5th Hospitality Qatar Amir awards Hamad bin Khalifa Sash to Al … › uploads › 2019 › 11 ›...

Volume 24 | Number 8074 | 2 RiyalsWednesday 13 November 2019 | 16 Rabia I 1441 www.thepeninsula.qa

BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 12

Coach Martin’s advice doing wonders for Qatar’s Tamimi

Qatar, Norwaydiscuss ways

to enhanceinvestments

Amir awards Hamad bin Khalifa Sash to Al Sherbini

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani awarded the Hamad bin Khalifa Sash to Legal Adviser at the Amiri Diwan, Adel Ahmad Al Sherbini, for his valuable efforts in serving the State for 40 years. This took place during a meeting with H H the Amir at the Amiri Diwan yesterday. The Legal Adviser expressed his thanks and gratitude to H H the Amir for this honour, expressing his great pride in it.

Amir calls for Istisqaa PrayerQNA/DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has called for Istisqaa (rain-seeking) Prayer to be performed across the country tomorrow morning, 17 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1441 AH, corre-sponding to November 14, 2019. H H the Amir will perform the Istisqaa Prayer with crowds of

citizen worshipers at Al Wajba prayer ground.

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has called on all Muslims in the State to perform Istisqa (rain-seeking) prayer tomorrow morning in line with the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to pray for rainfall when rain is lacking.

In a statement, the Ministry called for the performance of Istisqa prayer at the state’s mosques tomorrow. The M o s q u e s M a n a g e m e n t Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs issued yesterday a list of 78 mosques and prayer places where Istisqa prayer will be held at 6:05am tomorrow.

5th Hospitality Qatar off to a good startRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Hospitality Qatar’s biggest edition yet yesterday marked an auspi-cious start with a large number of visitors thronging 228 exhibitors from 33 countries at Doha Exhi-bition and Convention Center.

Minister of Commerce and Industry, H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari officially opened the fifth edition of Hospitality Qatar in the presence of Akbar Al Baker, Sec-retary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, ambassadors, and other officials.

Companies engaged in various aspects of the hospitality industry such as hotels and facilities, inte-riors and design, entertainment and leisure, travel and tourism, resorts and outdoor landscape,

Hotel/Restaurant/Café (HORECA) technologies and equipment, eco-logically friendly hotels systems and solutions, and food and beverages options are showcasing their products at the three-day event.

IFP Qatar has partnered for the second consecutive year with Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) to organise the event aimed at strengthening Qatar’s position as a leading global des-tination for hospitality, leisure and recreation.

“We are proud to have reached new milestones as we

unravel today the activities taking place at Hospitality Qatar. We are set to witness another successful gathering of leading companies and organisations keen to lev-erage their expertise during these three days and offer new solutions to fast-track the developments in Qatar’s tourism and hospitality sector. We are confident of the success of this 5th edition as we continue to enhance the experi-ences of exhibitors and visitors alike and contribute to the efforts to attract more tourists in the country,” said Haidar Mshaimesh, General Manager of IFP Qatar.

Ahmed Al Obaidli from QNTC, said: “We are delighted to return as partners of Hospitality Qatar, after noting a need and a demand for a knowledge-exchange and training platform for tourism pro-fessionals. In developing the pro-

gramme with IFP Qatar, we have worked to highlight the importance of creating a visitor experience that is unique to Qatar, modern and seamless yet rooted in authenticity, and reflected across all the elements that make up that experience, from F&B to hospitality, and from digital innovations to customer service.”

Leading innovative events are taking place throughout the three days including new exhibition zones, a highly targeted B2B program, the educa-tional certified conference

and training sessions, and Salon Culinaire’s lively events and activities. �P2

NHRC Chairman: New report to expose UAE violations of ICJ decisionsQNA BRUSSELS

Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri has revealed that a new report will be released at the beginning of next year to expose the continued violations by the UAE of the International Court of Justice’s decision for the second consecutive year since the beginning of the blockade.

He said that he expects a strong condemnation of the UAE and a demand for com-pensation for victims of racial discrimination, pointing out that the complaints filed by Qatar will show the crimes of racial discrimination com-mitted by the UAE against the people of Qatar.

This came during a hearing at the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels, which

is the first of its kind to be held in the European Parliament after the election of its new members, especially in the Sub-committee on Human Rights amid the presence of prominent media reporters and media accredited to the European Parliament.

At the outset of his speech, he thanked the Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Sub-committee on Human Rights

Maria Arena, for her keenness and support for the NHRC work, and for renewing the agreement between the NHRC and the European Parliament.

He also briefed MPs on the human rights situation and the most important developments and challenges in the State of Qatar.

In this context, Dr. Al Marri presented an overview on the main challenges facing human

rights in Qatar, particularly with regard to the development witnessed in laws and legisla-tions related to the rights of incoming workers, after the abolition of Kafala law, the first of its kind in the GCC region, and the progress achieved by the State of Qatar at the level of mechanisms, in particular the establishment of a committee to settle labor disputes and the establishment of the

compensation fund, in addition to the strong partnership with the International Labour Organization, which culmi-nated in the opening of the first office in the Gulf, as well as the strong partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation.

He also drew attention to the continuous visits of govern-mental and non-governmental organisations to Qatar. �P5

13th session of ARABOSAI General Assembly beginsQNA DOHA

Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, inau-gurated the 13th session of the General Assembly of the Arab Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) at the Doha Sheraton Hotel yesterday.

The opening ceremony was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Heads of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from Arab countries, representatives of reg-ulatory organisations and guests.

President of the State Audit Bureau Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saud Al Thani gave a speech on the occasion,

explaining that the State Audit Bureau adopted a consistent reform and development approach to embody Qatar’s policy under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

He pointed out that this approach extended to include the institutional, organisational and professional aspects of its work and led in a short period to enhancing the status of the Bureau within the institutional fabric of the State as an independent body to ensure the protection of public funds and work in order to strengthen the pillars of good governance in the State, while committing to the utmost objec-tivity and quality requirements of international professional standards. �P2

73 countries take part in meet on Middle East economyTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Middle East region has enormous natural resources, huge financial capabilities and great human potential, but these capabilities have not been effec-tively utilised, said H E Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance, yesterday.

Inaugurating the 14th edition of the high-profile ‘Enriching the Middle East’s Economic Future Conference’ here yesterday, H E Minister Al Emadi stressed the need to fill important gaps that hinder the development process, including the need for integrated plans to develop vocational edu-cation and training, laws and legislation for the business envi-ronment, as well as support

innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises and promote the participation of the private sector in economic activity.

H E the Minister noted that this year’s conference is hap-pening under complex circum-stances when the world is wit-nessing fundamental challenges and transformations in the eco-nomic arena and increasing pro-tectionist policies and trade dis-putes between big powers, which affects the development and economic growth efforts in various regions of the world, including the Middle East.

Ever since its launch in 2006, ‘Enriching the Middle East’s Eco-nomic Future Conference’ has been focusing on discussing economic developments in the Middle East

and Asia, and studying solutions and initiatives for the economic challenges facing the region. He said that it’s a unique opportunity and an effective international forum that attracts distinguished experts and businessmen from all over the world to discuss various issues including economy, energy, free trade, security, crises and chal-lenges in this region.

He noted that crises and serious challenges in the region won’t find the desired positive solutions unless there is dialogue and consensus, and there is a sincere desire to meet with stakeholders and experts in order to develop a common vision to address the problems and crises escalating in the world, especially the Middle East.

The two-day event has

brought together more than 270 prominent figures from 73 coun-tries, who will discuss the most important challenges in the Mena region with the participation of research experts, academics, businessmen and decision-makers from around the world.

The 14th edition of the con-ference is organised by the Per-manent Committee for Organ-izing Conferences at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the UCLA Center for Middle East Development (CMED).

The two-day conference will provide an overview of the most important issues in the region and the world, while sharing ideas and insights on the future prospects of the Mena region and the world in the economic field. �Business 01

Leading innovative events are taking place throughout the three days of Hospitality Qatar.

Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, and Secretary-General of QNTC, Akbar Al Baker, cutting a ribbon to mark the opening of the 5th Hospitality Qatar, yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

02 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019HOME

Amir holds phone call with President of Guinea-BissauDOHA: Amir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

held a telephone conversa-

tion with the President of

Guinea-Bissau, Jose Mario

Vaz, yesterday evening.

During the phone call which

H H the Amir received

from the President, they

reviewed bilateral relations

and ways of enhancing

them, as well as issues of

mutual concern. QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

FM sends written message to Greek counterpartATHENS: The Minister of

Foreign Affairs of the Hel-

lenic Republic, Nikos Dendias,

has received a written mes-

sage from the Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister of For-

eign Affairs, H E Sheikh

Mohamed bin Abdulrahman

Al Thani, pertaining to bilat-

eral relations. The message

was handed by the Ambas-

sador of Qatar to the Hellenic

Republic, Abdulaziz Ali Al

Naama. QNA

PM meets Chief of Naval Staff of Pakistan

The Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, met with the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of their visit to the country, yesterday. During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in various fields, in addition to a number of issues of mutual interest.

PM receives message from UK counterpart

The Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, received a written message from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways of developing them, especially in the fields of cooperation in organising the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The message was handed over by the British Ambassador to Qatar, Ajay Sharma, during a meeting, yesterday, with H E the Prime Minister and Interior Minister.

The Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, with Their Excellencies Heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions from Arab countries, representatives of regulatory organisations and guests of the event, during the opening ceremony of the 13th session of the General Assembly of the Arab Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) at Doha Sheraton Hotel, yesterday.

13th session of ARABOSAI General Assembly begins

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, and Secretary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council, Akbar Al Baker, touring the fifth edition of Hospitality Qatar Exhibition at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

FROM PAGE 1

Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani said that when the State Audit Bureau assumes the presidency of the ARABOSAI organisation during the next three years, it intends to adopt projects and development initiatives that contribute to consolidate the gains achieved by the per-formance of the organization. This is based on its belief in the importance of the value of the

culture of reform and devel-opment in improving the insti-tutional performance, he said, stressing that he is counting on the support of the heads of the SAIs members and their under-standing about their organization.

The President of the State Audit Bureau said that the con-vening of the General Assembly of ARABOSAI is the culmination of the progress of its activity during the past three years and an occasion to identify the

achievements made for the benefit of the SAIs members in areas related to capacity-building. It’s an opportunity to adopt future directions and pro-grams that will improve the per-formance of the organization and increase the value of the services it provides to them, he added.

The President of the State Audit Bureau said that the organization’s position as an independent professional body supporting the SAIs in the Arab

countries has continued over the years thanks to the efforts made to develop its profession, which is clear through the programs that have become more con-sistent with the actual needs of development and reform and more responsive to emerging issues and challenges faced by SAIs.

Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani referred to the proposal of the State Audit Bureau which as adopted by ARABOSAI that the

theme of the scientific sym-posium accompanying the meetings of the General Assembly should be on the subject of development projects of the SAIs, which the SAIs rec-ognize their responsibilities require the adoption of devel-opment projects and initiatives aimed at establishing compre-hensive institutional, organiza-tional and professional reform in accordance with the require-ments of international standards and professional practices.

PM sends message to Minister of Interior of ParaguayASUNCION: The Prime Min-

ister and Interior Minister,

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani,

sent a written message to

the Minister of Interior of Par-

aguay, Dr. Euclides Acevedo,

pertaining to the bilateral

relations and ways of devel-

oping them. The message

was handed over by the Act-

ing Charge d’Affaires of the

Embassy of Qatar to Para-

guay, Saeed bin Hamad Al

Marri, during his meeting

with the Minister of Interior

of Paraguay, yesterday. QNA

Fifth Hospitality Qatar off to a good start

FROM PAGE 1

Hospitality Qatar Con-ference, certified by CPD, wit-nessed a keen audience as the agenda focused on major interests for the hospitality sector while the training ses-sions generated much interest as they highlighted the leading best practices among industry practitioners.

Visitors were keen to visit the new features of the exhi-bition including the ‘Destination Pavilion’ sponsored by Qatar Airways and the ‘Luxury Tourism’ zone presented in association with the Luxury

Trade & Marketing Group (LT&MG). National pavilions of China, India, Iran, Italy, Malaysia, Russia and Turkey also attracted visitors for their unique offerings such as Breakfast Made in Italy concept at the Italian pavilion.

Hospitality Qatar’s sig-nature events which include the Salon Culinaire in partnership with Qatar Culinary Profes-sionals (QCP) also started on the first day and visitors were enthralled with the various new dishes presented during the show. The exhibition is open until tomorrow from 1pm to 9pm.

Qatar takes part in Paris Peace ForumQNA PARIS

Qatar participated in the second Paris Peace Forum, which kicked off yesterday with the aim of enhancing international cooperation to face the dangers facing the world.

The Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, headed the delegation Qatar to the Forum, in the presence of Ambassador of Qatar to the French Republic Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani.

The two-day Forum brings together delegates from more than 130 countries with the par-ticipation of more than 30 heads of state and government, as well as heads and directors of various international organ-isations. The Forum was inau-gurated by President of France Emmanuel Macron who stressed in his opening address the importance of collective and joint international action to find solutions to the chal-lenges of global governance.

155 new plots to expand Small and Medium Enterprises ZoneQNA DOHA

The Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari announced the near completion of the construction works for the expansion of the Small and Medium Enterprises Zone, which will provide 155 new plots of land, aiming to encourage investment in the

industrial sector and enhance the ability of industrial companies to develop national products that meet the needs of local markets and achieve self-sufficiency for the State of Qatar.

In a speech at the award ceremony of Qatar Entrepre-neurship Award (Rowad Award 2019) yesterday, H E the Min-ister of Commerce and Industry said that the plots within the

new expansion will be directed to sectors that constitute a qual-itative addition to the existing industries in the country, in line with the objectives of the Second National Development Strategy 2018-2020.

H E the Minister praised the results achieved by the State of Qatar at various levels, which was the fruit of the vision and guidance of the wise

leadership to support the private sector, especially the entrepreneurial sector which is the real engine of the economy in the country.

H E the Minister reviewed the most prominent results achieved by the State in various sectors, where it was ranked among the top 20 countries that implemented reforms related to ease of doing business for

2020, among 190 countries around the world, stressing that numerous international eco-nomic reports have proven the strength and balance of Qatar’s economic policies in recent years, ranking first globally in the index of countries achieving record economic growth over the past 20 years with a com-pound annual growth rate of 10.5%.

FM meets US Secretary of StateWASHINGTON: The Dep-

uty Prime Minister and

Minister of Foreign Affairs

H E Sheikh Mohamed bin

Abdulrahman Al Thani met

yesterday in Washington

with the Secretary of State of

the United States of America,

Mike Pompeo. The meeting

discussed bilateral relations

and ways of enhancing them

and the mutual coopera-

tion especially in the fields

of defence, regional secu-

rity and the fight against

terrorism, in addition to the

situation in Syria, Iraq and

Libya. QNA

03WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019 HOME

Qatar takes part in 40th Unesco General Conference in Paris QNA DOHA

Qatar is participating in the 4 0 t h U n e s c o G e n e r a l Conference, which began in Paris, yesterday, and will last until November 27.

The delegation was headed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi.

H E the Minister is scheduled to deliver the speech of the State of Qatar at the con-ference, during which he will

review the role and efforts of the State, including its devel-opment and humanitarian assistance efforts, and its con-tributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the fourth goal of providing quality edu-cation for all. The Unesco General Conference, which is held biennially, is the organi-sation’s highest decision-making body.

The Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, during the 40th Unesco General Conference in Paris, yesterday

AI should be gateway to personalised learning: Sheikha HindTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The importance of using Artificial Intel-ligence as a tool for personalised learning has been emphasised by H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, at the 2019 Paris Peace Forum.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology become increasingly pow-erful global tools, their role in shaping the future of education is among the topics being focused on at the annual multinational platform for dialogue, which brings together thought-leaders and decision-makers to identify solu-tions to the world’s great challenges, and places the issue of global gov-ernance at the top of the international agenda.

The opening day of the forum saw H E Sheikha Hind participating in a dis-cussion on the role of AI in education, which called for the human touch to be retained in a changing technological environment — and saw her urge young people not to simply “knock on the door and wait” in making their voice heard about the future of the world.

Speakers at the session – which was held at La Grande Halle De La Villette in Paris, and also saw Irina Bokova, former Secretary-General of Unesco,

share her perspectives — discussed the importance of guiding future genera-tions towards becoming true digital cit-izens by embracing the role education must play in helping to illustrate the risks and benefits of AI. The discussion was moderated by François Taddei, Director of The Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI).

During the session, H E Sheikha Hind spoke of the potential for

machines and AI to connect learning opportunities and inspire young people. “We talk about AI and machine learning, and it scares us,” she said. “But, in the end, machines are tools that we have created.

“The question is: do I want my child to learn how to compute something that a machine can now do in a nanosecond, or do I want them to be able to design those things, so that tomorrow they

could be creating something that is rel-evant and relates to the world we live in?”

One of the themes of the discussion focused on harnessing the power of technology to inspire passion for learning and make education more per-sonalized. “We should ask ourselves how we can provide a system where you use AI for personalized learning – that’s the only way we can drive passion in young children,” said H E Sheikha Hind.

“It’s a shame that, globally, the edu-cation system today has not caught up to customisation and personalisation. I don’t want to wait until college for my children to be able to choose what they want to learn. Let’s do it at a much younger age.” The speakers also focused on the power of education to allow ideas to grow and transform society, and empower youth to make change happen, with H E Sheikha Hind calling on young people to make sure they use their voice.

“I would encourage youth not to knock at the door and wait, but just barge right in – because that’s the way that they’re going to make a difference,” she told the session. “Our job is to ensure the youth feel like they do have a voice, and to take their voice seriously.

“I hope that every child can find a

place in the world, and that they feel that they are productive in the world, because sometimes we lose hope as we think our voices aren’t heard or what we learn does not matter. As a person who has a role to play in education, I will take on as a responsibility to make sure that we provide that place in the world to as many children as possible.

“At Qatar Foundation, we believe in lifelong learning. We don’t just focus on the youth, but on making sure there is a place for everybody who wants to learn and who has a passion for learning. It’s important to instil that passion at a young age, because that will continue and change the mind set of individuals – even how they see the world.”

Bokova echoed the importance of AI to today’s youth, saying: “It’s also about values, about the soft skills that nowadays are more and more important, about having empathy, about teamwork.

“It’s about a very different world where we have to have the right compass of what we want to achieve in a society that is highly techno-logical and interconnected, but also very fragmented. I think AI should help us do this for our children, for the young generation. It’s a great tool.”

H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, speaking at the 2019 Paris Peace Forum.

The delegation was headed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi.


Vodafone’s 5G network covers Aspire Beach Volleyball Cup

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Vodafone Qatar announced that it is the official telecommunica-tions sponsor of the Aspire Beach Volleyball Cup taking place from November 12-15, at the Al Gharafa Sports Club.

As part of the sponsorship, Vodafone Qatar’s world class 5G GigaNet network will cover the event that will allow organisers, participants and fans to capture and share all the highlights.

Organised by the Qatar Vol-leyball Association, the Aspire Beach Volleyball Cup is the fourth stop on the 2019-2020 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Calendar before Olympic qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.

Men’s teams from 20 coun-tries including 3 teams from

Qatar will compete with thou-sands of fans expected to attend the tournament to cheer on their favourite teams.

Commenting on the spon-sorship, Mohamed Mohsin Al Yafei, Head of Public Sector, Vodafone Qatar, said “We’re excited to be involved in the Aspire Beach Volleyball Cup and to support Qatar’s outstanding role in hosting international sports tournaments. The incredibly fast speeds and ultra-low latency that 5G technology delivers, will increasingly form a large part of delivering an unforgettable fan experience during major tournaments when

seamless connectivity is expected that allows many people to share a massive number of videos, pictures and messages with people online.”

Ali Ghanem Al Kuwari, Pres-ident of the Qatar Volleyball Association, said “We’re delighted to partner with Vodafone Qatar that has a long history of supporting sports in the country. As an Association, we are always looking for ways to enhance the tournaments we host and the opportunity to have the Aspire Beach Volleyball Cup covered by 5G will set the prec-edent for future volleyball tour-naments globally.”

Ali Ghanem Al Kuwari and Mohamed Mohsin Al Yafei during the event.

Qatar-Cyprus ties hailed duringIndependence Day celebrationsFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Strong bilateral ties between Qatar and Cyprus were hailed during a diplomatic reception to mark the 59th Anniversary of the Cyprus Independence Day, yesterday in Doha.

Minster of Commerce and Industry, H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari; Minister of Adminis-trative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, H E Yousef Mohammed Al Othman Fakhroo; Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Fakhroo; Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of Eritrea, Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, and several

others graced the occasion held at InterContinental Doha Hotel.

Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Qatar, Dr Michalis A. Zacharioglou emphasized on further enhancing the already strong bilateral ties between his country and Qatar in various areas including investment and tourism.

“On the bilateral front Cyprus and Qatar continue to enjoy excellent relations in all fields. These relations have been remarkably boosted on political level and signing of bilateral agree-ments, which cover the whole spectrum of our bilateral relations,” said Dr A. Zacharioglou.

He also said that tourism and business exchanges between the

two countries have boosted due to frequent flights between Doha and Larnaca. “Besides this impressive development of the bilateral rela-tions between Cyprus and Qatar there is always margin for further improvement, especially in the fields of investment, trade, tourism and in particular the energy sector,” he added.

Dr A. Zacharioglou mentioned about the development achieved by Cyprus during the past years. The event, which was attended by several Ambassadors, other members of the diplomatic com-munity and dignitaries and Cyp-riots saw a cake-cutting cer-emony and a musical performance.

Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari (left) and Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, H E Yousef Mohammed Al Othman Fakhroo (third right), cutting a cake with Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Qatar, Dr. Michalis A. Zacharioglou (second left) and other officials on the Cyprus Independence Day celebration, in Doha yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

Four employees of Ministry of Administrative Development seconded to work in ILO in GenevaQNA DOHA

The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs has signed a cooperation agreement with the Interna-tional Labor Organization (ILO) whereby four ministry staff are seconded to work in the ILO headquarters in Geneva.

Commenting on the agreement, which comes in the framework of the technical cooperation program between the State of Qatar and the ILO, Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development,

Labor and Social Affairs, Mohammed Hassan Al Obaidli, said that the agreement is in line with Qatar’s policy to enhance its presence in the international organizations, and the State’s keenness on participating in decision-making and the reha-bilitation of the Qatari cadres, noting that the assigned employees will work in various departments in the ILO head-quarters in Geneva, including the inspection, standards and inter-n a t i o n a l c o n v e n t i o n s departments.

Al Obaidli noted that the assignment aims to acquire Qatari staff international

expertise to support the imple-mentation of the projects adopted by the State.

For his part, Head of the ILO Project Office in Doha Houtan Homayounpour said that signing the agreement affirms the important partnership between the ILO and the State of Qatar, explaining that the four Qatari staff will work in the ILO headquarters over the course of a year, which will ensure that the four employees gain lots of experience about the way of work at the organization and its internal rules, regula-tions and policies to support joint work.

Al Muraikhi inaugurates ‘Hall 19’ at the UN Palace in GenevaQNA/GENEVA

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, inaugurated yesterday “Hall 19” at the United Nations Palace in Geneva after it was renovated and modernised with support from the State of Qatar valued 22m Swiss francs.

The ceremony was attended by Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva Tatiana Val-ovaya, Permanent Represent-ative of the State of Qatar to the UN Office in Geneva, Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri and a number of high-ranking officials and guests.

In a speech during the inau-guration ceremony, Minister Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi underlined that the contribution of the State of Qatar to the

renovation of the Hall comes in the framework of promoting the strategic partnership with the United Nations, and to contribute effectively to enabling it to achieve its lofty goals of main-taining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, pro-moting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and achieving international cooper-ation to solve the economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems.

H E Al Muraikhi noted that important agreements were signed on the sidelines of Doha Forum in December 2018, including a financial contribution of $500m over several years to

support and fund the work of the United Nations and its bodies and agencies, in the framework of strengthening the relations and the strategic partnership between the State of Qatar and the United Nations.

He said that the State of Qatar endeavors to enhance its hosting of the offices and missions of the United Nations and other interna-tional organizations and to provide all the necessary requirements to enable them to carry out their tasks and activities in the best pos-sible manner, noting that efforts are continuing to open the “UN House” in Doha, which includes representative offices for a number of UN agencies.

Since the accession of the

State of Qatar to the United Nations in 1971, the Qatari diplomacy has been keen on contributing to the success of the objectives of this international organization, HE the Minister underlined, noting that the State of Qatar as played a pivotal role in promoting world peace and development by contributing to all efforts to meet global and regional challenges and ease tensions in international relations.

Hall 19 is the second largest meeting hall in the United Nations after the General Assembly Hall in Geneva. It accommodates 888 seats, 60% of which can accommodate people with special needs.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, inaugurating ‘Hall 19’ at the United Nations Palace in Geneva yesterday.

Qatar, Malaysia hold preparatory meeting

The State of Qatar and Malaysia held a preparatory meeting on the establishment of a Joint High-Level Committee, chaired by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries. The State of Qatar’s delegation to the meeting was led by Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, and the Malaysian side was headed by Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dato’ Sri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob.

State Audit Bureau signs grant agreement with INTOSAI Development InitiativeQNA DOHA

The State Audit Bureau signed a grant agreement with INTOSAI Development Initiative, on the side-lines of the 13th session of the General Assembly of the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Insti-tutions (ARABOSAI) which kicked off in Doha yesterday.

The agreement was signed by President of the State Audit Bureau Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani and Director-General of the INTOSAI Development Initiative Einar Gorrissen.

Under the agreement, the grant will be

earmarked to fund support for the use of the SAI Performance Measurement Framework and the e-learning capabilities initiative.

The State Audit Bureau said that the grant aims to contribute to enhancing the performance of the supreme audit institutions of the Arab Organ-ization, enhancing accountability, transparency and integrity in the governmental and public sectors in the Arab countries whose supreme audit institutions are members of the ARABOSAI, as well as strengthening the capacity of the supreme audit institutions in the Arab countries to measure their performance on a regular basis and iden-tifying the strengths and weaknesses objectively and showing them as an example for the public sector.

The grant also aims to enhance the effectiveness of the training function of the supreme audit insti-tutions in the Arab countries and increase their con-tribution to improving performance and transferring knowledge among them, as well as adopting the best practices in the control of development and improvement strategies.

The State Audit Bureau said that the agreement comes in the framework of its keenness to assist the members of ARABOSAI to measure their performance in accordance with the standards of the Interna-tional Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and the good international as a basis for improving performance.

As part of the sponsorship, Vodafone Qatar’s world class 5G GigaNet network will cover the event that will allow organisers, participants and fans to capture and share all the highlights.


Kazakhstan President receives credentials of Qatar’s envoy

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has received the credentials of Abdulaziz bin Sultan Al Rumaihi as Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Kazakhstan. The Ambassador conveyed the greetings of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the President of Kazakhstan and H H’s wishes of good health and happiness to him and further progress and prosperity to the Government and people of Kazakhstan. For his part, the President of Kazakhstan entrusted the Ambassador to convey his greetings to H H the Amir, and to the people of Qatar further progress and prosperity. The President also wished the Ambassador success in his new duties and in strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Ooredoo goes live on world’s first mobile data plan management systemTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo, the region’s leading enabler of digital business innovat ion, announced yesterday the launch of the world’s first commercial mobile data plan management system that integrates with Google Assistant.

Using the Mobile Data Plan management system, Oore-doo’s prepaid Hala customers can quickly and easily check and recharge their prepaid mobile data, and postpaid cus-tomers can buy add-ons to their post-paid plans. Hala and Shahry customers with Android

smartphones can conveniently use voice commands with Google Assistant or the settings on their Android phones. Pro-viding a new level of customer convenience, Ooredoo will automatically notify Hala cus-tomers when they are about to run out of mobile data.

Ooredoo Qatar initially made the Mobile Data Plan announcement at Mobile World Congress, when the service was in beta testing mode. The company also had the service on display at the recent QITCOM 2019 event. The Mobile Data Plan is now live for Android smartphone cus-tomers across the country, and

for any visitors who sign up for Ooredoo services.

Talking about the new feature, Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer at Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Oore-doo’s world-first commercial launch of the Mobile Data Plan Management System is in response to demands from our customers who need to quickly and easily check and recharge their mobile data while on the go. Joining forces with Google is part of Ooredoo’s goals of leveraging the latest smartphone innova-tions to enhance our customer experiences, and to elevate our global leadership in providing data experiences.”

Amiri Naval Forces Commander meets Pakistan Naval ChiefThe Commander of the Amiri Naval Forces, Major-General Abdullah bin Hassan al Sulaiti, met yesterday with Pakistan Naval Chief, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, and his accompanying delegation, during their visit to the headquarters of the Amiri Naval Forces. After the reception, the two sides discussed topics of mutual interest and to strengthen bilateral military cooperation in the presence of a number of senior officers of the Qatari Amiri Naval Forces. The Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral toured the headquarters of the Amiri Naval Forces and a field visit to the headquarters of the Mohammed Bin Ghanem Al Ghanem Maritime Academy.

Es’hailSat takes part in AfricaCom 2019QNA CAPE TOWN

Es’hailSat is exhibiting at the annual AfricaCom exhibition, began yesterday in Cape Town international convention center, the biggest and best tech event in Africa that gathers together senior decision-makers from the entire digital ecosystem.

Es’hailSat will be show-casing Es’hail-1, Es’hail-2 and a wide range of services to be delivered through the new state of the art teleport in Doha. Es’hail-1 and Es’hail-2 are cur-rently transmitting high quality, premium DTH television content from the 25.5 /26 E hotspot.

Es’hail-2, a high-per-formance satellite with sophis-ticated anti-jamming capabil-ities located at 26 East hotspot position for TV broadcasting, significantly adds to the com-pany’s ability to provide high quality, premium DTH tele-vision content across the

Middle East and North Africa. EshailSat’s new teleport in

Doha, provide customers with secure and independent satellite transmission.

The facility supports satellite TT&C and capacity management

together with a wide range of services such as uplink, downlink, multiplexing, encoding, playout and other value-added services.

The high-tech teleport will also provide back-up studios for TV channels and serve as a dis-aster recovery facility for customers.

Ali Al Kuwari, President and CEO of Es’hailSat, said; “We are pleased to be exhibiting for the first time at AfricaCom as we see this exhibition as an important part in our strategy to attract African customers who value broadcasting inde-pendence and quality of service. Africa has been a region of interest for Es’hailSat for some time, and have been extremely active in North Africa supporting customers with broadcast and telecom-munications services. Afri-caCom gives us the right platform to engage with cus-tomers and showcase our capabilities.”

Es’hailSat will be showcasing Es’hail-1, Es’hail-2 and a wide range of services to be delivered through the new state of the art teleport in Doha. Es’hail-1 and Es’hail-2 are currently transmitting high quality, premium DTH television content from the 25.5 /26 E hotspot.

NHRC Chairman: New report to expose UAE violations of ICJ decisionsFROM PAGE 1

He referred in this context to the visit of a delegation from the International Trade Union Confederation and the visit of a delegation of the UN team on arbi-trary detention, at the invitation of the State of Qatar.

During the hearing, Chairman of NHRC addressed the repercussions of the blockade crisis and the continued violations. He pointed to the importance of continuing the judicial and legal pro-cedures of the international arbitration bodies, international courts and the United Nations contractual committees, to stop violations of the blockade states, and redress the victims.

He added that on the day we cele-brate the anniversary of the demolition of the Berlin Wall, another wall was built by four countries in 2017, which imposed a blockade on the people of Qatar and the Gulf peoples, for the third year in a row, and the blockade of Qatar continues to have serious humanitarian repercus-sions for the Gulf peoples, and the suf-fering of children and women continues

as a result of the separation of families.Chairman of NHRC revealed the

issuance of a report, at the beginning of next year, which includes the continued UAE violations of the decision of the International Court of Justice for the second year in a row, after the issuance of the previous report, which docu-mented the figures and cases of

violations by the Abu Dhabi authorities of the rights of Qatari citizens.

He welcomed the decision of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva on the admissibility of the two complaints in terms of jurisdiction submitted by the State of Qatar.

Dr Al Marri called on the European

Parliament to assume its responsibilities and take more decisions condemning the violations of the blockade countries against citizens and residents of the State of Qatar, and determine their interna-tional responsibilities, and that the European Parliament triumph over the principles for which it was founded, and to take more effective action to protect human rights in Qatar and other GCC countries.

He also urged the European Par-liament to urge EU governments to put pressure on the blockade countries to stop human rights violations, stressing that the NHRC should continue to move international mechanisms to stop vio-lations and redress the victims.

In response to deputies’ inquiries about concerns raised about the condition of workers in Qatar, in parallel with its preparations for the World Cup 2022, and the role of the NHRC in the protection of workers employed in the facilities of the World Cup, he said that the organization of the World Cup in Qatar provided Qatar with a great opportunity to develop the

human rights situation not only in Qatar, but in the whole region, and at the NHRC we do not only pay attention to the rights of workers in World Cup facilities, but we also attach great importance to the pro-tection of the environment and the com-mitment of the Government of the State of Qatar to implement its commitments in this regard.

At the end of the session, the Chair-person of the Committee of the Arabian Peninsula in the European Parliament Hannah Neuwmann, praised the work of the NHRC in the State of Qatar, calling for setting an example for other national human rights institutions in their approach and keenness to dialogue, and their continued cooperation and distin-guished presence in the European Parliament.

Chairman of NHRC also met with Director General of Gulf and Middle East and North Africa Affairs at the European Commission’s External Action Authority Gabriel Vinals and Deputy Head of Division for Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Regional Policies Marco Morettini.

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri (right), Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, speaking at the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels.

An exciting start to Salon Culinaire 2019RAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Some of Qatar’s finest culinary professionals brought their best skills to the table at yester-day’s start of the much awaited Salon Culinaire 2019 which witnessed an extravagant display of gastronomic excellence and culinary artistry that appealed to the eyes and the palate of excited food connoisseurs.

The long line of chefs crafting their culinary masterpieces was a sight to behold proving the annual culinary event a major highlight at the three-day Hospitality Qatar being held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The record number of participants coupled with the introduction of new categories to this edition’s slate of competitions is a testament to the vibrancy of Qatar’s culinary scene, Chef Baran Yucel, Chairman of Qatar Culinary Professionals (QCP), organizer of the annual event believes.

“We have achieved 426 participants which is a record indeed compared to last year’s 312. Because of high demand, this year we have

increased the number of categories to 34. It’s a great news for the hospitality sector in Doha given the current situation. The numbers are going towards a positive direction and everyone is happy about it,” Chef Baran told The Peninsula yesterday.

Sushi Platter, Live Cooking Signature Dish (Streetfood Sandwich / Wrapped Sandwich), Sig-nature Dish-Best Biryani, Live 3D Novelty Cake, and Sugar and Pastry Showpiece are among the new categories this year.

An esteemed jury representing Germany, Austria, South Africa, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Turkey, India, Oman, Lebanon,

Namibia, Italy, Spain, Philippines and Greece have flown to Doha specially for the event.

“We have invited 14 international juries from worldwide and they all arrived safely. They have started judging the different categories and so far everything is on the right track,” said Chef Baran.

Yesterday, the contestants competed in 12 categories and among the crowd pullers were Novelty Cake and Fruit and Vegetable Carving with specific themes as they showcased high level of artistry and creativity among the competitors. “The quality of the entries definitely went up because all the newly opened hotels are contrib-uting with their level of participation. All the experienced chefs are dedicated to their work and they’ve come here to show their skills,” noted Chef Baran, adding chefs representing restau-rants of 17 five-star hotels are taking part this year.

Chef Baran believes the annual Hospitality Qatar has been a catalyst which helps the upward the direction of the hospitality business in the country.

International jury judging one of the segments of Salon Culinaire 2019 at the 5th ‘Hospitality Qatar’ at DECC, yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

The long line of chefs crafting their culinary masterpieces was a sight to behold proving the annual culinary event a major highlight at the three-day Hospitality Qatar being held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.


MoPH trains school nurses to detect low vision among studentsTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, has implemented the school eye health programme in all governmental and private schools.

In line with the programme, MoPH recently organised a workshop, titled ‘Low Vision Screening for School Nurses’ in collaboration with its partners.

The workshop attracted 133 new nurses, during the workshop the Blindness Prevention Program team of MoPH pre-sented various lectures about the common eye diseases, eye trauma and a practical training to all participants on how to perform an accurate visual acuity measurement and to fill the electronic screening forms.

Dr. Kholood Al Mutawa, Head of Non-Communicable Disease Section at MOPH,

stressed on the importance of early detection of low vision cases in children and referral of such cases to the health centres, eventually we could decrease the prevalence of low vision and lazy eye complications within this important age group.

He also mentioned that the state of Qatar has implemented early this mandatory visual acuity screening in all govern-mental and private schools and the data of last vision screening

survey 2018-2019 which involved 113,946 students, shows

that 14% of governmental school’s students and 24 percent

of private school’s students have low vision.

School nurses during the workshop organised by MoPH at a school in Doha.

Galfar employees participate in blood donation drive THE PENINSULA/DOHA

In association with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Blood Bank, Galfar Al Misnad held a blood donation campaign at the company’s Umm Salal Ali camp recently.

The company has been regu-larly running this campaign with its employees since 2012. A record number of 214 employees from Gal-far’s camps, sites, and offices, donated their blood this year.

Galfar Al Misnad, a 100 percent Qatari construction company, has been operating for nearly 25 years in Qatar and is an integral partner in several nation building projects. Galfar is known for its commitment to social responsibility, and organises regular company-wide health awareness campaigns. The

company also executes envi-ronment awareness sessions for the community at large; partici-pates in corporate sports events like cricket and football; and runs an educational initiative to teach their workers English and financial literacy.

The Galfar Clinic caters to the company’s nearly 6000 strong workforce and this well-equipped medical facility has been in operation since 2014. The health and safety of the employees have always been the top priority for the Galfar man-agement. The Clinic personnel regularly conduct periodic health check-ups of all employees in

addition to providing medical care. Galfar Al Misnad has been consistently recognized and appreciated by HMC for the com-pany’s “humanitarian role in organizing field blood donation campaigns.”

“The success of the blood donation programme is due to the enthusiastic support of all Galfarians in mobilising donors and participating in this blood donation,” said Dr. Abdul Vadood, Medical Officer, Galfar Al Misnad.

To facilitate the accessibility for its employees, the company provided special transportation for all volunteers to reach Umm Salal Ali.

An employee of Galfar during the blood donation campaign.

QU’s GSC establishes book series on ‘Gulf Sudies’ with Springer NatureTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar University’s (QU) Gulf Studies Center (GSC) established a book series called ‘Gulf Studies’ in collaboration with noted publisher Springer Nature.

The first volume under the series entitled ‘The 2017 Gulf Crisis: An Interdisciplinary Approach’ will be published by the end of

December 2019 and is led by QU’s Dr. Mizanur Rahman, who acted as the series editor and who spe-cializes in gulf migration, social research methods, and social theories.

The Advisory Board includes Mahjoob Zweiri, Qatar University; Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk, Qatar University; Syed Farid Alatas, National University of Singapore; Nazli Kibria, Boston University;

Ishtiaq Hossain, International Islamic University Malaysia; AKM Ahsan Ullah, Universiti Brunei Darussalam; M. Kabir Hassan, Uni-versity of New Orleans, USA; Larbi Sadiki, Qatar University; Shah-jahan Bhuiyan, American Uni-versity in Cairo, Egypt; and Samir Ibrahim Hassan, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.

The Gulf region, rich in history, culture, and resources, is one of

the fastest-changing and most important economic and political regions and yet least-understood region. The region has not only experienced unprecedented changes in the social, economic and political landscapes in the last several decades but also became instrumental to changes in neigh-boring regions that share signif-icant flows of goods, capital and labor with the Gulf states.

The forces and means that have brought about changes to the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are complex and merit rigorous sci-entific inquiry. This book series is dedicated to serving growing aca-demic interests in the dynamic, complex and strategically important six member states of the GCC, offering a scholarly publi-cation platform to the scholars in

the region and globally. The Gulf Studies series takes

an interdisciplinary approach to documenting the changes taking place in the Gulf societies, and the evolving relationship between the Gulf and the other regions. The series is dedicated to advancing a non-Western perspective for studying societies in the Gulf, and their interactions with the rest of the world.

Qatar Charity to sponsor AidEx 2019THE PENINSULA DOHA

For the second consecutive year, Qatar Charity will sponsor the Aidex 2019, an annual event for aid and development, which will be held on November 13 and 14, 2019 in the Belgian capital Brussels, with the participation of a delegation headed by Yousuf bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity.

The event will also witness the attendance of more than 2,500 dignitaries from UN agencies, the European Union, and international govern-mental and non-governmental organizations concerned with humanitarian aid and interna-tional development.

This year, AidEx, which is a leading platform for profes-sionals in humanitarian aid and international development, the largest in Europe, will focus on the importance of inclusiveness to global progress and whether the aid and development sector is doing enough.

Opinion leaders and poli-cymakers from the interna-tional humanitarian com-munity will discuss the latest issues affecting this sector.

Qatar Charity will also have a pavilion at the AidEx exhi-bition to show its humanitarian and development activities worldwide, in addition to holding a panel discussion at the event.

Besides, Yousuf bin Ahmed

Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity, will deliver a speech at the opening session of the event on sponsoring AidEx by Qatar Charity and publicizing QC’s efforts in all humanitarian areas, especially in the water and sanitation sector.

During its participation in the exhibition, Qatar Charity will showcase its contribution to the global water and sani-tation crisis through interactive screens.

Through the ‘Hand Pump Challenge, Qatar Charity will shed light on the importance of water, highlight the diffi-culties faced by many commu-nities to get water, and attempt to garner support for water projects in an innovative way.

Qatar Charity will hold the panel discussion on ‘WASH and Women: Gender-Inclusive

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services’, with the participation of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Water Supply and Sanitation Collab-orative Council (WSSCC).

Mohammed Al Ghamdi, Mohamed Al Ghamdi, assistant CEO for Governance & Institu-tional Development Sector, Qatar Charity, Sandie Blanchet, director of the UNICEF Office for Relations with EU Institu-tions, and Ruqaya Idara, Advocate Consultant, WSSCC will speak at the panel discussion.

The panel discussion will explore how a gender-inclusive approach can be achieved in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

The speakers will also showcase relevant past expe-riences and projects linking WASH and gender equality.

It is worth mentioning that Qatar Charity has been keen to sponsor this event and par-ticipate in it, as an oppor-tunity to build relationships, search for new partnerships, and cooperate with humani-tarian and development actors.

This AidEX is an oppor-tunity for Qatar Charity to benefit from the experiences that will be showcased at the event and strengthen existing partnerships with all stake-holders that can support the achievement of the Sus-tainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event will also witness the attendance of more than 2,500 dignitaries from UN agencies, the European Union, and international governmental and non-governmental organizations concerned with humanitarian aid and international development.

Closure of access to Al Wakrah at Mesaimeer InterchangeTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the closure of the temporary access for the traffic heading from Doha Expressway and Rawdat Al Khail Street towards Al Wakrah and Al Weteyyat Interchange on Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor permanently, starting from today night, (November 13).

This closure is designed to

enable the works at Mesaimeer Interchange, where the traffic will be diverted to the next traffic light signals located under Mesaimeer Bridge on the Industrial Area Road. Besides, the road users heading towards Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor can use the Industrial Area Road and then make a U-turn on the traffic light signals under Mesaimeer Bridge to reach their destination. Commuters heading for Al Wakra can go left

at the traffic light signals under Mesaimeer Bridge and then use Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor and finally take the right turn at Al Weteyyat Interchange to reach their destination.

On the other hand, road users going to Civil Defence, Lekhwaya, Qatar Meteorology and Qatar Sewage Treatment Center can use the light signal under Mesaimeer Bridge as well and U-turn to reach safely their destination.

MME to raise awareness on public hygiene lawSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), represented by the General Cleanliness Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, launched yesterday a campaign to create awareness about public hygiene law at premises of the Government Services Complex in Al Rayyan.

The campaign titled ‘Keep It Clean’ aims at educating a large number of people about hygiene rules as government services com-plexes attract huge number of visitors.

The launch ceremony was attended by the Director of General Cleanliness Department at MME, Muqbil Madhour Al Shammari; Director of Government Services Complexes at the Ministry of Admin-istrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, Muslim Mohamad Al Rashidi; Assistant Director of Gov-ernment Services Complexes, Nasser

Al Subaie; and Head of the Awareness Section at General Clean-liness Department, Muna Al Saai.

“Under the campaign, LED screens will be installed at 10 gov-ernment services complexes dis-playing the awareness messages about the provisions of public hygiene law and major violations of the law,” said Muqbil Madhour Al Shammari.

He said that awareness bro-chures and leaflets will be dis-tributed to the visitors of gov-ernment services complexes. “In the next phase, the campaign (Keep It Clean) will cover malls, shopping complexes and cinema halls to approach maximum number of people,” said Al Shammari.

He said that the drive aims at creating awareness to influence the behaviour of people to comply with the provisions of public hygiene law rather than to catch violations. “Special awareness programmes are being designed to raise awareness in all segments of the society, including workers about provisions of the law,” said Al Shammari adding that the new programmes will be announced soon.

He said that a programme for sorting wastes from the sources has begun this year. “The programme will be implemented in four stages covering all establishments and institutions such as schools, hospitals and banks,” said Al Shammari. He said that under the programme, all venues of 2022 FIFA Wrold Cup will be provided with garbage bins in dif-ferent colours and sizes to sort the wastes from sources.

Muslim Mohamad Al Rashidi said that the campaign carries important messages to create awareness among all segments of the society.

Director of General Cleanliness Department at MME, Muqbil Madhour Al Shammari (centre); Director of Government Services Complexes, Muslim Mohamad Al Rashidi (left); Assistant Director of Government Services Complexes, Nasser Al Subaie, during the launch of the campaign at Government Services Complex in Al Rayyan, yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

The campaign will create awareness about public hygiene law at premises of the Government Services Complex in Al Rayyan.


HMC develops Arabic version of international diabetes management programTHE PENINSULA DOHA

A type 2 diabetes education program developed by researchers from the UK has been adapted for Arabic patients by a team of diabetes educators from Hamad Medical Corpo-ration (HMC) in collaboration with the University of Leicester.

The program, Diabetes Edu-cation and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed (DESMOND), was developed through evidence-based research and has been widely implemented across the UK during the past decade. Based around physical activity and healthy lifestyle changes, the program was adapted from English to Arabic, a world-first for the curriculum, as part of an ongoing effort to support patients with type 2 diabetes in Qatar and other Arabic-speaking countries.

Manal Othman, Director of Diabetes Education at HMC, said diabetes is one of the most pressing health conditions in

Qatar. She says unless wide-scale steps are taken to change behaviors and address diabetes risk factors, the number of fam-ilies affected by the disease will continue to grow.

“We know that the majority of diabetes care is the responsi-bility of the patient, so it is essential that our patients are well-informed and skilled to manage this disease,” said Othman.

Othman and her team not only adapted the program from English to Arabic, but they also made modifications to ensure it

was culturally appropriate and the content relevant to the local population. The program, which consists of six hours of education and is generally delivered in one-day or half-day formats, helps participants understand their diabetes, including risk factors and complications, and make food choices.

Dr Mahmoud Zirie, Senior Consultant and Head of the Endocrinology Department at Hamad General Hospital, says the program is significant because diabetes is a progressive condition. He says while tradi-tionally treatment has centered on drug interventions, the ben-efits of educating people about how to manage their condition themselves cannot be disputed.

“If not managed properly, type 2 diabetes can lead to dev-astating complications, including blindness, a lost limb or an increased risk of a stroke or heart attack, which is why introducing people to DESMOND is so crucial,” said Dr Zirie.

“Anyone with type 2 diabetes has to make multiple daily

choices about the management of their condition, such as appro-priate dietary intake, physical activity, and adherence to pre-scribed medications and these choices are often made with minimal input from a healthcare professional. While patient edu-cation has long been part of the treatment protocol here at HMC, we know that structured edu-cation, and specifically DEMOND, works. An educated and empowered patient can work more effectively with their doctor to improve and maintain better control of their condition,” added Dr Zirie.

To date, 227 patients have completed the program and over a dozen HMC patient educators have been trained to deliver DESMOND. Othman said another benefit of the program is that patients who may have been iso-lated by their diagnosis in the past are now provided with a support system. “Most groups will have ten participants as the program is built around group activities.

Educators help to increase knowledge and understanding of what having diabetes means and while there are opportunities for individuals to speak with the educator one-on-one, most

patients have told us that speaking with other individuals who are navigating the same set of challenges is a big part of what empowers them and prevents them from feeling isolated or ashamed,” said Othman.

Othman added that of the patients who have completed the program and continue to be cared for by the National Dia-betes Center at Hamad General Hospital, most have reported reducing their HbA1c levels by around 1%; the HbA1c test records average blood sugar readings of someone with dia-betes over weeks or months.

A type-2 diabetes education program has been adapted for Arab patients.

HBKU’s CSE to hold outreach workshops for young adultsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) is to host a series of outreach work-shops for high school juniors and seniors with an interest in computer engineering.

Over three sessions, participants will learn how computer engineering affects their daily lives and engage in workshops covering practical engineering projects and applications. The series begins with a workshop on the hardware components of a robot. Participants will also learn about embedded system design and other rel-evant programming skills. This is followed by a session tracing the development of computer security and how cybersecurity and its related protocols function. ‘Innovate.Create’ concludes with a workshop outlining the foundations of pro-gramming, as well as mobile application

design and development.Speaking ahead of the first workshop

Dr Mohamed Abdallah, Assistant Professor, CSE, said, “These sessions underline our commitment to serving Qatar’s needs through the development of future gener-ations of technically-minded innovators and leaders. This can only happen if we spark local interest in computer engi-neering and related disciplines at an early age. We’re confident that our mix of expert academic knowledge and real world appli-cations will serve this purpose. We also hope our participants have fun in the process.”

The computer engineering outreach workshops will take place from 9am to 4pm on November 30, January 25, and Feb-ruary 22 at the Penrose House (formerly known as the LAS Building), Education City. Students interested in participating may apply through hbku.edu.qa/en/innovate-create.

The program, Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed (DESMOND), was developed through evidence-based research and has been widely implemented across the UK during the past decade.

MIA announces six artists for Ektashif initiativeTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) has announced the list of artists that will be participating in Ektashif – a new initiative that will see six Qatari artists visit India for a 10-day art trip.

After the trip, participants will produce four to five pieces inspired by their visit which will be displayed in an art exhibition to be held at MIA in January 2020.

The chosen artists are Khalifa Al Obaidly, Abeer Al Kuwari, Manar Ala-wadhi, Iman Al Saad, Maryam Al Majed, Haifaa Al Khuzaei and Aisha Al Muhannadi.

The initiative is generously spon-sored as part of the Qatar-India Year of Culture by Seashore Qatar – a Qatari-owned company and one of the largest multi-disciplined business

enterprises in the State of Qatar. The trip will include visits to sites

of historic interest such as the Qutub Minar and the Red Fort in Delhi, Amber Palace and Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, and the Red Fort and Taj Mahal in Agra.

Additionally, each day will include a workshop session whereby partici-pants will discover the intricate tra-ditional arts of India including marble inlay, known as parchin kari, block printing, jewellery making, carpet weaving and more.

The initiative is generously sponsored as part of the Qatar-India Year of Culture by Seashore Qatar – a Qatari-owned company and one of the largest multi-disciplined business enterprises in the State of Qatar.

Broken Wings musical marks successful Doha runTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Broken Wings, a West End musical co-composed by notable Qatari musician and composer Dana Al Fardan, witnessed sold-out shows during its Qatar debut on November 8 and 9 at Katara Opera House.

The musical launched with a special VIP night followed by sold out Matinee and Soiree shows for the public during its two-day run.

Adapted from Khalil Gibran’s poetic masterpiece, the Broken Wings musical was composed by Dana Al Fardan and West End actor Nadim Naaman. The musical was first performed in London in 2018 to a sold-out show, followed by a special Middle East debut in Lebanon during the famous Beiteddine Festival in July this year.

The cast is led by Nadim as Gibran,

Hanna Qureshi as Selma, and Sophia Foroughi as Mother. It is directed by Bronagh Lagan and features orchestra-tions and musical direction by Joe Davison and performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

“I am thrilled to bring Broken Wings home to Doha. Through the musical I aspire to create a bridge between the East and West by bringing cultures together and uniting people through music and art. Broken Wings does not only celebrate Arab heritage, but also celebrates women. Gibran’s mother was always a compass for him in times of uncertainty. This is the inspiration behind our song ’Spirit of The Earth’,” said Dana.

“I am grateful for the support we have received in bringing Broken Wings to Qatar and especially to our sponsors who have paved the way for future pro-ductions such as ours to have a place

here in Doha, we couldn’t have done this with out them,” she added.

Nadim said: “I am very excited to be here in Doha to debut Broken Wings for the first time. I first visited Doha two years ago when Dana and I were writing songs for Broken Wings. The decision of bringing the musical to Doha was mutual as we both share a particular passion for creating synergy and under-standing between cultures from the East and West.”

Dana Alfardan and Nadim Naaman also hosted an exclusive masterclass with 35 students from Doha’s top Inter-national Schools’ music programs with the cast on November 9, after which the students were invited to watch the Matinee performance. During the workshop, the students had the oppor-tunity to learn ‘Spirit of The Earth’ as well as have a Q&A and meet the cast of Broken Wings.

The cast of Broken Wings with Qatari composer, Dana Al Fardan, during its staging at Katara Opera House.

The “objectives” and “activities” of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement are entirely based on international law and the UN’s own resolutions: Ending the occupation of Palestinian territory, guaranteeing equality of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and honouring the right of return of refugees.

THERESE RAPHAEL BLOOMBERG

08 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019VIEWS

BDS: In the crosshairs of human rights colonialism

In his report on antisemitism, pre-sented to the United Nations on October 17, UN Special Rap-porteur on Freedom of Religion

and Belief Ahmed Shaheed, cited - without rejecting - claims “that the objectives, activities and effects of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement are fundamentally antisemitic.”

This validation of the assault on BDS is a damning indictment - not of BDS, but of the spurious logic used to impugn it.

The “objectives” and “activities” of the movement are entirely based on international law and the UN’s own resolutions: Ending the occupation of Palestinian territory, guaranteeing equality of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and honouring the right of return of refugees.

From an international legal per-spective, it is not BDS that should be considered controversial, but Israel’s brazen recalcitrance when it comes to respecting basic norms of interna-

tional law.As

another recent UN publication points out, Israel has implemented less than 0.5 percent of the recommen-dations pre-scribed by the UN since 2009 to rectify the crimes of the occupation - making the application of additional mechanisms of economic and political pressure manifestly necessary. The UN itself has identified

192 businesses in likely breach of which break international law by facilitating and profiting from Israel’s illegal settlements.

The discrediting of even nonvi-olent strategies like BDS is tantamount to denying the Palestinians any right to resist being colonised at all.

By erasing the context of the occu-pation, Shaheed’s report perversely manages to present Palestinians as the abusers of human rights rather than the abused. He references a UN Com-mittee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) report

expressing concern about antisemitic hate speech in Palestine - but com-pletely neglects to mention that this report begins by acknowledging that “the Israeli occupation, the expansion of settlements and the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip, which are considered unlawful under interna-tional law, pose severe challenges for [Palestine] in fully implementing its obligations under the Convention [on Racial Discrimination].”

Shaheed also castigates the “left-wing antisemitism” of “individuals claiming to hold anti-racist and anti-imperialist views”. But he is conspicu-ously silent on the racism inherent in imperialism itself, including in Pal-estine, where the religious freedoms at the crux of his mandate (and various other basic rights of the indigenous population under occupation) are rou-tinely trampled. For example, Pales-tinian Christians and Muslims face restrictions on accessing sites like Bethlehem and al-Aqsa central for worship.

In reality, the overwhelmingly pre-dominant contributors to escalating antisemitism statistics in countries like Germany and the United States are not the “anti-racist and anti-imperialist” left, but neo-Nazis and the far-right bolstered by the rise of the same white nationalist political parties that have also put Muslims and Palestinian rights activism in their crosshairs.

The repressive implications of Shaheed’s analysis are apparent with the litmus test for antisemitism he endorses: the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s (IHRA) guidelines.

The problem with them is not the definition of antisemitism they include - “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” - but the examples of antisemitism they give, several of which involve criticisms of Israel or Zionism.

For instance, in the eyes of IHRA (and apparently Shaheed himself) “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, eg by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is

a racist endeavor” qualifies as antisemitism.

Nevermind that some of the foremost critics of the creation of a Jewish state were prominent Jewish politicians like British Cabinet member Edwin Montagu, who in 1917 described the premise that Jewish people con-stitute a separate nation as “antisemitic”.

As Oxford University philosopher and cofounder of Independent Jewish Voices (UK) Brian Klug notes, the effect of equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism is to conflate the Jewish state with the Jewish people: The very sin that Special Rapporteur Shaheed accuses critics of Israel of committing.

IHRA’s redefinition of antisemitism has been criticised by Jewish scholars and numerous civil liberties organisa-tions, including the Center for Consti-tutional Rights, the American Civil Lib-erties Union, the Foundation for Indi-vidual Rights in Education, and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Asso-ciation, for conflating criticism of Israel with racism.

Despite being discarded by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, the IHRA redefinition is being adopted by coun-tries across North America and Europe - imperilling the democracy Shaheed purports to be saving from the “tox-icity” of antisemitism.

In the US, for example, IHRA’s inflated conception of antisemitism has been embraced by the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights under President Donald Trump appointee Kenneth Marcus, who believes students protesting in support of Palestinian rights should be crimi-nally prosecuted. It has also been wielded in efforts to censor university events and courses on Palestine, and to bring lawsuits against Palestinian professors.

This is part of a broader context of legalised speech suppression, in which laws against BDS have been passed in 27 US states and proposed in 14 more - in direct defiance of the US Constitution and Supreme Court decisions estab-lishing the right to boycott in general.

AZEEZAH KANJI & DAVID PALUMBO-LIU AL JAZEERA

QUOTE OF THE DAYThe financial and

economic situation is critical, and the

Lebanon government and other authorities

cannot wait any longer to start addressing it.

Jan Kubis UN Special Coordinator

for Lebanon

Boris Johnson still has a Nigel Farage problem

A little over a week ago, Nigel Farage described the Brexit deal that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought back from

Brussels as a travesty and a betrayal of the 2016 referendum. He threatened to stand Brexit Party candidates in 600 constitu-encies against the Conservative Party in the forthcoming general election if Johnson didn’t repudiate his own agreement.

On Monday, Farage reversed course and the Conservatives cheered, as the threat of splitting the pro-Brexit vote appeared to diminish. Yet the reality of the Tory gain is less than clear cut.

In 317 Conservative-held constitu-encies, Farage said his party will stand down so as not to hurt the the party’s chances or produce a hung parliament that might threaten Brexit altogether. The decision came after Farage was attacked by Conservatives and the Brexit-sup-porting media for his purist stance. Nick Timothy, who advised the former prime

minister Theresa May, wrote that Farage “has tragically turned into the Frodo Baggins of Brexit,” likening him to the Tolkien hero who survives his perilous journey to destroy the One Ring only to succumb to its lure at the last minute and seek to possess it himself.

Sufficiently chastened, Farage took an escape route offered by Johnson on Sunday, when the prime minister declared that a Conservative government wouldn’t extend the Brexit transition period beyond 2020 - meaning a free trade agreement would have to be done by then. That promise, as I wrote on Friday, is either insincere or folly. But it was enough to get Farage to abandon his previous threat.

The Brexit Party leader already looked a little silly with his decision not to stand as a candidate. Monday’s announcement may allow Farage to focus his firepower on fewer seats, but he’s essentially conceded the Conserv-ative argument that backing the Brexit Party puts Brexit itself at risk.

His decision will come as a relief to

Conservative lawmakers who worried that a split in the Brexit vote in their con-stituencies would allow either Labour or the Liberal Democrats to take advantage. Matthew Goodwin, a politics professor at the University of Kent, notes that 35 of the 50 smallest Conservative majorities are in Leave-voting seats, so Farage has removed a major threat to those members of Parliament.

Even so, there’s a danger in over-doing the Tory celebrations. The Brexit Party will still be contesting seats in Leave-voting, Labour-held parts of the country, particularly in the Midlands and the North. The whole Tory electoral strategy - its big-spending pledges, its stance on immigration and its pledge of a quick Brexit with Johnson’s deal - is based on capturing those seats.

“This announcement may help the Tories hold on slightly better against the Lib Dems, particularly in Leave-voting rural southwest England, and perhaps even against the Scottish National Party in the North East of Scotland,” notes pollster and analyst Matt Singh.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK [email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM [email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI [email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

In Qatar, every drop counts

With the official launch of the country’s first pilot water-saving greenhouse on Monday at one of Has-sad’s greenhouses in Al Shahaniya, Qatar has taken

one more step forward in its stride to make the country self-sufficient in agricultural produce. Once the greenhouse is fully operational, it will be able to increase production by 20 times the average in Qatar and reduce water consumption by a whopping 90 percent.

The first-of-its kind facility in Qatar was engineered by Yara International ASA of Norway and developed in collab-oration with Hassad Food, Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco), Wageningen University and is being executed in partnership with Trane Qatar, Jiffy, Hoogendoorn and MST Holland. The climate inside the unique greenhouse is provided by air con-ditioning system and completely independent of the outside weather. The closed cycle of air re-circulation allows recovery of water from evapotranspiration of the plants through dehu-midification. The water recovered in the process will be re-used for irrigation of the plants.

The project not only aims at making the country self-sufficient in food products, but also targets really sustainable

development in the agricultural sector. Water and energy con-servation is one of the major aspects of Qatar National Vision 2030. As agriculture is a water-intensive activity, as an arid country Qatar has to be very cau-tious when it ventures into farming in bid to ensure enough food for its people.

Well-aware of this fact, Qatar has been very cautious in using water for irrigation, taking every step to save as much water as possible through the most advanced modes of rationalised water usage.

The Assistant Under-Sec-retary for Agriculture and Fish-eries Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, said in the first week of October that production of local farms reached 10,000 tonnes per year, which was expected to reach an ambitious 90,000 tonnes by

next year with the help of 10 modern farms equipped with greenhouse technologies. He added that the future plans for the agricultural sector were sustainable production and main-taining the quality of the product and its development, focused on products with less water consumption.

Qatar has already achieved self-sufficiency in dairy and poultry products and is planning to export surplus food products. The country can achieve self-sufficiency in vege-tables and fish stock in the near future if it continues adopting the latest advancements in the sector.

Water conservation is of paramount importance, espe-cially in a country like Qatar. When we realise that only 0.5 percent of water is available for drinking on this planet, and only three percent of water on Earth is fresh water and 90 percent of water is salt water, then we will be reminded of the need to conserve water.

Well-aware of the fact that agriculture is a water-intensive activity, Qatar has been very cautious in using water for irrigation, taking every step to save as much water as possible through the most advanced modes of rationalised water usage.

Israeli troops walk through the alleys of the refugee camp of Al Arrub, in the occupied southern West Bank, yesterday.

A minority-government tradition hands a lot of power to plurality winners in elections, but at the same time, they must work more actively with the opposition than parties ruling in majority coalitions. The advantage is that all the parties can maintain their political identities and only make compromises that they can accept sincerely.

09WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019 OPINION

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From the hope of 1989to a new Cold War

European democracy is broken. Here’s how to fix it.

KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL THE WASHINGTON POST

LEONID BERSHIDSKY BLOOMBERG

On November 9, 1989, East German border guards opened the Berlin Wall and changed the trajectory of

history. The fall of the wall marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. It was also a moment of hope and possibility. Even before the wall

came down, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was making the case for a “common European home” in which the United States and the Soviet Union would both play a role, winning cau-tious praise from Western leaders. “I think we have come out of a period of cold war, even if there are still some chills and drafts,” Gorbachev said in June of 1989. “We are simply bound to a new stage of relations, one I would call the peaceful period in the devel-opment of international relations.”

Thirty years later, those “chills and drafts” are intensifying. The United States and Russia are now locked in a new Cold War that represents a grave danger to humanity. Together the two countries possess nearly 14,000 nuclear weapons, about 1,800 of which are kept on hair-trigger alert. According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the risk of “destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making” is at its highest level since 1953. And, unlike in 1989, there is little hope that tensions will thaw any time soon.

President Donald Trump claims that he’d like to “get along” with Russia, but his administration has increased the level of nuclear peril.

This year, the United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987, a move that nonproliferation experts warned could lead to a new arms race. Now, it appears that the New START Treaty, set to expire in Feb-ruary 2021, could be the next to go. The New York Times reports that the Trump administration “intends to let it expire unless it can be broadened” to include China, which is “not interested.”

That means that US and Russian nuclear modernization could proceed unchecked, leading to heightened instability in the years ahead. In the best-case scenario, a newly elected Democratic president would have just a few weeks upon taking office to extend the agreement. The danger of nuclear confrontation, Gorbachev warned in a recent interview with the BBC, “is colossal.”

Equally worrying are hardening divisions in Europe. NATO forces have now extended their presence to Rus-sia’s very borders, where there are daily shows of bravado on both sides. Worse yet, Ukraine is now torn by a civil war between the US-backed gov-ernment and Russian-supported sep-aratists in the eastern Donbas region. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 13,000 people have been killed since the war began in 2014, with another 30,000 wounded or injured.

How did we go from the hope of 1989 to a new Cold War?

Certainly, US foreign policy played a critical role. In the years following the fall of the wall, two triumphalist ideas dominated US foreign policy - the geopolitical idea of the “end of history” and spread of liberal democracy, and the related concept of the United States as the “indispen-sable nation.” Together these ideas contributed to what became known as the unipolar moment. NATO violated

assurances given to Russia that it would not expand “one inch” eastward, a provocation that yielded predictably disastrous results. The legendary Cold War diplomat George Kennan warned in 1998 that NATO expansion would cause Russia to “react quite adversely” and was “a tragic mistake.”

Russia also bears responsibility for squandering the opportunity that the Berlin Wall’s opening provided. In the post-Gorbachev era, Russian leaders allowed the pursuit of democratic reforms to give way to a system of corrupt oligarchic capitalism that bred poverty and discontent. Meanwhile, the bloody Chechen war increased Western skepticism of Russia’s com-mitment to human rights and fears of Russian revanchism.

More important than who’s to blame, however, is where the United States and Russia go from here. Friendship between our countries may not currently be on the table, but diplomacy and dialogue should be. This moment calls for constructive engagement to de-escalate nuclear tensions. It also calls for renewed thinking about how to revive Gor-bachev’s vision of a “common European home” for the 21st century.

One place to begin would be a renewed push for a peace settlement in Ukraine. The election of Volodymyr Zelensky, who ran on a peace and anti-corruption platform, along with his initial overtures to Moscow, has opened up an opportunity to end the military conflict and implement the political reforms provided for in the Minsk agreements. What has been missing so far has been active US and Russian cooperation to complement French and German diplomatic efforts, namely US pressure on Kyiv to implement autonomy for the Donbas and to halt its military operations, and Russian pressure on the separatists to give up their more ambitious goals of independence.

What do Spain, Israel, Austria, Belgium and the German state of Thur-ingia and perhaps, soon,

the U.K., have in common? Elections whose outcomes make reasonable, cohesive parliamentary governing coalitions next to impossible. This isn’t just political fragmentation, which is becoming the norm in Europe and beyond. It’s compromise-defying deadlock. Breaking it may require substantial change to political tradi-tions and parliamentary procedures.

Spain has just held the fourth inconclusive election in as many years and the second this year. The problem for the plurality winner, caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, is that he’s already tried and failed to make deals with political parties on the leftist flank and in the political center. Policy differences with the remaining parties would probably paralyze a coalition gov-ernment that included them. Such a scenario is unfolding in Germany now under a reluctant, uneasy coa-lition of the center-right and the center-left.

In Austria, where the election took place on Sept. 29, more than a month of indecision ensued because the plu-rality winner, center-right leader Sebastian Kurz, had no

willing coalition partners except on the far-right. Kurz had already tried governing in that combination and failed at it. On Monday, the Greens announced they’d talk to Kurz, and he launched negotiations with them despite what now appear to be irrec-oncilable differences on climate-change policies and migration. The talks probably will last well into next year.

It’s impossible to predict how long Belgium will go without a government after the May election. Negoti-ators appointed by the king to explore coalition possibilities resigned last week without getting anywhere because the strongest parties - the Flemish nationalists and the Franco-phone socialists - have no discernible common interests.

In Thuringia, there’s no majority coalition in sight following the state’s October election. The far left, led by incumbent Minister-President Bodo Ramelow, won a plurality, but parties that agree to work with his political force don’t have a combined majority. Nor can his opponents work together without breaking clear promises to their voters.

Unless Prime Minister Boris John-son’s Conservative Party in the U.K. can win an outright majority next month, the country will find itself in

a similar situation, with any workable coalition difficult to imagine on ideo-logical grounds.

In all these places, caretaker cab-inets without full parliamentary support are perfectly capable of running the nations’ day-to-day business, keeping government offices open and public employees paid. But politics are as fragmented as they are today because many voters want change, and that’s not possible without powerful governments pushing it. Meanwhile, it’s getting harder to overcome ideological differ-ences simply for the sake of stability and responsibility, since voters tend to dismiss such attempts as self-seeking and ineffective.

At least in Israel, which has held two inconclusive elections this year, the biggest parties are willing to try something new to break the deadlock, like a prime ministerial rotation with the current leader, Ben-jamin Netanyahu, remaining in office for a year and then handing things over to his rival and possible coalition partner Benny Gantz. The Europeans should get more creative, too. Gov-ernment formation talks are getting more protracted everywhere and junior coalition partners are getting harder to recruit because of mounting statistical evidence that playing the role usually leads to dramatic election losses.

Leader rotations are an ingenious solution, but they hardly spell sta-bility. It might be less damaging to move toward the minority gov-ernment-friendly Scandinavian model. In Norway, appointing a prime minister doesn’t require a con-firmation vote by the majority of par-liament as in Spain or Germany. The ruling party is usually just the plu-rality winner in the election, while smaller parties often display a coa-lition aversion: They can achieve more in opposition, helping form ad-hoc majorities only on measures they can support instead of working inside governments. In Sweden, there is a confirmatory vote, but only to make sure an absolute majority of the parliament doesn’t oppose a new prime minister. In other words, legis-lators are only required to tolerate rather than actively support a government.

A minority-government tradition hands a lot of power to plurality

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 13,000 people have been killed in Ukraine since the war began in 2014, with another 30,000 wounded or injured.

winners in elections, but at the same time, they must work more actively with the opposition than parties ruling in majority coalitions. The advantage is that all the parties can maintain their political iden-tities and only make compromises that they can accept sincerely.

Decision-making without stable majorities could be even more efficient with broader use of ranked-choice voting, in which leg-islators could rank various versions of a bill in order of preference to break deadlocks like the Brexit stalemate that afflicts the UK Par-liament. The power of this pro-cedure would allow a minority government to push through important legislation, but it wouldn’t completely eliminate the need for compromises. Part of the opposition, no matter how frag-mented, could unite against com-peting measures and assemble a bigger plurality than the government’s.

Breaking with political tradi-tions and reforming voting rules is hard: Political systems are stabi-lized by inertia. But politicians should be able to see that democracy works differently now than it did in previous decades. Unless they make changes today, while responsible, traditional parties are still winning pluralities, voter disappointment with inef-fective, constantly bickering gov-ernments or months-long cabinet formation processes can lead to outright victories by so-called anti-elite forces, often on the far right. Then, it’ll be too late for reasonable forces to unite against them.

A general view of the Foreign Affairs meeting at the European Union Headquarters in Brussels, yesterday.

10 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019GULF / MIDDLE EAST

Six workers die in heavy rains at construction site in OmanAFP/MUSCAT

Six South Asian labourers died in Oman during heavy rains when they were buried at an excavation site for a water pipeline project, emergency services said yesterday.

The construction workers were believed to be Indian nationals, New Delhi’s embassy said in a statement on Twitter.

“Rescue teams recovered the bodies of six Asian workers that were buried in a water project” in the coastal city of Seeb, about 30km northwest of the capital Muscat, the Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulance (PACDA) said. “The workers were trapped in rain water and mud while laying down pipes... underground in a site that was 295 metres (968 feet) long and 14 metres (46 feet) deep.”

It took rescue workers about 12 hours to recover the bodies after pumping the water out, the authority said.

The Indian embassy wrote: “We are deeply saddened to learn about the incident involving the deaths of six workers, who are believed to be Indian nationals”.

PACDA urged companies in charge of construction projects to abide by safety regulations to protect workers.

The General Federation of Oman Trade Unions called for an investigation to “clarify the circumstances behind the incident and for the necessary legal procedures” to follow.

EU court: Goods from Israeli settlements must be labelledREUTERS BRUSSELS/RAMALLAH

The EU’s top court ruled yesterday that goods from Israeli settlements must be labelled as produced in occupied territory, a decision hailed by Pales-tinians and condemned by Israel, which said it would try to persuade countries to ignore it.

The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice said labels must not imply that goods produced in occupied territory came from Israel itself.

Labels must “prevent consumers from being misled as to the fact that the State of Israel is present in the territories concerned as an occupying power and not as a sovereign entity”, the court said.

The case focused on a winery in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the court referred to all territory Israel

captured in the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, both of which Israel has annexed, as well as the West Bank. Israeli farmers grow and

package herbs, fruits and vegetables in the ocupied territories, many of which have been exported to the EU and labelled as “Product of Israel”.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it “strongly rejects” the ruling “which serves as a tool in the political campaign against Israel”. Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he would work with foreign ministers of EU countries to prevent its implementation.

“The ruling’s entire objective is to single out and apply a double standard against Israel. There are over 200 ongoing territorial disputes across the world, yet the ECJ has not rendered a single ruling related to the labeling of products originating from these terri-tories,” the ministry said.

Palestinians want to establish a state on territory occupied by Israel since 1967. They argue that settlements on occupied land are an unlawful violation of the Geneva conventions and multiple UN resolutions. Israel denies that its set-tlements break international law.

In its ruling, the EU court said set-tlements involved the transfer of Israelis outside the state’s territory “in violation of the rules of general international humanitarian law”.

As a result, failing to inform EU con-sumers they were potentially buying goods produced in settlements denies them access to “ethical considerations and considerations relating to the observance of international law”, it said.

Human Rights Watch, which mon-itors Israel’s activities in the occupied territories, said the court decision was an important step towards EU member states not participating “in the fiction that illegal settlements are part of Israel”.

“European consumers are entitled to be confident that the products they purchase are not linked to serious vio-lations of international humanitarian law,” it said.

AFP/JERUSALEM

The secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation yesterday welcomed a ruling by the EU’s top court that Israeli settlement goods must be labelled as such. “We welcome the decision of the European Court of Justice and call upon all European countries to implement what is a legal and political obligation,” Saeb Erekat said in a statement.

“Our demand is not only for the correct labelling reflecting the certificate of origin of products coming from illegal colonial settlements, but for the banning of those products from international markets.”

The ruling comes after France’s top tribunal asked for clarification of rules on labelling goods from the occupied West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jeru-salem, as well as the Golan Heights, which Israel took from Syria in 1967.

PLO welcomes EU court ruling

Palestinians inspecting the damaged house of Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu Al Ata after an Israeli attack in Gaza city, yesterday. Israel’s military struck the home of a commander for Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip, with the enclave’s health ministry reporting that two people were killed.

Islamic Jihad top commander dead in Israeli strikeAP/GAZA CITY

A pair of Israeli airstrikes yesterday targeted two senior commanders from the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, killing one in Gaza but missing another in Syria, escalating Israel’s confrontation with Iran across the region and threatening to unleash another devastating round of cross-border violence with Palestinian mili-tants.

In eastern Gaza, the Israeli strike killed Bahaa Abu Al Atta and his wife, setting off a barrage of Gaza-fired rockets that reached as far as the Tel Aviv heartland as the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad vowed further revenge. The mil-itary said Abu Al Atta was the mastermind of recent attacks against Israel and the group’s top commander in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Syrian officials said an Israeli airstrike in the capital, Damascus, targeted another Islamic Jihad com-mander, Akram Al Ajouri, who was not harmed.

Syria’s state-run news agency said Israeli warplanes fired three missiles at Al Ajouri’s home, killing his son and granddaughter. The Israeli military had no comment.

The sudden surge in violence looked to awaken Israel’s increas-ingly open conflict with Iran and its proxies in the region. Iran sup-plies Islamic Jihad with training, expertise and money, though most of the group’s weapons in Gaza are believed to be locally produced. Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu has issued a series of warnings recently about alleged Iranian aggression throughout the Middle East.

Netanyahu also has been crit-icised by residents along the

southern border and political rivals for a tepid response to recent militant attacks. Netan-yahu’s Security Cabinet held a lengthy emergency meeting to discuss further action.

Afterward, speaking alongside military chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Netanyahu said Israel had no interest in escalation but would do everything necessary to defend itself against people like Abu Al Atta.

The airstrikes come at a tenuous time politically for Israel, as Netanyahu leads a caretaker government after two incon-clusive elections. His chief chal-lenger, former military chief Benny Gantz, is currently trying to build a coalition government of his own. Gantz said he had been briefed on the airstrike in advance, calling it “the right decision,” and Netanyahu updated his rival on develop-ments, according to the prime minister’s office.

A successful military oper-ation could bolster Netanyahu as he seeks to hold onto power - especially if he is indicted on cor-ruption charges. Israel’s attorney general is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks, and an indictment would increase pressure on Netanyahu to step aside.

Netanyahu has sought to portray himself as the only leader capable of steering the country through its many security challenges.

The Gaza airstrike killed Abu Al Atta as he slept at home. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, told reporters that Abu Al Atta was responsible for several recent attacks on southern Israel and was actively planning new ones. Conricus said the

airstrike destroyed only the floor of the building in the Shejaeya neighbourhood, in eastern Gaza City, to minimize “collateral damage.”

Abu Al Atta’s relatives and the Islamic Jihad said Abu Al Atta’s wife was killed and the two wounded were their children. The group said the 42-year-old Abu Al Atta was undergoing “a heroic act” when he was assassinated. Abu Al Atta’s father said the Islamic Jihad commander had been in hiding in recent weeks fearing he would be targeted.

Minutes after the Iran-backed Palestinian group con-firmed the death, barrages of rockets were fired towards Israel. Air raid sirens continued to go off throughout the day as far as Tel Aviv.

In one instance, a rocket landed on a highway, just meters from a passing vehicle. In another, a rocket pierced the roof of a res-idential home.

The military said more than 50 rockets were fired in just a

few hours, with 20 intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system. The Mada rescue service said two people were treated for shrapnel injuries.

In response, Israel shut down crossing points into Gaza and reduced the permissible fishing area off the territory’s coast to 6 nautical miles. Schools were closed, and people were instructed to stay home in com-munities stretching from the Gaza border all the way to Tel Aviv, about 90km away. Public shelters were opened and restrictions placed on large gatherings.

Islamic Jihad often carries out attacks independently of Hamas, the larger group that controls Gaza.

The attacks also come at a tense moment for Islamic Jihad’s Iranian patrons, who are strug-gling under crippling US sanctions.

Iran’s regional influence is also being challenged by unprec-edented, economically-driven mass protests in Iraq and

Lebanon — two countries where Tehran wields major influence. The protests are creating unrest that Tehran fears would spark a backlash against Iran-backed proxy militias in those countries. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused the US and its regional allies of fomenting the Iraq and Lebanon unrest.

In Damascus, a military official said Israeli warplanes fired three missiles towards the Syrian capital, with one being destroyed by Syria’s air defences before reaching its target.

The two others struck the home of Al Ajouri, the official said. Al Ajouri’s son and grand-daughter were killed. A second man identified as Abdullah Yousef Hassan was killed and nine civilians wounded, the uni-dentified official said according to Syrian state-media.

The attack destroyed the three-story building in Damascus, located on a main highway about 50 meters across from the Lebanese Embassy.

Iraqi medical students waving the national flags in an anti-government protest amid ongoing student strikes at the campus of the University of Basra, in the southern city of Basra, Iraq, yesterday.

Iraqi protesters rally as UN steps up mediation effortsAFP/BAGHDAD

Iraqi protesters rallied and many schools stayed closed yesterday as the United Nations stepped up pressure on the government to agree to a raft of reforms.

While security forces again faced off with activists around Baghdad’s Tahrir (Lib-eration) Square, teachers and students went on strike across much of the Shiite-majority south. The UN has proposed a reform plan that demands an immediate end to the vio-lence that has killed more than 300 people since the start of October, as well as a host of reform measures.

The UN’s top Iraq representative, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, met with Iraq’s top reli-gious authority on Monday, days after influ-ential neighbour Iran brokered a political deal to keep the ruling system in place.

Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has backed the UN plan but said he feared political forces were not “serious” about enacting the required reforms.

Hennis-Plasschaert was due to attend a special parliamentary session this week in Baghdad, where demonstrators appeared bolstered by her visit.

“We’re optimistic about the UN and I respect her visit to Sistani,” said one dem-onstrator, Ali Kadhem, 33, at the main protest site of Tahrir Square.

“Let them intervene more in Iraq. We want them here. Our people were starved, killed. We’ve been through everything.”

Security forces again sealed off Tahrir with concrete blocks, which activists had earlier pulled down, and lobbed sound gre-nades at teenage boys who had skipped class to protest.

“Our country is dearer to me than my only child,” read one slogan daubed on a street nearby, where the usually bustling mechanics’ shops remained closed amid the unrest.

Across the country’s south, meanwhile, most schools were shut as teachers and stu-dents rallied. Schools closed in the towns of Hillah and Kut, where hundreds hit the streets, and in the protest hotspots of Nasiriyah and Diwaniyah.

The UN has also upped its mediation with Iraqi actors, and Hennis-Plasschaert has proposed a phased roadmap that would start with an immediate halt to the use of force.

Jordan foils plot against US, Israeli diplomatsREUTERS/AMMAN

Jordanian intelligence recently foiled a plot by two suspected militants to mount terror attacks against US and Israeli diplomats alongside US troops deployed at a military base in the south of the country, state-owned Al Rai newspaper reported yesterday.

It said the suspects had planned to drive vehicles into their targets and attack them with firearms and knives. They would stand trial in Jordan’s state security court, it added.

Militants from Islamic State (IS) and other groups have long targeted the US-allied kingdom and dozens of militants are cur-rently serving lengthy prison terms. Several incidents over the past few years have jolted the Arab kingdom, which has been comparatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and Islamist militancy that have swept the Middle East since 2011. Jordan said last year it had foiled an IS plot that included plans for a series of attacks on security installations, shopping malls and moderate religious figures.

11WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Iran accuses Europeans of hypocrisy over N-dealAFP TEHRAN

Iran accused European nations of hypocrisy yesterday for crit-icising its latest step back from a nuclear deal while failing to fulfil their commitments of relief from US sanctions.

President Hassan Rouhani made no mention of a new report from the UN nuclear agency that reveals its inspectors detected uranium particles of man-made origin at an unde-clared site in Iran.

But Iran’s envoy to the Inter-national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna said the UN watchdog had been given access to the site “with the utmost coop-eration and clarification”.

“Cooperation between Iran and the agency on this issue is still ongoing. Therefore, any attempt to prejudge and present immature assessment of the sit-uation would be aimed at dis-torting the facts for political gains,” Gharib Abadi said in a statement.

Britain, France, Germany and the EU have been trying to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal since the US unilaterally withdrew from it in May last year and began reimposing sanctions.

A year after the US pullout from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran began reducing its commitments to the deal hoping to win con-cessions from those still party to the accord.

Iran’s latest measure came last week, when engineers began

feeding uranium hexafluoride gas into mothballed enrichment centrifuges at the underground Fordow plant south of Tehran.

On Monday Britain, France, Germany and the European Union said Iran’s decision to restart activities at Fordow was “inconsistent” with a 2015 nuclear deal.

“The E3/EU have fully upheld their JCPOA commitments, including sanctions-lifting as foreseen under the JCPOA,” they said. “It is now critical that Iran upholds its JCPOA commitments and works with all JCPOA partic-ipants to de-escalate tensions.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back yesterday. “Fully upheld com-mitments under JCPOA’ YOU? Really?” he tweeted.

Zarif said Iran had already “triggered and exhausted” a dispute resolution mechanism in the troubled accord. German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass had on Monday threatened the use of “all the mechanisms laid down in the agreement” to make Iran comply with its obligations under the JCPOA.

Yesterday, Rouhani said Iran only began scaling back its nuclear commitments a year

after the US withdrawal to give the other parties time to make up for it.

“We waited for a year,” Rouhani told a televised news conference. “Nobody in the world can blame us by saying ‘Why are you abandoning your commitments under the JCPOA today and why have you launched Fordow today?’” he said. “This is a problem that the enemy has created for us,” he said, referring to Iran’s arch-foe the United States.

Iran’s approach, he said, was to take “the path of resistance and perseverance” by reducing commitments under the JCPOA and engaging in negotiations.

“We are negotiating with the world... they are giving us pro-posals, we’re giving them pro-posals. Up until today, I have not accepted the proposals I’ve been given.”

Rouhani made no mention of the uranium particles the IAEA said its inspectors had detected at an undeclared site in Iran.

In a report, the watchdog said its inspectors had “detected natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at a location in Iran not declared to the agency.”

Ghana reverses recognition of KosovoAFP/ACCRA

Ghana has revoked its “premature” recognition of Kosovo — a move backed by Serbia, which opposes statehood for the former Yugoslav province.

“The government of Ghana has decided to withdraw Ghana’s recognition of Kosovo as an independent state,” deputy foreign minister Charles Owiredu said. The reasons were communicated to Serbia in a letter, he said. “The decision to recognise Kosovo turned out to be premature”, the letter said of its recognition in 2012.

“Ghana has taken into account the ongoing dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo aimed at resolving the issue of the latter’s quest to be recog-nised as an independent and sovereign entity and supports the ongoing process to bring finality to the matter,” it said.

Turkey tries to shed light on White Helmets founder’s deathAP/ANKARA

Turkish officials were performing an autopsy and other procedures yesterday as they tried to understand how a former British officer who helped found the White Helmets volunteer aid group in Syria died.

James Le Mesurier’s body was found near his home in Istanbul early Monday by wor-shippers on their way to morning prayers. Turkish police believe he fell to his death from his home

and are investigating the circum-stances. Last week a top Russian official had claimed he was a spy, something Britain strongly denies.

The Istanbul chief prosecu-tor’s office said an autopsy and other procedures were underway at Istanbul’s Forensic Medicine Institute to determine “the exact cause” of his death. It also said police were still in the process of gathering security camera recordings near the scene and assessing them.

Earlier, Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters: “Our chief prosecutor’s office, our police are engaged in multi-faceted efforts to shed light on the incident.”

Le Mesurier was the founder and CEO of May Day Rescue, which established and trained the White Helmets, also known as the Syria Civil Defense, a group of local humanitarian volunteers. The group, which has had more than 3,000 volunteers in oppo-sition-held areas, says it has saved

thousands of lives since 2013 and documented Syrian government attacks on civilians and other infrastructure. The group has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but has not won.

Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Le Mesurier of being a former British agent working in the Balkans and the Middle East. She alleged he had “been spotted all around the world, including in the Balkans and the Middle East.”

Karen Pierce, Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations, denied those allegations Monday, saying “the Russian charges against him, that came out of Foreign Ministry that he was a spy, are categorically untrue.” She also said Britain would be “looking very closely” at the Turkish authorities’ inves-tigation into Le Mesurier’s death.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that he was 48 and had moved to Turkey with his wife four years ago.

Nigerian forces fire in the air to quell opposition protestAFP/ABUJA

Nigerian security forces used tear gas and fired in the air yesterday to disperse protesters seeking the release of an oppo-sition figure held since August after calling for a revolution.

Omoyele Sowore, the founder of local news site Sahara Reporters and a candidate in February’s presidential polls has been detained for “treason.”

At the end of September, the Nigerian judiciary ordered his release but the authorities have not complied. About 80 pro-testers gathered outside the headquarters of the Department

of State services (DSS) in the capital Abuja, shouting slogans against President Muhammadu Buhari, a journalist said.

Some 50 heavily armed DSS agents confronted the demon-strators on bikes and in armoured trucks firing tear gas and shooting in the air. They also attacked one journalist. Some sustained injuries after being trampled by demonstrators fleeing the scene. The gov-ernment of Buhari —who was re-elected this year — has accused Sowore and his “Revo-lution Now” movement of “plotting to destabilise Nigeria.”

Sowore, who came tenth in

the polls and has been a virulent critic of the government, has drawn the ire of Nigerian author-ities. In August, Sahara Reporters, which regularly reports on gov-ernment corruption, had called for nationwide protests against misrule in Nigeria.

Two days ahead of the planned protest, he was arrested on August 5 and has been in detention since. The govern-ment’s handling of his case has sparked criticism from rights activists and prominent Nige-rians, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, as well as rights groups l ike Amnesty International.

People demonstrate to demand the release of activist and opposition politician Omoyele Sowore, facing treason charges over calls for a “revolution” against the government, outside the Department of State Security headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.

Testing times for Ethiopia’s Nobel laureate leaderANATOLIA/ADDIS ABABA

Even as the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, he is facing daunting challenges to maintain peace at home and also to continue bonhomie with the neighbouring Eritrea.

The Norwegian Nobel Com-mittee on October 11, conferred award on Abiy, citing his “decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.” Analysts in Ethiopia believe that of late, bonhomie with Eritrea has slowed down.

The borders, which were opened with great fanfare have been closed again, after remaining open for just four months. Significantly, when Abiy was greeted by the leaders from across the globe, Eritrea did not send any message of congratula-tions. “Nothing came from Erit-rea’s leader Isaias Afeworki, sig-naling cooling down of relations between the two countries,” a source in Addis Ababa said.

“The open border had led large number of migrations from Eritrea to Ethiopia. Even at the time of tensions, people from the Eritrean side used to take risk, to cross the heavily militarised border,” a senior politician said. The Eritrean authorities did not like the exodus, he said. On July

9, 2019 the two countries signed a Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship. The agreement allowed Ethiopia to use Eritrean ports of Asab and Massawa. Both countries also opened embassies in respective capitals.

The spate of violent inci-dents in Ethiopia, killing 78 people, has also tainted the aura of Abiy Ahmed. Amnesty Inter-national says that, since Abiy took office, there have been several waves of mass arrests of people in Oromia perceived to be opposed to the government. Detainees were not charged or taken to court, Amnesty’s Ethiopia researcher Fisseha Tekle said.

Despite violence and fal-tering border accord, many in Addis Ababa, believe that Abiy deserved recognition for his reforms and peace initiatives.

The prime minister has set up a unique Peace Ministry, under Muferiat Kamil, country’s first women speaker of par-liament. The ministry has been designed to improve ethnic rela-tions and attend to the woes of cit-izens ravaged by unprecedented levels of tensions. But, the reality is that despite the ministry, there were deadly clashes in the most populous region in Ethiopia — Oromia—following a message sent by a high-profile activist to his supporters, saying he was about to be arrested.

EU allocates $60m humanitarian aid to SudanQNA/BRUSSELS

The European Union announced a $60m humani-tarian aid package to Sudan.

The announcement came at a press conference held by Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, after a meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Mogherini stressed the EU’s support for Sudan’s political and economic transition. She pointed out that the European ministers exchanged views with the Sudanese Premier on the most urgent needs to be addressed by the Union during this stage. She hoped that Sudan would write a success story that would inspire the rest of the region, Africa, and the world.

Algeria jails 28 protesters over Berber flagsAFP/ALGIERS

Twenty-eight Algerian demon-strators were handed one-year jail sentences yesterday for “undermining national unity” by bearing the Berber minor-ity’s flag during anti-regime protests, a prisoners’ rights group said.

A court in the capital’s Sidi Mhamed district sentenced 22 of the accused to 12 months in prison — half of it suspended —and fines of 30,000 dinars ($275), the CNLD committee said on its Facebook page.

Said Salhi, vice-president of

the Algerian human rights group LADDH, condemned the ruling as “heavy, hard and unex-pected”, adding that the defence team made up of almost 70 lawyers would appeal.

Protesters had gathered outside the court on Monday ahead of the late night ruling, chanting: “Free the detainees!”

Later yesterday, the same court sentenced six others to six months in jail on the same charge over the Berber — or Amazigh — flag. Salhi said that the convictions “threated the unity of the Algerian judicial system” after several

demonstrators put on trial in the provinces on the same charge had been acquitted.

Algeria has been rocked by months of street protests demanding an overhaul of the entire political system.

Army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah, the country’s main powerbroker since the April res-ignation of longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has banned protesters from bearing flags other than the Algerian one. He was apparently referring to the Berber flag, which demon-strators have been seen holding alongside the national ensign.

Demonstrators march during a protest against the country’s ruling elite and rejecting the December presidential election, in Algiers, Algeria, yesterday.

“We waited for a year,” Iran President Hassan Rouhani told a televised news conference. “Nobody in the world can blame us by saying ‘Why are you abandoning your commitments under the JCPOA today and why have you launched Fordow today? “This is a problem that the enemy has created for us,” he said, referring to Iran’s arch-foe the United States.

12 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019ASIA

President’s Rule imposedin Maharashtra

IANS NEW DELHI

After nearly three weeks of political drama, Maharashtra was yesterday brought under President’s Rule and its Assembly was placed under suspended animation, with the Centre saying it was “left with no alternative”.

On a day of swift develop-ments, Maharashtra Governor

B S Koshyari sent his recom-mendation to the Union Home Ministry calling for imposing President’s Rule around noon, saying his attempts to put a gov-ernment in place in the state had failed.

Soon after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting of the Cabinet which conveyed to President Ram Nath Kovind its recommendation for imposition of central rule in the state. The meeting was held just before the Prime Minister left for Brazil on a visit to attend BRICS Summit.

The President accepted the recommendation and signed the notification for imposition of the central rule in the state.

The Union Home Ministry yesterday said the President’s

Rule was imposed in Mahar-ashtra with assembly in sus-pended animation, after political parties failed to form gov-ernment even 20 days after the results of the assembly polls were declared last month.

In a statement, Home Min-istry spokesperson Vasudha Gupta, said, “Governor (B S Koshyari) made the recommen-dation to the President in the noon explaining that he made all attempts but not succeeded in efforts.” She said the recom-mendation made by the Gov-ernor to the President was referred to Home Ministry “upon which Union Cabinet decided yesterday to recommend to the President to issue a procla-mation under article 356 of the Constitution, imposing President Rule in state of Maharashtra and keep the Assembly in suspended animation.”

The spokesperson said the government sent its report to the President as it was “left with no alternative”.

In the 288-member Assembly, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 105 seats in the elections whose results were declared on October 24.

Shiv Sena moves Supreme Court against Governor’s decision IANS NEW DELHI

The Shiv Sena yesterday moved the Supreme Court against the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision not to extend the 24 hour time period given to the party to prove its number on the floor to form the government.

The Sena, which has emerged as the second-largest party with 56 seats in the 288-member Assembly, said that it was con-strained to move the top court seeking urgent relief against the “arbitrary and malafide actions” of the Governor.

The party sought quashing of the order of the Governor and declaring the action

“unconstitutional, arbitrary, illegal, void-ab-initio, and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India”.

Also raising questions on the Governor’s behaviour, it said that he cannot act in such a manner or act on the diktats of the Central Government.

The Sena was invited by the Governor when the single-largest party BJP, which won 105 seats, said that it cannot form a gov-ernment. It told the court that the Governor was in “hot haste” as he refused to grant even three days’ time to prove the requisite majority to form the government. “The impugned actions/decisions of the Governor is violative of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Con-stitution. It is ex facie arbitrary,

unreasonable, capricious and a malafide exercise of the power in order to ensure that the Petitioner No. 1 (Shiv Sena) is precluded from getting a fair and reasonable opportunity of proving its majority on the floor of the House,” the petition filed through senior advocate Kapil Sibal, lawyers Sunil Fernandes and Nizam Pasha said.

According to the petition, Shiv Sena had requested three days time to give the letters of support to demonstrate that it has the req-uisite majority to form the gov-ernment on the same day when it has staked claim to form the gov-ernment. The Sena said that the party was in advanced talks for government formation with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as well as the Congress.

Devotees offer prayers inside a Sikh temple to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikh faith, in Chennai, India, yesterday.

Praying time

Modi leaves for Brazil to attend BRICS SummitIANS NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday left for Brazil for the BRICS Summit and said he is looking forward to holding discussions with the leaders from the four nations on greater cooperation in a wide

range of areas. He said he will hold talks with Brazil President Jair M Bolsonaro on ways to deepen the India-Brazil stra-tegic partnership.

“I would be taking part in this year’s BRICS Summit being held in Brazil on November 13 and 14. The Summit’s theme is ‘Economic growth for an

innovative future.’ I look forward to holding discussions with BRICS leaders on greater cooperation in a wide range of areas,” Modi tweeted.

He said on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, he would be addressing the BRICS Business Forum and inter-acting with BRICS Business

Council as well as the New D e v e l o p m e n t B a n k . “Improving economic linkages augurs well for the BRICS nations,” he said.

BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Air quality sinks to ‘severe’ in haze-shrouded New DelhiAP NEW DELHI

A thick gray haze blanketed India’s capital yesterday, with authorities attempting to reduce the pollution by sprinkling water to settle dust and banning some construction.

The air quality index exceeded 400, considered “severe” and about eight times the recommended maximum, according to the state-run Central Pollution Control Board.

Buildings and monuments in New Delhi were largely obscured

by the haze and residents com-plained of health effects.

“We can’t breathe properly. My eyes are burning,” said Urmila Devi, who lives in Ghaz-iabad, one of the capital’s most polluted areas.

Favourable winds had briefly halved the level of pollutants, but winds blowing from the northwest carried air-borne par-ticles from burning crops in Punjab and Haryana states to New Delhi, leading again to high levels of pollution, according to the government’s air quality monitoring system, SAFAR.

Air pollution in northern India peaks in the winter due to smoke from agricultural fires. Farmers say they are unfairly criticized and have no choice but to burn stubble to prepare their fields for the next crop.

The smoke from fields mixes with vehicle emissions and con-struction dust, making New Delhi the world’s most-polluted capital.

Rising pollution levels have also irked foreign visitors, with some saying they plan to cut short their trips because of health concerns. “We are in the capital

of India. The government should put more effort into tackling this problem,” said Rijil Odam-valappil of Abu Dhabi, who was visiting New Delhi with his wife.

Some residents say the pol-lution is so bad that it should be the most important issue for the government.

Pollution controls have been imposed, such as sprinkling water from high-rises and banning some construction to settle or avoid dust, but the cap-ital’s poor air quality has con-tinued amid calls for the gov-ernment to do more to address

the root causes. Restrictions on private vehicles meant to reduce emissions were relaxed on Monday and Tuesday for the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. Doctors in the city of 20 million people say many of their patients are complaining of ailments related to the filthy air they breathe.

New Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has made fervent appeals on Twitter and in newspaper advertisements for residents to help tackle the pol-lution problem.

Labour does U-turn, disowns Corbyn’s anti-India stanceIANS/NEW DELHI/LONDON

In a move that is surely going to embarrass Jeremy Corbyn, the Chair of the Labour Party Ian Lavery has outrightly disowned Corbyn’s views on Jammu and Kashmir.

In a letter, Lavery said he “recognise” that the language used in the emergency motion has caused offence in not just sections of the Indian diaspora but in India itself. Chalking out the “official position” of the labour party, to which Corbyn belongs, Lavery said, “Kashmir is a bilateral matter for India and Pakistan to resolve together by means of a peaceful solution...” He added that Labour Party’s official position on Kashmir remains the same as was stated by its National Policy Forum in its annual report for 2019.

In a statement that will surely leave Corbyn, who is known for his anti-India stance, searching for cover, Lavery said, “The Labour Party holds the Indian diaspora community in the highest regard. We respect and celebrate the immense con-tribution which Indians of all backgrounds have made to the UK in business, medicine, the arts and so many other fields. I am proud that Labour counts many people of Indian origin at all levels of our party and the broader labour movement.”

IANS

NEW DELHI

A maiden nine-day tri-services exercise between India and the US on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief will begin today, with the aim of strength-ening the bilateral relationship and defence cooperation.

In the exercise, named Tiger Triumph, Indian Naval ships Jalashwa, Airavat and Sand-hayak, Indian Army troops from 19 Madras and 7 Guards, and Indian Air Force MI-17 heli-copters and Rapid Action Medical Team would be

participating.“The US would be repre-

sented by US Navy Ship Ger-mantown with troops from US third marine division. The exercise is aimed at developing inter-operability for conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.

The Harbour Phase is scheduled at Visakhapatnam from today to November 16. The opening ceremony along with a joint flag parade would be held onboard INS Jalashwa tomorrow.

India-US tri-services disasterrelief exercise from today

IANS RANCHI

Hours after declaring that it will go it alone in the Jharkhand assembly polls, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) yesterday released a list of five party candidates in the state. LJP chief Chiag Paswan had earlier announced that his party will not ally with the BJP on 50 out of 81 seats in the Jharkhand assembly polls. A

senior LJP leader said the party has announced the names of five candidates for the first phase polls scheduled on November 30. The party has fielded Rekha Chaubey from Nagar Bhavanathpur, Anand Pratap Singh from Husainabad, Shashikant Kumar from Chhatarpur (SC), Shashi Ranjan Dhar Dubey from Vishrampur and Ramdev Prasad Yadav from Panki assembly constituencies.

LJP names five candidates for Jharkhand polls

Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari sent his recommendation to the Union Home Ministry calling for imposing President’s Rule around noon, saying his attempts to put a government in place in the state had failed. The President accepted the recommendation.

National Congress party president Sharad Pawar speaks as general secretary Ahmed Patel looks on during a press conference in Mumbai, yesterday.

NEW DELHI IANS

The Congress yesterday slammed Maharashtra Governor B S Koshiyari’s move without giving the stipulated time to the stake-holders and not inviting the Congress when he called all the other parties. “Governor Koshiyari has committed a grave travesty of the democracy & made a mockery of the Constitu-tional process in recom-mending President’s Rule in Maharashtra.

Four grave violations of the Constitutional Scheme, as expressed in SR Bommai judgment, stand out,” Con-gress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a series of tweets. “Guv should have called Single largest pre poll alliance i.e BJP-Shiv Sena together, then Second largest post poll alliance i.e Congress-NCP.” Surjewala also ques-tioned the Governor for not calling the Congress.

“In case Guv called individual parties, why did he not call INC? And above all; Why the completely arbitrary allotment of time? 48 hours to BJP, 24 hrs to Sena & not even 24 hours to NCP, before the President’s Rule,” he said, terming the move “unashamedly dis-honest & politically motivated”.

Congress saysGovernor’smovepoliticallymotivated

13WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019 ASIA

Pakistan cabinet allows Sharifto go abroad for treatment ANATOLIA KARACHI

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday allowed the ailing opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment, a minister informed the media.

Addressing a news con-ference in capital Islamabad, Special Adviser to PM, Firdous Ashiq Awan, said that the gov-ernment has allowed Sharif to go to London, after depositing a surety bond and committing about his return to the country, to serve the remainder of his sentence.

“Some [cabinet] members had some reservations on the idea of allowing Nawaz Sharif to go abroad, but the majority was of the view that he should be allowed to get treatment of his choice,” she said.

“All the cabinet members had a unanimous view that there should not be an unconditional permission. It should be one-time permission with some con-ditions”, Awan said.

She, however, did not elab-orate on the amount of the security bond. She said further formalities would be decided by a sub-committee of the cabinet, led by Law Minister Farogh Naseem.

At least three medical boards, including the one set up by the government itself, stated

that the three-time prime min-ister needed to be shifted abroad for medical treatment due to the complicated nature of the disease. Sharif has been diag-nosed with suffering from the acute immune thrombocyto-penia purpura, a bleeding dis-order in which the immune system destroys platelets.

Sources in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said that its leaders and min-isters in the cabinet were deeply divided on the issue.

A group of leaders opposing the idea of allowing Sharif to go abroad, said that it would damage Imran’s long-standing narrative, of not giving any con-cession to the “corrupt”.

Another group that included Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi; Interior Minister, Brig-adier Ijaz Shah; and Governor of Punjab Province, who is also a former British MP, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar argued that Sharif should be allowed to go

abroad on humanitarian grounds, a cabinet member told said.

Interior Minister, Brigadier Ijaz Shah, said the government was allowing Sharif to go abroad due to the complicated nature of his disease.

“There is no deal or dheel [relaxation]. This is purely a health-related issue,” Shah told local broadcaster Geo News.

“He is ill, that’s why the gov-ernment is allowing him to go abroad for treatment. He is not going forever,” said the minister. The Islamabad High Court, late last month, suspended the seven-year jail term of Sharif and granted him an interim bail for eight weeks to attend to his ailments.

The main opposition Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party has accused the gov-ernment of using “delaying tactics,” which could be “disas-trous” to Sharif’s health.

“Every single moment is pre-cious. The inordinate delay in removing his name from the no-fly list is tantamount to playing with his life,” said a party spokesperson.

Sikh pilgrims gather around the Palki Sahib on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, yesterday.

Pakistan issues commemorative coin on Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversaryINTERNEWS KARACHI

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) yesterday formally issued a commemorative coin on the occasion of 550th birth anni-versary of Baba Guru Nanak.

Speaking at a ceremony in Karachi, SBP Governor Reza Baqir said the purpose of releasing the commemorative coin by the central bank was to supplement and be part of the national efforts to promote

interfaith harmony. He said the founder of Sikh religion preached the message of peace and brotherhood. He expressed confidence that through this coin his message will reach every household.

Millions of Sikhs marked the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of their religion, yesterday.

Sikhs around the world came together to sing, pray, eat and hold sprawling processions to different gurdwaras.

In Pakistan, thousands of Sikhs marked the occasion at Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur gurdwaras.

Apart from it being the 550th anniversary, this year also saw the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor — a secure land link allowing Indian Sikhs to visit the gurdwara in the Pakistani town where the Guru died.

Last weekend Pakistan offi-cially opened the Kartarpur Cor-ridor just days ahead of the birthday celebrations.

Afghanistan frees 3 Taliban in exchange for two hostagesAP KABUL

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani yesterday announced that his government had released three prominent Taliban figures in an effort to get the insurgents to free two university professors — an American and an Australian — they abducted three years ago.

At a press event broadcast live on state television, Ghani told the nation that the “condi-tional release” was a very hard decision he felt he had to make in the interest of the Afghan people.

The announcement comes at a sensitive time for Ghani, as President Donald Trump halted talks between the US and the Taliban in September, after a particularly deadly spate of

Taliban attacks, including a Kabul suicide bombing that killed a US soldier. Also, the future of Ghani’s government is in doubt as the results from the September 28 presidential elec-tions have not been released yet. Preliminary results are expected on November 14.

The three members of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network that Ghani said were being released include Anas Haqqani, Haji Mali Khan and Hafiz Rashid. Ghani added that they are being released “conditionally in exchange” for the two professors.

By mid-afternoon, no visuals had emerged of the three figures. It was not immediately clear if they were still in Afghanistan, on their way or had already been released. There was also no

statement from the Taliban or the Haqqani faction holding the American and Australian hos-tages, or any indication if and where the two would be freed.

The three Taliban figures were under the custody of the Afghan government, Ghani said, and were held at the Bagram prison, an air base that also houses US troops just outside Kabul.

“In a demonstration of respect for humanity by the gov-ernment and nation of Afghan-istan, we decided to condi-tionally release these three Taliban prisoners who were arrested in close cooperation with our international partners from other countries,” Ghani said, without elaborating.

The Taliban have long demanded the release of Anas

Haqqani, the younger brother of Sirajuddin, the deputy head of the Taliban and leader of the Haqqani network, often con-sidered the strongest of the Taliban factions fighting in Afghanistan.

Anas Haqqani was arrested in Bahrain in 2014 and handed over to the Afghan government, which later sentenced him to death. It was not clear when his execution was supposed to take place.

The two captives held by the Taliban — Kevin King, an American, and Timothy Weekes, an Australian — were abducted in 2016 outside the American University in Kabul where they both work as teachers.

The following year, the Taliban released two videos showing the captives. A January

2017 video showed them appearing pale and gaunt. In the later video, King and Weekes looked healthier and said a deadline for their release was set for June 16 that year.

Both said they are being treated well by the Taliban but that they remain prisoners and appealed to their governments to help set them free. It was impossible to know whether they were forced to speak.

Subsequently, US officials said that American forces had launched a rescue mission to free the two, but the captives were not found at the raided location.

In address yesterday, Ghani added that the Taliban kid-napping of the two American University teachers was not rep-resentative of Islamic and Afghan traditions.

Head-on train collision leaves 16 dead in BangladeshAFP DHAKA

Two packed trains collided in Bangladesh yesterday, killing at least 16 people and injuring nearly 60 others, police said.

Three coaches were sent crashing off the tracks at Mon-dobhag station in the town of Kasba when a Dhaka-bound train collided with one heading to Chittagong.

“At least 16 people have been killed. And another 58 were injured. We have sent the injured to different hospitals in the region,” local police chief Anisur Rahman said.

Cranes and other lifting gear were brought in to rescue trapped passengers, many of whom were asleep when the early morning crash took place.

“There was a loud noise, then I saw the train was completely ripped apart,” one injured pas-senger told Somoy TV.

“All the people around me were crying. There was blood everywhere. Some people had broken hands and legs,” another told the broadcaster.

“My son was with me. I still don’t know what happened to him,” the man added.

Hayatud Doula Khan, a gov-ernment official in the district, said the Dhaka-bound Turna

Nishitha train, hit the Chit-tagong-bound Udayan Express at about 3:00am (2100 GMT on Monday) as the Udayan was about to go through Mondobhog station.

Khan said that the Turna Nis-hitha train should have waited outside the station to let the other one pass. A Bangladesh railway official told reporters faulty signals could be to blame.

“Three coaches were badly mangled and the victims are

from these coaches,” Khan said, adding that train services out of Dhaka had been halted because of the accident.

Train accidents are common in Bangladesh and are often caused by poor signalling or other rundown infrastructure.

According to the Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF), a private media research group, between January 1 and June 30 this year, at least 202 rail accidents took place in

the South Asian country of 168 million people where some of the track is a century old.

In June, a train plunged into a canal after the bridge it was crossing gave way. Five people were killed and 100 injured.

The SCRF said pedestrians using mobile phones while crossing tracks, negligence by railway employees and poor maintenance of lines and bridges were the main cause of accidents.

Bystanders look on after a train collided with another train in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh, yesterday.

Sri Lanka prisoners demand freedom after presidential pardon for murder convictAFP COLOMBO

Hundreds of inmates at Sri Lanka’s biggest high-security prison staged a second day of protests yesterday, demanding their freedom after the President pardoned a well-connected man convicted of brutally murdering a Swedish teenager.

Jude Jayamaha, convicted of killing Yvonne Jonsson in Colombo in 2005, walked free on Saturday following the highly unusual pardon granted by Pres-ident Maithripala Sirisena, whose term in office ends this weekend.

Police said around 1,000 prisoners had refused on Monday to return to their cells at Welikada prison in Colombo, while four inmates had clam-bered onto the prison’s roof.

An official said police com-mandos were standing by outside with orders to move in if necessary.

There were reports of a similar protest at another prison in the south of the island.

The prisoners are demanding their release on the same terms as Jayamaha, who

hails from a wealthy Colombo family with poli t ical connections.

The victim Jonsson, 19, whose mother was Sri Lankan and father Swedish, was holi-daying in Sri Lanka when she was beaten to death in a Colombo high-rise apartment after she and Jayamaha had an argument.

The trial heard her skull had been fractured into 64 pieces.

Sirisena announced the pardon last weekend ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, when he is leaving office.

The announcement of the amnesty provoked an angry backlash on social media as well as from mainstream political parties. The ruling party presi-dential candidate, Sajith Pre-madasa, said if elected he would consider legal options to overturn Sirisena’s pardon.

“I condemn the action of granting this amnesty,” Pre-madasa said. Jayamaha was ini-tially sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed to a higher court, which rejected his plea and instead sentenced him to death, which was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2014.

16 Afghans dead as minivan falls into ravineAP KABUL

An Afghan official said yesterday that 16 people died when a minivan skidded off an icy road and plunged into a ravine in snowy weather in northern Baghlan province.

Safder Mohsini, the pro-vincial council chief, said the victims were all headed to a wedding ceremony to Khost wa Freng when the accident hap-pened yesterday morning. He said women and children were among the victims. Mohsini said the cause of the accident isn’t fully clear but he believes the driver lost control of the minivan on the frozen road.

A file photo of Nawaz Sharif

The former premier’s name would be taken off the no-fly list after he submits a surety bond and a commitment to return.

14 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019ASIA

Violence brings Hong Kong to ‘brink of total breakdown’ REUTERS HONG KONG

Police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong’s Central financial district and at demonstrators on the other side of the harbour yesterday as a senior officer said the unrest had brought the city to “the brink of total breakdown”.

The clashes took place a day after police shot a protester at close range and a man was doused with petrol and set on fire in some of the worst violence in the Chinese-ruled city in decades.

More than 1,000 protesters, many wearing office clothes and face masks, rallied in Central for a second day during lunch hour, blocking roads below some of the city’s tallest skyscrapers and most expensive real estate.

After they had dispersed, police fired tear gas at the remaining protesters on old, narrow Pedder Street. Police made more than a dozen arrests, many pinned up on the pavement against the wall of luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co.

Police said masked “rioters” had committed “insane” acts, throwing trash, bicycles and

other debris on to metro tracks and overhead power lines, par-alysing transport in the former British colony. TV footage showed activists dropping heavy objects from overpasses on to traffic below, just missing a motorcyclist.

“Our society has been pushed to the brink of a total breakdown,” Senior Superin-tendent Kong Wing-cheung told a briefing, referring to the last two days of violence.

The demonstrators have been protesting since June against what they believe to be meddling by Beijing in the freedoms guaranteed under the “one country, two systems” formula put in place when the territory returned to China from

British rule in 1997. Tough police tactics in response to the unrest have also fuelled anger.

China denies interfering and has blamed Western countries including Britain and the United States for stirring up trouble.

As well as the protests in Central, the heart of the Asian financial hub on Hong Kong island, clashes also erupted in several places on the mainland.

Police fired tear gas at City University in Kowloon Tong and at Chinese University in the New Territories, where protesters threw petrol bombs and bricks at police. Students in hard hats and gas masks had since morning been barricading City University. Activists, who had home-made shields, stockpiled bricks and petrol and nail bombs on bridges and other approaches.

They overran the campus and smashed up the adjacent Festival Walk shopping mall and set fires, including to a big Christmas tree.

Streets inside and outside the Chinese University campus entrance were littered with bricks, other debris and street fires as police tackled protesters to the ground.

The students were taking

part in a heated exchange with the principal when clashes reignited, with police again firing volleys of tear gas and protesters throwing petrol bombs.

Protesters also threw petrol bombs from an overpass on to the highway linking the Northern New Territories with Kowloon, bringing traffic to a standstill in

a haze of tear gas smoke.Several students were

wounded in the violence.Police also fired tear gas in

the town of Tai Po, where a truck was set on fire, and in the densely populated Kowloon district of Mong Kok, whose shopping artery Nathan Road has been the scene of many clashes. Hong

Kong leader Carrie Lam said pro-testers were being selfish and she hoped that universities and schools would urge students not to take part in the demonstrations.

More than 260 people were arrested on Monday, police said, bringing the total number to more than 3,000 since June.

Police fire tear gas during a protest at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong, yesterday.

Japan, US say three-way ties withSouth Korea key to security

AP TOKYO

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, agreed with Japanese officials yesterday that three-

way cooperation with South Korea is key to regional security and that an intelligence sharing pact between Tokyo and Seoul should not be scrapped.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he told

Milley that discord among the three countries would only destabilise the region and benefit North Korea, China and Russia.

“We shared a view that Japan-US-South Korea cooper-ation is more important now than ever, as we discussed the latest situation related to North Korea, including the North’s latest launch of ballistic mis-siles,” Motegi said.

He and Milley also agreed on the importance of the Japan-South Korea intelligence sharing pact. Motegi added that Milley promised to convey that message to South Korea during his upcoming visit there.

South Korea has announced plans to scrap the General Security of Military Information Agreement.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has been exerting last-minute pressure on Japan and South Korea to keep the deal.

Milley also met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Defence Minister Taro Kono.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) shakes hands with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, prior to their talks in Tokyo, yesterday.

North Korea accuses USof holding back progressAFP UNITED NATIONS

North Korea on Monday accused the United States and South Korea of hostility that has prevented progress towards peace on the peninsula, in a speech to the United Nations.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, North Korea’s ambas-sador, Kim Song, highlighted how Pyongyang has not carried out tests of nuclear weapons or long-range missiles for more than 20 months — a moratorium often hailed by President Donald Trump.

“It is the clearest expression of our sincere goodwill and tol-erance to meet the universal desire of the international com-munity for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula,” he said.

But he added: “The situation of the Korean peninsula has not extricated itself from the vicious cycle of aggravated tension, which is entirely attributable to the political and military prov-ocations perpetrated by the US.”

He charged that the United States was “resorting to the anachronistic hostile policy” against North Korea.

He also accused South Korea — whose dovish president, Moon Jae-in, paved the way for three US-North Korean meetings — of “double-dealing behaviour” by modernising its military at the same time.

Trump has hailed his rela-tionship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and voiced hope for a potentially landmark deal on ending Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

But there has been little visible progress since a February summit in Hanoi ended with no deal. The two countries held working-level talks last month in Sweden, where North Korea again denounced the US attitude, although Washington offered a more upbeat assessment.

North Korea has sought an end to punishing sanctions but the United States has insisted that Pyongyang first take tan-gible denuclearisation steps.

Raging Australian bush fires hit Sydney suburbsAFP SYDNEY

Bush fires raging across eastern Australia singed Sydney’s suburbs yesterday, with fire-fighters scrambling planes and helicopters to douse a built-up neighbourhood with water and red retardant.

Experts have described the conditions as the worst on record, as spring temperatures climbed toward 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and winds topped 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour across a zone which has been plagued by persistent drought.

Although the bush fire season is in its infancy, scientists predict it to be one of Aus-tralia’s toughest ever, with climate change and unfavourable weather cycles helping created a tinderbox of strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures.

Twin blazes in the north shore suburb of Turramurra — around 15km from the centre of Australia’s largest city — tore through a eucalypt forest park and sparked spot fires in homes, before eventually being brought under control.

As night fell, authorities said they were bringing another “clearly suspicious” blaze in a national park in the city’s southern suburbs under control.

Throughout the day, more than 300 bush fires burned up and down Australia’s east coast, fanned by gale-force winds, scorching temperatures and tinder-dry bushland that has brought some of the most dangerous con-ditions the country has seen.

In Turramurra, gardens smouldered, thick smoke hung heavy in the air and cars, houses and roads were caked in raspberry-red retardant as if hit by a giant paintball.

From early morning thousands of fire-fighters spread out across New South Wales in anticipation of what they called “off the scale” fire risk and “catastrophic” conditions.

They were unable to prevent several bush fires from breaching containment lines and trapping residents who had not already

evacuated. New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said so far only a dozen buildings had been damaged yesterday and a handful non-life-threatening injuries were reported, but the crisis was far from over.

Firefighters will be “working on these fires for days and weeks given the enormity of the fire grounds,” he said.

Even before unfavourable weather hit, days of fires had killed three people and destroyed at least 150 homes.

A fire service plane drops fire retardent on an out of control bush fire near Taree, 350km north of Sydney, Australia, yesterday.

51 children hurt in chemical attack at China kindergartenAFP BEIJING

More than 50 people, mostly children, were injured by a man who broke into a kindergarten in southwest China and sprayed them with corrosive liquid, local authorities said yesterday.

The suspect, a 23-year-old surnamed Kong, entered the kindergarten by climbing a wall before spraying victims with sodium hydroxide, said local authorities in Kaiyuan city, Yunnan province.

The attack took place on Monday at 3:35pm (0735 GMT), authorities said on their Twitter-like Weibo account.

Some 51 children and three teachers were admitted to hos-pital for treatment, two with “severe symptoms”.

Police arrested Kong less than an hour after the attack.

“Because his parents divorced during his childhood, the lack of family warmth resulted in psychological dis-tortion,” said local authorities, adding that Zhang’s work and life were unsatisfactory as well.

All this created a “pessi-mistic mentality and thoughts about retaliating against society”, they said.

Three dead in Thai courtroom shootout AFP BANGKOK

Three people were killed in a shootout at a Thai courtroom yesterday during a hearing into an inheritance dispute, according to police, who said two of the victims were lawyers.

The gunman opened fire on the opposing side in the dispute in Chanthaburi provincial court before a guard shot back and fatally wounded him.

National police office spokesman Krissana Pattana-charoen said three people including the assailant were confirmed dead, while others were injured in the melee.

“Two are lawyers another one is the shooter,” he said, adding that they are still inves-tigating why the courtroom feud turned deadly.

Taiwan seeks return of income from frigate scandalAFP TAIPEI

Taiwan is seeking the return of hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten funds linked to a controversial deal to buy French frigates over two decades ago, prosecutors said yesterday.

Taipei signed a $2.8bn deal to buy six Lafayette-class frigates in 1991, a deal which strained French ties with China at the time and was later found tainted by up to $400m in bribes. Taiwanese arms dealer Andrew Wang was indicted for corruption in 2006 for reaping hundreds of millions of dollars from the deal, and his family were also found guilty as his accomplices.

Wang and his family were put on Taiwan’s most wanted list after they fled the island shortly before the scandal broke in 1993. He died in London in 2015 aged 87.

Prosecutors now want that money returned.

Police said masked “rioters” had committed “insane” acts, throwing trash, bicycles and other debris on to metro tracks and overhead power lines, paralysing transport in the city.

15WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019 EUROPE

Spain’s Socialists, Podemos to form coalition govtREUTERS MADRID

Spain’s Socialists and the far-left Unidas Podemos party agreed to form a coalition government yesterday, just two days after a parliamentary election delivered a highly fragmented parliament.

The unexpectedly fast pre-liminary agreement between two parties which recently refused to work together would require further steps including agreeing cabinet positions and bringing in smaller parties, which means it is far from a done deal.

The election — the country’s fourth in four years — left Spain’s parliament even more divided than a previous ballot in April, with the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) retaining its lead but further away from a majority.

“It’s a deal for four years,” Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, who is currently acting prime minister, said after signing the pact alongside Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias.

The Socialists’ 120 seats, combined with the 35 won by Unidas Podemos, leave them short of a majority in the 350-seat parliament.

“Spain needs a stable gov-ernment, a solid government,” Sanchez said.

If they succeed, it would be

Spain’s first coalition gov-ernment since the country’s return to democracy in the late 1970s. The Socialists and Podemos had tried and failed to strike a government deal after the April election, prompting Sanchez to call the repeat ballot.

The two men had been at odds for months and exchanged harsh words as acrimonious talks failed after the April election. However, they were all smiles yesterday, hugging after they signed the pact.

“We’ve reached a prelim-inary agreement to create a pro-gressive coalition government in Spain, which combines the experience of PSOE with the courage of Unidas Podemos,” Iglesias said. Centre-right party Ciudadanos, which won 10 seats, said it would not back the deal, calling instead for a grand coa-lition between itself, the Socialists and PP.

Police officers stand guard as members of Catalan protest group ‘Democratic Tsunami’ gather at the AP-7 highway on the French side of the Spanish-French border, yesterday.

Protesters cleared from Spain-France highwayAFP LE PERTHUS, FRANCE

French and Catalan police yesterday dispersed a group of Catalan separatists who had been blocking a motorway linking Spain and France at the border, French authorities said.

“There are no more

demonstrators on the highway,” a spokeswoman for the security department of the eastern French Pyrenees said, adding that no-one had been hurt and the motorway was expected to reopen in the afternoon.

Sixteen Spanish nationals were arrested.

On Monday, hundreds of

separatists shut down the busy motorway in protest over the sentencing last month of nine of their leaders to lengthy jail terms. The protest came a day after Spain’s general election, in which the far-right Vox party made gains on the strength of its hardline stance against Catalan separatism.

French President Emmanuel Macron (second left) poses with (from left) Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Chad President Idriss Deby and Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou at the Elysee Palace in Paris, as part of the Paris Peace Summit, yesterday.

Macron says new global alliances neededAFP PARIS

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday lamented an “unprecedented crisis” in the global political system and urged new alliances to solve the world’s problems, in a call backed by Chinese and EU leaders.

Macron hosted some two dozen heads of state and gov-ernment at a Peace Forum in Paris just days after he sent shockwaves through Western capitals by warning about the viability of multilateral bodies

NATO and the EU. “We are expe-riencing an unprecedented crisis in our international system,” the president said, continuing the theme of a recent interview in which he had warned NATO was experiencing “brain death” and the EU risked becoming insignificant.

The president, who has sought a prominent place on the international stage since coming to power in 2017, said “new ways of cooperation, new alliances” are needed between states and organisations.

The global political and eco-nomic systems constructed after

the end of World War II, he added, had brought peace to some regions and helped lift many out of poverty.

But new inequalities have emerged between peoples and countries to cause the rebirth of nationalism and unilateralism “even among those who are the last-resort guardians of this international system,” said Macron. To face today’s chal-lenges — poverty, war, unchecked population growth, migration and dwindling natural resources —the world needed “more cooperation”, not less, the president insisted.

Opposition inPoland winsSpeaker seat in SenateREUTERS WARSAW

The Polish opposition yesterday secured the post of Senate speaker in a parliamentary vote seen as a test of its ability to retain control of the upper house after winning it in an October 13 general election.

The loss of the Senate was a blow to the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party because that could delay some of its legis-lative ambitions. These include further changes to the justice system, which have concerned the European Union.

Since the election, Polish media have reported that PiS had made overtures to oppo-sition senators in an attempt to establish a working majority.

In the vote for the speaker yesterday, the opposition can-didate, centrist Civic Platform’s (PO) senator Tomasz Grodzki, a 61-year-old surgeon, won 51 votes, while the PiS’ candidate Stanislaw Karczewski received 48 votes in the 100-member Senate. One lawmaker refrained from voting.

“This is a victory of democracy,” Grodzki told the Senate.

During its first term in power PiS, accused by the EU of subverting the rule of law, gained a reputation for pushing through bills at breakneck speed, with hastily called late-night lower house sittings fol-lowed by quick approval from the Senate.

“Taking over the Senate means very severe strength-ening of the opposition. For the PiS every vote lost in the Senate is an image loss,” said Warsaw University sociologist Jacek Haman.

UK’s Labour Party suffers ‘major cyber attack’AFP LONDON

Britain’s main opposition Labour party said yesterday that it had suffered a “large-scale cyber attack” which undermined some of its campaign efforts for next month’s election.

The attempted hack on Monday was repelled and there was no data breach, it said.

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn admitted he was worried about other attacks, and just hours after he spoke, the party’s website went down.

In a speech on the campaign trail in Blackpool, northwest England, Corbyn said Monday’s attack was “very serious”, even if it ultimately failed.

“But if this is a sign to come in this election, I feel very nervous about it all,” he told supporters. “Because a cyber attack against a political party in an election is sus-picious and something one is very worried about.”

Earlier, a party spokesman said: “We have experienced a sophisticated and large-scale cyber attack on Labour digital

platforms.” He said: “These attempts failed due to our robust security systems. The

integrity of all our platforms was maintained and we are confident that no data breach occurred.” Some campaign activities were slowed but they were restored early yes-terday and were now back to normal.

However, the main Labour party website (labour.org.uk) was inaccessible in the afternoon yesterday.

Instead, the website showed a message from a cyber-security firm warning of a problem. The party did not have an imme-diate comment.

Labour said it reported Monday’s incident to the National Cyber Security Centre — a part of intelligence agency GCHQ which monitors and works to protect security systems.

The attempted hack came against lin-gering concern about the potential for outside interference in the general election, with major parties increasingly relying on digital messaging. However, The Sun tabloid reported that GCHQ sources said there was no evidence to suggest any state-sponsored attack, and suggested the incident involved low-level hacking.

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets flood affected residents during a visit to the Bentley suburb of Doncaster, northern England, yesterday.

Xi urges Britain to return Parthenon Marbles to GreeceAFP ATHENS

Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday urged Britain to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, wading into a decades-old dispute between the countries over the ownership of the sculptures.

The ancient friezes, which include depictions of battles between mythical ancient Greeks and centaurs, were taken by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and are now on display at the British Museum in London.

Britain has always refused to return the carvings arguing that they were taken with the permission of local Ottoman rulers at the time.

Xi toured the Acropolis Museum, built partly to house the Parthenon Marbles, during a three-day visit to Athens and told his hosts he agreed with them that the sculptures should be returned. “I assure you of our support, because we also have many Chinese cultural works outside our country that we are trying to recover,” Xi said on the last day of his official visit.

Athens had once considered suing Britain over the issue, an action reportedly championed by lawyer Amal Clooney.

But in recent years the Greek government has taken a more diplomatic route, asking UNESCO to mediate, an offer rejected by the British Museum.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, elected in July, made an official request for the loan of marbles for the 200th anni-versary celebrations of Greek independence in 2021.

The British Museum has said it would examine any request from Greece to borrow exhibits.

Czech army to spend $630m on US-made helicoptersAFP/PRAGUE

Nato member the Czech Republic said yesterday it would buy 12 helicopters from the United States in a bid to replace obsolete Russian-made Mi-24 aircraft.

The deal between the Czech and US governments worth 14.6 billion koruna ($630m) would be formally signed this year, Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar said.

“The army needs new heli-copters. The sooner we get rid of our dependence on Russian technology, the better,” Metnar said.“This is why we want to sign the deal this year so we could have the equipment by 2023.”

The election left Spain’s parliament even more divided than a previous ballot in April, with the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party retaining its lead but further away from a majority.

European govts agree to develop more weapons independently of USREUTERS BRUSSELS

European governments gave the green light yesterday for 13 new defence projects in a step to develop more firepower inde-pendently of the United States.

Under plans agreed by EU defence ministers in Brussels, work will begin on a new patrol vessel, an electronic jamming weapon for aircraft and tech-nology to track ballistic missiles.

The projects took months to negotiate but French President Emmanuel Macron underlined the desire for deeper EU defence collaboration last week when he said the US-led NATO defence alliance was dying.

Some 47 joint EU defence projects are now in the works following the signing of a pact by France, Germany and 23 other EU governments in late 2017 to fund, develop and deploy armed forces following Britain’s decision to quit the bloc.

Any new weapons on land, at sea or in the air and cyber-space can be put at NATO’s dis-posal, but US President Donald Trump’s questioning of the alli-ance’s significance has added impetus to European defence

efforts. Macron has expressed doubt about NATO’s security maxim that an attack on one ally is an attack on all. But many European allies reject his por-trayal of NATO.

Although 22 EU countries are in NATO, the bloc hopes to launch a multi-billion-euro weapons fund from 2021 requiring EU member states to work together on designing and building new tanks, ships and technology.

“We do not invest enough (in defence) and that investment is not efficient enough,” French Defence Minister Florence Parly told France Inter radio on Monday, citing 20 different types of combat aircraft in the EU, compared to six in the United States.

European defence planning, operations and weapons devel-opment foresee France taking a big role in 60% of the 47 projects, often with Germany, Italy and Spain.

Under the latest projects, France will head plans to better track ballistic missiles in space, and develop an electronic jamming weapon with Spain and Sweden for European combat aircraft to overcome enemy air defences.

16 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019EUROPE

New candidates for EU Commission clear first hurdleAP BRUSSELS

Three new candidates for the European Commission have cleared a first hurdle in their nomination process after lawmakers scrutinising possible conflicts of interest gave the go-ahead yesterday.

The new Commission — the powerful executive arm of the European Union that proposes laws and ensures they are imple-mented throughout the bloc —was initially scheduled to take office on November 1. But European lawmakers rejected the previous French, Hungarian

and Romanian candidates, delaying the whole process.

Thierry Breton, Oliver Vár-helyi, and Adina Valean will face three-hour formal hearings later this week before the full

Commission, which is now slated to start work on December 1, can be voted in.

In a slap to French President Emmanuel Macron, France’s initial nominee Sylvie Goulard was rejected last month over alle-gations she misused EU funds. The legal committee, which con-siders conflicts of interest, also refused to give its approval to Rovana Plumb of Romania and Laszlo Trocsanyi of Hungary.

Macron has since replaced Goulard with Breton for the super-sized portfolio overseeing the EU’s internal market, indus-trial policy, defense and the space industry.

Várhelyi has been nominated by incoming Commission pres-ident Ursula von der Leyen to oversee enlargement policy while Valean has been endorsed as transport commissioner.

Breton’s bid has particularly raised eyebrows because of the 64-year-old businessman’s former role as CEO at Atos, a multinational company with activities including big data man-agement and cybersecurity.

Breton, a former French finance minister, has resigned from his position, sold off his shares in Atos and pledged to stay away from decisions that could be taken in relation to his

former company. But those guar-antees have left many law-makers unimpressed and his grilling on Thursday does not look like a simple formality.

“It is not a question of judging the competence or good will of Thierry Breton,” said the GUE/NGL group, which brings together left-wing lawmakers at the EU Parliament. “But Breton is structurally linked to private interests that could influence his decisions. The simple and strict application of European rules would prevent him from exer-cising his mandate.”

The Greens said they would have liked to receive more clarity

“on when and how ... Breton would recuse himself from policy decisions that could benefit Atos or other former employers,” while the Social Democrats expressed disappointment at the legal affairs committee’s decision to clear the Frenchman without additional questions related to the sale of his Atos shares.

“A candidate who was a CEO of a multinational company only a few weeks ago will now reg-ulate huge sectors of the European economy linked to digital issues, defense and tele-communications,” said Tiemo Wölken, the group’s coordinator on the legal affairs committee.

Belarus President defendshuman rights recordAFP VIENNA

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko defended his isolated country’s human rights during a visit to Austria yesterday, as he seeks closer ties with the European Union amid tensions with Russia.

On his first trip to an EU member in more than three years, Lukashenko met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. Austria’s then chancellor Sebastian Kurz visited Belarus in March.

Often described by its critics in the West as “Europe’s last dic-tatorship”, Belarus has been the target of Western sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections. The 65-year-old Lukashenko has rarely travelled to Europe.

In recent years, however, the West and Belarus have sought to improve ties as the Kremlin has pushed for a closer relationship between Moscow and Minsk.

Lukashenko said his country was “wedged in like in a pair of

pliers” between East and West.“Despite this we are doing

sometimes very well,” Lukashenko told reporters during a joint press conference with Van der Bellen.

Asked about his country’s human rights record, he said: “It is a country where one can relax in peace and security.”

Van der Bellen said the two men had discussed many issues, including the Ukraine crisis, hoping to “deepen” their relationship.

Austria had also recom-mended that Belarus — the only European country that still uses capital punishment — should at least put a moratorium on the death penalty.

Belarus’s closest ally is Russia and the two have formed a nominal “union”, with close trade and military cooperation.

In recent months however, Moscow has been pressuring Minsk into closer integration. While Lukashenko has wel-comed closer ties with Moscow, he has pushed back at the idea of outright unification.

Moscow has denied that this is what it wants. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov has said it was “normal” for Minsk to have contacts with other countries.

Karin Kneissl, who was foreign minister under Kurz’s previous administration, said in January that Austria wanted to develop closer ties with Belarus as a “buffer state” between Russia, the EU and Ukraine.

For Lukashenko, being hosted by an EU member repre-sents a “diplomatic success” ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday, political analyst Artyom Shraibman said.

Lukashenko said in Sep-tember he also wanted to improve ties with Washington as he welcomed then White House national security advisor John Bolton for rare talks in Minsk.

Since 2016, Lukashenko has repeatedly been invited to visit Europe, but until now had declined them.

After Russia, Austria is one of Belarus’s biggest sources of foreign direct investment. Belarus

media labelled it “the most loyal” of EU members to Minsk.

Lukashenko has been in Austria privately, skiing with his

family in 2002. Kurz presented him with a pair of hand-made wooden skis during his March visit to Belarus.

Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen (right) welcomes Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko at the residential office at the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna, yesterday.

Germany detains three IS suspects over attack planREUTERS FRANKFURT

German police detained three people in the western city of Offenbach yesterday on suspicion of planning a bomb attack for the IS militant group, prosecutors said.

The three suspects wanted to kill as many “infidels” as pos-sible in the planned attack in the Rhine-Main region, Frankfurt prosecutor Nadja Niesen said.

No specific attack targets were yet known but evidence seized from raids of three homes in Offenbach should shed some light, she added.

German intelligence agencies and police have been on high alert for potential attacks by IS militants since a rejected asylum seeker from Tunisia killed 12 people by ramming a truck into a Berlin Christmas market almost three years ago.

The main suspect arrested yesterday is a 24-year-old German of Macedonian origin who wanted to manufacture explosives and tried to buy a weapon online. His two sus-pected accomplices are Turkish nationals aged 22 and 21.

The suspects are believed to have told people they were IS supporters, Niesen said.

Substances that could be used to make explosives and equipment were found at the main suspect’s home, she said.

Niesen said a decision would be made today on whether all three suspects or only one would be brought before the investigating judge at a court in Frankfurt.

Thierry Breton, Oliver Várhelyi, and Adina Valean will face three-hour formal hearings later this week before the full Commission, which is now slated to start work on December 1, can be voted in.

Denmark starts border checks at crossings to SwedenAP COPENHAGEN

Danish police began performing border checks at the country’s crossings with Sweden, moves that followed a series of shootings and explosions around Copen-hagen that Danish authorities say were carried out by people crossing the waterway between the Scandinavian neighbours.

The checks were conducted on trains and vehicles crossing the Oresund Bridge over the narrow waterway that separates Copen-hagen and Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city. Checks were also carried out at ferry ports.

Police spokesman Jens Jes-persen said that officers at the Oresund Bridge vehicle check-point had “a particular focus on cross-border crime involving

explosives, weapons and drugs,” adding that authorities were stopping cars to have “a peak at who is inside.”

“It gives us a pretty good picture of who is coming over.”

For years, Danes and Swedes have been able to cross without needing a passport. Now a passport is needed for Swedes entering Denmark — at least for the next six months.

Danish police control drivers near the highway coming out of the tunnel to Sweden in Copenhagen, yesterday.

Former boss of swimming body denies role in rival’s murderAP BUDAPEST

The former head of Hungary’s swimming federation yesterday denied any role in the 1998 killing of a rival media mogul.

Tamas Gyarfas, who is sus-pected of ordering the death of Janos Fenyo, said at the start of his trial that he had nothing to admit related to the killing and that violence wasn’t in his nature. Gyarfas rejected a plea deal.

Prosecutors believe Gyarfas paid intermediaries to arrange the killing because of personal and business conflicts with Fenyo, who built a large media conglomerate during the first years of Hungary’s return to democracy in 1990.

At the heart of the case are over 500 minutes of recordings of conversations with Gyarfas secretly made in 2003 and 2004 by Tamas Portik, the man sus-pected of organising the shooting.

Portik is already in prison after being convicted for his role in a pair of 1990s under-world killings, but prosecutors have said they will relaunch proceedings against him for his alleged role in the Fenyo case.

Prosecutors said the recordings prove Gyarfas’ guilt, but Gyarfas asked the judge to rule out their use, saying they contained thousands of gaps and many unintelligible parts that made them unsuitable to be used as evidence.

A Slovak man, Josef Rohac, was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for the slaying. Fenyo was gunned down in February 1998.

French police warn cocaine fortune hunters off beachesAFP RENNES

French authorities have closed beaches in southwest France as packages of cocaine and other drugs continue to wash up daily along the Atlantic coast, with nearly 900kg discovered since mid-October, a prosecutor said.

Officials said the cocaine is extremely pure at some 83 percent, warning people who find the packages not to touch them but to warn the police.

That has not stopped some from trying to get their hands on the drugs, whose street value would be in the millions of euros, prompting police to close beaches and start carrying out patrols.

On Monday, a 17-year-old was caught with five kilos of cocaine at Lacanau, a closed-off surfing beach near the south-western city of Bordeaux — he had come from Toulouse, a three-hour drive away.

A half-dozen other beaches in the area have been closed as well, with police stopping walkers for searches and also checking cars leaving nearby parking lots.

A police helicopter was also being used along the 125km

stretch between Cap Ferret and Soulac-sur-Mer, which includes the Lacanau beach.

“We’ve recovered 872 kilos,” or 1,920 pounds, Philippe Astruc, the prosecutor in the western city of Rennes, where officials are coordinating the searches, said in a statement.

It was a sharp jump from just two days ago, when 763 kilos were reported.

“Intense surveillance has been set up by different services, notably the customs agency, all along the French coast,” Astruc’s office said.

“In this form it’s a very dan-gerous product that could cause an overdose.”

Officials have reported the drugs turning up on beaches near Nantes all the way to the resort town of Biarritz, more than 500km to the south.

French investigators are working with European coun-terparts as well as the US Drug Enforcement Agency to try to determine why the drugs are washing up.

“There are several hypotheses, but for the moment we think it’s likely they were jet-tisoned because of a mechanical problem or during a storm,” Astruc said in a statement.

Moldova govt falls after losing no-confidence voteAP/CHISINAU

Moldova’s government coalition between a pro-European group and a Russian-backed party collapsed after losing a no-confi-dence vote in parliament.

Prime Minister Maia Sandu’s five-month-old government lost the vote as 63 of 101 lawmakers

supported the no-confidence motion initiated by the Socialists, her own coalition partners.

The parties in parliament now have three months to form a new government majority. Otherwise, an early election will be held.

Relations between Sandu’s ACUM group and the Socialists

deteriorated over her plan to take control of the process of nominating the country’s pros-ecutor general, which Sandu says is key to her efforts to fight cor-ruption. The Socialists wanted a special commission to choose the prosecutor.

A few hundred Sandu sup-porters protested her ouster at

the legislature but no violence was reported.

“Today, it wasn’t just the government that defends the interests of people that was betrayed, but every citizen hoping that justice will soon be done and their lives will be better,” Sandu said on her Facebook page.

17WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019 AMERICAS

Mulvaney drops lawsuit over House subpoenaREUTERS WASHINGTON

White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney yesterday said in a court filing that he would not bring a lawsuit challenging a subpoena for his testimony in the impeachment probe into President Donald Trump, adding that at the direction of the pres-ident he would not cooperate with the investigation.

“After further consideration, Mr. Mulvaney does not intend to pursue litigation regarding the deposition subpoena issued to him by the US House of Repre-sentatives,” his lawyers said in a court filing.

“Rather, he will rely on the direction of the President, as supported by an opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel of the US Department of Justice, in not appearing for the relevant dep-osition,” the lawyers added.

The move was a reversal for Mulvaney, who on Monday said in a court filing that he planned to bring a lawsuit challenging the House’s constitutional authority to compel testimony from Trump administration officials.

House investigators issued a subpoena to Mulvaney last week, demanding he testify about his knowledge of Trump’s decision

to withhold military aid to Ukraine.

Congressional Democrats are trying to determine whether Trump withheld the assistance to pressure Ukraine’s gov-ernment to investigate former Democratic vice-president Joe Biden, one of Trump’s main rivals as he seeks re-election next year, and his son.

Trump denies any wrongdoing.

Mulvaney’s strategy for fighting the subpoena changed three times.

On Friday, Mulvaney sought to participate in a lawsuit filed by Charles Kupperman, a former deputy to ousted national security adviser John Bolton, seeking a court ruling on whether he should comply with a congressional subpoena or honor the Trump administra-tion’s order not to testify.

Kupperman’s lawyers opposed the request, and US Dis-trict Judge Richard Leon in Washington said during a

conference call on Monday that he was inclined to deny it, according to a transcript of the hearing.

Leon’s comments led to Mul-vaney’s lawyers saying in a Monday evening court filing that their client planned to file his own lawsuit instead.

Mulvaney has emerged as a central figure in the impeachment inquiry, partly because of his statement at an October 17 news conference that the White House had withheld security assistance for Ukraine.

“I have news for everybody: Get over it. There is going to be political influence in foreign policy,” Mulvaney said at the time, although he later contra-dicted himself.

Before becoming acting chief of staff, Mulvaney ran the White House Office of Management and Budget, which made the decision to block nearly $400m in security assistance for Ukraine last summer.

Roger Stone wanted to ‘debrief’ Kushner on DNC e-mail hack

AP WASHINGTON

Trump confidant Roger Stone wanted to contact Jared Kush-ner’s in order to “debrief” the president’s son-in-law about hacked emails that were damaging to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, a former Trump campaign aide said yesterday.

Rick Gates, who was Donald Trump’s deputy campaign chairman and became a key cooperator in the special coun-sel’s Russia probe, appeared on the witness stand in Stone’s criminal case in federal court in Washington. Stone is charged with witness tampering and lying to Congress about his attempts to contact WikiLeaks about the damaging material during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The testimony spelled out Stone’s efforts to at least be seen by the highest ranks of the Trump campaign as a go-between with WikiLeaks , the anti-secrecy group that released

the damaging emails. Last week, Steve Bannon, who served as the Trump campaign’s chief exec-utive, said the campaign saw Stone as an “access point” with WikiLeaks.

Gates received a text message from Stone on June 15, 2016, asking for Kushner’s contact information, so Stone could “debrief” Kushner on developments about the hacked emails, he said. Kushner was a senior adviser to the Trump campaign at the time.

Gates did not say if Stone received Kushner’s information. Kushner’s attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The prosecution rested their case yesterday morning after recalling a former FBI agent who had previously testified about a series of phone calls between Stone and then-candidate Trump — including three calls on July 14, 2016 — the day that a massive hack of the Democratic National Committee’s servers was reported.

The prosecution’s case did

not provide any dramatic new evidence about whether Trump was aware of the impending WikiLeaks releases, but empha-sized that senior campaign offi-cials were deeply engaged in trying to figure out what was happening with WikiLeaks. The president told Mueller’s prose-cutors in written response to questions that he had no recol-lection of any particular conver-sations about the hacked emails.

Gates told jurors that the Trump campaign had discussed how they would handle the release of WikiLeaks’ disclosures based both on what they were learning from Stone and WikiLeaks’ public statements.

On the stand, Gates detailed overhearing a speakerphone conversation in July 2016 between Stone and Paul Man-afort, his longtime business asso-ciate and the campaign chairman, after WkiLeaks released its first batch of emails, and Stone told Manafort that “additional information would be forthcoming.”

Roger Stone arrives with his wife Nydia for the continuation of his criminal trial at US District Court in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Man receives response to message in bottle 9 years laterAP ROCKPORT

A Massachusetts college student has received a response to a message he threw into the ocean when he was 10 years old.

Suffolk University sophomore Max Vredenburgh said he put the letter into a glass bottle that he threw into the water at Long Beach in Rockport in August 2010.

Vredenburgh’s father texted him on Friday to say that he had received a letter from someone named “G Dubois” who found the bottle on a beach in Southern France on October 10.

In Vrendenburgh’s original letter he listed some of his favourite things including apples, the beach and outer space. He also asked that the letter’s recipient “please write back.”

The 19-year-old Vredenburgh posted photos of the letters to his Twitter account.

Jimmy Carter recovering in hospital after brain surgeryAP ATLANTA

Former President Jimmy Carter (pictured) was recovering following surgery to relieve pressure from brain bleeding linked to recent falls.

A statement from a spokes-woman said there were no com-plications from the procedure, performed at Emory University Hospital for a subdural hematoma, or blood on the brain surface.

Carter, 95, will remain in the hospital for observation, said Deanna Congileo, his spokes-woman at the Carter Center.

The statement said the

Carters thank everyone for the many well-wishes they have received, and Congileo doesn’t anticipate making more announcements until he’s released.

It was unclear how long Carter might be hospitalised, said his pastor, the Rev. Tony Lowden.

“If anybody can make it through this Jimmy Carter can. His will to serve is greater than his will to give up,” said Lowden.

The Carter Center said the bleeding was related to Carter’s recent falls. He used a walker during his most recent public appearance.

The first fall, in the spring, required hip replacement surgery. He hit his head falling again on October 6 and received 14 stitches, but still traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to help build a Habitat for Humanity

home shortly thereafter. And he was briefly hospitalised after fracturing his pelvis on October 21.

Carter’s wife of 73 years, Rosalynn Carter, is with him at the hospital, Lowden said. “She won’t leave his side,” Lowden said.

Carter has been through a series of health problems in recent years.

He received a dire cancer diagnosis in 2015, announcing that melanoma had spread. After partial removal of his liver, treatment for brain lesions, radi-ation and immunotherapy, he said he was cancer-free.

Despite being increasingly

frail health, the nation’s oldest-ever ex-president still teaches Sunday school about twice monthly at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia.

The church asked for prayers for Carter and his family in a message on its Facebook page. The church has announced that Carter will not be teaching his Sunday school class this week.

Carter candidly discussed his own mortality on November 3, during his most recent appearance at their church. Referring to his cancer diagnosis, Carter said he assumed he’d die quickly after finding out the extent of his illness.

Clinton criticises UK for blocking Russian reportAP LONDON

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she’s “dumbfounded” the UK government has failed to release a report on Russian influence in British politics as the country prepares for national elections.

Clinton said in an interview that the public needs to know what is in the report by Parlia-ment’s Intelligence and Security Committee.

The UK government said it needs more time to consider the report before releasing it to the public, but critics claim the report has been withheld until the next Parliament because it is embarrassing to Prime Min-ister Boris Johnson’s party.

“I’m dumbfounded that this government won’t release the report ... because every person who votes in this country deserves to see that report before your election happens,” Clinton said.

An American investigation into the 2016 US presidential election found “sweeping and systemic” interference.

Clinton also spoke with the Guardian newspaper at the event promoting “The Book of Gutsy Women.”

“I am, as a great admirer of Britain, concerned, because I can’t make sense of what is hap-pening. We have a president who admires dictators and takes their help and does all kinds of crazy stuff. So we need you to be the sane member of this part-nership going forward.”

White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney in a court filing said that he no longer plans to sue over the House impeachment proceedings and will instead follow President Trump’s directions and decline to cooperate.

SC lets Sandy Hook shooting case go forwardAP WASHINGTON

The Supreme Court said a survivor and relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting can pursue their lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 26 people.

The justices rejected an appeal from Remington Arms that argued it should be shielded by a 2005 federal law preventing most lawsuits against firearms manufacturers when their products are used in crimes.

The court’s order allows the lawsuit filed in Connecticut state court by a survivor and relatives of nine victims who died at the Newtown, Con-necticut, school on December 14, 2012 to go forward.

The lawsuit says the Madison, North Carolina-based company should never have sold a weapon as dangerous as the Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle to the public. Gunman Adam Lanza used it to kill 20 first graders and six educators. It also alleges Remington tar-geted younger, at-risk males in marketing and product placement in violent video games. Lanza was 20 years old.

SC justices seem inclined to let Trump cancel DACABLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

US Supreme Court justices seemed inclined to let President Donald Trump cancel an Obama-era programme that shields almost 700,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation in a case with broad political and humanitarian rami-fications.

Hearing arguments yes-terday in Washington, the jus-tices suggested that they will be ideologically divided in the case, with at least the court’s five con-servatives backing the Trump administration.

The case marks a pivotal moment in Trump’s two-year campaign to unravel former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA, as it’s

known, protects those immi-grants from deportation and lets them seek jobs.

Chief Justice John Roberts indicated that he saw DACA as illegal from the start, describing it as covering far more people than previous deferred depor-tation programs. Justice Brett Kavanaugh hinted he was sat-isfied with an explanation for the cancellation provided by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen after the liti-gation had started.

“I assume that was a very considered decision,” Kavanaugh said.

The dispute is timed to be decided during the heart of next year’s presidential campaign, underscoring the stakes for the divisive subject of immigration and for the court itself.

The administration is

challenging lower court rulings that blocked it from rescinding the programme. Universities, labour unions, Democratic-led

states, Microsoft Corp. and DACA recipients are battling to keep the program alive at least through the election.

Immigration rights activists taking part in a rally in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, yesterday.

18 WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2019AMERICAS

Chicago rapper Lil Reese shot at, in critical conditionAP COUNTRY CLUB HILLS

Hospital officials said Chicago rapper Lil Reese is in critical condition after being shot at a suburban Chicago intersection.

Advocate Christ Medical Center officials identified the wounded man as Tavares Taylor, who’s known as Lil Reese, and said he’s in critical condition.

According Country Club Hills police, officers who responded on Monday afternoon to a reported shooting at an intersection found the shooting victim at a local hospital before he was transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center.

A message seeking an update on Taylor’s condition was left yes-terday for hospital officials.

WGN-TV reports witnesses told officers Taylor was being pursued by another car when the pursuing motorist exited his car, opened fire and fled.

No arrests have been reported.

Oppn rejects plan for new Chile constitutionAP/SANTIAGO

A plan by President Sebastián Piñera to draft a new consti-tution for Chile was criticised by the opposition and even his own political ranks.

The proposal unveiled on Monday by Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel is one of a series of measures aimed at quelling weeks of protests by Chileans over economic inequality and other grievances.

It calls for a new charter to be drafted by a “constituent con-gress” and then put to a plebi-scite, Blumel said.

But the opposition said the proposed process was

inadequate, partly because it would rely on current legislators who are viewed with suspicion by protesters. They also said the plebiscite should occur at the beginning of the process, so peo-ple’s views could be considered.

“The citizenry is demanding something different,” opposition Sen Felipe Harboe said. He said people want a “constituent assembly” or some other form of direct participation in writing any constitution.

“Parliamentarians don’t have credibility today,” said Sen Manuel José Ossandón, who is part of Piñera’s governing coa-lition. “The parliament doesn’t

have credibility to do something without the more active partic-ipation of the community.”

Karla Rubilar, the gov-ernment spokeswoman, rejected the call for a constituent assembly, which would involve the election of a group of citizens to draft the new constitution.

Students in Chile began pro-testing nearly a month ago over a subway fare hike. But demon-strations quickly blew up into a huge protest movement demanding improvements in basic services and benefits, including pensions, health and education.

While most protests have been peaceful, at least 20 people

have died in clashes between protesters and police.

A key demand of demon-strators has been to throw out the constitution that was drafted in 1980 during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. The constitution is the legal basis for the market-driven system that protesters say favors Chile’s affluent minority.

The public health care system is bogged down with months-long waiting times, and those seeking higher education are often saddled with crushing student debt.

Piñera has responded with a series of proposals over the weeks. But anger in the streets still boils.

AFP & AP MEXICO CITY

Former Bolivia president Evo Morales arrived in Mexico yesterday to take up political asylum, vowing “the struggle continues,” two days after resigning amid mounting protests over his fraud-stained re-election to a fourth term.

A Mexican air force plane carrying the leftist leader touched down at the Mexico City interna-tional airport, where Foreign Min-ister Marcelo Ebrard — who says Morales was the victim of a “coup” — warmly greeted him.

Grinning, waving and raising his fist in the air as he touched his heart, Morales thanked leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, saying “he saved my life.”

He vowed his flight into exile would not be the end of the story.

“As long as I am alive, I will remain in politics. The struggle goes on,” he told a large crowd of journalists gathered at the airport.

Morales, Bolivia’s first indig-enous president, defended his record bettering living conditions for poor and indigenous Bolivians, and said “there will only be peace when social justice is achieved for all.”

Wearing a sky-blue polo shirt and jeans, the former leader looked more well-rested than the previous day, after an over-night trek across much of Latin America — made longer when Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia itself denied requests to use their air-space, forcing the plane to make an unscheduled refueling stop in Paraguay.

Morales led Bolivia for more than 13 years before mounting

protests over his fraud-stained fourth re-election on October 20 forced him to resign.

Morales, 60, was a member of the “pink tide” of leftist leaders who held sway across much of Latin America in the 2000s.

However, he was forced to step down after losing the backing of the military and police amid weeks of increasingly violent pro-tests over his constitutionally questionable re-election.

A host of top officials resigned along with him, including his vice-president and the heads of both houses of Con-gress, leaving the country with no clear leader and torn by looting and riots.

In Bolivia, Senate’s second vice-president, opposition poli-tician Jeanine Añez, called a leg-islative session yesterday to for-mally accept Morales’ resig-nation and choose an interim replacement.

Under the plan, she would take temporary control of the Senate, making her next in line for the presidency.

Morales arrives in Mexico, says ‘the struggle continues’

Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Bolivia’s former vice-president Alvaro Garcia Linera (left) delivering a speech upon his arrival in Mexico City, yesterday.

Evo Morales thanked President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, saying “he saved my life.” He vowed his flight into exile would not be the end of the story.


WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum22oC 29oC

HIGH TIDE 05:25 – 15:55 LOW TIDE 12:15 – 23:43

Moderate temperature with scattered

clouds and a chance of rain at places at

times.

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 30 AM05. 49 AM

11. 18 AM02.25 PM

04. 49 PM06. 19 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS Re-imagining education to meet today’s challengesTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

In the field of education, technology, and inno-vation comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities – for learners as well as educators. Doha Learning Days (DLD) will begin tomorrow as a platform to put these and other issues into focus. With a thought-provoking theme of UnLearn, ReLearn: What it Means to be Human, DLD will be a six-day experiential learning festival to be held until November 19, organised by the World Summit for Innovation in Education (WISE) – a Qatar Foundation initiative – and co-curated with over 50 local and international organisations and innovators.

Each of the partner organisations at DLD rep-resent an innovative learning paradigm, helping to creatively disrupt traditional approaches and answer the central question posed by WISE this year: ‘What do we need to Un-Learn and Re-Learn in order to thrive?’ Organisations like ibTECHar, Brain Education Middle East, Geek Express Doha, and GoCode Qatar will showcase their approach to how such relearning begins.

A proud homegrown startup, ibTECHar Digital Solutions believes that education is contextual, serving different purposes in helping a society transform and develop. “The ability of individuals to transfer their knowledge into economic value is vital, and at ibTECHar, we focus on shaping the right mindset, skills, and know-how to do so,” said Nayef Al Ibrahim, founding partner and CEO of ibTECHar Digital Solutions.

Their inspirational Chairman, Khalid Abou-jassoum, was the first Qatari winner of Stars of Science in 2012; and they were recently selected by The World Economic Forum as one of the 100 startups in the MENA region shaping the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Presenting ‘Tinker with Science’ at DLD, ibTECHar hopes to share their concept of a turnkey solution – content, equipment, training, and management approach within education and its importance in minimising barriers to innovation.

When it comes to unlearning and relearning, Mohammed Abu Zeinab, Regional Director of Brain Education Middle East (BEME), argues that, “If you want real change, it should involve the brain because any actual change in habit is a very neurological process. Brain education takes us to education 2.0.”

A regional chapter of a global network, Brain Education has close to 40 years of cumulative

research and experience in the field of health-science. A TEDx speaker and passionate advocate for mental and physical well-being.

Tied to the theme of relearning is providing access to engaging education that responds to technological change to even the youngest. And this theme is reflected in the work of Geek Express Doha, an edu-tech hub making pro-gramming accessible for learners as young as five. “Our tech programs use a project man-agement-based approach, so kids not only learn to program, but also how to communicate with each other, and to present what they are going to build or design. Studies support the fact that 85 percent of your financial status is built on your ability to communicate, negotiate, and deliver the project,” said Geek Express’ CEO, Nader Kassir.

Geek Express teaches programming for ages 5-17, starting with the basics, to coding and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to building algorithms and using deep learning to analyze facial expres-sions. They will run a competition at DLD for con-testants to build or design a science or engi-neering-based creation using their proprietary MakerBoxes. Presenting a new definition of lit-eracy, GoCode Qatar’s mission is to inspire the present generation to become the future digital innovators of the world.

Qatar is well ahead of other Arab nations in technological readiness and innovation – a con-sequence of the nation’s committed investment in digital and technological infrastructure, according to the latest Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum.

Qatar is well ahead of other Arab nations in technological readiness and innovation – a consequence of the nation’s committed investment in digital and technological infrastructure.

CROSSWORD

A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

APOLLO 11

MALL ROYAL PLAZA

Bala (2D/Hindi) 3:00, 5:30, 7:00 & 11:00pm;

Charlie’s Angels (2D/Action) 8:00, 9:30 & 10:30pm

Playing With Fire (2D/Comedy) 3:00pm

Kaithi (2D/Tamil) 5:00 & 8:00pm

Tabaluga: The Last Dragon (2D/Animation) 230pm;

Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal (2D/Malayalam) 2:30pm

Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 5:00pm

Bala (2D/Hindi) 10:30am, 1:00, 3:45, 6:30, 9;15pm & 12:00 midnight; Playing With Fire (2D/Comedy) 11:00am, 4:15 & 9:30pm; Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal (2D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 5:00 & 8:00pm; Midway (2D/Action) 1:15, 6:30 & 11:45pm; Kaithi (2D/Tamil) 2:00 & 11:00pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal (2D/Malayalam) 5:30, 8:15 & 11:30pmBala (2D/Hindi) 6:15 & 11:15pmJabardast Shankara (2D/Tulu) 6:00pmEdakkad Battalion 06 (2D/Malayalam) 8:45pmKaithi (2D/Tamil) 8:45 & 11:30pmBigil (2D/Tamil) 11:30pmThipparaa (2D/Telugu) 6:00pm

ASIAN TOWN

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Abigail (2D/Adventure) 12:20, 2:35 & 4:50pmBala (2D/Hindi) 6:40 & 9:35pmDoctor Sleep (2D/Horror) 12:55, 3:45, 4:35, 8:40, 7:25, 10:15 & 11:30pmCountdown 0:05amJoker (2D/Crime) 7:00 & 11:45pmMaleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 10:20am, 11:20am, 12:40, 1:40, 3:00, 4:00, 6:20, 7:40, 10:00pm & 0:20amMidway (2D/Action) 8:10 & 10:50pmOfficial Secrets (2D/Drama) 6:00pmPlaying With Fire (2D/Comedy) 10:25am, 11:00am, 12:30, 2:25, 4:20, 6:15, 8:15 & 10:10pmTerminator: Dark Fate (2D/Horror) 10;50am, 1:20, 3:50, 6:30, 9:05 & 11:40pmThe Addams Family (2D/Comedy) 10:40am, 12:30 & 4:10pm

Adithya Varma (2D/Tamil) 1:00, 7:00, 7:15 & 10:30pmBala (2D/Hindi) 11:00am, 1:00, 1:45, 3:45, 4:00, 4:30, 6:30, 7:15, 9:15 & 11:55pm; Doctor Sleep (2D/Horror) 11:00am, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 4:00, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30 & 10:45pm; Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 6:10, 6:30, 8:40 & 9:00pm; Midway (2D/Action) 7:40 & 10:00pmTabaluga: The Last Dragon (2D/Animation) 4:10 & 4:30pm; Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal (2D/Malayalam) 10:30am, 1;15, 4:30 & 10:45pm; Terminator: Dark Fate (2D/Horror) 11:00am, 5:00, 7:00, 11:10 & 11:30pm; The Addams Family (2D/Comedy) 10:30am, 12:20, 12:30, 2:10 & 2:30pm

Bala (2D/Hindi) 4:00, 6:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal (2D/Malayalam) 2:15pm; Playing With Fire (2D/Comedy) 4:45 & 6:30pmKaithi (2D/Tamil) 2:15pmMaleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 2:00 & 5:00pmOfficial Secrets (2D/Drama) 7:15pmCharlie’s Angels (2D/Action) 8:15, 9:15, 10:30 & 11:30pm

Bala (2D/Hindi) 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 & 11:30pm; Terminator: Dark Fate (2D/Horror) 7:00pm;Joker (2D/Crime) 9:15pm; Playing With Fire (2D/Comedy) 2:30pm; Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2D/Adventure) 2:30 & 4:00pmKaithi (2D/Tamil) 6:00pm; Bigil (2D/Tamil) 11:00pmHousefull 4 (2D/Hindi) 4:30pm; Charlie’s Angels (2D/Action) 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 & 11:30pm

5th Hospitality Qatar Amir awards Hamad bin Khalifa Sash to Al … › uploads › 2019 › 11 ›...

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Transcript of 5th Hospitality Qatar Amir awards Hamad bin Khalifa Sash to Al … › uploads › 2019 › 11 ›...