10th National Student Research Exhibition

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Volume 23 | Number 7465 | 2 RiyalsWednesday 14 March 2018 | 26 Jumada II I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

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Qatar condemns explosion attempt targeting convoy of Palestinian PMQNA

DOHA: The State of Qatar expressed strong condem-nation and denunciation over the explosion attempt targeting the convoy of Pales-tinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry described the attempt as a desperate act to disrupt Palestinian recon-ciliation. The statement urged the Palestinian parties to unite and move forward to achieve the reconciliation and the aspirations of the Pales-tinian people.

The statement reiterated Qatar’s full support to the Pal-estinians for self-determi-nation and the restoration of all of their legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign State on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.

More than 300 exhibitors from 37 countries to take part in AgriteQ

DOHA: Qatar’s move towards self-sufficiency in the field of agriculture got yet another boost as over 300 exhibitors from 37 countries - record number of participants - will showcase latest technology, equipment and various agro-products in the Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition (AgriteQ). The expo, which is a premier platform for Qatar’s agriculture sector, will begin from March 20. The sixth edition of the three-day exhibition will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, in a press conference held yesterday, announced that it has completed the preparations to host the exhibition.

“The exhibition reflects the stra-tegic pursuit of self-sufficiency in agri-cultural production, which aims at increasing the country’s domestic pro-duction capacities and reduce its dependency on imported products”, said Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry’s Agricultural Affairs, Live-stock and Fisheries.

The exhibition is part of the ongoing efforts of the country to increase self-sufficiency in food production.

According to the Ministry’s senior official, the exhibition will showcase various agriculture produce, latest innovated technologies and equipment. Associated activities like sessions on a number of agriculture issues to boost the capacity of local farmers will also be held at the exhibition. Local farmers will offer agriculture produce in large quantity at attractive prices at the exhi-bition. Separate areas will be available for the entertainment of all age groups of children. The exhibition space for the event has expanded to four huge halls to accommodate the large number of participants.

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SANAULLAH ATAULLAH

THE PENINSULA

QP signs pact to develop, operate Al-Bunduq oil field with Abu DhabiQNA

DOHA: Qatar Petroleum signed a concession agreement with the Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council (on behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), United Petroleum Development Co Ltd (Japan), and Bunduq Company Limited (operator) for the continued development and operation of the shared Al-Bunduq offshore oil field.

The signed agreement replaces the original concession agreement signed in March 1953 between the ruler of Abu Dhabi and D’Arcy Exploration Company Limited, which was amended several times since then, according to a press statement by QP . In March 1969, Qatar and Abu Dhabi signed an agreement stipulating that Al

Bunduq field is equally owned by both sides.

On this occasion, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Petroleum, Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, reaffirmed Qatar Petroleum’s commitment to its international reputation as a trustworthy national oil company and a reliable energy provider at all times and under all conditions. He said: “We are delighted to sign this concession agreement, which will ensure the continued development and operation of the Al Bunduq oil field for many years to come. I would like to take this oppor-tunity to thank our Japanese partners for their outstanding performance during more than four decades of the field’s life, and for their safe and environ-mentally friendly operations.”

“We are confident that Bunduq Company Limited will

spare no effort to take advantage of the field’s full potential during the next period of its life for the benefit of all parties,” he added.

Moreover, the signing of the new agreement comes as the original concession agreement expired on March 8, 2018. It will govern the continued devel-opment and operation of the shared field. Bunduq Company Limited, which operates and manages Al Bunduq field, was established in 1970 and is fully owned by United Petroleum Development Co Ltd, a Japanese company owned by Japanese shareholders Cosmo (45%), JX Nippon (45%) and Mitsui (10%).

Al Bunduq offshore oil field, shared between the State of Qatar and Abu Dhabi, was discovered in 1965 and commenced pro-duction in 1975. The field’s crude oil production is exported to Japan and other Asian markets.

Trump dismisses Tillerson, names CIA Director as Secretary of State WASHINGTON: US President Trump yesterday ousted Secretary of State Rex Till-erson and nominate Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo to replace him. The Washington Post reported that Trump also nominated CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to the position of the Director of CIA, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the US history.

Trump’s announcement of Tillerson’s dismissal came in a tweet, where he said, “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service. Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen.” The Senate will now have to vote on the appointment of both Pompeo and Haspel in their new positions.

PM meets Turkish Defence Minister

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani meeting with Minister of National Defence of Turkey, Noureddine Ganikli, on the occasion of his participation in the sixth edition of DIMDEX 2018.

FROM LEFT: Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Ali Hammadi, Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Sheikh Faisal and other officials at the 10th National Student Research Exhibition, yesterday.

DOHA: The Ministry of Interior (MoI), represented by the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turkeys Ares Shipyard to provide nine marine vessels to enhance the capabilities of the Coast Guard and the Qatari border forces.

The MoU was signed in the course the sixth edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Con-ference (Dimdex).

The Director of Coasts and Borders Security Staff Brig. (Navy) Ali Ahmed Al Badeed, said that this deal is part of the agreements signed earlier by the Directorate in order to enhance its capabilities in car-rying out its security tasks, securing the territorial waters of the state of Qatar and devel-oping the Directorate.

He pointed out that it was agreed to buy nine vessels of different sizes, including three vessels with a length of 48 meters, and six vessels with a length of 24 meters used to support the capabilities of Qatari forces while conducting special operations within the territorial waters of the state of Qatar and the protection of marine vital installations for oil and gas, as well as supporting Qatari forces patrols.

The Director of Coasts and Borders Security said that these vessels will enhance the presence of coastal security forces for all 24 hours in the Qatari territorial waters, adding that these vessels include the latest technology of marine boats, including surveillance cameras and radars, which helps the Coast Guard forces to have comprehensive coverage of all coasts of the state of Qatar.

The Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (Dimdex 2018)

hosted last night an official gala dinner in the presence of the Qatari Chief of Staff Major General (Pilot) Ghanim bin Shaheen al Ghanim, at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Con-vention Hotel.

The gala dinner saw the presenting of ceremonial shields to naval ship com-manders of visiting warships including the Qatari Fast attack craft HUWAR (Q05); the Destroyer INS KOLKATA of the Indian Navy; the Frigate BNS BANGABANDHU of the Bang-ladesh Navy; the Frigate CARLO MARGOTTINI from Italy; the Destroyer USS SAMPSON (DDG-102) of the US Navy; the RFA CARDIGAN Bay and HMS MID-DLETON of the Royal Navy of the UK; the KASSAB Fast attack craft from Oman; and the Fast attack missile craft PNS HIMMAT and Maritme Patrol Vessel PMSS BASOL from Pakistan.

At the dinner, Major General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Sulaiti, Commander of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, delivered a speech welcoming the esteemed guests attending Dimdex 2018 official gala dinner, in which he hopes would offer a fruitful net-working opportunity in a friendly atmosphere.

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SIDI MOHAMED

THE PENINSULA

Nine vessels to strengthen coastal security

It was agreed to buy nine vessels of different sizes, including three vessels with a length of 48 metres, and six vessels with a length of 24 metres used to support the capabilities of Qatari forces while conducting special operations within the territorial waters of Qatar.

9nceloser to

age

Prime Minister meets dignitaries visiting DIMDEX 2018

02 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018HOME

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met separately yesterday morning with each of Minister of Defence Production of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Rana Tanveer Hussain (left), Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey Noureddine Ganikli and Western Naval Command in the Republic of India Vice-Admiral Girish Luthra (right) on the occasion of their participation in the opening of the 6th edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018). Talks during the meetings dealt with relations of cooperation between the State of Qatar and each of Pakistan, Turkey and India and ways of developing and strengthening them, especially in the security and defence fields.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah met yesterday with Defence Minister of Burkina Faso Jean Claude Bouda and his accompanying delegation. They discussed bilateral relations and means of enhancing them as well as enhancing efforts in combating terrorism and extremism. Senior officers of the Armed Forces attended the meeting.

Al Attiyah meets Burkina Faso MinisterQatar affirms support for achieving comprehensive truce in SyriaQNA

GENEVA: The State of Qatar has affirmed its support for all efforts aiming at achieving a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, thus contributing to a political solution to the crisis on the basis of the Geneva Declaration and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, in particular resolution 2254, and ensures the realization of the legitimate aspi-rations of the Syrian people who came out for that peacefully, and received no answer from the Syrian regime except killing, destruction and gross violations of human rights.

This came in the speech delivered by the Permanent Representative of

the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Ambassador H E Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri, during the inter-active dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian, under item 4 of the current session of the Human Rights Council.

Al Mansouri stressed that the Syrian regime and its allies are tar-geting civilians and civil facilities, especially hospitals and schools, in a flagrant violation of all international laws related to the excessive use of force, chemical weapons which are internationally prohibited, blockade and starvation, prevent humanitarian access as a method of warfare, arbi-trary detention, enforced disappear-ances, torture, murder and other

human rights violations.He also pointed out that the Syrian

justice system as well as the interna-tional community failed to achieve justice and fairness for the victims and to hold accountable those responsible for the violations and crimes com-mitted against the Syrian people, stressing that the continued impunity of the Syrian regime encourages it to further commit further violations, as well as it is negatively affecting the political negotiation process and reaching a permanent solution to end the conflict in the country.

HE called for greater support for the impartial and independent inter-national mechanism to assist in the investigation of crimes in Syria in order to enable it to carry out its mandate.

Qatar International Boat Show opensTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, inaugurated yesterday the fifth edition of Qatar Interna-tional Boat Show (QIBS) organized by Al Mannai Plus Events.

Considered as one of the largest events in the Middle East, the inauguration event was attended by VIPs and media rep-resentatives. Held at the Porto Arabia Marina at the Pearl Island – Qatar, the boat show will run until March 17.

For the fifth consecutive year, QIBS has become a prin-cipal annual fixture on the sec-tor’s calendar of specialized regional and international exhi-bitions, which underlines the remarkable success it has achieved over this short period of time and its ability to attract the industry’s key players.

QIBS provides a global platform for major brands to showcase their latest products to potential customers from Qatar, the Middle East and around the

world. This year’s edition is wit-nessing the participation of many prominent brands and names in the sector, with more than 70 exhibitors taking part in the five-day event.

In order to offer a unique experience to participating companies and visitor, QIBS will be hosting various inter-esting activities such as marine tours, prizes, water activities, marine races and relevant sem-inars, etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Khalid Issa Al Mannai, Chairman of Al Mannai Plus Events said: “We are pleased to cultivate today the fruit of our efforts over the months we have spent in preparation for this moment. We are honoured with visit of H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, who officially opened the fifth edition of Qatar International Boat Show, the Middle East’s most important event in the maritime sector.”

Fadi Al Yousfi, Qatar Inter-national Boat Show 2018 Director, said: “Today we cele-brate the participation of more

than 70 exhibitors and partici-pants to the fifth edition of the exhibition. The expo is a reflection of our commitment of being one of the premier boat and sporting shows in the region

to help bolster Qatar’s bur-geoning marine and seafaring industry, we will continue to perform as a medium for gener-ating business for our exhibitors and attending delegates.”

Minister of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani (centre) inaugurating the Qatar International Boat Show.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, met here yesterday separately Minister of State for Defence of the Republic of Mongolia Nyamaagiin Enkhbold, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marina Pendes, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Lebanon Yaacoub Sarraf, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Mali Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, Major-General Oleg Voinov, Head of the International Military Cooperation Department of Defence of Belarus, the Head of the Russian Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Department Dimitri Shogayev on the sidelines of their participation in DIMDEX 2018.

Over 300 exhibitors from 37 states to take part in agriculture expo

Continued from page 1 The space for the exhibition

has already shown a 100 percent increase compared to last year’s event. A total of 313 exhibitors from several countries including Spain, Iran, Pakistan, Oman, Syria, Bulgaria, Sudan, Lebanon, Netherlands and Palestine will participate in the event.

Participating countries and companies at the event have been classified under categories like landscaping; agribusiness technologies and equipment; fruits, vegetables and dates farming; organic food; milk, dairy and juice products; planting machines.

Some other categories of the participating countries and com-panies include, farm man-agement and systems; fertilizers, pesticides and agro-chemicals; nurseries and crop protection and refrigeration equipment and harvest production.

Dr Al Thani said that the large interest placed in Agriteq 2018 demonstrates the growing interest of experts and members

of the international community on Qatar’s agricultural segment showing a key understanding of the significant role that agri-culture plays in the efforts towards economic diversifi-cation and achieving continuous development.

He added: “AgriteQ 2018 is a major boost to national efforts to improve the local agricultural sector and to reach the highest international standards that enhance its active participation in advancing sustainable and comprehensive development for Qatar, which places its primary strategic priority on achieving self-sufficiency in agricultural production based on a clear plan of objectives and milestones”.

The exhibition, which will showcase innovations in agricul-tural techniques, will also host a series of lectures and meetings to discuss current and future projects in the agricultural sector with farm owners, agricultural experts, government agencies, environmental specialists and technology providers.

Deputy PM and Defence Minister meets dignitaries

03WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 HOME

QU hosts session on ‘Tajrebaty’ initiativeTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali honoured the Fourth session of “Tajrebaty” initiative, which was hosted by Qatar University (QU) at Ibn Khaldoon Hall, yesterday.

Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the event featured a lecture by State Minister H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, in which he spoke about his can-didature to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organisation (Unesco) and his future plans.

Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali was joined by QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham, QU VP for Adminis-tration and Financial Affairs Dr Khalid Al Khater, QU VP for Student Affairs Dr Khalid Al Khanji, and “Tajrebaty” Initiative Founder Eng Ibrahim Al Sada, as well as officials from QU and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and around 70 students.

Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz outlined his journey to the can-didacy to the Unesco. He high-lighted the continuous support of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah.

He pointed to his candidacy platform and his vision for the

Unesco which he presented before the 58 members of Unesco’s Executive Board on April 27, 2017. He said: “I was the only one to address the political crisis the Unesco is facing, as other candidates kept speaking about financial crisis of the organisation. I believe that the financial crisis will not be solved unless there is a solution for the political crisis and the Palestinian

issue is one of them. The US with-drawal from Unesco is a political decision.”

Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz also noted that he had caracoled at the top of each of the four rounds of voting for the post of Director-General of the Unesco that took place on October 9-12. He said: “I was systematically on each occasion the first, between 18 and 22 votes cast against all the other candidates, while the required

majority was 29 votes + 1. However, the big surprise was illustrated by the result obtained against the French candidate at the last minute, with 28 votes in favour of Qatar against 30 to the French candidate.”

He added: “This is the first time that an Arab candidate won five rounds and there was only one vote less to win the final round. However, the nature of the election this time was different and the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar played a role in the result due to the intense pressure by the siege countries on the 58 voting countries.”

Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari also highlighted his book titled “Ala Kadri Ahl Al-Azm”, which is published in three languages — Arabic, English and French. “The book is not an autobiography. I wanted the reader to explore my personality through my writing and to get an insight into Qatar”, he said.

On his future plans, Dr

Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari said: “I am planning to launch my website in Arabic, English and French, to publish a new book on the candidacy process to inter-national organizations, and to become a visiting professor to many prestigious universities across the world.”

Dr Hassan Al DerhamH E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari

Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the event featured a lecture by State Minister H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, in which he spoke about his candidature to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and his future plans.

MoI e-services log over 5 million transactions in 2017THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Interior’s electronic services (e-services) witnessed completion of over 5 million transactions in 2017, said a senior official of Ministry speaking at a seminar yesterday. More than 200 electronic services offered by the Ministry are now available to more than 400,000 users and more than 40,000 companies.

The Ministry in collaboration with Qatar Chamber of Com-merce and Industry organised an induction seminar on its e-services offered to companies at the Chamber.

The Vice-Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and

Industry Mohammed Ahmad bin Towar Al Kuwari, Brigadier Abdul Rahman Ali Al Maliki, Asst Director of the General Direc-torate of Information Systems and Brigadier Abdul Rahman Majid Al Sulaiti, Director of Planning and Quality Department were among the dignitaries who attended the program.

Brigadier Abdul Rahman Al Maliki said that the Ministry of Interior provides electronic services to companies, including integrated services that do not need to review the service centers, which are available around the clock and seven days a week. These services are acces-sible from anywhere and in six languages, including Arabic,

English, French, Urdu, Malayalam and Spanish.

The Ministry offers corporate electronic services such as direct debit services, PRO services, auto renewal services, mail delivery services, entry permit services, travel notification services and traffic services.

He pointed out that the services granted to PROs aim to enable the authorised persons to grant specific authority to PROs of their companies, reduce the phenomenon of using smart cards of the authorised person by PROs, and enable PROs to use their own smart cards for the completion of authorized trans-actions. This feature is specific to the services of the Ministry of

Interior only. The authority can be granted to the citizen or res-ident if he is an employee of the company and may be granted multiple authorities to the same person or the same authority to several persons. An employee of any company under the authorised signatory can also be given permission to sign for others, if he is an employee of one of them. The permissions can be cancelled at any time by the authorized person or in the event of a change in the status of the PRO such as transfer of spon-sorship, cancellation of residence or death. This service provides the highest levels of security for the company and the owners, he added.

He pointed out that the services provided by the Ministry to companies include automatic renewal of residence permits. It is a smart service provided through MOI website and Matrash 2. The HR staffs of companies can follow up the renewal of residence permits of individuals working

with that company automatically and without submitting any manual or automated requests. The service also provides the option of non-renewal of the res-idences automatically, if they are not intent. The ID cards are delivered through the Qatar Postal Services Company (Q-Post).

Brigadier Abdul Rahman Ali Al Maliki (centre) with other officials from Qatar Chamber and Qatar post at the seminar.

04 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018HOME

Qatar stresses fight against drugsQNA

VIENNA: The State of Qatar stressed its implementation of a comprehensive, integrated and multidisciplinary strategy in the fight against drugs, in which the enforcement of laws prohibiting the entry of illicit drugs into the country, while ensuring the provision of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes exclusively, combating money-laundering and preventive measures for immunization of society, with special emphasis on youth and students, as well as treatment of the drug dependence.

This came in a speech delivered by the Permanent Rep-resentative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations (UN) and international organizations in Vienna H E Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, to the meetings of the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim said that the State of Qatar stresses that the world drug problem continues to pose a serious threat to human health, security, safety and well-being, economic, social and political systems and stability in a

growing number of states, as well as undermining the pillars of sus-tainable development. He called for comprehensive international cooperation to counter this threat.

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim called for the implementation of the commitments contained in those instruments and documents in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and other relevant international conventions, foremost of which is the principle of full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, non-inter-ference in the internal affairs of

states, and the principle of equal rights as well as the respect for the cultural and social particu-larities of states and territories.

He mentioned that the State of Qatar attached great impor-tance to regional and international cooperation and continued its generous contributions in sup-porting regional and international drug control programs, including its contribution to the Doha Dec-laration Global Program, referred to in the report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim stressed in his remarks that the State of Qatar is pleased to announce that the projects of the Doha Decla-ration Global Program are beginning to bear fruit in many countries through the immuni-sation of societies, especially young people from drugs and crime. He called on states to provide support to the UN Office at Vienna for the implementation of its programs and to provide technical assistance to developing countries in order to develop and implement community, family and school programs and strat-egies for drug prevention.

Intrapreneurship turns staff into problem-solvers: OoredooTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo, one of the region’s ICT providers, announced yesterday that “intra-preneurship” is a game-changing concept to transform Qatar’s employees into creative problem-solvers, who will enable new levels of business competi-tiveness and innovation.

During its fourth and final master class, “Intrapreneurship and Driving Corporate Inno-vation”, Ooredoo and the Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) explained the business benefits of intrapreneurship. The relatively new term in the business world sees organisa-tions fostering an entrepre-neurial spirit among their own employees, in order to find new, creative, and innovative solu-tions to business challenges.

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, COO, Ooredoo, said: “In the emerging Digital Economy, Qatar’s organisations need to break down internal silos to

foster collaboration, and activate different skills sets, to succeed and drive corporate innovation. Ooredoo is one of Qatar’s pio-neering organisations in the field of intrapreneurship, with our senior leadership teams culti-vating teams that are risk-takers and problem-solvers”.

This class was part of the Digital and Beyond joint venture, between Ooredoo and the Qatar Business Incubation Center. The classes were designed to support Qatar’s community of innovators and entrepreneurs.

Aysha Al Mudahka, CEO, QBIC, said: “Intrapreneurs can enhance productivity, discover new revenue streams and become the next generation of leaders and innovators. Organi-sations that want to foster intra-preneurship should allow their employees to spend a portion of their time on innovative projects. Intrapreneurship is a virtuous cycle, in which intrapreneurs attract fellow like-minded digital disruptors”.

H E Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani said that the State of Qatar stresses that the world drug problem continues to pose a serious threat to human health, security, safety and well-being, economic, social and political systems and stability.

Early detection key to slowing glaucoma progress, says expert

DOHA: With more than 175 patients receiving treatment each month for glaucoma, a major cause of blindness in Qatar, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has highlighted the impor-tance of early detection of the disease. Early detection is the key to slowing the progression of glaucoma, a group of diseases that is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Qatar, said Dr Zakia Mohamed Al Ansari (pictured), Glaucoma Consultant, Ophthalmology Department, HMC, speaking at a media briefing, yesterday.

“People with glaucoma don’t show symptoms until the disease reaches a very late stage therefore treatment becomes dif-ficult. Vision will not return for people with glaucoma, what we do is to retain the vision they still

have,” she said. Glaucoma is the second cause

for blindness worldwide. It is an eye disorder which results in pro-gressive damage to the optic nerve, the part of the eye that carries visual information from the retina to the brain. The condition has no known cause but is often asso-ciated with a buildup of pressure inside the eye.

Glaucoma first affects the peripheral or side vision and then progresses to the central vision. People with glaucoma require lifelong treatment to maintain their vision and if left untreated, the disorder can lead to complete blindness.

“The risk factors for the disease include being over the age of 40, having a family member with glaucoma, being of African or Hispanic heritage, having diabetes, having high eye pressure, having a history of ele-vated intraocular pressure, being

farsighted or nearsighted, having poor circulation, or having other health problems that affect the whole body,” said Dr Al Ansari.

“Regular screening for the early detection of glaucoma is important as the disease usually causes no visible symptoms. In most cases, an individual is unaware they have the condition until it has caused irreversible damage, which is why we are emphasizing the importance of regular eye exams. The fre-quency of screenings required

should be determined based on age and the presence of risk factors,” she added.

Different type of treatment is provided at the HMC glaucoma cases depending on the condition of the patient.

“We have many new drops which are preservative-free and also help reducing allergy. We also provide glaucoma valve implant. This is an implant sur-gically fixed in the eye to control the pressure. We have conducted around 40 such cases since 2015,” said Dr Al Ansari.

To mark this year’s World Glaucoma Week, HMC is holding free glaucoma screenings and public awareness sessions until March 17. The events will be held at the Hamad General Hospitals as well as at the Doha Festival City. Staff from the Ophthalmology Department will provide free eye examinations and educate the public about glaucoma.

FAZEENA SALEEM

THE PENINSULA

QC launches ‘Future’s Writers’ ProgramTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) has launched the second edition of its “Future’s Writers” Program to promote young Qatari talents, during an event held at the headquarters of the Qatari Ministry of Culture and Sports.

The ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali and Yousef bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, the CEO of Qatar Charity, in addition to several directors of the QC’s different departments, a number of staff from the Ministry and many social media activists and leaders.

The Minister of Culture and Sports said that the “Future’s Writers” Program is a seed for a project that will have a great impact not only in the Arab and Muslim world, but also in the whole world. The Minister pointed out that the idea of the program could should not remain regional, but it should be global.

“I’m still reading the young writers. They’re young, but a person can find out a lot of ideas and issues they have in their own way” the Minister said, stressing that these writings are great ideas from the book of young writers. The Minister thanked the organisers, partners and official sponsors and wished that this edition would be successful in discovering new talents in writing stories.

The CEO of Qatar Charity, Yusuf bin Ahmed Al Kuwari said: “We are very pleased with the level of cultural mobility in our country, as our “Future’s Writers” Program is welcomed and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and now we are here to launch the second edition of the program”.

He also thanked all the supporting bodies and partners of the “Future’s Writers” Program, par-ticularly, Qatar University, Barwa Bank, Dar Roza Publishing House and the Khair Jalees Book Club.

Aisha Al Kuwari, Director of the Dar Roza

Publishing House, said: “Our participation in this great cultural event along with other community bodies is to create a promising future, noting that one of the main goals of our publishing house is to encourage and promote young and promising talents, which is reflected in the “Future’s Writers” Program.

The ceremony also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between Dar Roza Pub-lishing House and Qatar Charity, under which the publishing house will print 1000 copies of the “Future’s Writers” free of charge.

Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali speaking at the event.

Nine vessels to strengthen coast security Continued from page 1

Commander of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces added it ulti-mately increases engagement to reach the desired common goals and objectives.

Major General Al Sulaiti said: “DIMDEX 2018 has expanded to be become one of the biggest international maritime events focusing on naval security and defence, as well as becoming a leading event that provides a net-working platform for industry professionals and experts, senior officials and dignitaries from Defence Ministries across the Middle East and North Africa, and other parts of the world.”

Barzan Holdings, the first defence and security company responsible for empowering the military capabilities of the Qatar Armed Forces in the State of Qatar, has successfully signed multiple agreements with leading interna-tional defence and security com-panies around the world.

The signings took place at DIMDEX 2018.

Barzan Holdings signed an agreement with Italian company Beretta Holding, to create a JV named “Bindig,” the Qatari word for rifle. The JV is the first time Beretta Holding has established a JV in the Middle East, and Bindig will manufacture pistols and rifles under the Bindig name in Qatar,

for use by the Qatar Armed Forces and other security and govern-m e n t a l e n t i t i e s . B a r z a n H o l d i n g s signed an agreement with Turkish c o m p a n y BMC, that specializes in

military vehicles. Barzan Holdings has part-

nered with major US defence contractor Raytheon to power the Qatar Cyber Academy. The Academy will train Qataris undergoing their national service, and also open its services to the public sector, to better under-stand cyber security and protect themselves from potential cyber security threats.

Barzan Holdings signed an agreement with Norwegian company Kongsberg, to create a JV called “BK Systems.” BK Systems will specialize in mil-itary communications systems, navigations systems and weapons manufacture.

Barzan Holdings signed an agreement with Turkish company Sur International and the Qatar Amiri Guard, to create a JV called “QSur.” QSur will manufacture high-end military uniforms, and uniform accessories.

Barzan Holdings has a JV agreement with Qinetiq from the UK, a leading provider of military consultancy services, to create “BQ Solutions.” During DIMDEX, BQ Solutions signed an agreement with the Qatari Emiri Navy under which BQ Solutions will advise the

Navy on best strategies and prac-tices in “blue water” and transfor-mational activities.

Barzan Holdings signed a JV agreement with large German defence company Rheinmetall AG and the agreement creates a JV called Rheinmetall Barzan Advanced Technologies (RBAT) that will develop an ammu-nition manufacturing base in Qatar, provide security for stra-tegic venues and critical infra-structure in Qatar, and develop research in UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) and HEL (high energy lazer) technology.

Barzan Holdings signed agreements with two Turkish companies: Aselsan and SStek, to create a JV called “Barq.” Barq will engage in developing and producing electro optic equipment, crypto technology and research related to remote weapon platforms.

Barzan Holdings signed an agreement with US company Wilcox, specializing in weapons manufacturing, plus electro optic gun technology. Barzan has also signed an MoU with Turkish company SSM, to work on joint R&D projects between Qatar and Turkey for knowledge exchange.

05WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 HOME

Esrar Race to have Omani & Kuwaiti participation AMNA PERVAIZ RAO

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: More than 200 participants are set to take part in second edition of Esrar Race 2018 scheduled to be held on March 23 and 24 in Aspire Park.

Qatar’s Olympic Champion and IAAF Athlete of the Year, Mutaz Barshim, who is one of Esrar’s hon-ourary ambassadors; renowned local presenter Mohammed Saadoun Al Kuwari, who returns this year as a participant in the race; Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri, Director of PR and Communications at AZF; Abdullah Aman Al Khater, Director of Events and Venues of AZF; Al Anoud Al Misnad, Acting Head of Events at AZF; and Khalid Saadoun Al Kuwari, CEO of Diverse Sports Management Company attended the press conference yesterday at Torch Hotel.

Talking to The Peninsula, Khalid Saadoun Al Kuwari, said: “This year we are back with two categories; individual and team. Individual race is of 5km with 21

obstacles whereas team will run separately and top 16 teams will qualify for the second day race. Second day race will be of 200m with eight obstacles. Last year, we had only individual race but this time teams are participating as well. There should be three members in the team and it is mix - both men and women. Anyone can participate above 18 years old.”

On winning prizes, he said: “Wining prizes for individual par-ticipants - men and women - are, $1500 for first position, $1000 for second position and $500 for third position. In team category, we have $3000 for the first position, $2000 for second position and $1000 for third position.”

AZF displayed a video that recapped on Qatar’s first Esrar Race (‘Esrar’ means ‘determination’ in Arabic), which was held in March last year and involved more than 250 local and regional professional and amateur sports enthusiasts from Qatar and the region.

Abdullah Aman Al Khater, Director of Events and Venues of

AZF, said: “The Esrar Race 2018 has generated an increase in popularity among sports enthusiasts from within and outside Qatar, especially in the region.”

“This year, ten Kuwaiti regis-tered participants will travel to Doha to take part in the race. More than 180 participants will take part in the individual races, consisting of 144 men, 36 women, 90 of whom are Qataris. Meanwhile, 36 participants will take part in the relay teams races. Amad Al-Hosni,

the national Omani footballer who currently plays for Fanja FC, will participate in the Esrar Race as an honourary ambassador along with our local Olympic champion, Mutaz Barshim.”

“AZF has also increased the number of obstacle courses from 14 to 21 this year, which will be set up along a distance of five kilo-metres in Aspire Park. All obstacles were designed and built in-house by AZF’s logistics team. Some materials used were originally

purchased for the Asian Games 2006, demonstrating AZF’s com-mitment to extending the legacy of the games for more than a decade,” Al Khater added.

“I was present as an honourary ambassador during the first Esrar Race last year. This year, I am going to take part as one of the partici-pants. This year’s race has seen an increase in the number of partici-pants, duration and obstacles. The race shouldn’t only be about winning, because every participant is a winner. It should be about having fun and doing something people love to do,” said Qatar’s Olympic Champion, Mutaz Barshim.

Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Mar-keting & Promotion Officer at QTA, said: “QTA is proud to support Esrar as it works to develop and position itself on the regional sports and fitness calendars and contribute to the growing sports tourism sub-sector in Qatar.” Interested partic-ipants can find out more details on the ‘Life in Aspire” website http://www.lifeinaspire.qa.

FROM LEFT: Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari, beIN Sports presenter; Abdullah Al Khater, Events Manager at AZF; Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri, Director of PR and Communications at AZF; Qatari Olympic Champion, Mutaz Essa Barshim; and Khalid Saadoun Al Kuwari, Co-Organiser and CEO of ‘Diverse, at the ‘Esrar Race 2018’ press conference held at The Torch Doha Hotel yesterday. PIC: KAMMUTTY V P / THE PENINSULA

Culinary event spreads aroma of distinct Portuguese cuisine RAYNALD C RIVERA

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Portugal has brought a slice of its rich culture to Qatar with the first ever Portuguese Gastronomic Week which recently launched at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.

“It has been our goal to bring the Portuguese cuisine to Qatar. Portuguese cuisine is a well known, very distinct cuisine and we brought one of the most famous chefs in Por-tugal who knows Portuguese cuisine deeply,” Portugal’s Ambassador to Qatar Antonio Tanger Correa, told local media at a reception on Monday to mark the week.

The ongoing Portuguese

Gastronomic Week, which runs until Friday, features Chef Miguel Castro Silva, who owns and runs seven restaurants in Portugal, showcasing an exciting epicurean journey to Portugal for guests to savour.

Describing Portuguese cuisine as “very diversified” which has a long history, Silva said, “I brought a menu that will give a general idea of what to eat in Portugal. It’s a menu where we try to show the gas-tronomic highlights from north to south of Portugal.”

Silva has prepared an exquisite seven-course tasting menu at Il Teatro which com-prises smoked mackerel on vegetables; almond vichyssoise with smoked duck; seabass

with orange and fennel; codfish in pil pil, potato, onion and egg; slow braised rib with dry tomato risotto, sheep cheese mousse, cassis sorbet; and sponge cake with lemon curd.

“We are honoured to welcome acclaimed Chef Miguel Castro Silva and cul-tivate an exciting week of culinary arts showcasing fla-vourful food, soulful musical performances, and the oppor-tunity to celebrate and explore Portuguese culture, in the heart of Doha,” said Manuel Santos, Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.

The week also highlights Portuguese music with a per-formance tomorrow by Maria Ana Bobone, one of the most

recognized performers of fado music in Portugal. She will also perform along with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra on Sat-urday at Qatar National Con-vention Centre.

“Fado is a Portuguese national song which is inscribed

on the list of Unesco World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. So we have brought a mixture of cuisine and culture. This is one step further for Qatar and Portugal to know each other better,” said Ambas-sador Correa.

Antonio Tanger Correa (right), Ambassador of Portugal; with Manuel Santos (left), Director of Food and Beverages Fours Season Hotel Doha; and Portuguese Chef, Miguel Castro Silva; at the Portuguese Gastronomic Week reception at Four Seasons Hotel Doha. PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

Pakistan Maritime Security Ship hosts reception THE PENINSULA

DOHA: As a part of Doha Inter-national Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex), a reception was held at Pakistan Maritime Security Ship ‘BASOL’ at Hamad Port.

Federal Minister for Defence Production of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Rana Tanveer Hussain, along with delegation from Pakistan, Commander of Qatar Emiri Naval Forces Major General Abdullah Hassan Sulaiti, Zambrano Minister of Defence of Ecuador, Shahzad Ahmad, Ambassador of Pakistan, officers from different min-istries of Qatar and diplo-matic community graced the occasion. Dinner was hosted by Commodore Faisal Abbasi, Mission Commander of Naval Ships from Pakistan Navy.

06 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018HOME

Upcoming GU-Q event to explore Al Jazeera’s role in the Middle EastTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: A panel of expert speakers will explore Al Jazeera’s role in the Middle East at an upcoming student-run event at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q). Organized by GU-Q’s Middle Eastern Studies Student Association (MESSA), the event is part of the student club’s efforts to foster informed dialogue on the economic, social, and political issues facing the region.

The panel discussion will form part of the opening cer-emony of MESSA’s annual student research conference, which will be convened under the theme of ‘Uncertainty, Sta-bility, and Cohesion: A Trans-forming Middle East’ this year. The talk will be held at 6pm tomorrow at GU-Q’s Education City campus, while the con-ference takes place the fol-lowing day on Thursday.

The opening ceremony will bring together a panel of speakers from Al Jazeera that includes director of investi-gative journalism, Clayton Swisher, News Hour presenter Folly Bah Thibault, and senior c o r r e s p o n d e n t J a m a l ElShayyal. The discussion will be moderated by associate professor of communication at Northwestern University in Qatar, Banu Akdenizli, and is

open to the public.“Holding an Al Jazeera panel

fits in with this year’s theme perfectly as the network has played an instrumental role in this region, especially on the subject of free press and giving voice to those who don’t have one,” said Haya Al Thani (SFS’18), vice president of the MESSA conference.

“Our influential panelists will be able to draw on their roles and diverse experience as leading journalists who have witnessed and sparked some of the monumental moments in this region’s history, and captivate our

audience and researchers with their insights.”

The MESSA conference pro-vides undergraduate students from GU-Q and other leading international universities with a platform to present their aca-demic research to an audience of peers and experts. The research that will be presented this year focuses on a broad range of topics, from the impact of historical conflicts to contem-porary issues of terrorism, nuclear energy, and online privacy.

“One priority for us was to ensure that the theme was as holistic as possible and

applicable for all of the different majors offered at Georgetown University in Qatar. As a result, ‘Uncertainty, Stability, and Cohesion: A Transforming Middle East’ became an obvious and natural choice,” said Al Thani. “It encapsulates primary concerns and goals within the region and is applicable to the past, present, and future. It urges undergraduate students to critically engage with dif-ferent aspects of the on-going events in the Middle East and hopefully allows them to envision the future for the Middle East and explore their role in it.”

Registration open for QIFF live cooking classes by best chefsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The 9th Qatar Interna-tional Food Festival (QIFF), which kicks off tomorrow, will feature live cooking classes with the world’s best chefs, regis-tration for which is now open, organizers announced yesterday.

Three of Doha’s five-star restaurants are offering resi-dents and visitors an oppor-tunity to join internationally-acclaimed chefs for an inter-active cooking and tasting experience through six QIFF Cooking Classes. The chefs include Food Network’s baking guru Anna Olson, US Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and IDAM’s Doha-based Executive Chef Damien Leroux.

Sara Al Kuwari, QIFF Project Manager at QTA said, “QIFF’s Cooking Classes are one of the festival’s new con-cepts that take the gastronomic celebrations beyond the grounds of Hotel Park.” She added, “We are particularly excited to team up with these international chefs to offer res-idents and visitors an oppor-tunity to savour exclusive live c o o k i n g a n d d i n i n g experiences.”

First to share his culinary expertise is Damien Leroux, who has been Executive Chef at IDAM since October 2016. His class is set to be held on Friday, from 2pm to 5pm at IDAM restaurant in Museum of Islamic Art. The class is for QR500 per person and reser-vation can be made by calling 4422 4488.

Born into a family of res-taurant owners, Leroux developed the love of cuisine at a very young age and spent several years training under world-renowned chefs. His Mediterranean fusion style dishes are a celebration of ingredients that are locally sourced in Qatar.

Leroux will also be at the QIFF Live Cooking Theatre at Hotel Park on Friday at 9pm, on March 22 at 9pm and March 23 at 6pm.

Between 1pm and 3pm this Saturday, Japanese food lovers can learn the art of rolling sushi from Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. The Class will be held at his eponymous res-taurant – and his first in the

Middle East - at the Mondrian Hotel. The class costs QR650 per person and includes a five-course lunch. To make a res-ervation, call 4045 5999.

Morimoto will also take to the QIFF Live Cooking Theatre at Hotel Park on Friday at 6pm.

To wrap up the last weekend of QIFF 2018, Can-ada’s baking sensation Anna Olson will be holding three cooking classes at a leading hotel on March 22, 23 and 24. Classes are free on a first-come-first-serve basis. Those interested can look out for announcements on social media platforms.

Starting her professional life in the banking sector, Olson is now a celebrated pastry chef with programmes on interna-tional TV networks.

She will also be at the QIFF Live Cooking Theatre at Hotel Park on March 22 at 10pm and on March 23 at 7.20pm and 9pm.

Anna Olson

Damien Leroux

ELAN Group installs pedestrian bridgeTHE PENINSULA DOHA: ELAN Group completed the installation of the main structure of their first pedestrian bridge in Qatar at a strategic location of Al Matar Street in less than one year after site handover and ahead of schedule.

The new pedestrian bridge will enhance the safety and the comfort of pedestrians in Qatar, by providing a safe crossing on the busy street, and offering convenient services such as mini-shops, ATMs, Vending machines, bicycle tracks and advertising spaces. The bridge is the fruit of a close collaboration between ELAN Group who developed, designed, and financed the construction of the bridge, and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communica-tions, the Ministry of Interior, and the Public Works Authority Ashghal.

The construction of this bridge was carried out as per the latest global construction techniques which were adopted by ELAN Group’s team. The main structure of

the bridge was manufactured at a closed area (factory) so that the construction process does not interfere with traffic and affect people’s interests and lives.

Commenting on the announcement, Abdul Aziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa, Chairman of the ELAN Group, said: “ELAN is adopting a well thought-out approach to beautify cities and provide services that facilitate the lives of citizens and resi-dents on a daily basis. The installation of the first pedes-trian bridge is an achievement at the state’s level. It also reflects our commitment to deliver the pedestrian bridges’ project in accordance with the plan agreed between ELAN Group and the relevant Gov-ernmental Entities. “

Jaber Abdullah Al Ansari, Chief Executive Officer of ELAN Group, said: “ We are proud to announce that the installation of our first pedes-trian bridge at Al Matar Street was completed. We were suc-cessful to implement the project at a record time to provide convenient services to citizens and residents as soon as possible. We are looking forward to the official opening of this bridge at the end of April 2018, a full one year ahead of schedule in the contract.”

The location of the bridge was carefully selected after a detailed study was conducted by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the Min-istry of Transportation and Communications.

A file picture of MESSA’s annual research conference last year.

Masahuru Morimoto

Special offer by NBK on Mercedes-Benz carsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Celebrating the Mothers’ Day, Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, the authorized general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar, has launched a special offer on a wide range of Mercedes-Benz cars. The new offer is the company’s gift to all mothers appreciating their role and effort, and giving more options to their beloved to present them a luxury gift that best expresses their love to their Moms. Mothers’ will be welcomed with flowers and gifts when visiting Mercedes-Benz showroom on Salwa Road during their Day.

The offer allows customers to buy their dream Mercedes-Benz car for an affordable monthly payment of QAR 2018.

The offer includes Mercedes-Benz cars of the classes E 200, A 250, C 180 and C 200, as well as the GLC 250. Customers can now drive away in their own vehicle with the new deal when paying an advanced payment plus the monthly installment of QAR 2018. In addition, customers can benefit from three years war-ranty with unlimited mileage, and flexible internal and bank financing options.

Sheikh Faleh Bin Nawaf Al Thani,

Operations director – Auto, at Nasser Bin Khaled Holding said: “Nasser Bin Khaled Auto-mobiles is proud to launch this offer cele-brating Mothers’ Day, the most precious day on our hearts. This is how NBK Automobiles gives back to the community, offering cus-tomers more options to present their beloved mothers a luxury and valuable gift in their big Day. We will continue to launch promotions

as part of our commitment to our community, to create accessible ways for car enthusiasts to drive such luxury cars in a more affordable way.” The E-Class is the core of Mercedes-Benz brand, and in the past has repeatedly rede-fined the standards in the executive-class segment. Now it carries this tradition into the future with a wealth of top-class innovations that take safety, stress relief and comfort to a new level. It is without doubt the most intel-ligent sedan in the executive class.

The A-Class is the pride of the new gen-eration of Mercedes-Benz sport cars. It’s the ideal automobile for young bold drivers and the vehicle is the perfect companion in eve-ryday life as it offers its occupants even more comfort than before while remaining as dynamic as ever. With its elegant and sporty design, high safety standards, the car is a symbol of power and luxury. The new gener-ation is a vibrant car for a sophisticated urban lifestyle. The A-Class has won accolades in the markets where it was presented.

The C-Class sedan cuts an elegant figure and provides the ultimate in refinement. With an aerodynamic design for even more effi-cient motoring.

Mazda BT-50 Pickup models of 2015-16 recalledTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) announces recall of Mazda BT-50 Pickup models of 2015-2016 because a possible fault in the transmission cable makes it difficult to shift gears

The MEC in collaboration with the National Car Company, dealer of Mazda vehicles in Qatar, has announced the recall of Mazda BT-50 Pickup models of 2015-2016 because a possible fault in the transmission cable makes it difficult to shift gears.

The recall campaign comes within the framework of its ongoing efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs.

The ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will com-municate with customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out.

07WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 HOME

Registration for QF’s research conference opensTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Registration has opened for the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference 2018 (ARC’18), which will be held at Qatar National Convention Centre from March 19-20, under the theme ‘R&D: Focusing on Prior-ities, Delivering Impact’.

This year’s conference – the seventh edition of ARC, which is organised by Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D) – will feature expert-led panel sessions and technical pres-entations related to the four the-matic pillars defined in the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS): Energy and Environment, Computing and Information Tech-nology, Health and Biomedical

and Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities.

The panel sessions will be held on the opening day of ARC’18 alongside a new conference high-light, ‘The Future is Now’, pre-sented by Qatar Science and Tech-nology Park and Singularity Uni-versity (SU). It will feature some of the most in-demand speakers from SU – a global community focused on using rapidly-accel-erating technologies to solve the world’s greatest challenges – and 20 global start-ups showcasing groundbreaking ideas and products. On the conference’s first day, the focus of the program will also turn to global competi-tiveness, with international speakers joining local R&D stake-holders to discuss how to

maximize the role of research and innovation in building a sus-tainable, diversified, and resilient economy in Qatar. The second day of ARC’ 18 will feature a series of interactive sessions centered on the continuing development and updating of the QNRS – of which QF R&D is the custodian – to ensure it guides Qatar’s research community towards developing solutions that address national priorities and have the potential for commercialization.

Almost 1,000 scientific abstracts, consisting of original research focusing on one of the four ARC’18 pillars, were sub-mitted, with 270 being selected for poster presentation and 55 selected for oral presentation fol-lowing review by experts.

Pay for Starz Play through OoredooTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo announced yesterday that its customers can now subscribe and pay for Starz Play, the fastest growing on-demand video streaming service in the MENA region, via their Ooredoo accounts.

Ooredoo customers can pay for a weekly or monthly Starz Play subscription via SMS or the Starz Play app. All post-paid customers weekly/monthly fees will be charged directly to their mobile bill, whilst pre-paid customers will have the fee deducted from their credit balance.

To start a 7-day free trial, Ooredoo customers simply need to send ‘SUB M’ for one month, or ‘SUB W’ for a one-week subscription to 92440, or visit the Starz Play app. Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director of PR and Corporate Communications, Ooredoo, said: “Subscription is quick and easy, and will enable 24/7 access to Starz Play.”

QICCA conference to mark 60th anniversary of New York conventionTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the 3rd International Arbitration Conference will kick off on March 20 under the theme ‘Arbitration between Qatari Law & International Conventions’.

The two-day event is organised by the Qatar Cham-ber’s Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA). QICCA’s

Board Member, Dr H E Sheikh Thani bin Ali bin Saud Al Thani (pictured) said that Qatar is the first country that hosts an extensive conference that marks the 60th anniversary of the issuance of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958), noting that this con-vention is the centrepiece of treaties on arbitration in the world.

This convention enables arbitration awards issued in any country to be executed in

another country.He noted that the con-

ference comes after a year of issuing the Qatar Arbitration Law, pointing out that it will gather 30 prominent speakers, senior world arbitration figures, directors of arbitration centres, consultants, and lawyers. The conference pro-vides a unique forum that brings together prominent international speakers.

The conference’s discus-sions will highlight many topics including the Qatari Arbitration Law and its impact of business

environment, as well as the new trends in rules of national and international arbitration centers and mechanisms of dis-putes settlement in mega projects’ contracts. It also will discuss arbitration in maritime disputes and role of expertise in arbitration.

He noted the conference sessions will review key arbi-tration issues. He hopes that the recommendations announced at the conclusion of the event would uphold arbitration worldwide. It places Qatar in the vanguard of countries

encouraging arbitration through establishing flexible rules which meet the needs of all arbitration parties and manage the arbitration process in effective and neutral manner.

Arbitration is on the top of the alternatives means to the ordinary judiciary, Sheikh Thani said, noting that the con-ference will enable arbitrators to have full knowledge of investment, trade, real estate, construction, energy, finance, industry, marine transport and any other field

Organic festival begins at Lulu HypermarketsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The week-long festival to promote organic and healthy products kicked off at all Lulu Hypermarkets across Qatar.

The festival was jointly inau-gurated by the Ambassador of Ecuador to the State of Qatar Ivonne A-Baki and The Ambas-sador of Sweden to Qatar. Ewa Polano, at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Messila branch on Monday.

The inaugural ceremony was also attended by high-ranking officials from various embassies including, Dana Plesa, Charge d’ Affaires of the Romanian Embassy; Viviana Malvina Sosa, Head of Com-mercial Section of Argentinian Embassy; Ilona Shtrom, Senior Commercial Officer from the US Embassy; Anissa Lahrenche, Senior Commercial Specialist from the US Embassy; Palma Libbote from the Italian Business Council and Shaijan MO, Regional Director of Lulu Group; Shanavas PM, Regional Manager of Lulu Group and many other dignitaries from various sectors.

Lulu has been actively pro-moting organic and healthy

products for the last few years by extending the products range to include everything from fresh produce to packed food and non-food items. Today it sells more than 1200 organic products across many categories sourced both locally and globally to meet the demands of the large cosmo-politan population residing here. A special section is dedicated in all stores specifically to promote this category.

Items on sale include fresh and dry organic food products as well as condiments and oils. These ranges include Yoghurts, Salmon, Rice, Honey, Sauces, Quinoa, Pasta, Coconut Oil, Tea, Vinegar, Juices, Butter, Vege-tables, Meat, Fruits and many more. There is a range of Tex-tiles, which are produced using Organic Cotton sourced from India.

Apart from sourcing locally, Lulu also imports a huge of products through its own offices in the US, UK, Spain, India and the Far East to ensure uninter-rupted supply at the most com-petitive prices. Besides, Organic products are regularly being imported from Holland, France, Italy, Mexico, Chile and Sri Lanka.

This has helped bring sustaina-bility in the market and has helped lower the price barrier to make organic products more affordable.

As part of the promotion, a wide range of organic products

are on promotion and shoppers can sample many products before buying them. The festival will continue for a week with a special display of products country-wise.

The festival, which runs from

12th until 18th of March, is being held simultaneously across all Lulu Hypermarket outlets in Qatar as part of the ongoing Women’s Day Celebrations and offers exciting discount on a wide range of Organic products.

Ambassador of Ecuador to Qatar, Ivonne A-Baki, and Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, Ewa Polano, jointly inaugurating the week-long organic festival at Lulu Hypermarket, Al Messila branch on Monday in the presence of Dana Plesa, Charge d’ Affaires of the Romanian Embassy; Viviana Malvina Sosa, Head of Commercial Section of Argentinian Embassy; Ilona Shtrom, Senior Commercial Officer from the US Embassy; Anissa Lahrenche, Senior Commercial Specialist from the US Embassy; Palma Libbote from the Italian Business Council; Shaijan MO, Regional Director of Lulu Group; Shanavas PM, Regional Manager of Lulu Group; and many other dignitaries.

08 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018HOME / MIDDLE EAST

Naval defence commanders exchange ideas

Qatar & Texas Aggies take part in leadership programTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Texas A&M University at Qatar students and a dozen students from the main campus in the US are currently partici-pating in the annual Student Leadership Exchange Program.

The program which focuses on leadership development across differences in culture,

leadership styles and beliefs through group sessions and activities.

The Qatari students visited the main campus last week to interact with fellow Aggies and learn firsthand about Aggie values and traditions. The jam-packed week in Texas included attending a basketball game, meeting Texas A&M’s mascot,

Reveille, and visiting Kyle Field, Texas A&M’s American football stadium that seats 102,733 people.

Now the Qatari students are hosting their College Station counterparts for a similar week of leadership development, cul-tural exploration, learning and engagement, all while show-casing Education City and Qatar.

Sidra Medicine marks GCC Nurses DayTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Sidra Medicine recognised GCC Nurses Day with staff cele-brations yesterday, highlighting the work of its nursing team to transform care for children, young people and women in Qatar. The occasion was a time to celebrate the important role nurses play as part of multidisciplinary teams at Sidra Medicine and highlight the progress of profiling nursing as a career of choice.

Sidra Medicine Deputy Chief Nursing Officer Deborah Kelly said, “Our goal for nursing at Sidra Medicine is to ensure our patients have access to a world-class nursing and midwifery team. To that end, we have gathered a mul-ticultural team of nurses and nurse practitioners who’ve joined us from all over the world to care for the women and children of Qatar. They are truly the ones who make personalized care possible by getting to know the patient and

their needs better than anyone.”The celebrations, also sought

to highlight the work Sidra Med-icine has undertaken to educate the community about the impor-tance of nursing as a profession and encourage more Qataris to pursue a career in nursing. Awards were also handed out to nurses who exemplified excellence in their roles.

Nurse Nouf Al Kuwari, who was one of the first Qatari nurses to join Sidra Medicine, said: “Becoming a nurse is a privilege.

You are entrusted with returning a person back to health. There’s no greater responsibility and we are starting to see the community in Qatar recognize the value of nursing as a career. My colleagues and I spend a lot of time going to schools and meeting with students and their parents to help dispel any lingering misconceptions and encourage more people to study to become a nurse.”

Together with partners at the University of Calgary in Qatar (UC-Q), Sidra Medicine has been heavily involved in profiling the benefits and opportunities a career in nursing offers. The organization currently sponsors six Qatari students studying at UC-Q as part of the Bedayati Program — a one-year New Graduate Nurse program designed to attract national nurses to Sidra Medicine. It supports the transition of Qatari nurse students to their professional role at Sidra Med-icine. Once onboard, Qatari nurses

embark on a progressive career path, which encourages them to develop, complete their masters and serve by example in pro-moting the role of nurses in healthcare.

Sidra Medicine is also pio-neering the Nurse Practitioner (NP) profession, currently employing 25 NPs from the US and the UK.

NPs, who have earned a

Master’s Degree in Nursing, are able to prescribe medicine, order tests and diagnose conditions in collaboration with the doctor. NPs can also train to perform minor procedures in the operating room.

FROM LEFT: Sidra Medicine Deputy Chief Nursing Officer Deborah Kelly, Nurse Noof Al Kuwari and Clinical Nurse Educator Tricia Tieleman at the event.

‘Qatar possesses best and most modern defence systems’QNA

DOHA: Commander of the Emiri Air Defence Forces Major General H E Hamad Mubarak Al Douai said that Qatar has one of the best air defense systems in the world, pointing out that the emergence of modern air defense forces made it start from the latest Technologies and global developments in this regard and the unlimited support

of the top leadership make them possess the best and most modern defence systems in the world.

The Commander of the Amiri Air Defence Forces said in a press statement on the sidelines of the 6th International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018) that work is under way to implement future projects within the framework of modern-isation and development in arming

and training and enhancing the capabilities of the Air Defence Forces and qualifying its personnel according to the plans and strat-egies of the Qatari Armed Forces.

He noted that the estab-lishment of the Air Defence Training Center in 2016 con-tributed greatly to enhancing the capabilities of air defense per-sonnel. It also graduated a number of batches to join their counterparts

in the other branches of the armed forces, adding that this enhances the various competencies in all dis-ciplines and seeks to reach the highest level of combat capabil-ities and works to achieve mar-itime security and the protection of national borders and economic interests..

He said that the sixth edition of the Doha International Mar-itime Defence Exhibition and

Conference Demidix 2018 is the largest since it was organised for the first time in 2008 in terms of international participations and the number of participating countries and visiting delega-tions, adding that this large expansion in the posts reflects the great confidence in the State of Qatar and its political leadership as well as its role in supporting international and regional

stability and the consolidation of peace in the region. The Com-mander of the Emiri Air Defence Forces noted that the holding of DIMDEX under current circum-stances and the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar represents a major challenge that reflects the extent of the support given by the State to this global event and the efforts exerted by those respon-sible for its organisation.

The occasion was a time to celebrate the important role nurses play as part of multidisciplinary teams at Sidra Medicine and highlight the progress of profiling nursing as a career of choice.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX 2018) yesterday hosted prominent naval defence commanders, thought-leaders and experts from different parts of the world, at the anticipated Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC) titled “Building Capabilities in Challenging Environments through Visionary International Military Cooperation and Defence Engagement”, under the auspices of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, and spon-sored by Raytheon.

The conference, held during the second day of DIMDEX at the Qatar National Convention Centre, offered participating del-egates the opportunity to discuss the importance of long-term stra-tegic planning and potential methods of building military and defence capabilities across the Arabian Gulf, and the Arabian and Red Sea.

The conference saw the par-ticipation of nine navy com-mander speakers including Vice Admiral Valter Girardelli, Chief

of Staff of the Italian Navy; Vice Admiral John C. Aquilino, Com-mander US Naval Forces Central Command US 5th Fleet and Com-bined Maritime Forces; Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Com-manding-In-Chief Western Naval Command; Staff Brigadier (Sea) Tariq Al Obaidli, Head of the International Military Cooper-ation Authority; Dr. Andrew Dorman, Professor of Interna-tional Security , Defence Studies Department at King’s College London; Rear Admiral Didier Piaton, Commander of French Joint Forces in the Indian Ocean; Rear Admiral Roy Sakai, Director General of Operations and Plans Department; Rear Admiral Jaimie C. F. Hatcher, Commander joint Task Force 633; and Rear Admiral (LH) Yavuz Kilic, Head of Pland and Policy Department.

Launching the conference, Major General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Sulaiti, Commander of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces, said: “It is our honour to welcome you all to the Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC), a platform that offers regional naval leaders the oppor-tunity to exchange strategic inter-national collaboration ideas that determines regional policy and

procurement decisions in the maritime defence industry. We hope you enjoy touring exhibition over the next two days, and learn more about the latest security and maritime defence technologies and innovations from across the world.”

In his opening speech, Staff Brigadier Tariq Khalid Al Obaidli, Head of the Military Cooperation Authority and the panel chairman of MENC 2018, said: “This year’s

theme reflects Qatar’s ongoing efforts in becoming a key hub for leading maritime capacity enhancement events and pro-grammes around the world. The Middle East Naval Commanders Conference provides the opportune dialogue platform for the world’s leading maritime defence and security decision makers to discuss the major factors affecting the prospects for international navies and

militaries, as well as the military and maritime industry in the region, and ultimately reach to additional international collab-orations to overcome the chal-lenges facing the region.”

DIMDEX 2018, themed ‘A World-Class Platform for Tech-nology, Maritime & Defence Industry Capabilities‘, is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar,

and hosted and organised by Qatar Armed Forces, over three days until Wednesday (14 March) at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).

With 180 global exhibitors from around the world taking part in this year’s 10th edition across the defence, maritime and security sectors, DIMDEX has earnt its position as one of the most prestigious maritime defence shows in the region.

Dignitaries at the Middle East Naval Commanders Conference yesterday at the DIMDEX 2018.

Baghdad ends air blockade of KurdistanAFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities said yesterday they were lifting a nearly six-month air blockade imposed on Iraqi Kurdistan in response to its holding of an inde-pendence referendum.

Federal authorities imposed the blockade in September after Iraqi Kurdistan voted

overwhelmingly for independence in a non-binding referendum rejected as illegal by the central government. It was extended in December for two months and renewed in February for another possible three months.

Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi said in a statement the air-ports of Kurdish regional capital Arbil and second city

Sulaimaniyah would again be “open to international flights”.

The decision to lift the flight ban was made “after local Kurdish authorities accepted that central authorities retake control of the two airports,” the statement said.

The formal lifting of the blockade will take place in the next few days, Abadi’s spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said.

09WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Turkish forces ‘surround’ Afrin; evacuation onAFP

BEIRUT: Turkey said its army and allied rebels had surrounded the Kurdish city of Afrin in northern Syria, raising the prospect of another devastating siege in the country’s long conflict. With Syria’s war set to enter its eighth year this week, fighting continues on several fronts, including around Afrin and in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, where dozens of civilians including people with medical conditions were evac-uated yesterday.

While attention in recent weeks has focused on a ferocious regime assault on rebel-held Ghouta, in Syria’s north Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels have been advancing in their offensive against the Kurdish enclave of Afrin.

In a statement yesterday, the Turkish military said it had com-pletely encircled Afrin city, home to some 350,000 people and defended by a well-armed Syrian Kurdish militia, the People’s Pro-tection Units (YPG).

Birusk Hasakeh, a YPG spokesman inside Afrin, denied the city had been totally besieged but said the last route leading out of it was being shelled heavily.

“If they do encircle the city, we will be ready for a long fight. We will resist,” he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish forces had moved to within firing range of that last access route, which leads to a pair of regime-held towns — essentially encircling Afrin and 90 villages to its west.

Sealing off Afrin city would be a key step in Turkey’s “Olive Branch” operation, launched on January 20 and aimed at ousting the YPG, a vital partner for a US-backed coalition against the

Islamic State group, but seen by Ankara as “terrorists”.

It remains unclear what Tur-key’s next move will be, but it may lay siege to Afrin while allowing civilians to leave to avoid a high-casualty offensive.

Abu Jaafar, a commander in the pro-Ankara forces waging Operation Olive Branch, said rebels were considering leaving an “exit route” for civilians. “We will allow civilians... to leave so they will not be hurt in case (Kurdish) fighters hold out in the villages, neighbourhoods, or buildings inside Afrin,” he said.

Hundreds of civilians were seen fleeing Afrin on Monday, with cars and buses piled high with personal belongings heading to regime-held areas further east.

Forces loyal to President Bashar Al Assad have meanwhile been pressing an assault to retake Eastern Ghouta, the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus.

Since February 18, Russian-backed regime forces have recaptured more than 60 percent of the enclave, whittling down rebel territory to three isolated pockets. The UN Security Council passed a resolution last month calling for a 30-day truce to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations from the enclave —but the ceasefire demand went unheeded. The area has been

under government siege since 2013, making food scarce and hospitals too strapped to properly treat sick and wounded people.

The UN has said more than 1,000 people in Ghouta were in desperate need of being taken out of the area for medical care.

Yesterday, dozens of civilians, including people with medical conditions, were evac-uated through a “humanitarian corridor” established by the regime and its ally Russia.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent, which was involved in the evacuations, published images of its volunteers carrying an elderly woman into an ambu-lance and pushing an elderly man in a wheelchair.

The Observatory said 150 civilians had exited a pocket of

Ghouta that comprises its largest town Douma and is held by rebel faction Jaish al-Islam. Jaish al-Islam had earlier announced some “critical medical cases” would be evacuated.

More than 1,180 civilians have been reported killed since the Ghouta assault was launched, but international efforts have failed to stop the violence.

Yesterday, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore voiced concern for some 125,000 children trapped in Ghouta.

“Is it not tantamount to a monstrous indifference to the suffering of children that Security Council resolutions for ceasefires are flouted?” Gilmore asked.

The United States presented a new draft resolution to the

Security Council on a ceasefire to halt what France has called a “bloodbath” in Ghouta.

Over 350,000 people have died since Syria’s conflict broke out in 2011. With Russia’s help, Assad has retaken most of the territory he had lost in the early years of the uprising.

Syrian troops have used siege tactics in several areas, sealing off rebel-held territory and pressing a military operation before securing an evacuation deal. The government has reportedly been pursing separate negotiations over Ghouta’s three rebel-held pockets, focused on local truces or potential evacua-tions for rebels and civilians.

Opposition forces have denied negotiating with the regime.

At least 40 dead in Congo clashesREUTERS

GOMA: At least 40 people have been killed in the last 48 hours in ethnic violence in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between Hema cattle herders and Lendu farmers, a local official said on Tuesday.

Fighting between the two groups instigated by Lendu-dominated militia has killed dozens since December. Ten-sions between Hema and Lendu had mostly laid dormant since a 1999-2007 conflict in which tens of thousands of people died.

Local officials and activists have struggled to explain the latest outbreak of violence, but it appears to be motivated by competition over land and an absence of local authorities

capable of arbitrating the dispute.

Civil society leader Jean Bosco Lalu told Reuters that the violence of the past two days appeared to consist of reprisals for earlier killings. A similar number of people died in the latest major clashes two weeks ago.

Violence across Congo has intensified since late 2016, when President Joseph Kabila refused to step down at the end of his constitutional mandate, undermining the legitimacy of the state.

Three warlords involved in the previous Ituri conflict have been tried by the International Criminal Court, and two of them convicted. Another is currently on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

People ride on trucks with their belongings in north-east Afrin, yesterday.

Graduation ceremony Afghanistan female police cadets congratulate each other during their graduation ceremony at Sivas Police Vocational Center Directorate in Sivas, Turkey, yesterday.

Fighting continues on several fronts, including around Afrin and in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, where dozens of civilians including people with medical conditions were evacuated yesterday.

UN: 910 children dead in Syria last yearGENEVA: Nearly 1,000 children were killed and at least 961 children were recruited and used in the conflict in Syria last year, the UN Children Fund (Unicef) said yesterday.

“Last year, the UN ver-ified 910 deaths among children compared with 652 in 2016. Disproportionate attacks in densely populated areas kill a growing pro-portion of children who now account for one quarter of civilian deaths,” Unicef spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said in a news con-ference in Geneva.

At least 961 children were recruited and used in the conflict in 2017, nearly triple the number in 2015, Mercado said. “It is important to note that these are verified numbers. The true figures are certainly much higher,” she added.

According to Unicef, there are now 5.3 million children overall who are in need. Some 2.8 million are internally displaced, 2.6 million children refugees. Over 1.7 million children are out of school, and an addi-tional 1.3 million are at risk of dropping out.

Syrian regime has com-mitted widespread human rights violations and viola-tions of international humanitarian law on children, the UN warned.

Doctors in Zimbabwe go on strikeREUTERS

HARARE: Doctors at public hospitals across Zimbabwe have gone on strike and will not return to work until the government meets their demands for better pay and working conditions, a spokesman for a doctors’ unions said.

The action is the first major labour dispute under President Emmerson Mnan-gagwa, who replaced Robert Mugabe in November and whose biggest challenge is fixing Zimbabwe’s economy ruined by decades of severe mismanagement.

Cash shortages mean banks are forced to limit withdrawals, unemployment remains above 80 percent and the government still

struggles to pay workers on time which prompted fre-quent public sector strike actions under Mugabe. “The main issue we have raised currently is that it does not make sense for us to continue working in hospitals that do not have any drugs or suffi-cient equipment,” said Mxolisi Ngwenya, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), which represents more than 1,000 members.

Junior doctors in Harare went on strike on March 1. As of Monday the labour action had spread to include all public hospitals in the country, Ngwenya said.

The government had not, as agreed four years ago, increased on-call allowances for doctors to $10 an hour

from the current $1.50, and has failed to fulfil other promises for better compen-sation and working condi-tions, Ngwenya said.

Junior doctors, who earn a basic monthly salary of $329 before allowances, according to Ngwenya, were yet to get duty-free vehicles as agreed previously.

In neighbouring South Africa, which attracts the most skilled labour from Zimbabwe, including health workers, junior doctors on internship earned the equiv-alent of $2,834 last year, according to Business Day newspaper.

Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said the gov-ernment was resolving some of the grievances by the doctors and urged them to

return to work while waiting for the outcome of a meeting scheduled for Thursday morning. In the past, the gov-ernment has deployed army medics to work at major public hospitals when junior doctors went on strike.

At Parirenyatwa, the largest public hospital in the capital, Reuters witnessed hospital staff turning away some patients.

A nurse who only iden-tified herself as Eunice said they were overwhelmed without the junior doctors. Most senior doctors run private practices. “I was told to go to a (council) clinic because they don’t consider my condition an emergency,” said Langton Sithole, 39, who said he fractured his arm when he fell from a bicycle.

Ethiopians flee to Kenya after military operationREUTERS

ADDIS ABABA: About 5,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya seeking refuge since March 10, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said, after several civilians were killed in what the Ethiopian military said was a botched security operation targeting militants.

Ethiopian state media reported on Sunday that sol-diers had been deployed to an area near the town of Moyale in Oromiya, a region that borders Kenya, in pursuit of Oromo Liberation Front fighters who had crossed into the country from Kenya.

But faulty intelligence led soldiers to launch an attack that killed nine civilians and injured 12 others, the Ethiopian News Agency said.

In a statement, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said “the population of refugees from Ethiopia continues to increase” and was now estimated at 5,000. Refugees from Ethiopia had begun to arrive in Kenya on March 10, it said, adding that they were mostly women and children, including “pregnant and lactating mothers, chron-ically ill persons, those abled differently and the elderly”.

Some of those fleeing had moved with their livestock, compounding pressure on struggling relief agencies, the Red Cross said. The Oromo Liberation Front is a seces-sionist group which the Ethi-opian government describes as terrorist. Outbreaks of vio-lence have continued in Oromiya province even after Ethiopia declared a six-month, nationwide state of emergency last month following the res-ignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

First listeriosis case reported in Namibia after SA outbreakWINDHOEK: Namibia yesterday reported its first case of listeriosis since an outbreak in neighbouring South Africa erupted at the beginning of last year, killing 183 people so far. A 41-year-old Namibian man was diagnosed with the disease on Monday and is being treated in a hospital in the capital Windhoek, Health Minister Bernard Haufiku said in a statement.

Namibia has banned South African imports of processed meat products, and Haufiku warned Namibians not to eat any items still for sale in the country.

“This is the first case of listeriosis reported in Namibia since the outbreak in neighbouring South Africa,” Haufiku said. “Our surveillance and monitoring systems are in full force.” The victim, whose medical condition was described as stable, bought so-called Vienna sausages in his hometown of Tsumeb, in the north of Namibia. Since January 2017, more than 900 people in South Africa have contracted liste-riosis, which is caused by bacteria.

Dimdex 2018 reflects the immense confidence and trust of participating countries on Qatar’s role in maintaining stability and peace.

People in other countries don’t seem to realise that the number of refugees Turkey has welcomed is bigger than the population of Paris, and it’s more than the population of Berlin.

Climate policy cannot wait, so the task falls to the states. Governors and legislatures that recognise the problem shouldn’t have to bear this burden, but they do. They need, so far as possible, to depoliticise the issue, and lead.

10 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018VIEWS

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Dimdex 2018

Qatar’s pivotal role in sustaining regional and international stability and establishing peace the world over has come to the fore with the opening of the sixth edition of the

Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex 2018), being held under the patronage of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Dimdex is the leading international maritime defence event in the Middle East and North Africa region. Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani opened Dimdex 2018 at the Qatar National Convention Center. The exhibition is organised by Qatar Armed Forces.

Dimdex is a vital platform for exhibitors and vis-itors from around the world to learn about innovative technologies to protect maritime interests in the face of the challenges of the 21st century.

The participation of 180 exhibitors from more than 30 countries, as well as the participation of 80 delegations of senior military figures from more than

60 countries, is a testimony of the high level of confidence the world attaches to Qatar. It reflects the immense confi-dence and trust of participating countries on Qatar’s role in maintaining stability and peace.

The arrival of 11 warships from seven countries — Bang-ladesh, India, Italy, Oman, Pakistan, UK and the US — is a clear indication of the close relations between Qatar and the countries that sent these warships. Moreover, the arrival of warships this year marked an important milestone as the warships anchored for the first time at Hamad Port, which is one of the most important new infrastructure projects in Qatar.

Qatar has made significant progress in the field of armament by owning the latest high-efficiency marine equipment, which will achieve the future vision of the Emiri Naval Forces. The official opening of Barzan Holdings on the sidelines of Dimdex 2018 represents a leading national model in the field of defence, security and military investments.

H E Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, and Chairman of Barzan Holdings, said that Barzan Holdings’ main objective is to meet Qatar’s long-term defence and security needs, and strengthen Qatar’s future by setting a road map for Qatar’s mil-itary and security industries.

The exhibition is a major boost to Doha’s status as a thriving business centre and provides interna-tional companies with new business opportunities as well as familiarise industry leaders with the various aspects of protecting trade routes on which global economies depend. The exhibition, since its launch in 2008, is an international platform for strength-ening relations in the military and defence fields. Qatar continues to support global security and sta-bility in cooperation with all countries and strengthen relations in time to come.

Turkey showed compassion in welcoming refugees

Turkey is welcoming, compas-sionate and eager to involve newly arrived refugees in their businesses and commu-

nities, all over the country, Viorel Gutu, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) representative in Turkey, said on Monday.

The Turkish government and people have shown generosity and compassion in welcoming 3.5 million refugees, he stated in a women’s day event in the capital Ankara. He stressed: “People in other countries

don’t seem to realise that the number of refugees Turkey has welcomed is bigger than the popu-lation of Paris, and it’s more than the popu-lation of Berlin.”

“It is as though the entire popu-lation of my country, Moldova,

were to leave and settle in else-where,” he added. “Syrians now need to look at Turkey as more than just a country of refuge, they need to build lives here, at least for the next couple of years,” he said.

Turkey’s government is keen on finding something that would not restrict refugees to living in Turkey forever, but still provide them the means to make a life here for the time being, he said.

“That’s why FAO developed its Refugee Resilience Plan around training in agriculture and food processing, working with local experts and training organisations to teach skills to those who were keen to learn, whether Syrian or Turkish.”

Hundreds of women have bene-fited from the new skills they have acquired, he highlighted.

He added: “350 Syrian women and 150 Turkish women have been participating in courses ranging from olive and pistachio production to livestock and dairy farming, to mushroom cultivation.”

Turkey’s Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry trained women to acquire the skills that are needed by employers in the region, he under-lined. He added that many of these women were now working in agri-culture in Turkey.

“More importantly, they are earning an income, putting their children through school and are no longer reliant on aid from the gov-ernment or humanitarian agencies.”

“The gender equality must come at the forefront of humanity’s indis-pensable rules,” said Turkish Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Ahmet Esref Fakibaba.

He stated that Turkey was trying to create opportunities for women in every field and women were much more successful especially in agri-culture, livestock and food pro-duction fields. “Cities, the country and the region will get much more developed if opportunities for women increase,” he added.

Turkey, where several refugees live from all around the world, hosts 3.54 million Syrian refugees.

The country came in second after the US among countries that con-tributed the most humanitarian aid in 2016 and it ranks first if one takes into account national incomes, according to Development Initiative’s Global Humanitarian Assistance Report.

DILARA ZENGIN & MEHTAP YILMAZ

ANATOLIA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The children of Eastern Ghouta, and elsewhere

in Syria, are likely the victims of war crimes, and potentially crimes against humanity. The

scale, scope and gravity of crimes committed against children are

shocking.

Kate Gilmore UN’s Deputy High Commissioner

for Human Rights

States must get the politics out of climate change

As the North Pole warms to above-freezing tempera-tures in mid-winter,

ice sheets melt and sea levels surge, the Washington state legislature has abandoned, for now, its plan to tax carbon dioxide emissions. The news is especially discouraging because Washington is the only state that’s come close to passing such a tax — the strongest weapon against climate change.

Gov. Jay Inslee, D, had been determined to get the measure through, and had a lot of support in the state senate. But

such is the political toxicity of an energy tax, he couldn’t get enough votes.

Not yet, anyway. Wash-ington state is not giving up: There’s talk of putting the issue to voters again. And there are signs of movement elsewhere too. Seven other states plus the District of Columbia are debating carbon-tax legislation. Cali-fornia has recently extended its cap-and-trade program — which puts a price on carbon emissions, if indirectly — and the Oregon legislature is con-sidering doing the same.

Perhaps the accumulating concrete signs of climate change are helping people recognise the need to act. But stronger leadership is also needed to get state carbon taxes across the finish line. What’s needed most is to get this issue out of partisan pol-itics, where it never belonged.

There’s nothing left or right about seeing that lower emis-sions are essential to insure against the possibility of extreme warming, sea-level

rise and severe weather patterns.

Carbon taxes, moreover, should appeal to Republicans as much as Democrats, for two reasons. First, they make it possible to reduce emis-sions with a minimum of government intervention. Put a price on carbon pol-lution that accounts for the damage it inflicts, and the market can be left to work out the most efficient ways to dial it back.

Second, the revenue can be used to reduce other taxes. (The legislation in Washington was not revenue-neutral, which may explain why it failed to draw Republican support.)

Right now, Congress is par-alysed and the White House is testing the limits of dys-function. Climate policy cannot wait, so the task falls to the states. Governors and legisla-tures that recognise the problem shouldn’t have to bear this burden, but they do. They need, so far as possible, to depoliticise the issue, and lead.

BLOOMBERG

Turkey, where several refugees live from all around the world, hosts 3.54 million Syrian refugees. The country came in second after the US among countries that contributed the most humanitarian aid in 2016 and it ranks first if one takes into account national incomes, according to Development Initiative’s Global Humanitarian Assistance Report.

11WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 OPINION

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Why Kim Jong-Unis talking peace

Could Britain hold the answer to Europe’s woes?

DAVID VON DREHLE

THE WASHINGTON POST

NICK DEARDEN

AL JAZEERA

With the announcement of a summit between North and South Korean leaders as a

possible prelude to talks with the Trump administration, Kim has maneuvered within view of a victory his forefathers only dreamed of: membership in the world com-munity, on North Korea’s terms. Many things can still go wrong. But his path forward seems pretty clear.

Step one is his rapidly advancing rapprochement with South Korea. The collapse last year of the con-servative government in Seoul pro-duced a new South Korean pres-ident, Moon Jae-in, who favors better relations with North Korea. Kim responded by rushing to com-

plete testing of his intercontinental ballistic missile in time for an osten-tatious peace overture tied to the Winter Olympics near the demilita-rised zone.

That led, in turn, to a rare visit by emissaries of the South Korean president to Pyongyang. They returned to Seoul on Tuesday with plans for the late-April meeting - and what appears to be Kim’s next gambit. According to Moon’s national security director, the North Koreans offered a moratorium on further nuclear and missile tests in exchange for “heart-to-heart” talks with the United States. The Kim regime also dangled the idea of giving up its nukes entirely if North Ko-rea’s safety and sovereignty are guaranteed.

“We will see what happens,” President Donald Trump tweeted, with commendable caution. As he weighs his options, he’s sure to hear from critics of new talks between Washington and Pyongyang. Many of them will cite the example of Lucy van Pelt and Charlie Brown’s football. The Kim family has a long track record of promising changes, then snatching them away.

But it’s hard to see that Trump has much choice. The alternative to dangling carrots of safety and sov-ereignty is to wield the military stick, but this particular stick is in South Korea. Swinging it requires help from our allies on the front lines. Yet Seoul is not on board.

Kim appears to understand that the United States can hardly expose South Korea to a potentially apoca-lyptic war without support from Moon. To do so would court disaster diplomatically, eco-nomically and militarily.

Thus Kim’s thaw with South Korea will likely lead to new talks eventually. When that happens, at least three important facts will be materially different from the last time Lucy got the ball.

First, North Korea’s nukes are an accomplished reality, no longer a possibility to be averted. As appalling as it is to ackno-wledge this, Kim’s negotiating position is much stronger now. He can aim for a lasting settlement rather than temporary breathing room.

Second, Kim has in neighboring China a model for his own future. His family has always believed that modernization threatens their grip on power, so they sealed it out, making theirs a Hermit Kingdom. But Xi Jinping, the Chinese premier, is attempting to prove that eco-nomic liberaliza-tion can coexist with political dictatorship. Kim may conclude that he can maintain power with-out utterly isolating his country.

Third, Kim has on the horizon a prospect for greater security than

ever before. It looks like this: Vladimir Putin is champing at the bit to build a natural gas pipeline through North Korea to sup-ply the energy-hungry dynamo to the south. America’s fracking revolution has put tremendous pressure on Russia’s state-owned Gazprom to find new customers for piped gas, which is cheaper than U.S. gas that must be liquefied for oceanic shipping. South Korea is an espe-cially tantalising market.

Putin was sidetracked by Kim’s decision to weaponise his nuclear capability, and the internation-al sanctions that followed. But if talks with the United States clear away the most severe re-strictions, Putin’s pipeline project will surely be resurrected.

And if completed, the pipeline will constitute a major strategic Russian asset running right through the middle of North Korea — enough insurance against a US attack that Kim could afford to mothball his own nukes to shel-ter under the Russian umbrella.

These facts point to a possible solution of the nuclear standoff. Further provocation gains Kim nothing. But his past outrages have put him in a new position, poten-tially able to turn the page.

On the other hand, the prospect of a normalised North Korea under-lines the longer-term challenge for the United States. Would de-esca-lation erode the rationale for American bases in the south?

China and Russia would cer-tainly be happy to see us leave. And happiest of all would be Kim Jong-Un — reckless, dangerous, ruthless Kim — the madman who just might be crazy like a fox.

The author writes a twice-weekly column for The Post. He was previ-ously an editor-at-large for Time Magazine, and is the author of four books, including “Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s Most Perilous Year” and “Triangle: The Fire That Changed

For over 40 years, Britain has pushed extreme, free-market policies in the European Union (EU). While

the EU has delivered, for Britain, better workers’ rights, cleaner air and water, and more enforceable human rights, Britain has consist-ently argued against the regulation of big business and big finance and against better social protection.

While enjoying special privi-leges and rebates, Britain consist-ently argued for opt-outs, believing it was an exceptional member of the EU, too good for the rules that apply to everyone else. David Cam-eron’s pre-referendum negotia-tions wanted more exemptions, which would have allowed it to crack down on migrants’ rights, protect the City of London’s financial excesses and drive deregulation.

So it might seem strange to suggest Britain could help save the EU from the existential crisis it finds itself in — a crisis caused by too many years of kowtowing to big business, deregulation and stripping

back the welfare state. Even more so, given that Britain is set to leave the EU in 12 months’ time. Yet this is exactly what a group of Labour Party activists posit in a new report released on March 8, “The Corbyn moment and European Socialism”.

The argument is made by Another Europe is Possible, backed by supporters of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, like Julie Ward, MEP, and union leader Manuel Cortes. They urge Corbyn to commit to remaining in the EU if he wins the next election, and working with allies to push a series of dramatic reforms to transform the EU.

They argue that Britain cannot tackle the power of big business on its own, and, indeed, a future Labour government locked into hard Brexit would be beset by economic and political chaos, caused by Britain pulling out of Europe, falling prey to financial destabilisation and to bul-lying by big business and Donald Trump.

On the other hand, the election of a left-wing government inside the

EU could promote radical reform across Europe, including reform of the EU institutions, harmonisation of corporation tax, clamping down on tax avoidance, regulating banks, introducing a financial transaction tax, protecting migrant workers while strengthening trade unions, and opening up legal routes into Europe for migrants.

Is it really serious to think Britain could play an important role in making Europe fairer?

Britain’s political system is in chaos as a result of the referendum in 2016, but this shouldn’t blind us to the deep crisis across the EU. Fas-cists, spouting anti-migrant rhetoric, are on the march throughout Europe. Italy’s elections showed the anti-establishment, populist Five Star Movement trouncing the social democrats.

The German social democrats faced an awful decision: a coalition with the centre-right, a strategy which has caused their loss of popu-larity, or causing another election and letting the increasingly fascistic AFD get one step closer to power. They chose the former, and are daily haemorrhaging support.

Elsewhere, Greece, pushed into depression by the European institu-tions, continues to suffer a depression more severe and longer-lasting than that experienced by the US in the 1930s. From north to south, east to west, people are angry and desperate after 40 years of anti-social, free-market economics which hollowed out communities and disenfranchised citizens.

We are in a political crisis deeper than any in a generation. Brexit and Trump will be only the beginning of a dark descent, unless radical reform is enacted. Control must be handed back to people at a local level, but the nation-state is not a modern answer to our problems. Within our current economic system, nation-states will ferociously compete, undercutting and blaming each other for their common problems. That’s the history of the last century.

A radically transformed EU,

On the other hand, the prospect of a normalised North Korea underlines the longer-term challenge for the United States. Would de-escalation erode the rationale for American bases in the south?

however, is a political unit which could replace rule by multina-tional corporations with rule by citizens, tackle climate change by ending its exploitation of the world’s resources for profit, and create a fairer world of peace and collaboration.

Another point is this: there is a bigger chance of really big change in Britain than we’ve ever seen. That change is needed across Europe. If we remain in the EU, a radical government could light the spark of transformation across our continent.

The writer is the director of UK campaigning organisation Global Justice Now.

The election of a left-wing government inside the EU could promote radical reform across Europe, including reform of the EU institutions, harmonisation of corporation tax, clamping down on tax avoidance, regulating banks, introducing a financial transaction tax, protecting migrant workers while strengthening trade unions, and opening up legal routes into Europe for migrants.

12 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018ASIA

Officials opening the showroom of Joyalukkas in Amritsar, Punjab.

AMRITSAR: The world’s favourite jeweller Joyalukkas opened their showroom in Amritsar, Punjab.

The showroom was inaugu-rated by Karamjit Singh Sandhu (Mayor of Amritsar) in the presence of P D Francis (DGM Retail) and other dignitaries.

The showroom was opened amid fanfare and great reception from residents recently.

Attended by local dignitaries and senior Joyalukkas officials, the grand launch ceremony was a resounding success, with crowds pouring in to explore this great new addition to one of India’s most visited destinations.

“We could not have expected

a warmer welcome than the one we receive at Amritsar,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman and MD of Joyalukkas Group.

“It is a great pleasure to be here and we look forward to serving its residents and tourists alike with our very best, for years to come.”

Joyalukkas Amritsar show-cases a million traditional and contemporary designs from the world’s best artisans. From handcrafted temple jewellery to the latest trends, jewellery lovers can find the finest selection here.

The showroom also carries two of Joyalukkas’s newest diamond lines, 7 Wonders Daily Wear and Iris Colourful Diamond

Jewellery, as well as the Brand’s most-sought after collections Veda, Pride Diamonds, Eleganza, Masaaki Pearls, Zenina, Apurva and Li’l Joy.

Joyalukkas Group is a multi-billion dollar global conglom-erate, with varied business interests. The group operates its various business operations across the Gulf states, Singapore, Malaysia, UK and India.

The group businesses include Jewellery, Money Exchange, Fashion & Silks, Malls and Realty. Joyalukkas employs over 8,000 professionals across the world, and is one of the most awarded and recognised Jew-ellery retail chains in the world.

US-Bangla Airlines defends pilots

Crowds throng newly-opened Joyalukkas showroom in Amritsar

REUTERS

KATHMANDU: A Bangladeshi airline said yesterday its two pilots aboard the plane that crashed in Nepal killing 49 people had both received special training to land at Kathmandu airport and had successfully handled previous flights.

The airline and airport authorities in Kathmandu have blamed each other in the aftermath of Monday’s disaster, the Himalayan nation’s worst

since the 1992 crash of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft killed 167 people.

Flight operator US-Bangla Airlines said it was too early to blame anyone, after a transcript of the pilots’ radio conversation with ground control in Kath-mandu revealed confusion over the designated runway.

Captain Abid Sultan and co-pilot Prithula Rashid died when their plane crashed short of the runway, broke into pieces and caught fire, officials said.

“Sultan was experienced, quite familiar with the airfield and the aircraft,” US-Bangla spokesman Kamrul Islam said. “Rashid was also specially trained to make landings at the airport. This is mandatory for any pilot to fly over there. She also made landings at the airport before.” Investigators have retrieved the flight data recorder from the wreckage, said Raj Kumar Chettri, the airport’s general manager, and an investigation had begun into the cause of the crash.

Family members of the US-Bangla Airline crash victims mourn at a hospital in Kathmandu yesterday.

Nepal President elected for second termAFP

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s lawmakers yesterday elected President Bidya Bhandari for a second term, extending the tenure of the Himalayan nation’s first female head of state for another five years.

Bhandari took nearly two-thirds of the vote to retain her position as ceremonial head of state, the election commission confirmed. Bhandari, who was backed by the ruling Communist bloc, was widely expected to defeat her sole opponent. Her first five years in office have been largely uncontroversial.

Critics say she has not done enough to advance women’s rights in deeply patriarchal Nepal — though her role is largely cer-emonial. The 56-year-old took up politics in her teens, joining

the fight to overturn the monar-chy’s centuries-long rule and later marrying a fellow com-munist, Madan Bhandari.

It was after her husband’s death in a mysterious car accident in 1993 that the mother of two became a prominent voice, riding a wave of sympathy to win a seat in parliament.

As Nepal’s political map was being redrawn after the end of the brutal Maoist insurgency in 2006 and overthrow of the king two years later, Bhandari cam-paigned hard to bring woman’s voices to parliament.

She was first elected pres-ident in 2015, shortly after Nepal’s post-war constitution was passed, which carves out one-third of seats in parliament for woman and mandates that either the president or vice president must be a woman.

Top leaders attend dinner hosted by UPA chairperson IANS

NEW DELHI: Reflecting a possible line-up against BJP, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Trinamool Congress’ Sudip Bandyopadhyay and DMK’s Kanimozhi were among the leaders of 19 parties who attended a dinner hosted by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence yesterday.

Considerable significance is being attached to the dinner in the midst of speculation about the political realignment that could take place ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

Leaders who attended the dinner also included National Con-ference leader Omar Abdullah, Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Satish Chandra Misra, All India United Democratic Front’s Badrauddin Ajmal, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Misa Bharti and Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Hemant Soren, Communist Party of India-Marxist’s Mohammad Salim, and Communist Party of India’s D Raja.

IUML’s P K Kunhalikutty, Kerala Congress-Mani’ Jose K. Mani, Jharkhand Vikas

Morcha-Prajatantrik’s Babulal Marandi, Revolutionary Socialist Party’s N K Premachandran, veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Ajit Singh and Janata Dal-Secular’s Kupendra Reddy were also present as was Hindustan Awam Morcha leader Jiten Ram Majhi.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of Oppo-sition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Ahmed Patel, A K Antony, and Randeep Singh

Surjewala. Sonia Gandhi took the lead for the get together even after Rahul Gandhi has taken over as the Congress President in December last year with the feeling in the opposition that senior leaders would show deference to her more than to her son.

This dinner is also significant in the context of moves by regional parties like the Tel-angana Rashtra Samiti and the Telugu Desam Party which have attacked BJP in the recent past and are said to be jockeying for a third front of parties against the BJP and Congress.

SC extends Aadhaar linking deadlineNEW DELHI: The Supreme Court yesterday extended the deadline for linking of various services with Aadhaar till it delivers its judgment on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the biometrical identification scheme.

Announcing the order, a five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, however said that this extension will not affect the linking of Aadhaar with the dis-bursal of benefits under social welfare schemes.

“We direct that the interim order passed on December 15, 2017 shall stand extended till the matter is finally heard and the judgment is pronounced,” the court said in its order.

The court also directed that its interim order “shall also control and govern the Passports (1st Amendment) Rules, 2018” which insisted on Aadhaar iden-tification for getting passports under the ‘Tatkal’ scheme.

The order came as senior counsel Arvind Datar, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the court that passport issuing authorities have made sub-mission of Aadhaar mandatory for issuance of passports.

At this point, Attorney General K K Venugopal sought to clarify that this requirement of Aadhaar was only for issuance of ‘tatkal’ passports.

The current deadline for linking of bank accounts, mobile phone connections, and other

services with Aadhaar was March 31 and this had been extended by the apex court on December 15 last year.

As Chief Justice Misra said that their interim order stands extended, the Attorney General told the court that the government was prepared to extend the deadline in the last week of March as arguments in the matter would have concluded by then.

“We were prepared for extension in last week of March,” he told the court in a bid to stall the extension.

The constitution bench, which also includes Justice A K Sikri, Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Ashok Bhushan, had on March 7 ruled that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will not insist on Aadhaar-only identification for NEET and other all-India examinations.

Earlier in the course of the arguments, senior counsel P Chidambaram told the court that it could look into the decision of the Lok Sabha Speaker in allowing Aadhaar Bill to be tabled as a Money Bill.

Noting that under the Con-stitution’s Article 122, the decision of the Speaker that a Bill is a Money Bill was “final” and mere procedural irregularities would not stand in the way of the decision, he argued that the Speaker’s decision was final only in respect of Lok Sabha and does not interdict the court from looking at it if the decision is coupled with illegality and unconstitutionality.

Appearing for Congress’s Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh who has challenged the introduction of Aadhaar Bill as Money Bill, Chidambaram, who continued his arguments from the last hearing on March 7, said that to declare a bill as a Money Bill even though it is not was a procedure that violated the Con-stitution’s basis structure, thus the power of judicial review is not taken away.

He told the court that declaring as Bill as a Money Bill strikes at the root of federalism as it eclipses the powers of the Rajya Sabha which represents the collective wisdom of the states.

Telling the court that when a Bill goes beyond the provisions of Article 110, it besmears a Finance Bill and Money Bill is a “very narrow small text of the Finance Bill”, Chidambaram said that by declaring Aadhaar Act as a Money Bill not only denuded Rajya Sabha of its power to scrutinise the Aadhaar Bill, but took away the power of the President to return a Bill for reconsideration.

IANS A five-judge constitution bench said that this extension will not affect the linking of Aadhaar with the disbursal of benefits under social welfare schemes.

India bans foreign law firmsIANS

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court yesterday said that foreign law firms cannot set up offices in India but their lawyers could visit in ‘fly in and fly out’ mode to give legal advice on foreign laws to clients, which would be casual in nature.

Holding that the “... foreign law firms/companies or foreign lawyers cannot practice pro-fession of law in India, either in the litigation or in non-litigation side”, a bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said: “We hold that the expression “fly in and fly out” will only cover a casual visit not amounting to “practice”.

The court said that foreign lawyers could, however, come to the country and participate in international commercial arbitration but they have no “absolute right” to do so.

Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Goel said: “We hold that there is no absolute right of the

foreign lawyer to conduct arbi-tration proceedings in respect of disputes arising out of a con-tract relating to international commercial arbitration.”

The court said: “If the Rules of Institutional Arbi-tration apply or the matter is covered by the provisions of the Arbitration Act, foreign lawyers may not be debarred from conducting arbitration proceedings arising out of international commercial arbitration in view of Sections 32 and 33 of the Advocates Act.”

However, the court said, foreign lawyers would be “governed by the code of conduct applicable to the legal profession in India”, even as it gave liberty to the Bar Council of India and the Centre to frame rules in this regard. The top court modified the February 12, 2012, oder of the Madras High Court that dealt with Business Process Outsourcing companies.

Sri Lankan govturged to lift banon social media AP

COLOMBO: After a weeklong shutdown of popular social media networks, journalists and rights activists are demanding the Sri Lankan government to lift the censorship now that anti-Muslim violence has eased.

Freddie Gamage of the Pro-fessional Web Journalists’ Asso-ciation said the government could have used existing laws to prevent spreading of hate speech and punished those instigating violence, instead of blocking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

He told reporters the gov-ernment action is unac-ceptable and a move toward a censorship of the media.

Lawyer and activist Praboda Rathnayaka said those spreading hate speech could be arrested under existing law and the govern-ment’s move to block social media has violated the fun-damental rights of the people.

The government imposed a state of emergency last week and shut down popular social media networks to block the spread of rumours leading to tensions and attacks.

13WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 ASIA

Sharif’s brother takes charge of ruling partyAFP

ISLAMABAD: The brother of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif formally took charge of the country’s ruling party yesterday, a day after being outmanoeuvred in elections for Senate chairman - sparking accu-sations of foul play.

The debacle at the Senate was the latest blow to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) following a string of court decisions targeting the party - including the removal of Nawaz from the premiership for graft in July.

Despite the loss at the Senate, newly minted PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif appeared upbeat during a rowdy party meeting in Islamabad, praising his brother’s leadership ahead of general elec-tions due later year.

“Nobody including me can imagine taking the place of

Nawaz Sharif,” Shahbaz told a roaring crowd chanting party slogans.

In late February, the party cleared the way for Shahbaz’s promotion to head the PML-N, spurring renewed speculation that he would be its choice for prime minister if it prevailed at the polls.

The younger Sharif, currently

chief minister of powerful Punjab province, is seen as a political deal-maker, with many crediting him for successive by-election victories since his brother was ousted. But he faces steep chal-lenges after the party’s candidate lost in the race to lead the upper house just weeks after winning the largest number of seats in the Senate.

The PML-N cried foul, fol-lowing an unlikely alliance forged by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan People’s Party.

Independent candidate Sadiq Sanjrani - a relatively unknown figure - secured 57 votes in the 104-seat house in the secret ballot, triggering veiled accusa-tions that Pakistan’s powerful security establishment had a hand in the outcome.

“Being herded like sheep and goats, the nation has seen your real face today,” tweeted

Nawaz’s daughter Maryam. The Sharif clan and their

supporters have repeatedly denied allegations of corruption,

suggesting Nawaz is the victim of a conspiracy driven by the military.

Despite the court rulings

against the PML-N, the party will likely remain a force at the polls after whipping its rivals in con-secutive by-elections.

Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province Shahbaz Sharif (left), embraces his brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif (centre) while Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, looks on, after being elected President of ruling PML-N at the General Workers Council in Islamabad, yesterday.

Elements of Taliban open to talks, says Mattis in KabulAFP

KABUL: Elements of the Taliban are open to talks with the Afghan government, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said yesterday as he arrived in Kabul on an unannounced visit.

Mattis flew into the war-torn city two weeks after Afghan Pres-ident Ashraf Ghani unveiled a plan to open peace talks with the Taliban, Afghanistan’s biggest militant group.

The insurgents have so far given no formal response to Kabul’s offer for negotiations, but Mattis said some Taliban leaders have expressed an interest in the discussions.

“It may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop, that would be a bridge too far, but there are elements of the Taliban clearly interested in talking to the Afghan gov-ernment,” he told reporters aboard a military jet.

Ghani’s peace plan includes eventually recognising the Taliban as a political party.

The group has said it is pre-pared to negotiate, but only with the United States and not with the Kabul government.

The Taliban last week described the Afghan government

as “illegitimate” and its peace process efforts as “deceptive”, in a statement calling for a boycott of an Islamic scholars’ conference in Jakarta.

“Right now we want the Afghans to lead and to provide the substance of the reconcili-ation effort,” Mattis said.

Brigadier General Michael

Fenzel, planning director for Nato’s mission in Afghanistan, said he had seen plenty of signals that some among the Taliban were willing to negotiate. “In each one of our areas, there are groups of 10 and 20 that are coming in, not wanting to be a part of the Taliban any longer,” Fenzel told reporters.

Thanks to the political process, Mattis said America was now looking towards victory in Afghanistan after more than 16 years of conflict. “What does that victory look like? It’s a country whose own people and their own security forces handle law enforcement and any threats ... certainly with international

support for some years to come,” he said.

The US has renewed its focus on Afghanistan after years of draw downs under former pres-ident Barack Obama and talk by top US generals of “not winning” and of a “stalemate” in the seem-ingly intractable conflict.

“It’s all working to achieve a political reconciliation, not a mil-itary victory,” Mattis said. “The victory will be a political reconciliation.”

As part of the so-called South Asia Strategy, President Donald Trump last year ordered the increased bombing of Taliban targets - including drug-making labs and training camps. More than 3,000 additional US forces have also arrived in Afghanistan to boost the training and advising of local troops.

Approximately 14,000 American forces are currently in Afghanistan, up from a low of about 8,500 when Obama left office. Trump’s strategy has been a “game changer” for Afghan-istan, Ghani told Mattis in a meeting at presidential palace.

“It has forced every actor to re-examine their assumptions. Some of that re-examination is likely to lead to the intensification of conflict in the short term but

the re-examination is what the people of Afghanistan have been waiting for 40 years,” he said.

Ghani’s offer of peace talks comes as civilian casualties have soared in recent months, with the Taliban increasingly targeting towns and cities in response to Trump’s more aggressive military policy.

The Taliban claimed 472 attacks in January alone, the Washington-based terrorism research group TRAC said -- an astonishing number given that the traditional fighting season does not usually start until freezing temperatures have sub-sided in the spring.

Mattis said the jump in attacks on civilians was an indi-cation that a pressured Taliban is unable to conduct broader, ground-taking operations.

The Afghan security forces were able to stop some attacks, Mattis said, though he noted he wanted to see them shift to a more “offensive mindset” in the coming months.

Mattis’s surprise Afghan visit, his third as Pentagon chief, was kept under tight wraps after a security incident during his last trip in September, when insur-gents shelled Kabul’s airport hours after he arrived.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis (centre) walks with US General John Nicholson (centre right) at the Resolute Support Mission headquarters on an unannounced visit to Kabul, yesterday.

Pakistan’s Apex Court indicts minister in contempt caseAP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court has indicted a minister in a contempt case for critical speeches he made after the court disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for concealing assets.

Danyal Aziz, a ruling Pakistan Muslim League party leader and minister for pri-vatization, pleaded not guilty yesterday.

The Supreme Court had taken notice of speeches made by Aziz last year and he was charged with accusing the court of bias against Sharif and saving opposition leader and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan from disqualification. The court set a hearing for March 26 for witness testimony.

Earlier this year, the court sent ruling party Senator Nihal Hashmi to prison for a month for speaking against the judiciary.

The court disqualified Sharif last year on charges stemming from leaked papers from a Panama law firm.

US hands over six spy drones to PhilippinesREUTERS

MANILA: The United States handed over six surveillance drones to its ally the Philippines yesterday, as part of efforts to boost its ability to tackle a growing threat from Islamist militants and to respond to natural disasters.

The six Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drones, which have two cameras and can operate for up to 24 hours on a single run, were financed through a $13.7 million grant from Washington’s foreign military assistance pro-gramme. It follows the transfer of two single-engine surveillance planes last year.

The Philippines plans to deploy the drones for surveil-lance against militants and pirates, and for surveying the aftermath of disasters like typhoons, mud-slides and earthquakes. “This acquisition of ScanEagle is one way to mod-ernize the military to deter

those who want to wage war against our country,” Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said at a ceremony at a Manila air force base, attended by the US ambassador.

“This collaboration is also an indication of the Philippines and the United States’ goodwill, deep friendship and genuine commitment to peace.”

The US is the most important military partner of the Philippines, with a decades-old treaty alliance and numerous pacts that enable rotational deployment of US troops and annual joint exercises. However, ties have been tested by President Rodrigo Duterte’s hostility towards the United States.

Nevertheless, the US mil-itary provided technical support and surveillance vital in helping the Philippines end a five-month occupation of Marawi City by pro-Islamic State rebels last year.

Australia to stress international law in South China Sea disputeREUTERS

SYDNEY: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will hail the role of international law in settling regional conflicts, comments apparently aimed at bolstering Australian efforts to build a coalition against Chinese assertiveness.

Bishop, in a speech ahead of a special meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in Sydney, will not name China but will argue that interna-tional law will stabilise a region strained by rival claims in the South China Sea.

“The rules-based order is designed to regulate behaviour and rivalries of and between states, and ensure countries compete fairly and in a way that does not threaten others or destabilise their region or the world,” the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will say in Sydney, according to a leaked draft of the speech seen by the Australian Financial Review.

“It places limitations on the extent to which countries use their economic or military

power to impose unfair agree-ments on less powerful nations.”

China claims most of the South China Sea, an important trade route which is believed to contain large quantities of oil and natural gas, and has been building artificial islands on reefs, some with ports and air strips.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, all of which are members of Asean, and Taiwan also have claims in the sea.

Australia, a staunch US ally with no claim to the South China Sea, has long maintained its neutrality on the dispute to protect economic relationship with China.

But with Australia’s rela-tions with China souring in recent months, Bishop’s comment underscore a new Australian tactic.

“Australia is trying to get Asean on side with the notion that China is a rule-breaker that everyone would be better served by abiding by,” said Nick Bisley, professor of interna-tional relations at Melbourne’s La Trobe University.

“If it can get Asean to use

that language, it will strengthen A u s t r a l i a ’ s p o s i t i o n considerably.”

Asean countries and China in August begun talks to develop a code of conduct for the South China Sea, though a deal is unlikely before 2019, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in February.

The issue of the South China Sea is set to dominate the unofficial agenda of a special three-day meeting of Asean countries and Australia beginning on Friday.

Officially, the summit will focus on fostering closer eco-nomic ties among the 10 members the Asean countries and Australia, and countering the threat of Islamist militants returning to the region from the Middle East.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to travel to Sydney.

She will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is under pressure to publicly condemn the deaths and expulsion of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myan-mar’s Rakhine State over recent months.

Despite the loss at the Senate, newly minted PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif appeared upbeat during a rowdy party meeting in Islamabad, praising his brother’s leadership ahead of general elections due later year.

Diplomacy

14 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018ASIA

Xi calls for ‘smooth’ Kim-Trump talksAFP

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping hopes “smooth” talks between North Korea’s leader and the presidents of the United States and South Korea can produce progress towards Pyongyang’s denuclearisation, according to state media.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting Monday with South Korea’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, who was in Beijing to brief Chinese leaders about his meetings with Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump last week.

Kim has agreed to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in late April in the Demilita-rized Zone, while Trump and the North Korean leader could meet by the end of May.

“We expect a smooth DPRK-ROK summit and DPRK-US dia-logue,” Xi said, using the acronyms for North Korea and South Korea, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Xi voiced hope that the talks will lead to “substantial progress” in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and toward the normalisation of relations between the countries involved.

The peninsula faces “an important opportunity for easing tension” and all sides should be “patient and cautious”, the Chinese leader said.

Xi said China is willing to work with the international com-munity to promote Beijing’s “dual-track approach” along with “helpful proposals from all sides”.

China has called for a dual framework of committing to denuclearisation while estab-lishing a peace mechanism. It has also proposed a “suspension-for-suspension” plan in which the United States, South Korea and Japan freeze military drills in return for North Korea halting its nuclear and missile tests.

“As long as all parties can focus on the fundamental goal of denuclearisation, peace and sta-bility, the Korean peninsula will finally usher in the spring, when ice will thaw and flowers will bloom,” Xi said.

For his part, Chung thanked Xi for his “big role” in the diplo-matic process that led to the “very positive changes”.

Beijing has played a key role in implementing UN sanctions on

the North, which are believed to have put immense pressure on the country’s fragile economy.

China is North Korea’s only diplomatic ally and its most important trade partner.

Still, some in China are afraid the country, which hosted failed six-nation talks on the nuclear issue a decade ago, could be cut out of negotiations on denuclear-ising the Korean peninsula.

While Chung briefed Xi,

South Korea sent the head of its National Intelligence Service, Suh Hoon, to Japan to meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Abe, a hawk on North Korea who also has tense relations with the South’s Moon, promised yes-terday to cooperate with Seoul as it embarks on the bilateral summit talks.

He reiterated that Japan also felt passionate about resolving the issue of the abductions of its

citizens by Pyongyang. North Korean agents kid-

napped a number of ordinary Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s, in order to train its spies in the Japanese language and culture. “With Japan, South Korea and the United States closely cooperating, I wish to put all my strength toward resolution of the nuclear issue, the missile issue and the abduction issue,” Abe said.

Premier Li Keqiang (right) covers his face as he and China’s President Xi Jinping attend the fourth plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing yesterday.

Bali to shush social media for Day of SilenceAP

BALI, INDONESIA: Bali’s annual Day of Silence is so sacred that even reaching for a smart phone to send a tweet or upload a selfie to social media could cause offense. This year it will be nearly impossible to do that anyway.

The head of the Bali office of Indonesia’s Ministry of Com-munications, Nyoman Sujaya, said yesterday that all phone companies have agreed to shut down the mobile Internet for 24 hours during “Nyepi,” a day marking New Year on the pre-dominantly Hindu island. This means smart phones won’t connect to the Internet, shutting off access to social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram and instant messaging apps.

“Let’s rest a day, free from the Internet to feel the calm of the mind,” said Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, head of the Indonesian Hinduism Society. “Many Hindu people are addicted to gadgets,” he said. “I hope during Nyepi they can be introspective.”

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and First Lady Jayanthi Sirisena posing with Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko upon their arrival at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday.

Mahathir says he can win a fair election but expects it to be ‘terribly dirty’REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on yesterday said his opposition alliance could easily win a general election that must be held by August, so long as it was free and fair, but that he expected it to be “terribly dirty”.

At 92, Malaysia’s old political war horse has another shot at the top job, and a win against scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak would make him the world’s oldest premier.

It would also bring to an end the 61-year rule of a party that Mahathir helped build, and which has held power since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957.

“We have a good chance of winning this time because public opinion is very much for us,” Mahathir said in an interview at his office in the administrative capital, Putrajaya.

“The only way Najib can frus-trate us is by cheating. If it’s a free and fair election, we will win hands down.”

Mahathir was a tough estab-lishment stalwart for decades, the scourge of dissenters who dared to challenge the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

But a scandal over a state-run investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), has brought unprecedented shifts in Malaysia’s political forces, and Mahathir now heads an

opposition alliance and is seen as the biggest threat to Najib, who has been engulfed in the scandal.

Najib denies any wrongdoing over 1MDB, which is at the centre of money-laundering investiga-tions in at least six countries, including the United States, Swit-zerland and Singapore.

Despite the scandal, analysts and ruling party sources say Najib is confident of election victory, and could hold the polls as early as April.

The opposition alliance is concerned, in particular, about plans to redraw the boundaries of more than half of Malaysia’s 222 parliamentary constituencies. Critics say the moves are uncon-stitutional and could skew voting in favour of Najib.

“It’s going to be a terribly dirty election,” Mahathir said, adding that he suspected Najib might derail his plans to stand.

“I believe that one way or another he is going to make sure that I cannot contest,” Mahathir said, pointing out that the gov-ernment had delayed the regis-tration of his party, which could affect his campaign.

Asked for examples of dirty tricks, Mahathir said his party had found instances of more than 70 people registered as voters from one house and several hundred people with suspiciously similar names on the voter roll.

The ruling party fared sur-prisingly poorly in the last general election in 2013. The opposition, which won the popular vote last

time, said the ruling party only sealed victory through fraud.

The government rejected that complaint and dismisses fears of rigging this time. Reuters was not able to verify any oppo-sition allegations of fraud.

Mahathir said a swing by just 10 percent to 20 percent of UMNO’s rural, ethnic Malay, Muslim voters would be enough for the opposition to achieve a majority.

He said he thought the oppo-sition could win more than 111 seats, or more than half the seats in parliament.

“It’s not optimistic .... with all these scandals, I think generally people are very much against Najib,” he said, referring to 1MDB.

The opposition camp won 88

seats in the last election, but that included seats won by the con-servative Islamic party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, which has since left the opposition camp.

A spokesman for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, dom-inated by the UMNO, dismissed Mahathir’s chances.

“Mahathir Mohamad knows he is going to lose,” the spokesman said in a statement, adding that Malaysians could not accept a 92-year-old former dictator.

“Mahathir is preparing excuses for the defeat of his ageing alliance of former enemies, many of whom he jailed and who are temporarily working with him now, only out of des-peration,” he added,

AFP

SINGAPORE: Singapore said yesterday it was “working closely” with the United Nations after a leaked draft report said two local firms sold luxury items to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions.

The UN report alleges that the two Singaporean companies and other firms in Asia had been

supplying luxury goods, including wine and spirits, to North Korea until as recently as July 2017, despite the sanctions aimed at forcing Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

Despite an agreement for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Washington has called on the UN Security

Council to maintain sanctions until there is real progress towards scrapping Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

“We note the mention of certain Singapore individuals and entities in media reports citing the leaked report from the UN Panel of Experts. Singapore is working closely with the UN Panel on these cases,” Monetary Authority of Singapore said.

Singapore ‘working’ with UN on alleged N Korea sanctions breach

Xi voiced hope that the talks will lead to “substantial progress” in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and toward the normalisation of relations between the countries involved.

Summit raises hope Pyongyang will release three US detaineesAP

TOKYO: Hopes for the release of three American citizens imprisoned in North Korea got a big boost by the news of a possible summit between Pres-ident Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Freeing the prisoners would be relatively low-hanging fruit and a sign of goodwill by Kim. It would also mark something of a personal success for Trump, who has highlighted the issue since last June, when University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier died days after North Korea turned him over to American authorities.

Trump banned Americans from travelling to the North in response and featured Warm-bier’s father prominently in his State of the Union speech in January. A look at who the current American prisoners are and what a prison sentence in North Korea can entail:

All three Americans now doing time in the North are men, and all three are ethnic Koreans.

Two of them - Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song - were instructors at the Pyongyang University of Science and Tech-nology prior to their arrest and conviction. They are accused of anti-state activities and trying to overthrow the government.

The university, which has not been linked to their arrests, is the only privately funded college in the North, founded in 2010 on donations from Christian groups.

Tony Kim, who taught accounting, has been in custody since April last year and is serving a 15-year sentence. Kim Hak Song, an agriculture spe-cialist and evangelical minister who resided with his wife in China, was taken into custody about a month later. He remains in custody, but it’s not clear whether he has been sentenced or what his current status is.

The third and longest-serving prisoner, Kim Dong Chul, is a former Virginia res-ident who reportedly claims to have been the president of a trade and hotel services company in Rason, a special economic zone on the North Korean border with Russia. He was sentenced in April 2016 to 10 years in prison with hard labor after being convicted of espionage.

Warmbier, who was charged with anti-state crimes and the attempted theft of a propaganda banner, and Tony Kim were taken into custody at Pyongyang’s airport.

Kim Hak Song was taken while on a train on his way home to China.

Elephant poachers arrested in MalaysiaAFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Four heavily armed poachers who targeted wild elephants in Malaysia have been caught, officials said yesterday, the second such arrest in less than two years.

Wildlife officials said the gang caught near the town of Gerik in the northern Malaysian state of Perak was found with deer antlers and suspected tiger bones. A joint police and wildlife department investigation also led the agents to find an ele-phant shot dead by the poachers in a nearby forest with its tusks ripped out.

“This crew is notorious. They hunt elephants,” wildlife department chief Abdul Kadir Abdul Hashim said. “There are maybe two more (poaching) groups (in the area). We are working together with the police on this.”

A police statement said weapons including rifles and homemade shotguns as well as animal snares were found after they arrested the gang.The elephant’s tusks were not found, with a wildlife official believing that they were already sold. He added that the gang - all locals - were believed to have been oper-ating since 2009, and were also active in the nearby state of Kelantan. The arrests come a year after a seven-man gang was arrested in Kel-antan, with explosives, guns and parts of tusks seized.

15WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 EUROPE

Slovak coalition party seeks snap pollsREUTERS

BRATISLAVA: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico faced pressure yesterday to agree to an early election after a junior party looked set to abandon his three-party coalition government following mass protests against corruption and the murder of a journalist.

The Most-Hid (Bridge) party, a centrist group representing the ethnic Hungarian minority in Slovakia, said on Monday it wanted a deal with coalition partners on a snap election or it would leave the government.

Slovakia was thrown into crisis after the murder in late February of a journalist investi-gating corruption and last week saw the largest street protests since the end of communism nearly three decades ago as anger grows over graft allegations.

Organisers have promised new demonstrations for Friday.

Mid-way through a third term, Fico faces calls to quit, a blow to the long-time prime minister who has sought to stand out from largely eurosceptic

leaders in central Europe by pushing the country of 5.4 million closer to the EU’s core.

Fico was due to respond to Most-Hid’s demands yesterday. A government spokeswoman said the coalition parties were holding talks which began at mid-day.

Fico’s other coalition partner, the Slovak National Party (SNS), which has moved from the far-right towards the centre in recent years, said on Tuesday it would only talk about an early election if the government or coalition falls apart.

The political fallout following the murder of reporter Jan

Kuciak poses the biggest chal-lenge to Fico.

An EU member since 2004, Slovakia has grown rapidly in that time and entered the euro zone in 2009. Fico’s Smer party has long led in opinion polls by a wide margin, gaining voters with a mix of handouts, such as free train tickets for students and pensioners, and controlling the deficit. But many blame Fico for failing to fight graft and cronyism.

Kuciak had focused on tax fraud involving politically-con-nected businessmen and had been looking at suspected mafia links to Italian businessman in the country before his death.

One of the men had past business links with two Slovaks who later worked in Fico’s office. Both have resigned but deny links to the murder. Their Italian former business partner denies connections to the mafia. No one has been charged over the killing of Kuciak and his fiancee.

Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, a Fico protege, resigned on Monday - which Most-Hid had sought to calm the situation.

Despite this, two sources in Most-Hid said the growing pro-tests along with Fico’s combative rhetoric pushed the party to Monday’s decision to seek an early election.

Echoing Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Fico has accused foreign forces of trying to destabilise Slo-vakia and has questioned the president’s meetings with fin-ancier George Soros in New York last year.

Analysts see growing chances of an early election. A minority government of Fico’s Smer and SNS was also possible, with the support of independent law-makers or the far-right People’s Party-Our Slovakia party.

“Smer may still win the early election despite the loss of some voters but Fico’s aggressive com-munication weakens its coalition potential,” political analyst Aneta Vilagi said.

Fico’s coalition holds 78 seats in the 150-member parliament. It will face a no-confidence vote, filed by the opposition, next Monday and 76 votes would topple it. For an early election, 90 votes in parliament are needed.

Italian businessman named by slain Slovak scribe arrestedAFP

BRATISLAVA: Slovak police arrested yesterday an Italian businessman wanted in Italy on drugs charges who had been named by murdered journalist Jan Kuciak in an investigative report on alleged high-level corruption linked to the mafia, prosecutors said.

Antonino Vadala, the owner of several companies, had been detained and released earlier this month over the alleged crimes in the reporter’s article.

The new detention was based on a European arrest warrant issued by Italy last year over alleged drug trafficking.

“A court in Venice issued an arrest warrant for this person,” Andrea Predajnova, spokes-woman for Slovakia’s general prosecutor’s office, said in a statement.

“The Italian court is demanding the extradition of

Antonino V for prosecution in Italy for a drug offence com-mitted by an organised criminal group with a transnational scope.”

Vadala’s name was men-tioned several times in Kuciak’s last unfinished investigative report, which was published after the journalist and his fiancee were found shot dead at their home near Bratislava in late February.

The murders and article have sparked anti-government protests in the EU country of 5.4 million people, dealing a blow to the cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose interior minister announced his resig-nation Monday and whose coa-lition partner has called for snap elections.

The article raised possible political links to Italian busi-nessmen with alleged ties to Calabria’s mafia supposedly operating in eastern Slovakia.

Serbia, Iran resume direct flights REUTERS

BELGRADE: Water cannons sprayed an Iranair Airbus 320 in welcome on its arrival in Belgrade yesterday, marking the first flight from Tehran in 27 years in a sign of improved ties between Iran and Serbia.

The two countries had close ties until the early 1990s when former Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was a part, collapsed in a bloody war. Serbia backed its ethnic kin in Bosnia against Bos-niaks and fought a counter-insur-gency war in its own southern province of Kosovo against

Albanians. Now, as Belgrade seeks to boost tourism and improve growth, it is reaching out to non-European markets to attract vis-itors from countries such as Iran, which Belgrade also sees as a target for exports, and Turkey.

Serbia introduced a visa free travel regime with Iran last August, after which the number of migrants from Iran rose from 120 in August to 480 in February, according to figures provided by Serbia’s Commissariat for Refugees.

Aid workers cautioned that flights from Tehran could be used by a large number of

migrants seeking to leave Iran and move to Western Europe.

“Of course all positive things carry out their own risks,” Ser-bia’s minister for trade, tourism and telecommunication, Rasim Ljajic, said. “Iranians used Bel-grade as a transit (point) for their journey to the European Union.”

He said the two countries had agreed to step up measures to prevent illegal migration.

“On the Iranian side, control at the plane boarding will be increased,” Ljajic said. “We also agreed to establish a joint com-mittee in order to be able to resolve problems more swiftly.”

An IranAir A320 passenger aircraft is greeted with a water cannon salute on arrival at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport, in Serbia, yesterday.

Russian presidential poll candidatesThe combination of file pictures shows this year’s Russian presidential candidates, (CLOCKWISE) President Vladimir Putin; Russian Communist Party’s (KPRF) Pavel Grudinin; Liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky; Head of the Communists of Russia party Maxim Suraykin; Boris Titov, a representative of the Russian business community; Sergei Baburin, one of the outspoken leaders of anti-Yeltsin opposition in 1990s; Russian journalist, former reality show host and socialite Ksenia Sobchak; and Ultra-conservative politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky - leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Seven candidates are lined up to run against Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sunday’s election, but his primary political opponent will not be on the ballot.

The Slovak premier faces calls to quit, a blow to the long-time prime minister who has sought to stand out from largely eurosceptic leaders in central Europe by pushing the country of 5.4 million closer to the EU’s core.

Law reform: Ireland refers extradition case to ECJREUTERS

DUBLIN: An Irish High Court judge has referred a Polish extradition case to Europe’s top court over concerns that recent judicial reforms have been “so immense” that the rule of law in Poland has been systemati-cally damaged.

The referral was made after Artur Celmer, arrested last May on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant, objected to his surrender on drug trafficking charges, saying the reforms in his native Poland undermined the possibility of him having a fair trial.

Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has pushed to assume more control of the courts since taking power in 2015 in a standoff with the European Union’s executive.

The European Commission said the overhaul of courts that gives the PiS-controlled par-liament de facto control over the selection of judges put the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers in Poland at serious risk.

In a judgement delivered in court, Judge Aileen Donnelly said the Commission’s findings were, by any measure, a shocking indictment of the status of the rule of law in a

European country in the second decade of the 21st Century.

“This Court concludes, based upon the information before it, that the rule of law in Poland has been systematically damaged by the cumulative impact of all the legislative changes that have taken place over the last two years,” Judge Donnelly said. “Respect for the rule of law is essential for mutual trust in the operation of the European arrest warrant.”

“The changes to the system are so immense that I am also satisfied that cherry-picking individual changes in the legis-lation is neither necessary nor helpful because it is the impact of the cumulative changes on the rule of law that is particu-larly concerning,” she added.

She said it was necessary for the High Court to request a ruling from the EU Court of Justice before making a final determi-nation on the extradition case.

The highly popular PiS gov-ernment, which rejects accusa-tions of undemocratic behaviour and has defended the reforms as being necessary because the courts are slow, and inefficient, said it regretted that an Irish court had delayed the punishment of a dangerous criminal.

Man arrested after stabbing bride & groom AP

WARSAW: Polish prose-cutors said a man has been arrested after he stabbed and injured a couple during their wedding ceremony.

The 23-year-old man attacked the couple with a knife as they were about to make their marriage vows at a protestant chapel in Rybnik, southern Poland, on Saturday. The bride and groom, who suf-fered non-life threatening wounds to their necks and shoulders, were later married in a ceremony in the hospital.

Regional prosecution spokeswoman Karina Sprus said yesterday the attacker can face life in prison if con-victed on two counts of attempted homicide.

The Fakt tabloid reported that the man was the bride’s acquaintance and had prop-ositioned her.

Jailed Nazi-era guard dies at 96 ANATOLIA ANKARA: A “bookkeeper” at Poland’s Auschwitz Nazi death camp died at the age of 96 before beginning of his four-year jail term, German media reported yesterday.

German man Oskar Groning (pictured) was con-victed of complicity in the death of 300,000 people when he worked as an SS guard in 1944, the local reports said. “Groning died on Friday in the hospital where he was under treatment.” He was responsible for recording money and val-uables. Those who had their valuables seized were either kept hostage or killed.

Groning admitted knowing about the mass killings at the camp in southern occupied Poland but said he had no direct role in the killings.

Suspects in France rail sabotage face trialAFP

PARIS: Ten years after their arrests in a politically charged case that prompted accusations of police overreach, eight members of an alleged “anar-chist cell” will go on trial in France over claims of sabo-taging high-speed train lines.

The “Tarnac group”, named after the village near their com-munal living compound in central France, has staunchly denied the charges during more than seven years of investigations.

They were rounded up in a televised police raid on November 11, 2008, a few days after steel rods were placed on overhead power cables on three TGV lines, stranding some 20,000 passengers as more than 100 trains were cancelled.

But defence lawyers claimed “anomalies” in the inquiry, most notably testimony from a sup-posed witness who later said he had simply signed a document

prepared by the police.Critics also accused the gov-

ernment under then president Nicolas Sarkozy of whipping up fears of a return of “ultra-leftist terrorism,” even though a judge eventually refused to try Tarnac suspects on terror charges.

Instead, the group’s leader Julien Coupat, his ex-wife Yildune Levy and two others are facing conspiracy charges, while two others are being charged with falsifying or receiving stolen documents.

Another two people are being tried for refusing to submit samples for DNA testing.

“The ‘Tarnac affair’ is a case of politicians manipulating the legal system,” said Levy’s lawyer Marie Dose.

The case centred on the charismatic figure of Coupat, now 43, a far-left intellectual from a wealthy family who had gathered a group of 20 fol-lowers around him in a remote village in the Correze region.

Masterpieces

16 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018EUROPE

Czech delays extradition of alleged Russian hackerAP

PRAGUE: The Czech Republic’s top court said yesterday it has delayed the extradition of an alleged Russian hacker until it deals with a last-ditch complaint filed by him. It means that the justice minister can’t finalise Yevgeniy Nikulin’s extradition until the Constitu-tional Court rules on the matter.

Nikulin has exhausted all appeals, but his lawyers pre-sented a final complaint to the court in a bid to postpone his extradition to either the US or Russia.

The contents of the com-plaint weren’t made public, but Nikulin’s defense has previously said that appeals court judges were biased.

Czech authorities arrested Nikulin in Prague in cooper-ation with the FBI in October 2016.

He is accused by US prose-cutors of hacking computers at Silicon Valley firms including LinkedIn and Dropbox in 2012 and the USwanted him extra-dited to face a trial there.

Moscow also wants him extradited on a separate charge of internet theft in 2009.Both countries submitted their extra-dition requests on the same date.

Nikulin denies he’s a hacker. His defense attorney claimed his case was politically moti-

vated in the US.Czech courts ruled that both

extradition requests meet the necessary legal conditions, leaving the final decision to Justice Minister Robert Pelikan.

Earlier in March, Pelikan told the lower house of Par-liament that Czech pro-Russian President Milos Zeman “repeatedly” asked him to allow Nikulin’s extradition to Russia. Zeman has no say in that decision.

The presidential office didn’t comment.

Pelikan said that among other things, the seriousness of the crime Nikulin was charged with in the United States and Russia will play a role in his decision.

AP

VIENNA: A man tried to drag a police guard out of his car outside the Austrian parliament building yesterday and was arrested, Vienna police said. The incident took place shortly after 8am.

The 26-year-old suspect, an Afghan national who wasn’t identified, spoke to the officer in his patrol car, then grabbed his clothes and tried to drag him out of the vehicle.

The officer used pepper spray to deter the assailant, injuring him slightly. Police say the officer was unhurt, and no weapons were found on the suspect.

The incident comes after a knife attack on Sunday night on an Austrian soldier who was guarding the Iranian ambassador’s residence in the Austrian capital.

The attacker in that case, an Austrian national, was fatally shot.

The man’s Vienna apartment was searched on Monday, when police said they had no information on his motives.

Muslim heritage: Two London mosques get special listed status AFP

LONDON: Two London mosques were given special listed status in recognition of their architectural and historic importance, in a move a government minister said celebrated “the rich heritage of Muslim communities in England”.

The London Central Mosque

and Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park, and the Fazl Mosque in the southwest of the British capital were both listed as Grade II buildings by the govern-ment’s culture department.

The special Grade II status is awarded to just 5.8% of approxi-mately 500,000 listed buildings

in England, marking them out as particularly important sites and giving them greater protection.

“By listing these beautiful mosques, we are not only pre-serving important places of worship, but also celebrating the rich heritage of Muslim commu-nities in England,” said Heritage

Minister Michael Ellis. A fund to establish a central London mosque was set up in 1910, but the Regent’s Park location was only secured in the 1940s and building work was finally com-pleted in 1977.

The Fazl Mosque in the Southfields area is the

headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and was Lon-don’s first purpose-built mosque when it opened in 1926.

Although there are around 1,500 mosques in Britain, fewer than 20% are purpose-built according to Heritage England, which compiles the listings.

Russia denies role in UK spy poisoningAFP

LONDON: Moscow on Tuesday denied it was behind the poisoning of a former double agent in Britain as a midnight deadline loomed to explain how a suspected Russian-made nerve agent was used in the attack.

“Russia is not guilty,” said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in an English city on March 4. The United States, NATO and the European Union have all backed Britain in the deepening diplomatic crisis.

Lavrov said Russia was “ready to cooperate”, but com-plained Britain had rejected its requests for “access” to the nerve agent samples.

British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the poisoning, giving Moscow until the end of Tuesday

to respond.In a cabinet meeting yes-

terday, she called the attack “reckless, indiscriminate and despicable”, adding she would inform MPs of her response on Wednesday.

Ahead of the announcement, Britain’s National Security Council will meet “to discuss the

response from Russia, whatever that may be,” said May’s spokesman. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson vowed that Brit-ain’s response, if it concludes Russia was responsible, would be “commensurate”.

May has said that her gov-ernment was considering a British version of the US “Mag-nitsky Act”, which was adopted in 2012 to punish Russian offi-cials accused of human rights violations.

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has also warned Russian state-owned news channel RT that its licence in Britain could be reviewed.

British police and intelli-gence services are also to revisit the deaths of 14 people on its soil that may be linked to Russia, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said.

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the southwestern city of Salisbury.

Emergency workers in bio-hazard suits have been deployed in the normally sleepy city, while about 500 people who may have come into minimal contact with the nerve agent were urged to wash clothes and belongings as a precaution.

May told British lawmakers that Moscow had previously used a group of nerve agents known as Novichok, had a history of state-sponsored assassinations and viewed defectors such as Skripal as legitimate targets.

She demanded Moscow dis-close details of its development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation

for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Vil Mirzayanov, a chemist who worked on the Novichok programme and now lives in the United States, was quoted as saying that the nerve agent’s effects were “brutal”.

“These people are gone -- the man and his daughter. Even if they survive they will not recover,” he was quoted as saying.

US President Donald Trump said he would “condemn Russia or whoever” was responsible for the attack, while European Com-mission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was united in “unwavering” solidarity.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was “of great concern”, as the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Britain was consulting Nato allies about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin brushed aside

questions about Moscow’s involvement in the attack on Monday, telling the BBC: “Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you.”

Moscow yesterday sum-moned the British ambassador and called the accusations “another dirty attempt by British authorities to discredit Russia.”

British counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu called the inves-tigation “extremely challenging” while giving more details.

He revealed that Yulia had arrived in Britain on March 3, the day before the pair visited a pub and an Italian restaurant, ahead of their collapse.

The police chief said he was particularly interested in wit-nesses who saw the pair in Skri-pal’s red BMW between 1pm and 1.45pm on Sunday, on their way into town.

Medical professionals treated 38 people in total, he said, 34 of whom were released while one person continues to be monitored.

Police officer Nick Bailey, one of the first to the scene, remains “serious but stable”, but is “making good progress”, said Basu.

Skripal, an ex-military intel-ligence officer who was jailed for selling Russian secrets to London, moved to Britain in a spy swap in 2010, settling in Salisbury.

Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by Russia during the late stages of the Cold War, was “more dangerous and sophisti-cated” than sarin or VX.

The BBC reported that inves-tigators now believe the nerve agent may have been deployed in powder form through the ven-tilation system of Skripal’s car.

The attack carried echoes of the 2006 radiation poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.

A British inquiry concluded in 2016 that Litvinenko’s killing was “probably” approved by President Vladimir Putin.

A reprint of the United States Congressional Record regarding former Russian chemical scientist Vil Mirzayanov is seen on the wall at Mirzayanov’s home in Princeton, New Jersey, yesterday.

Police officers stand on duty at a cordon near a parking meter covered in a protective tent, at The Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, southern England, yesterday.

The Czech Republic’s top court delayed the extradition of an alleged Russian hacker until it deals with a last-ditch complaint filed by him. It means that the justice minister can’t finalise Yevgeniy Nikulin’s extradition until the Constitutional Court rules on the matter.

The Bristish premier told lawmakers that Moscow had previously used a group of nerve agents known as Novichok, had a history of state-sponsored assassinations and viewed defectors such as Skripal as legitimate targets.

A man looks at paintings “Exterieurs de la gare Saint-Lazare” 1877 by French painter Claude Monet and “La rade de Grancamp” 1877 by French painter Georges Seurat at Christie’s France, as part of a presentation of the collection Rockefeller, in Paris, yesterday, before the sale at Christie’s New York.

Polish President refuses to accept call from TillersonAP

WARSAW: Aides to Polish Pres-ident Andrzej Duda have tacitly confirmed media reports that the president recently refused to accept a call from then-US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The news reports said Till-erson was calling to discuss with Duda possible US action over a new Polish law that makes it a crime to falsely attribute the

Holocaust crimes of Nazi Germany to Poland. The US fears it could violate free speech.

Some days later, Duda endorsed the law, but also asked a top court to check if. The verdict may take months to come. Asked about the reports yesterday, Duda’s top aide, Andrzej Dera, said that “according to diplomacy’s rules” an official holding the rank of a minister does not

make calls to a president.Another Duda aide, Pawel

Mucha, also would not deny the reports but insisted that Poland-U.S. relations are “strategically close.”

Tillerson was fired Tuesday by US President Donald Trump.

Last week, Poland’s foreign minister largely confirmed another Polish media that the US has informed Poland that its president and prime minister

should not expect meetings with Trump or the US vice-president until the law controversy is solved.

Minister Jacek Czaputowicz described the US message as being: “It would be good if meetings at the highest level could take place in an atmos-phere when these issues are resolved.”

He denied that diplomatic ties were somehow “frozen.”

Man tries to attack police guard outside Austrian parliament

17WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 AMERICAS

Trump fires Tillerson; Pompeo is successorAFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump yesterday sacked his top diplomat Rex Tillerson and named current CIA chief Mike Pompeo to succeed him, ending a rocky tenure by the Texas oilman who had frequently been at odds with the mercurial Pres-ident.

A senior White House official said Trump wanted to reshuffle his team with a view to launching talks with North Korea, following last week’s spectacular announcement he plans to meet Kim Jong Un.

Trump thanked Tillerson “for his service,” but had scant words of praise for the 65-year-old Texan, who had effectively been sidelined on the world stage and was long rumoured to be on the way out. The outgoing secretary of state, who returned overnight from a trip to Africa, did not even speak to the President before his sacking was announced and was unaware of the reason for his sudden downfall, according to a top aide. That aide — Steve Gold-stein, the undersecretary for public affairs and public diplomacy —was quickly sacked after his comments. No reason was given, but White House and State Department officials said Trump had made the decision.

Before leaving on a trip to California, Trump spoke openly of his divergences with the former Exxon chief — including over the Iran nuclear deal — as he explained the rationale for the latest departure from his chaotic White House. “We got along actually quite well but we disa-greed on things,” Trump told reporters.

“When you look at the Iran deal, I thought it was terrible, he thought it was okay,” Trump said. “So we were not really thinking the same.” “I wish Rex a lot of good things,” the President added. “I think he’s going to be very happy. I think Rex will be much happier now.”

Announcing Tillerson’s sacking in a tweet earlier yes-terday, Trump lavished praise on Pompeo, a former US army officer

and congressman who led the CIA for nearly 14 months, saying he would do a “fantastic job!” “He will continue our programme of restoring America’s standing in the world, strengthening our alli-ances, confronting our adver-saries, and seeking the denuclear-isation of the Korean Peninsula,” Trump added, calling him “the right person for the job at this critical juncture” and urging his swift confirmation.

His enthusiasm was echoed by the US envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley — who tweeted her congratulations to her “friend” Pompeo.

Democrats quickly pounced on the news. “There’s a pattern and practice to dismiss anyone with whom this President has a policy difference, and that appears to be the case with Sec-retary Tillerson,” senior Senator Dianne Feinstein said.

To succeed Pompeo at the Central Intelligence Agency, Trump nominated Gina Haspel, a controversial career intelligence officer who is the first woman tapped for the post.

Both Pompeo and Haspel require Senate confirmation to

assume their new posts. A hearing for Pompeo is expected in April, Senate leaders said.

Tillerson had a tumultuous tenure at the State Department.

He was repeatedly forced to deny he had fallen out with Trump — vowing to remain in the post despite a sensational report that he once dubbed the president a “moron.” A respected figure in the oil business, his tenure drew scorn from Trump’s opponents, from former diplomats and from the Washington policy elite.

During his time in the post, he was faced with an extraordinary array of foreign policy challenges — from North Korean nuclear threats, to Russian intervention in Ukraine, Syria and Western elections, to attacks on US dip-lomats in Cuba. But his efforts were often overshadowed by Trump’s decidedly un-diplomatic style and his streams of taunting tweets that have stirred interna-tional tensions.

Tillerson was thousands of miles away on a tour of African countries when Trump made the snap decision to meet Kim, and suspended his schedule on grounds he was “unwell” before

cutting short his trip.In a cruel twist of fate, one of

Trump’s most public clashes with Tillerson came last October when the President tweeted that his top diplomat was “wasting his time” pursuing contacts with North Korea.

Goldstein, in a statement, made clear Tillerson was caught off guard. “The secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues. He established and enjoyed relationships with his counter-parts,” Goldstein said.

“We wish Secretary-Des-ignate Pompeo well,” he added.

Shortly thereafter, Goldstein himself was fired.

Pompeo brings insider’s touch to new roleREUTERS

WASHINGTON: CIA Director Mike Pompeo, if confirmed as the next secretary of state, would bring a number of assets to his new role as the top US diplomat: the confidence of President Donald Trump, government experience and an insider’s knowledge of Congress and the federal bureaucracy.

Trump said he had selected Pompeo, a 54-year-old conservative Republican who has served since last year as CIA director, to replace fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the biggest Cabinet shakeup of his presidency.

Pompeo, a former US Army officer and Harvard Law School graduate who repre-sented a Kansas district in the US House of Representatives before being tapped to lead the CIA, is seen as a Trump loyalist who has

enjoyed a less hostile relationship with career spies than Tillerson had with career diplomats.

While some intelligence officers have said that Pompeo tends to tell Trump what he wants to hear rather than giving him their assessments, others say they have been impressed by his intellect, willingness to listen and advocacy of more robust covert operations. Unlike Tillerson, a former busi-nessman who lacked government experience when Trump picked him last year as sec-retary of state, Pompeo is well aware of the ways of Washington.

Current and former officials said Pompeo was likely to get along better with Congress and with the White House, not least because of his conservative bent.

Pompeo, however, will need to find a way to grapple with a boss who has shown little

regard for diplomacy and no qualms about undermining Tillerson with Twitter posts, current and former US officials said. If con-firmed by the US Senate, Pompeo also would take over a State Department shaken by the departures of many senior diplomats and embittered by proposed budget cuts. “Pompeo was the most political CIA director in memory,” said an administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“He dived into policy matters in a way that unnerved many professionals at the agency,” the official added, “and morale was taking a blow that was spreading from the analytical side, where some people feared he was tailoring some PDBs (President’s Daily Briefs intelligence assessments presented to the president) to tell Trump what he wanted to hear rather than what the intelligence assessments were.”

Pick for new CIA head is female career spymasterAP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s choice to be the first female director of the CIA is a career spymaster who once ran an agency prison in Thailand where terror suspects were subjected to a harsh interrogation technique that the president has supported.

Trump tweeted that he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State and that he has selected Gina Haspel (pictured) to replace Pompeo. Haspel, the current deputy CIA director, also helped carry out an order that the agency destroy its waterboarding videos. That order prompted a lengthy Justice Department inves-tigation that ended without charges.

Haspel, who has extensive overseas experience, briefly ran a secret CIA prison where terror sus-pects Abu Zubayadah and Abd Al Rahim Al Nashiri were water-boarded in 2002, according to current and former US intelligence officials.

More than a decade after waterboarding was last used, the CIA is still haunted by the legacy of a tactic that the US government regarded as torture before Pres-ident George W Bush’s adminis-tration authorised its use against terror suspects. There is no indi-cation that Trump’s pick signals a desire to restart the harsh interro-gation and detention program.

Haspel, who joined the CIA in 1985, has been chief of station at CIA outposts abroad. In

Washington, she has held several top senior leadership positions, including deputy director of the National Clandestine Service and deputy director of the National Clandestine Service for Foreign Intelligence and Covert Action.

When she was picked as deputy CIA director, her career was lauded by veteran intelligence offi-cials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who recently retired.

But it also upset the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights advocates who found it unsettling that Trump would choose someone who was involved in the harsh interrogation program.

“No one who had a hand in tor-turing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency,” Human Rights First’s Raha Wala said yesterday. “To allow someone who had a direct hand in this illegal, immoral and counterproductive program is to willingly forget our nation’s dark history with torture.”

Hillary: US did not ‘deserve’ Trump presidencyAP

MUMBAI: Hillary Clinton told an audience in India that the United States did not “deserve” Donald Trump’s presidency and these are “perilous times.” The 2016 Demo-cratic presidential candidate spoke over the weekend at India Today Conclave 2018, in Mumbai.

Clinton said the Republican president has “quite an affinity for dictators” and said Trump “really likes their authoritarian posturing and behavior.” But she said she thinks it’s “more than that” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia.

Clinton was critical of Trump’s reality campaign tactics and questioned whether she should have provided more entertainment to voters who responded to Trump’s brash style.

She also believes former FBI director James Comey’s October 28, 2016, letter to Congress about her private email server cost her support from white women voters.

Clinton had difficulty

navigating some stone steps at the Jahaz Mahal palace in Mandu. A viral video was shared widely showing her tripping twice and requiring the aid of two men before kicking off her shoes.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rex Tillerson (left) & Mike Pompeo.

The outgoing secretary of state, who returned overnight from a trip to Africa, did not even speak to the President before his sacking was announced and was unaware of the reason for his sudden downfall.

Trump pays visit to prototypes for border wallAP

SAN DIEGO: President Donald Trump visited to the prototypes that have been built on the outskirts of San Diego for his promised border wall. The eight 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) models are supposed to be used to help design the wall Trump has promised to build along the US-Mexican border.

Trump has long said he wanted to visit the models himself so he can pick a winner, though the Department of Homeland Security says elements of each design are expected to be used. This isn’t Trump’s first trip to a border location.

In July 2015, Trump travelled to Laredo, Texas, just weeks after declaring his candidacy to see the border for himself.

San Diego is the largest city on

the US-Mexico border to formally oppose his plans, passing a resolution in 2017.

It’s his first visit to California as President.

The visit comes as Trump and his administration have voiced increasing anger at California’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Trump’s Justice Department last week sued the state over three of its immigration laws. Trump would also be addressing Marines in San Diego before flying to Los Angeles for a high-dollar fundraiser.

Several dozen protesters dem-onstrated in San Diego outside the nation’s busiest border crossing against Trump and his plans to build more towering barriers on the border. Demonstrators chanting “No ban! No wall!” were being cheered

yesterday at the San Ysidro port of entry by honking cars and buses.

Numerous rallies by groups for and against Trump were also planned during his visit. Many people walked into San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, say they agreed with the protest. Others said they understand why people want to secure the border more.

Trump said California’s policy of refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities is unconsti-tutional, dangerous and “MUST STOP!” Trump tweeted yesterday that “thousands of dangerous & violent criminal aliens are released as a result of sanctuary policies” and are “set free to prey on innocent Americans.” The president tweeted from aboard Air Force One as it flew him to California for his first visit to the state as president.US President Donald Trump is shown border wall prototypes in San Diego, California, yesterday.

Sacked Tillerson: US must respond to Russia’s behaviourWASHINGTON: Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Till-erson warned in his farewell remarks on Tuesday that Washington must do more to respond to Russia’s “troubling behaviour and actions.” After he was sacked by President Donald Trump, Tillerson also said US efforts to pressure North Korea had worked better than expected and revealed he would pass authority to his deputy at midnight.

The former oil exec-utive said he would remain at the department until March 31 to conclude an administrative handover, but that Deputy Secretary John Sullivan would take charge.

Tillerson did not address reports that he had only learned of his sacking earlier that day when he read about it in Trump’s tweet, but said he had since spoken to the president by telephone.

Hillary Clinton walks out of Jodhpur Airport in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, yesterday.

18 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018AMERICAS

Belgium Royals in OttawaBelgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde eat maple taffy at the Richelieu Park sugar shack in Ottawa, Ontario.

The flooded coastline in El Calafate, Santa Cruz province, Argentina, after an arch of ice formed at the tip of the Perito Moreno, between the glacier and the shore of Argentino lake, collapsed into the water.

No witnesses as ice bridge in Argentine glacier collapsesAFP

BUENOS AIRES: An ice bridge that was part of a glacier at the tip of Argentina has collapsed in the dead of night, thwarting thou-sands of tourists who had hoped to watch the spectacle.

The natural arch in Los Gla-ciares National Park in the Pat-agonia region came crashing down overnight Sunday during a storm while the park was closed, park authorities said.

An arch forms regularly in a glacier called Perito Moreno as the water flow from a canal eats away at the ice. For the first time in 16 years, the bridge fell in 2004 and since then it has come down every four years of so.

“It is always spectacular. The

thing is, this time more water accumulated than in the last three or four times,” Luciano Bernacchi, director of an ice

museum called Glaciarium, told TN television. The Patagonia glacier is a Unesco world her-itage site.

Italian former guerrilla can be extradited: BrazilBRASILIA: Brazil’s public pros-ecutor has told the Supreme Court that the Brazilian government can extradite Cesare Battisti, an Italian left-wing former guerrilla convicted of murder in his country. The top court authorised Battisti’s extradition in 2009, but former leftist President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva granted him refugee status on his last day in office in 2010. In a case that has irri-tated diplomatic relations between the two countries ever since, Italy renewed its extra-dition request with the current government last year.

Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge rejected Battisti’s defense argument that Lula’s decree was irrevocable. Dodge said Lula’s decision not to extradite Battisti was political and thus it was up to President Michel Temer, and not the court, to decide whether to revoke the decree. Battisti faces life in prison in Italy, where he was convicted of four murders committed in the 1970s, when he belonged to a group called Armed Proletarians for Communism.

UN: Refugee claims by Venezuelans surgingAFP

GENEVA: Nearly 100,000 people who fled Venezuela have claimed refugee status since the start of 2017, the UN said yesterday, as it ramped up response plans for a displacement crisis likely to worsen. The UN refugee agency said the number of Venezuelans who have sought asylum has shot up 2,000 percent since 2014, but the most dramatic increases have occurred over the last 14 months.

With the country’s economic and political crisis intensifying, UNHCR has drawn up a “regional response plan that covers eight (surrounding) countries”, spokes-person Aikatarina Kitidi said.

“In view of the situation in Venezuela, it is crucial that people are not deported or forcibly

returned there,” she added.Asked if the UN had received

reports of deportations or forced returns, Kitidi did not answer directly, saying only the agency was calling for “solidarity” among nations in the region in responding to Venezuelans in need.

An influx of Venezuelans has reportedly stirred tensions in Brazil, notably in the city of Boa Vista which has received 40,000

people, raising its population by more than 10 percent.

Hundreds of Venezuelans there have been sleeping on the ground for months, while using restrooms in gas or bus stations.

UNHCR warned that an increasing number of Vene-zuelans, especially those living abroad without legal protection, are “vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, violence, sexual abuse, discrimination and xenophobia”.

The UN agency does not have a precise figure for those who have fled the crisis in Venezuela.

Regarding only those who have filed refugee claims, UNHCR said the figure stood at 145,000 since 2014 — but 94 percent of those claims have been recorded since the start of 2017.

The UN refugee agency said the number of Venezuelans who have sought asylum has shot up 2,000 percent since 2014.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (centre) speaks during an event regarding CLAP (Local Committees of Supply and Production) programme, a Venezuelan government handout of basic food supplies, in Caracas.

Former Mexican governor sued for funneling moneyBLOOMBERG

MIAMI: The Mexican state of Veracruz is looking to recoup money it says was stolen by its imprisoned former governor and invested in real estate around Miami-Dade County.

Veracruz sued in Florida state court last month saying the ill-gotten funds from former poli-tician Javier Duarte were invested in properties including a Mediterranean-style mansion in Coral Gables that last sold in 2014 for $7.7m. That was an outlier: the other 40 properties in Miami-Dade had significantly lower sales prices. The state is seeking more than $25m in damages.

Duarte is one of at least eight former governors in Mexico from the ruling party who’ve been arrested or investigated during

the administration of Enrique Pena Nieto (pictured), several of them on money laundering charges. Duarte was caught hiding in Guatemala and extra-dited to Mexico last year after federal audits found his admin-istration faked the return of at least 4.8bn pesos ($258m) of allegedly misdirected funds to his state treasury.

The allegations against Duarte are among the most egre-gious for this batch of fugitive ex governors. According to news reports, he and his associates allegedly pocketed government funds for social programmes through sham shell companies, and current Veracruz Governor Miguel Angel Yunes accused Duarte’s administration of treating child cancer patients with distilled water in place of chemotherapy.

Human rights groups have implicated him in the deaths of journalists in his state, more than a dozen of whom were killed during his term. Duarte, who’s in prison facing charges, denies any wrongdoing. He’s said some local

journalists are linked to criminal groups targeted by rival gangs.

Veracruz is suing Duarte as well as the companies and man-agers that allegedly conspired with him. Duarte’s co-defendants include Ace Realty Holdings LLC, Nexxos Realty LLC and Vulcan Dynamic Realty Fund LP, plus Inaki Negrete and Ana Maria Velasquez. Velasquez was “man-aging member” of Nexxos, while Negrete was listed in a 2012 press release as Vulcan’s chief exec-utive officer. Vulcan and Ace are listed in local records as the owners of the properties in question.

A 2016 report by Mexico’s Animal Politico detailed evidence from a Mexican federal inquiry about 19 Miami real estate acqui-sitions by Duarte, but they appear to have been separate from those mentioned in the lawsuit. The

Coral Gables mansion would have been the boldest of all those purchases.

The legal filing was first reported by South Florida Business Journal. A lawyer for Duerte didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Veracruz “fails to attach a single piece of evidence and fails to state a single factual occurrence connecting my clients to the alleged claims,” Rafael Recalde, a lawyer for Vulcan and Negrete, said in an emailed statement. “My client will not dignify this frivolous and politi-cally motivated filing with a comment.” It wasn’t immediately possible to reach Ace or Nexxos.

The case is Veracruz v. Ace Realty Holdings LLC, 68149881, Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial District, Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Mexico arrests suspect in case linked to murder of 43 studentsMEXICO CITY: Mexico said on Monday it had arrested a suspected drug gang member regarded as key figure in the kidnapping and massacre of 43 students 3 1/2 years ago.

The atrocity had plunged President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government into one of its worst crises, as doubts swirled around the conduct of the investigation into the case. The attorney general’s office said it had arrested Erick N, “a probable member of a criminal organisation” operating in the violent southwestern state of Guerrero.

The government had put a 1.5m pesos ($81,000) bounty on Erick N.’s head because of his alleged involvement in the murder of the student teachers, who went missing in September 2014.

An initial investigation had found that the victims were abducted by corrupt police who handed them over to members of a local drug cartel, who then killed them, incinerated their bodies at a trash dump and threw the ashes into a river. However, the official account has been widely questioned by local and international human rights experts.

Meirelles: Time ripe for a presidential bidREUTERS

SAO PAULO: Brazil’s Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said yesterday that he is studying a bid for president in October and his research is showing that it is a propitious moment for him to run.

“I am doing a whole series of assessments to see if it is the right moment for me to be a candidate, and much of the data indicates that it is,” he said in a radio interview.

Meirelles said his research is sounding out what Brazilians are looking for in the next pres-ident they will elect in the

October 7 general election.He has to decide by April 7

whether to resign as minister to run for president.

That is also the deadline for joining the ruling Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) party, which could nominate him instead of President Michel Temer.

Both Temer and Meirelles received about 1 percent of voter intentions in a recent Datafolha poll.

But the MDB is set on having its own presidential candidate and Meirelles is gaining strength as the better option, party offi-cials say.

Peru court approves Toledo’s extraditionAFP

LIMA: Peru’s Supreme Court yesterday approved a government request to extradite former president Alejandro Toledo from the US to face charges over a $20m bribe from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

The request, made on February 19, was unani-mously approved by the court, said a judicial source who wished to remain anonymous. “Yes, it has been approved at the Supreme Court level. The resolution should be announced around noon,” the source said.

The request has cleared its last legal step in Peru and now goes before the cabinet, who

must endorse it before a formal extradition request is made to the US authorities — a process which could take another four weeks. Toledo, 71, is accused of “influence peddling, collusion and money laundering,” over the alleged $20m Odebrecht said it gave him.

The bribe was to ensure the success of a public tender to build a trans-Amazonian highway linking Atlantic ports in Brazil with Peruvian ports on the Pacific.

Toledo — who was pres-ident from 2001-2006 — inaugurated the highway in 2006 with then-Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who faces corruption charges in his own country.

19WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 HOME

MES Indian School hosts Readathon campaign THE PENINSULA

DOHA: With the objective to promote reading habit, build vocabulary and communication skills, MES Indian School launched recently a reading campaign entitled Readathon for the students of classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the junior section.

As part of the campaign, storybooks were issued to the students by the class teachers. Students, who read more number of books, were honoured with the title, ‘Avid Reader’ and badges by the Principal and Head of Section in the school assembly. Upon successful com-pletion of the initial round of the reading

programme, a good number of students entered into the second level of reading.

The reading campaign has increased the number of book lovers in the Junior Section besides accentuating the impor-tance of developing reading habit among students.

“Reading storybooks enriches the level of creativity among students. It also enhances their language skills amazingly. Attempts are being made to get the best available books for our children”, said the school principal officiating Mrs. Hameeda Kadar, after congratulating the students, who have moved to the second round of the reading programme.The students of MES Indian School and staff during the ‘Readathon Campaign’.

Best Buddies Qatar holds family fun day for members THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Best Buddies Qatar, in cooperation with Marriott Marquis City Center Doha held family fun day for its members within the policy of Best Buddies International month March.

Male and female members of the age 18-24 years old had joyful time at painting, cooking, sports, and musical activities separately.

This occasion was initiated by Marriott Marquis City Center Doha jointly with Westin Doha, St. Regis team of 25 persons. The parents of BBQ members gladly took part in the fun event.

Later, the participants received memorable gifts, pre-pared and distributed by Mar-riott Marquis City Center Doha officials. After all they had healthy lunch offered by the hotel.

Andreas Wissdorf, General Manager of Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel,

highlighted: “The Hotel values the opportunity to organise an array of community initiatives for Best Buddies Qatar where it takes a responsibility to support social needs. The hotel is happy to join hands with Best Buddies Qatar on supporting its mission to increase the leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in addition to cre-ating more opportunities for one-to-one friendships.”

Laalei Abu Alfain, The Exec-utive Director of Best Buddies Qatar, expressed the appreci-ation: “Marriott Marquis City Center Doha has been sup-porting Best Buddies Qatar mission of enhancing life of people with and without devel-opmental and intellectual dis-abilities through various events and activities during 7 years. We highly appreciate this dedi-cation to the noble cause we do. We thank for the support and we believe to hold more mutual

events between Best Buddies Qatar and Marriott Marquis City Center Doha in future. We also appreciate the support of all parents today.”

Such activities contribute to social integration of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and highlight their talents. The assets of all govern-mental and non-governmental entities and individuals, which asset to Best Buddies Qatar are of a great value.”

Mustafa Hussain, the father of 24 years old Sara, a BBQ member, said: “Our daughter is very happy to be here today. She participated in different activ-ities with other Best Buddies Qatar members. It was very effi-cient integration and commu-nication opportunity for her to change the life routine and implement her skills meantime.”

Laalei Abu Alfain handed over an appreciation award to Marriott Marquis City Center Doha, as a sign of gratitude for

the intentions and efforts of supporting Best Buddies Qatar mission to enhance life of

people with and without intel-lectual and developmental dis-abilit ies through social

integration and one-to-one long l a s t i n g m e a n i n g f u l friendships.

The members of Best Buddies Qatar with officials during the family fun day organised in cooperation with Marriott Marquis City Center Doha.

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

Death Wish 10:00, 10:30am, 12:00noon, 12:15, 12:45, 2:30, 2:45, 3:00,4:45, 5:15, 5:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:15, 9:15, 9:45, 11:00, 11:30pm & 12:00am Black Panther (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:45, 3:30, 6:15, 9:00 &11:45pm The Oddsockeaters (2D) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm

Bullet Head (2D) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnight Hangman (2D) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pmHostile (2D) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnight First Born (2D) 10:00am, 2:10, 6:20 & 10:45pm Borg Vs McEncore (2D) 12:00noon, 4:10 & 8:20pm Gnome Night (2D/Animation) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00 & 12:00am Game Night (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnight Talq Sena3Y (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 2:00,6:00 & 10:00pm Okdat Al Kawja 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00am

Black Panther (3D IMAX/Action) 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm

Black Panther (2D/Action) 2:00 & 5:30pm Kaly (2D/Malayalam) 3:00 & 11:15pm Hate Story 4 (2D/Hindi) 3:00 & 11:30pm The Oddsockeaters (2D/Animation) 4:30 & 6:00pm Bullet Head (2D/Thriller) 6:00 & 9:30pm Hangman (2D/Thriller) 7:45 & 11:30pm 3 Storeys (2D/Hindi) 7:30pm First Born (2D/Horror) 9:30pm Borg Vs McEncore (2D/Drama) 8:00pm Hostile (2D/Horror) 10:00pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Black Panther (2D/Action) 2:30, 9:00 & 11:00pm The Oddsockeaters (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:00, 5:30 & 7:30pm Kaly (2D/Malayalam) 3:00 & 11:15pm Hostile (2D/Horror) 6:00pm Bullet Head (2D/Thriller) 7:00pm Death Wish (Action) 5:00pm Hangman (2D/Thriller) 7:00 & 11:30pm First Born (2D/Horror) 9:00pm Borg Vs McEncore (2D/Drama) 9:15pm

The Oddsockeaters (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:15 & 5:45pmBlack Panther (Action) 2:30pm

Kaly (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 5:00 & 11:15pm Death Wish (Action) 5:30pm Bullet Head (2D/Thriller) 7:15 & 11:30pm Borg Vs McEncore (2D/Drama) 7:30 & 9:30pm Hangman (2D/Thriller) 8:00 & 11:15pm Hostile (2D/Horror) 9:45pm First Born (Horror) 9:30pm

Maya Nadhi (Malayalam) 7:45 & 9:45pm Captain (Malayalam) 7:00 & 10:00pm Kaly (Malayalam) 6:00, 8:30, 8:45, 11:15 & 11:30pm Hate Story 4 (Hindi) 6:00pm

Coco 10:30am, 4:00 & 9:30pmDarkest Hour 10:45am, 3:45 & 8:45pm The Post 11:45am, 4:30, & 9:15pm Kaly (Malayalam) 12:45, 6:15 & 11:45pm Three Billboards 1:15, 6:15 & 11:15pmHangman 2:15, 7:00 & 11:45pm

The Oddsockeaters 10:30am, 12:30 & 6:30pm Hangman (Thriller) 10:30am, 12:40, 4:40, 6:50, 9:00 & 11:10pm Gringo (Action) 10:30am, 12:50, 3:10, 5:30 & 10:40pm Gnome Alone (Animation) 2:30 & 4:30pm Black Panther (Action) 2:30 & 4:30pmDil Jungle (Hindi) 2:50, 7:50 & 10:40pm

During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on against incredibleodds.

DARKEST HOUR

FLIK MirqabAami 11:50am, 3:10, 6:30 & 9:50pm

Black Panther 11:20am, 12:20, 2:00, 4:40, 6:30, 7:25, 9:10, 10:05pm & 12:00midnight 3D 3:00, 5:40, 8:20 & 11:00pm Bullet Head (Action) 10:35am, 12:35, 2:35, 4:35, 6:35, 8:00, 10:40pm 12:40am Death Wish (Action) 5:25 & 10:00pm Early Man 2:40 & 5:25pm Ferdinand 10:30am & 1:35pm First Born 9:45, 11:45 & 12:15pm Game Night 11:25am, 1:30, 7:20 & 8:35pm Gnome Alone (Animation) 12:45, 3:35, 4:35 & 6:00pm

Hang Man 11:30am, 7:40 9:25, 11:30pm Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle 3:05pmOdd Socketers 11:25am, 1:15 & 4:10pm

20 WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 29 AM

05. 45 PM

11.43 AM

03. 08 PM

05. 44 AM

07. 14 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 03:30 – 15:15 LOW TIDE 10:45 – 20:45

Relatively hot daytime with slight dust at

places at times.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 21oC 31oC

In Colombia, birders find their version of EdenAFP

COLOMBIA: Despite his small stature, 10-year-old Juan David Camacho has big dreams: pacing through Colombia’s jungle with binoculars in tow, he aims to spot all the bird species his country offers.

It’s a mighty goal: Colombia boasts the greatest number of bird types on the planet -- 1,920, or 19 percent of those on the planet -- a veritable paradise for birders.

“We leave very early with our cameras, binoculars and tripods and we watch the birds until around noon, in silence,” says the young boy -- continuing to scan the area to make sure he doesn’t miss a rare specimen perched on a branch in the forests near Cali.

Since his father first took him birdwatching three years ago, his love of searching for feathered friends has come to rival even his passion for football, a favored pastime in Colombia.

Once a month he journeys through the tropical forests sur-rounding Cali, the country’s third largest city with some 2.5 million residents.

Nestled in the heart of the southwest’s massive green expanse, the Valle del Cauca, and the Andes Mountains, the area counts 562 species of birds, “much more than anywhere in

Europe”, according to expert Carlos Wagner. - War zones - Camacho has already seen 491, capturing 200 of them in photos, the boy told AFP.

In February he delivered a lecture -- “Three years of passion for birds” -- at the International Bird Festival, which brings some 15,000 people to Cali.

Too short to reach the lectern on the stage, he grabbed the microphone to discuss the expe-ditions he has made with his parents, a computer scientist and a lawyer. Huge swaths of Colom-bia’s territory remain to be explored: for decades they have been deemed too dangerous to

travel because of the country’s drawn-out armed conflict.

An ongoing peace process with former FARC guerillas has birders like Wagner hoping access will someday be improved.

The 40-year-old expert, who heads the bird festival in Cali, says the variety of ecosystems in the area -- ranging from mountainous to tropical -- allowed a great diversity of species to evolve. Wagner grew up in the sur-rounding countryside near the San Antonio forest, site of the first large-scale ornithological expe-dition in the area, which New York’s Natural History Museum carried out in 1910.

- Bird tourism - Threatened by deforestation, this 900-hectare (2,225-acre) Eden was ranked as an “Area of Importance for Bird Conservation” in 2004 by BirdLife, a major British non-profit. But because Colombia did not legally recognise the desig-nation, there was no guarantee it would be respected, said Wagner.

Along with other birders and ecologists, he is working to sen-sitise residents in the area of the importance of preservation, no small feat.

“We are great romantics, but farmers have needs: they cut down trees to cultivate,” he said.

And though Colombia is a bird kingdom, observation tourism is poorly developed.

The government, however, is growing aware of the potential source of income: in the future the tourism ministry projects nearly

15,000 observers might descend on the Latin American country per year to birdwatch, bringing in $9m.

Most birders traveling to Colombia currently originate from the United States, Canada, Argentina and the United Kingdom. In the San Antonio forest, a dozen places and guides already welcome observers, at a rate of 15,000 to 20,000 pesos (approximately five to 6.50 dollars) per visit.

Olga Gomez, who raises rabbits, has transformed her small one-hectare farm into a bird par-adise, complete with flowers to seduce winged visitors. “We’ve seen up to 25 species, including 18 hummingbirds,” said the 66-year-old woman with a smile. She says 1,000 visitors per year come to her La Conchita finca, or rural holiday estate.

Two Buff-tailed coronets (Boissonneaua flavescens) are

photographed at the Cloud Forest

of San Antonio, in the rural area of Cali, department

of Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Luis Camacho (left) and Angela Marquez accompany their son, Colombian birdwatcher Juan David Camacho (right), 10, at the Cloud Forest of San Antonio, in the rural area of Cali, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, yesterday.

IANS

NEW DELHI: Want to age slowly and live a longer life? Eat right, get adequate sleep and stay positive.

“There are a couple of things, one is food for sure. What you eat is what you show on the outside. The second is what and how you think... if you are more pos-itive, if you are happier then your skin and your cells are happy and you don’t age as fast as you would if you were unhappy or stressed,” Neha Ranglani told IANS on behalf of Sony BBC Earth’s show “How to Stay Young”.

“The third is sleep, which is super important. These three things determine your youthfulness,” added the nutritionist and wellness expert.

VLCC’s wellness expert Anju Ghei said the food one eats has direct impact on physical, mental, and emo-tional health.

“A well-balanced diet can provide all the nutrition you need to fuel your daily activities. The total daily calorie intake should take into account the level of daily physical activity,” Ghei said.

Ranglani said “fruits, veg-etables, nuts, seeds, grains to a small extent and pulses are extremely healthy”.

“The more natural and less processed you eat, the slower you age because then you’re giving your body the nutrients, vitamins, the anti-oxidants which help to form the collagen and maintain the elasticity of your skin.

“That way, your cells break down and repair faster rather than just breaking down and not repairing because of the unhealthy food,” she added.

How can young profes-sionals include that in life who prefer to grab a bite while on the go? Ranglani said: “The whole point is that they need to be organised as to what they would eat the entire day, and depend less on packaged and outside food.

Slow down ageing with right food, ample sleep

Italian Defence Minister to visit Dimdex 2018 THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The visit of Roberta Pinotti, the Italian Minister for Defence, on the occasion of Dimdex 2018 was officially announced yesterday by Admiral Valter Girardelli, Chief of the Italian Navy, during an exclusive press conference on board of the Frigate Carlo Margottini commanded by Commander Giuseppe Lai – a ship of the Italian-French FREMM (European Multimission Frigate) programme.

The Italian Ambassador to Qatar Pasquale Salzano welcomed the jour-nalists and the representatives of the major Italian Companies Exibiting at Dimdex , Ficantieri, Leonardo, Mbda and Elettronica.

During his keynote he highlighted that Italy is highly appreciated for the expertise and innovation of its Navy and Shipyards and to witness the out-standing developments in this sector a photographic exhibition “Italian Navy & Fincantieri Shipbuilding – people, technology and design”, was jointly organised by the Embassy of Italy in Qatar and Katara Cultural Village Foundation at Katara centre.

In his speech, Admiral Valter Gir-ardelli, Chief of The Italian Navy expressed his sincere appreciation for the exquisite hospitality offered by Qatar, notably by the Qatari Emiri Navy. “Exhibitions such as this require a significant organisational effort by the whole staff engaged in the event in order to ensure the full success of the show. The excellent results achieved

by DIMDEX 2018 up to now are a clear evidence of the outstanding com-mitment of the organisers and staff which has provided invaluable support,” Admiral said.

Commander Giuseppe Lai explained that the deployment of the Italian FREMM frigate is among the activities that the Italian Navy conducts with allied and friend nations in the framework of multinational cooper-ation and dialogue among countries. In the month of April, the ship will join the EU-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta, as flagship for the Italian Force Commander. The ship will be engaged in the Gulf of Aden until next August 2018.

Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and number

one by diversification and innovation. It is leader in cruise ship design and construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry’s sectors, from naval to offshore vessels, from high-complexity special vessels and ferries to mega-yachts

The Italian Navy’s FREMM Frigate “Carlo Margottini”, was designed and built by Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups exhibiting at the 6th edition of the Doha Interna-tional Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference, DIMDEX 18,. Margottini” was delivered by Fincantieri to the Italian Navy in 2014. It is the third FREMM vessel, the second in the anti-submarine warfare version (ASW), built at the Italian shipyards of the Group.

Qatar is part of Fincantieri’s

business development strategy in the Middle East. It is well known that recently the company received an order from the Qatari Ministry of Defence for the construction of 7 new generation surface vessels included in the national naval acquisition program, as well as support services to be done in the country for further 10 years after the delivery of the ships.

Leonardo, another major player exhibiting at Dimdex is the provider of latest-generation naval systems to the Italian Navy (Marina Militare) for its new multi-purpose off-shore patrol vessels (PPA), its new Logistics Support Ship (LSS) and its Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD). These cutting-edge capa-bilities are derived from over 50 years of experience in the design and implementation of naval systems

The ITS Margottini, an Anti-Sub-marine Warfare unit, is equipped with systems designed, produced and inte-grated by Leonardo. These systems include the Combat Management System (CMS), radar sensors and Fire control systems, Electro-optical and Infrared sensors for tracking functions, communication systems and defence systems. The Frigate also has on-board the NH90 NFH multi-role helicopter with specific avionics and mission equipment for naval operations pro-duced by Leonardo.

Notably, Leonardo is responsible for providing the ships with their entire combat systems. These integrate all subsystems including electronics and weapons from MBDA.

Admiral Valter Girardelli, Chief of the Italian Navy, with other officials during a press conference announcing the visit of Roberta Pinotti, the Italian Minister for Defence, on the occasion of Dimdex 2018, yesterday.

Discover your inner voice: Russian director THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Russian director and writer, Andrey Zvyagintsev (pictured), took young filmmakers on an inspiring journey in a two-hour Qumra master-class that chronicled his entry into films and his transformation as one of the world’s modern masters with an inimi-table style and approach to cinema.

Zvyagintsev shared a crystal-clear vision that every emerging filmmaker should have: “Be yourself,” he said. “Dis-cover your inner voice and build on it.”

He recalled the days when he first ventured into filmmaking – coming at it as a transformational period, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. “There were no boundaries or structures; it was very disorienting as well as encouraging. As a newcomer you could do anything,” said Zvyagintsev, whose background in the arts was in theatre and acting.

He took the opportunity to direct seg-ments for television before he met Dmitry Lesnevsky, who decided to produce what would be Zvyagintsev’s

film debut – The Return which was screened at Qumra as part of the Modern Masters programme. The film about two Russian boys and their friction with their father who returns after 12 years won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Fes-tival, and has been described as one of the greatest films of the 21st century.

While watching a show-reel of the film at the Qumra masterclass, Zvyag-intsev said he cannot watch it, as “I think how I could have made it differently” but went on to take the audience through the journey of its making. He said elab-orate preparation went into its making for over a year, right from the selection

of the actors to location-scouting and the many rehearsals that went in before filming it.

Zvyagintsev said: “I would say that the actors cast me and not the other way around.” His background in acting also helped him in finding actors “and vice versa”, he adds. The Return, he told the filmmakers in the audience, is also about letting the actors discover their inner voice. “I am a true believer in the adage that silence is louder than words. I encourage my actors to find that connection.”

He said that even in his subsequent works, including Elena (which won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes), Leviathan (which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film) and Loveless (winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes), he has gone by his personal belief in “giving full freedom to the actors and not binding them by a script.”

The bottomline, for Zvyagintsev, is preparation. “I believe that a film is best conceived at the preparatory stage, when everything is well-planned so you just have to go out and shoot.”