Qatar ready to give their best against Syria, says Sanchez

GWC posts solid QR105.3m

net profit

BUSINESS | 17 SPORT | 24

Volume 22 | Number 7231 | 2 RiyalsSunday 23 July 2017 | 29 Shawwal 1438 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

3rd Best News Website in the Middle East

Blockade made Qatar stronger: QP CEO

The Peninsula

President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, has said that blockade by the four siege countries has made Qatar stronger.

“I would like to thank the four coun-tries for their blockade, because it has made Qatar stronger, the people of Qatar stronger, their businesses stronger. We will come out of this much stronger than before,” he told Al Jazeera.

The Doha-based network spoke to Al Kaabi about the GCC crisis, Qatar’s oil and gas industry, and the future of his com-pany. According to Al Kaabi, the GCC crisis will not affect the output and Qatar will not cut off gas to the UAE - despite a “force majeure” clause in the Dolphin gas pipe-line agreement with the UAE.

The Dolphin gas pipeline pumps around 57 million cubic metres of gas a day to the UAE. “If you stop the gas, the

biggest harm is to the people of the UAE. The people of the UAE are cousins, rela-tives, and friends ... and we have nothing against them,” Kaabi said.

According to analysts and industry sources, a shutdown of the 364km Dol-phin pipeline, which links Qatar’s giant North Field with the UAE and Oman, would cause major disruptions to the UAE’s energy needs. And in addition to the Dol-phin pipeline, there are other agreements Qatar has signed with the UAE.

“We signed a new contract for 10 years supplying two to 300 million cubic

feet [8.5 million cubic metres] a day of gas, we also have a 15-year contract to supply Dubai with LNG shipment, so that’s about 40 percent of their requirement for electricity,” Kaabi said.

However, the Qatar Petroleum chief does not expect things to go back to nor-mal. “We will never go back to depending on one supplier,” he said. “The trust that we have built over the years has been bro-ken over night.”

Most of Qatar’s almost 80 million tonnes of annual LNG supplies are shipped in tank-ers to different countries. The air, sea and

land restrictions imposed by its three Gulf neighbours have not so far affected mari-time routes for Qatari LNG vessels, which can pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We supply Japan, Korea, China, Tai-wan, Thailand, Pakistan, India. In the Middle East, we supply the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, (we also supply) Spain, France, Belgium, Poland, Germany, UK. We supply everybody that needs LNG. There is not a buyer of LNG that does not call on Qatar to supply it,” Kaabi said.

“Everybody was worried about sup-ply, but ... these countries cannot stop us from doing our business internationally, they can do minor things that I think will harm them in the long term more than us.”

Kaabi said he is very positive about the future of Qatar’s oil and gas industry: “We will continue to dominate the gas market and be the leader in the gas mar-ket for the foreseeable future ... We are going to grow in a major way internation-ally in the oil and gas sector ...”

Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pro-duces up to 77 million tonnes of gas each year. In April 2017, the country announced it was boosting output in the world’s larg-est gas field — the “North Dome” — off Qatar’s northern coast, which it shares with Iran. Gas has helped transform the country into one of the richest in the world, propelling its rise into a major regional player and helping Qatar fund huge infrastructure projects.

Dubai

AFP

Qatar’s BeIN sports network was broadcasting again yesterday in the United

Arab Emirates (UAE), according to subscribers to its channels which have been blocked since the start of the Gulf crisis.

“We are again receiving the network of BeIN sports chan-nels, distributed by Du,” one of two telecommunications com-panies in the Emirates, one customer said.

Etisalat, a UAE-based

telecommunications giant, had also reinstated BeIN sports, according to several subscrib-ers to its channels. Customers were informed of the move in an email from Etisalat.

“We would like to advise that starting 22 July 2017 the BeIN package will be available to customers and normal charges will apply,” the mes-sage said. “The provision of the BeIN package will be subject to an ongoing review.” It was unclear what was behind the decision to bring BeIN back on air.

Fazeena Saleem The Peninsula

Private hospitals and poly-clinics have started receiving medicines from

new markets. They have not experienced shortage of medi-cines so far due to the ongoing blockade imposed on Qatar by some of its neighbouring coun-tries, say industry sources.

Also, the change of import countries has not made an impact on medicine prices.

Companies which bring pharmaceutical products as well as some private healthcare providers have started to import medicines from coun-tries including the UK and Jordan.

Several healthcare experts at private hospitals and

polyclinics, The Peninsula spoke to rejected the perception that the blockade had an impact on the availability of medicines by saying stocks of certain medi-cines are still available and in the meantime have started receiv-ing medicines and medical supplies from alternative import countries.

“We have not felt any short-age of medicines or medical supplies. However, as of now suppliers (companies which bring medicines and medical suppliers) have found alterna-tive countries like Jordan and we have started to get medicines being brought from those coun-tries,” said Dr Sameer Moopan, Chief Executive Officer, Aster DM Healthcare, Qatar.

→ Continued on page 3

QNA

The International Confer-ence on “Addressing the Risks to Freedom of

Opinion, Expression and Access to Information”, to be held in Doha tomorrow, will focus on several important issues, including violations of freedom of opinion and expression, harassment of journalists and hate speech.

The two-day conference is being organised by the National Human Rights Com-m i t t e e ( N H R C ) i n collaboration with the Inter-national Federation for the Protection of Journalists and the International Institute of Journalism.

→ See also page 2

BeIN restarts beaming in UAE

No shortage of medicines amid siege

A television grab of Qatar Petroleum President and CEO Saad Sherida Al Kaabi’s interview on Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera spoke to the President and CEO of state-run Qatar Petroleum, Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, about the GCC crisis, Qatar’s oil and gas industry, and the future of the company.

Meet on freedom of expression tomorrow

Mwani explores Indian market

Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar) discussed ways

to enhance cooperation and investment with Indian ports in the fields of food security, ports, maritime transport, and logistics.

This came during a recent visit paid by a delegation from Mwani Qatar led by CEO Cap-tain Abdulla Al Khanji to India. They discussed means of enhancing cooperation and investment opportunities with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone.

→ See also page 18

Ezdan Holding Group announced yesterday the opening of the first

phase of Ezdan Oasis project for lease. The largest real estate project in the history of Ezdan Holding Group has over 9,000 residential units.

→ See also page 5

Ezdan Oasis project opens

Residents laud Emir’s speech The Peninsula

Residents in Qatar have praised the speech of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin

Hamad Al Thani aired on Qatar Television Friday night. The social networking sites were flooded with comments saying that his speech has motivated the nation and has opened doors to talks with blockade countries that have imposed the siege on Qatar.

“H H the Emir in his speech has opened doors for talks and showed the way of exit for siege countries from the problem that they created themselves,” said Mohamad Al Kaabi,” a Qatari

Citizen. He added: “H H the Emir has touched all feelings of citi-zens and expatriates living in Qatar and regarding the block-ade and attacks on Qatar and its high profile personalities”.

Another citizen Mohamad Al Kuwari said commenting on the

speech of the Emir, “It is a road-map for every citizen for their present and future”.

Residents said the address to the nation was full of wisdom and made the entire nation immensely proud.

Commenting on the portion of the speech of the Emir on self-sufficiency and diversifying sources of import, a citizen said “blockade could be a good chance in boosting food secu-rity programme in the country. And Qatar is capable with its big port and airport to import from all over the world rather than relying on certain countries”.

→ Continued on page 3

Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday discussed mechanisms to facilitate the flow of food commodities to the local market as well as to maintain the pace of supplies. A panel of the Chamber met importers of foodstuffs in the presence of members of the Logistical Support Committee. → See also page 3

The Qatari Businessmen Association announced that it has agreed to set up a committee to launch a local economic initiative to support the state’s efforts, especially in light of the siege. The initiative came after a meeting of the association’s Board of Directors chaired by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, the Association said in a statement. → See also page 3

INSIDE

Companies which bring

pharmaceutical products, as well as some private

healthcare providers have

started to import medicines

from countries including the

United Kingdom and Jordan.

H H the Emir in his speech has opened the door for talks and showed the way for siege countries to exit from the problem they created themselves.

02 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017HOME

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Political Affairs and Justice of the Republic of San Marino, Nicola Renzi, met with the non-resident Ambassador of the State of Qatar to San Marino, Abdulaziz bin Ahmad Al Malki. They discussed bilateral relations, means of supporting and developing them, as well as matters of mutual concern.

San Marino Minister meets envoy

QNA

The International Con-ference on “Addressing the Risks to Freedom of Opinion, Expression and Access to Informa-

tion”, to be held in Doha tomorrow, will focus on several important issues, including vio-lations of freedom of opinion and expression, harassment of jour-nalists and hate speech.

The two-day conference, organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in col-laboration with the International Federation for the Protection of Journalists and the International Institute of Journalism, aims to support and promote freedom of opinion and freedom of expres-sion, access to and exchange of information as well as traditional and modern challenges and prob-lems of international law.

The conference will be attended by 200 participants, as well as international and regional non-governmental organisations in the field of human rights, media institutions, researchers, policy experts, research centres, treaty body experts, a group of special rapporteurs of the United Nations system, regional systems, repre-sentatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Unesco, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the World and National Associations of Journal-ists and a number of international personalities.

Participants from all conti-nents will discuss ways to activate the safeguards of international human rights law, instruments and procedures relating to free-dom of opinion and expression, access to information and address the problems and challenges related to international human rights law posed by modern com-munications technology.

The conference also aims to examine how journalists can be protected and supported, and how to promote pluralistic, inde-pendent and free media, as well as to protect journalists in con-flict areas, end impunity for crimes against them, and raise awareness of ethical challenges, and ways foster positive ethics of the profession. At the opening ses-sion of the conference, five speeches will be delivered by the National Human Rights Commit-tee, the Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Institute of Journalists and the European Broadcasting Union, while Unesco will chair one of the sessions. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe will participate for the first time by presenting a working paper.

The conference features the strongest national and interna-tional trade unions participation, such as the presidents of trade unions in Britain, France and Rus-sia, as well as trade unions in the United States, China and others, as well as human rights organi-sations such as Article 19 and Human Rights Watch.

The conference will feature several sessions and workshops, with more than 30 working papers to be presented. The rec-ommendations will be submitted to the Qatari government, the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, the President of the UN Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as regional organisations such as the Euro-pean Union and the European Parliament.

The conference is significant as the freedom of opinion and expression and the consequent freedom of the press and freedom of the media are the cornerstone for the promotion of international peace and security for every soci-ety that is free and democratic. It is also an indispensable condition for achieving the full develop-ment of the individual and establishing the principles of transparency and accountability, as a fundamental factor for the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as the fun-damental basis for the full enjoyment of a wide range of other human rights, including the right to freedom of assembly and

association and the exercise of the right to participate in public affairs.

It is essential for the advance-ment of any society to allow the free exchange of information and opinions. A society is indispensa-ble to a diverse, free, uncensored and unobstructed media, includ-ing free media, with the ability to comment on public issues, to inform public opinion without censorship or restriction.

International and regional human rights mechanisms have made it clear that freedom of opinion and expression are the basis for participation in public affairs, accountability, sustaina-ble development, human development and the exercise of all other rights, while ensuring the realisation of the right to freedom of expression, allowing for lively, multi-faceted debates reflecting public concerns, expressing dif-ferent views, ensuring respect for areas of debate, stimulating and examining exchange of views, besides developing critical thinking.

In addition to the opening session, the conference will hold a session on freedom of opinion and expression on its first day, after which the participants will be divided into four working groups on “Freedom of Informa-tion and the Internet: Legal Environment and Development, Freedom of Information and the Rights of Journalists: Towards pluralistic, independent and free media, Protect journalists on the frontline, ethics in the field of news: in the face of right and wrong. On the second and final day of the conference, a working session entitled “Continuing the struggle for global media free-dom” will be held, in addition to reviewing the outcomes of the working groups and closing ses-sion to declare the recommendations of the conference.

The Peninsula

The Consumer Protection Department (CPD) at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce has caught 121 counter-

feit fire extinguishers from a shop operating at Salwa area yesterday.

The erring outlet was booked during a surprise inspection campaign launched by the Ministry to monitor the markets and business activities to ensure they are com-plying the provisions of CPD, said a release.

The inspection drive aims at catching violations related to selling counterfeit products that do not meet the required specifications.

The inspectors of the Ministry have also seized about 8,000 fire extinguishers in the storage of the shop at the Industrial Area.

The outlet was booked under the arti-cle No. 7 of the CPD law No. 8 of 2008 that stipulates that the information about prod-ucts should be given on its packs in details in a proper way to safeguard the rights of consumers. The company was not selling extinguishers directly to the consumers and was supplying to the various projects, said the release.

The Ministry will investigate all bills and contracts to deal with the affected peo-ple and make a mechanism for compensation and check the quality of

their products. The Ministry will coordi-nate with security agency concerned at the Ministry of Interior to take necessary

actions as fire extinguishers are very important to put off fire so the product should be able to serve the purpose.

NHRC meet to focus on freedom of expression

Participants from all continents will discuss ways to activate the safeguards of international human rights law, instruments and procedures relating to freedom of opinion and expression, access to information and address the problems and challenges related to international human rights law posed by modern communications technology.

Jassim Charitable Foundation

spends QR170m in first halfQNA

Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Foundation has announced the total amounts of its charitable

activities during the first half of this year, which included many projects inside and outside the country at a cost of up to QR170m.

The Foundation explained that its internal projects included providing cash and supply assist-ance, monthly and health guarantees, paying debts, paying tuition fees and marriage assist-ance, in addition to supporting cultural, social and educational activities at a cost of more than QR12m.

It said that outside projects focused on development areas, especially health, education and housing at a cost of QR157m to benefit thousands of Muslims in Asian and African countries.

The Board Member and CEO of Jassem & Hamad Bin Jassim

Foundation, Saeed Al Hajri, said: “The projects implemented by the Foundation during the first half of this year were characterised by diversity and sustainability, which is taking in consideration the foundation’s slogan Health and Education for a Better Life”.

He pointed out that the inter-nal projects focused on providing social assistance for needy fam-ilies and individuals and monthly guarantees, while the foundation focused through its external activ-ities to support and develop health care and education serv-ices in a number of countries including Morocco, Palestine, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and other countries.

He noted that the foundation announced this year development projects in the areas of health and education in Morocco, and that the cost of health projects is esti-mated at QR92m implemented in stages.

Al Hajri said that the founda-tion has launched a hospital project in Bakr in Punjab prov-ince in Pakistan, with a capacity of 50 beds at a cost of QR30m and expected to finish the project by the end of 2018.

In Gaza Strip, the foundation inaugurated Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Center for Daily Care in cooperation with Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruc-tion of Gaza, at a cost of $5m.

Al Hajri pointed out that the project aims to provide special-ised rehabilitation services for people with multiple and perma-nent disabilities and to provide them with the necessary care in treatment, social, health and rehabilitation.

He confirmed the completion of the second phase of Sheikh Jas-sim Model City in Manar province in Sri Lanka, which included 556 housing units at an estimated cost of more than QR11.2m.

Erdogan and Macron discuss Gulf crisisAnkara QNA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a tel-ephone call yesterday

discussed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Mac-aron the current Gulf crisis.

According to sources in the Turkish presidency cited by Anatolia Agency that the two presidents stressed the importance of resolving the Gulf crisis through dialogue and negotiation. They also discussed Erdogan’s upcom-ing Gulf tour.

The two sides also dis-cussed relations between the two countries and a number of regional issues, most nota-bly recent developments at Al Aqsa Mosque and devel-opments in Libya and Syria.

They expressed concern at the tension caused by the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on Pales-tinians at the Al Aqsa Mosque in the occupied Jerusalem and agreed to make joint efforts to reach a truce, Erdogan and Macaron stressed the need to take steps that will end the tension as soon as possible in Jerusalem.

Counterfeit fire extinguishers seized

Officials of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce conducting inspection at a shop in Salwa area, yesterday.

03SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 HOME

The raffle draw winner of ‘Win up to 75 gold bars & BE A GOLD BULLIONAIRE’ campaign, Mohammed Nishal, receiving the prize of 100 gram gold bar from Noufal Thadathil, Zonal Head, Malabar Gold & Diamonds and other officials.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds prize distribution

No change in prices of medicinesContinued from page 1

“Also, we are bringing cer-tain types like emergency medicines directly from the UK for our hospital,” he added.

In reply to a query if there was a change in prices of med-icines compared to the previous months, he said there was no change in the prices of medi-cines. Similarly, a General Practitioner at the Atlas Medi-cal Centre said, “We have not seen any shortage of medicine. Generally we keep stocks of medicines and medical supplies

sufficient for several months. I expect new stock to come from new markets”.

While patients say that they had a notion of shortage of med-icines and that prices might increase but it turned out to be incorrect. “Every month I get regular medicines for high blood pressure and my husband for diabetes. We had a fear that medicines may not be available or prices would have increased. But we got the same medicines for the same price,” said Zarah, an Indian expatriate.

Earlier, pharmaceutical experts said that medicine sup-ply and distribution has not been affected due to the blockade. Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), the two major healthcare providers in the country had assured that there would be no shortage of medical supplies or medicines because of the blockade. Both institutions confirmed that there was no shortage of drugs and delivery and access to medical supplies and medicine continued as usual.

QC discusses ways to increase food supply

Members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment of the Qatar Chamber and Logistical Support Committee at a meeting with the importers of food items.

The Peninsula

Qatar Chamber of Com-merce and Industry discussed yesterday mechanisms to facili-tate the flow of food

commodities to the local market without shortage or interruption, as well as to maintain the pace of supplying the domestic market with all its food products.

During the meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment of the Qatar Cham-ber, with the importers of foodstuffs and in the presence of the members of the Logistical Support Committee, several top-ics were discussed.

The new handling fees, air freight rates, the mechanisms of importing fresh chickens from

some countries, as well as the compulsory pricing on vegeta-bles and fruits were among the points discussed in the meeting.

Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Obaidly, member of the Board of Directors of the Qatar

Chamber and Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment, stressed that the Committee is continuing to hold meetings with importers of food-stuffs to find out all the requirements for the coming period and to study all the prob-lems and difficulties faced by these companies in importing all types of food commodities, to ensure the foodstuffs flow to the Qatari market without any short-age or interruption, QNA reports.

The participants praised the circular issued by the Chamber concerning the reduction of han-dling fees at the ports of the State, which was released on the direc-tives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The new handling fees, air freight rates, the mechanisms of importing fresh chickens, as well as the compulsory pricing on vegetables and fruits were among the points discussed in the meeting.

QBA unveils new economic initiativeQNA

The Qatari Businessmen Association announced that they have agreed to set up a private sector commit-

tee to launch a local economic initiative to support the State’s efforts, especially in light of the siege.

The initiative was proposed to sup-port Qatar’s economic efforts came after a meeting of the association’s board of directors chaired by H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, the Association revealed in a statement.

The businessmen presented a number of important ideas on a range of indus-tries. All details would be announced as soon as they are finalised. The aim of this initiative is to achieve internal

self-sufficiency in some industries and needs of both citizens and residents.

They pointed out that the world mar-kets are currently open to suppliers who are working continuously with Qatari businessmen to ensure that the local mar-ket is not affected by the measures taken by some neighbouring countries against the flow of goods to the State of Qatar, stressing the importance of partnership between the private and public sectors.

The private sector has played a role in solving the repercussions of the siege on Qatar, where it has created alterna-tives and solutions related to foodstuffs and appropriate means of transport through the sea and air lines to transport all materials quickly and effectively, in addition to supporting the local product.

Emir’s speech reaffirms strength of country and its leadership

Continued from page 1Rachel Morris, an Australian resid-

ing in Doha for nearly ten years said “I was very touched that H H the Emir underlined the support of all sections of the community has given to Qatar during this dispute. His speech was inclusive as well as exemplifying the strength the country has shown. It was a very proud moment,” she said.

Tuan Hajareen Hassim, a long term Sri Lankan expatriate said, “It was a very impressive speech. It rec-ognised the support of people and highlighted stance of the country. The speech reaffirms and showcases the strength of the country and its leadership”.

Haroon Malik, a Pakistani expat based in Qatar said: “H H the Emir has

yet again showed his true leadership and his positive approach towards a peaceful GCC. However, it was very clear that no compromise will be made on the sovereignty of Qatar. He is the leader of people and he believes in a clear cut dialogues without compris-ing the sovereignty of any nation”.

“His wisdom and calmness has won many hearts all over the world. It is so ironic that this blockade has

ignited passion and oneness in the hearts of the people of Qatar and the expatriates residing in Qatar. The one-ness shown by the entire nation is outstanding and it is evident through the signatures on the posters of H H the Emir at each and every cor-ner in Qatar. May Allah keep blessing Qatar and we all standby Qatar in this difficult time. Long Live Qatar,” Malik added.

“H H the Emir has yet again showed his true leadership and his positive approach towards a peaceful GCC. However, it was very clear that no compromise will be made on the sovereignty of Qatar.”

04 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017HOME

Quality opens food processing & catering servicesThe Peninsula

The newly-inaugurated division of Quality Group International — Quality

Food Processing & Catering Services — has opened its new services facilities in Al Wukair.

In line with the company’s strategy to address the growing demand for availability of fresh, high quality, ready to consume food, Shamsudheen Olakara, Chairman of Quality Group International, formally inaugu-rated the new facility. The function was hosted in the pres-ence of senior managers from the Group and other officials.

Built on a 40,000-square-feet area, the new central kitchen boasts of a world-class team of highly trained profes-sionals, comprising of expert chefs and cooks that can prepare Continental, Oriental, Arabic and Asian cuisines. Also included in the chef’s team are pastry chefs, who are equipped with skill and technique in creating lusciously-baked and designed cakes plus Arabic sweets and pastries.

“The new kitchen is bigger and fully fitted with the latest equipment for addressing food

processing & catering needs in Qatar. The food processing facil-ity benefits in preservation and increasing food consistency. In addition, it increases availabil-ity of many foods, enables transportation of delicate per-ishable foods across long distances,” said Olakara.

“The inauguration of our state-of-the-art facility com-plements our vision of

expanding the company’s pres-ence. It is also a the testimony to our commitment to offer the best quality and delectable foods prepared in highly hygi-enic and sanitised environment in compliance with local reg-ulations,” he said.

“Our operations team is very much adept at providing wide and nutritious variety of inter-national service, menu variety,

and equipment use, which will satisfy the most demanding needs. We are equipped with a modern and efficient system which is at par with international standards,” the Chairman added.

Quality Food Processing & Catering Services offers its serv-ices to all Quality retail outlets, camp accommodation services, events & exhibitions catering and hotels.

Shamsudheen Olakara, Chairman of Quality Group International, along with other officials and well wishers at the inauguration of the new facility.

Pay attention to children’s safety near water: HMCThe Peninsula

Hamad Medical Corpo-ration (HMC) is reminding families and caregivers to pay atten-tion to their children’s

safety around water, as drowning is a leading cause of death and serious disability in children in Qatar. It is advising to be cautious when chil-dren are near swimming pools, the sea, and other sources of water, including those at home.

“The simplest answer to ensur-ing that children are safe around water is proper and constant super-vision. You will not be aware that a child is in trouble unless you are watching them. Remember that chil-dren can drown in silence as they may not shout for help like an adult would,” said Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen (pictured), Kulluna for Health and Safety Campaign Chair-man. Kulluna is the brainchild of HMC’s Hamad International Train-ing Center (HITC).

According to Dr Saifeldeen, the number of child deaths from drown-ing is rising annually. Ninety percent of cases of drowning involve chil-dren aged 10 years or younger, with 70 percent of victims being younger than four years old. “Drowning inci-dents in Qatar occur mainly at home, in private swimming pools and bath-tubs. There are also some incidents of drowning in the sea,” he said.

“Almost all the drowning inci-dents in swimming pools in Qatar happen when the parent or caregiver is not present. Don’t leave children on their own around or in water, even if they can swim or are wear-ing a lifejacket,” he said.

Dr Saifeldeen insisted that super-vision means being able to see and hear a child and being able to reach them very quickly, noting that a drowning can take seconds to hap-pen and can occur in silence.

According to Dr Saifeldeen, some parents and care providers don’t rec-ognise the risks of drowning, or near drowning, often mistakenly believ-ing that, children will follow instructions and stay away from water hazards, a child can safely be left unattended for short periods of time — or that a lifejacket or other flotation device will prevent a drowning, there are adequate safety measures already in place and younger children can play safely in

the care of older children.Dr Saifeldeen says the most

practical strategy for drowning pre-vention is taking steps to keep children safe in and around water, including, ensuring constant super-vision and preventing unsupervised access to sources of water, teaching children how to swim and ensuring that young children and those who are inexperienced or weak swim-mers wear lifejackets or a personal flotation aids when in or near water, setting clear rules for family mem-bers when near water and enforcing them and learning to perform car-diopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Unintentional access to sources of water can be prevented by install-ing a security gate or another barrier. It is important to note that such bar-riers should be checked on a regular basis to ensure they are working properly and are appropriate as a child grows in height and dexterity. It is also important to think beyond the obvious sources of water.

“Always keep the door to bath-rooms closed and drain pools, baths, and buckets immediately after use. About 70 to 80 percent of drowning cases happen when the child is not supposed to be in the water,” he said, stressing that barriers alone are not enough and direct supervision is essential. He also said learning CPR can be very useful as the first few minutes following an accident in water are critical. Kulluna offers free CPR training, and anyone interested can send a message through the website www.kulluna.qa.

Participants at the Porsche Club Qatar Tour of Germany.

Porsche Club Qatar wraps up its Tour of GermanyThe Peninsula

Porsche Club Qatar (PCQ) wrapped up last week its Tour of Germany, an

initiative organised on the sidelines of the Qatar Ger-many 2017 Year of Culture. The one-week tour was organised in collaboration with Qatar Museums and the German Federal Foreign Office along with the Qatari Embassy in Berlin, with the support of the German Embassy in Doha.

PCQ Tour of Germany invited club members and social media influencers on a custom-made trip to Germany to explore the country’s most famous cultural landmarks and attractions, helping to promote cultural awareness and exchange between the two countries.

The participants’ first stop was Berlin, where the embassy arranged for a tour. The full-day tour ended with a visit to the Embassy of Qatar in Germany. Club members were received by Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Ambassador of Qatar to Germany, who noted that such initiatives by Qatar’s youth are a welcome indica-tion of the generation’s commitment to cultural engagement and growth.

“It’s fulfilling to see the Year of Culture being embraced by a community of leaders such as the members of PCQ. This

demonstrates to the world how the Qatari people are engaged and committed to support national cultural endeavours. I look forward to witnessing similar activities,” said the Ambassador.

The tour participants drove Porsche Sport Cars fea-turing logos of Qatari entities, which supported the mission of the tour, including: Oore-doo, Qatar Insurance Company and Gulf Warehous-ing Company. Throughout five days, PCQ members travelled across Germany’s picturesque countryside, interacting with thousands of followers from all over the world on social media.

Khaled Al Remithi, PCQ President, said: “The tour is one part of a bigger plan we have set for the new season reflecting our commitment towards creating and foster-ing national awareness and cultural campaigns.”

He said being part of the wider Porsche Club World-wide network, PCQ’s purpose is to bring Porsche owners under one umbrella to cele-brate uniqueness, innovation and commitment towards the community. “We have laid out plans for hosting a large-scale festival during the winter sea-son to bring the Porsche Clubs members from all over the world to Qatar.

“The project is currently in the preparatory phase, and we are reaching out to

all relevant government authorities for strategic coop-eration,” added Al Remithi.

The initiative aims to strengthen existing ties between both countries through mutual exchange of arts, culture, and sport, and to promote dialogue, mutual understanding, recognition and appreciation between the two countries.

From his side, Hans-Udo Muzel, Ambassador of Ger-many to Qatar, said: “The Qatar Germany 2017 Year of Culture is a unique approach to building bridges and syn-ergies. Ties between our two nations are strong on various levels and such initiatives promote the values we all believe in, such as tolerance and understanding. We are delighted to help PCQ to con-duct such a tour and we will continue to extend our sup-port to such programs.”

Mohammed Al Othman, Public and International Rela-tions Director at Qatar Museums, said: “The Years of Culture initiative seeks to inspire people from each country to explore and dive into a new culture through unique experiences. I hope that more organisations fol-low suit and get inspired by PCQ’s Tour of Germany road trip, which introduced the people of Qatar and the peo-ple of Germany to each other’s cultures in such an engaging way.”

Ninety percent of cases of drowning involve children aged 10 years or younger, with 70 percent of victims being younger than four years old.

QNA

Qatar Charity (QC) has announced plans for its pro-

grammes and projects to be implemented in Bangladesh during the second half of this year in cooperation with the country’s government .

In a press release, Q a t a r C h a r i t y announced that its new plan for projects includ-ing water projects, care of orphans besides con-struction of cultural centres and mosques, at a total cost of QR30m.

Q a t a r C h a r i t y pointed out that the plan includes 400 multi-service centres and mosques, and the sup-port of 3,000 orphans, as well as the comple-tion of water projects initiated earlier this year.

Qatar Charity said that it had allocated QR11m to implement artesian wells and water cycles throughout this year, adding that the project will include the drilling of 3,000 arte-sian water wells in the coastal areas and areas affected by disasters such as hurricanes and floods.

The first half of this year, 1,813 projects were completed, including water wells, multi-serv-ice cultural centres, social welfare and c a p a c i t y s u p p o r t projects such as produc-tive and income generating projects at a cost of QR20m to ben-efit more than 100,000 people, Qatar Charity noted in the press release.

Qatar Charity also said in the press release that these important development projects have received approv-als from the hosting country, which reflects the great confidence in its development projects in the country.

Qatar Charity plans QR30m projects in Bangladesh

05SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 HOME

The Peninsula

Ezdan Holding Group announced yesterday the opening of the first phase of Ezdan Oasis project for lease. The project , the largest real

estate project in the history of Ezdan Holding Group, is spread over an area of one million square meters contain-ing over 9,000 residential units.

Ezdan Oasis is also home to hun-dreds of commercial and services units and facilities. The Newton British Acad-emy has announced the opening of its first branch in Al Wakrah and Al Wukair within the project and opened doors for students’ registration for the aca-demic year 2017-2018.

In addition, lease is open for 1,875 fully furnished housing units, ranging from one to two and three bedrooms, as well as 183 commercial outlets that will serve as the backbone of the city’s dwellers and residents of the surround-ing areas.

This will enable the Al Wukair area to enter into the comprehensive devel-opment course as it has been becoming more popular and keen to provide diversified services. In addition to that, the state is working on laying a huge road network serving the region and

the entire south of the country.This stage is regarded the first stage

of the Oasis, noting that the whole project will be launched gradually over four consecutive stages due to its colos-sal size. The project is expected to be a unique model on the level of services and competitive prices compared to similar products in the Qatari market.

Ali Mohammed Al Obaidli , CEO of Ezdan Holding Group said, “The project is in fact the largest in the history of Ezdan Holding Group as an integrated project covering an area of up to 1

million square meters. Ezdan Oasis has expressively affected the market when it was first revealed, hence the project came to be known as the land of a mil-lion or the one million project. However, after long discussions, we have decided to name it Ezdan Oasis because it serves as an oasis in terms of services it provides for the neigh-bouring areas.

Al Obaidli expects residents of Al Wukair and other surrounding areas to be attracted by the project as it includes many integrated services including big mosques, hypermarkets, schools and sports clubs, as well as the most vital facilities, such as multi-pur-poses commercial outlets.

“Ezdan Holding Group has dedi-cated its extensive experience and tremendous efforts to the realisation of a project of this size, which offers such a wonderful package of services, fulfilling all needs of residents who will only leave the Oasis for work, since there are schools for children, shop-ping outlets, restaurants supermarkets, hypermarket, sports courts and more,” said Al Obaidli.

Newton British Academy opens its branch at Ezdan Oasis to accommo-date pre-primary to ninth grade students during the first academic year. Registration for the 2017-2018 aca-demic year is open, as for grades 10 and 11, they will be added during the fol-lowing year 2018-2019.

The Newton British Academy is one of the world’s most prestigious schools that the project hosts, a remarkable cornerstone in the series of services and facilities that the Oasis offers to its dwellers out of the Group’s desire to provide them with a modern lifestyle. The Academy follows the national cur-riculum of England and Wales (the British curriculum). It also adopts the International General Certificate of Sec-ondary Education (IGCSE). The school implements the international exams approved by the Cambridge University Council for International Examinations

and EDEXCEL. The curriculum also includes Arabic, Islamic education, Qatari history, French language, swim-ming and drama.

In addition, the school buildings are equipped with comprehensive educa-tional facilities such as computer labs, and others for physics, chemistry and biology experiences. The schools also includes technological design labora-tories, graphic laboratories, as well as a large multi-purpose gymnasium, indoor pool, school theatres, large shaded outdoor playgrounds, drama hall and cafeterias.

Newton Group has three academies that adopt the British curriculum in Al Waab, Al Dafna and Barwa. The Brit-ish curriculum is one of the most

rigorous academic curricula among international schools. It is the national curriculum in England and Wales. It helps students develop their skills in science and math, as well as literature and humanities. Newton Academy offers a range of extra-curricular activ-ities to nurture and foster students’ creativity and abilities.

Group CEO has invited all interested parties wishing to lease, as well as res-idents and employees in the neighboring areas to visit the project to learn about its various services and modern lifestyle it provides.

Ezdan Oasis project is located in the Al Wukair area, close to the new road network, which enables residents to reach the heart of Doha in a short time.

First phase of ‘Ezdan Oasis’ project opens

Views of the first phase of Ezdan Oasis project.

Sanaullah Ataullah

The Peninsula

The time is ripe to taste and enjoy the half-ripe dates which have begun to come

in the local market. The vendors at the market are showcasing over a half dozen verities of fresh dates came from local farms, The Peninsula has noted.

“Half-ripe fresh dates have started coming from Qatari farms to Omani Market, said Abdurrazzaq,” a vendor at the Market. “We are offering large varieties of fresh dates at the prices ranging from QR10 to QR20 per kg as per the quality of the fruit,” he added.

Half-ripe dates are also available at various commercial outlets including major shop-ping malls, supermarkets and grocery stores at reasonable prices, The Peninsula noted.

Regarding the demands of fresh dates, Anwar Ahmad, another vendor said that there is pretty good demands of fresh dates from citizens and expatri-ates. And with increasing supply the demands will go up. Mostly people like half ripened date

because after fully ripe it becomes very sweet.

Central Market has started attracting growing number of customers of dates. “I am very fond of half-ripe fresh dates and I saw it yesterday at a shopping mall,” said Reza Khan, a con-sumer. “Then I decided to come to central market because fresh dates come here every day,” he added. Some local farms have started harvesting half-ripened dates for sending to local mar-kets for sale while others are picking up in limited quantity for their personal uses, farmers told The Peninsula.

“Fruits have started turning into yellowish giving signal that they would ripe in within a cou-ple of week,” said Absarul Haq, who is in-charge of a farm hav-ing about 1,000 palm trees at suburb of Umm Salal.

He added “we have been harvesting about 10kg of half-ripened dates from our farm per day since last one week for the personal uses of the owner. Within ten days from now, we will be able to harvest in large quantity for commercial pur-pose, he added.

Speaking on the production of the farm, Absarul said “ the production of our farm was about 80 tonnes last year and this year we are also expecting a pretty good harvest.”

Dates ripen in four stages, which are known throughout the world by their Arabic names kimri (unripe), khlal (full-size, crunchy), rutab (ripe, soft), tamr (ripe, sun-dried)

A verity of dates are pro-duced in Qatar. They are Khanizi, Khazrawi, Khalas, Ghar,

Sultana, Sukkari, Tunasi, Iraqi, Barhi, Khasab, Dajlanoor, Shahla, Lulu, Zarir, Hilali, Jabri, Bint Yusuf, Shishi, Um Raihan and Murjiyan.

Date fruits are also rich in minerals like calcium, manga-nese, copper, and magnesium. Calcium is an important min-eral that is an essential constituent of bone and teeth, and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clot-ting, and nerve impulse conduction.

Half-ripe dates hit local markets

A shop keeper selling half-ripe dates at an outlet at Omani Market in Abu Hamour Central Market, yesterday.

MoPH checks health facilitiesQNA

The Ministry of Public Health carried out inspection visits to a

number of public health facilities in the State of Qatar yesterday, with the goal of ensuring their commitment to conditions and laws of the health sector.

The visits are part of the Ministry’s efforts to ensure the safety of health facilities in accordance to interna-tional and national standards. Director of Healthcare Facil-ities Accreditation Section, Dr

Aisha Abdullah Al Aali, said that the inspection visits aimed to ensure that health facilities were fulfilling their requirements and to guaran-tee the quality of health services provided to patients. It also helps in the process of proposing improvements on practices in the sector. she added that the HFAS of the Ministry continues the proc-ess of regulating health facilities in light of the reports it receive as well as through inspection visits to ensure the fulfilment of the required standards.

The Peninsula

Fouj Cafe, a leading restau-rant for International and Qatari cuisine in Qatar, yes-

terday hosted a special event at its Grand Hamad Street branch to unveil and cut a huge cake to exhibit solidarity with the State of Qatar. The gigantic cake which measured 5*5 metres portrayed the iconic image of the Emir, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the tag line ‘Tamim Al Majd’.

The event was inaugurated by

Ibrahim Al Emadi, Chief Operat-ing Officer of Fouj Cafe and was open to all community members in Qatar. In addition to the cafe’s employees, prominent members of the government and media were also present to express their support.

The event began with Ibrahim, signing in the ‘Tamim Al Majd’ cake using an icing cone followed by other members present at the event. Children were given their own cupcakes to design and pret-tify. Commenting on the initiative, Ibrahim Al Emadi, said, “We want

to express our solidarity with Qatar during this illegally imposed blockade. A lot of families in Qatar have been separated from their loved ones in the neighbouring GCC countries due to this block-ade. We wish to spread the message of love, one bite at a time and I am confident that in the coming days Qatar will continue to uphold its values and be a shin-ing beacon of peace and prosperity.”

“Creating such a large cake was an ambitious goal but I am glad that all the hard work has

paid off” added Ibrahim.The 5*5 meters cake was cre-

ated by 15 people using 144 kgs of flour, 120 kgs of sugar, 2160 eggs, 140 kgs of butter ana weighed 500 kgs.

The cake had a large sponge base with a strawberry jam fill-ing, topped with icing sugar. After the signing, the cake was distrib-uted in generous portions to all the participants followed by a lot of posing for photos. The evening ended with supporting the State of Qatar with care, fun and laughter.

Fouj Cafe cuts huge cake to show support to Qatar

This project will enable the Al Wukair area to enter into the comprehensive development course as it has been becoming more popular and keen to provide diversified services. In addition to this, the state is working on laying a huge road network serving the region and the entire south of the country.

06 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Damascus

AFP

Sy r i a y e s t e r d a y announced a ceasefire in one of the last rebel strongholds near Damascus after rebels

and regime ally Russia agreed on a safe zone for the besieged opposition enclave.

With many of its towns and villages ravaged by bombard-ments in the six-year conflict, Eastern Ghouta near the capital is one of the last bastions of rebels fighting President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.

More than 330,000 people

have been killed in Syria since its conflict broke out in March 2011 with anti-government pro-tests. Eastern Ghouta is in one of four proposed “de-escalation zones” designated in a deal reached by government allies Iran and Russia and Turkey in May.

But the accord has yet to be fully imple-mented over disagreements on policing the safe zones, and East-ern Ghouta is just the second zone to see a ceasefire come into force.

The army

“announces a halt in fighting in some areas of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus province,” it said. “The army will retaliate in a suit-able manner to any violation” of the ceasefire, the statement warned, without specifying what areas were included. Russia said hours earlier it had signed a deal with “moderate” Syrian rebels at peace talks in Cairo on how a safe zone would function in East-ern Ghouta.

But no rebel group said it had signed the Cairo agreement, with one influential group saying it was not involved. The Cairo meeting “follows on from the ceasefire deal for the south of Syria” that took hold on July 9, said Wael Alwan, a spokesman for Faylaq Al Rahman.

That ceasefire for southern areas of Syria was brokered by Russia, the United States and Jor-dan. Russia said it and the rebels had signed agreements under which “the borders of the de-escalation zone are defined as

well as the deployment locations and powers of the forces moni-toring the de-escalation”.

It said the sides had also agreed “routes to supply human-itarian aid to the population and for free movement of residents”. Russia said it plans to send in the first humanitarian convoy and

evacuate wounded “in the next few days”.

The two other “de-escalation zones” included in the May deal are the rebel-held province of Idlib and northern parts of the central province of Homs. More than 2.5 million people are believed to live in the four zones.

Nairobi

AFP

Kenyan police yesterday arrested a lawmaker already accused of

inciting violence after he urged people to take land away from white farmers, senior officers said.

Opposition deputy Mathew Lempurkel was in custody, an officer at the Naromoru station in central Kenya, said. “He is being questioned because of remarks he made recently asking locals to take away their land from white set-tlers,” he added.

Kenya’s police chief Joseph Boinnet also con-firmed in comments to Capital FM radio that Lem-purkel had been arrested for “inflammatory remarks cal-culated to stir up racist and ethnic hatred”.

Several local news organ-isations reported that opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is running for the presidency in elections next month, was at the meet-ing where Lempurkel made the remarks.

For several months, heav-ily armed herders have forced their way into private ranches in central Laikipia, seeking pasture for their livestock suf-fering from the current drought. Already in March, Lempurkel, who represents the local constituency, was arrested and charged with inciting violence.

Tehran

AFP

Iran’s government rejected US demands to release detained Americans yes-

terday, saying it had no control over the judiciary.

“The judiciary, courts and judges in Iran are com-pletely independent, as in any other country,” said for-eign ministry spokesman

Bahram Ghasemi. “Any interventionist and threat-ening statement by American officials and insti-tutions has no effect on the will and determination of the country’s judicial system to try and punish criminals and violators of the country’s laws and national security,” Ghasemi added.

A White House state-ment said: “President

(Donald) Trump is prepared to impose new and serious consequences on Iran unless all unjustly imprisoned American citizens are released and returned.”

It followed the 10-year sentence for espionage given to a Chinese-American researcher from Princeton, Xiyue Wang, earlier in the week. The statement men-tioned Wang, along with

jailed US-Iranians Siamak and Baquer Namazi, and ex-FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levinson who went missing in March 2007.

“As announced to Amer-ican officials several times, the person called Robert Levinson travelled to Iran many years ago and Iran holds no new information on his fate after he left Iranian territory,” Ghasemi said.

Syria announces truce in Ghouta

Workers clearing rubble from the courtyard of the ancient Great Umayyad Mosque in the old city, yesterday.

Kenyan MP arrested for inciting violence

Iran rejects US threats over detained Americans

Towards peace

The army announces a halt in fighting in some areas of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus province.

07SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Jerusalem

AFP

Stabbings and clashes that left six people dead raised fears yesterday of further Israeli-Pal-estinian violence as

tensions mount over new secu-rity measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced what he called “excessive use of force” by the Israeli security forces in the clashes over the Haram Al Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Erdogan called for an imme-diate end to Israel’s new restrictions at the compound of Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque.

Tensions have risen throughout the past week because of new Israeli security measures at the compound fol-lowing an attack nearby that killed two policemen on July 14.

The measures have included the installation of metal detec-tors at entrances to the site, which Palestinians reject since they view the move as Israel asserting further control over it.

Erdogan, who said he was speaking in his capacity as the current chairman of the summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, called the restric-tions “unacceptable”.

“I urge the international community to immediately take

action to remove practices that restrict freedom of worship at Haram Al Sharif,” he said.

Israeli authorities say the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the holy site and emerged from it to shoot the policemen.

Friday’s main weekly Mus-lim prayers — which typically draw thousands to Al Aqsa — brought the situation to a boil.

In anticipation of protests, Israel barred men under 50 from entering the Old City for prayers, stoking further Pales-tinian anger.

Clashes broke out between Israeli security forces and Pal-estinians around the Old City, in other parts of annexed east Jeru-salem, in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.

Three Palestinians between the ages of 17 and 20 were shot dead. The Palestinian Red Cres-cent reported 450 people wounded in Jerusalem and the West Bank, including 170 from live or rubber bullets.

The 19-year-old Palestinian was shot by a neighbour, an off-duty soldier, and was taken to hospital.

Israeli security forces yes-terday raided the home of Palestinians and restricted movement for Palestinians from his West Bank village, the mili-tary said.

An Israeli military spokes-woman said security forces “surveyed the house of the assailant in the village of

Khobar, searched for weapons and confiscated money used for terror purposes. The brother of the assailant was also apprehended.”

“Movement out of the village will be limited to humanitarian cases only,” she said.

The Israeli army said he had spoken of the Jerusalem holy site and of dying as a martyr in a Facebook post.

Preparations were also being made to demolish the attacker’s home, a measure Israel regularly employs because it views it as a deterrent, although human rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment.

Tension mounts over Al Aqsa restrictions

Palestinians pray outside Lions’ Gate, a main entrance to the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, yesterday, in protest against new Israeli security measures implemented at the holy site the previous week.

Rising conflict

Erdogan, who said he was speaking in his capacity as the current chairman of the summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, called the restrictions “unacceptable”.

Israeli security forces yesterday raided the home of Palestinians and restricted movement for Palestinians from his West Bank village, the military said.

Muscat

QNA

The Sultanate of Oman will celebrate today, the 47th anniversary of the Blessed

Renaissance Day. On this day, the courageous

Omani people renew the pledge and loyalty to H M Sultan Qaboos bin Said. They also express their gratitude, appreciation and love to the Sultan who revived the ancient glories of Oman and built a full-fledged modern state based on equality and citizen-ship that seeks progress, growth and rule of the law for all citizens.

On this glorious day, the Omanis feel proud of the achievements made throughout the past 47 years of the Blessed Renaissance march under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. Thanks to His Majesty’s wise vision and the steady efforts and involve-ment of the Omani people, Oman has become, as outlined by His Majesty, an oasis of security and prosperity, as well as a modern state where all Omanis enjoy decent living, security and safety.

The July 23 of 1970 marked the beginning of a bright era for the Sultanate of Oman. Today,

Omanis are reaping the fruits of years of construction and building.

They are also taking advan-tage of the successes of the policies implemented by Sultan Qaboos Bin Said on both

internal and external levels. Since the dawn of the first day of the Blessed Renaissance, His Majesty the Sultan had a fatherly vision that forecasts the future and accommodates all citizens. His Majesty the Sultan has been

very keen on setting up justice organizations, integrating the value of justice and supporting the rule of law. His Majesty has also developed a foreign policy that is based on cooperation, trust, credibility, frankness and clarity in dealing with brothers and friends at the different situ-ations, developments and circumstances.

The foreign policy has main-tained Oman’s leading status and positive role. It also enhanced cooperation with the different sisterly and friendly countries

and made Oman an active player to ensure welfare of peoples in the region and the world.

The Sultanate, thanks to His Majesty the Sultan’s peace approach, managed to establish brotherly and friendly relations with various countries around the world. The Sultanate was also keen on continuing and devel-oping these relations in all fields to achieve the interest of the Sul-tanate and other countries. The Sultanate has been one of the states that relied on negotiation principle to solve disputes and

settle them in a peaceful way based on mutual respect, inter-national law principles, non-interference in other states’ domestic affairs and maintain-ing cooperation to achieve common interests and good neighborliness.

His Majesty the Sultan, thanks to these credible policies and stances, has been recognised by leaders of the region and the world, which extended to vari-ous aspects of Omani relations with brotherly and friendly nations.

Oman marks anniversary of Renaissance Day

Juba Anatolia

South Sudan’s ruling party has vowed to reconcile, saying the unity of the

party is a must to bring peace to the war-torn nation.

In a statement, acting Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Secretary General Jemma Nunu Kumba said

leaders from different sides of the conflict, including SPLM political detainees led by exiled Secretary General Pagan Amum, the SPLM in opposition led Riek Machar, and the SPLM in gov-ernment, reaffirmed their commitment to party unity and its importance for uniting the nation’s people.

“With the unity of the SPLM, the people of South Sudan can

also be united. We can sit together and plan how we can bring peace to South Sudan and end the suffering of our people,” Nunu said. She described the meeting as successful and said the leaders agreed to draw up a roadmap toward ending the war.

The warring SPLM met in Uganda on Wednesday to unite divided SPLM leaders.

H M Sultan Qaboos bin Said of the Sultanate of Oman speaking during the celebrations to mark the 47th anniversary of the Blessed Renaissance Day.

A view of the celebrations to mark the 47th anniversary of the Blessed Renaissance Day.

South Sudan vows to bring peace

The Syrian regime is expanding its gains by capturing more territory from the rebels. Damascus yesterday announced a ceasefire in one of the last rebel strongholds near the capital after rebels

and the regime ally Russia agreed on a safe zone for the besieged opposition enclave. It was a victory for Assad’s forces achieved with help from Hezbollah fighters. Eastern Ghouta near Damascus is considered one of the last bastions of the opposition fighting President Bashar Al Assad’s regime and its fall would further consolidate Assad’s position in a civil war that has failed in its goal of ousting Assad. The army “announces a halt in fighting in some areas of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus province from midday on Saturday (0900 GMT),” it said announcing the ceasefire, adding “the army we will retaliate in a suitable manner to any violation” of the ceasefire. No rebel group has said it had signed any agreement for truce though Russia said it had signed a deal with “moderate” Syrian rebels at peace talks in Cairo on establishing a safe zone in Eastern Ghouta.

As fighting rages across Syria, a new peace meeting is expected during the last week of August in the Kazakh capital Astana in which rebels as well as representatives from Turkey and Iran are to expected attend. Previous meetings in Astana have

failed to make any progress because both sides couldn’t agree on the way forward. The so-called peace talks are still stuck in the preliminary stage with the key issues still far away. At the current pace of progress, a final solution looks very distant with all sides groping in the dark.

Syria has turned out to be the most complicated Arab Spring case, and is getting further complicated with the passage of time with the growing presence of a

large number of players with conflicting interests. More than 330,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in March 2011 and millions have been forced to flee, triggering a refugee crisis in Europe.

But peace will return to Syria only if Bashar Al Assad is removed. His continuation in power will be an affront to millions of Syrians who have sacrificed everything for this revolution and his continuation in power will also be an insult to those who have given their lives. The defeat of rebels will not bring peace and stability because they will rise again against the dictatorship of Assad. This is a revolution that has been suppressed with brute force. The flame that caused it remains and will continue to burn.

08 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017VIEWS

E S T A B L I S H E D I N 1 9 9 6

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

msalim@pen.com.qa

Assad’s gains

QUOTE OF THE DAY

In the interest of Europe and in the spirit of the old Hungarian-Polish friendship, the inquisition campaign against Poland can never lead to success. Hungary will use all possible legal means in the European Union to show solidarity with the Poles.

Viktor OrbanHungarian Prime Minister

Bashar Al Assad’s continuation in power will be an affront to millions of Syrians who have sacrificed everything for this revolution.

Yesterday, thousands of Palestini-ans came to Jerusalem to perform the most simple, most peaceful act: prayer. Palestinians — Muslims and Christians, women and men, young

and old — prayed in the streets after refusing to enter through the new metal detectors and barricades erected by Israel in front of the Al Aqsa compound. Israeli forces, armed with live ammunition, stun grenades, sound bombs, water cannon and tear gas, came prepared to kill.

And they did: by the day’s end Israeli forces and armed settlers had killed three young Palestinian men and injured more than 450 others, some of them very seri-ously. Israeli forces even raided a Palestinian hospital in an attempt to arrest those injured by their weaponry.

Israel claims that the metal detectors are necessary for Israel’s “security” follow-ing an incident last week in which two armed Israeli officers were killed.

These metal detectors are not about security, but rather about deliberately attempting to bar Palestinians from their places of worship. Contrast, for example, Israel’s recent stance towards the Temple Mount Faithful — a group of Jewish extrem-ists who have openly announced that they seek the destruction of the Al Aqsa com-pound in order to build a Jewish temple in its place.

Yet, while openly advocating for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the destruction of Muslim holy sites, the Israeli government continues to allow this group to enter the Al Aqsa compound (including with arms) under the guise of “freedom of religion”.

In 1990, this group attempted to lay a cornerstone for a Jewish temple at the com-pound triggering protests in which some 20 Palestinians died.

The demand for freedom of religion for Palestinians — the ability to worship with-out the interference of Israel’s armed forces — is conveniently ignored. The metal detec-tors must be viewed in their proper context: as another of Israel’s settler-colonial acts of erasing us, the indigenous population, eras-ing our homes, our culture and our religious sites and replacing us with settlers.

For his part, Israeli PM Benjamin Netan-yahu is happy to see Jerusalem erupt in violence. Facing a corruption investigation for a submarine scandal, Netanyahu is refusing to remove the metal detectors so as to ensure that attention is deflected from this deal and instead focused on violence. You see, in Israel, “security” sells— it ensures votes and ensures that corruption charges are deflected.

To be clear, no Palestinian wants to see their holy sites turned into places of armed conflict. But using the guise of “security”, Israel has ensured that we,

The Al Aqsa metal detectors aren’t a security measureDiana ButtuAl Jazeera

Palestinians, live as prisoners in our homeland.

In the name of “security,” Israel expropriates Palestinian land. In the name of “security”, Israel builds Israeli-only settlements on stolen Pal-estinian land. In the name of “security” Israel demolishes Palestin-ian homes and schools and in the name of “security” Palestinians are besieged in Gaza, forced to live with-out electricity, adequate medical supplies or water and even barred from accessing the sea.

And, when Palestinians are gunned down by mass murderers, as they were in the 1990s in Hebron by Baruch Goldstein, in the name of “security”, Palestinians — and not Israelis — are subject to increased security restrictions. In short, Israel seeks to turn Jerusalem into Hebron: blocked off from Palestinians, with convenience for Israeli Jews taking precedence over Palestinian rights. So as Israel continues to gun down Palestinians, who will provide secu-rity to Palestinians?

This security will not come from the current unelected Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, who spent four days in China as Palestinians

were barred from accessing Al Aqsa compound and as Gazans suffered

under a siege that he has openly supported. Nor, of course, will it come from a silent international community that only knows how to wring its hands and meekly con-demn Israel.

Rather, Palestinians will continue to bravely stand and defend them-selves, bowing down only to the God they worship and never to Israeli diktats.

The writer is a Palestinian lawyer and ana-

lyst who served as a legal adviser to the

Palestinian negotiating team from 2000

to 2005.

Israel has been using the pretext of security to quietly continue the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land.

ED ITOR IAL

A Palestinian protester fires a flare during a demonstration at the Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The demand for freedom of religion for Palestinians — the ability to worship without the interference of Israel’s armed forces — is conveniently ignored. The metal detectors must be viewed in their proper context: as another of Israel’s settler-colonial acts of erasing us, the indigenous population, erasing our homes, our culture and our religious sites and replacing us with settlers.

09SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 OPINION

from ethnically mixed neighborhoods in areas anticipated to be flashpoints of violence, and into tribal enclaves where there is safety in numbers. David Ndii, one the country’s top economists, says flights out of the country on dates surrounding the election are already fully booked.

More disconcerting has been the impugning of the impartiality of the judiciary. In 2007, the opposition refused to entrust the electoral dispute to the courts, providing the spark for the violence. Alongside its poor handling of the 2013 petition against Kenyatta’s election, the judiciary has had to endure continuing allegations of corruption.

Public infighting has broken out within the Supreme Court, which was specifically estab-lished in the aftermath of the 2008 violence to deal with electoral disputes. Now, the opposition has already declared that if it suspects the elec-tion to be rigged, it would not be returning to the courts, as it did in 2013. Many fear that this is code for a resort to street protests that may potentially degenerate to violence.

The real fuel for the fire in 2007 was the unre-solved legacy of the country’s colonial past, which manifests in the form of land conflicts and mas-sive class and regional inequalities. By the time of independence from Britain in 1963, about 60,000 European settlers owned half of all agricultural land in Kenya. Since then, successive kleptocratic governments have preferred to concentrate these areas in the hands of a small elite, further exacer-bating land hunger as the population has grown ninefold.

This, in turn, has led to the huge wealth dis-parities with one report showing 62 percent of the country’s wealth being owned by just 0.02 per-cent of the population. The recommendations of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, which was meant to help Kenya heal from his-tory, have remained unimplemented; the report itself is gathering dust in Parliament.

Will the GCC crisis be resolved soon?

A string of rapid-fire developments this weekend in Qatar, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates will likely mark this as the turning point that nudged the seven-week-

old GCC crisis towards a resolution. A combination of public statements, practical pol-icy measures, and a veritable armada of foreign mediators should prompt indirect negotiations in the coming week, leading to direct talks soon after that.

The bitter conflict that saw Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt impose a land, sea, and air siege of Qatar on June 5 now appears to be solva-ble, due to three critical new developments. First, the US has intervened forcefully, repeatedly, and publicly to end the disputed, and on Friday called for removing the land blockade of Qatar because Washington is “satisfied” with Qatar’s new coun-terterrorism actions.

Qatar for its part has responded defiantly, but with political acumen — launching a strong coun-terterrorism financing policy with the US, showing that it has almost totally absorbed the inconveniences and cost hikes from the failed siege, and repeating its willingness to negotiate a resolution based on principles that apply to all parties.

The Saudi-Emirati-led siege-masters, for their part, seem to have recognised that their case against Qatar was gaining no significant support-ers around the world, while Qatar enjoyed deep and widespread backing.

The points of convergence that will allow Qatar and its erstwhile Gulf Cooperation Coun-cil (GCC) partners to resolve their dispute were already evident in early July in the six principles that the GCC besieging states issued and

demanded that Qatar accept — replacing the original 13 “non-negotiable” and highly exag-gerated demands they had made in mid-June. The six principles all focus on internationally accepted norms for fighting terrorism and ter-ror financing, respecting the sovereignty of other states, and abiding by negotiated agreements.

The Friday night speech by the Emir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, his first since the crisis erupted, was forceful, defiant, and steadfast, but not aggressive or insulting. It captured three critical dimensions of this crisis to date:

1) the vital importance of strong domestic and regional support that allowed Qatar to resist the siege and reject the original 13 demands,

2) Qatar’s desire to negotiate on the basis of shared values, mutual respect, non-inter-ference, and without wild pressure tactics like the siege, that all GCC states should commit to, and,

3) Qatar will safeguard above all its sov-ereignty and its promotion of freedom of expression.

The Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said on Friday that, “The Qatari deci-sion to revise their law regarding the financing of terrorism is a step in the right direction towards addressing the terrorism blacklist of 59 entities [which the besiegers had issued in

mid-June]. The pressure from the crisis has borne fruit.”

Whether indeed pressure on Qatar caused it to respond, or Qatar’s resistance to the exaggerated and unrealistic original 13 Saudi-Emirati demands caused them to be discarded quietly in the middle of the night, will long be debated by partisans of both camps.

More importantly, the US now seems to have pressured all sides to find a speedy and peaceful solution, and all parties share a set of principles and concrete actions they can agree on and refine into an agreement.

At the same time, major countries like the US and Germany are already getting involved logisti-cally to make any new agreement stick, while half a dozen international mediators are working hard to find the magic formula to end the siege and resume normal relations among the fractured GCC states — the latest being the Turkish president and the European Union foreign relations chief who will visit the Gulf in the coming days.

Thanks to the Saudi-Emirati climb-down from their slightly hysterical original demands and the Qatari commitment to universally accepted counterterror and sovereign non-interference principles, conditions exist today that could allow all concerned to end the cri-sis while saying they achieved their objectives and retained their honour and their sovereignty.

Award-winning new mechanisms of national

Driving in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, can be a nightmare. Not only is one prone to spending endless hours in traffic jams, but also the

roads are menaced by brilliantly colored, insanely driven, hulking deathtraps that pass for the city’s public transport sys-tem. Terrifyingly oblivious to the dangers they pose to both their passen-gers and other road users, the matatus — as the beasts are called — are a perfect metaphor for Kenya as it hurtles toward elections next month.

With three weeks to go, domestic and international observers are concerned with whether the polls will be peaceful and fair. Kenya is still haunted by the the post-election violence of a decade ago, in which at least 1,300 people died and more than 600,000 were displaced from their homes. Many are fearful of a repeat of violence if the credibility of the elec-tion is in doubt, as it was in 2007.

There is good reason to worry. Just like in 2007, the campaigns of incum-bent President Uhuru Kenyatta and his main challenger, Raila Odinga, have deeply polarized Kenya along ethnic lines; the nation is split down the middle, with polls showing the race tightening as election day approaches. Across the country, there are reports of people moving their families away

Why Kenya’s upcoming polls should worry the world

People signing on the painting of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to show solidarity with the leadership in Doha. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula

The conduct of the Independent Electoral and Bound-aries Commission (IEBC) has been a cause for serious concern. One study concluded that “preparations thus far have been plagued by several of the same problems that marred the last election cycle, suggesting a dearth of les-sons learned.” Time and again, the IEBC has been chastised by the courts over its arrangements for the elec-tions, most recently in cases concerning the finality of vote counts at the county level and its procurement of bal-lot papers (the latter case was recently overturned on appeal).

Worse is the lack of transparency that has character-ised the IEBC planning. IEBC finally agreed to provide public access to the registry of voters — after a questiona-ble audit process. Even at this late stage, there remains little clarity on what “complementary mechanism” the IEBC plans to deploy if electronic and biometric systems — required for identifying voters and transmitting results from polling stations — fail as they did in 2013.

Perhaps most damaging to the IEBC’s credibility has been the perception that it is doing the incumbent’s bidding. This is reinforced by the near-identical posi-tions the IEBC and the governing Jubilee Party have taken on almost every issue, sometimes resulting in party spokesmen purporting to speak for the elections body as well.

As far as electoral abuses, the IEBC has been quiet on a series of TV commercials paid for by The President’s Delivery Unit, which clearly violate the legal prohibition against the government either advertising its achieve-ments during the campaign period or using public resources to campaign for a particular candidate.

Like Nairobi’s infamous matatus, the election is barre-ling along, many times on the wrong side of the law, the noise and vitriol of the campaigns drowning out common sense. For the terrified passengers, whether they — and Kenya — arrive at the other side in one piece seems to be coming down to a wing and a prayer.

The writer is a strategic communications consultant, writer and

award-winning political cartoonist in Kenya.

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and political face-saving will have to be created to finalise an agree-ment to resolve this dispute, probably drawing on commit-ments by states beyond the GCC or even the Arab League, perhaps even using available instruments from multinational organisations like the United Nations or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

When the dust settles on this dispute, many lessons will be learned by all concerned, includ-ing small and big countries, and Arab and non-Arab states. At least two important ones have already been learned.

First, strong-armed, gang-land-like pressure tactics will not succeed in securing submission from countries whose policies align with international norms, and whose citizens genuinely express solidarity across society and state. Second, virtually the entire world respects policies that promote pluralism, freedom of expression, open exchange of ideas and total human develop-ment, and rejects policies that limit the ability of men and women to use all their intellectual and cultural faculties in the serv-ice of building more stable societies.

The writer is senior public policy fel-

low and professor of journalism at

the American University of Beirut, an

internationally syndicated columnist,

and a nonresident senior fellow at

the Harvard Kennedy School.

Rami G KhouriAl Jazeera

Award-winning new mechanisms of national and political face-saving will have to be created to finalise an agreement to resolve this dispute, probably drawing on commitments by states beyond the GCC or even the Arab League, perhaps even using available instruments from multinational organisations like the United Nations or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Patrick Gathara The Washington Post

10 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017ASIA

Army rescue team officers bringing residents to safety at a flooded area at Kuda village in Surendranagar district, Ahmedabad. The Gujarat relief department has confirmed 61 rain-related deaths in the state.

Flood rescue

Musicians to highlight rights violations in DarjeelingNew Delhi IANS

Delhi-based bands like Parikrama and Bipul Chettri & The Travelling

Band are set to perform here today to highlight the violation of human rights in Darjeeling.

People of Darjeeling have been witnessing an indefinite agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland for over a month. Keeping that in mind, the

Musicians for Darjeeling Dooars and Terai will be held here.

Subir Malik of Parikrama said: “We at Parikrama are extremely pained about the recent incidents that have taken place in the hills of Darjeeling. We share the concerns of the local population and hope the powers that be can help bring a peaceful solution without any more loss of innocent lives. We hope this concert helps highlight the gravity of the situation there.”

Chettri says he and the bands are participating in the concert in the hope that the national media highlights the “high-hand-edness of the police force in the Darjeeling hills which have resulted in the loss of so many innocent lives along with the clampdown and blackout of the local media and the ban on the internet for the last month or so”.

Pavithra Chari of Shadow & Light also wishes to spread the message of peace, harmony and

justice among everyone. Pranai Gurung of BLU is

deeply saddened by the ongoing incidents in Darjeeling.

“We extend our support and voice to our brothers and sisters and hope that through our collec-tive voice some sense prevails and peace is restored,” he said. Smiti Malik of Chayan & Smiti is hope-ful that today’s event can contribute to encouraging some dialogue and awareness towards the ongoing unrest in Darjeeling.

Gorkhaland Movement supporters chanting slogans during the 38th day of an indefinite strike in Darjeeling, yesterday.

Fake call centre racket busted in New DelhiNew Delhi

IANS

A fake call centre racket, which duped people by giving false hopes of

doubling their money within a short time, has been busted here and seven persons arrested in this connection, police said yesterday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya said the mastermind of the gang, Pravesh Kashana from Loni in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested here on Tuesday. Police also recovered two laptops, seven walky-talkies, 12 mobile phones, registers and SIM cards used to commit the crime.

The officer said Kashana employed young boys and girls in the call centre and gave them contact details of affluent account holders.

“They were then asked to make calls to these people to mislead them that their money would be doubled in a short span of time by invest-ing in a particular bond or insurance,” Baaniya said. Fol-lowing a complaint by the daughter of an 88-year-old man that he had been cheated of Rs50 lakh by callers who promised him high returns.

Hyderabad

IANS

Telugu actor Tarun appeared before the Spe-cial Investigation Team

(SIT) probing the Hyderabad drug racket yesterday, officials said.

Accompanied by his father Chakrapani, the actor reached Abkari Bhavan, the office of Prohibition and Excise Depart-ment of Telangana at around 10am.

A team of SIT officials con-tinued questioning Tollywood celebrities for a fourth consec-utive day.

Tarun, one of the 12 celeb-rities to be served notice by SIT, has already denied taking drugs

or having links with the accused arrested in the case.

The actor, famous for “Nuvve Kavali” (2000), had opened a pub in 2009 in Ban-jara Hills area of Hyderabad. As the role of pubs in drug ped-dling came under scanner in the past, he had sold his stakes.

The investigating officials had interrogated actor Sub-baraju for 13 hours on Friday. The actor, known for his neg-ative roles in many films, provided leads to SIT for fur-ther investigations.

Subbaraju reportedly revealed names of 10 film personalities.

SIT had questioned direc-tor Puri Jagannadh on W e d n e s d a y a n d

cinematographer Shyam K Naidu on Thursday.

The celebrities were sum-moned for questioning as their contact numbers were found in the call data of Calvin Mascr-enhas, the kingpin of the racket.

Actors Ravi Teja, Navdeep, and Nandu, actresses Charmee Kaur, Mumaith Khan and art director Chinna are among the other celebrities who will be questioned next week.

The enforcement wing of the department has so far arrested 13 accused, including US citizen Dundu Anish -- an aerospace engineer who had earlier worked with the NASA, and seven B.Tech graduates, most of whom were working for multi-national companies.

Thiruvananthapuram

IANS

Kerala Congress legislator M Vincent (pictured) was yesterday arrested,

a day after being charged with sexual harassment and stalking of a 51-year-old woman who attempted suicide earlier this week. A court here sent him to 14 days judicial custody.

This is the first time that a sitting legislator in Kerala has been arrested on such charges.

Before being arrested, Vin-cent, a first-time legislator, was grilled for over two hours by a team of police.

The police team arrived at the legislator’s hostel here around 12.40pm and left after more than two hours of ques-tioning. He later was moved to an undisclosed location for fur-ther interrogation and then arrested before being brought to the state police headquarters.

From the police headquar-ters he was taken to the Neyattinkara government hos-pital for a medical checkup, after which he was brought to the Neyattinkara police station where he was interrogated some more.

Speaking to reporters while

being taken to the court in the evening, Vincent said he has been politically targeted and the office of the Chief Minister is responsible for his arrest.

“My legal battle to come out clean begins from now. I will not quit as legislator,” Vincent said.

Tomorrow he will move for bail. Vincent had moved for anticipatory bail from a court here, but with his arrest taking place he will now seek bail tomorrow.

The woman’s husband had filed a complaint with the local police station near here accus-ing the legislator of threatening and harassing his wife over phone.

Srinagar

IANS

Eight Jammu and Kashmir policemen, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector,

were beaten up by some army men in civvies when asked to stop at a check post in Gander-bal district. While the police yesterday said an FIR was lodged against the Army personnel

involved in the incident, the Army called it “a minor altercation” and said the issue has been resolved.

The soldiers were returning after performing the Amarnath Yatra, when on Friday evening they were signalled to stop at a check post by the policemen in Gund area, 62km from here.

“The infuriated soldiers then thrashed the eight policemen and also ransacked the Gund

police station,” the police said.Police said the Army person-

nel in civvies were stopped as all movement of pilgrims on the highway was disallowed after 7pm due to security reasons.

State Police chief S P Vaid has taken up the incident with “the corps commander who is looking into the incident and had promised action”, police said.

Defence Ministry spokesman

Colonel Rajesh Kalia said in a statement: “A minor altercation took place yesterday (Friday) between some Army personnel returning from Amarnath Yatra in civil dress and the JKP person-nel at Gund.”

“No major injuries were suf-fered in the incident. The matter has been resolved by personal intervention of senior officers.,” Kalia said.

Actor Tarun appears before SIT in drug caseKerala’s Congress MLA arrested in assault case

Eight cops thrashed by army personnel in Kashmir

Actively working towards clean political funding: JaitleyNew Delhi IANS

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday said the govern-ment was actively working

towards providing a system of clean political funding.

“When we deal with the sub-ject of how the political system will be funded, we hope through cleaner money in future. We are actively working on this,” he said

here at the Delhi Economics Conclave 2017 organised by the Finance Ministry. Jaitley said for the past 70 years, Indian democ-racy has been funded by “invisible money”.

Demonetisation coupled with the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime will help towards the objective by cre-ating greater compliance and increasing digitisation, the Finance Minister said. “Signs of

increasing digitisation are already visible through expansion of direct and indirect taxpayer base,” he noted.

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmuga-ratnam, who was also present at the Conclave, said India’s imple-mentation of GST was impressive not only from economic but also from political perspective.

“Building political support for good economics is impressive.

How invisible money, corruption are being tackled in India is impressive,” Shanmugaratnam said. He said the challenges in advanced and developing econo-mies are similar just that the scale of India’s challenges are larger.

“There is a commonality of challenges. India is not the only democracy with the problem of invisible money,” he added.

Meanwhile, Post demoneti-sation, there has been a visible

channelising of money towards financial assets like insurance and mutual funds, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Viral Acharya said yesterday.

“It will take us many years to understand the outcome of demonetisation. I sense that in financial assets, something has changed as black money trans-actions are now not easy,” Acharya said at the Delhi Eco-nomics Conclave 2017.

Nitish meets Rahul amid tensions in grand allianceNew Delhi IANS

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday met Congress Vice President

Rahul Gandhi here and dis-cussed the widening rift in the state’s ruling Grand Alliance over the corruption allegations against Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

Nitish Kumar, who arrived in the national capital yesterday noon, met Gandhi at his resi-dence 12, Tughlaq Lane in central Delhi in the evening.

The close door meeting between the two leaders lasted for over 40 minutes.

What transpired was not officially communicated but sources in the Congress said the two leaders discussed the cur-rent political situation in Bihar following the CBI raids against

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad’s family.

Nitish Kumar’s meeting with Gandhi comes days after Con-gress President Sonia Gandhi spoke to the Bihar Chief Minis-ter and RJD chief Lalu Prasad in an effort to prevent a collapse of the Grand Alliance.

The meeting took place amid speculation that Nitish

Kumar, who is JD-U President, was growing closer to the BJP.

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are partners of Bihar’s ruling Grand Alliance, which is in the throes of a polit-ical crisis due to the CBI raids on RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s premises over an alleged benami land deal.

The JD-U, in its efforts to portray a corruption-free image, has demanded that Tejashwi Yadav quit, which has been rejected by the RJD and the Congress.

Talks between Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav last week do not seem to have smoothed the political ripples.

The party sources said the two leaders also discussed about how to keep together the oppo-sition parties in view of future politics.

Bihar crisis

Nitish Kumar’s meeting with Gandhi comes days after Congress President Sonia Gandhi spoke to the Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad in an effort to prevent a collapse of the Grand Alliance.

11SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 ASIA

Congress extends martial law in MindanaoManila

AFP

The Philippine Congress yesterday voted to extend President Rod-r i g o D u t e r t e ’ s declaration of martial

law in the south until the end of the year to defeat militants.

In a special joint session of the House and the Senate, legis-lators overwhelmingly backed Duterte’s bid to have martial law remain in force in the Mindanao region until December 31.

The vote came as troops con-tinued their two-month long fight to wrest back the southern city of Marawi from IS-inspired militants.

Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella thanked Congress for its vote, saying “the nation has cho-sen to stand united in defending the Republic”.

“The extension of martial law is essential to the overall peace and stability,” he said in a statement.

Although opposition legisla-tors questioned government officials for hours on the legality of the move, the vote was largely a foregone conclusion as Duterte enjoys majorities in both houses of Congress.

“We may wake up one day and martial law will be in force in the whole country,” Senator Franklin Drilon said.

A slide presentation

accompanying Duterte’s request compared the Marawi crisis to the IS fighters’ takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Marawi itself could now become a magnet for foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, it said.

Most of the militants’ leaders remain at large, the presentation added, while about 90 of the gunmen have slipped past secu-rity cordons and can link up with other armed groups in the region to mount similar widescale attacks.

At the hearing, defence and security officials justified the extended martial law, saying that

aside from Marawi, militants were planning attacks in other parts of Mindanao.

In Marawi, the military said only about 60 gunmen were left in a 49 hectare area of Marawi, but Duterte said he needed mar-tial law powers to rebuild the city and ensure the war did not spread elsewhere.

“I cannot afford to be com-placent,” Duterte said, adding the military would be conducting further “mopping up operations” even after they recapture Marawi. “If there is a spillage it will not be as bad if you have this stopgap.”

Duterte imposed 60-day martial rule -- the maximum p e r i o d a l l o w e d b y

the constitution -- over the Mindanao region on May 23 within hours of the gunmen beginning their rampage.

On Monday, he asked Con-gress to extend it until the end of the year, along with the contin-ued suspension of a constitutional safeguard against warrantless arrests.

Martial law allows the mili-tary to establish control with measures such as curfews, checkpoints and gun controls in a country where civilians are authorised to keep licensed fire-arms in their homes. However, any martial law extension must be approved by Congress.

The subject remains sensi-tive in the Philippines, decades

after the late Ferdinand Marcos put the country under military rule for part of his 20-year term.

Thousands of critics, politi-cal opponents as well as communist guerrillas were killed, detained or arrested dur-ing the period, according to historians.

About a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted yester-day’s hearing, chanting “never again, never again to martial law” before being escorted out.

In Marawi, the area’s military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera assured the pub-lic that martial law would not be abused.

“Don’t be afraid. Your sol-diers are professionals. All our

actions are based on the rule of law. We will respect the rights of our countrymen,” he said.

Herrera said five soldiers had been killed in fighting yesterday alone, bringing the total of slain troops to 105 with 428 militants killed.

Duterte had already beaten back a Supreme Court petition to declare martial law in Mind-anao illegal.

“Once he feels that there is not enough opposition to a nationwide martial law declara-tion, he will go for it,” in a bid to stay in office after his six-year term ends, Senator Antonio Tril-lanes said on Tuesday.

Duterte insists he has no plan to stay in office beyond his term.

Dili

AFP

East Timor headed to the polls to elect a new parlia-ment yesterday as Asia’s

youngest democracy battles economic challenges 15 years after gaining its independence from Indonesia.

About 760,000 people are expected to cast their votes for candidates from 21 parties in the tiny half-island nation, in the first parliamentary election since the departure of United Nations peacekeepers in 2012.

The polls come at a chal-lenging time for the country, with key oil reserves running dry while the government strug-gles to resolve a long-running row with Australia over lucra-tive energy fields.

But despite fears of violence, there were no reports of unrest in the run-up to the election.

“I am happy I can vote today because it’s important we choose the best to lead our country,” said voter Mateus Araujo.

The parliamentary election will determine the choice of

prime minister for the former Portuguese colony.

The prime minister, chosen by the winning party or a coa-lition of parties in parliament, oversees the government and is the most influential political fig-ure in the country.

East Timor voted for a new president in March this year with Francisco Guterres -- known by his nom de guerre “Lu-Olo” -- winning the presi-dency, a role which is largely ceremonial but can help keep the peace between feuding politicians.

East Timor votes in parliamentary elections

Hawaii prepares for possible Pyongyang attackSan Francisco

Anatolia

HAWAII launched an edu-cational campaign to teach residents what to do if the islands were attacked by North Korean missiles.

Earlier this month, North Korea successfully tested inter-continental ballistic missiles for the first time. Although the country stated it has missiles that could carry a nuclear war-head, the US does not believe it has the capability.

Nevertheless, one of North Korea’s missiles could reach Hawaii in 12 - 20 min-utes, according to information released by the Hawaii Emer-gency Management Agency.

While the state agency believes the risk of an attack to be extremely low, it is pre-paring for such emergency.

Chinese war ship spotted near Australian coast Australia

Reuters

A Chinese spy ship has been detected off the Australian coast near joint war games underway between the US, New Zealand and Austral-ian militaries, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) said.

The Chinese People’s Lib-eration Army-Navy Type 815 Dongdiao-class auxiliary gen-eral intelligence vessel was operating off the northeast coast during the Talisman Sabre war games, the ADF said in a statement. “The Chi-nese ship remained outside Australian territorial waters but was inside the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone.”

“The vessel’s presence has not detracted from the exer-cise objectives. Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navi-gation in international waters in accordance with interna-tional law,” the statement said.

Jakarta

Reuters

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (pictured) has instructed law enforcement

officers to shoot drug traffick-ers to deal with a narcotics emergency facing the country.

“Be firm, especially to for-eign drug dealers who enter the country and resist arrest. Shoot them because we indeed are in a narcotics emergency position now,” Widodo said in a speech delivered at an event held by one of Indonesia’s political parties.

His remarks have drawn

comparison to that of Philip-pine’s President Rodrigo Duterte, who launched a brutal anti-drug crackdown about a year ago that saw many alleged drug dealers killed.

The bloody campaign in the Phillipines has drawn condem-nation from the international community, including the United Nations.

Indonesia also has tough laws against drugs. Widodo has previously been criticized for ordering executions against convicted drug traffickers who were given a death penalty by the court. Rights activists and some governments have called

on Indonesia to abolish the death penalty.

Friday’s shooting order from Widodo came a week after Indonesian police shot dead a Taiwanese man in a town near the capital Jakarta.

The man, who was part of a group trying to smuggle one tonne of crystal methampheta-mine into the country, was killed for resisting arrest, police have said.

After the incident, Indone-sian National Police chief Tito Karnavian was quoted by media saying he had ordered officers not to hesitate shooting drug dealers who resist arrest.

Widodo orders officers to shoot drug traffickers

Taliban attack: At least 70 abducted in AfghanistanKandahar

AFP

Seventy Afghans were abducted from their vil-lage along the main

highway in the south of the country, and at least seven were killed, police said, accusing the Taliban of the kidnappings.

Around 30 villagers have been released but at least 30 others are still missing, Abdul Raziq, the head of Kandahar provincial police said.

“The Taliban abducted 70 people from their house in a village along the Kandahar-Tarinkot highway, Friday. They killed seven of them today,” Raziq said. “Their bodies were found by villag-ers this morning.”

“They released 30 and are still keeping around 30 oth-ers,” he said, adding they were “civilian Pashtuns”, the ethnicity of many Taliban fighters.

The highway runs from Kandahar, the largest city in southern Afghanistan, to Tarinkot, capital of Uruzgan province, where the Taliban have a heavy presence.

It is not clear why the vil-lagers were seized.

Government officials and security forces are usually the target of such incidents.

Civilians are increasingly caught in the crosshairs of Afghanistan’s worsening con-flict as the Taliban step up their annual spring offensive, launched in April against the Western-backed Kabul government.

Highways around Afghan-istan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly danger-ous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travel-lers. But it is unusual for the Taliban to go into villages to take civilians as hostages. In general they intercept vehi-cles on the road, checking to see if passengers have links to the government.

In July, Taliban fighters closed a highway connecting Farah to Herat city, stopping a bus and forcing 16 passen-gers to dismount. They shot at least seven of them, while the remaining nine were taken hostage.

Friday’s incident was confirmed by officials at the Independent Human Rights Commission in Kandahar and Kabul in a statement.

In a special joint session of the House and the Senate, legislators overwhelmingly backed Duterte’s bid to have martial law remain in force in the Mindanao region until December 31.

Marawi siege

Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella thanked Congress for its vote, saying “the nation has chosen to stand united in defending the Republic”.

Legislators from the upper and lower house of the Philippine Congress attend a special session on the extension of martial law at the House of Representatives, in Quezon City, yesterday. RIGHT: Activists are escorted from the Plenary Hall of the House of Representatives.

Former East Timor president Taur Matan Ruak shows the ballot paper during parliamentary election, in Dili, yesterday.

12 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017EUROPE

Polish Senate approves judicial reform billWarsaw

AFP

Po l a n d ’ s s e n a t e approved a controver-sial reform of the Supreme Court early yesterday, despite

warnings from the European Union, appeals from Washing-ton and massive street protests against the measure.

The legislation, which was pushed through by parliament Wednesday, was approved by 55 senators, with 23 opposed and two abstentions.

During the 15-hour debate thousands of demonstrators took to the streets nationwide to pro-test the law, which reinforces political control over the Supreme Court.

After the vote, protesters gathered in front of parliament shouting “Shame!” “Traitors!” and “Democracy!”.

The reform of the Supreme Court, which supervises lower

courts, still needs to be signed by President Andrzej Duda, himself from the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, to become law.

The head of state has 21 days to sign the document, veto it, or, if in doubt, submit it to the con-stitutional court.

The opposition and protest-ers are all calling on Duda to veto the reform, as well as two other measures recently adopted which they say increase the con-trol of the executive branch of government over the judiciary.

The opposition argues the measures amount to a “coup d’etat” but the PiS says the reforms are essential to ration-alise the judicial system and fight corruption.

The PiS, which began mak-ing judiciary changes after coming to power in late 2015, has argued resistance to the initia-tives is a case of the elite defending their privileges.

Under the current system, candidates for the Supreme Court are selected by an inde-pendent body consisting mainly of judges but also included a few politicians.

The European Commission has warned against the changes, threatening to halt Poland’s vot-ing rights in the 28-nation bloc further down the line -- a so-called “nuclear option” that the EU had never invoked.

The EU first warned Poland in early 2016 over reforms of the constitutional court, whose main role is to check that laws com-ply with the constitution.

Those changes resulted in tilting the makeup of the court in the conservatives’ favour and

installing a PiS ally as the chief justice.

While noting that Poland was a close ally of Washington, the US State Department said Amer-ica was concerned by the legislation, according to a statement.

Last week, both houses of parliament adopted two other contested pieces of judicial leg-islation, including a bill stating that the justice minister will name the chief justices of Poland’s common courts.

The second bill stipulates that from now on the parliament, instead of an independent body, will choose the members of the National Council of the Judici-ary, which is meant to protect the independence of the courts.

Hungary supports Poland against EU ‘inquisition’Bucharest

AFP

Hungary’s populist pre-mier Viktor Orban vowed yesterday to

defend Poland against what he called an “inquisition” from Brussels, as Warsaw faces EU sanctions over controversial judicial reforms.

“In the interest of Europe and in the spirit of the old Hun-garian-Polish friendship, the

inquisition campaign against Poland can never lead to suc-cess,” Orban said during a visit in Romania.

“Hungary will use all pos-sible legal means in the European Union to show soli-darity with the Poles.”

Orban made the remarks during an annual speech at a summer university in the town of Baile Tusnad in eastern Transylvania, home to an eth-nic Hungarian minority.

Italy hits back at neighbours’ threats on border securityRome

AFP

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has warned Rome will not accept either “les-

sons” or “threats” from neighbours on border security amid tension over Europe’s migrant crisis.

“We shall not accept lessons and still less threats such as those we have heard from our neigh-bours in recent days,” the prime

minister said yesterday.“We are doing our duty and

expect the whole of Europe to

do the same alongside Italy,” Gentiloni said in a clear refer-ence to demands by some neighbours that Italy close its borders.

Italy summoned Austria’s ambassador on Tuesday after Vienna threatened to send troops to the border, open as part of Europe’s Schengen passport-free zone, to stop migrants entering after the number crossing the Mediterranean topped 100,000 this year.

Some 2,360 drowned in the attempt, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.

Other EU states, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, have also expressed alarm at the contin-ued arrivals.

Italy has taken in some 85 percent of this year’s arrivals -- mostly sub-Saharan Africans crossing from conflict-ravaged Libya -- and has pleaded for help

from other EU nations.But Hungary, Poland and the

Czech Republic have flatly refused to take part in a reloca-tion scheme.

Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz on Thursday urged Italy to stop migrants from reaching the mainland by halt-ing ferry services from the islands where they first land, saying “rescue missions in the Mediterranean cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe.”

London

AP

BRITISH officials have announced plans to regulate drone use in a bid to prevent accidents and threats to com-mercial aviation.

The new rules will require drones that weigh 226.79 grammes or more to be reg-istered and users will have to pass a safety awareness exam during registration process.

The government acted because of concerns that a midair collision between a drone and an aircraft could cause a major catastrophe.

The new rules will make it easier for the government to track drones that have been flown in a risky manner or infringed on protected airspace.

Russia inks ‘safe zone deal’ with Syrian rebels

We shall not accept lessons and still less threats such as those we have heard from our neighbours in recent days: Gentiloni.

Spain rescues 57 migrants from MoroccoMadrid

AP

SPAIN’S maritime rescue service says it has saved 57 migrants from two boats try-ing to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco.

The rescue service says that it reached a small boat carrying four Moroccan men in the Strait of Gibraltar after the craft was spotted by Spain’s Civil Guard.

The four were in appar-ent good health and the rescue ship brought them ashore.

A maritime rescue ship intercepted a second boat with 53 migrants of unknown origin near the island of Alb-oran, where the maritime rescue service has an outpost. The migrants are expected to reach land later yesterday.

Kos struggles to recover from quakeKos

AFP

The Greek holiday island of Kos yesterday was strug-gling to recover from a

quake that killed two people and injured hundreds, with tourists facing flight delays and the dam-aged main harbour closed for a second day.

The 6.7-magnitude tremor also left hundreds more injured

in the Turkish resort of Bodrum, about 20km across the sea from Kos.

“Given the amount of peo-ple outside at the time, having only two victims is a miracle,” deputy Kos mayor David Yerasklis told Kathimerini daily.

The undersea quake struck at 1:31am on Friday between Kos and Bodrum. At the time, tour-ists in both places were out enjoying the nightlife.

On Kos, the upper facade of a two-storey nightclub collapsed on people outside, killing a 22-year-old Swede and a 39-year-old Turk.

Another 120 people were hurt, seven of them seriously, while some 360 people were injured in Bodrum -- many after jumping out of windows.

The badly injured on Kos were flown to hospitals in Ath-ens and Crete.

Moscow

AFP

Russia’s defence ministry said yesterday that its officials had signed a deal

with moderate Syrian rebels at peace talks in Cairo on how a safe zone near Damascus will function.

“As a result of talks held in Cairo between Russian defence ministry officials and moder-ate Syrian opposition brokered by the Egyptian side... agree-ments have been signed on how the Eastern Ghouta de-escala-tion zone will function,” the ministry said in a statement.

The rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta is in one of four proposed “de-escalation zones” designated in an agreement reached by government allies Iran and Russia and rebel backer Turkey in May.

But the deal has yet to be fully implemented over disa-greements on the monitoring mechanism for the safe zones.

The most recent talks in Kazakhstan this month between Russia, Turkey and Iran failed to iron out of the details of the four safe zones.

Russia said that the sides have now signed agreements under which “the borders of the

de-escalation zone are defined as well as the deployment loca-tions and powers of the forces monitoring the de-escalation.”

It said the sides had also agreed “routes to supply humanitarian aid to the popu-lation and for free movement of residents.”

Russia said it plans to send in the first humanitarian con-voy and evacuate the wounded “in the next few days.”

The Eastern Ghouta region is a major rebel stronghold near the capital, and it has been the frequent target of government military operations.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since its conflict broke out in 2011 with anti-government protests.

Opposition senators hold papers that read 'Independent Courts" during a senate session at the Polish Parliament, in Warsaw, yesterday.

Protesters hold candles and shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration in front of the Polish Parliament.

The opposition and protesters are all calling on President Duda to veto the reform, as well as two other measures recently adopted which they say increase the control of the executive branch of government over the judiciary.

Appeal

The European Commission has warned against the changes, threatening to halt Poland’s voting rights in the 28-nation bloc further down the line.

Workers remove rubble from a quake-damaged mosque in the central square of the Greek Island of Kos, yesterday.

As a result of talks between Russian defence ministry officials and moderate Syrian opposition brokered by the Egyptian side... agreements have been signed on how the Eastern Ghouta de-escalation zone will function: Ministry

Peace talks

UK tightens rules on drone use

13SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 EUROPE

Germany stands with Turks amid rowBerlin

Reuters

Germany sought yes-terday to reassure the country’s three million people of Turkish descent it

would stand by them as a row with Ankara escalates, saying they were not the target of changes to government policy on Turkey.

In a letter published in Ger-man and Turkish in daily newspaper Bild, Foreign Minis-ter Sigmar Gabriel said Germany had no quarrel with Turkish people in either country but could not stand by as “innocent” German citizens were jailed.

On Friday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble compared Turkey’s detention of six rights activists, including a German, to the authoritarian former communist East Germany.

“However difficult the polit-ical relations between Germany and Turkey, one thing is clear: you, people of Turkish roots in Germany, belong here with us, whether you have a German passport or not,” Gabriel wrote in yesterday’s open letter.

“We have always striven for good relations with Turkey, because we know that good relations are important for you (German Turks),” he added.

He said Germany would review cooperation and espe-cially economic aid for the fellow Nato member and cam-paign for Europe to take a clear

position on Ankara.Gokay Sofuoglu, chairman

of the Turkish Community in Germany, welcomed Gabriel’s conciliatory words.

“We must not let ourselves be driven apart here in Ger-many. People with Turkish roots need to focus on Ger-many,” he said.

Bilateral tensions were already high before the activ-ists’ arrests after recriminations during an April referendum on extending President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers and a pullout of German troops from a Turk-ish air base that began this month.

The arrests are part of a sweeping crackdown across Turkish society since a failed coup against Erdogan last year.

German officials are also increasingly concerned at what they say is large-scale covert activity by Ankara’s security services among Germany’s Turkish diaspora.

Germany’s head of domes-tic intelligence said on Friday Turkish agencies were carrying out influence operations in Ger-many, including targeting opponents of Erdogan.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian ally, Horst Seehofer, told Welt am Sonntag the finan-cial aid Turkey receives as part of the European Union acces-sion procedures should be cut off.

Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) that has long been sceptical about Turkey joining the EU, said the idea of the country becoming a full member was “well and truly over” and developments there were “unacceptable and unbearable”.

Germany has warned citi-zens who travel to Turkey they do so at their own risk and yes-terday the radical Left party urged the government to stop deportations in view of the arrest of government opponents.

“If the German Foreign Min-istry warns against going on holiday in Turkey, then there needs to be an end to deporta-tions of Turkish citizens,” party co-leader Bernd Riexinger said.

Palace shares Prince George’s portraitLondon

Reuters

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate released a new official

portrait of their son George to celebrate the young prince’s upcoming fourth birthday.

George, the great grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and third-in-line to the throne, was pictured with a beaming, toothy grin as he posed in a stripy blue shirt in the photo which was taken last month.

William and Kate, who are officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, returned to England with George and his sister, two-year-old Princess Charlotte, on Friday after five-day tour of Poland and Germany ahead of his birthday tomorrow.

“The Duke and Duchess are very pleased to share this lovely picture as they celebrate

Prince George’s fourth birth-day, and would like to thank everyone for all of the kind

messages they have received,” William’s office said in a statement.

Iraq detains four German IS membersBerlin

Reuters

FOUR German women, including a 16-year-old girl, who joined IS group in recent years are being held in an Iraqi prison and receiving consular assistance, Der Spiegel maga-zine reported yesterday.

It said diplomats had vis-ited the four in a prison at the airport in Baghdad on Thurs-day and they were doing well given the circumstances. They could face the death penalty in Iraq for belonging to the militant group, the magazine added.

It said Iraqi authorities had given Germany a list with the women’s names at the beginning of the week, iden-tifying the teenager only as Linda W. from the small town of Pulsnitz near the eastern city of Dresden.

Germany’s Foreign Min-istry declined to comment on the report.

German prosecutors said on Tuesday they were check-ing reports that a 16-year-old under investigation for sup-porting IS group was among five women arrested in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces declared victory over IS group earlier this month.

Der Spiegel said one of the Germans had Moroccan roots and another seemed to come from Chechnya but had a German passport.

The BfV domestic intelli-gence agency estimates that 930 people have left Germany in recent years to join IS group in Iraq and Syria. About 20 percent of them are women. Minors account for about 5 percent of the total number, of which half are female, it reckons.

Madrid

Reuters

Authorities in Madrid asked Spain’s anti-trust watch-dog yesterday to

investigate whether Uber’s new low-cost airport transfer service constitutes unfair competition.

The city council’s request follows the ride-hailing app’s return to the Spanish capital last year after the CNMC competi-tion regulator called for the government to lift a ban on the US company.

The firm’s recently launched Uber Airport service offers a tariff of 15-29 euros for a ride between Madrid’s Bara-jas international airport and the city centre. Standard taxi fares for the trip are fixed at 30 euros.

“(Uber Airport) could vio-late several articles of the Law of Unfair Competition and con-sumer rights, if it is proven that the service is being operated at prices below operational costs and with the sole intention of gaining customers through unfair competition,” Madrid City Council said in statement.

No one at Uber could immediately be reached to comment.

Uber, which expanded into Europe six years ago, has come under attack from established taxi companies and some EU countries because it is not bound by strict local licensing and safety rules that apply to some of its competitors.

Taxi drivers have held three strikes so far this year, arguing that ride-hailing apps, which are regulated in Spain under VTC licences typically used for private, chaeffeur-driven vehi-cles, constitute unfair competition because they do not meet current regulations and pay less tax.

According to taxi unions, in Spain there is one VTC licence for every 11 regular taxis, well over the 1/30 ratio established under Spanish law in 2015.

In Madrid, the only Spanish city where Uber is currently active, there are more than 2,000 VTC-licensed taxis and about 15,000 traditional taxis, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Works.

Madrid seeks probe on Uber’s airport service

Salzburg

AFP

Austria’s Salzburg Festival opens yesterday, the start of more than a month of

classical and dramatic perform-ances featuring some of opera’s brightest stars.

A highlight of the 40-day festival will come on August 6 with a production of Verdi’s masterpiece “Aida”, directed by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat.

Organisers expect around a quarter of a million visitors to flock the city of Mozart’s birth to take in performances from

classical music luminaries such as Simon Rattle, John Eliot Gar-diner and Mariss Jansons.

High points will include a modern retelling of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito”, conducted by classical music’s enfant terrible Teodor Currentzis and directed by Peter Sellars.

Austria’s Salzburg Festival kicks off

EU leaders to hold talks on Ukraine crisisParis

Reuters

Fr e n c h P r e s i d e n t Emmanuel Macron will call the leaders of Russia,

Germany and Ukraine tomor-row to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, his office said in a statement, as world pow-ers step up efforts to try to end the violence in the region.

The conversations with

Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Germany’s Angela Merkel and Ukraine president Petro Poro-shenko are part of moves involving the four countries since 2014 to resolve the sepa-ratist conflict in which some 10,000 people have been killed.

A ceasefire agreement was signed in February 2015 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, but has failed to end the violence.

London hunts for ways to stop deadly youth stabbings

Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Germany had no quarrel with Turkish people in either country but could not stand by as “innocent” German citizens were jailed.

Travel warning

Germany has warned citizens who travel to Turkey they do so at their own risk and yesterday the radical Left party urged the government to stop deportations in view of the arrest of government opponents.

London

AFP

Nearly one young person a week has been stabbed to death in London so far

this year, leaving British author-ities hunting for ways to stop the increasing violence.

Twenty-seven people under the age of 25 have been stabbed to death in London since the start of 2017, according to figures from city hall.

The alarming figure is but “the tip of the iceberg”

according to Patrick Green from the Ben Kinsella Trust, an edu-cational organisation set up in memory of a teenage stabbing victim.

Police registered more than 12,100 knife attacks which left 4,400 people injured between April last year and March, the highest figure in five years.

“Many of the victims of stab-bing are left with permanent disabilities, permanent scars, and the most awful disability which isn’t reported is the mental trauma,” Green said.

“The fact that you recover doesn’t mean that you return to your normal life,” he added.

In contrast to widely held perceptions, the majority of attacks are unrelated to organ-ised crime. Three out of four cases involve individuals who carry a knive because they believe it will make them feel safer.

“This can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, where young people equip themselves with a knife and in doing so significantly up the ante of their chances of

becoming a knife victim,” said Bernard Hogan Howe, the former head of London’s Metro-politan Police.

One proposal to cut knife crime was announced on Tues-day by Interior Minister Amber Rudd, who wants to ban the pos-session of outlawed weapons such as zombie knives -- often curved blades inspired by hor-ror films -- and knuckledusters on private properties.

As part of a planned consulta-tion on knife crime, the government will also examine

whether to extend a ban on pos-sessing a knife in public places and schools to include universities.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has spearheaded a £7-million programme (7.9 million euros), which includes schools where knife crime is prevalent being given metal detectors.

In announcing the plans last month, the mayor hit out at gov-ernment cuts which he said had led to the closure of 30 youth centres that could have stopped young people turning to crime.

“The only way we can truly

beat the scourge of knife crime on our streets is by properly funding youth services,” Khan said.

Police have been visiting hundreds of schools as part of their “Operation Sceptre”, involving everything from quiz-zes on criminal responsibility to self-esteem classes.

The operation to tackle knife crime was launched in July 2015 and also sees officers carry out checks on businesses selling knives, in addition to confiscat-ing weapons sold illegally.

Actors are pictured at the rehearsal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts "La Clemenza di Tito", in Salzburg, yesterday.

14 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017AMERICAS

Flames on a 45-foot replica Viking ship at an event for “Vikings” during the 2017 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego, California, yesterday.

Fire and water

Trump inaugurates warship amid Washington ‘battle’

Norfolk

AFP

President Donald Trump yesterday pre-sided over the commissioning of the US Navy’s newest

next-generation aircraft carrier — a trip that offered a brief escape from the swirling politi-cal drama in Washington.

Trump appeared to revel in the pomp and pageantry of the ceremony aboard the ship at the sprawling Norfolk naval base in Virginia, which included a 21-gun salute, and the hoisting of the Stars and Stripes on the ship’s mast.

“American steel and Amer-ican hands have constructed a 100,000-tonne message to the world: American might is sec-ond to none, and we’re getting bigger and better and stronger every day of my administration,” Trump said.

“Wherever this vessel cuts through the horizon, our allies will rest easy and our enemies will shake with fear, because everyone will know that Amer-ica is coming and America is

coming strong.”The $12.9bn USS Gerald R

Ford — named after America’s 38th president — is a hulking nuclear-powered giant that is the first of a new generation of super-ships. It will become the country’s 11th aircraft carrier, a number mandated by the US Congress.

The colossal ship was plagued by cost overruns, and in the past, Trump criticised the budget allocated for the super-ship.

The short 45-minute flight to Norfolk allowed Trump what was sure to be a welcome res-pite from the political upheaval of recent days — from a shock shake-up of his communications

team to the ongoing Russia scan-dal. Before heading south from the US capital, Trump fired a salvo of nearly a dozen tweets, touching on the issues and peo-ple that gave him headaches this week — the special prosecutor looking into his team’s ties with Moscow, his attorney general, failed efforts to pass health care reform and the media.

And he had another go at his onetime election rival Hillary Clinton, asking why investiga-tors were looking into his son Don Jr’s meeting with a Russian attorney, and not reopening a probe into the Democrat’s email woes. None of that however fac-tored into Trump’s visit to

Norfolk to celebrate America’s military might.

“This ship is the deterrent that keeps us from having to fight in the first place, but this ship also assures that if a fight does come, it will always end the same way — we will win, win, win,” Trump said.

The US commander-in-chief allowed himself a few comments of a political nature, calling on Congress to back his request for a defence budget hike.

“We do not want cost over-runs. We want the best equipment, but we want it built ahead of schedule and we want it built under budget,” Trump said.

Washington

AP

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner

(pictured) “inadvertently omit-ted” more than 70 assets worth at least $10.6m from his per-sonal financial disclosure reports, according to revised paperwork released.

The previously unreported assets were included in updated disclosure reports certified by the US Office of Government Ethics on Thursday as part of the “ordinary review process,” according to Kushner’s filing .

Among the new set of assets Kushner disclosed, which could be worth as much as $51m, he reported owning an art collec-tion worth between $5m and $25m. The new forms also reflect that Kushner sold his interest in an ageing shopping mall along the Jersey Shore, and no longer has a stake in a com-pany that had held an interest in apartments in Toledo, Ohio.

Kushner also clarified his $5m to $25m stake in a hold-ing company that owns Cadre, a real estate tech startup he co-founded with his brother, Joshua, that investors valued at $800m.

Kushner’s wife and the pres-ident’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, also filed new federal disclo-sures. She reported assets of at least $66m and earned at least $13.5m in income last year from her various business ventures, including more than $2.4m from the new Trump hotel near the White House.

The filings reflect the extraordinary wealth of Trump and her husband, who jointly made at least $100m since the beginning of 2016 and hold at least $206m in combined assets, including some that they report are being sold off. The couple stepped down from running their companies and left behind their lavish Manhattan apart-ment to move their three small children to Washington earlier this year.

The new disclosures come as Kushner faces renewed ques-tions about his vast business holdings.

Son-in-law reports $10m more in assets

New communications chief courts mediaWashington

Reuters

If President Donald Trump, who refers to the media as “fake news,” wants his staff

to use a more conciliatory approach with journalists, new communications director Anthony Scaramucci may be implementing such a shift - for now.

The Wall Street financier and Republican fundraiser walked into the White House briefing room on Friday and immediately did what Sean Spicer, the out-going press secretary, did not do on his first day in January: engage, in a friendly manner, with reporters.

Wearing a blue tie and an American flag pin on a dark suit, Scaramucci bantered with cor-respondents, pledged to be

transparent and even made respectful remarks about CNN, the cable network with which Trump and Spicer have sparred repeatedly.

He made fun of himself, jok-ing about his short stature and apologising to Trump from the podium for having called the New York businessman a hack politician in 2015.

“He brings it up every 15 sec-onds, all right?” Scaramucci said to laughter, referring to the pres-ident. “I should have never said that about him. So, Mr President, if you’re listening, I personally apologise for the 50th time for saying that.”

Trump was probably listen-ing. Reporters peppered Scaramucci with questions on press-related issues that have dogged the relationship between the Trump presidency and the

journalists that cover it.Did he support having

briefings televised? “I obviously a m c o m m i t t e d t o

being transparent because I’m standing here. But I’d like to talk that over with the president,” he said. He noted that CNN had apologised when it reported something false about him and that he had accepted the apology.

“There feels like there’s a lit-tle bit of media bias, and so what we hope we can do is de-esca-late that and turn that around. And let’s let the message from the president get out there to the American people,” he said.

He announced the new press secretary to take over from Spicer, who resigned earlier on Friday, would be Sarah Sanders. Spicer’s debut at the White House podium in January fea-tured a long scolding of reporters for their portrayal of Trump’s Inauguration Day crowd numbers.

New White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, flanked by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, speaks at the daily briefing at the White House.

US President Donald Trump (left) aboard the USS Gerald R Ford in Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday.

Before heading south from the US capital, Trump fired a salvo of nearly a dozen tweets, touching on the issues and people that gave him headaches this week.

US state police chief quits over shooting deathChicago

AFP

A US police chief resigned amid an uproar over the death of an unarmed

Australian woman who had called to report a possible sex-ual assault and was shot by a responding officer.

Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau had faced criti-cism over her handling of the killing of Justine Damond last Saturday night, which ignited an international outcry.

She did not appear before TV cameras until Thursday, say-ing she had been on vacation at a remote mountain location. The Midwestern city’s mayor Betsy Hodges said she asked for the chief’s resignation Friday and Harteau tendered it.

“I’ve lost confidence in the chief’s ability to lead us further. And from the many conversations

I’ve had with people around our city, especially this week, it is clear that she has lost the confidence of the people of Minneapolis as well,” Hodges said in a statement. In announcing her resignation, Harteau said she wanted to “let a fresh set of leadership eyes see what more can be done” to improve the pol ice department.

Moments later the mayor announced her nomination of Assistant Police Chief Medaria Arradondo as Harteau’s replacement. Arradondo has been the public face of the department during the crisis.

If the moves were meant to quell uproar in the city, they did not appear to work. In an evening news conference the mayor held to speak further about the changes, an angry group of protesters interrupted the mayor within minutes of her taking the podium.

Venezuela police break up anti-govt rally with tear gasCaracas

AFP

Police on motorcycles fired tear gas yesterday to break up an opposi-

tion march on the Venezuelan Supreme Court to press demands that President Nico-las Maduro leave office, as months of sometimes deadly anti-government demonstra-tions showed no signs of abating.

The rally was also meant as a show of support for a slate of 33 magistrates — a so-called shadow supreme court — whose names were put for-ward Friday by the opposition to replace Venezuela’s current high court, which is closely allied with Maduro and fre-quently rules in his favour.

Emboldened by a nation-wide strike on Thursday which paralysed parts of the capital Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, opposition leaders held a mock swear-ing-in ceremony Friday for the shadow court’s new “judges.”

Many of the actual court’s justices were hastily appointed shortly before Maduro’s ruling party lost its majority in congress.The shadow court has strong sup-port from the demonstrators, organizers said Saturday.

“Everyone has given their backing to the new Supreme Court,” tweeted Freddy Gue-vara, a leader of the opposition-led congress.

“We support the new judges because they will restore independence to the Supreme Court,” said 43-year-old demonstrator Luis Torrealba, marching with his wife and teenage son.In Sat-urday’s march, hundreds of people took to a key Caracas motorway to head downtown toward the court building.

15SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017 BREAK TIME

Yesterday’s answer

SHOWING ATVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

BABY

BLU

ES

ALL IN THE MIND

ALIBI, ARREST, CAPTURE, CAUTION, CHARGE, CLUE, CRIME, CRIMINAL, DETECTIVE, EVIDENCE, FORENSIC, INVESTIGATION,MOTIVE, MURDER, MYSTERY, OPPORTUNITY, PERPETRATOR, PLOT, POLICE, PURSUIT, SENTENCE, SOLVE, SUSPECT, WEAPON.

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Whenever

15:15 Bizaardvark

15:40 Elena Of Avalor

16:05 Star Wars Forces

Of Destiny

16:10 Liv And Maddie

16:35 Miraculous Tales

Of Ladybug...

17:00 Stuck In The

Middle

19:00 Star Wars Forces

Of Destiny

19:30 Liv And Maddie

19:55 Elena Of Avalor

20:20 The Adventures

Of Disney Fairies

20:45 Bizaardvark

21:10 Miraculous Tales

Of Ladybug...

21:35 Stuck In The

Middle

22:00 Bunk'd

23:10 Miraculous Tales

Of Ladybug...

23:35 Lolirock

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku is a number-

placing puzzle based on a 9×9 grid. The object is to

place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each 3×3 box

contains the same number only once.

CROSSWORD

CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

Yesterday's answer

MALL

LANDMARK

ROYAL PLAZA

ASIAN TOWN

NOVO — Pearl

ROXY

Huroob Ezterari (2D/Arabic) 10:30am, 12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45pm & 12:00midnight War For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Action) 10:00, 11:30am, 12:50, 2:20, 3:40, 5:10, 6:30, 9:15, 11:00 & 12:00midnight Baywatch (2D/Comedy) 10:00, 11:30am, 12:20, 2:40, 4:30, 5:00, 7:20, 9:20, 9:40pm & 12:00midnightAltitude (2D/Action) 10:00am, 2:30, 7:00 & 11:30pm Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge (2D/Action) 11:50am, 4:20 & 8:50pm Cars 3 (2D/Animation) 11:00am, 1:10, 3:30 & 5:40pmOverdrive (2D/Action) 7:50, 9:50 & 11:50pmDespicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00 & 4:00pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnightBaby Driver (Thriller) 11:30am, 1:50, 2:00, 4:10, 6:30, 7:00, 8:50, 11:15 & 11:45pm Spider Man: Home Coming (2D IMAX/Action) 11:00am, 4:00 & 9:15pm The Mummy (3D IMAX/Action) 1:40, 6:40 & 11:55pm

Munna Michael (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 11:30pm Vikram Vedha (2D/Tamil) 2:00 & 11:00pm Cars 3 (2D/Animation) 2:00 & 6:00pm Spiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 2:30pm Despicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 4:00pm Altitude (Action) 4:30 & 10:00pm Huroob Ezterari (2D/Arabic) 5:00, 8:00 & 9:00pm Baywatch (Comedy) 5:30 & 11:30pm Baby Driver (2D/Action) 7:00 & 9:30pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 7:30pm War For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Adventure) 11:30pm

Cars 3 (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:00pm Fidaa (Telugu) 2:30pmDespicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 6:00pmSpiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 2:30 & 11:00pm War For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Adventure) 4:30pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 5:00pm Baby Driver (2D/Action) 7:00pm Altitude (Action) 5:00 & 9:45pm Vikram Vedha (2D/Tamil) 7:00 & 11:30pm Huroob Ezterari (2D/Arabic) 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30pm Baywatch (Comedy) 9:00pm

Munna Michael (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 9:00pm Despicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 2:15pmCars 3 (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 5:00pm Baby Driver (2D/Action) 3:00 & 8:00pm Baywatch (Comedy) 4:00, 6:00 & 9:00pm Vikram Vedha (2D/Tamil) 4:15 & 11:15pm Spiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 7:00pm Huroob Ezterari (2D/Arabic) 7:00, 9:15 & 11:00pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 10:00pm Altitude (Action) 11:45pm

Vikram Vedha (Tamil) 5:45, 6:30, 8:30, 8:45, 9:15, 11:15pm &12:00midnight

Fidaa (Telugu) 6:00pm Munna Michael (Hindi) 11:30pm Thondi Muthal (2D/Malayalam) 6:30, 9:15pm &12:00midnight

Cars 3 (Animation) 12:00noon, 2:20, 4:40 & 7:00pm Vikram Vedha (Tamil) 12:00noon, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00pm & 12:00midnight

Baby Driver (2D/Thriller) 12:00noon, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00pm Baywatch (2D/Comedy) 12:00noon, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00pm Fidaa (Telugu) 9:20pm & 12:10am Huroob Ezterari 12:30pm

AL KHORCars 3 (Animation) 10:30am & 12:45pm

Baby Driver (Thriller) 11:00am, 4:00 & 9:00pm Munna Michael (Hindi) 12:15, 3:300, 5:45,

8:30 & 11:15pm Vikram Vedha (Tamil) 3:00, 6:00, 9:00pm & 12:00midnight

Baywatch (Comedy) 1:30, 6:30 & 11:30pm

16 SUNDAY 23 JULY 2017MORNING BREAK

Amna Pervaiz RaoThe Peninsula

Two expats based in Qatar hoisted Qatar’s flag at the top of Mt Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, recently to express solidar-

ity with the country against the illegal blockade.

Mt Elbrus has two summits, both of which are dormant volcanic domes. The taller west summit is 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) while the east summit is 5,621 metres (18,442 ft). Rehan Quereshi and Duncan Goga managed to reach the 5,621m summit after climbing for straight eight days per-sistently braving treacherous weather.

The idea behind hoisting the flag of Qatar and Qatar Youth Hostels (QYH) came from Rehan who is an Indian national living in Qatar for the past 29 years.

“I was raised in Qatar since I was a child and I always searched for a channel to pay back to this great com-munity while learning new things. I have seen Qatar growing and progress-ing in all these years probably much more than I have seen India,” Rehan

told The Peninsula. “Being a member of QYH, it pro-

vides me with what I was looking for. QYH is a Qatari International NGO that aims to spread the culture of diversity and accepting others. By raising Qatar Youth Hostels flag I wanted to set an example that Qatari youth are capa-ble of facing any challenges and no matter where you are from there is a way to contribute to the society - QYH is one of those ways,” he added.

Duncan Goga told The Peninsula: “The idea of hoisting Qatar’s and QYH flags came from my friend Rehan Quereshi who knows some people at Qatar Youth Hostels. Participating in such adventures teaches self-disci-pline, overcoming challenges and exposes one to different cultures.”

“With discipline, hard work and focus, Qatar can overcome temporary challenges and achieve its objectives,” he added.

While expressing love towards Qatar, Rehan said: “The only message I want to convey is as simple as moun-tain climbing is keep striving for success and never give up. We will be proven true with the heads held up high in future.”

Expats hoist Qatari flag atop Mt Elbrus

The Qatari flag being hoisted atop Mt Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe.

New YorkAP

A seaplane made a hard landing in New York’s East River on Fri-day and passengers including

TV producer Bill Lawrence, the crea-tor of “Scrubs” and other shows, were rescued.

The plane went down near Man-hattan’s east side shortly after 5:30 p.m.

The Fire Department says 10 peo-ple were on board. All of them declined medical attention.

Ephrain Diaz was fishing in the East River and saw the plane go down.

“When the propeller hit the water, you heard all the water splashing, all over the place,” said Diaz, who said he

then called 911. He said other boats quickly responded as the plane drifted northward.

Carter Craft was on a boat after fin-ishing up an environmental project when the seaplane made a hard land-ing and one of its pontoons broke.

He said he saw the plane approach from the south, come in to land in choppy water and then come to a “dead stop.”

“I knew something was wrong when it was stalled there in the water,” Craft said. “I could see it was com-pletely stopped and there were a lot of people out on the wing and one of the pontoons that didn’t break off.”

He was traveling on a former U.S. Navy police boat and rushed to the

fallen seaplane. He said the passen-gers all had life vests on and he asked if they needed a ride.

Craft said the travelers’ spirits were high despite the hard landing.

“One guy said, ‘Are you going to the Hamptons?’ And I said, ‘Not that far, sorry, but I can take you to 23rd Street.’”

He said he asked the captain if any-body needed to be rushed to the hospital but the captain said that “eve-rybody appears to be OK.”

Craft said police and fire boats arrived shortly after.

The plane was operated by Tailwind Air LLC. Michael Siegel, the executive vice president of Tailwind, said all the passengers and crew members were

evacuated safely and the seaplane was towed to a nearby dock.

Manhattan resident Leroy Farmer said he was watching as the seaplane’s left pontoon seemed to hit a wave.

“It went into the water and never came back up,” Farmer said. But then the propeller blades began to hit the water, and the plane got caught in the river current, he said.

He didn’t hear yells for help or see anyone come out of the plane. “It looked like (the pilot) had everything under control, from here,” Farmer said.

Lawrence, whose work also includes “Spin City” and “Cougar Town” in addition to “Scrubs,” posted photos and a video of himself aboard the plane on social media.

Small seaplane makes hard landing in NY’s East River

Swiss couple found on glacier laid to restGeneva

AFP

The remains of a couple, found on a receding glacier in the Swiss Alps

75 years after they had dis-appeared, were at long last buried yesterday near their native village.

Their two surviving daughters were present at the funeral service in the church at Saviese in Valais canton, a few kilometres from Chando-lin where Marcelin Dumoulin and his wife Francine were liv-ing when they disappeared on August 15, 1942.

“Of course it is a relief to have found them, but it brings back memories because a tragedy like that, one doesn’t forget,” Monique Gautschy, one of the surviving children who was 11 at the time, told AFP by phone.

The funeral, also attended by the couple’s grandchil-dren, great-grandchildren and local villagers, was held in the church where the cou-ple had attended mass on August 15 before setting out on their trek, a priest Jean Varone told the ATS press agency. Dumoulin, then 40, and his 37-year-old wife had left their home that morning hoping to check on their

cattle, which were being kept in an alpine pasture in neigh-bouring Bern canton.

The fastest route at the time was via a glacier foot-path. The sky was clear when the couple set out, but clouds later worsened visibility and the pair vanished, likely after falling into a crevasse, orph-aning their five sons and two daughters.

“I saw them leave that Saturday morning,” recalled Gautschy of that fatal day.

“They were supposed to spend the night in the alpine pasture at Grilden and come back on Sunday.” After two months of fruitless searching for their parents, the seven children, then aged 2 to 13, were placed in foster care.

After more then seven decades the remains of their parents were discovered on July 13 -- preserved in the Tsanfleuron glacier at an alti-tude of 2,600 metres (8,500 feet) -- by an employee of a

local ski resort. Backpacks, a watch and other personal belongings had been pre-served in the ice nearby.

Gautschy said that police called to inform her of the definitive identification early on Wednesday. “I would have loved so much to see them one last time, to kiss them, but I was advised against it because they told me bodies found in snow or water decay very quickly and it would have been a shock,” she said.

Annette Dumoulin, Marceline’s stepdaughter (centre left) and Marcelline Udry, one of the daugther of late Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin, the couple found on a receding glacier in the Swiss Alps 75 years after they had disappeared, attend a funeral ceremony in Saviese yesterday.

NY museum honours Kermit the Frog & creatorNew YorkAFP

Jim Henson, the relentless innovator who gave the world Kermit the Frog and

“The Muppet Show,” is get-ting a permanent tribute in New York, nearly 30 years after his death.

If rarely seen on camera, Henson lived and breathed television, hooking adult Americans on puppets, turn-ing puppetry into prime-time entertainment and for 25 years gave life to Kermit, the world’s most famous puppet.

Not only did he create “The Muppet Show” and sev-e r a l o f K e r m i t ’ s contemporaries, he gave birth to Elmo, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie of “Sesame Street” fame, “Fraggle Rock” and movies “Dark Crystal” (1982) and “Labyrinth” (1986).

On Saturday, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens opens a permanent exhibition exploring Henson’s work, challenging visitors to look beyond his most famous creations at the astonishingly breadth of his career.

FAJRSHOROOK

03.30 am

04.56 am

ZUHRASR

11.40 am

03.06 pm

MAGHRIBISHA

06.26 pm

07.56 pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 03:30 – 17:30 LOW TIDE 09:45 – 00:00

Hazy to misty at places at first be-

comes hot daytime with some

clouds and humid by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Minimum Maximum32oC 44oC

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department