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BUSINESS | 1 SPORT | 6-7

All eyes on world champ Marquez as new MotoGP season starts in Qatar

QR11bn Umm Al-Houl Power

project to be inaugurated soon

Deputy Amir meets outgoing Sri Lankan Ambassador

Four-day Aspire

International Kite

Festival begins

YESTERDAY'S RESULT Manchester United 3 -1

PSG (Agg 3-3)

Qatar Free Zones Authority to strengthen marine industryRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

The presence of Qatar Free Zones Authority is expected to bolster the marine industry in the country, organisers of the sixth edition of Qatar International Boat Show (QIBS) have said.

Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of a press conference held at Mondrian Doha to announce QIBS 2019, Khalid I Al

Mannai, Chairman of Al Mannai Plus Events and Organiser of the show, expressed optimism on industry outlook specially with the establishment of the Free Zones Authority.

“The industry offers huge potential. There’s a tendency for manufacturers to produce larger boats and also yachts, so they will increase their profit margin,” said Al Mannai on the industry’s prospect. The establishment of

Free Zones, he said, would signif-icantly impact the industry with its many benefits such as the pro-vision of land suitable for manu-facturing larger boats and impor-tation of raw materials free of tax. Loay Dalis, Chief Executive Officer of Al Mannai Plus Events, was of the same view saying “I believe that with the new facilities to the investors in recently established Qatar Free Zones Authority by the government, we expect to attract

local and foreign investors towards marine industry and services related to it.”

Under the auspices of the Prime Minister and Interior Min-ister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, this year’s QIBS is slated to be held from March 12 to 16 at 25-29 La Croisette, Porto Arabia at The Pearl Qatar.

Boats of top quality and crafts-manship from different countries

including Qatar, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, Turkey, France, India, USA and Kuwait are taking part at the five-day event.

An impressive collection of more than 30 motorboats and yachts will be on display on land and water to be complemented by exhibitor chalets along the marina walkway representing many of the top names in the local and international maritime industry. �P6

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani met yesterday with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar, P D P S A Liyanage, on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the country. The Deputy Amir granted the outgoing Ambassador the Decoration of Al Wajbah in recognition of his role in enhancing bilateral relations, wishing him success in his future assignments and further progress and prosperity in bilateral relations. The Sri Lankan envoy expressed thanks and appreciation to the Deputy Amir and to the State’s officials for the cooperation he received during his term in office. The Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also met the Sri Lankan Ambassador.

Ashghal plans 55 new projects worth QR18.8bn this yearTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has planned 55 new road and infrastructure projects with a total budget of QR18.8bn for 2019, announced Eng Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of Ashghal, yesterday.

Addressing a seminar, Al Muhannadi said: “Ashghal’s plan is based on the directives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, which emphasise the need to focus on the infrastructure projects in new and existing sub-divisions and to complete them on time with the required quality.”

Al Muhannadi was speaking at third industry-briefing seminar organised by Ashghal on its current and upcoming infra-structure projects in new and existing sub-divisions. During the seminar, Ashghal gave presentation about the local roads and drainage projects that will be tendered during 2019, in addition to projects that are currently under construction.

Eng Saoud Al Tamimi, Roads Projects Department Manager, said that Ashghal’s infrastructure and road project plans in 2019 include 32 projects, which are to be imple-mented in the existing and new subdivisions with a total budget of QR15.8bn. “Another 23 projects are for developing local roads with a budget of QR3bn,” said Al Tamimi.

He added that Ashghal is currently implementing 14 projects serving about 16,000 subdivisions in 10 areas including south Al Wukair, Al Kharaitiyat, Izghawa, Al Ebb, Leabaib, Al Foroush, north Al

Nasiriyah, west Al Mashaf and Muaither, with a budget of QR6.5bn.

Ashghal has paid special attention to the infrastructure projects in the existing and new subdivisions throughout the country starting 2017. Ashghal has delivered 15 projects in 2017 and 2018 in 11 residential areas, including Al Wakra West, Rawdat Al Hamama, Al Mashaf East, and Al Wukair North in addition to several road and drainage projects.

Projects implemented in 2018 included serving about 3,900 subdivisions com-prising road works of about 175km, and 290km of pedestrian and cycle paths as well as drainage networks of more than 125km, and storm water network with a length of more than 285km. Many companies related to the construction industry attended the seminar including contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and consultants in addition to individuals from governmental and non-governmental institutions who are inter-ested in Ashghal’s plans for the year 2019 in regards to roads and infrastructure projects. �P4

Qatar Airways unveils enhanced economy class; announces seven new destinationsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Airways stole the limelight on the opening day of ITB Berlin, the world’s largest international travel and tourism trade show, as the airline’s Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, revealed the airline’s new Economy Class experience and announced seven upcoming addi-tions to its rapidly-growing global network.

The unveiling ceremony, which took place yesterday, was attended by the Qatar's Ambassador to Germany, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdul-rahman Al Thani and the Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller.

Qatar Airways’ new Economy Class experience features a seat with an innovative 19-degree recline system, additional legroom, dual trays, 13.3-inch 4 K widescreens and type ‘C’ fast charging USB port. The airline’s new in-flight dining expe-rience ‘Quisine’, truly redefines Economy Class service, with all new retail-style tableware, a menu offering more choices, 25 percent larger main courses, 20 percent larger appetisers, and 50 percent larger desserts.

The airline is especially pleased to be ‘going green with Quisine’, as the new Economy Class proposition

sees a significant increase in rotable, recyclable and biodegradable products and reduction in single-use plastic. Economy Class passengers will also be able to enjoy improved connectivity, including up to 10 times faster broadband, as well as more than 4,000 entertainment options on Qatar Airways’ Oryx One in-flight entertainment system.

At a press conference attended by nearly 200 members of the media, Al Baker also revealed an array of forthcoming global destinations the airline will launch in 2019, including Lisbon, Portugal; Malta; Rabat,

Morocco; Langkawi, Malaysia; Davao, Philippines; Izmir, Turkey; and Mogadishu, Somalia.

FC Bayern München stars Corentin Tolisso, French interna-tional and World Cup winner in 2018, and Lothar Matthäus, former German international who captained his nation to victory in the 1990 World Cup were also present at the event. Last year Qatar Airways signed a five-year part-nership agreement with leading German football team FC Bayern München, making the airline the Official Airline Partner of FC Bayern München until June 2023. �P6

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker addressing a press conference on the sidelines of ITB Berlin International Tavel and Tourism Trade Show, in Berlin, yesterday.

Ashghal’s infrastructure and road project plans in 2019 include 32 projects, which are to be implemented in the existing and new subdivisions with a total budget of QR15.8bn. Another 23 projects are for developing local roads with a budget of QR3bn.

Various kites fly in the sky during the Third Aspire International Kite Festival at Aspire Park, yesterday. More than 80 professional kite flyers are participating in the four-day event. �P9 PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

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03THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019 HOME

Amir condoles with

US President

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

sent a cable of condo-

lences to the President of

the friendly United States

of America, Donald Trump,

on the victims of the tor-

nadoes that struck the

state of Alabama, wish-

ing speedy recovery for the

injured. Deputy Amir H H

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad

Al Thani and Prime Minis-

ter and Interior Minister H E

Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser

bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent

cables of condolences to the

US President. QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

Amir condoles with

Argentina President



sent a cable of condolences

to the President of the Argen-

tine Republic, Mauricio Macri,

on the death of his father,

Franco Macri. Deputy Amir H H

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al

Thani and Prime Minister and

Interior Minister H E Sheikh

Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khal-

ifa Al Thani also sent cables of

condolences. QNA

Amir congratulates

President of Ghana



sent a cable of congratu-

lations to President Nana

Akufo-Addo of the Republic

of Ghana on the anniversary

of his country’s Independ-

ence Day. Deputy Amir H H

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al

Thani and Prime Minister and

Interior Minister H E Sheikh

Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khal-

ifa Al Thani also sent cables of

congratulations to President

Nana Akufo-Addo. QNA

Amir receives message from President of Nigeria

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received yesterday a written message from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mohammed Buhari. The message was handed over by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Production, Special Envoy of the Nigerian President, Senator Ibrahim Bumikri during a meeting with Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. During the meeting, they reviewed close relations between the two friendly countries as well as a number of issues of mutual interest.

Qatar, Jordan review bilateral relations

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with the Minister of State for Investment Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Muhannad Shehade, and his accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to the country. During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations and means of enhancing them in all fields.

CRA discusses ways to develop Qatar’s contribution to ITUTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Mohammed Ali Al Mannai, Pres-ident of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), met with Malcolm Johnson, the Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommuni-cation Union (ITU).

The visit is in line with CRA’s aim to communicate and coop-erate with related Arab and Inter-national organisations and to present the latest developments in the sector. In addition to discuss ways of developing Qatar’s con-tribution to the ITU. “CRA wel-comes ITU’s visit. We ensure that Qatar leads in the ICT field at regional level; to this CRA maintain regular communications with the ITU, to discuss bilateral cooper-ation and to stay up to date with the latest developments in the ICT

sector. This in turn help us to develop the sector taking into con-sideration international best prac-tices and standards, and to ensure the provision of smart, innovative, and high-quality services to the consumers in Qatar,” said Al Mannai.

As part of the visit, Johnson met with the telecommunications service providers to have a look at the latest technologies, develop-ments and achievements in the ICT sector. He also met with some aca-demic entities and discussed the importance and role of education in the development of the ICT sector.

“We had a fruitful discussion on a range of issues during my visit, including opportunities for sponsorship and donation for the new ITU headquarters” said Johnson. “I look forward to con-tinued collaboration as Qatar seeks

to boost its digital economy through the development of its information and communication technology sector in line with international standards. We are confident that working with ITU and its increasingly diverse range of members will benefit Qataris across the country in the years to come.”

ITU is the UN specialised agency for information and com-munication technologies – ICTs. ITU allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technol-ogies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide. ITU membership includes 193 Member States in addition to ICT regulators, many leading academic institutions and some 700 tech companies.

Mohammed Ali Al Mannai, President of CRA, with Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU.


Al Hammadi meets Syrian Ambassador

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, met with the Ambassador of the Syrian Republic to the State of Qatar, Nizar Al Haraki. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, means of supporting and developing them, as well as matters of common concern.

Qatar Foundation unveils its new-look websiteTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Foundation (QF) has unveiled its new-look website, designed to take visitors on an experiential digital journey through the organisation, open up the opportunities it offers them, and be an innovative platform for promoting Qatar to a global audience.

Using state-of-the-art design concepts and a storytelling approach, the website is an immersive, interactive, and user-friendly showcase of QF’s pivotal contribution to Qatar’s economic and social development, and how it generates benefit for the world. It encourages local, regional, and international vis-itors to step inside QF, explore its unique ecosystem of edu-cation, science, and community development, and discover how they can be part of it.

The launch of the new website , which includes people-focused stories and information intended to strike a chord with an array of different audiences.

Mayan Zebeib, Chief Com-munications Officer, QF, said, “The new website is a digital reflection of who we are as an organisation – innovative, diverse, purposeful, open, and unique. While having all the hall-marks of a classic corporate website, it goes further, by offering a truly immersive expe-rience and inviting local, regional, and global audiences to take a journey through QF. Our new website is designed to

encourage visitors to read, dis-cover, and start conversations with us, building enduring rela-tionships between ourselves and our audiences that allow them to truly share in our story.”

“It is also a global platform for Qatar, showcasing the nation as a hub of innovation and a beacon of thought, diversity, and crea-tivity, and illustrating the role of QF in driving key elements of Qatar’s transformation. We look forward to welcoming people to the new QF website to explore what we offer to Qatar and the world, the difference we make, and the opportunities we provide.”

Built with information-seeking audiences in mind, the website’s content and design emphasize how QF’s work directly benefits people’s lives in Qatar, and encourage com-munity participation in its events, activities, and programs. Its stories are also aimed at

introducing QF to a wider inter-national audience, and enhancing the profile both of the organisation and of Qatar.

It will also provide pro-spective students with simple, clear access to information about QF’s unique education model, highlighting programs, special-izations, and opportunities for academic success and personal growth, and telling the stories of those who have been empowered by their Education City experience.

By further positioning QF as a provider of world-class edu-cation and a driver of innovation, the website will encourage vis-itors to explore collaborations, careers, and media opportunities with QF, while also spotlighting the support it offers researchers and technology entrepreneurs.

The new QF website is now live and ready to discover at www.qf.org.qa

The new Qatar Foundation website.

Ashghal President Eng Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi with other dignitaries at the event.

Ashghal plans 55 new projects worth QR18.8bn this year

FROM PAGE 1The Industry Briefing event

started with a speech by Eng Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of Ashghal.

He thanked H E the Prime Minister and Interior Minister of for his unlimited support and giving priority to the infra-structure projects in new and existing sub-divisions. The pres-ident also stressed on the authority’s keenness on trans-parency with all contractors and informing them of its plan for future projects which helps them to prepare early to contribute to these projects.

The president of Ashghal also referred to the benefits of revisiting the contracts, which emphasized the importance of community outreach to reduce the construction impact on the daily lives of the public and the surrounding environment and increase public awareness.

Eng. Ahmad Ali Al Ansari, Technical Office Manager at Ashghal, stressed on Ashghal’s support for the small-scale con-tractors and small and medium enterprises. Where Ta’heel ini-tiative is launched in June 2017 followed by workshops to help companies become eligible for Ta’heel, also Ashghal projects is

giving priority to locally manu-factured products. 104 com-panies have already been accredited through Ta’heel ini-tiative, providing 141 certified and locally manufactured products.

Ashghal has launched a number of initiatives in regards to encouraging local contractors, enhancement to materials approvals by drafting an approved vendors list which is managed through the materials approval committee and planning ahead for long-lead items to avoid and mitigate delay to ongoing projects, also quali-fying local contractors.

The is in addition to the ‘Constructing Excellence’ initi-ative that aims to support the construction industry in Qatar and to integrate scientific and technical expertise in the industry through collaborating with universities and research centers.

The seminar also included honouring a number of dis-tinctive contractors in recog-nition for safety and new con-tract enhancements, where cer-tificates were awarded to seven companies for their outstanding performance in the safety field, and five companies were

awarded certificates of recog-nition for their excellence in implementing the new contract enhancements.

In this regard, Sheikh Ali Bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of Hamad Bin Khalid Contracting Company and QBS International, said that today’s meeting has contributed significantly to provide awareness of the projects that will be tendered this year and the areas to be developed.

He also praised Ashghal’s support for the local manufac-turers and product, which con-tributed to the faster completion of projects. He noted that Ash-ghal’s recognition of outstanding contractors is a good gesture to encourage other contractors to comply with the standards of the authority.

Mohammed Al Khlaifi from Qatar National Broadband Network stressed on the impor-tance of continuous communi-cation between Ashghal and the contractors and responding to their inquiries, pointing out that such seminars, in which the new projects plan is demonstrated, in advance of being tendered, will contribute to the prepa-ration of the Ashghal’s project requirements.

Official praises efforts made to attractQatari students to teaching professionQNA DOHA

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, praised the efforts made to attract Qatari students to the teaching profession, and stressed that the ministry supports every effort in this regard.

This came during an event organised by Doha Independent Secondary School for Boys to attract Qatari students to the teaching profession.

The event was a full day of study, attended by high school and special secondary school students, and attended by a large

number of officials, academics and secondary schools, govern-mental , pr ivate and international.

He noted the efforts of the school to attract Qatari students to the teaching profession. He said that this day reflects the interest of public, private and international schools in this regard, pointing out that the diversity of these schools is evi-dence of the interest and desire that schools and students have for teaching.

The Dean of College of Edu-cation at Qatar University, Ahmed Al Emadi, said the efforts of the ministry and the school to attract Qataris to become

teachers, is one of the most important Educational initiatives in Qatar. He called on the min-istry to plan such programs better in the coming years.

The Director of Teachers Affairs at the Ministry, Ahmed Jassimani, praised the idea of the event, affirming that the ministry encourages such creative ideas, especially in attracting students to the teaching profession.

Principal of the school Saleh Al Ibrahim thanked all those who contributed to the success of the event.

The event also included lec-tures, forums and workshops, in which a group of senior teachers and Educators participated.


Dar Al Sharq welcomes Chairman of PRISA

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Dar Al Sharq received Javier Monzón, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ‘PRISA’ during his visit to the country. PRISA company is considered as one of the largest media

companies in Spain and publishes a number of reputed newspapers and magazines like AS, as well as owns several radio and television channels.

On this occasion, Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dar Al Sharq Group, hosted a

dinner in the presence of Spain’s Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Belen Alfaro; Walid Al Saadi, Special Advisor; Abdul Latif Abdullah Al Mahmoud, CEO of Dar Al Sharq, and Sadiq Mohammad Al Amari, Editor-in-Chief of Al Sharq.

During the meeting, they

discussed significant development in Qatar since Monzón’s last visit to the region 12 years ago. He expressed his admiration for Qatar’s progress, development and country’s readiness to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

They also discussed the pos-sibility of using Spanish and Qatari

expertise for direct investment between the two parties. Monzón had visited Al Sharq headquarters recently where he was received by Abdul Latif Abdullah Al Mahmoud and briefed him about Dar Al Sharq Group and its sub-sidiaries. Monzón showed his admiration for the great

development witnessed by Al Sharq and it services in the field of media and advertising.

The two sides also discussed ways of further strengthening partnership and cooperation. During the meeting, Monzón was given a commemorative gift to appreciate his visit.

LEFT: Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dar Al Sharq Group; and Javier Monzón, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ‘PRISA’; along with Belen Alfaro, Spain’s Ambassador to the State of Qatar; Walid Al Saadi, Special Advisor; Abdul Latif Abdullah Al Mahmoud, CEO of Dar Al Sharq; and Sadiq Mohammad Al Amari, Editor-in-Chief of Al Sharq. ABOVE: Abdul Latif Abdullah Al Mahmoud and Javier Monzón at Al Sharq headquarters.

Qatar calls for resolving differences through dialogueQNA CAIRO

The State of Qatar stressed that the dangers and challenges facing the Arab nation require the resolution of differences based on the prin-ciple of dialogue, respect for the sovereignty and independence of States and non-interference in the internal affairs of any State.

This came in the speech of the State of Qatar at the opening

session of the 151st session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the level of Foreign Min-isters, which was delivered today by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi. He said the Arab world was facing many dramatic devel-opments that will reflect on all its issues, primarily Palestine.

Al Muraikhi reiterated Qatar’s steadfast stance and support for the Palestinian cause and the firm

rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, led by their right to self-determination and the estab-lishment of an independent state on the borders of June 4 of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance to international res-olutions on the matter. He said the Arab world must work together to ensure the realisation of that goal.

Al Muraikhi discussed the sit-uation in Yemen, describing it as tragic due to the destruction and

killing that is taking place there. He said that the Arab countries must push all parties in conflict there towards a national recon-ciliation in line with the GCC ini-tiative and UN Security Council resolution no. 2216.

The Minister of State reaf-firmed Qatar’s firm stance and keenness on Yemen’s unity, inde-pendence and territorial integrity, calling on the international com-munity to help the Yemeni people

to overcome these conditions. He also called on them to take the appropriate measures to ensure that the dangerous humanitarian conditions do not deteriorate.

Al Muraikhi noted that Qatar is committed to alleviating the unprecedented human suffering suffered by the brotherly Yemeni people. He noted in that regard the announcement made by H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the 73rd UN

General Assembly, allocating $70m for Yemen, and the announcement made in February 2019 of responding to the plan of the UN for $27m humanitarian aid to Yemen. The State of Qatar pro-vided assistance in previous years worth more than $600m.

He discussed the Libyan situ-ation and said outside interference in the affairs of the country could threaten its sovereignty, inde-pendence and territorial integrity.


Al Baker inaugurates Qatar pavilion at ITB BerlinTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Akbar Al Baker, Secretary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, inaugurated yesterday the Qatar pavilion at ITB Berlin in presence of Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federal Republic of Germany. ITB is the world’s leading trade show taking place in German capital until March 10.

The Qatar pavilion in ITB Berlin is spread over 222sqm and has representation from QNTC and its 20 co-exhibitors including leading hotels, local tour operators and other tourism service pro-viders showcasing the country’s

expanding tourism and hospitality options.

These include National Museum of Qatar, Qatar Rail, IAAF

World Championships in Athletics 2019, and Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy updating vis-itors about the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Established in 1966, ITB Berlin has established itself as the guidance system of the global travel industry and is today a leading business platform for global touristic offers with 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries in 6 continents showcasing their tourism products to around 160,000 visitors. The delegation’s participation comes as part of QNTC’s efforts to shed light on Qatar’s unique authentic experi-ences to promote the country as a tourism destination among travel professionals and tourism industry leaders in Germany.

Akbar Al Baker, Secretary-General of QNTC and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, with Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federal Republic of Germany; and Hassan Al Ibrahim, QNTC Assistant Secretary-General, at Qatar Pavilion at ITB Berlin.

The Qatar pavilion in ITB Berlin has representation from QNTC and its 20 co-exhibitors including leading hotels, tour operators and other tourism service providers showcasing the country’s expanding tourism and hospitality options.

HMC raises awareness about kidney healthFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

With at least 10 percent of Qatar’s population is affected by kidney disease, Hamad Medical Corpo-ration (HMC) is organising a series of events and activities designed to educate the community about the importance of good kidney health.

Activities will coincide with the World Kidney Day which is marked officially on March 14, under the theme ‘Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere.’

“Kidney disease can affect people of all ages and races and individuals in the early stages of kidney disease often display very few, if any, symptoms. One in ten people in Qatar suffers from some form of kidney disease. Among them between 250 and 270 new patients start with dialysis every year,” said Dr Hassan Al Malki, Head of HMC’s Nephrology

Department addressing a press conference yesterday.

At present a total of 950 adult patients are on dialysis across HMC hospitals. The signs and symptoms of kidney disease are often nonspecific. They can also

be caused by other illnesses or can be mistaken for other health conditions.

“Signs and symptoms of kidney disease can include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, sleep problems,

changes in how much you urinate, muscle twitches and cramps, swelling of the feet and ankles, and high blood pressure’” said Dr Al Malki.

Though the prevalence of kidney disease is high, Qatar has

been at the forefront in kidney disease prevention, with the implementation of awareness campaigns designed to encourage the public to adopt a healthy life-style, widespread screenings and treatment of the major causes of kidney disease, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

Dr Mohamad Alkadi, Neph-rology Consultant, said that HMC’s World Kidney Day activities will be held between March 8 and 19 and are designed to reach as many people as possible. “It is important that we use the occasion of World Kidney Day to educate members of the community about how important this vital organ is, and what they can do to protect it,” he said.

Among the events, a two-day symposium for healthcare workers on kidney health and HMC staff will visit schools and universities to raise awareness about the importance of good

kidney health. A health awareness booth at

the main entrance of Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, will be staffed by clinical teams who will provide members of the public with information leaflets and health education materials. Clinical teams will also provide basic health checks.

HMC will host health awareness booths at the main entrances of Hamad General, Al Wakra, and Al Khor Hospitals, as well as in Sidra Medicine. The booths will be staffed by clinical teams who will provide members of the public with information leaflets and health education materials and do basic health checks.

On March 15, a walkathon will take place at the Doha Corniche from 3pm. All members of the community are invited to attend. There will be entertainment and free health checks.

FROM LEFT: Dr Essa Abdulla Abuhelaiqa, Consultant, Nephrology; Nayef Abboud Al Shammari, Assistant Executive Director Media; Dr Hassan Ali M H Al Malki, Senior Consultant, Medicine; Dr Mohamad Mahmood T A Alkadi, Consultant, Medicine; Teha Dham Al Mohannady, Director of Nursing; and Mona Abdelbasir Elsayed, Patient Educator; addressing a press conference on World Kidney Day, at the Bayt Al Dhiyafah, Medical City, in Doha yesterday. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

SHATIU holds workshop in Jordan on challenges of translatorsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

In a seminar held yesterday at Zarqa University in Jordan in cooperation with the Association of Professors of English and Translation at Arab Universities (APETAU) participants hailed the efforts of the Hamad Award for International Translation and Understanding (SHATIU) in promoting direct communi-cation with Arab translators.

A number of academicians and members of the Association stressed on the importance of coordination and cooperation between the two sides in coming events. They welcomed the move to broadening the scope of award to include more lan-guages and called for strength-ening the link between the award and institutions special-izing in the field of translations.The workshop discussed many translation issue including chal-lenges faced by translators, rela-tions of translators with pub-lishing houses, and how to raise awareness about the importance of translation and role of trans-lators in selecting materials of high quality, value and useful content from the original language.

For his part, Dr Jihad Hamdan, Chairman of (APETAU) praised the role of the awards in stimulating translation work. Hamdan said that “translation is an intellectual outing, and inside each of us there is a translator, sometimes we feel satisfied with his performance, and sometimes we force him/her to review the product, each of us spend many hours to creates texts or translate for recipient or write what ideas and feelings.”

He added that the translation

and Arabization is a long story, despite many achievements, but the lack of resources hinders achieving aspirations that promote the translation movement to its highest horizons. He called for the need to recognize translation as a pro-fession which has its own aca-demic, practical and ethical requirements.

As well there is a need to encourage universities to establish translation centers and improve plans for the devel-opment of translation programs by increasing the number of hours for training and estab-lishment of union concerned with the affairs of translation and its practitioners.

The seminar also presented a number of translation issues, especially the role of the award in achieving success of trans-lation movement, raising ques-tions related to the mechanisms of arbitration, which is answered by Dr Hanan Al Fayyad, spokes-person of the award and Dr Imtana Alsmadi member of the media team of the award.

The Sheikh Hamad Awards

was established in Doha as a global award to be overseen by a Board of Trustees, has under-taken since its first year, to encourage translation from and into Arabic, selecting one inter-national language every year such as English language and German was chosen in the fourth season last year.

Meanwhile, according to a report sent by the media team from Amman said that Prof. Bassam Al-Helou, President of Zarqa University yesterday met the delegation of media team, represented by Dr Hanan Al Fayyad, and Dr Imtana Alsmadi.

Al Helou briefed the team on the most important goals and visions of the university, stressing on the importance and role of translation as a cultural act contributing to the building of humanity. Al Helou called for the preparation of more studies of translation and strengthening the transfer of scientific and research achievements of various nations, pointing out that the nations cannot go forward without being open to other cul-tures and societies.

Dr Hanan Al Fayyad (second left), spokesperson of the award, speaking at the workshop organised by SHATIU in Jordan.

Qatar Free Zones Authority to strengthen marine industryFROM PAGE 1

“There has been an increase in participation specially in the number of countries. The partic-ipants are willing to come because they see the opportunity the show can offer,” said Khalid I Al Mannai, Chairman of Al Mannai Plus Events and Organiser of the Qatar International Boat Show (QIBS).

In terms of visitors, he said

they expect the number to be between 7,000 to 10,000, adding the show will be a crowd-puller not only for the boats on show but for a number of fresh features.

“The show has some new fea-tures; for example some of the participants want to do a show within the show to promote their products,” he said.

The sole marine exhibition

of its kind in Qatar, QIBS has been attracting thousands of vis-itors inside and outside Qatar and encouraged private sector investment in the marine industry.

Al Mannai is optimistic the show contributes in a big way not only to the boat building industry but also the tourism and exhibi-tions sector of the country.

FROM LEFT: Mohammed Ali Al Ibrahim, QIG Marine; Lt. Fahad Al Mislimani, General Directorate of Coasts and Borders; Loay Dalis, CEO of Al Mannai Plus Events; Khalid I. Al Mannai, Chairman of Al Mannai Plus Events; Abdulrahim Al Ibrahim, UDC Commercial Executive Director; Adel Al Muhannadi, RME General Manager, and Sara Teubner, MORSA ITC at the QIBS 2019 press conference yesterday at Mondrian Doha.

Qatar Airways unveils enhanced economyclass; announces 7 new destinations

FROM PAGE 1Qatar Airways Group Chief

Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are very pleased to reveal our new Economy Class expe-rience here at ITB, proving that our commitment to providing the very finest experience extends to all of our passengers, not only those in Premium class. Our new Economy Class seat, with its redesigned recline system and additional leg room, will ensure that our passengers in Economy Class arrive at their destinations feeling rested and refreshed. We invite all visitors to ITB to visit our stand, so that they can experience this unique

product for themselves.” “We are also tremendously

excited to be adding seven new destinations to our rapidly expanding global route network later this year, and to be able to connect our passengers to any-where in the world they wish to go,” he added.

At ITB 2017, Qatar Airways launched its revolutionary Business Class seat, Qsuite, which features the world’s first-ever double bed in Business Class. Qsuite takes cabin inno-vation to a whole new level with its quad configuration, providing passengers even more choice, privacy and personalisation in

their travel experience. Since its launch, Qsuite has won a host of awards, including the prestigious Skytrax awards in 2018 for ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘Best Business Class Seat’.

ITB Berlin 2019 will showcase a range of travel exhibitors from more than 180 countries and five continents, providing more than 160,000 visitors with the latest infor-mation on new products, services and facilities in the tourism industry. Qatar Airways welcomes all guests to ITB to visit its exhibition pavilion in Hall 2.2, stand 207 and 208 from 6-10 March.


ALF launches ‘Oasis of knowledge and competitions’THE PENINSULA DOHA

Under the patronage of the Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi, Al Faisal Without Border Foundation (ALF) launched recently ‘Oasis of knowledge and competitions’ at Qatar National

Convention Centre. The event was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Thani, Sheikh Turki bin Faisal Al Thani, Abdul Latif Al Yafei, Director General of Al Faisal Without Border and Ali Talal Mari, Executive Director of Foundation, and a large number of students participating in the event.

“The organisation is pleased to organise this event, which is the sixth consecutive year and this

Palakkadan Nattarangu to mark Women’s Day THE PENINSULA DOHA

In a novel attempt to celebrate the Interna-tional Women’s Day on March 8, the women’s team of Palakkadan Nattarangu is organising an array of programmes at ICC Mumbai Hall at 6pm. Shirley Johnson, Director of Nursing Education at Women’s Wellness and Research Center, will conduct a class on ‘Cervical and Breast Cancer’ at the event. Followed by it, women’s day related quiz, skit and group discussion will also be held. All friends are invited for the event.

Director of Public Security meets envoys of Ethiopia, Paraguay

The Director of Public Security, Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim Al Khulaifi (right), yesterday met separately with the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Qatar, Samia Zakaria Gutu (left), and the Ambassador of Paraguay to Qatar, Angel Ramon Barchini. During the meetings, they discussed a number of cooperation fields between the State of Qatar with Ethiopia and Paraguay, and ways to promote them.

Cabinet praises outcome of Amir’s visit to AustriaQNA DOHA

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani chaired the Cabinet regular meeting, held yesterday, at the

Amiri Diwan.Following the meeting, Min-

ister of Justice and Acting Min-ister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi stated that at the outset of the meeting the cabinet praised the results of Amir H H

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s official visit to the Republic of Austria on March 4- 5.

The Cabinet affirmed that the relations between Qatar and Austria have entered a new phase of cooperation and

understanding for the benefit of both countries and peoples. This is in light of the fruitful talks held by H H the Amir with President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, which touched on supporting and promoting bilateral

cooperation in various fields and the most prominent updates, regionally and internationally. The cabinet also said the two memorandums of understanding signed during the visit are an additional dimension to the growing economic ties between the two countries.

The cabinet was briefed on the results of the seventh session of the Qatari-Tunisian Supreme Joint Committee held in Tunis on March 2, chaired by the Prime Minister and Interior Minister and the Prime Minister of the Tunisian government.

The cabinet welcomed the results of the session, affirming the brotherly spirit and mutual desire to develop the relations and the joint vision on regional and international issues. The cabinet also welcomed the

agreements and memorandums of understanding that have been signed, giving the relations a new momentum, opens broad prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples and to enhance security and sta-bility in the region.

The cabinet discussed the subjects on its agenda it approved a draft agreement canceling visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and special passports, signed between the government of the State of Qatar and the gov-ernment of Haiti.

It also a draft cooperation agreement in technical, scien-tific, and economic aspects of the agricultural field signed between the State of Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the Republic of Moldova’s Ministry of Agri-culture, Regional Development and Environment.

Secondly, cabinet agreed to provide financial support to the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation of the UN Secretary-General. The Cabinet listened to

a presentation by Minister of Education and Higher Education on a mechanism that guarantees the encouragement of Qataris to pursue a teaching career, develop academic curricula. His Excellency also presented a pres-entation on Qatar’s position in the Global Competitiveness Report, the cabinet stressed on the importance of placing more plans to further develop the edu-cation system and academic curricula.

Thirdly, the cabinet reviewed a report by the Min-istry of Transport and Commu-nications on the outcomes of a committee coordinating between the bodies operating in Hamad International Airport between April 1 to September 30 of 2018. The committee, formed by Civil Aviation Authority, is charged with facil-itating various operations at the airport by coordinating between all the bodies working there, in accordance with the adopted laws. It is also charged with providing the necessary requirements to facilitate oper-ations of the airport.

year under the new name “Oasis of Knowledge and Competitions,” Al Yafei said. Our beginnings focused on competitions then included training workshops and many other activities like sports, he added. Al Yafei pointed out that it is expected that the number of participants in this special event will reach about 4,000 students from about 150 public and private schools, representing all the educational stages (primary, preparatory and secondary), and will con-tinue for five days to provide more than 100 training workshops, educational and development in which more than 100 exhibitors in all educational fields. Ali Talal Mari stressed that the ‘Oasis of Knowledge and Competition ‘ is a new edition that differs from the previous editions. It is more interactive and focuses on knowledge and its importance.

“This edition discusses the development wit-nessed by Qatar which has been going on for past several years at all levels and in many areas. It attracts students, teachers, parents and residents.

He said Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Thani is not only the founder, but also strives to support the vision of the foundation as a whole and always works to promote the best for all members of society, especially new and coming generations.


Sweden hosts Qatari women in global meet THE PENINSULA DOHA

Sweden is celebrating Interna-tional Women’s Day in Stockholm by hosting 20 women from seven countries to partake in “Women in Tech”; a multi-lateral tech conference promoting leading female perspectives within the IT-field.

This initiative is founded on Sweden’s strong and continuous efforts of emphasising women in all parts of society.

Qatar is among the few pri-oritised countries represented in the conference. Two Qatari female leaders have been care-fully selected to the international expert group attending the con-ference: Maryam Al Kuwari, AGM Development and User Services, QNB, and Aisha Al Mahmoud, IT Director at Qatar Stock Exchange.

The conference features key note speakers such as world-renowned Sandra Alba Cauffman, Deputy Director of the Earth Science Division, Nasa and Sophia Bendz, former Global Marketing Director at the Swedish digital music service company Spotify, today an investor and advisor to startups as well as a board director.

As a leader in innovation and digital entrepreneurship Sweden is a beacon for innovative tech startups and share its know-how

by setting international standards worldwide. Only Silicon Valley lies ahead of Stockholm when looking at number of billion-dollar tech companies per capita. The capital of Sweden is further ranked the second most influential Fin-Tech hub in the world. In line with this objective of being a platform of knowledge sharing and a hub for technical innovations and entre-preneurship; “Women in Tech” is designed for women in the tech industry with the goal of intensifying dialogue, create greater knowledge exchange and broader lasting and reciprocal r e l a t i o n s h i p s b e t w e e n

international decision-makers and Swedish industry, gov-ernment agencies, academia, start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, Ewa Polano, is very proud to have invited the two leading Qatari women to this conference and states that “Qatar and Sweden are both small countries with high ambitions in encour-aging more women to enter leading roles in general and in the tech industry specifically; and to promote the ones already active”. She added “Women in Tech with its bilateral knowledge sharing approach supports the progressive Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Leading up to the con-ference, Ambassador Polano invited Maryam Al Kuwari and Aisha Al Mahmoud to a prepar-atory introduction meeting at the embassy during which she emphasised: “Sending these important Qatari women to Stockholm is a very good example of how I would like to work continuously with exchange between Qatar – Sweden and strengthening the position of women in Qatar, in fields such as technology, trade, culture and diplomacy”. She concludes by congratulating “Qatar to its impressive achieve-ments with already so many suc-cessful Qatari women in key positions”.

Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, Ewa Polano (second left); and Ann von Staden, with the Qatari female leaders, Maryam Al Kuwari, AGM Development and User Services, QNB, and Aisha Al Mahmoud, IT Director at Qatar Stock Exchange, pose during a photo session.

Qatar is among the few prioritised countries represented in the conference. Two Qatari female leaders have been carefully selected to the international expert group attending the conference: Maryam Al Kuwari, AGM Development and User Services, QNB; and Aisha Al Mahmoud, IT Director at Qatar Stock Exchange.

French Ambassador stresses role of Qatari women in nation’s developmentTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The French Embassy in Qatar and Maison de la France held an event on March 4 entitled ‘Women and Diversity lunch Talks ‘ at the W Hotel, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2019 which is celebrated on March 8 of every year. This special get-together event witnessed gathering of more than 120 participants.

In her welcome address, Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, com-mented on the theme of the event emphasising on the tre-mendous success of Qatari female students in university. “For the academic year 2017, 64 percent of the Qatari graduates are ladies (military colleges or student on scholarship from

other government companies are not included in this statistic)”.

The Ambassador of France to Qatar, Franck Gellet, stressed the prominent role of women in all sectors to the development of Qatar and the achievement of its Vision 2030.

‘Women and Diversity lunch Talks’ featured a panel dis-cussion with three prominent Qatari women from varied pro-fessional backgrounds talking about their experiences, chal-lenges and contributions to the development of Qatar. Panelists stressed the important role women play in helping achieve the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030. There is an evident increase in the number of women joining professions that were previously male dominated.

The second panel discussion, with three Human Resources managers from French com-panies (Alstom, Thales and Total), highlighted the case for Diversity and Inclusion, sharing initiatives to attract more women in the private sector. Focus was made to underline the impor-tance of considering all aspects of Diversity, not only the gender one: chances are to be based on performance, leadership and competencies only, and not on country of origin, religion, color or physical ability.

After the panel discussions concluded, the final interactive session with the audience served to share success stories and promote the involvement of both women and men to improve equality and diversity in our societies.

The Ambassador of France to the State of Qatar, Franck Gellet, with other officials during the event to mark the International Women’s Day at the W Hotel.

Aspire International Kite Fest begins

Pari Gallery hosts launch of Lens MeTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Pari Gallery, renowned retailer of luxury cosmetics, fragrances and accessories, hosted the exclusive launch of Lens Me, upcoming international brand that specialises in the manufac-turing of advanced contact lenses’, latest collection for the very first time in Qatar.

The launch ceremony was attended by fashion enthusiasts and influencers, society’s digni-taries, as well as the esteemed members of the press. The inter-national brand utilizes the latest

technologies to manufacture breathable contact lenses that not only compliment your aesthetic, but also does not irritate the eyes. Established in 2014, Lens Me

specialises at its core in offering an ever-evolving, wide range of coloured and medical contact lenses to suit its customers varied prescriptions and tastes.

Hakam Al Qawasmi, General Manager of Pari Gallery, with Layal Yazbeck, Marketing Manager, 18th Avenue, and a guest at the event. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT / THE PENINSULA

Hermetica perfume collection launched at Secret Notes Boutique at Doha Festival CityTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Secret Notes Boutique at Doha Festival City has launched Hermetica, a collection of modern molecular perfumes using a unique alcohol-free formula to create long-lasting and moisturising fragrances.

Launched exclusively online on July 31, Hermetica is the first-of-its-kind digital first fragrance brand to deliver worldwide thanks to its alcohol-free formula, allowing con-sumers to easily purchase fragrance through the website and try them at home.

Hermetica fragrances are the result of more than two years of

intense collaboration between co-founder Clara Molloy, Aliénor Mas-senet and Philippe Paparella, senior perfumers at Symrise, resulting in a completely new and alcohol-free approach to creating fragrances.

By marrying unique formulas with patented technology - Inoscent – top, mid and base notes appear in a modern and striking tempo, revealing right away the heart of the perfumes after the first spritz.

The range includes 13 unique per-fumes, 12 within the four different col-lections - Emerald Stairways, Vertical Ambers, The Door and Dry Waters - plus Source1, a standalone fragrance that can also be found across all scents. Floral, woody, oriental and

green, Hermetica fragrances deliver a contemporary and refined eau de parfum collection that is clean and cruelty-free. Hermetica has created personality quiz online so that cus-tomers can find a scent best suited to them. A discovery kit, available through the website, allows con-sumers to try each scent at home; the cost is then offset against the price of a full-priced bottle.

Green in appearance and in nature, Hermetica’s glass bottles are made from recycled glass and sand that is locally sourced to reduce the carbon footprint. The bottles are refillable and reusable with fra-grances that are clean and cruelty-free.

Officials during the launch of Hermetica perfume collection at Secret Notes Boutique in Doha Festival City.

SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The third edition of Aspire Inter-national Kite Festival opened yesterday at Aspire Park with the participation of professional kite flyers from 18 countries.

Meanwhile, Ooredoo announced yesterday that it is the Official Sponsor of Aspire International Kite Festival.

Thousands of people including women and children gathered at the venue afternoon to enjoy the festival. Over 40,000 visitors and 500 stu-dents are expected to visit the four-day festival

To attract the visitors various sites were set at the venue, including a weather dome for the workshops and student

activities, wind garden with custom-made decorations, areas for the parade and enter-tainment, food trucks and kite shop.

“First time lit kites por-traying contemporary designs from the East and the West are participating the festival,” Tahani Al Suwaidi a member of Aspire third International Kite Festival Organising Committee told The Peninsula. She said that the festival is being organised in two shifts in morning for school students and evening for general public.

The Aspire Zone Foundation received yesterday 200 students from government and private schools to the third edition of festival where they attended workshops on kite making.

The schools that participated during the first day of the fes-tival, which ran from 9am to 12pm, were: Al Huda, Nusseibeh, and Al Israa Primary Inde-pendent Schools for Girls, Vision and GEMS international schools.

For the third consecutive year, the Secretary of the Inter-national ASEAN Kite Council, Gadis Widiyati, delivered the workshops and the training ses-sions. These aim to enhance the interest of kite making and kite flying amongst the citizens of Qatar by leveraging the expertise and inspirational stories of kiting experts from the region and abroad.

The organising committee of the festival organised a wide array of competitions with four award categories for students.

The names of the other Syrian Americans believed to be held by the Assad regime are kept secret in accordance with their families’ wishes. And while each story is unique and information about them is scarce,

THE WASHINGTON POST

10 THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019VIEWS

Syria’s President must release all of his American hostages

US President Donald Trump has worked successfully to secure the release of many American hostages held

abroad. But Americans might be sur-prised to know that Syria’s Assad regime likely holds more American hostages than any state or nonstate actor, according to officials, activists and the families of these missing Americans.

Before US troops leave Syria, before the United States accepts any political settlement to the Syrian crisis, before any US aid flows for recon-struction - President Bashar al-Assad must return all American citizens he is holding in his prisons and account for the one he allegedly murdered.

There are “around half a dozen” American citizens missing in Syria and suspected to be held by the Assad regime, according to a senior adminis-tration official, who requested ano-nymity to discuss sensitive matters. One is journalist Austin Tice, missing since 2012; the US government has said publicly it believes the Assad regime is holding Tice. The other known cases are Syrian Americans, none of whom the regime has acknowledged detaining, the official said.

“There are a number of Syrian American dual citizens that went missing in regime-held areas that the US gov-ernment is tracking and we are engaging with diplo-matic partners in an effort to secure their safe return from Syria,” the official said.

The exact number is classified, and there may be cases the US government is still not aware of. Almost all engagement with the regime on this topic is conducted through the Czech ambassador in Syria. The Czech Republic has represented US diplo-matic interests in Syria since the closing of the US Embassy there in 2012.

Last month, President Trump told reporters that he is going to work on securing the release of multiple American hostages in Syria.

Referring to his success in freeing

earlier hostages from North Korea, Egypt, Turkey and elsewhere, the president said: “I’m 19 and 0, and I am now starting [on] the Syria hostages. Yes. And I have a very good record.”

Officials confirmed that the pres-ident and his senior team are focused on returning Americans from Syria. The effort is led by special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Robert O’Brien, who was brought on last year to raise the level of attention and activity on the problem.

Trump’s 19-0 tally includes Otto Warmbier, who was returned from North Korea in 2017 in a coma only to die a few days later. Trump was criti-cized last week for saying he believed Kim Jong Un’s claim he was unaware of Warmbier’s treatment. On Saturday, Trump said, “I love Otto.”

The accurate tally in Syria would be Assad 1, Trump 0. The Assad regime is believed to have executed 26-year-old Illinois native Layla Shweikani in 2016 after a quick “trial” and didn’t notify her family until late last year. In the wake of that tragedy, other fam-ilies of Syrian Americans thought to be held by the Assad regime are speaking out.

In January, the family of 61-year-old Syrian American therapist Majd Kamalmaz, who was detained in a regime-held area in February 2017, decided to go public about his case. The Czech government told his family that the Syrian regime had acknowl-edged they were holding Kamalmaz, but then later said the Syrians had changed their story.

Kamalmaz was visiting family in Damascus when he was picked up at a regime checkpoint. He suffers from diabetes and other health problems; so far there’s no information about his current condition. The Kamalmaz family held a rally last week in front of the White House, trying to raise awareness about their missing patriarch.

The Kamalmaz family also met with administration officials and law-makers about the case, including Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. French Hill, R-Ark. The family has roots in both Iowa and Arkansas. Hill

brought Kamalmaz’s son, Khalid, to the president’s State of the Union address last month. “I’m not too political, but my father wasn’t, either,” Khalid Kamalmaz said. “They might be holding him as a political pawn, to try to use him for other deals. But he’s just a humanitarian.”

The names of the other Syrian Americans believed to be held by the Assad regime are kept secret in accordance with their families’ wishes. And while each story is unique and information about them is scarce, the FBI, State Department and other agencies are all engaged in trying to track them down and bring them home.

Some believe that the American hostages must be included in any political negotiation with the Assad regime over the future status of Syria and its participation in inter-national organizations as a member of the world community. “The way this movie ends is in Geneva,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who speaks to Trump often about Syria. “So we would expect that any solution to the Syria problem would include the return of all the American hostages.”

The activists and families are hoping for action much, much sooner. They look at Trump’s North Korea gambit and see a precedent that hos-tages should be released at the start of any negotiations, rather than as part of any final deal. They also know torture and murder are rampant in Assad’s dungeons. “Assad tortures to death countless men, women, children and elderly,” said Mouaz Moustafa, exec-utive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “The fact that he holds multiple innocent American citizens in his dungeons is outrageous. They must all be brought home now.”

Assad should be on notice that the US government and the American people are tracking his imprisonment of Americans and he will be held per-sonally responsible for their treatment and their safe return. If Assad wants the United States to leave Syria, he must release all of his Americans hos-tages first.

JOSH ROGIN THE WASHINGTON POST

QUOTE OF THE DAYIf we are Nato allies and

if we are supposed to deepen our solidarity,

then you will sell it when Turkey asks for it.

If you don’t want to give it, then don’t interfere

with Turkey’s purchase from another country

outside Nato.

Mevlut Cavusoglu Turkish Foreign Minister

Why is there still an app for that?

Saudi Arabia is letting men track women, and two of the United States’ top tech com-panies are helping - still.

Last month, Google and Apple pledged to investigate an app in their stores called Absher. The name roughly translates as “yes sir,” which is fitting: Absher is an e-government service, and the Saudi government is an engine of sexist repression - so in addition to the app’s innocuous uses, the app is a tool for enforcing the regime’s guardianship system. That includes allowing men to input where and when women under their watch are allowed to travel, so that the gov-ernment may serve them alerts when those wards leave or enter the country.It also includes giving them access to women’s flight logs.

Apparently, Google is done inves-tigating. Satisfied that Absher does not violate its terms of service, the company has decided to allow the app to remain in its store. Apple still

has not made its decision, but in the meantime, Absher is still around, and Saudi women are still under constant surveillance.

Saudi Arabia’s treatment of women is a much bigger problem than Absher: On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that an American woman now divorced from a Saudi man is trapped in the country because her ex-husband let her resi-dency expire and she cannot get authorization to leave. But one way of chipping away at a system of oppression is to make that system more difficult to enforce. Instead, Google and Apple, if the latter does not come to a different conclusion in its review, are allowing abuse to occur at the tap of a smartphone screen.

Google’s excuse for abdicating its commitment to human rights is far from convincing. Terms of service are not an unalterable set of command-ments engraved in stone. On the con-trary, Google can revise the rules an app must follow to remain in its store

whenever it wants - and it does. Every one of those rules and every one of those revisions, from not allowing pornography to prohibiting harassment, is a choice.

How those rules are applied is a choice, too. If Absher violated any of Google’s existing terms, it could be in the “hate speech” category: Google bars apps that “promote violence, or incite hatred against individuals or groups” based on characteristics “associated with systemic discrimi-nation or marginalization.” Absher may not explicitly promote violence or incite hatred. But what does Absher do if not further the same systemic discrimination Google highlights?

No one asked Google whether Absher violated the letter of its current rules. Instead they asked whether Google, Apple or any other company would facilitate the sexist strictures of a regime that not only oppresses women but also tortures and kills journalists, activists and other critics. The answer should be no.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM [email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI [email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Whether it is for new technologies, or for new partnerships, Ooredoo is always at the forefront of innovation and services.

Leader in innovation

Ooredoo is constantly looking for ways to improve the experience they offer to its customers — be it for household consumers or business clients. The

approach is visible in all its endeavours as a community-focused company. Whether it is for new technologies, or for new partnerships, the company is always at the forefront of innovation and services.

Ooredoo made the country proud again when it was the first in the world to launch a live, commercially available 5G network and conducted the first international 5G call in the region a few weeks back. Once 5G capable mobile devices are available in the market, Ooredoo will be again the first-in-the-world to make them available for immediate use, as the networks are well ahead with readiness.

Recetly, Ooredoo has announced the launch of its new “Home Internet” plans, an impressive new line-up of ultra-fast Home Broadband offerings catering for all households, which will make home internet speeds up to five times faster at no extra charge. This is part of the Ooredoo’s continued commitment to and investment in the country’s nationwide fiber infrastructure, which will continue to deliver for the future outstanding world class unlimited broadband to homes

in Qatar at speeds of up to 10Gbps, together with the best in class TV entertainment.

Ooredoo Supernet, which offers speeds of up to 10Gbps is something only a few countries around the world are offering. Qatar’s leading communications behemoth says the free and auto-matic upgrade to the new plans at no additional cost is an expression of Ooredoo’s gratitude and appreciation and as a reward for their loyalty.

And at the Mobile World Con-gress 2019, Ooredoo announced a partnership with global tech-

nology company KaiOS Technologies to drive Qatar’s business growth and enhance digital experiences for 500,000 feature phone users. This is as part of its plans to provide essential smartphone features at affordable prices, under QR100 each.

The list of Ooredoo’s partnerships and innovations is never-ending. It has launched a new Internet of Things (IoT) platform, IoT Builder, to drive innovations in smart nationwide transformation. The IoT Builder solution enables Ooredooo to develop applications and to integrate connected devices for its business customers.

Ooredoo along with Dell EMC, the world’s leading pro-vider of cloud infrastructure and innovative business solu-tions, launched a smart stadium demo to transform mega-events around the world. The technology titans have developed smart stadium technology that aims to maximise the safety and security of athletes and coaches, fans, media, and organisers at Qatar’s soccer tournament in 2022 and additional mega-events worldwide.

Ooredoo’s customers can also now benefit from Atos’ industry leading experiences and solutions in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Cloud Transformation and also cyberse-curity services. Atos’ solutions cover Big Data, security, infra-structure and data management, business and platform solu-tions, unified communication and collaboration, and digital payments. As Ooredoo says, it’s guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.

Marc and Debra Tice, the parents of Austin Tice, hold photos of their son during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon.

Demonstrations have thus far been peaceful and the security services response has been exemplary. However, figures from both the military and the government cautioned people about what may happen if the demonstrations continue.

11THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019 OPINION

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Will ‘smart agriculture’ lead to brighter futurefor Japan’s farming?

Algerians have learned the lessons of the Arab Spring

JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI

YOUCEF BOUANDEL AL JAZEERA

Will advanced technol-ogies serve as a turning point to revive Japan’s agriculture? They should

be actively utilized.Expectations have risen high for

“smart agriculture” that makes full use of IoT (internet of things) to connect various elements through the internet, artificial intelligence and robots.

Amid the progress of digital revo-lutions in a wide range of industries, agriculture has lagged behind. However, agricultural machinery and facilities equipped with new technol-ogies have now started to emerge.

They include self-driving tractors where one person can operate five units and a system in which the water level of irrigated farm fields can be controlled via smartphone. Another one enables effective fertilizing by

using drones to check the growth con-ditions of crops. The Agriculture, For-estry and Fisheries Ministry will start verification tests in fiscal 2019 at model farms throughout the nation. Effects and problems must be examined carefully.

Japan’s agricultural production has been on a recovery track since 2015, but there are no prospects for the future. The graying of farmers is progressing, with their average age approaching 67.

Agriculture is a labor-intensive industry, and it requires manpower and time. Without increasing produc-tivity and solving the lack of people engaged in agriculture, its decline is unavoidable. Promotion of smart agriculture appears to be one option to solve such problems.

If smart agriculture progresses, the burden of physical labor will be reduced, making it easier for women and the elderly to work in agriculture. It will probably pave the way for employment of disabled people.

Accumulation of big data for such matters as cultivation techniques could, in the future, enable the pro-duction of high-quality agricultural products without depending on expert skills. The government aims to expand exports of agricultural products, and it is hoped that smart agriculture leads to enhanced international competitiveness.

On the other hand, efforts for smart agriculture have just gotten under way, and there are many issues to be solved. For example, the oper-ation of self-driving farm machinery and drones is, in principle, allowed only in the range the operator can see.

The government is urged to advance deregulation by confirming safety sufficiently through verification tests and other means.

A self-driving tractor costs about ¥10 million, 50 percent more than an ordinary tractor. It would be difficult for small-scale farmers to introduce them. It is hoped that many farmers can enjoy the benefits through such means as sharing self-driving tractors, along with lowered prices as they become more common.

Many things need to be done to introduce smart agriculture smoothly, including development of farm lands and farm roads where self-driving tractors are easy to operate, and the enhancement of telecommunications infrastructure at farming communities.

Unless smart agriculture is intro-duced simultaneously with policy measures such as upsizing farmlands and promoting the entry of corporate entities, it may not lead to drastic increases in productivity. In addition to depending on advanced technol-ogies, structural reform in agriculture must not be neglected.

For the last two weeks, tens of thousands of Algerians have been protesting against the attempt of its 82-year-old

president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to run for a fifth term.

Bouteflika, who has been in power since 1999, last addressed his people in May 2012, a year after a series of Arab uprisings had toppled three long-term presidents in Alge-ria’s neighbourhood. In that speech, he made it clear that he was ready to leave the presidency once his third term was up; Algerians still remember very well two statements he made: “My generation has passed its time” and “God bless the man who knows his limits”.

At that time, Algeria was still enjoying unprecedented revenue flow, as oil prices were consistently hovering around $100 a barrel (having reached $140 in 2008). This had allowed the president to “buy” some social peace and contain the fallout from the Arab Spring.

In 2013, he suffered a debilitating stroke, which confined him to a wheelchair, causing many to think this would all-but-guarantee the long-term president’s planned retirement from politics. In 2014, however, Bouteflika made an unex-pected u-turn and announced his decision to run again.

The unravelling chaos in neigh-bouring Libya, as well as Syria, con-vinced a significant number of Algerian voters to opt for the stability offered by the incumbent president and Bouteflika managed to win a fourth term. The president tried to ease the concerns of voters who still wanted change by promising he

would enact reforms that would result in his eventual “passing the torch to the younger generation”.

Unfortunately, these reforms never materialised.

Bouteflika spent most of his fourth term in office between hos-pitals in Geneva, Switzerland, and Grenoble, France. He was obviously unable to run the country efficiently because of his rapidly deteriorating health. He offered little more than cosmetic solutions to the country’s deep-rooted problems.

He failed to utilise the oil rev-enues to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the average Algerian. Today, oil prices have halved, cor-ruption levels have reached unprece-dented levels, social inequalities have increased, more than a quarter of Algerians under 30 are unemployed, and many are fed up with a president that seems unwilling or at least unable to keep his promises to the people.

This is why after the ailing pres-ident announced his intention to run for a fifth term, Algerians from all walks of life took to the streets. Lawyers, journalists, students and academics all voiced their opposition to a fifth Bouteflika mandate.

The authorities clearly miscalcu-lated the effect such a move would have on the people and assumed that demonstrations would take place only in “suspect areas” like the Berber-dominated northern region of Kabylie or some of the restive eastern provinces. Instead, demonstrators marched in cities and towns across the country. Algiers, where protests were hitherto banned, saw the biggest gathering in the country.

Even the city of Tlemcen in western Algeria, where the majority of Bouteflika’s ministers come from, joined the demonstrations. The Algerian diaspora in London, Paris and Montreal also organised similar marches.

Today, many Algerians believe that the ailing president is being used by people in his entourage. They feel that the image of their country, and indeed their long-term president, is being dragged through the mud by people who are not concerned about anything other than enriching them-selves and consolidating their grip on the Algerian state.

They feel that some people in the president’s inner circle are trying to use the respect Algerians have for him, given that he is credited for bringing peace to the country through national reconciliation, to pursue their own self-interests.

This is why the demonstrators’ chants have evolved from “Degage!” (Get out) to “Al-shaab yureed isqat al-nidham!” (The people want the downfall of the regime).

Demonstrations have thus far been peaceful and the security services response has been exem-plary. However, figures from both the military and the government cau-tioned people about what may happen if the demonstrations continue.

Ahmed Gaid Salah, the military’s chief of staff and deputy defence minister, has warned that the ongoing protests may soon turn violent. Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, an ally of Bouteflika, also warned the Algerian people about the future, reminding that the war in Syria also began with similar protests.

However, Ouyahia and Salah’s warnings fell on deaf ears, as the demonstrators and their supporters pointed out that the Algerians view not Syria, but Malaysia and Turkey as role models. They reminded the authorities that the first step in Malaysia’s development was getting rid of corrupt individuals and insisted that Algerians have learned a lot from the experiences of the Arab Spring countries.

For now, the protesters appear to have the upper hand in Algeria. Bouteflika’s entourage has already been forced to make some conces-sions. In a letter read out on state-run TV on Sunday, they announced that if the president is re-elected, he would set up an inclusive national conference that would set a date and prepare for new polls which he would not contest. They also invited the opposition and representatives of the protesters to negotiate a road map.

However, the move failed to appease Algerian protesters, who viewed the offer as yet another tactic to buy time. They felt that the pres-ident, who never kept his promise to step down in the past, is unlikely to be true to his world this time.

So, what is next for Algeria?

Efforts for smart agriculture have just gotten under way, and there are many issues to be solved. For example, the operation of self-driving farm machinery and drones is, in principle, allowed only in the range the operator can see.

As the protests are unlikely to die down on their own, there appear to be four options.

The president may pass away. �According to unconfirmed reports, President Bouteflika is in a critical condition in a hospital in Geneva. The president of the Council for Nation, the upper house in the parliament, would take over the presidency for a period of 60 days before presi-dential elections can take place. This would give the political establishment enough time to agree on a new candidate.

The second, less likely scenario would be for the president’s entourage to withdraw his can-didacy because of ill health. The implication would be the same as the first scenario.

A third scenario would be the military intervening to either cancel the president’s candidacy on the grounds of his ill health, or announce that it is no longer going to support him in the presi-dential race. This would effec-tively mean that he would lose the election.

Finally, those who would benefit from Bouteflika winning a fifth term could try to turn the peaceful demonstrations into violent ones. The military and security forces would likely intervene, declaring a state of emergency, and the process of change would be aborted.

Aware of the risks of an esca-lation, protestors remain vigilant. They have learned valuable lessons from their neighbours’ past experi-ences. Nevertheless, they have claimed the moral high ground and are on course to take their coun-try’s destiny into their own hands.

Students protest against an offer by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run in elections next month but not to serve a full term if re-elected in Algiers.

12 THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

400 IS militants trying to flee Syria enclave capturedAFP BAGHOUZ, SYRIA

Veiled women carrying babies and wounded men on crutches hobbled out of the last jihadist village in eastern Syria yesterday after US-backed forces pummelled the besieged enclave.

The Syrian Democratic Forces leading the assault expected more fighters to sur-render with their families in tow before moving deeper in the Islamic State group’s last redoubt.

Bandaged and bedraggled, gaggles of suspected jihadists in long brown robes limped away from the hellscape of Baghouz across fields of yellow flowers to reach an SDF screening centre.

The tiny village on the banks of the Euphrates River where diehard IS fighters have made a bloody last stand has regurgitated unexplained numbers of people.

Kurdish officers in the SDF and aid groups have voiced their surprise that the flow of evacuees

never seemed to dry up after weeks of evacuations.

On Tuesday alone, “3,500 people were evacuated from Daesh-held territory,” said SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Hundreds more filed out of Baghouz yesterday. Around 10 percent of the 57,000 people who have fled IS’s last bastion since December were jihadists trying to slip back into civilian life, SDF officers and the Syrian Observ-atory for Human Rights have said. A senior SDF officer said

400 militants were captured last night as they attempted to slip out of Baghouz in an escape he said was organised by a network that had planned to smuggle them to remote hideouts.

The operation to smash the last remnant of the “caliphate” that IS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi proclaimed in 2014 resumed Friday after a long humanitarian pause.

The assumption was that almost no families remained holed up in Baghouz and that those who did were refusing to surrender and choosing to die there. The deluge of fire unleashed by SDF artillery and coalition air strikes at the weekend appears to have broken the determination of some fam-ilies. Syrians, Iraqis and jihadists who travelled to the “caliphate” from France, Finland and other countries turned themselves in to Kurdish troops.

“There’s still lots of people inside,” said Safia, a 24-year-old

Civilians evacuated from the Islamic State (IS) group’s embattled holdout of Baghouz wait at a screening area held by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, yesterday.

Belgian woman who was among those trucked out by the SDF on Tuesday, adding that her French husband was still inside.

Western forces from the US-led coalition— which also includes France, one of the main

purveyors of foreign fighters to IS — could be seen looking for wanted individuals among the new arrivals.

More than 50,000 evacuees have been squeezed into the Kurdish-run camp of Al Hol,

where the foreigners await a decision on their fate. Their countries of origin have been reluctant to take them back, wary of the security risk some of them could pose and of a neg-ative reaction from the public.

Algerian war veterans back protests demanding end to Bouteflika’s ruleREUTERS ALGIERS

Algerian war veterans said that protesters demanding ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika step down after 20 years in power had legitimate concerns and they urged all citizens to demonstrate — another sign of cracks in the ruling elite.

The ongoing unrest poses the biggest challenge yet to the Bouteflika and his inner circle which includes members of the military and intelligence services and businessmen.

“It is the duty of Algerian society in all its segments to take to the streets,” the influential National Organisation of Muja-hideen — veterans who fought alongside Bouteflika in the 1954-1962 war of independence

against France — said. Tens of thousands of people have rallied in cities around Algeria in the largest protests since the 2011 “Arab Spring”, calling on Bouteflika, 82, not to stand in an election scheduled for April 18.

He submitted papers on Sunday. Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gaed Salah reiterated on Wednesday that the military would not allow a breakdown in security.

“We are committed to pro-viding safe conditions that ensure that Algerians fulfill their electoral duties,” the private Ennahar television statement quoted him as saying. After renewed protests on Tuesday, Algeria was largely quiet yes-terday apart from one demon-stration in the town of Bejaia.

Some officials from Bouteflika’s ruling FLN party have turned up at demonstrations. Several public figures have announced their resignations in a country where personnel changes nor-mally take place behind closed doors.

An anonymous call for a general strike has gone largely unheeded but the leadership faces another test - an online call for a “March of 20 Million” this Friday.

Older Algerians still haunted by the civil war in the 1990s have tolerated crackdowns on dissent in exchange for stability. But young protesters have no real connection to the war of inde-pendence that gives Algeria’s elderly leaders their credentials and, desperate for jobs, have lost patience.

Algerian students demonstrate in the capital Algiers yesterday against their ailing president’s bid for a fifth term.

Tunisia: Parliamentary, presidential polls in October and NovemberREUTERS TUNIS

Tunisia will hold a parlia-mentary election on October 6 and a presidential election starting on November 10, the Electoral Commission said.

They will be the third set of polls in which Tunisians can vote freely following the 2011 revolution that toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

“Parliamentary elections will be on October 6 and the first presidential round will be on November 10,” said Nabil Bafoun, the president of the independent electoral com-mittee ISIE.

The parliamentary race is expected to be fought closely by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, the more secular Tahya Tounes party of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, and the Nidaa Tounes party led by Hafedh Caid Essebsi, the president’s son.

They rule the North African country together but their coa-lition has been hit by infighting that has hampered decision-making and slowed economic reforms demanded by foreign donors. No-one has yet declared their candidacy for presidency.

Tunisia has won wide-spread praise for its democratic transition since 2011, but nine cabinets have failed to resolve economic problems that include high inflation and unemployment.

The slow progress on reforms has been criticised by lenders such as the Interna-tional Monetary Fund which have helped keep the country afloat.

Trade channel skirting US sanctions to work soon: IranAFP VIENNA

Iran hopes to have its part of a new payments vehicle — devised to bypass US sanctions — ready within a fortnight, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday.

“We hope it will be before the end of the Iranian calendar year,” Araghchi told reporters in Vienna, referring to March 20.

He said that Iran now had a “clearer picture” of how the new vehicle, known as INSTEX, would work and that its man-aging director would visit Tehran for discussions “very soon”.

But he added that only when the mechanism was fully operational would Iran be able to assess whether it “can work

properly and can produce results, (and) can do payments between Iran and European countries”. Araghchi was in the Austrian capital for a “joint commission” with representa-tives from China, Russia, Britain, Germany and France — all sig-natories of the international deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.

INSTEX is seen as key to European Union efforts to pre-serve the deal struck in 2015 between world powers and Iran over its nuclear programme, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US was also a signatory but last May Pres-ident Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and in November imposed sweeping new sanc-tions on Iran. Araghchi said there was “very strong support”

for the deal from all participants at the meeting. He emphasised that Iran expected INSTEX to work “for all goods and com-modities, not only humanitarian goods”, but that it could start with humanitarian goods “in order to set the patterns for doing business with Iran”.

“Once the patterns are set, then other goods, including sanctioned goods — and oil of course — would be added to this mechanism,” he added. “It is late but still a move in the right direction,” Araghchi said.

INSTEX was launched at the end of January by Britain, France and Germany, who sit on a supervisory board chaired by a UK national. It is registered in Paris. Russia’s ambassador to Vienna’s UN organisations, Mikhail Ulyanov, who was also

at the meeting, said the remaining signatories to the deal were “united in the need to save the JCPOA”.

“There are some problems, particularly in the economic field but we are aimed at over-coming them as soon as pos-sible,” Ulyanov said. He said the speed with which INSTEX became fully operational was up to Germany, France, Britain and Iran. But Ulyanov added: “I believe it may take a rather long time, at least a few months; most likely even more.”

In February the UN’s Inter-national Atomic Energy Agency watchdog said Iran was adhering to the terms of the JCPOA, under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

EU court upholds freeze on Hamas fundsAFP/LUXEMBOURG

A European Union court yesterday upheld a freeze on Hamas funds as it rejected the Palestinian Islamist movement’s appeal against its EU listing as a terrorist organisation. The General Court’s ruling amounted to the latest rejection of Hamas’s efforts to be struck from an EU blacklist created in 2001 based on a UN resolution following the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

“In today’s judgment the General Court looks into each of the arguments made by Hamas and rejects them in their totality,” the Luxembourg-based court said in a statement. As a result, “the decision to extend the freezing of Hamas funds is confirmed.”

The court upheld an EU 2015 decision to keep Hamas on the blacklist, saying it accepted a British finding that Hamas was still carrying out terror acts between 2011 and 2014.

The court recalled Hamas argued the updated 2015 blacklist was based on errors in “the materiality of the facts” and in assessing the organisation’s “terrorist character.” The group also claimed the EU violated the principle of non-interference and infringed the rights of defence, judicial protection and property. The European Council, which groups the 28 EU member states, has regularly included Hamas on the blacklist, including in 2015.

Israel lists Hamas TV terrorist organisationAFP/JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu designated Al Aqsa tele-vision channel of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas a “terrorist organisation” yesterday. Netanyahu, who is also defence minister, “signed an order declaring the Hamas Al Aqsa television channel to be a terrorist organisation”, the premier’s office said.

It said the decision was made on the advice of Israeli security services, which were said to have discovered Hamas’s “use of the Al Aqsa satellite channel to recruit militants to its ranks”.

Israel, along with the United States, European Union and other powers, brands Hamas a terrorist organisation. Hamas, which does not recognise Israel, took power in 2007 in the Gaza Strip, and the territory has been subjected to a rigorous Israeli blockade for more than a decade. Israel has fought three wars with Hamas and its allies since 2008, with a tense ceasefire currently in place.

During a flare-up in November, Israel destroyed the offices of Al Aqsa in Gaza City, though the channel has continued to broadcast.

Ibrahim Daher, general manager of Al Aqsa TV, condemned what he called a “dangerous decision” that could endanger his staff.

“We will work to bring cases in local and international courts and call on international organisations to highlight this new crime against media freedom,” he said.

49 Palestinian women held in Israeli prisonsANATOLIA/RAMALLAH

Israel is holding 49 Palestinian women in detention camps, according to a Palestinian commission yesterday. “Half of the detained women are mothers,” the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)-run Commission for Detainees and ex-Detainees’ Affairs said in a statement. It said six women had been shot and injured while being arrested by Israeli forces. According to the commission, Israeli forces have arrested over 16,000 Palestinian women since 1967. This year, the commission said, Israeli forces used “brutal methods” while arresting Palestinian women. “In most occasions, women are arrested from their homes at the dead of night, beaten and subjected to harsh treatment and exposed to physical and psychological torture while in custody,” it added. The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and Jeru-salem on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

Cameroon oppn leader’s detention ‘not political’AFP/YAOUNDÉ

Cameroon has rejected US criticism of the detention since January of opposition leader Maurice Kamto, insisting that it was not polit-ically motivated. Kamto and more than 150 supporters are being held for “common law” offences, Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi said in a statement on Tuesday, citing “insurrection, hostility to the homeland (and) rebellion”. The detainees are also accused of destroying public property, both within the central African country and at several Cameroon embassies abroad, the statement added. A military court charged them in mid-February. Yesterday’s statement was in response to comments Monday by Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs.

A senior SDF officer said 400 militants were captured last night as they attempted to slip out of Baghouz in an escape he said was organised by a network that had planned to smuggle them to remote hideouts.

Pollsters say that they expect Narendra Modi and the BJP to get a boost from India’s aggressive response to the suicide bomb attack. He is seen as decisive and resolute by voters, they say. The only problem may come if the government line — that it killed a large number of militants in the attack — turns out not to be true.

13THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019 ASIA

Images show madrasa intact after Balakot strikeAGENCIES NEW DELHI / SINGAPORE

The madrasa run by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) at the Balakot site hit by the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter planes appears to be still standing with no visible damage, as per high-resolution satellite images of the site, says news agency Reuters.

It says at least six buildings were visible on the site on March 4, six days after the air strike, and that the image was virtually identical to an April 2018 satellite photo of the facility. The satellite images from San Francisco-based private satellite operator Planet Labs Inc are the first high-resolution satellite images pub-licly available and show details as small as 72cm.

“There are no discernible holes in the roofs of buildings, no signs of scorching, blown-out walls, dis-placed trees around the madrasa or other signs of an aerial attack.”

The images cast further doubt on statements made over the last eight days by the Indian government that the raids, early on February 26, had hit all the intended targets at the madrasa site near Jaba village and the town of Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the Reuters report said.

While Pakistan admitted that the IAF planes struck Balakot, it claimed that they returned when it scrambled its war planes and that there were no losses on the ground. However, IAF chief B S Dhanoa said the IAF planes had hit their target.

Government sources told Reuters last week that 12 Mirage 2000 jets car-rying 1,000kg bombs carried out the attack. A warhead of that size is meant to destroy hardened targets such as concrete shelters.

Villagers said there had been a series of huge explosions but the bombs appeared to have landed among trees. “It shook everything,” said Abdur Rasheed, a van driver who works in the area. He said there weren’t any human casualties: “No one died. Only some pine trees died, they were cut down. A crow also died.”

The Indian government has not produced evidence that a camp was destroyed or that any militants were killed in the raid. That has prompted some opposition politicians to push for more details. “We want to know how many people actually died,” said Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal state, in a video pub-lished by her All India Trinamool Con-gress party in a tweet on February 28. “Where did the bombs fall? Did they actually fall in the right place?”

Outrage as minister suggests opponents be ‘tied under jets’AFP NEW DELHI

Indian opposition leaders who question the coun-try’s bombing raid on Pakistan last week should be tied under fighter jets and dropped like bombs when they stage a new mission, a government minister said yesterday.

“I think when India does something (like this) again then the people from opposition parties raising these questions can be tied under the jets during the raids so that they can look at the targets,” junior foreign minister V K Singh told media.

“They can look at the targets when the bombs are fired and then can also be dropped (there) to count before coming back,” Singh added.

The comments inflamed an already bitter showdown between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party with the opposition over its claims that he has used the military strike to boost his standing ahead of a national election.

The BJP has given conflicting accounts about the success of the air raid on a militant camp run by a group blamed for a February 14 suicide bombing in Kashmir. BJP leaders, including party president Amit Shah, claimed up to 250 people were killed in the cross-border raid. But the opposition has demanded the toll be backed up and accused Modi of making political capital out of the attacks.

Pollsters say oppn attack on Indian PM may backfireREUTERS NEW DELHI

Indian opposition parties are launching a united attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what they see as his politici-sation of the armed forces as he tries to ride a patriotic wave into a second term in office at a general election.

It is a high-risk bet that could backfire given the jingoistic fervour that has overtaken India since a suicide bomber from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 par-amilitary police in Kashmir on February 14.

Pollsters say opposition parties may be making a mistake by questioning Modi on national security instead of focusing on more basic issues, such as a shortage of jobs and farmers’ distress. Voters

concerned about those issues ousted Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in three state elec-tions late last year.

But amid mounting doubts

about the success of an Indian air strike on an alleged JeM camp in Pakistan’s northeast on Feb-ruary 26, the opposition sees Modi as potentially vulnerable over both the government’s claims and its behaviour.

“The opposition is coordi-nating this and talking to each other every day,” said Derek O’Brien, a lawmaker from the West Bengal-based All India Tri-namool Congress, the third-biggest opposition party in the lower house of parliament.

“The strategy is to first keep exposing them and bringing out the fact that they are trying to appropriate the armed forces. And two, we show that this is being done purely for election purposes.”

O’Brien was referring to Modi speaking at a rally with the pictures of the paramilitary police killed in the bombing in

the background, as well as a BJP leader in Delhi attending a public event in army fatigues. The BJP denies the accusations that it’s misusing the armed forces for political benefit.

The Congress party said that most opposition parties — there are more than 20 of them, some caste-based — were on one page in launching a counter-attack on the BJP line that India needs a leader like Modi to take on Pakistan.

“What we are convinced about is that the government is diverting attention from its failures because it saw defeats in the three state elections, and the narrative is against the gov-ernment,” Congress spokesman Sanjay Jha said.

Pollsters say that they expect Modi and the BJP to get a boost from India’s aggressive response to the suicide bomb

attack. He is seen as decisive and resolute by voters, they say. The only problem may come if the government line — that it killed a large number of mili-tants in the attack — turns out not to be true.

“We will expose the BJP’s failures, the number of security forces killed, the rise in mili-tancy, and, most important, the elephant in the room that people are not talking about, is Modi’s monumental failure in terms of putting Kashmir in a serious crisis,” Congress’ Jha said.

Modi’s policies in Kashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan but ruled in part, have been harder-line than his Con-gress predecessors in gov-ernment. Since a crackdown was launched on militants in the region after the bomb attack, 15 militants have been killed in six separate gun battles. Twelve

Indian security personnel and two civilians have also died during the operations.

In recent days, BJP leaders, and Modi himself, have slammed the opposition for demanding evidence about the success or otherwise of last week’s strike. On social media and in political rallies, the BJP has accused Congress and its partners of helping Pakistan by questioning the success of the military strike.

Political strategists and pollsters are convinced that Modi can weather any attacks from the opposition on security issues. “I’m confident that the opposition will not be able to turn the narrative in its favour on this issue,” said Sanjay Kumar, director at think-tank Centre for the Study of Devel-oping Societies that also con-ducts opinion polls.

A cropped version of a satellite image shows a close-up of a madrasa near Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on March 4, 2019.

FIR against Modi on Rafale inescapable: Congress, CPMIANS NEW DELHI

Stepping up the attack on Narendra Modi over the “Rafale scam”, the Congress called for a case of corruption against the Prime Minister for “duping” India, while the CPI-M said a FIR against him was inescapable.

Citing a report of the Indian Negotiation Team (INT), the Congress alleged Modi enriched Rafale maker Dassault Aviation at the cost of the Indian exchequer by waiving the bank guarantee and claimed that the price of the jets under the new deal was far higher than that negotiated during the previous

UPA regime. Addressing the media here, Congress spokes-person Randeep Singh Sur-jewala also claimed that the deal to buy 36 Rafale jets, including its price, was finalised by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval without any authority to do so.

“The corruption and malef-icence in the Rafale deal is out in open. Modi misused his office to give benefit to Dassault Avi-ation and consequently caused loss to public exchequer. Modi did away with bank guarantee, despite the written opposition of the Law Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Defence Min-istry,” Surjewala said.

“According to the INT, the price of the 36 jets under the new deal is Rs63,450 crore and not Rs59,175 crore, as has been claimed by various BJP ministers and the government. “Moreover, considering the fact that the jets will be delivered in 10 years and taking into account an inflation rate of 1.22 percent, the price of the jets will go beyond to Rs67,500 crore,” he said.

Quest ioning Doval ’s authority to negotiate and finalise the deal, the Congress alleged “blatant and massive cor-ruption” in the Rafale acqui-sition. “This is a clear cut case under Section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act

and different provisions of Indian Penal Code. Time has now come to register an FIR against PM Modi and every other individual,” the Congress spokesperson added.

The charges came on a day when the Modi government told the Supreme Court that “privi-leged documents” related to Rafale appearing in the media were stolen from the Defence Ministry. The government also said it was contemplating a probe under the Official Secrets Act over the “access” to the priv-ileged documents.

The Centre’s contention before the top court came during the hearing on petitions seeking

a recall of its December 14 verdict giving a “clean chit” to the government on the purchase of the Rafale jets.

Reacting to the development in the apex court, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said a first information report (FIR) against Modi was inescapable.

“The Modi government itself admits Rafale documents were stolen from the Ministry of Defence. How can the country’s security be entrusted with this government?

“But thanks to them for con-firming the documents. An FIR against Modi is now ines-capable,” tweeted Yechury.

BJP lawmakers rain blows and shoes at each other

IANS LUCKNOW

In a major embarrassment for the Bharatiya Janata Party, a sitting MP and an incumbent legislator in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly rained blows at each other at an official meeting in Sant Kabir Nagar yesterday.

The fact that it happened in the presence of a senior Cabinet Minister Ashutosh Tandon left the ruling party red-faced. The scuffle took place in full media glare at the district coordination meeting at Sant Kabir Nagar.

Sharad Tripathi, the Lok Sabha member of BJP, lost his cool over his name being omitted from a foundation-laying plaque. Irked at the response of Rakesh Baghel, a BJP legislator, that it was his choice to do so or not, an infu-riated Tripathi rained blows on the unsuspecting legislator as the Minister, other office-bearers and district officials watched helplessly.

As the fight turned ugly and the MP beat up the MLA with a shoe repeatedly, police officials intervened and tried to break the fight even as Tandon, the Cabinet Minister for Medical Education, quietly slipped out of the meeting hall.

Mahendra Nath Pandey, the state BJP chief, reacted to the scuffle by saying that the two have been summoned to Lucknow today to explain their conduct and that such indisci-pline will not be tolerated.

Farmers protestFarmers block train tracks during the third day of a protest against the alleged anti-farmer policies imposed by the central and state government demanding complete farm debt waiver, in Jandiala, some 20km from Amritsar, Punjab, yesterday.

Kerala gives workers a siesta to help beat the heatREUTERS MUMBAI

Workers in India’s Kerala state are now getting a three-hour afternoon siesta as part of a series of benefits aimed at com-bating soaring temperatures and improving labour conditions, government officials said yesterday.

Kerala, which suffered its worst floods in a century last year, is bracing itself for more extreme weather conditions in 2019 and the state’s disaster management authority last week issued sunstroke warnings for the next three months.

“There is extreme heat in Kerala. So we are making arrangements for workers and have announced a three-hour break from noon until 3pm,” said Sreedharan Tulasidharan, a labour commissioner with the Kerala government.

There are an estimated 3 million migrant workers in Kerala, which offers

daily wages that are up to three times higher than in other Indian states. Most work in the construction, agriculture, mining and fishing industries.

“We call them our guests. Migrant workers’ output is very high. Their pro-ductivity contributes to our GDP. We are nurturing and treating them well,” Tulasi-dharan told the Thomson Reuters Foun-dation by phone. Officials of the Kerala’s disaster management authority said cases of heat stroke and sunburn were already being reported and they had asked various government departments to take precautionary measures.

“Summer in Kerala was never harsh,” said Sekhar L Kuriakose, a senior official with the Kerala State Disaster Man-agement Authority, which issued the sun-stroke warning last week. “This year we saw temperatures rise by 3 degrees in 14 days during February. That is not normal,” said Kuriakose.

14 THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019ASIA

IN SHORT

Pakistan to send envoy back

to India as tensions ease AGENCIES ISLAMABAD

Pakistan has decided to return its ambassador to India in an attempt to mitigate tensions between the two countries.

“Pakistan has further increased diplomatic efforts and we have decided to send back the Pakistani high commissioner to New Delhi,” Pakistan’s Min-ister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi said yesterday.

“Tensions between India and Pakistan seem to be decreasing, and this is a positive shift,” Qureshi added.

Qureshi said that Pakistan’s envoy to New Delhi, Sohail Mahmood, had been in Islamabad for consultations.

In a bid to improve bilateral ties, the Pakistani delegation is set to visit New Delhi to hold talks over the Kartarpur cor-ridor, the media quoted Qureshi as saying.

The foreign minister espe-cially thanked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. as well as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan and the UAE for their efforts to defuse the situation through diplomacy.

The Pakistani government yesterday also, for the first time, named the pilots it says shot down two Indian warplanes in an aerial engagement last week.

The dogfight over the dis-puted Himalayan territory of Kashmir on February 27 ended

with both sides claiming they had shot each other’s planes down, and an Indian pilot cap-tured by Pakistan.

He was returned to India on Friday, crossing the Wagah border on foot.

“Two Indian planes were shot down by Pakistan air force on February 27,” the Foreign Minister told the parliament yesterday.

Qureshi named Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui and Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan, saying he wanted to “pay tribute” to the two Pakistan Air Force pilots.

Siddiqui had been widely named in unverified comments on social media.

Pakistan has said that one plane crashed on its side of the Line of Control while the second landed on the Indian side.

India, for its part, agrees that a second plane was shot down - but says it was a Pakistani plane. Pakistan denies any of its planes was shot down.

It has not been possible to

verify the competing claims. Meanwhile, China’s Vice

Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou is visiting Pakistan for discus-sions on recent India-Pakistani tensions, Beij ing said yesterday.

“He (Kong) is now visiting Pakistan. He is in communi-cation with Pakistan on the India-Pakistan situation,” Press Trust of India quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang at a media briefing in the Chinese capital.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister had said on March 2 that China planned to send a special envoy to Pakistan and India, though this had not been confirmed on the Chinese side.

“His visit is designed for communication with Pakistan for the situation concerning both India and Pakistan. China has been promoting peace and sta-bility in this region. We hope that Pakistan and India will maintain friendly relations,” Lu said.

China had earlier urged both India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” and asked New Delhi to carry out its fight against “ter-rorism” through international cooperation.

The Chinese Foreign Min-istry spokesperson also said that Pakistan had been making efforts to combat terrorism.

“We also hope relevant parties will create an enabling atmosphere to help Pakistan to cooperate with other parties to form synergy,” he said.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has thanked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as China, Russia and other countries for help in defusing tensions with India.

A man walks past a closed medical dispensary and offices of the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a charity organisation set up by Jamaat-ud-Dawa in Islamabad, yesterday. The building was sealed by the authorities following a formal ban on both the groups.

Search for missing climbers called offAP ISLAMABAD

The intense search for two European climbers who went missing over a week ago in bad weather on the world’s ninth-highest mountain in Pakistan was called off yesterday, after a Spanish-Pakistani search team lost hope of finding any trace of the pair.

Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said it was not an easy but “a very painful decision” to take after the rescuers tried every-thing they could - including

flying out drones - to find the two. Earlier in the day, hopes had started fading for finding Italian Daniele Nardi and Briton Tom Ballard, missing for over a week on Nanga Parbat, known as “Killer Mountain” because of its dangerous conditions.

The two set out on February 22, making it to the fourth base camp the following day. The pair last made contact on February 24 from an elevation of some 6,300 meters (nearly 20,700 feet) on Nanga Parbat.

Haidri said the search team, headed by Spaniard Alex Txikon and experienced Pakistani

mountaineer Ali Sadpara familiar with the peak, went on foot and used drones to search for the climbers.

Before the search was called off, Italian Ambassador in Islamabad Stefano Pontecorvo tweeted about it and shared photos of the snow-covered mountain. Heavy snowfall over recent days had also raised fears that the climbers might have perished. Bad weather last week twice forced the search teams to halt the operation but Pakistani military helicopters flew even after Pakistan shut its airspace over an escalation with India .

Punjab Policeto don new uniform againINTERNEWS LAHORE

The Punjab government has decided to change the uniform of Punjab Police, doing away with the olive green police uniform introduced by the last government.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has approved changes in the uniform for the police, confirmed Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Amjad Javed Saleemi yes-terday. The new uniforms will be worn by police officials from July 1, he added.

“The samples were pre-sented before the chief minister and he has approved one of them,” he stated.

He added that the decision was also debated by the exec-utive board and other forums for the last four to five months. The new uniform will resemble the uniform worn by the Islamabad Police personnel, which is a light blue shirt with navy pants, he maintained. The issue has been up for debate for the past four to five years.

The chief minister, during his visit to the central police office, formally approved changing the olive green uniform.

Suicide attack leaves 16 dead in AfghanistanAFP JALALABAD

At least 16 people were killed in a suicide attack on a construction company in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, officials said.

The hours-long attack in Jalalabad began early yesterday morning when two suicide bombers detonated explosives at the gate of the compound, allowing three others to enter the area where they went on a killing spree, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.

Security forces rushed to the city, which is the capital of Nan-garhar province.

“Sixteen employees of the company have been killed and nine more injured,” the spokesman said, adding the attack began at 5.00 am local time. “All five attackers have been killed by security forces,” Khogyani added. Nangarhar pro-vincial council member Ajmal Omar put the death toll slightly higher, saying 18 people had been killed with three of the nine injured in a critical condition.

Health workers pored over the injured in a nearby hospital, with bloody bandages covering their wounds.

Spokesman Khogyani added that a clearance operation was ongoing with security defusing two suicide vests, a car bomb,

and multiple mines planted by the attackers.

“Armed suicide bombers attacked and managed to enter the building of a private con-struction company early this morning,” said Nangarhar Pro-vincial council member Zabi-hullah Zmarai.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Islamic State group and the Taliban are active in Nan-garhar province.

The Taliban later denied

involvement. “The Jalalabad attack has nothing to do with us,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

The attack came as US and Taliban negotiations continue to hold peace talks aimed at ending the nearly 18-year conflict.

The continuation of the talks follows a major attack on a joint US-Afghan base in southwestern Afghanistan’s Helmand province last week, with at least 23 security forces killed in the hours-long assault on one of the

largest military installations in the country.

Heavy snowfall across large swathes of Afghanistan has led to a sharp reduction in violence this winter, but warmer weather in the country’s south will likely spark an increase in violence with the arrival of the spring fighting season.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his eagerness to end America’s involvement in Afghanistan, where 14,000 US troops are still deployed.

A police officer stands guard near the site of the attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, yesterday.

ICC team probes Rohingya atrocities in BangladeshAFP DHAKA

A team from the office of the International Criminal Court prosecutor was in Bangladesh yesterday for a preliminary probe into alleged atrocities committed against the Rohingya by the Myanmar military in 2017.

A statement from the ICC confirmed the tour - the maiden official visit by the ICC - but said it was part of prosecutor office’s “ongoing preliminary examina-tions concerning the situation in Bangladesh/Myanmar”.

“A preliminary examination is not an investigation. Such visits in the context of preliminary

examinations are standard practice, and the delegation will not engage in any evidence col-lection in relation to any alleged crimes,” it said.

“The independent and impartial preliminary exami-nation of the situation in Bang-ladesh/Myanmar is on-going and following its normal course,” it added.

A Bangladeshi official said the ICC would visit Rohingya camps in the country’s south-eastern district of Cox’s Bazar where some 740,000 Rohingya took refuge after they fled a brutal military crackdown in late 2017.

In September, the ICC

prosecutor opened a preliminary probe into Myanmar’s alleged crimes against the Rohingya Muslim minority, including killings, sexual violence and forced deportations.

A preliminary examination can lead to a formal investigation by the ICC - which was set up in 2002 to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity -- and then possible indictments.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will look at whether there is enough evidence to warrant a full investigation into Myanmar’s military offensive.

Bensouda said in a statement at that time that the initial probe “may take into account a number

of alleged coercive acts having resulted in the forced dis-placement of the Rohingya people, including deprivation of fundamental rights, killing, sexual violence, enforced disap-pearance, destruction and looting”. She is not a part of the visiting team, her office said.

The move comes after judges ruled that even though Myanmar has not signed up to the Hague-based ICC, the court still has jurisdiction over crimes against the Rohingya because Bang-ladesh is a member.

Last week the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in a meeting in Abu Dhabi unani-mously adopted a resolution to

move at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for establishing the legal rights of the Rohingya and addressing the question of accountability and justice, Dhaka’s foreign ministry said.

“The resolution to pursue a legal recourse through the ICJ came after a long series of nego-tiations to seek accountability for crimes committed against humanity and gross violation of human rights in the case of the Rohingyas in Myanmar,” it said.

Myanmar’s army has denied nearly all wrongdoing, insisting its campaign was justified to root out Rohingya insurgents who staged deadly raids on border posts in August 2017.

Law to simplify

succession papers

approved

ISLAMABAD: The Senate

Standing Committee on Law

and Justice in Pakistan has

approved a draft bill aimed

at simplifying the process of

issuing succession certificates

within the Islamabad capital

territory. The committee has

allowed the Ministry of Law

and Justice to table the bill

titled ‘Letters of Administration

and Succession Certificates Act

2018’ in the parliament. The

proposed law aims to address

difficulties faced by the public

in obtaining succession cer-

tificates and declaring family

trees. The ministry will now

take the bill to the cabinet after

which it will be brought to the

Senate for consideration. At

present, civil judges issue suc-

cession certificates, a process

which takes months. The pro-

posed bill would empower the

National Database and Reg-

istration Authority (NADRA)

to issue the certificate to legal

heirs following the death of

any person. INTERNEWS

26 militants dead

in Afghan security

operations

KABUL: At least 26 mili-

tants were killed and 13 others

wounded in multiple exten-

sive military crackdowns within

past 24 hours in Afghanistan.

Officials said yesterday that

four planed clearing opera-

tions, and 90 Special Forces

operations had been con-

ducted in different provinces

during the past 24 hours. The

Ministry of Defence said oper-

ations resulted in the killing of

26 militants, including three

local leaders of the Taliban, as

well as the destruction of one

of the dens and the seizure of

explosives, weapons, ammuni-

tion and drugs. Khaama Press

reported that aerial strikes

were also conducted against

militants. QNA

15THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019 ASIA

‘North Korea rebuilding

long-range rocket site’AFP SEOUL

Activity has been detected at a North Korean long-range rocket site, suggesting Pyongyang may be pursuing the “rapid rebuilding” of the facility after the collapse of the Hanoi summit, according to analysis of satellite imagery.

Last week’s meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump ended abruptly after the pair failed to reach an agreement on walking back Pyongyang’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

The renewed activity was recorded two days after the summit and may “demonstrate resolve in the face of US rejection” of the North’s request for sanctions relief, said researchers at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“This facility had been dormant since August 2018, indi-cating the current activity is deliberate and purposeful.”

Kim had agreed to shutter the Sohae missile-testing site at a summit with the South’s Pres-ident Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang, as part of confidence-building measures, and satellite pictures in August suggested workers were already dismantling an engine test stand at the facility.

CSIS said activity is “evident” at the vertical engine test stand and the launch pad’s rail-mounted rocket transfer structure at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station — the facility from which Pyongyang launched satellites in 2012 and 2016.

The satellite launches were condemned by the international community and widely viewed as disguised ballistic missile tests.

The CSIS analysis said the Sohae facility “has been used in

the past for satellite launches,” which use “ICBM (interconti-nental ballistic missile) tech-nology banned under UN Security Council resolutions.”

In a briefing to parliamen-tarians this week, Seoul’s spy agency said it had detected signs of work at the site.

Joel Wit, the director of the respected Washington-based 38 North project cautioned that the evidence was not necessarily “consistent with preparations for an ICBM test”.

“Aside from the fact that (North Korea) has never tested an ICBM from Sohae — it’s a space vehicle launch site — prep-aration for any launch would require a wide range of activities not observed in the imagery.”

Impoverished and isolated

North Korea conducted its first successful nuclear test in 2006 followed by a string of increas-ingly successful ICBM launches.

In 2017, it claimed it had become a nuclear state, capable of fitting a viable nuclear weapon on an ICBM that could reach as far as the United States’ eastern seaboard.

In the same year, the UN Security Council banned the North’s main exports — coal and other mineral resources, fish-eries and textile products — to cut off its access to hard currency in response to Pyongyang’s pursuit of nuclear arms and bal-listic missiles.

At their groundbreaking first

summit in Singapore last year, Kim and Trump produced a vague statement on the “denu-clearisation of the Korean peninsula”.

There were high expecta-tions for Kim and Trump’s second meeting in Hanoi recently, but no agreement was reached.

The Sohae Satellite Launching Station launch pad features what researchers of Beyond Paralle describe as showing the partially rebuilt rail-mounted rocket transfer structure in a satellite image taken over Tongchang-ri, in North Korea.

Former South Korean leader Lee granted bail in bribery caseAFP SEOUL

Jailed former South Korean pres-ident Lee Myung-bak was granted bail yesterday, nearly a year after he was arrested over corruption charges.

The CEO-turned president, who served from 2008 to 2013, was found guilty on charges including bribery and embez-zlement and sentenced to 15 years in prison last October.

Lee appealed the decision and in January made a request for bail, citing old age and

potential health complications from diabetes and sleep apnea.

The Seoul High Court approved his request for bail yesterday but said its decision was based on legal restrictions around detaining Lee during the ongoing appeals process, rather than his ill health.

Lee’s arrest warrant expires on April 8 and raises the risk of Lee tampering with evidence during an ongoing appeals trial, the court said, adding it decided to put him under “home con-f inement with s tr ic t conditions”.

“The conditional release will serve to maintain the effect of the arrest warrant and the defendant can always be detained again in case of any infraction,” the court said in a statement.

The conditions of Lee’s $886,000 bail strictly confines him to his residence in southern Seoul and limits his interaction to immediate family members and legal representatives.

“I fully understand (the con-ditions),” Lee was cited as saying by Yonhap news agency.

“I never approached the

witnesses even before the arrest,” he said, adding: “I draw a strict line between private and public matters.”

Television footage showed Lee, dressed in a dark suit, walking out from the detention centre, before getting into a black sedan and driving out past a small group of aides and supporters.

Lee was found guilty of cre-ating slush funds of tens of mil-lions of dollars and accepting bribes from Samsung Electronics in return for a presidential pardon for its chairman Lee

Kun-hee, who was jailed for tax evasion.

The conservative politician has denied wrongdoing and labelled the allegations as “political revenge”.

South Korean presidents have a tendency to end up in prison after their time in power, usually once their political rivals have moved into the presidential Blue House.

Lee’s successor, Park Geun-hye, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined millions of dollars for bribery and abuse of power. .

Seoul proposes artificial rain project with Beijing to curb air pollutionAP SEOUL

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has proposed a joint project with China to use arti-ficial rain to clean the air in his country, where an acute increase in pollution has caused alarm.

Moon also instructed gov-ernment officials yesterday to quicken the retirement of old coal-burning power plants, according to his spokesman, Kim Eui-kyeom.

Seoul has been struggling to tackle the rise in air pollution that experts have linked to China’s massive industrial activity and emissions from South Korean cars. Fine dust levels in South Korea have hit new highs over the past week, prompting people to wear masks while commuting under

thick-gray skies that online users have compared to scenes from the movie “Wall-E.”

When asked about Moon’s proposal, Chinese foreign min-istry spokesman Lu Kang said cooperation would be “good” but downplayed Seoul’s claim that China is a major source of its pol-lution problems.

“Is South Korea sure if their pollution is from China?” Lu said. “Many countries have realised that the causes of pollution are various.”

As of 4pm yesterday, the fine dust concentration level was 136 micrograms per cubic metre in Seoul, according to the National Institute of Environmental Research, which defines levels above 75 micrograms per cubic metre as “very bad.”

Na Kyung-won, the floor leader of the conservative

Liberty Korea Party, called for Moon to designate the air pol-lution as a national disaster.

Ruling and opposition parties held an emergency meeting at which they agreed to swiftly pass bills to cope with the problem.

In a meeting with gov-ernment officials, Moon noted

that China was “much more advanced” than South Korea in rain-making technologies and expressed hope that creating rain over waters between the coun-tries would help mitigate the air pollution, Kim said.

“China has claimed that South Korea’s dust flies toward

Shanghai, so creating artificial rain over the Yellow Sea would help the Chinese side too,” Kim quoted Moon as saying during the meeting.

Moon also proposed that South Korea and China develop a joint system for issuing air pol-lution alerts, Kim said.

Irishman brutally murdered in Malaysia: Reports

AFP KUALA LUMPUR

An Irishman has been brutally murdered in Malaysia, with his body found tied up and covered with stab wounds in a high-end condominium, reports said yesterday.

Brian Patrick O’Reilly’s body was discovered on Monday in George Town, on the northern island of Penang, where he had been working as an IT manager for about a month, official news agency Bernama reported, citing police.

Two people, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s, have been arrested as part of investigations. Police are also hunting a “fair-skinned foreign man”, The Star newspaper reported.

The 50-year-old’s hands had reportedly been tied together with shoelaces and his legs were bound with cloth. As well as showing signs of being stabbed, police believe he may have been hit with a pot and frying pan.

Three people were seen entering the condominium with O’Reilly late Friday, and then left shortly afterwards.

“A check of the man’s home found a safe in one of the rooms had been ransacked and there were signs of a struggle,” local police official Che Zaimani Che Awang was cited as saying by Bernama.

A cryptic handwritten note with an angry message directed at “scammers” was found next to O’Reilly. His blood-soaked body was discovered by a property agent who was visiting his condominium.

According to the aid researchers at the Washington-based CSIS, the renewed activity was recorded two days after the summit and may “demonstrate resolve in the face of US rejection” of the North’s request for sanctions relief.

An activist (left) wearing a gas mask stands in protest demanding the government to ease air pollution at Gwanghwamun Square, in central Seoul, yesterday.

HK activist wins appeal over sandwich ‘attack’AFP HONG KONG

A Hong Kong democracy activist who threw a fish sandwich at the city’s then leader to protest rising inequality had his assault conviction quashed by a court yesterday.

Avery Ng, chairman of the League of Social Democrats political party, lobbed a tuna sandwich at then Chief Exec-utive Leung Chun-ying during local elections in 2016.

The projectile missed its intended target after Leung

ducked, hitting a police officer instead.

Ng, 42, was subsequently convicted of common assault in 2017 and sentenced to three weeks in jail. But yesterday his conviction was overturned by the High Court.

Ng did not serve any time in prison as he was granted bail for his appeal.

“The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the appellant had com-mitted a common assault,” Justice Joseph Yau said in his judgment.

Australia to send 57 refugees to remote island for treatmentREUTERS SYDNEY

Fifty-seven male asylum seekers deemed to be a security risk will be sent to a remote Pacific island detention centre for medical treatment instead of Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Under Canberra’s hardline immigration policy, asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by sea are intercepted and sent for processing to camps in Papua New Guinea and the tiny South Pacific island of Nauru — a policy criticised internationally.

The government suffered an

embarrassing defeat in parliament in February when opposition and independent lawmakers voted to allow doctors to transfer some 1,000 men and women held in PNG or Nauru to Australia if they need medical care.

The amendment included a provision to allow the gov-ernment to overrule any medical transfer, but Morrison said the veto powers are too limited to prevent the transfer of 57 asylum seekers assessed to be a “national security threat”.

The men have been accused of crimes such as assault and posted extremist imagery online, Morrison said. They will be

treated at a detention centre on Christmas Island, a territory some 1,550km north-west of the mainland.

“The laws that have been passed deny us the opportunity to prevent people coming to Aus-tralia who otherwise would never be able to,” he said.

Opponents have accused Morrison, who is trailing badly in the polls, of trying to use the border security issue to boost his standing with voters ahead of an election due by May.

Bill Shorten, leader of the opposition Labor party, said Morrison was on a “marketing campaign”.

“Frolicking on Christmas Island, what a waste of money,” he told reporters in Sydney.

The Christmas Island detention facilities — shuttered last year after a decade in oper-ation— have been an issue in the outcome of previous elections.

In 2001, conservative Prime Minister John Howard refused permission for a Norwegian ship carrying 433 rescued refugees to enter Australian waters.

Howard won re-election and held onto power until 2007. After he left office, the centre-left Labor government began holding refugees on Christmas Island.

16 THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019EUROPE

Putin urges protection for military secretsAP MOSCOW

President Vladimir Putin urged Russia’s top domestic security agency yesterday to tighten its protection of information related to new weapons and other sensitive data.

In a speech to top officials of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main KGB successor agency, Putin said foreign spies have intensified their efforts to get access to Russia’s secrets.

“They are looking for access to political, economic, scientific

and technological information,” said the KGB veteran who headed the FSB in the 1990s before ascending to the presi-dency. “That means that your work should become even more effective.”

The Russian leader noted

that the FSB last year exposed 129 foreign intelligence officers and 465 of their agents.

He said the FSB should pay particular attention to protecting information related to the devel-opment, testing and production of new Russian weapons.

Putin has claimed that new weapons such as the Avangard and the Zircon hypersonic weapons have no foreign ana-logues and are impossible to intercept, rendering missile defence useless.

Russia has intensified efforts to modernise its arsenals as

relations with the West have plummeted to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

In his speech, Putin men-tioned a buildup of Nato forces near Russia’s borders and referred to the US decision to withdraw from the 1987 Inter-mediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, saying it upsets interna-tional security and raises new challenges.

He noted that foreign spy agencies have also sought to

influence political developments in Russia, but didn’t elaborate.

Putin also pointed to a growing number of cyberattacks on government agencies and state-controlled companies.

“We must be prepared for continuing cyber offensive against Russia and the growing threats it presents,” he said. “It’s necessary to take additional steps to protect critically important information infra-structure, develop a state system of detecting cyberattacks and fending them off.”

Despite the tensions with the

West, Putin noted that Moscow remains open for counterter-rorism cooperation, calling it a “common challenge.”

The president said that the FSB prevented about 20 terror attacks a year over the past three years.

He noted the continuing instability in the Middle East, saying it spawns terror threats to Russia.

Moscow has waged a military campaign in Syria since 2015, helping President Bashar Assad’s government reclaim control of most of the country.

Protest in France after attack on jail guardsAFP CONDÉ-SUR-SARTHE

Prison guards blocked access to 18 jails yesterday to protest working conditions after the stabbing of two guards by a ‘radicalised’ inmate.

Dozens of officers from a high-security facility at Conde-sur-Sarthe in northern France, where the knife attack took place on Tuesday, set fire to tyres and pallets.

Guards at another 17 of France’s 188 prisons joined in yesterday morning to highlight complaints about the dangers of Islamist extremists and the spread of hardline ideologies behind bars.

“Feelings are running high

because we’ve been saying for a long time that this would happen,” Emmanuel Guimaraes, a representative from the FO union, said outside the Conde-sur-Sarthe facility.

There are fears of a re-run of January 2018 when officers picketed jails for three weeks after an attack by an extremist that left three guards with injuries in northern France.

The perpetrator of Tuesday’s bloodshed was a mentally unstable 27-year-old former homeless man already serving a 30-year prison sentence for violent crime.

Named as Michael Chiolo, he was lightly injured on Tuesday evening when armed police raided a room where he holed

up with his pregnant girlfriend after stabbing the guards with a ceramic knife.

His partner — suspected of smuggling in the knife — was killed in the assault.

The couple had intended to marry, according to Chiolo’s former lawyer.

Prosecutor Remy Heitz said Chiolo wanted to “avenge” the death of Cherif Chekatt, a criminal and extremist who shot dead five people in Strasbourg in December before being killed by security forces.

Justice Minister Nicole Bel-loubet acknowledged “flaws” in security procedures, adding that there would be a full investigation into how Chiolo was able to obtain the knife used in his attack.

Waste burns as prison guards block the entrance to the penitentiary centre of Alencon, in Conde-sur-Sarthe, northwestern France, yesterday.

Brexit deadlock still unsolved: EUAFP BRUSSELS

The European Union said a solution to the Brexit deadlock remained elusive yesterday after the latest “difficult” talks with Britain weeks before its March 29 exit.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier gave the state of play after meeting his British coun-terparts late Tuesday amid efforts to get the divorce deal through parliament in London.

Barnier informed the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, that “while the talks take place in a constructive atmosphere, discussions have been difficult,” commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.

Barnier added that “no solution has been identified at

this point that is consistent with the withdrawal agreement,” Schinas said.

Prime Minister Theresa May agreed the withdrawal agreement in November, but the British parliament overwhelm-ingly voted it down in January and MPs continue to challenge it.

Barnier met on Tuesday with UK attorney-general Geoffrey Cox and Brexit minister Stephen Barclay in the Belgian capital.

Both sides had issued con-ciliatory signals ahead of the four-hour sit down raising hopes that progress was possible.

But Barnier confirmed the two sides remained stuck on the so-called “backstop” aimed at guaranteeing an open border between EU member Ireland and British Northern Ireland after Brexit.

The EU sees the provision as vital to preserving the peace process in Northern Ireland but London fears it will tie Britain indefinitely to EU customs union.

Cox, the British govern-ment’s top lawyer, said he had put forward some “very rea-sonable proposals” during his talks. “Both sides have exchanged robust strong views and we’re now facing the real discussions. Talks will be resuming soon.”

“We’re into the meat of the matter now, we’ve put forward some proposals, very reasonable proposals,” Cox said.

Barnier insisted anew yes-terday the legally binding with-drawal agreement will not be reopened. The EU said the talks in Brussels are focused on drafting a separate document to placate doubters in London.

Orban urged to end anti-EU campaignBLOOMBERG BUDAPEST

A leading EU Christian Democrat set out three conditions for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to avoid expulsion from the bloc’s biggest political alliance over anti-EU campaign.

Manfred Weber, the EU Christian Democratic candidate to lead the bloc’s executive arm, told Orban he must “immedi-ately and definitively” cease the campaign, apologise to other members of the political family — known as the European Peo-ple’s Party — and guarantee the status of the George Soros-founded Central European Uni-versity. Hungary’s nationalist leader effectively expelled CEU from Budapest last year.

Orban has “an opportunity to move on these three points and demonstrate his esteem for the EPP,” Weber, a German member of the group and ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said in an interview. “There are “decisive issues of democratic principle and political style.”

Weber’s demands clarify the stakes for Orban and his Fidesz party in the run-up to an EPP assembly meeting on March 20 in Brussels.

The EPP has received requests by 12 member parties from nine countries seeking the expulsion and/or suspension of Fidesz as a result of Orban’s erosion of democratic standards, opposition to immigration and criticism of European institu-tions and personalities.

Vladimir Putin noted that foreign spy agencies have also sought to influence political developments in Russia.

Italy’s populist govt launches minimum income welfare programmeAP ROME

Italy’s populist government opened its new minimum income welfare programme yesterday, fulfilling a key campaign promise of the 5-Star Movement to help reduce poverty and spur employment in the eurozone’s third-largest

economy.The so-called “citizen’s

income” is essentially a new system of welfare and unem-ployment benefits for residents whose household monthly income is less than $882. The programme would provide more money to the unemployed than the current jobless benefits.

Eligible residents receive

monthly, pre-paid debit cards to pay for groceries, pharmaceu-ticals, utility bills and rent, among other things. In exchange, able-bodied participants enroll in a job-finding and job-training program. If candidates refuse the first job offer, they face possible longer commutes in subsequent offers.

The scheme, which officially

opened for applications yes-terday, is slated to cost the Italian government 7.1 billion euros this year, a projected public spending spree that helped spark months of heated budget negotiations with the European Union.

At about 133 percent of GDP, Italy’s debt load is the second-highest in Europe, after Greece.

Italy also has the

third-highest unemployment rate in the EU, hitting 10.5 percent in January. Youth unem-ployment was 33 percent that month, again second only to Greece, according to EU statistics.

Deputy Premier and 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio has cited the need to jumpstart the economy and create jobs in spearheading

the “citizen’s income” program. He said Wednesday a “revo-lution” had begun for the esti-mated 5 million people, including the elderly poor, who in theory could take advantage of the benefits.

“Today we’re keeping a promise,” he said. “The state is finally taking care of the invisibles.”

UK universities evacuated over suspicious packagesREUTERS LONDON

Police evacuated buildings at two British universities yesterday after receiving reports of suspicious packages, a day after parcel bombs were sent to two airports and London’s busiest train station.

Police in eastern England said they had put a cordon in place at the University of Essex and evacuated some buildings after receiving a call about a suspect package. The bomb squad had been called in.

In Scotland, the University of Glasgow also said several buildings had been shut and classes cancelled after a suspicious package was found in the mailroom.

Police had advised the buildings should be closed for the rest of the day but no further information was available on the nature of the package.

Green protestGreenpeace activists climbing the columns of the Finnish Parliament during a demonstration against climate change, in Helsinki, Finland, yesterday.

Italy demolishes migrant camp after deadly firesAFP ROME

Hundreds of migrants were evicted yesterday from a make-shift migrant camp in southern Italy which has been the site of several deadly fires, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said.

“As promised... we went from words to actions,” said Salvini, head of the far-right League party, as bulldozers tore through the San Ferdinando shanty town in Calabria under the watch of 600 policemen.

Four migrants have died in the camp in the past year in either arson attacks or acci-dental fires lit to keep the res-idents warm, according to the Italian association Doctors for Human Rights (MEDU).

The death in February of Moussa Ba, a 29-year-old from Senegal whose body was found in a caravan after a fire, prompted the government to announce the overcrowded and dirty camp would be razed.

San Ferdinando was home to more than 1,500 people who struggle to get work, largely in the area’s orange and olive groves. Most work illegally for local farmers for pittance pay.

Some of the migrants left after the government said the camp would be closed.

Salvini had promised to relocate them to reception centres, but several migrants told Italian media that they still did not know where they would be housed. Many feared they would be taken far from the farms where they work.

17THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019 AMERICAS

US official insists border crisis is ‘real’AP WASHINGTON

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted yesterday the crisis at the southern border is not manufac-tured, as she faced questions from Democrats for the first time since they took control of the House.

“We face a crisis_a real, serious, and sustained crisis at our borders,” she said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing. “Make no mistake: this chain of human misery is getting worse.”

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said he wanted to use the hearing in part to give Nielsen the opportunity to start a “serious discussion,” rather than echoing President Donald Trump’s claims of a security crisis at the border, and to say what she knew about the family separations last year. He said real oversight over the border was long overdue.

“No amount of verbal gym-nastics will change that she knew the Trump administration was implementing a policy to sep-arate families at the border,” Thompson said.

“To make matters worse, the administration bungled imple-mentation of its cruel plan, losing track of children and even deporting parents to Central America without their children.”

Nielsen was grilled on whether she was aware of the psychological effects of sepa-rating children from their parents, and when she knew about the “zero tolerance” policy that led to the separation of more than 2,700 children from parents last year. And she was asked about conversations with Trump as he declared a national emer-gency at the border to try to gain funding for his proposed wall between the US and Mexico.

“There is an emergency,” Nielsen said. “I have seen the vulnerable populations. This is a true humanitarian crisis that the

system is enabling. We have to change the laws.”

Tens of thousands of families are crossing the border illegally every month, straining resources.

Last month, there were more than 76,000 migrants appre-hended — it was more than

double the same period last year. And she said the forecast is that the problem will grow worse as weather gets better; traditionally the early spring months see higher illegal crossings.

The new figures reflect the difficulties Trump has faced as

he tries to cut down on illegal immigration, his signature issue. But it could also help him make the case that there truly is a national emergency at the border — albeit one built around humanitarian crises and not nec-essarily border security.

The Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, arrives to testify before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Evacuation ordered as storm heads to CaliforniaAP LOS ANGELES

A storm soaking California could trigger mudslides in wildfire burn areas where thousands of residents are under evacuation orders, authorities warned.

Up to 10cm of rain is expected along the Central Coast, and amounts could be higher in areas where thunder-storms develop, the National Weather Service said.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office ordered 3,000 residents to evacuate hillside neighbourhoods scarred by fires — including parts of Montecito hit by a disastrous debris flow just over a year ago. Officials didn’t say how many people

heeded the order.Many customers pumping

gas at Montecito’s Village Service Station said they’re not leaving, according to Ray Dunham, who works there.

Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference earlier this week that the system is expected to be more intense than the last several storms.

A map published by the county Office of Emergency Management indicates that much of Montecito is at risk.

“We do not take these evac-uation orders lightly, and while we do know this is very incon-venient, if you are in an evacu-ation area, please know there is a high risk to life and property,” Brown said.

A January 2018 debris flow from the Thomas fire scar destroyed or damaged hundreds of Montecito structures, killed 21 people and left two others missing.

The weather service issued a flash-flood watch for all burn areas in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. However, the storm is expected to weaken slightly as it moves south toward greater Los Angeles, forecasters said.

To the north, heavy snowfall and high winds are predicted for the Sierra Nevada, where a series of blizzards has dumped mountains of snow.

Motorists are warned that low visibility could impede travel on mountain passes.

Lightning strikes in the sky above Santa Barbara, California, yesterday.

Trump pressured aides to grant Ivanka security clearance: CNNREUTERS WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump pressured his chief of staff and White House counsel to grant his daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump a security clearance against their recommendations, the report said.

Trump pushed for John Kelly, his chief of staff at the time, and Donald McGahn, who was then his White House counsel, to grant the security clearances to his daughter and Jared Kushner, her husband and another White House adviser, following concerns raised by the personnel office, CNN reported.

Both men refused to grant the security clearances to the couple, and ultimately Trump awarded them to the pair himself, according to CNN, which cited three sources.

US cancels report on civilian deaths in drone strikesBLOOMBERG WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump revoked a requirement that US intelligence officials publicly report the number of people killed in drone strikes and other attacks on terrorist targets outside of war zones.

Trump formally ended the requirement with an executive order, months after signalling such a move.

The order signed by Trump revokes the requirement that the administration release an unclassified summary of ‘the number of strikes undertaken by the US Government against terrorist targets outside areas of active hostilities, as well as assessments of combatant and non-combatant deaths resulting from those strikes, among other information.’

Cohen shows proof of Moscow project

Caracas expels German envoy for backing Guaido as US tightens sanctions

AFP CARACAS

Venezuela expelled Germany’s ambassador yesterday, hitting out at international support for opposition leader Juan Guaido as the US stepped up sanctions in a bid to force out his rival, President Nicolas Maduro, despite UN criticism.

The foreign ministry said Martin Kriener (pictured) had 48 hours to leave for “inter-ference” in Venezuela’s internal affairs. He had greeted Guaido at Caracas airport on his return to the country on Monday.

Guaido said in a speech to opposition lawmakers that Kriener’s expulsion “must be taken as a threat to the free world.”

Kriener was among more than a dozen foreign represent-atives to welcome the National Assembly leader — recognised as interim president by more than 50 countries — but so far the only one to be deemed “persona non grata”.

Kriener had helped to try

and bring humanitarian aid to the country, he said, adding: “It seems that the Maduro regime does not forgive anyone who wants to help Venezuela.”

Meanwhile, Washington tightened the screws on its cam-paign of sanctions to force Maduro from power, revoking visas of 77 people linked to the regime, including officials and their families.

“We will continue to hold all of the Maduro regime accountable until democracy and libertad (liberty) are fully restored,” US Vice-President Mike Pence said in a speech.

Last week, Washington revoked 49 visas from Vene-zuelan figures.

National Security Advisory John Bolton said the US also is putting foreign financial insti-tutions on notice that they will face sanctions if they facilitate “illegitimate transactions that benefit Nicolas Maduro and his corrupt network.”

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said sanctions have worsened Venezuela’s crip-pling economic and political crisis. “Venezuela clearly illus-trates the way violations of civil and political rights — including failure to uphold fundamental freedoms, and the independence of key institutions — can accen-tuate a decline of economic and social rights,” said former Chile president Bachelet.

“This situation has been exac-erbated by sanctions,” she said in her annual report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

No charges for California cops who shoot dead unarmed manAFP LOS ANGELES

California’s top prosecutor confirmed that no charges would be filed in a high-profile case in which two policemen shot dead an unarmed black man who had been holding a cell phone.

Attorney-General Xavier Becerra said the two officers involved in the March 2018 incident that made national headlines acted lawfully when they each fired 10 shots at Stephon Clark after he was chased into his grandmother’s backyard.

Becerra’s independent report into the killing is in line with Sacramento District Attorney Marie Schubert’s findings that no charges were warranted in the case.

Schubert’s decision at the weekend prompted protests in Sacramento — where the killing took place — with 84 people arrested.

“This loss of life is a tragedy, and it is the kind of tragedy we have endured far too many times across our state and nation,” Becerra said.

“After extensively reviewing the record, we found that the evidence did not support filing criminal charges against the officers involved in the shooting.”

The two officers who shot Clark were responding to an emergency call of a man smashing car windows.

AP WASHINGTON

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, turned over documents to the House intelligence committee related to a Trump real estate project in Moscow — a subject he lied to the committee about in 2017.

The documents are relevant to Cohen’s false statement, according to a person familiar with Cohen’s interview who spoke on condition of ano-nymity. Cohen was on Capitol Hill for a fourth day of congres-sional testimony.

Lawmakers have been inter-ested in talking to Cohen about the Moscow project ever since he pleaded guilty to lying to Con-gress about the subject. Cohen acknowledged in his guilty plea last year that he misled law-makers by saying he had

abandoned the project in January 2016 when he pursued it for months after that as Trump cam-paigned for the presidency.

In public testimony last week, Cohen told the House Oversight and Reform Com-mittee that Trump’s attorneys, including Jay Sekulow, had reviewed and edited the statement he provided to Congress.

Sekulow has denied wrong-doing, saying in a statement after the hearing that the “testimony

by Michael Cohen that attorneys for the President edited or changed his statement to Con-gress to alter the duration of the Trump Tower Moscow negotia-tions is completely false.”

The Trump Tower Project is one of many under scrutiny as the Democrat-led panel inves-tigates Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether Trump’s campaign was involved, among other matters, including Trump’s foreign financial dealings.

Cohen has become a key figure in congressional investi-gations after turning on his former boss and cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.

He was interviewed privately by both the Senate and House intelligence committees last week and has another daylong meeting with the House

intelligence panel behind closed doors yesterday.

He pleaded guilty last year to lying to Congress, campaign finance violations and other charges and is set to begin a three-year prison sentence in May. During last week’s tes-timony, he called Trump a con man, a cheat and a racist.

Among the issues discussed in Cohen’s closed-door inter-views with the House and Senate last week was pardons, according to people familiar with those interviews. They spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal the confidential discussion.

The committee was expected to discuss the subject in Cohen’s second day before the com-mittee, according to one of the people familiar with the meeting.

Cohen told Congress last week that he had never asked for and would not accept a

pardon from Trump. But that may not be the full story.

According to people with knowledge of the situation, a lawyer for Cohen expressed interest to the Trump legal team in a possible pardon for his client after a raid last April on Cohen’s hotel room, home and office. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The president’s attorneys were noncommittal during the conversation with Cohen’s lawyer, the people said. Cohen did not participate in the conversation.

No pardon was given, and Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty and is cooperating against the president in separate investiga-tions by the special counsel and by federal prosecutors in New York.

Michael Cohen, has returned to Capitol Hill for a fourth day of testimony as Democrats pursue investigations into Trump’s possible obstruction of justice.

18 THURSDAY 7 MARCH 2019CLASSIFIEDS

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QDF sponsors Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Golf TournamentTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Qatar Duty Free (QDF) announced yesterday that it is an official partner of the Commercial Bank Qatar (CBQ) Masters Golf tournament 2019, that will begin today and will run until March 21.

The tournament, taking place at the Doha Golf Club, will see 144 world-class professional golfers compete in the tour-nament, including 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjorn,

two-time Qatar Masters winner Paul Lawrie, as well as two of Qatar’s most promising players, Saleh Al Kaabi and Jaham Al Kuwari.

QDF is also the official sponsor of the Hole in One com-petition, which will award its winner a $155,000 voucher to be redeemed at Qatar Duty Free. QDF will offer visitors a chance to test their golf skills at the QDF-themed booth located in the entertainment village. Together with photo opportunities and a live screening of the tournament,

visitors will have a chance to win a selection of luxury products from QDF brands and boutiques at Hamad International Airport, including the recently-opened Qatar Airways Travel Boutique.

Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice-President, Bruce Bowman, said: “We are delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, one of the most highly anticipated events on Qatar’s sporting calendar. The finest golfing professionals from around the world come together

in Qatar to compete in this tour-nament, which is very much in alignment with the county’s 2030 vision to become a premier sports destination and host of major global sporting events.

“At Qatar Duty Free, we believe in offering travellers the very finest experience, from the moment they tee off to the moment they head home. We wish the participants a successful tournament, and look forward to enjoying this world-class sporting event right here in Doha.”

Qatar Duty Free is also a proud sponsor of the Qatar Exx-onMobil Open 2019 Tournament and the Qatar Total Open Women’s Tennis Tournament 2019. QDF has sponsored the Commercial Bank Golf Masters since 2009 and this year has extended its sponsorship to include the annual TFWA Golf Tournament at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes.

This exciting event will welcome more than 3,000 duty free and travel retail brands and

500 international exhibitors, reaching more than 2,000 key executives from major retail brands and duty free retailers.

QDF boasts more than 90 affordable and luxury brands as well as over 30 restaurants and cafés covering an area of 40,000 square metres at HIA and pro-viding travellers with a world-class shopping experience under one roof. Luxury brands also available at the five-star airport include Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Bulgari, Hermès, Hugo Boss, Moncler, Rolex and Harrods.

QM presents 3 major exhibitions this month THE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Museums has announced an expansive spring exhibition programme, drawing on collab-orations organised as part of the Years of Culture initiative, as well as its own institutions.

Three major exhibitions will open this month, adding to an already exciting calendar with the upcoming opening of the National Museum of Qatar on March 28.

Mathaf: The Arab Museum of Modern Art is presenting two world-class shows in Doha for the first time. The first show, M F Husain: Horses of the Sun is a major exhibition dedicated to the work of M F Husain (1913-2011) — legendary contributor to modern Indian culture and the history of art in the 20th century.

Still More World, an exhi-bition by Delhi-based Raqs Media Collective, will present 13 multi-object and video installa-tions, two of which were created

especially for the show in Doha. The exhibition will be dis-

played across three ground floor galleries at Mathaf, as well as interventions on the grounds of the museum and the city of Doha. The show has been organised as part of Qatar Museums’ Qatar India 2019 Year of Culture.

Both exhibitions will run from March 21 to July 31.

M F Husain: Horses of the Sun, curated by the acclaimed Mumbai-based curator, poet, art critic, and cultural theorist, Ranjit Hoskote, will feature more than 100 works by M F Husain including paintings, drawings, textile works, and films, drawn mainly from Qatar Foundation and Qatar Museums collections, as well as from private collec-tions from around the world.

Husain was a foundational figure in the history of Indian modernism, as a member of the vanguard formation known as the Progressive Artists Group. He lived through two World Wars, the Cold War, Algeria and

Vietnam, South Asia’s conflicts and the West Asian wars, all of which inspired his works. His chosen media ranged from oil painting and watercolour, through lithography and serig-raphy, to sculpture, architecture, and installation. He was also a filmmaker, poet and memoirist, writing in Urdu, Hindi and English.

Born in the Hindu pilgrimage centre of Pandharpur, Husain developed strong connections with the UK, the USA, Czecho-slovakia, the UAE, and Qatar, which offered him refuge when adverse political circumstances forced him into exile from his beloved India.

Still More World, curated by Mathaf Curator Laura Barlow, draws on the energy of Doha’s urban landscape of light, which symbolises a global city in con-tinuous movement, its networks of people, and raw materials. The works in this exhibition re-examine human evolution and natural resources, considering

historical and contemporary movements of people and the way terrains change. Thirteen installations ranging from videos, to textiles and sculptures made between 2011 and 2019 are pre-sented in three galleries at Mathaf and across the city of Doha including two new produc-tions, Dohas for Doha and To People, developed especially for the exhibition. The show will present Provisions for Everybody (2018), a 50-minute video and Seven Billion and One (2015) along with other works that explore the connections between living organisms, the natural world, geological time and the cosmos.

The exhibition will be pre-sented across several locations outside of Mathaf, including Doha’s iconic West Bay where one of the five phrases from the new production Dohas for Doha (2019) will be presented.

The Fire Station Garage Gallery will host an exhibition titled Kazimir Malevich: Genius

of the Russian Avant-Garde from March 24 to May 31.

The Museum of Islamic Art’s

(MIA) major 10-year anniversary exhibition, Syria Matters, will remain open through April 30.

The artwork from M F Husain exhibition.

HBKU colloquium highlights intricacies of diplomacy in increasingly unsettled world THE PENINSULA DOHA

The College of Law and Public Policy (CLPP) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently hosted a colloquium with ambassadors to Qatar that addressed International Law and Foreign Relations in a Turbulent World.

Susan L Karamanian, Dean of CLPP, chaired a panel dis-cussion with guest speakers Stefanie McCollum, Ambassador of Canada to Qatar, and Faizel Moosa, Ambassador of South Africa to the State of Qatar, who is also a lawyer. Joining them on

the panel was Dr Ilias Bantekas, Professor of Law, CLPP.

Ambassadors McCollum and Moosa explored the nature of foreign policy decision-making in an increasingly unsettled world, while reflecting on the intricacies of diplomacy, including the qualities and skillsets required for the effective resolution of interna-tional disputes.

Professor Bantekas put their remarks in a theoretical context by examining new ways of con-sidering international law beyond the traditional State-centric approach.

Karamanian said, “CLPP was honoured to welcome

Ambassadors McCollum and Moosa, who engaged in an open dialogue on the key role of dip-lomats in informing interna-tional law and policies. Attendees obtained first-hand insights into the importance of dialogue in diplomacy, in par-ticular, and the challenges of maintaining it when core values are at issue.”

During the event, panellists recognised the foundational role of international law in foreign policy, and discussed how dip-lomats, lawyers, and foreign ministries represent sovereign states in specific areas, such as trade, access to resources, and human rights.

Stefanie McCollum, Ambassador of Canada to Qatar, and Faizel Moosa, Ambassador of South Africa to Qatar, during the colloquium organised by the College of Law and Public Policy.

QA Sidra illustrates cultural diversity to

mark International Mother Language DayTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Academy Sidra (QA Sidra), part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education, has celebrated International Mother Language Day.

QA Sidra is a diverse multi-lingual learning community, with over 40 different nation-alities and over 18 different

mother languages. Reflecting this, the school illustrated its cultural diversity and multilin-gualism in a bid to empower learners to demonstrate e m p a t h y a n d open-mindedness.

The celebrations featured performances from the QA Sidra school band, drummers from Qatar Music Academy — a member of QF — and poetry

recitations by students. In addition, a number of inter-active learning engagements took place across both QA Sidra campuses — primary and sec-ondary — which saw the par-ticipation of both students and parents. In 2018, QA Sidra introduced International Mother Language Day celebrations as a school-wide community event for the first time.

A view during the celebrations organised by Qatar Academy Sidra to mark the International Mother Language Day.

New application centre opens in Doha for Schengen visas to Czech RepublicTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Citizens and expatriate residents of Qatar can apply for Schengen visas to the Czech Republic at a new visa application centre jointly launched by the Embassy of Czech Republic in Qatar and VFS Global.

Located on the 3rd Floor (301) Jaidah Square, Airport Road, Doha, Qatar, the Visa

Application Centre will provide outbound travellers from Qatar a very convenient channel ensuring enhanced quality of services and seamless proce-dures. Applicants will also com-plete their biometric enrolment at the same application centre.

VFS Global has been asso-ciated with the Client Gov-ernment of the Czech Republic since 2008 and presently serves applicants through a vast

network of 100 Visa Application Centres across 24 countries such as India, Jordan, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom, amongst others.

Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia & China, VFS Global, said: “VFS Global has a successful relationship with the Czech Republic, handling its visa appli-cation submissions since 2008. The new centre in Qatar is yet

another milestone adding to the portfolio of visa application centres we manage on behalf of the Czech Republic government through 100 application centres across the world.”

All applications submitted at the Visa Application Centre in Qatar, as well passports entrusted with VFS Global, will be transferred to the Visa Appli-cation Centre in Kuwait, which will handle all entry permit

submissions to the Czech Republic. Passports submitted for visa stamping will be delivered back to the Visa Appli-cation Centre in Qatar for col-lection or couriered to the address provided by the visa applicant during the application submission process. VFS Global will take all relevant measures to safely handle the applications and facilitate smooth and timely processing.

Managed by professionals trained to provide secure services in an efficient manner, the centre also offers optional Premium Lounge services to visa applicants for more personalized service as well as door-step delivery of passports.

Visa applicants can direct their queries and appointment requests to the call centre number +974 4 4231188 or at [email protected].

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