court, seeking
bail on medical grounds.
The jailed Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP) co-chairman is currently
under treatment at the Pakistan
Institute of Medical Sciences
(PIMS).
A day earlier, PPP chairman
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had
announced that the party will
submit a bail plea for the former
president on medical grounds.
“We do not trust Pakistani
doctors,” he told the media.
Bilawal, who was accompanied
by his sisters Bakhtawar and
Aseefa, the children of Zardari
and late former prime minister
Bilawal Bhutto, added: “Though
it was a difficult task to convince
him to file a bail, Aseefa managed
to convince him. We have hope
that we will get justice.”
Zardari was arrested in June after
his bail application was rejected
in connection with a high-profile
money laundering case that saw
millions allegedly siphoned out of
the country.
Sindh advised to contain upsurge of locusts
Internews
Karachi
T
he federal government
has advised Sindh prov-
ince to expedite desert
locust control activities as the
invasion of the migrating pests
in the recent past poses a risk
of crop losses to growers and to
food security.
Minister for National Food
Security and Research Khurso
Bakhtiar advised the federal
Plant Protection Department
(DPP) and the Sindh agriculture
department to further invigor-
ate desert locust control activi-
ties by deploying three aircraft
in the province.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad
Ali Shah was briefed about the
existing desert locust upsurge
during a meeting.
Subsequently, the chief min-
ister and the food security min-
ister discussed the locust issue
The delayed session of the
lower house of parliament is
likely to continue for about two
weeks.
In light of directives of the Su-
preme Court, the government is
also likely to introduce a bill for
amendment to the Army Act to
give legal effect to extension of
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff Committee and three
services chiefs.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led gov-
warded his resignation to the Es-
tablishment Division.
He had been due to retire on
December 17.
Memon said that he stepped
down in protest against his sack-
ing a few days before his retire-
ment.
“I am considering my removal
from the position of FIA direc-
tor-general as victimisation,
that’s why I resigned in protest,”
he said.
Replying to a question, Mem-
on said he was removed without
any reason in a disgraceful and
insulting manner.
He said that according to prac-
tice, no official close to retire-
ment is replaced, but in his case
all traditions were violated.
Meanwhile, in another devel-
opment, real estate tycoon Malik
Riaz Hussain has agreed to hand
over £190mn ($244mn) held in
Britain to settle a British inves-
tigation into whether the money
Simple joys
Gypsy children play near buffaloes, not far from the Ravi river in Lahore.
in detail, during which the latter
assured the former of the federal
government’s full co-operation
in locust control.
Bakhtiar also discussed the
issue with the Sindh governor.
Shah promised to contribute
Rs10mn for the procurement of
pesticides and aviation fuel to
help overcome the existing lo-
cust emergency situation.
Locusts were first reported in
Baluchistan nine months ago.
Locusts, known as Tiddi Dal
in the local language, pose a
threat to crops as they generally
devour large swathes of vegeta-
ble grown in fields.
The DPP, in collaboration
with the UN’s Food and Ag-
riculture Organisation (FAO),
provincial agricultural depart-
ments, district administration,
and associations have been con-
ducting desert locust surveil-
lance and control activities in
the desert areas of Baluchistan,
Tharparkar, Nara and Cholistan
ernment has formed a three-
member committee to com-
mence work on drafting new
legislation codifying the mo-
dalities of extending the army
chief’s term of service.
Last week the Supreme Court
allowed the government to ex-
tend the term of army chief Gen-
eral Qamar Javed Bajwa by six
months, on the condition that
it would use that time to enact
legislation to remove deficien-
cies in the law concerning the
was from the proceeds of crime.
Hussain is one of Pakistan’s
richest and most powerful busi-
nessmen and biggest private em-
ployers, and is known for upmar-
ket gated housing communities.
He has been caught up in cor-
ruption investigations but also
supports charitable causes.
Britain’s National Crime
Agency (NCA) said that it had
agreed a settlement in which
Hussain would hand over a prop-
erty, 1 Hyde Park Place, valued at
£50mn, and cash frozen in Brit-
ish bank accounts.
The NCA had previously se-
cured nine freezing orders cover-
ing £140mn in the accounts on
the grounds that the money may
have been acquired illegally.
The British agency said the as-
sets would be passed to the gov-
ernment of Pakistan and that the
settlement with Hussain was “a
civil matter, and does not repre-
sent a finding of guilt”.
since the locusts came to Paki-
stan from Iran in March 2019 via
coastal areas of Baluchistan.
The control teams have sur-
veyed around 659,320 hectares
so far and controlled an area of
161,625 hectares, out of which
6,200 hectares have been treat-
ed through spraying 121,565 li-
tres of pesticides.
The FAO has warned that the
situation remains serious in In-
do-Pakistan border.
“Control operations continue
against groups of hoppers and
adults, bands and swarms along
both sides of the Indo-Pakistan
border,” the FAO said in a report.
“In Pakistan, 12,000 hectares
were treated on November 1-10
in Cholistan, Nara and Thar-
parkar deserts, of which 400
hectares were by air. Vegetation
remains green in most places
due to a late-ending monsoon.”
Fears were triggered among
growers following the locust in-
All News Network 3316362354
vasion, that the already-shrink-
reappointment or extension of
an army chief’s tenure.
Comprising Foreign Minister
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, De-
fence Minister Pervez Khattak,
and Minister for Planning Asad
Umar, the committee has been
tasked to reach out to the op-
position to secure its support for
legislation to be drafted.
While the government has
maintained that it only needs a
simple majority to pass this leg-
islation, it will still require sup-
Friendly ties
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi with Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa
during their meeting in Colombo on Monday.
ing cotton production would be
under a corrosive threat.
The FAO said some groups
and swarms of locust have start-
ed to leave the summer breeding
areas along the Indo-Pakistan
border: “On November 10, a
swarm flew over Karachi, mov-
ing from east to west.”
An official said that locusts
were observed in some suburbs
of Karachi, such as Gadap Town,
after which they apparently left
towards Baluchistan.
The locust activity observed
in Sindh is in fact migration
from summer-monsoon breed-
ing zone towards coastal areas of
Baluchistan, which is the win-
ter-spring breeding zone.
Desert locusts fly during the
day and settle during the night.
An official statement said
such migrations are usually not
in search of food.
The DPP is closely monitor-
ing the situation, the statement
added.
port in the Senate, where it lacks
a majority.
In its verdict, the Supreme
Court specifically urged the
federal government to “clearly
specify the terms and conditions
of service of the COAS (chief of
army staff ) through an Act of
Parliament and to clarify the
scope of Article 243 of the Con-
stitution in this regard.”
While a majority of govern-
ment lawmakers have said that
they want to work with the op-
More online transport services
coming to Karachi, says minister
Internews
Karachi
M
ore online transport
companies, besides Air-
lift, are coming to Kara-
chi, which will make the field ex-
tremely competitive, remarked
Sindh Minister for Transport and
Mass Transit Awais Shah.
“Even though the country’s
economic situation is not good,
private-sector companies are
investing in the city’s transport
sector, which is a very positive
step. Therefore, the Sindh gov-
ernment will do everything pos-
sible to facilitate these compa-
nies,” he added.
Speaking to reporters after the
formal launch of online transport
service Airlift, Shah said Sindh
is going to be the first province
to enact legislation in order to
position to ensure the smooth
passage of this legislation, Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s initial re-
action to the court’s ruling was
to slam the “forces within” that
sought a clash of institutions
between the government and the
armed forces.
This has prompted backlash
from opposition lawmakers
who have long maintained that
the PTI government is failing at
working with them to resolve the
issues faced by Pakistanis.
bring all online transport serv-
ices within the legal jurisdiction.
He added that it would be im-
plemented soon after approval of
the Sindh Assembly, but in the
meantime, online bus transport
services could continue to run.
“Legislation for the online
transport companies will be
business-friendly so as to en-
courage more investment in the
sector,” he said.
Clarifying the government’s
stance, the provincial minis-
ter said that online ride-hailing
services were not being discon-
tinued and that the Sindh gov-
ernment is keen to provide better
travel facilities for the people.
“We assure the private compa-
nies, which provide this service
in Karachi or other cities, that
they will receive all possible sup-
port from our government,” he
said. “These companies are do-
Anti-graft
reference
is filed
against
former
premier
Abbasi
Internews
Islamabad
T
he National Accountabil-
ity Bureau (NAB) has filed
a reference in the Lique-
fied Natural Gas (LNG) import
contract case against 10 accused,
including former prime minister
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former
finance minister Miftah Ismail,
and former Pakistan State Oil
(PSO) managing director Im-
ranul Haq.
The accountability bureau
submitted the reference in an
accountability court in Islama-
bad.
According to the reference,
one company received benefits
of over Rs21bn between March
2015 and September of this year.
Additionally, the reference
stated that the national excheq-
uer will suffer a loss of Rs47bn by
2029 because of the contract.
Former Oil and Gas Regula-
tory Authority (Ogra) chairman
Saeed Khan, Ogra chairperson
Uzma Adil, Engro Group chair-
man Hussain Dawood, former
Port Qasim Authority chairman
Agha Jan, former Ogra mem-
ber Aamir Naseem, former PSO
managing director Shahid Islam,
and Abdul Samad have also been
named in the reference.
Both main accused persons –
Abbasi and Ismail – have been
behind bars for over four months
in this case.
A source had said on Mon-
day that of 10 persons accused,
against whom the reference has
been framed, two are said to have
turned “approvers”.
The source added that the
NAB believed that corruption of
some Rs20bn had occurred in
the scam.
The former prime minister
was arrested in connection with
the case in July.
He is accused of awarding a
15-year contract for a terminal
against the rules when he was
the petroleum minister in former
premier Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet.
The case was closed by the
NAB in 2016 but reopened in
2018.
On January 2, the NAB’s ex-
ecutive board authorised inves-
tigations against Khaqan, being
former minister for petroleum
and natural resources, for his al-
leged involvement in irregulari-
ties in the import of LNG.
However, Khaqan has said
several times in the recent past
that he did not commit any il-
legality in the award of contracts
for LNG import, and could,
therefore, prove his innocence at
any forum.
He has presented the view
that the import of LNG was the
need of the time in 2013, when
the country was facing an acute
shortage of gas.
In April, the government im-
posed a travel ban on Khaqan,
Ismail and five other persons in
this case.
ing our duty as comfortable and
accessible transport is the gov-
ernment’s responsibility.”
Quashing rumours that the
provincial government had
plans to discontinue the online
transport service, he said: “We
encourage these transport com-
panies so that they can bring
maximum facilities to the pub-
lic.”
In 2018, Prime Minister Imran
Khan promised that the federal
government would buy and op-
erate buses on the Green Line Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT) route.
Responding to the criticism
on his party’s performance, the
Sindh transport minister said:
“There is an impression that the
Sindh government is not doing
anything in Karachi, which is not
correct as many mega projects of
mass transit are in the planning
phase.”
 Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 21

PHILIPPINES
Agency
project
aims to
Typhoon leaves three dead,
thwart
entry of
hundreds of flights halted
Reuters
terrorists Manila

A
typhoon struck the Phil-
By William B Depasupil ippines yesterday, kill-
Manila Times ing at least three people,
disrupting air travel and forcing
government offices and schools

T
he Bureau of Immigra-
tion (BI) has tapped the
support of its foreign
counterparts to ensure the se-
curity of more than 8,000 ath-
letes and delegates during the
30th Southeast Asian (SEA)
Games.
BI Commissioner Jaime
Morente has said “Project Rip-
tide” was implemented last
week to thwart the entry of for-
eign terrorists who might take
advantage of the event.
According to the Immigra-
tion chief, Project Riptide is
part of the International Po-
lice’s (Interpol) major event
support team (Imest) pro-
gramme. It was enforced by the
BI and Interpol in co-ordina-
tion with its counterparts from
France and Singapore, and
funded by Interpol Tokyo.
BI Port Operations Divi-
sion chief Grifton Medina said
Interpol teams were deployed
to the three terminals of the
Ninoy Aquino International
Airport, Clark International
Airport and other major ports
to monitor arriving foreigners.
“Those whose names are in
our blacklist and who are sub-
ject to red notices and alerts
from the Interpol are to be im-
mediately excluded and booked
on the first available flight back
to their port of origin,” Medina
added.
Rommel Tacorda, BI’s Border
Control and Intelligence Unit
chief, said Imest assists mem-
ber-countries in making secu-
rity preparations by identify-
ing and reducing cross-border
movements of terrorists and
fugitives.
“The threats of terrorism and
event disruption have forced
host countries to dedicate
more resources in addressing
such threats, thus the help of
Interpol in undertaking secu-
rity preparations in the lead
up to and during the holding
of major international events is
crucial in ensuring the safety of
the delegates,” Tacorda said.
to shut.
Authorities evacuated some
225,000 people ahead of the
arrival overnight of Typhoon
Kammuri, known locally as Ti-
soy.
Officials said their precau-
tions prevented greater loss of
life, while warnings of floods,
storm surges and landslides
were issued in the wake of the
country’s 20th typhoon of the
year.
“We’ve seen great improve-
ment in local government
management of preparations
for disasters,” disaster agency
spokesman Mark Timbal told
news channel ANC.
Winds gusting up to 200kph
damaged homes and structures
and tore down trees and signage
as it barrelled through central
islands south of the capital, as
it moved across the archipelago
towards the South China Sea.
A man died after being elec-
trocuted while attempting to fix
his roof in Camarines Sur prov-
ince, according to a civil defence
official.
Two people who ignored a
mandatory evacuation were Residents are seen after Typhoon Kammuri hit Camalig town, yesterday.
killed in Oriental Mindoro, one
hit by a falling tree and the other
by a sheet of metal roofing ma-
terial.
“It could have been more if
we did not have pre-emptive
evacuation,” Humerlito Dolor,
governor of Oriental Mindoro
province, told DZMM radio.
Some 499 flights were post-
poned and 100,000 people
impacted by a precautionary
closure of Manila’s main air-
port for 12 hours until 11:00pm
yesterday (1500 GMT).Flights
continued in unaffected areas of
the country.
Pictures posted on social
media showed waves crashing
against bulwarks, panels flying
off roofs, and fallen trees.
Authorities warned of storm
surges of up to three metres and
possible floods and landslides
ahead after heavy winds and
rain. A view of the destroyed wall of the passenger terminal in Legazpi City, Albay province,
Commercial sea travel was south of Manila yesterday. A family gathers at Delpan Evacuation Center after the typhoon hit Metro Manila, yesterday.
halted.
Government offices and power outages. structural damage, with tel- ceiling over the departure areas. Dec 11 and organisers postponed ing, kayak, windsurfing, polo,
schools in Manila were closed Worst hit was the airport in evision showing cables, light- The Philippines is hosting the several events until later in the sailing, skateboarding and ca-

Mayor’s and utilities firms warned of Legazpi City, which suffered ing and panels hanging from the Southeast Asian Games until competition, among them surf- noeing.

husband
shot dead Judge says Maguindanao
massacre case verdict
Palace to offer festive cash
By Jaime G Aquino
Manila Times
likely on December 19 incentive to officials
A
village head and hus-
band of the incumbent By Franz Lewin Embudo By Javier J Ismael
mayor here was gunned Manila Times Manila Times
down yesterday morning. Pro-
vincial Police Director Col. Re-

drico Maranan said Reynaldo
Licudo-Casareno was the in-
cumbent barangay chairman of
Tumana East and husband of
Mayor Susan Casareno.
The victim sustained multi-
ple gunshot wounds in differ-
ent parts of his body and did
not make it alive at a nearby
hospital, according to Rosales
Police chief Major John Cor-
puz.
Maranan ordered Corpuz to
conduct investigation for the
immediate solution of the case.
“We are not tolerating this
kind of criminal acts commit-
ted by suspected gun for hire
groups and I am ordering the
PNP (Philippine National Po-
lice) in Pangasinan to cultivate
information and search for
witnesses who can give infor-
mation that will help the police
in solving the case,” he said.
Corpuz said the shooting
incident was reported to the
police station by Lindo Li-
cudo, also incumbent Punong
Barangay in Casanicolasan and
cousin of the fallen victim. Re-
covered from the crime scene
are five empty shells and live
bullets of calibre 45 pistol.
The suspects immediately
escaped on board a motorcycle
after the shooting, according to
witnesses.
T A
he long-awaited prom-
ulgation of the decision
on the Ampatuan mas-
sacre case will be out on De-
cember 19, the judge handling
the case said.
In a notice issued by Presid-
ing Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes,
the verdict will be read at the
Quezon City Jail Annex at
Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig
City at 9am.
The judge will release the
decision after 10 years of trial.
In late November, Reyes
asked for a 30-day extension
to promulgate the decision,
citing the sheer volume of case
records, which the Supreme
Court granted and gave her
until December 20.
The massacre happened
on Nov 23, 2009 in the town
dominated by the Ampatuan
clan in Maguindanao province
in southern Mindanao, where
58 individuals — 32 of them
journalists — were killed while
on their way to file a certificate
of candidacy for Esmael Man-
gudadatu, then vice mayor of
Buluan town, in the 2010 na-
tional elections.
The other victims had also
been kidnapped and killed,
including Mangudadatu’s wife
and his two sisters, lawyers
and aides. Mangudadatu was
Andal Ampatuan Sr and Junior
allegedly ordered the killings.
challenging then-Mayor Datu
Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr,
member of one of Mindanao’s
leading political clans, in the
2010 gubernatorial polls.
Andal Jr and Zaldy Ampat-
uan are still in jail, while Sajid
Ampatuan is out on bail and is
currently the mayor of Shariff
Saydona Mustapha town in
Maguindanao.
The father of the Ampatu-
ans, Andal Sr, the alleged mas-
termind of the crime, died on
July 17, 2015.
Meanwhile, Justice Sec-
retary Menardo Guevarra
thanked the court judge “for
her patience and diligence” in
handling the multiple-murder
case.
“We trust that she will dis-
pense justice even-handedly
and with utmost respect for
the rule of law,” Guevarra said
in a message to reporters.
Private Prosecutor Nena
Santos said they were confi-
dent of a “guilty verdict” at
least for the principal accused,
sons of the alleged master-
mind Andal Sr.
s recommended by Sen-
ator Christopher Law-
rence “Bong” Go, the
Office of the President (OP) will
give P3,000 Christmas incen-
tives to elected barangay (vil-
lage) officials, namely barangay
captains, barangay kagawad
(councilmen), Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK or Youth Council)
chairmen and Indigenous Peo-
ple’s Mandatory Representa-
tives (IPMRs) to show appre-
ciation for their hard work in
their respective communities
pending the passage of a meas-
ure providing for additional
compensation for them.
“I suggested this to President
Rodrigo Duterte to give joy to Christopher Go: support for officials
our barangay officials who tire-
lessly render services in their the passage of Senate Bill (SB) welfare in return for the service it is in our barangay that we
communities,” Go said. 391 or the “Barangay Services they render to their respective hone dutiful citizens who will
“President Duterte and I are Compensation Act,” which is communities. become the future builders of
finding ways and means to pro- still being deliberated in the “The barangay serves as the our nation,” Go added.
vide you Christmas incentives Senate Committee on Local primary planning and imple- The senator said it was high
or anything that could be useful Government. menting unit of government time that the hard work and
for our elected barangay offi- Originally known as the policies, plans, programmes, efforts of barangay officials
cials this Christmas,” he added. Magna Carta for Barangay Act projects and activities in our are recognised.
The senator, who has pur- of 2019 filed by Go in July this communities,” he said during a “Our barangay are not on
sued measures to promote the year, SB 391 is a consolidated Senate committee hearing. autopilot. They are manned by
welfare of barangay officials, version of all other related bills “It is through our barangay these hard-working and dedi-
is hoping that this Christmas filed in the Senate, which aim that government programmes cated individuals who, despite
incentive will inspire the vil- to provide barangay officials and services reach our people. their seemingly thankless
lage officials to provide untiring additional compensation simi- It is through our barangay that job, are committed to ensur-
service in their role as provid- larly accorded to a regular gov- our policies, plans and projects ing that our barangay serve
ers of frontline services to the ernment employee as well as aimed at improving our country the purpose they are intended

All News Network 3316362354

community while waiting for other benefits to promote their materialise. Most importantly, for,” Go said.
 Gulf Times
22 Wednesday, December 4, 2019
COMMENT
CHAIRMAN
Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka
Deputy Managing Editor
K T Chacko
P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar
editor@gulf-times.com
44350478 (News),
44466404 (Sport),
44466636 (Home delivery)
44350474
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GULF TIMES
Enduring slowdown: India
needs across-the-board
steps to revive growth
The Indian economy has long been suffering through
a major slowdown with few signs the prolonged slump
has bottomed out.
Data released last week showed growth slowed
to 4.5% in the July-September quarter, its weakest
pace since 2013, putting pressure on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to speed up reforms as five rate cuts by
the central bank have failed to boost investments.
The economy is expanding well below the average
7-8% quarterly pace seen in the past few years.
Economists have been steadily downgrading their
growth forecasts for the current fiscal year through
March 2020, with the median estimate in a Bloomberg
survey now at 5.6%, down from 6% in October.
The central bank’s most recent forecast is for growth
of 6.1% this fiscal year.
After India’s growth slowed to 5% in the three
months to June from a year ago, rating firms and
brokerages have lined up to downgrade growth
estimates for Asia’s third-largest economy.
The World Bank slashed its growth forecast for India
to 6% for the current fiscal from its April projection
of 7.5%, citing a broad-based and severe cyclical
slowdown. Growth is expected to gradually recover to
6.9% in 2020-21 and to 7.2% the following year, the
Washington-based bank said in a recent report.
For India, many
Monetary indicators — automobile
sales, rail freight,
policy space is petroleum product
narrowing as consumption, domestic air
traffic and imports — are
inflation starts signalling weak domestic
consumption.
to pick up The US-China trade war
has been hurting India’s
exports as well.
The bigger problem, however, is the slide in domestic
consumption, which makes up nearly 60% of India’s
GDP. And private sector research suggests India is
experiencing jobless growth and failing to create high-
quality employment.
The deepening slowdown is raising the pressure on
the central bank to extend its monetary easing when
it meets tomorrow. The Reserve Bank of India will
lower the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.9%,
according to the median of 16 economist forecasts
compiled by Bloomberg.
But monetary policy space is slowly closing as
inflation starts to accelerate. Consumer prices rose
4.62% in October from a year earlier, the first reading
above 4% – the RBI’s medium-term target – since July
2018, and the highest since June last year.
For sure, the government has taken a number of
measures to bolster the economy. Most of these
measures, however, are focused on improving the long-
term potential of the economy, rather than providing a
short-term boost.
Longer term, India’s close-to-$3bn economy is seen
as having one of the highest growth rates in the world
of any large emerging market. But here’s the point: For
Modi to deliver on his pledge to turn the country into
a $5tn economy by 2024, India needs its economy to
expand at a 9-10% pace for a sustained period of time.
In a wider sense, developing countries such as India
shouldn’t be dependent only on domestic demand.
“Young, labour-surplus nations must go out and tap
world markets, not limit themselves to whatever can
be drummed up at home,” says Mihir Sharma in a
Bloomberg column.
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Malcolm X the
revolutionary
A
lex
Haley has
succeeded in
connecting
the reader
to the spirit
of Malcolm
X the
By Mohanna al-Hubail revolutionary,
and the
several stages of his life through The
Autobiography of Malcolm X (As
Told To Alex Haley). Malcolm used
to consider his description at the
American press as right, but only
according to his own interpretation in
regard to his struggle.
It was not according to the
depiction of the press tailored to
overthrow Malcolm, describing him as
“The most outrageous red Negro” in
America. Whoever reads his biography
by Haley, revised by Malcolm himself
before he was killed and confirmed to
Haley that he was anticipating death
at any moment and would not see the
book published, would recognise the
amount of distortion that happened
to Malcolm after his death, not only
during his lifetime. It is a fact that
cannot be eased or even ignored.
This fact strongly reveals itself for
the independent research. It comes
out very clear to remind us that the
world under Western imperialism
and the American imperialism in
particular is still counterfeiting
history, and erasing the values of
struggle and the sacrifices of pioneers.
Hence, we find a clear link between
the ideas of Malcolm X, Edward Said
and Ali Ezzat Begovic in their interest
and determination to emphasise and
liberate the idea that the case of the
global south and east with the Western
world is not to define the values of
social justice, and the development of
individuals and their liberties, but in
creating proper balance and dropping
such a case.
This is an important indication of
the role of the American press against
the ‘most angry African American’
and the role of the Western press
today against the angry southerners
standing for the rights of their people
who are crushed under the yoke of
tyranny and the heat of such racist
policies.
The issue is not a recurring gust
of rage, it is rather a return to a
decisive intellectual fact that reflects
on today’s horrendous political
and humanitarian reality. The issue
is that the battle of progress and
liberty against religious and cultural
backwardness and the ailing spirit
of the southern societies is still
suffering from a western interference
rather than an internal inability. It
is exactly what happened in the case
of Malcolm’s struggle and his angry
rebellious spirit, which used to come
out in an inadequate violence at some
of its expressions, against the patterns
he encountered from Michigan to New
York.
All News Network 3316362354PICTURE COURTESY: Amazon.com
These common values are not
concepts particular to Muslims,
but Islam as ideas and ethics had a
great role in the transformation of
Malcolm’s life. In his biography, he
swore as he was narrating the details
of his journey throughout the nights
of sex, drugs and theft that there was
no ethical power on earth that could
transform him into a different human
being and cleanse him of all such
debauchery but Islam.
Therefore, the link that gathers
Said, Begovic, Haley and Malcolm
is the huge lack of adequate balance
within the Western cultural and
political media lobbies. However,
Malcolm recognised the need to
correct his address against the white
Westerners after the Haj (pilgrimage
to Makkah) journey. Haley was writing
about Malcolm as a rights activist for
the common society even though he
was not in complete agreement with
it.
Said has also a different sphere
from Malcolm, without abandoning
the main idea, which is his search for
the fairness of the value standards,
detailed by Begovic. This idea
remained with Malcolm as the idea
of his life and struggle, and caused
the trouble of linking him with some
leaders of tyrannical history, in
particular those who used to adopt
the communist approach. He used
to attack the hypocritical image of
America in the Third World, and said
that the ambassadors of Washington
were fed up with such disgrace,
except for one of them, whom he
referred to positively. He was a white
American who listened to Malcolm
and had an intellectual dialogue with
him. Malcolm responded to him and
mentioned him in his records.
This issue, which is experienced
by some strugglers, could be
excused, especially at that time, so
long as it was not used as a direct
weapon by the struggling intellectual
to incite a rights’ opposition against
the tyrant. Such intellectual claims
to be in enmity with America, and
accordingly exhaust his people,
deprive them of their rights and
block their liberties in the name of
this enmity.
The American press eventually
united with Elijah Mohamed
and worked hard on this before
the assassination of Malcolm.
Mohamed presented himself as
a black prophet sent against the
white. Consequently, they all judged
Malcolm X as an extremist and the
security organisation was strongly
involved in the very details of this
scene, according to many clues that
appeared at Malcolm’s biography.
Malcolm reported the attempt of his
assassination to the police through
his new society. His house was even
burnt down before his assassination.
However, all the details of the crime
scene, the statements of security
officials, and the address of Elijah
Mohamed after his assassination
were all witness to the manipulation
of the crime scene of his killing. It
was sufficient to leave the scene for
the extremists to finish up the final
chapter of the process.
One of the most important ideas
of Malcolm’s biography is his self-
criticism of his racist approach to
the Western whites, which he had
denounced, but the press did not pay
attention to this and continued to
focus on his anger. He used to respond
to them stressing that the American
racism was the inciter of his rage and
he did not hate the white man, whom
he had not seen any difference with
while performing Haj.
Hence, he came to know that
the issue is not colour or the
Western race in itself, but rather
the culture produced in the name
of the supremacy of the Western
race, impacting the world culture
and social history. Such culture
leads people to fall victims to race
civilization supremacy wars and
interests.
The moment of Malcolm’s
assassination came as he was reaching
the peak of revising his ideas, which
highly won the sympathy, compassion
and enthusiasm of the white American
and English young people for his
lectures. Eventually, the divided south
and north worlds in America started to
unite over the values of human justice.
Ultimately, Marin Luther King heard
about Malcolm from his wife. King
heard about his sincere feelings and
his support to him.
In fact, Malcolm’s firmness in
promoting the rights of African
Americans paved the way for the
positive treatment of King. Innovation
and humanitarian thoughts were
flowing within the spirit of Malcolm,
stressing that the revival of the
Islamic human rights within him
was not an ideological recovery that
classify people according to their
religions, but a recovery of dignity,
and united partnership for all the
people suffering on earth for the sake
of social justice, and equal human
rights, yet at this particular moment
Malcolm X was assassinated.
 Translated from the original in
Arabic by Gulf Times

Vodafone Qatar’s 5G network paves
the way for smart connected industry
5
G paves the way for economic
prosperity in cities. A recent
report by IHS Markit estimates
that 5G will enable $12.3tn in
global economic output across a range
of industries within the next three
decades. To put that in perspective,
this is more than the combined spend-
ing of China, Japan, France, Germany,
and the United Kingdom in 2016.
Digital transformation enabled by
5G connectivity equips companies
and industries to harness the full
array of emerging technologies such
as Big data, robotics, the Internet of
Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence
(AI), and Virtual & Augmented Reality
(AR/VR). All these and more are now
converging to connect machinery and
equipment, sensors, and people to
everything around them in ever more
sophisticated and resourceful ways.
Qatar IT Conference & Exhibition
(Qitcom) 2019, which recently wrapped
up its fifth edition, was an opportunity
to see a full range of the most cutting-
edge technology – among them the
latest 5G solutions. Vodafone Qatar,
presented an award-winning GigaNet
5G Smart City pavilion showcasing a
breadth of real live technologies and
services on Vodafone’s ready GigaNet
5G network in different zones like
Smart Homes, Connected Retail,
Smart City and Smart Industry.
Vodafone’s innovative
solutions showed how the speed,
responsiveness and reliability of 5G
can help any industry achieve better
business outcomes. Construction,
manufacturing, oil and gas, and
other industries will benefit from
increased efficiency and productivity
for professionals with subsequent
Trump’s tariff risks pushing Brazil closer to China
Reuters
Brasilia
U
S President Donald Trump’s
surprise decision to slap
metals tariffs on Brazil is
a blow to President Jair
Bolsonaro’s aim of forging closer ties
with Washington and could push Latin
America’s No. 1 economy closer to
Trump’s top trade foe — China.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said he
will impose tariffs on US steel and
aluminium imports from Brazil and
Argentina, catching the two South
American countries off guard and
prompting them to seek explanations.
Bolsonaro strode to victory last
year as the “Trump of the Tropics,”
threatening to slash China’s
growing footprint in his country’s
economy.
Once in office, he doubled down on
Trump but also held back on bashing
Beijing in favour of a more pragmatic
approach with China, Brazil’s top trade
partner.
Increasingly, it seems, only one of
those strategies worked.
Trump’s latest tariff announcement
suggests Bolsonaro’s US overtures
have fallen on deaf ears.
By contrast, Bolsonaro’s once-
acrimonious relationship with Beijing
has softened and is yielding tangible
results, with China buying ever more
Brazilian meat and even coming to the
Live issues
Slight hearing loss may affect kids’ behaviour
By Linda Carroll
Reuters Health
C
hildren with slight hear-
ing loss may do a little less
well in school and may be
a bit more likely to develop
behaviour problems, a new study
suggests.
Hearing impairment that doctors
and parents may have considered
slight or mild “may actually
be associated with both school
performance and behaviour,”
researchers write in JAMA
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck
Surgery.
Among nearly 5,000 Dutch
elementary school children, slight or
mild hearing impairment was linked
with higher behavioural problem
scores on questionnaires filled out
by parents and with lower scores on
standardised testing.
While the study can’t prove mild
Gulf Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 23
COMMENT
cutbacks in cost. characterise smart factories of the state-of-the-art Drone-no fly zone,
The 5G capabilities will benefit future. the world’s first IoT drone tracking and
businesses that need to instantly Other solutions, ideally suited to safety technology. The technology is
and wirelessly connect to other Qatar’s oil and gas industry, is the use an important use case for emergency by Vodafone 5G connectivity is exactly and productivity based on real-time
professionals remotely. And they can of IoT for improved data and survey services and other authorities in which what Qatar’s industries need to location and data.
be used in countless creative ways; accuracy. Vodafone has showcased the solution enables them to establish meet the challenges they face today: What the solutions also highlighted
leveraging VR for business functions a 5G Industrial Drone that can be temporary or dynamic no fly zones the demands to boost productivity, is an important evolution: from seeing
such as remote support and training remotely controlled to fetch and or to protect permanent no fly zones optimise operational efficiency and 5G as “a faster network” to a robust
that require instant communication observe data from highly sensitive such as airports, oil and gas fields enhance worker safety on the factory ecosystem that results from 5G fuelling
with the highest data transmission and dangerous locations for pipeline and production plants from drone floor and on site. As for example with technologies such as IoT and Artificial
quality. The higher speeds and low maintenance. intrusions. the Smart Worker Band – a solution Intelligence, virtual and augmented
latency of 5G will also enable the Another drone-related technology The benefits of optimisation, that was also showcased and provides reality. This is an evolution that is sure to
effective use of automation that will that was showcased was Vodafone’s automation, and innovation enabled features to enhance worker safety transform the industry as we know it.
Three-day forecast
TODAY
Maximum Temperature : 280c
rescue of its troubled deep-water oil to President Xi Jinping and China, but friend” because Washington, like
Minimum Temperature : 190c
auction last month. relations with Beijing have thawed some European countries worried by
Analysts said Trump’s repeated following Bolsonaro’s visit to China Bolsonaro’s environmental polices, is THURSDAY
snubs of Bolsonaro could push Brazil in October and Xi’s visit to Brasilia for turning away from Brazil. Maximum Temperature : 260c
back toward the more long-term, the BRICS summit last month. Bolsonaro said on Monday he will Minimum Temperature : 190c
consistent and drama-free embrace of And while Trump could lose next appeal to Trump for mercy. FRIDAY
China. year’s presidential election and be He was confident the US leader will Maximum Temperature : 270c
“If you’re concerned about China’s replaced by a Democrat more hostile “listen to us.” Minimum Temperature : 210c
growing economic influence in Latin to Bolsonaro, Xi is likely to remain So far, though, there appears to be Fisherman's forecast
America, imposing tariffs is at best in power for the foreseeable future, little evidence that he will.
counterproductive,” said Monica de analysts said. Despite his efforts since becoming
Significantly, Chinese state oil president on Jan 1, Bolsonaro has WARNING
Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Inshore : Nil
Institute for International Economics companies CNOOC and CNODC were received little in return from Trump. Offshore : Nil
in Washington. the only bidders other than Brazil’s Brazil’s bid to join the Organisation
Thomaz Favaro, regional director own state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA of Economic Co-operation and WEATHER
Inshore : Misty at places fisrt
at consultancy Control Risks, said in a massive oil auction last month, Development (OECD) group of rich becomes moderate
Bolsonaro’s efforts to shimmy closer following an invitation made by countries has been met with a mixed, temperature daytime
to Trump have not gained traction in Bolsonaro during his visit. even lukewarm, response from with scattered clouds
Offshore : Fine to some clouds
Washington, while Beijing has been The two countries, which notched Washington. at times
far more open to working strategically a record $100bn in bilateral trade last Meanwhile, Bolsonaro has buckled
with Brazil. year, have also been driven closer by to Washington’s demands in other WIND
Inshore : Northwesterly-North
“It’s very clear that China has tried necessity. areas, such as ethanol and wheat easterly 05-15/18 KT
to position itself as a steady ally of the China is buying more Brazilian quotas, offering travel visas for US Offshore : Northwesterly 05-15/21
Brazilian government, regardless of meat as its domestic hog population citizens. KT
political difference, and I think that has been decimated by African swine He is considering the United States Visibility : 4-8/3 KM
message has been very well received in fever. operating a military base on Brazilian Offshore : 2-4/6 FT
Brasilia,” he said. It has also licensed 45 additional soil despite misgivings from the
Favaro added that Trump’s Brazilian meat plants for export this country’s armed forces.
surprise tariff move, which was likely year. Yet a two-year US ban on Brazil beef Around the region
undertaken to shore up his base of US “The US-Brazil rapprochement is imports remains in place, despite nine
Weather Weather
farmers ahead of next year’s election, in trouble because the US is starting months of talks and a personal plea
today Max/min tomorrow Max/min
“could push Bolsonaro closer into to realise there’s not much Brazil from Bolsonaro to Trump during his
Baghdad P Cloudy 18/07 Sunny 19/09
China’s hands.” can offer,” said Oliver Stuenkel, an visit in March.
Kuwait City Sunny 22/12 Sunny 22/16
The impact of Trump’s tariffs on the international relations professor at the China is sure to be taking notice of
Manama Sunny 24/19 Sunny 24/19
US-Brazil free trade deal talks, which Getulio Vargas Foundation, a Brazilian those frictions.
Muscat P Cloudy 27/19 Sunny 27/19
opened this year, remains to be seen. university. “If you raise tariffs, you open the
Tehran P Cloudy 12/03 P Cloudy 12/06
Bolsonaro’s allegiance is far stronger Soon, Bolsonaro may have to door for other blocs to take advantage,”
to Trump and the United States than admit that Beijing is an “all-weather said one diplomat in Brasilia.
Around the world
hearing loss causes worse academic is like that all day long.” is more background noise in the Weather Weather
performance and behaviour problems, Le Clercq’s team studied 4,779 classroom,” Chi said. The noise could today Max/min tomorrow Max/min
“We would like to raise awareness that children born between 2002 and 2006. simply come from “the chatter of Athens Showers 14/09 M Cloudy 13/07
possibly slight hearing loss may have Children with moderate or severe peers or the sound coming from the Beirut P Cloudy 21/17 Rain 19/14
more effects in daily life than often hearing loss were excluded from the heating or cooling system.” Bangkok Sunny 29/18 M Sunny 28/17
assumed,” said lead author Dr Carlijn study. Chi, who co-authored an editorial Berlin P Cloudy 06/-2 M Sunny 04/00
le Clercq, of Erasmus University Between ages 9 and 11, the children accompanying the new study, agrees Cairo Sunny 24/13 Sunny 25/14
Medical Center, in an e-mail. had their hearing checked in a quiet that children with mild hearing Cape Town Cloudy 24/16 Sunny 28/18
“Children with slight hearing loss room. A smaller group got a second problems should be seated at the front Colombo T Storm 29/24 T Storm 28/24
may benefit from a seat in the front of exam, in which their ability to hear of the classroom and recommends Dhaka Sunny 28/17 P Cloudy 30/17
the classroom close to their teacher. speech in a noisy environment was that teachers with softer voices be Hong Kong P Cloudy 22/16 Showers 17/14
And for children who seem to have tested. equipped with microphones. “We’ve Istanbul Showers 09/06 P Cloudy 11/04
trouble keeping up at school or whose School performance and all had teachers who mutter and are a Jakarta S T Storms 33/26 T Storm 33/25
attention span is limited, a hearing test behavioural problems worsened as challenge to hear,” he said. Karachi P Cloudy 29/20 Cloudy 29/19
could be considered.” hearing declined, the researchers “The bottom line is that this should London P Cloudy 06/01 Cloudy 10/08
Le Clercq and colleagues focused found. not be ignored and we should provide Manila S T Storms 31/26 S T Storms 31/25
on children who had problems hearing The new study “highlights the fact interventions for those who have even Moscow S Showers -1/-2 Cloudy 03/00
tones below 25 decibels. that hearing loss, whether severe slight hearing loss,” Chi said. New Delhi P Cloudy 23/10 P Cloudy 22/10
“Rustling leaves are approximately or slight, may affect behaviour and The new findings should alert people New York M Cloudy 07/03 P Cloudy 07/02
20 decibels,” le Clercq explained. school performance,” said Dr David to the possibility that children with Paris M Sunny 04/-2 M Cloudy 04/02
“Maybe it is not a big deal if you can’t Chi, who is chief of the division of poor school performance and behaviour Sao Paulo S T Storms 28/21 S T Storms 27/17
hear rustling leaves. However, (for paediatric otolaryngology at UPMC problems might have hearing loss, Seoul Sunny 06/-6 Sunny -2/-11
people who can’t), almost all normal Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. said Dr Maura Cosetti, who directs the Singapore Cloudy 31/26 T Storm 29/25
speech will be softer in their ears. You Slight hearing deficiencies may Cochlear Implant Centre at New York Sydney Sunny 26/16 Sunny 31/18
can imagine it takes more effort to be enough to make it hard for kids to Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in Tokyo Clear 15/06 Clear 13/05
understand that speech, especially if it
All News Network 3316362354
discern “certain words when there New York City.
 Gulf Times
24 Wednesday, December 4, 2019

QATAR

Dignitaries at the opening of the 9th edition of Qatar’s Traditional Dhow Festival yesterday at Katara. Sailors launch a dhow at the festival yesterday.

Dhow Festival opens at Katara

T
he 9th edition of Qatar’s
Traditional Dhow Festival
was launched yesterday
at Katara – the Culture Village
Foundation, under the patronage
of His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The event, open to the public
until December 16, from 9am to
12 noon and 3pm to 10pm, show-
cases Qatar’s rich maritime her-
itage and the deep-rooted ma-
rine life traditions in the region.
Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq,
Turkey, India, Greece, Italy,
Spain, Iran, and Zanzibar are the
participants. The opening event
saw HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim
al-Thani, former minister HE Dr
Mohamed Saleh al-Sada, Katara
general manager Dr Khalid bin
Ibrahim al-Sualiti and a number
of other dignitaries in attend-
ance.
“This is the first time that the
Dhow Festival is being held over
two weeks. It is also coincid-
ing with the 24th Arabian Gulf
Cup Football Tournament and
the FIFA Club World Cup Qa-
tar 2019,” said Dr Sulaiti while
launching the festival. “The
Dhow Festival is the most dis-
tinguished among the tradi-
tional and cultural festivals and
seeks to inspire the young gen-
eration to learn and follow from
their forefathers’ cultural past.
Katara has put in all efforts for
people of all ages and from all
walks of life to come and see
this exciting and encouraging
festival. We expect many more
people this time and of all na-
tionalities, and also fans of
football who are and will be in
Qatar through sport,” he added.
The participants are present-
ing some pieces of their related
traditional music and dance. The
festival features a programme
packed with activities, events
and exhibitions, traditional art,
in addition to competitions, cul-
tural and recreational activities
that give special focus on tra-
ditional marine history of their
countries.
This edition of the festival of-
fers the visitors a closer look on
the traditional methods of fish-
ing, market place, shipbuilding,
ropes, sail, dredging machine,
craftsmanship, trade, tools to
classic dhow boats, traditional
food and seafood, music, and
even fancy footwear.
Dr Selcuk Kursad Koca, di-
rector of the Turkish Culture
Center, Doha, stressed that the
festival gives ample room for the
participants to showcase their
marine culture and traditions.
He described it as a celebration
of marine life and an active hub
for related cultures from differ-
ent countries to meet at a sin-
gle platform and display their
related culture, arts, history
craftsmanship and folk heritage.
Maritime museums, folk band
performances and art workshops
for children are among the ac-
tivities. The festival also includes
a forum that will host the crew of
Fath Al Khair 4, which completed
a historic voyage in Europe pro-
moting the 2022 FIFA World Cup
last July.
Maritime competitions in-
cluding rowing, sailing, Al Hadd-
aq, free swimming, Al Brikha,
Al Jinan, Shoush and Tafrees,
in addition to Senyar competi-
tion, will also be held during the
course of the two-week long fes-
tival.
Schoolchildren to present
‘Al Qumash’ over weekend
The 9th edition of Qatar’s Tra-
ditional Dhow Festival will be
brightened by the presentation
of ‘Al Qumash’ – a storytelling
presentation by schoolchildren
about Qatar’s rich pearl diving
history, the glorious maritime
history, on Thursday and Friday,
at 7pm and 9pm. A cultural performance at the dhow festival.

Casa Italia participates at Dhow Fest for second time

By Joey Aguilar the renowned marvellous island in Katara esplanade. Meanwhile, Casa themes. According to the embassy, traditional recipes. Several Italian
Staff Reporter the heart of the Mediterranean with Italia also features the ‘The time- the plates on show are created by the restaurants in Doha and Italian food
its meaningful sea culture. Sara less beauty of Venice’ (courtesy of La skilled hands of Umberto D’Arienzo, importing companies - Al Messilia
Marrocu, the assessor for culture Vela spa) photo exhibition, display- a member of a family of artisans and Resort, IFG Lavazza, Carluccio’s,

T
he Italian embassy in Doha
opened the “Casa Italia” yes-
terday, marking its second
year of participation at the Katara
Traditional Dhow Festival, which is
celebrating its 9th edition. Literally
“Italian Home”, this unique space at
the annual event showcases the best
of ‘Italian Traditions at Sea’, rang-
ing from authentic artisanal and
food products to live performances,
among others, by its musicians and
chefs.
In a statement, the embassy said
Casa Italia promotes and focuses on
the city of Venice, its ancient his-
tory and traditions; and Sardinia,
in Portoscuso — a fishermen village
founded in 16th century based on
fishing and coral miners — is bring-
ing the traditional tools used for the
tuna fishing from the local museum
of fishery.
A photo exhibition, courtesy of
Martino Motti, underlines the dif-
ferent phases of the tuna fishing in
Sardinia related to the “Tonnara”, a
traditional method to catch tunas.
Ladies in original Sardinian cos-
tumes prepares handmade pasta and
a Trio of musicians flying in from
Cagliari are playing “Launeddas” - a
typical wind instrument - to enter-
tain visitors with folk music at the
ing the most beautiful spots of what
was described as “a marvellous city.”
In front of Casa Italia are authen-
tic Gondola vessels docked with
stewards in gondolier attire to take
pictures with the festival-goers.
Traditional Venetian artworks
made of handmade “vetro di Mu-
rano”, the authentic world-re-
nowned Murano glass made by
skilled glassblowers, are also show-
cased with their rich colours and
gold and silver specks.
Casa Italia is decorated with ar-
tisanal handcrafted and painted
plates from the Amalfi coast, the re-
nowned Ceramics of Vietri with fish
decorators and is carrying on the
second-generation family tradi-
tions.
The Municipal Councillor for
Fishery of San Benedetto del Tronto,
Mario Ballatore, presents a photo
exhibition of this renowned sea
holiday destination located in the
Marche region and brings to Katara
some typical fishing nets from his
town.
Italian TV chef Massimo Malan-
trucco is also holding workshops at
Casa Italia to explain the benefits of
the healthy Mediterranean diet and
Italian food products. He also per-
forms live cooking shows to prepare
Colosseum, Bombo Crepes and Ag-
rico - gives visitors the chance to
experience the most popular Italian
recipes and street-food, and to cel-
ebrate the authentic Italian cuisine
and taste.
Italian musician Gabriele Giuliano
and his folk group perform live as
they entertain the audience with
traditional music from the South of
Italy: pizzica, tarantella and tammu-
riata. Doha-based Italian saxophon-
ist Ilenia Torsello also takes part in
the live performances and delight An Italian chef offers festival-goers with authentic
the visitors with soft background Italian cuisine at the opening of Casa Italia, which
music while they are enjoying the is taking part at the Katara Traditional Dhow
cultural display at Casa Italia. Festival 2019. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar

FIFA Club World Cup comes to QF

Y
oung people who participate in
an array of sporting competi-
tions at Qatar Foundation have
had the chance to get a close look at one
of football’s most glittering pieces of sil-
verware – the FIFA Club World Cup. The
2019 edition of the international football
tournament will be held in Qatar from
December 11-21, with Qatari Stars League
champions Al Sadd being joined by the
champions of Europe, South America,
Asia, Africa, North America, and Oceania
to officially decide soccer’s club world
champions.
The FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019
is the 16th edition of the tournament and
will see eight matches played in Doha,
with the competing clubs being Liverpool,
Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunis,
Al Hilal, Club de Futbol Monterrey, and
Some of the participants at the workshop. Hienghene Sport, as well as Al Sadd.
And ahead of the tournament, the
QU-QTTSC training workshop addresses road safety management trophy arrived at Education City (EC)
at the weekend, with school students
who participate in the Qatar Foundation

A
s part of the continuous ef-
forts to implement the Na-
tional Traffic Safety Action
Plan (2018-2022), a training work-
shop on Road Traffic Safety Man-
agement was recently organised by
the Qatar Transportation and Traf-
fic Safety Centre (QTTSC) at Qatar
University College of Engineering in
collaboration with the International
Road Federation.
The workshop aimed to provide
information on the elements of the
Road Traffic Safety Management
system (RTSM) including the insti-
tutional management, the interven-
tions and the results.
Furthermore, the workshop ad-
dressed the requirements of ISO
39001 standards and finally dis-
cussed the impact of RTSM on busi-
ness and operational performance.
The course discussed the insti-
tutional management process re-
lated to road traffic safety manage-
ment. Furthermore, the procedure
to perform road safety management
capacity review is presented with
practical examples and group exer-
cises.
The management of fleet safety
programmes and the application of
different tools to support road safety
management related processes were
also addressed.
More than 35 participants from the
National Traffic Safety Committee,
senior engineers from General Di-
rectorate of Traffic, Ministry of Mu-
nicipality and Environment, as well
as from many engineering consulta-
tion companies and contractors have
participated in the workshop.
Susanna Zammataro, the direc-
tor general of the International Road
Federation and Martin Heath, tech-
nical director of RTSM Global Lim-
ited and member of the ISO 39001
British Standards Working Group
RTS/1, presented the workshop.
QTTSC director Prof Faris Tar-
lochan said, “Road Traffic Safety is
one of the important challenges that
are facing the local and international
community, thus QTTSC is working
actively to contribute in improving
All News Network 3316362354
the traffic safety status in collabora-
tion with local authorities and inter-
national partners. This workshop is
one in a number of forums that aim
to raise public awareness and re-
sponsibility in road safety.”
QTTSC workshop co-ordinator
assistant professor, Dr Wael Alhaj-
yaseen said that having an effec-
tive road traffic safety management
system in the institutional level is
essential to ensure sustainable im-
provement in road safety levels
through the continuous reduction in
road fatalities & severe injuries.
ISO 39001 can significantly help
institutions or organisations to have
in place a comprehensive manage-
ment system of road safety interven-
tions.
(QF) Junior Football League and univer-
sity students who took part in a range of
sporting tournaments organised by QF
Community Development throughout
the year being able to have their pictures
taken with the cup.
The trophy was also on display at the
Torba Farmers Market and the EC Unit-
ed event – organised by students from FIFA Club World Cup on display at
QF universities to mark Qatar National Education City.
Day – at Education City’s Ceremonial
Court. “To have a major football trophy tournaments in Education City in col-
at Education City is a real motivation for laboration with organisations such as
the young people who play in our junior Qatar Basketball Federation and the Qa-
football league, and for those who par- tar Football Association, as we continue
ticipate in the sporting competitions we to see the standard of competition rise
organise,” said Alexandru Rosca, head of every year. Concluding the year with the
Sports Programming, QF. visit of the FIFA Club World Cup is a great
“We have had a great year of sporting way to round the year off.”