BUSINESS | 13 SPORT | 16Al Attiyah, Baumel eye success in Russia

Moody’s raises QIIB outlook

to stable

Volume 23 | Number 7591 | 2 RiyalsWednesday 18 July 2018 | 5 Dhul-Qa’da I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

FDI in Qatar reach QR676.4bn by end of Q1, 2018THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Foreign investments in Qatar amounted to QR676.4bn by the end of the first quarter of 2018, according to the findings of the quarterly Foreign Investment survey launched by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics and Qatar Central Bank.

The survey covers major enterprises (private and public) operating in the national economy. It targeted some of the largest enterprises in the private sector which accounted for 84 percent of the value of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) of non-banks enterprises in 2016, while QCB surveyed all financial institu-tions under its supervision.

International financial transactions made by indi-viduals and by the government were not covered. Hence, the survey results are not strictly comparable with the balance of payments (BOP) statement of QCB, QNA reported.

The survey findings show that liabilities to non-residents (inward investment) increased in Q1 by 4 percent or QR28.4bn from QR648bn at the end of the previous quarter to stand at QR676.4bn.

At the end of Q1, 2018, other foreign investments accounted for 67 percent or QR455.9bn, followed by FDI in Qatar at QR123.1bn or 18 percent and portfolio investments at QR93.3bn or 14 percent of the total liabilities.

Additionally, stock of inward FDI had been reduced by QR6.1bn at the end of Q1, 2018 due to net outflows of FDI

and other changes during the quarter.

As for assets with non-res-idents (outward investment), they increased at the end of Q1 2018 by QR2bn from QR400.5bn at the end of the previous quarter to stand at QR402.5bn.

At the end of Q1, 2018, other foreign investments consisting of long term loans and trade related short term financial instruments accounted for 54 percent or QR218.9bn of the total assets, followed by foreign direct investment abroad at QR146bn or 36 percent and portfolio investments (financial securities) at QR37.1bn or 9 percent.

Meanwhile, during Q1, 2018, net out flows of FDI abroad and other changes amounted to QR0.8bn, the survey findings showed.

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani met at the Emiri Diwan office yesterday morning with Ambassador of the French Republic to Qatar Eric Chevallier, who called on H H the Deputy Amir to greet him on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the country. H H the Deputy Amir granted the Ambassador the Decoration of Al Wajbah in recognition of his efforts in enhancing the relations between the two countries, and wished him success in his future assignments and the relations between the two countries further progress and prosperity. The French Ambassador expressed his thanks and appreciation to H H the Deputy Amir and the officials of the State for the cooperation he received which contributed to the success of his mission in the country.

Deputy Amir honours French Ambassador

Qatar-Jordan committee to ensure 10,000 jobs for JordaniansTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The State of Qatar and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan agreed to form a joint committee to follow up on the implementation of the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to provide 10,000 job opportu-nities for Jordanian youth in Qatar.

Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al

Jafali Al Nuaimi, said in a joint press conference yesterday with Jordan’s Minister of Labor, Sameer Saeed Murad, that based on the wise directives of H H the Amir to provide 10,000 job opportunities for Jordanian youth in Qatar, it has been agreed today to form a joint committee between both minis-tries to follow up on the imple-mentation of the directives.

The joint committee will provide a database to facilitate

the process for private and public entities in Qatar to choose a candidate that meets their needs and wishes to work in Qatar, the minister added.

Al Nuaimi said the meeting also touched on the nature of the job opportunities available in Qatar and the different sectors that have the capacity to welcome Jordanian youth who wish to work in Qatar, including health, education, finance,

insurance, services, construction, agriculture, animal resources.

The Minister said the mission of the committee is to coor-dinate, follow up and ease the obstacles that may face job-seekers in Jordan and it will also establish a database that will be accessible for business owners to browse those who wish to work in the country.

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Qatar businesses gear up for FIFA 2022DOHA: As countdown to FIFA 2022 begins with the announcement of Qatar World Cup days, the Qatari business community is all agog with a fresh wave of confidence.

The formal announcement of the tournament dates has infused an added buoyancy to the travel industry, hospitality industry, and contracting and real estate sector.

The construction sector will witness the re-launch of a series of delayed or held over projects in the coming months.

The travel industry is busy reworking on its FIFA-related business plans.

The property market, which had witnessed a muted response in the past few quarters, is also busy strategising their 2022 future plans.

All the government projects directly linked to FIFA World Cup 2022 are fast progressing.

In the run up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar is com-mitted to spend $200bn to develop new stadiums, a $35bn metro and rail system, and a new city for 200,000 people.

Now the decks have been cleared, the slowed down con-struction projects are expected to take off in the coming months, Ahmad Jassim Al Jolo, Chairman Qatar Society of Engineers told The Peninsula.

“The market is positively responding to the announcement. The announcement from Russia has created a momentum in the market. We are expecting a pick up in the market once the summer holidays are over,” he said.

The hospitality segment of the construction sector should really see a huge pick up in the activities. According to interna-tional reports, FIFA mandates that tournament hosting country have 125,000 hotel rooms available.

According to property advisory firm DTZ, the total number of hotel and hotel apartment developments cur-rently operating in Qatar was officially recorded at 122 in QTA’s end of year report for 2017.

These properties provide a total of 25,167 keys, including hotel rooms suites and hotel apartments. This means that the sector will witness huge activities in the run up to FIFA 2022.

The announcement of FIFA Qatar dates means a lot for Qatar’s property market said Nusair Al Ejli, a property leasing expert. “We will soon see more international hotel brands coming to Qatar. And Qatar will soon turn out to be a place for traders and businesses who have long-term business interests, he said.

Travel industry sources told The Peninsula that Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) India

office has already lined up two mega ‘Qatar Roadshows’ in India’s biggest cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai.

The Doha-based FAL Trav-elmart, a specialist in high quality and high tech customer oriented travel related services enterprise, said it has already rolled out plans to promote Qatar in overseas market ahead of FIFA 2022 tournament.

FAL Travel mart will be an active participant in QTA India’s Qatar Roadshow and Net-working workshop, said its Director A P Manikantan.

Qatar Chamber Director-General Saleh bin Hamad Al Sharqi said on Monday that private sector will play a bigger role both in the preparations and in the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament.

He said the Qatar FIFA World Cup will give a big boost to the country’s hospitality, tourism and other services sectors.

SATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

Qatar Airways bags four Skytrax awardsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Airways has won four prestigious awards at this year’s 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards. The multi award-winning airline has once again been named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ at this year’s awards ceremony, held yesterday at the Langham Hotel in London.

This is the sixth time and third consecutive year that the airline has won this recognition. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker was at the awards to receive the accolades alongside Hamad International Airport Chief Operating Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer.

In addition to being voted ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by travellers from around the world, the airline was also named ‘Best Airline In The Middle East’, the fifth

consecutive year it has received this tremendous accolade. Qatar Airways was also named ‘Best First Class Airline Lounge’ for the second consecutive year and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class expe-rience, Qsuite.

Qsuite, a patented Qatar Airways product, offers a First Class experience in the Business Class cabin. Qsuite features the industry’s first-ever double bed in Business Class, as well as privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, a first of its kind in the industry.

Qatar Airways had launched Qsuite at ITB Berlin in March 2017 to outstanding global acclaim, and has set a new standard for luxury travel with this innovative product.

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Qatar traffic safety best in Middle East, says official

DOHA: Brigadier Muhammad Abdullah Al Maliki, Secretary of National Traffic Safety Committee, has said that Qatar stands at number one among the Middle East coun-tries regarding the traffic safety.

“In order to reduce pedestrian accidents, which usually occur on the highways, about 35 places will have new pedestrian bridges. And also the dispatch points of ambulances will be made accordingly and all these steps are part of the second phase of the National Traffic Safety Strategy (2018-2022) which has already been started,” said Brigadier Al Maliki.

The implementation of the second action plan has been assigned to more than 32 entities compared to 13 in the first phase. The plan aims at reducing pedestrian mor-tality rate to 17 percent of total deaths by 2022 (32 percent in 2016).

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

At the end of

Q1, 2018, other

foreign investments

consisting of long

term loans and trade

related short term

financial instruments

accounted for 54

percent or QR218.9bn

of the total assets,

followed by foreign

direct investment

abroad at QR146bn

or 36 percent and

portfolio investments

(financial securities)

at QR37.1bn or 9

percent.

02 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018HOME

Qatar-France drill tests efficiencyTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatari Amiri Naval Forces carried out a joint crossing exercise in cooperation with French Navy in the Qatari territorial waters.

The four-day tactical exercise included trainings on naval manoeuvres, air defence and air attack in addition to intrusion and inspection, defending vessels during sailing, landing by heli-copter, and mid-sea exercises.

The exercise aimed to exchange expe-riences, test the efficiency of equipment and establish joint maritime relations between the two forces, in addition to enhancing the operational efficiency of vessel commanders.

Qatari Amiri Naval Forces (Fleet Command) participated in the exercise

along with the Joint Special Forces (Special Naval Force), the Qatari Amiri Air Forces (Combat Wing) and the French Navy (Frigate Cassard).

The exercise comes within the framework of cooperation agreements between the two friendly countries in the fields of training and planning for the required military tasks and duties.

The officials of Qatari Amiri Naval Forces and French Navy during a discussion over the joint crossing exercise in Qatari territorial waters. BELOW: A vessel during the drill.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with Minister of Labour of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Samir Saeed Murad, and his accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to the country. The meeting discussed cooperation ties between the two countries and ways of promoting them in various fields, as well as issues of mutual concern.

QRCS provides two ambulances to PRCSTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has delivered two fully-equipped ambulances to the ambulance centre of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Al Quds.

With 14 standard ambulances, the ambulance centre is the PRCS’s largest in the city. This donation will enhance the capacity of the centre to respond to medical emer-gencies in Al Quds and other Palestinian cities, where these facilities are much needed. Every month, the centre serves up to 650 cases. It is part of an extensive programme funded and implemented by QRCS to uphold PRCS’s Ambulance and Emergency Division in Al Quds.

Aside from ambulances, the programme involves also securing medicines, medical equipment, and consum-ables. With this support, the healthcare will be well pre-

pared to offer optimised medical services, deal with emer-gencies in a timely manner, and reach out to all Pales-tinian territories, particularly in areas of clash.

The fully-equipped ambulances, which were delivered by QRCS to the ambulance centre of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Al Quds.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker (fifth right), with staff and officials during the award distribution ceremony.

Qatar-Jordan committee to ensure 10,000 jobs for Jordanian youth

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

He expected to provide 1,000 jobs for Jordanian youth till Sep-tember through the coordination and cooperation of the committee, before intensifying efforts in the following phase to provide other jobs according to the wishes of job-seekers and the needs of employers.

Al Nuaimi highlighted that the agreed employment process of Jor-danian youth rules out third parties in order for the process to run smoothly for jobseekers.

For his part, the Jordanian Min-ister of Labour said that this kind gesture is not strange to Qatar and H H the Amir and is highly valued and appreciated.

He described the relations between both countries to be good and fruitful.

Murad added that the meeting with H E Al Nuaimi focused on the appropriate steps to implement the directives of H H the Amir to provide 10,000 jobs for Jordanian youth. He said that the committee would follow up closely and help overcome any obstacles that may arise. H E the Jordanian minister said that 1,000 people will be employed starting now until Sep-tember, adding that a compre-hensive database will be built to include all jobseekers in Jordan in order to make it easier for employers in Qatar to learn about the available specialties and qual-ifications. He added that available

job opportunities in Qatar will be in the public and private sectors and cover the different health, edu-cational, financial, insurance and construction industries.

“We are talking about scientific, specialised, technical and engi-neering job opportunities,” the minister said, adding that there will be a focus on 2022 World Cup projects and the specialties that they require. In addition, the Jor-danian minister said the two min-istries of labour will not intervene in the recruitment of employees, with the matter being decided by employers.

“We will only provide the per-sonnel, while the employers will make the decision to choose among applicants based on the

Qatar hands over E-Passport Public Key to ICAO in Canada QNA

DOHA: Qatar handed over yesterday E-Passport Public Key to the Interna-tional Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), during a special ceremony held at the organisation’s head-quarters in Montreal, Canada.

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) has said that the move was part of the Ministry’s constant efforts to improve its e-services and developing the capabilities of the Qatari passport. A

delegation from the Ministry handed the key to ICAO’s Public Keys Directory (PKD). This procedure follows the Ministry of Interior’s plans to develop the Qatar e-Passport, par-ticularly enhancing the automatic and direct verification of the validity of electronic passports. It also enhances the strength and prestige of the Qatari passport with ICAO member coun-tries of the PKD, which are more than 60 around the world. The PKD works on maximising the accuracy and

veracity of text and parametric data for passports and electronic docu-ments worldwide by working to improve and develop techniques for encryption and mutual support between experts and specialists in participating countries.

Qatar, represented by the MoI, officially participated in the encryption system back in 2014. It is also the first GCC country to issue an e-passport in 2008 in accordance to ICAO’s guidelines.

Qatar Airways bags four Skytrax awards

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

These awards demonstrate the quality of Qatar Airways’ unrivalled level of service, and prove that the airline con-tinues to win the confidence of the trav-elling public.

“These prestigious awards show how far Qatar Airways has come in such a short time. In just over 20 years, we have risen from a small regional carrier to become a global airline, committed to innovation and to delivering the highest standards to our passengers. The patented Qsuite represents our commitment to innovation, as this revolutionary Business Class seat continues to set new bench-marks in the aviation industry,” Al Baker said.

“To have been awarded such

accolades, in spite of the illegal blockade against our country, is a reflection of our commitment to excellence, innovation and to providing all passengers the finest service in the skies. The fact that the Skytrax awards are voted for by travellers makes them especially meaningful and reconfirms that our passenger-focused strategy continues to deliver the highest level of satisfaction to our loyal cus-tomers,” he said.

These awards demonstrate

the quality of Qatar Airways’

unrivalled level of service, and

prove that the airline continues

to win the confidence of the

travelling public.

Qatar traffic safety best in Middle East, says official

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The average deaths in road traffic incidents in Qatar last year were 5.4 per 100,000 persons, a figure far below than world average of 17.4 per 100,000 persons.

Regarding the challenges being faced by the committee, he said that among the challenges is to reduce serious injuries and to reduce pedes-trian accidents to more 30 percent especially with the opening of new pedestrian bridges and new roads covering more than 400km. Brigadier Al Maliki was talking to Qatar TV.

Meanwhile, coordinators of entities concerned with implemen-tation of the National Traffic Safety Strategy discussed a number of topics related to the plans of as well as fol-lowing up on the recommendations resulting from the meetings of the national committee for traffic safety and related forums in a meeting held yesterday at the General Directorate of Traffic.

Al Malki, highlighted the most prominent challenges facing the com-mittee as it aims to achieve the plans for the next five years as well as the major national goals associated with this phase.

He said that the timeline is short, which requires greater efforts to achieve the plans on time as they are related to national goals for traffic

safety and sustainable transport, in addition to their close relation to economy, national security and achieving the UN requirements that Qatar committed to.

Al Malki added that the committee aims to activate the recommendation of its 18th meeting on the importance of personally following up on the progress by the officials of the con-cerned entities, swiftly handling the late projects in coordination with the National Traffic Safety Office, giving traffic safety priority in institutional plans, and providing coordinators of concerned entities ample time to carry

out their duties to the fullest and submit quarterly reports. National Traffic Safety Office Director Kim Jerio highlighted the nature of challenges facing the implementation process in the current stage of the strategy and the progress of the concerned entities in terms of planning and projects.

Regarding achievements in the first phase, he said that one of the most important results achieved by the first phase is the success in reducing the number of deaths from 235 deaths, (14 deaths per 100,000 people) in 2013 to 178 deaths (6.93 deaths per 100,000 people) in 2016.

Brigadier Muhammad Abdullah Al Maliki, Secretary of National Traffic Safety Committee, with other officials during the show.

qualifications, experience and employer needs.” Asked about the time frame for concluding the process of filling the

10,000 jobs, the Jordanian minister said that it is not asso-ciated with a specific time, but it was agreed between the two

countries to provide at least 1,000 jobs in the next two months, with the remaining ones filled soon.

03WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 HOME

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), in association with the ITU Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre (ARCC), announces the opening of the Qatar Threat Hunters 2018 Competition for youth aged 17-24, from mid-July to September 2018.

MoTC invited all Qatari talents who have unique skills in the realm of cybersecurity to join the competition via https://cyberstars.pro/profile/register/. Registration is open until August 7, 2018.

This national competition is a part of the Arab “Threat Hunter” competition that is organised by ITU-ARCC for Arab youth to develop their skills and talents in the field. The aim is to qualify and prepare the

next generation of cybersecurity professionals and specialists and harness their capabilities for competing regionally and globally.

As the cybersecurity skills gap continues to grow both in the private and public sector,

cybersecurity competitions have been recognised worldwide as an effective method for finding new cybersecurity talents and to foster the development of the required cybersecuri ty competences.

The competition revolves around several questions and challenges on cybersecurity domains such as ethical hacking, system exploitation, ICT infra-structure and system protection, computer forensics and malware analysis. It consists of four phases as shown in the attached file.

The competition is consisted of 4 phases. In the Registration and Pre-Selection phase, inter-ested participants can join the competition until August 7, 2018.

The second phase is the National Semi-Finals, which takes places on August 16, 2018.

In this phase, a webpage will be dedicated for each participating country on the competition website for competitors from inside the country and the top 50 participants, according to the highest scores and time con-sumed, will be selected.

The third phase is the National Final Round taking place in September 2018. In this phase, MoTC, represented by the Qatar Computer Emergency Response Team (Q-CERT), will host the 50 qualified participants in one location that will be decided later. Those 50 will compete at Qatar level in order to select the top first three levels that will compete regionally at the level of Arab countries, which takes place in Oct. 2018 via the portal of the competition where participants from all Arab coun-tries will compete on the first

three awards. Competition winners are

going to be awarded during the

Regional Cybersecurity Week 2018 for the Arab Region in Kuwait on October 21 to 25.

MoTC begins hunt for Qatari cybersecurity talentsMoTC invites all

Qatari talents who

have unique skills

in the realm of

cybersecurity to join

Qatar Threat Hunters

2018 Competition via

https://cyberstars.

pro/profile/register/.

Registration is open

until August 7.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Media Corporation, H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, met yesterday with Ryan Claiha, Charge D’Affaires at the Embassy of the United States to Qatar. The meeting reviewed media relations between the two countries and means of boosting and developing them.

Qatar-US media ties reviewed Al Nuaimi: National Service Law is an investment in Qatari youth THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The head of the National Service Academy Commander Saeed Hamad Al Nuaimi said that the new National Service Law was unique even at the international level because it includes the physical and scientific rebuilding of those drafted by defining the period of military training and academic education.

Al Nuaimi explained, at a meeting to discuss law No. 5 of 2018 on national service, that the law was reflected the saying that Qatar deserves the best from its people, expressing hope that the Qatari youth can contribute in building their nation and achieving their security.

He added that those drafted in the national service will learn a lot of skills and will pursue a lot of personal interests as well as achieving national interests.

He pointed out that the national service academy will begin on September 1 until August 15 of 2019.

He also said that the programme is comprised of two main sections; the first is from September to March and focuses on the military training and all its dif-ferent aspects. An example of those would be improving physical condition, as well as gaining skills such as swimming, self-defence Secretary of National Traffic Safety Committeee, and shooting among others. The second section will be academic, where those drafted can receive academic courses in Qatar University, Community College, and North Atlantic. Those courses have credits that can be transferred to the three educational institutions.

Al Nuaimi noted that the National Service Law is an investment in Qatari youth aspiring to serve their country and

achieve the security and development of their community, in addition to gaining many important life skills.

On the postponement of national service for students who are on the Amiri List or Qatar Petroleum or Qatar Airways and others, Director of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Defense Abdullah Eissa Al Kuwari said that article 20 of the law state that the postponement is for a year, renewable until those in question finish their education or reach 28 years of age. This is true for those on the Amiri list or who were unconditionally accepted in a med school accredited by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. As for students sponsored by Qatar Petroleum or Qatar Airways, they must apply to the Academy within the 60-day period provided for in the Article and submit their documents in order for their requests to be processed.

04 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018HOME

The Chairman of Qatar General Organisation for Standardisation and Metrology, Eng. Mohammed bin Saud Al Musallam, met with the Director of the Hungarian National Accreditation Authority, Miklos Devecz, in Doha yesterday. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of cooperation between the two sides in the fields of specifications, standardisation and ways of developing them.

Qatar, Hungary talk cooperation in standardisation CRA holds telecommunication survey to boost service quality THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Communications Regu-latory Authority (CRA) has launched a comprehensive field survey to measure individual consumers’ satisfaction on telecommunications services provided through the licensed service providers in the State of Qatar.

The survey, conducted in the months of July and August 2018, covers all the municipalities in the country.

The aim of this survey is to under-stand consumer’s experience and feedback qualitatively to know the important telecommunications services used by consumers, to identify their perception of quality of various services and their level of satisfaction with fixed and mobile telecommunications services, prices, and the competitive

nature of the Qatari telecom market.“This survey is one of the main tools

adopted by the CRA to help in evalu-ating the quality and efficiency of services provided to consumers, and in ensuring that their rights are pro-tected. The CRA would like to request

consumers to participate in the survey, provide feedback, and to contribute towards the main objective, which is the improvement of their experience and the telecom services in Qatar,” said Amel Salem Al Hanawi (pictured), CRA’s Consumer Affairs Manager.

After the completion of the survey, CRA will publish a detailed report of the findings, which will be used in CRA’s discussions with the service pro-viders to ensure the improvement of the services provided to the telecom consumers in Qatar.

CRA will publish a detailed

report of the findings,

which will be used in CRA’s

discussions with the service

providers.

Service road in front of Gulf, Ezdan malls to be closed

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced that the service road in front of Gulf and Ezdan malls, parallel to Shamal Road, will be closed from today in coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic.

Users, heading towards Ezdan Mall, are asked to use Al Oyoun Street towards the

diversion street behind the malls.

The closure is required to enable the construction works of the bridges on Umm Lekhba Interchange.

The Public Works Authority will install road signs to guide road users to alternative routes and has requested all road users abide by the speed limit and follow the road signs to ensure their safety.

QA launches Qsuite on Mumbai, Bengaluru routesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Airways announced yesterday that its award-winning Business Class experience, Qsuite, is now available on flights to and from Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Patented by Qatar Airways, Qsuite features the industry’s first-ever double bed available in Business Class, as well as private cabins for up to four people with privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, a first of its kind in the industry. Adjustable panels and movable TV monitors on the centre four seats allow colleagues, friends or families travelling together to transform their space into a private suite, allowing them to work, dine and socialise together.

Qatar Airways Group Chief

Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Since its launch, Qsuite has received tremendous attention globally, and we are delighted to introduce this revolutionary product on our Mumbai and Bengaluru routes. With Qsuite, Qatar Airways has transformed

premium travel by bringing a First Class experience to the Business Class cabin”.

“We are thrilled to be offering our loyal customers this unique product, which is unlike anything they have experienced before. The features that Qsuite

offers provide the ultimate cus-tomisable travel experience that enables passengers to create an environment that suits their own needs. We look forward to wel-coming passengers from Mumbai, Bengaluru and points beyond onboard”.

Flights on the Mumbai and Bengaluru routes will be served by a Boeing B777 aircraft, with one aircraft flying daily to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Bengaluru Interna-tional Airport.

Qsuite is currently available on select Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft. The expansion to Mumbai and Ben-galuru follows the introduction of the product to various desti-nations around the globe, including London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Houston, Shanghai and Canberra.

Ooredoo TV launches new summer offer THE PENINSULA

D O H A : O o r e d o o announced yesterday that i ts award-winning Ooredoo TV service has introduced a new summer offer for all new and existing customers.

The new offer, which has been designed to ensure everyone can stay entertained during the hot summer months, is available until September 16, 2018.

With the new offer, all new Ooredoo tv customers can enjoy the gift of two months access to premium add-on packages (Entertainment Get-Started, Ultimate Entertainment and Movies) by opting in to the offer at any Ooredoo Shop.

Entertainment GetStarted has 25 channels, including eight premium kids channels and more. The package also carries two dedicated channels for premium Arabic content and

multiple channels within the infotainment genre. Ultimate Entertainment comprises of 23 channels ensuring that the whole family is kept amused, inspired and informed with series, comedy, lifestyle, news and music.

The Movies pack carries nine movie channels bringing exclusive Hollywood block-busters in HD quality to Ooredoo tv viewers.

Existing Ooredoo tv cus-tomers without a valid sub-scription to Entertainment GetStarted, Ultimate Enter-tainment or Movies, can also get the special two-month summer promo by calling 111 or visiting any Ooredoo Shop.

Existing Ooredoo tv cus-tomers who already have the Entertainment GetStarted pack can access two months of Ultimate Entertainment and Movies by calling 111 or visiting any Ooredoo Shop. Ooredoo tv is the best next-

generation television service for Qatar and offers features such as 4K resolution, time shift, Android apps, parental control, thousands of hours of on-demand content and much more.

Ooredoo tv is available now via Ooredoo Shops, Starlink, TechnoBlue and Jumbo outlets.

The service has no upfront charges, no equipment costs and no ongoing contracts.

HBKU event transforms ideas into real-world tech solutions THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Qatar Envi-ronment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) organised QEERI Technology and Inno-vation 2018, an event to inspire and lead scientists to transform their research and ideas from strategic initiatives into value-added technology solutions.

The three-day event, which was held at the HBKU Research Complex, was directed by notable professionals in the world of innovation. Mark Crowell, whose experience ranges from working as the Vice-President for Innovation and Economic Development at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to holding the post of President of the Association of University Technology Man-agers, was in attendance. Dr Ian Proctor, who is an innovation consultant at the University of Manchester, and a former director of technology transfer at KAUST as well as a former director of technology transfer at the Dhahran Techno-Valley Company, also led the event.

The event was attended by Dr Richard O’Kennedy, Vice-Pres-ident of the Research, Devel-opment and Innovation Council at Qatar Foundation (QF), as well as QEERI’s distinguished management and staff members.

Dr Marc Vermeersch, Exec-utive Director at QEERI, said, “A culture of entrepreneurial inno-vation is essential to enable QEERI to reach its full potential, and for us to contribute towards turning QEERI and Qatar as a whole into a hub for technology development. By discussing

topics such as innovation man-agement, design thinking, industry engagement, entrepre-neurship, and innovation-based economic development, we aim to empower our scientists to look beyond the lab and transform their ideas into real-world software and hardware solutions.”

Attendees gained an insight into the fundamentals of intel-lectual property rights such as patents, copyrights, confidenti-ality agreements, the process of documenting and disclosing inventions.

An expert speaks during QEERI’s Technology and Innovation 2018 event at HBKU Research Complex.

A view of the Qsuite onboard a Qatar Airways flight.

Obama visits ancestral home

05WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Iraqi security forces arrive to disperse a demonstration outside the oil fields of Al Zubayr, about 20km southwest of the southern city Basra, yesterday.

Former US President Barack Obama (centre), with his step-grandmother Sarah (second right) and half-sister, Auma (left) during the opening of the Sauti Kuu Resource Centre, founded by Auma at Kogelo in Siaya county, western Kenya.

Israeli law to ban groups critical of state and military from schoolsREUTERS

JERUSALEM: Israel’s parliament passed a law yesterday that could see groups critical of government policies towards the Palestinians banned from entering Israeli schools and speaking with pupils.

Critics of the law, which passed with 43 votes in favour and 24 against in the 120-seat Knesset, said it was a blow to core democratic values such as free speech and part of the Israeli govern-ment’s effort to delegitimise rights groups and NGOs.

The amendment to the education act grants new powers to Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the reli-gious-nationalist Jewish Home party, to

order schools to bar certain groups from giving lectures to students.

The legislation has been dubbed the “Breaking the Silence” law, a reference to the Israeli group of that name which collects and publishes testimony from Israeli veterans about the military’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and during conflicts with mil-itants in Gaza.

Bennett has been critical of the organisation along with other right-wing

politicians who accuse the group of damaging Israel’s image abroad and putting soldiers and officials at risk of prosecution for alleged war crimes.

“Anyone who wanders around the world attacking IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers, will not enter a school,” Bennett said in a statement. Breaking the Silence, which has given talks in schools, said the law was meant to weaken it and other rights groups.

“It’s really about trying to silence

and cover up what’s been going on in the occupied territories for 51 years,” said the group’s director, Avner Gvaryahu. Shuli Mualem Refaeli, a leg-islator from Bennett’s Jewish Home party, said on Army Radio “it is a law about Breaking the Silence and other organisations whose aim is to libel Israeli soldiers and the State of Israel”.

But she said the law could also be applied to right-wing groups, such as those that advocate violence against Israeli soldiers over any evacuation of Jewish settlements in territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

“I think the whole attempt to point (at the law) as action aimed solely against left-wing groups and incitement

by left-wing organisations is simply untrue,” Refaeli said. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians, who seek the territory, along with the Gaza Strip for a future state, exercise limited self-rule there.

Israeli forces and settlers pulled out of Gaza in 2005 and the enclave is now ruled by the Islamist group Hamas.

Amir Fuchs, who heads the Israel Democracy Institute’s Defending Dem-ocratic Values Program, said the law was part of a wider phenomenon in Israel of trying to discredit left-wing groups.

“Education is about thinking criti-cally. It’s about hearing people you don’t agree with. And this is what we want to teach our children,” Fuchs said.

Iraqi police disperse protesters outside oilfield as unrest growsREUTERS

BASRA: Iraqi police wielded batons and rubber hoses to disperse about 250 protesters gathered at the main entrance to the Zubair oilfield near Basra yesterday as unrest across southern cities over poor basic services gathered pace.

Since demonstrations began nine days ago, protesters have attacked government buildings, branches of political parties and powerful Shi’ite militias and stormed the international airport in the holy city of Najaf.

Iraq’s military spokesman said authorities would not tolerate any actions that threaten the country’s security. Officials and industry sources said the protests have not affected output at Zubair, run by Italy’s Eni, and the other major oilfields including Rumaila developed by BP and West Qurna 2 managed by Lukoil.

Many Iraqis believe their leaders do not share the country’s oil wealth. Some demonstrators said foreign labourers were robbing them of employment at oil

companies. Three protesters have been killed in clashes with police, including one at West Qurna 2, and dozens wounded. “We the people of Basra hear about the Iraqi oil and its huge revenues, but we never enjoy its benefits,” said 24-year-old protester Esam Jabbar.

“Strangers have decent jobs at our oilfields and we don’t have the money to pay for a cigarette. That’s wrong and must be stopped.” Jabbar said he was unemployed. At the gate of Zubair field, police beat protesters on their backs and legs with batons and rubber hoses, witnesses said.

Blood ran down one police-man’s face after protesters hurled stones. Policemen also threw sand to put out tyres that the protesters had set ablaze. Iraq is the second-largest producer in the Organi-zation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia.

Crude exports account for 95 percent of state revenue and any disruptions could badly damage its already limping economy at a time when Iraq needs tens of billions of dollars to rebuild after the

Buhari’s party wins state poll marred by briberyBLOOMBERG

LAGOS: Nigeria’s ruling party won a gubernatorial vote in a key swing state, with reports of widespread bribery signaling the probable shape of the battle in February’s general elections.

The Ekiti win is a boost for the re-election chances of Pres-ident Muhammadu Buhari, 75. It shows his All Progressives Congress retains the muscle in the southwest region that helped him in 2015 to become the first opposition candidate to win

power in a democratic vote in Africa’s most populous nation. It also indicates that Nigeria’s money-fueled politics is thriving.

“The APC needed to win to set the tone in a key region ahead of the 2019 general election and it has won,” Antony Goldman, West Africa analyst at London-based PM Consulting, said in emailed comments. “But the campaign shows how much of a challenge it is to shift Nigeria’s political culture.”

The APC’s candidate, former

Minister of Solid Minerals Devel-opment, Kayode Fayemi, on July 14 defeated the aspirant of the main opposition People’s Dem-ocratic Party, which had con-trolled the state for the past four years.

Vote buying was wide-spread and conducted with “impunity” in many cases, according to the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room group, which monitored the vote, with some reports putting the price of a ballot between 3,000 naira ($8.30) and 5,000 naira.

Iran complaints against US over renewed sanctionsAFP

TEHRAN: Iran has lodged a complaint with the Interna-tional Court of Justice against the United States’ reimposition of sanctions, the foreign ministry said yesterday.

The goal is “to hold (the) US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanc-tions,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter. “Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations. It’s imperative to counter its habit of violating (international) law,” he added. The complaint came in response to Washington’s decision in May to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran.

Tehran says the action vio-lates international obligations, including the 1955 US-Iran Treaty of Amity — an agreement signed well before Iran’s 1979 revolution, but which is still invoked in ongoing legal battles.

three-year war with Islamic State. Prolonged instability in the south could drive up global oil prices. Production at the Zubair field was 475,000 bpd, an Iraqi oil official said in May. Iraq exported an average of 3.566 million barrels per day from its southern oilfields so far in July, said senior oil

officials, levels confirming that the troubles have not disrupted crude shipments from the region.

Demonstrators, who have endured sweltering heat to press their demands, show no sign of letting up. They have vented anger in Basra, the biggest city in the south, Samawa, Amara, Nas-

siriya, Najaf, Kerbala and Hilla. “We will not allow anyone

to tamper with security and order by encroaching on public, private and government institutions and also economic institutions,” mil-itary spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told a news conference.

31 get aggravated life terms over Turkey coup bidANATOLIA

ANKARA: A total of 31 people including Sadik Koroglu, former Gen. of Gendarmerie Schools Command, were convicted yesterday over incidents of the July 2016 defeated coup, plotted by Fetullah Terrorist Organi-zation (FETO).

The Heavy Penalty Court No: 20 in capital Ankara sen-tenced 31 FETO suspects to aggravated life sentences over the coup plot at the Beytepe Gendarmerie Schools Command on July 15, 2016.

The convicts also include former Col. Ozkan Doganay, former Lt. Col. Haci Akyel, former Lt. Col. Efkan Guler, former Maj. Tarik Gorener and former Maj. Mehmet Bakan. FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Flooding kills 49 in NigeriaAFP

KANO: Flooding caused by torrential rains on Nigeria’s border with Niger has left 49 people dead and another 20 missing, the emergency services said on Tuesday.

Five villages in Jibia district were affected after a river burst its banks after hours of heavy rains overnight Sunday, Aminu Waziri, the head of the Katsina state emergency management agency, said. “We have recovered 49 dead bodies from the five villages and we are still searching for 20 others,” he added.

The law, passed with 43 votes in favour and 24 against in

the 120-seat Knesset, is a blow to core democratic values

such as free speech and part of the Israeli government’s

effort to delegitimise rights groups and NGOs.

06 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018ASIA

SC asks Parliament to enact law to stop mob lynchingIANS

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court yesterday condemned mob lynching incidents across the country and asked Parliament to enact a law to deal with the crime that threatens rule of law and the country’s social fabric. “Horrendous acts of mobocracy” cannot be permitted to become “a new normal,” it said.

Issuing a slew of guidelines including preventive, remedial and punitive steps to deal with offences such as mob violence and cow vigilantism, the court said mobocracy will not be allowed. “It is our constitutional duty to take a call to protect lives and human rights.” The bench asked the Centre and states to file a compliance report on its directions. It adjourned the matter to August 20.

“No one is entitled to take law into his own hands,” said a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A M Khanwilkqar and Justice D Y Chandrachud.

The court’s remarks came on petitions seeking the court’s intervention to curb violence by vigilante groups across the country. The bench said when the “vigilantes involve them-selves in lynching or any kind of brutality, they put the req-uisite accountability of a citizen to law on the ventilator.”

“That cannot be counte-nanced. They are no one to punish a person by ascribing any justification... the prescription of punishment does not empower any one to authorise himself to behave as the pro-tector of law and impose pun-ishment as per his choice and fancy,” it said.

“The external forces cannot assume the role of protectors and once they pave the said path, they associate themselves with crim-inality and bring themselves in the category of criminals,” it added.

It is the duty of the state to ensure that the machinery of law and order functions efficiently and effectively, the court said. It is essential to preserve secular ethos and the pluralistic social fabric in a democratic set-up governed by rule of law, it noted.

“The horrendous acts of mob-ocracy cannot be permitted to inundate law of the land. Earnest action and concrete steps have to be taken to protect the citizens from the recurrent pattern of vio-lence which cannot be allowed to become the new normal,” the court said. “The State cannot turn a deaf ear to the growing rum-blings of its people,” said the bench in its order.

“The exigencies of the situ-ation require us to sound a clarion call for earnest action to strengthen our inclusive and all-embracing social order which would, in turn, reaffirm the

constitutional faith. We expect nothing more and nothing less,” said the bench.

Recommending that Par-liament categorise a separate offence for lynching and provide adequate punishment for it, the court said: “A special law would instil a sense of fear. There can be no trace of doubt that fear of law and veneration for the command of law constitute the foundation of a civilized society,” the bench said.

Meanwhile, the Congress appealed to the Prime Minister to follow his ‘raj dharma’ and seek the resignation of the federal ministers supporting those involved in the crimes.

“The Modi government has given a licence to kill for mob frenzy vigilantism. The Supreme Court today cancelled that licence,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said yesterday.

Surjewala said the truth remains that “mobocracy cannot curb democracy”. “The lynch mobs cannot demolish the rule of law, barbarism cannot stifle humanity and absolutism cannot choke the Constitution,” he said.

The Congress spokesman charged that the lynch mob mentality was propagated by the Modi government to divert the attention of the people from its failure on the core issues of gov-ernance, jobs and economy.

“It is now time to seek the resignation of those Union min-isters who have propagated, perpetuated and supported the lynch mentality,” he said. The spokesman named the ministers and asked: “May I remind the Prime Minister today of the Raj Dharma about taking resig-nation of these ministers?”

Teachers shout anti government slogans as police spray purple coloured water during a protest in Srinagar, in India’s Jammu Kashmir state, yesterday. Dozens of government employees were detained as they demanded hikes in salary and regularisations of their job.

Police use water cannon on protesters

Congress to raise lynching, women’s safety at Parliament monsoon sessionIANS

NEW DELHI: The Congress party yesterday said it will raise the issues of mob lynching and women’s safety besides many other important matters in Parliament’s monsoon session which begins today.

“To make this session a success, we will support the gov-ernment. We hope we will be allowed to highlight important issues of the country,” senior Con-gress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge said at a press conference here.

He said that in Monday’s all-party meeting, it was decided

that the opposition would raise some important issues in the session.

“We have come to a con-clusion that this government has failed to keep its promises in the last four years,” Kharge said.

Slamming the government over rise in mob lynching cases, the Congress Lok Sabha member said: “Lynching, cow vigilantism and felicitating lynchers has become a norm across the country. We want to discuss this issue during this session.” He maintained that the Narendra Modi government has failed on every front. It has not been able

to fulfil the promises they made in their manifesto like providing employment to the youth and many others, Kharge pointed out.

“We want to know from the government how many jobs were created and how much investments we received (in the last four years.” Referring to the Thomson Reuters report, the Congress leader said: “After the latest report on woman safety in India, we believe it is an important issue and needs to be discussed.” “We also want to discuss the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, to strengthen and restore it.

Centre notifies draft changes to motor vehicle rulesIANS

NEW DELHI: The government yesterday notified the draft of the proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules that make it mandatory for all commercial vehicles to have automatic toll-deduction stickers and vehicle-tracking devices to obtain national permits.

The proposed changes to the rules also include carrying of driving licences and pol-lution-control certificates in digital forms.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has invited suggestions and objections from stakeholders to the proposed amendments by August 11.

As per the notification, windscreens of commercial vehicles will have to be affixed with stickers of FASTag/reloadable tags that enable automatic deduction of toll charges at tollbooths.

The draft amendments include additional conditions for obtaining national permit, including prominent display of words “National Permit or N/P”, an official statement said.

“The body of a tanker carrying dangerous/haz-ardous goods has to be painted in white and ought to display the prescribed class label on both sides as well as rear. The vehicle will be affixed with reflective tapes in front and rear,” it added.

The government also decided not to make fitness certificates mandatory at the time of registration of new transport vehicles sold as fully-built vehicles.

Police book BJP leaders for canopy collapse; 39 in hospitalIANS

KOLKATA: A day after a canopy collapsed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at a rally in West Bengal’s Midnapore town, injuring 90 people, police yesterday booked the organisers, the state BJP, for attempted culpable homicide, a police officer said.

Thirty-eight people are still admitted in the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital where the accident victims were initially taken to. One person with head injury has been moved to Kolkata.

“A case has been filed against the organisers of the Prime Min-ister’s event under Section 308 of IPC for attempting to commit cul-pable homicide. They have also

been booked for causing hurt by acts endangering life or personal safety of others,” an officer said.

Along with the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the contractor and the decorator who built the canopy for Modi’s event have also been booked under the same sections.

A part of the makeshift canopy collapsed minutes after Modi started his address at the Midnapore College ground on Monday afternoon.

Modi stopped speaking for a few minutes when the structure col-lapsed to urge the audience to move to a safer area. He also instructed officials to make arrangements for the treatment of the injured.

After the rally, Modi visited the injured in the hospital.

“A total 90 people were admitted to our hospital. Fourteen were released after primary treatment. Today we discharged another 37,” Pan-chanan Kundu, Principal of Mid-napore Medical College and Hos-pital, told IANS.

“Thirty-eight people are still admitted here. However, none is critical. One person with head injury has been shifted to a Kolkata hospital,” he added.

Meanwhile, the central gov-ernment despatched a Special Pro-tection Group (SPG) team, headed by a Secretary, to make an on-the-spot assessment of the mishap.

The team would inquire about lapses, if any, under the provisions of the SPG Act and also find out whether the

advance security liaison was fol-lowed during the Prime Minis-ter’s address to the rally.

Meanwhile, the state forensic team visited the rally ground on Tuesday and pointed out many reasons that might have caused the structure to cave in.

“First, the soft condition of the ground due to rains, the second shallow digging of the iron poles (3-4 inches), the fixing plate had four joints out of which only one was fastened with a nut bolt,” said Chitrakhsya Sarkar of state Forensic Science Laboratory.

Decorators said that incessant rain for the last three days made the pandal vulnerable and accused the security per-sonnel and volunteers of not taking action in spite of several

complaints regarding people climbing up the canopy structure.

“On Monday morning we saw some people climbing up the iron structure of the canopy and waving party flags,” Rajiv Sinha, the decorator, alleged.

“I repeatedly asked the security and local volunteers to remove those men... I do not know what the security guards did. Nobody was listening to them. We were asked to leave the compound at 10 a.m. by the SPG,” he added.

The state BJP leadership cited rains and overcrowding for the mishap but blamed the police for not taking necessary security measures or controlling the crowd.

Visitors observing a structure at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi yesterday. The Jantar Mantar site, which consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments, was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur from 1724 onwards and was used in the Mughal era to make astronomical calculations and calendar revisions.

Mughal-era astronomers’ tools

Activist Swami Agnivesh beaten up in JharkhandIANS

RANCHI: Social activist Swami Agnivesh was taken to hospital with injuries yesterday after suspected Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists thrashed him at Pakur in Jharkhand while shouting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.

Police said the 78-year-old saffron robed activist was pounced upon as he stepped out of his hotel to get into a car to take part in the 195th Damin Mahotsav at Littpara. Pakur is located around 360km from Ranchi.

“Go back Agnivesh, go back Agnivesh! You have to recite Vande Matram if you have to stay in India,” were the other slogans shouted by the BJYM workers.

The BJYM workers alleged that Agnivesh had come to

instigate the tribal people at the behest of Christian missionaries.

“I am against any sort of vio-lence. I am known as a peace-loving person. I don’t know why I was attacked,” a visibly shaken Agnivesh told NDTV.

Agnivesh was flanked by tribals who were holding bows and arrows when the mob attacked him.

Even as he kept asking what they wanted, the attackers thrashed him. Agnivesh fell on the ground but the beating con-tinued. His aides did their best to save him.

“They punched, kicked and dragged me on the ground. They also used cuss words,” he said later. “They abused my mother, my sister.” Jharkhand Police spokesman R K Malik said an FIR had been lodged and raids were being conducted to nab the attackers.

It is the duty of

the state to ensure

that the machinery

of law and order

functions efficiently

and effectively,

the court said. It is

essential to preserve

secular ethos and the

pluralistic social fabric

in a democratic set-up

governed by rule of

law, the court noted.

07WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 ASIA

Hybrid warfare a growing threat: Pakistan Defence MinisterINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: It was important to understand the intentions of the enemy and who to attack and who to defend in the grey zone of hybrid warfare, said the Interim Defence Minister of Pakistan Lieutenant General (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi.

In dictionary hybrid warfare is a military strategy that employs political warfare and blends conventional warfare, irregular warfare and cyber warfare with other influencing methods, such as fake news, diplomacy and foreign electoral intervention.

Lieutenant General Lodhi was speaking at a roundtable discussion to discuss and develop a cohesive strategy to combat the growing threats of hybrid

warfare in Pakistan.The Centre for Global and

Strategic Studies (CGSS) had organised the roundtable with representatives of ministries, military, think tanks, diplomats and the media.

Interim defence minister requested the participants to focus on two important elements while understanding hybrid warfare. “The first was to rec-ognise where the ‘will’ of the enemy lays. And the second was to ‘know’ who to attack and who to defend in the unclear param-eters of hybrid warfare,” he said.

Air Marshal (retd) Waseemuddin giving an extensive presentation on hybrid warfare in Pakistan explained the grey zone techniques being applied globally.

He then recognised the four

domains to achieve the desired objectives as physical, infor-mation, cognitive and social, and then presented examples of each objective currently damaging the society of Pakistan from within.

He said the core objective of propagating a hybrid war in Pakistan was to isolate it inter-nationally and break the national will of the Pakistani people.

During the interactive session Ghulam Akbar talked about the media and its

contributions to influencing the minds of the local populace in developing an anti-state sentiment.

Former federal information secretary Ashfaq Gondal mod-erated the session.

Akbar said the identity of people of Pakistan is under attack with two weapons, namely media and diplomacy.

Ambassador Abdul Basit spoke about the long-existing confusions within Pakistan, for

example the undecided ‘state’ system, the deteriorating civil-military relations, and Indo-Pak contradictions.

Ambassador Fauzia Sana claimed that Pakistan as a nation is in denial of its growing problems. The country needs to evaluate the sources of hybrid warfare and the objectives of this form of warfare.

She also talked about the growing need of re-analysing and re-writing the syllabus of Pakistan’s educational systems, as it will be the key to rejuvenate nationalism among the youth.

Ambassador Amjad Majid educated the participants on the Indian strategy based on Chanakya Acharia’s 2,300 year old principles.

He also suggested that for Pakistan to recognise

its adversaries in the grey-zone conflict, it is necessary for all insti-tutions to analyse the ‘Artha-shastra’ in making their counter-strategy for regional adversaries.

Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan talked about the economic coop-eration and sabotage as instru-ments of hybrid warfare. He con-clusively said: “Security is devel-opment, and without development there is no security.”

Lieutenant General (retd) Lodhi said he will ensure the incorporation of strategies against hybrid warfare in the upcoming National Security Policy.

Moreover, he said CGSS is drafting proposals in its hybrid war policy paper which will be presented to the National Security Division in the days to come.

Afghan farmers work in a field as they harvest wheat in Ghazni province, yesterday.

Harvesting fruits of labour

Balochistan High Court set to get first woman chief justiceINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan High Court is likely to become the chief justice of the court in September and she will be the first woman chief justice of any high court in Pakistan.

Justice Safdar may be ele-vated to the position after the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice Mohammad Noor Meskanzai on August 31.

A source said that the Judicial Commission, which is expected to meet on July 30 under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, may consider elevation of Justice Safdar as the BHC’s chief justice.

Justice Safdar, who was born on Oct 5, 1957 in Quetta,

is the daughter of reno-wned lawyer Syed Imtiaz Hussain Baqri Hanafi.

She made history when she became the first woman civil judge in Balochistan in 1982. Currently, she is the senior puisne judge and upon her expected elevation will become the first woman chief justice of any high court in the country.

Justice Safdar is a member of the three-judge special court which is conducting the trial of former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf for com-mitting treason by proclaiming state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007.

The special court was con-stituted under Section 4 of the Criminal Law Amendment (Special Court) Act, 1976.

Norwegian journalist freed on bail in PakistanINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Police yesterday released Kadafi Zaman, a Norwegian journalist of Paki-stani origin, who was arrested on July 13 at the time of a clash between the police and PML-N workers who were on their way to Lahore to receive Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz upon their return from London.

Kharian area magistrate Shumaila Sheikh ordered the release of Zaman along with three PML-N men, including ex-MPA Shabbir Kotla, after acceptance of their bail.

They were arrested after registration of a criminal case against them on multiple charges framed by the Kakrali Police Station of Kharian tehsil on July 13.

Norwegian honorary Consul General Naveed Fareed held a meeting with Kadafi Zaman at the police station prior to his appearance in the court. She was present as the court heard his bail plea.

Zaman, who works with TV2 of Norway, was said to be present on the spot as PML-N’s Shabbir Kotla led a group of party workers. The workers crossed many barricades before the police baton charged them. Arrests followed.

The police had booked at least 40 nominated and dozens of unidentified workers of the PML-N.

APML chief withdraws in favour of Imran KhanINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Amjad, chairman of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) — the party founded by former military dictator-turned politician retired Gen Pervez Musharraf — decided yesterday to withdraw his papers from two National Assembly constituencies in the federal capital in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidates.

Amjad, who had last month replaced Musharraf as APML

head after the latter had to resign due to some legal issues, withdrew his papers from NA-53 in favour of PTI Chairman Imran and from NA-54 in favour of Asad Umar.

“I am withdrawing from Islamabad’s both seats only; APML candidates in other parts of the country are contesting the elections. I myself am also con-testing from Chitral,” the APML chairman said.

He said the APML would support the PTI in Islamabad. “In

Islamabad, chances of my victory are less as heavyweights like Imran Khan and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi are also in the race, so I decided to withdraw from Islamabad to fully focus on NA-1 Chitral.”

Amjad claimed that his party had a significant vote bank in Chitral as Musharraf had launched a number of mega projects there, such as the Lowari tunnel and mobile and TV services.

It may be mentioned that during the Musharraf regime,

Amjad being president of the PML-Q’s Islamabad chapter got approved a Rs8.2 billion package for various development schemes in Islamabad.

Musharraf, who is currently living in the United Arab Emirates, has been disqualified for life by the Peshawar High Court and as per the election laws he cannot head a political party.

On June 14, the Supreme Court had to withdraw its interim order of allowing him to file

nomination papers for the general elections after he failed to appear before it despite an opportunity afforded to him by the court.

In NA-53, Imran Khan is facing PML-N leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PPP’s Sibtul Haider Bokhari and MMA’s Mian Aslam. In NA-54, PTI leader Asad Umar is contesting the election against PML-N’s Anjum Aqeel Khan, PPP’s Imran Ashraf and MMA’s Mian Aslam.

A Nepali health worker giving free medicine to a pregnant woman at a health centre in the Ramechhap district, some 100km east of Kathmandu. The Aama Surakshya, or “protection for mothers”, programme has helped more than two million Nepali women access medical services in the impoverished country where dying in childbirth remains a very real risk.

Mother care for future humanity

IS attack leaves 15 Taliban dead in AfghanistanREUTERS

MAZAR-I-SHARIF: Islamic State fighters attacked the house of a Taliban commander in the northern Afghan province of Sar-e Pul yesterday, killing at least 15 people as they were attending a prayer ceremony, the provincial governor’s office said.

The attack, in Sayyad dis-trict of Sar-e Pul, followed reports from local officials of fighting between Islamic State and Taliban militants in other northern provinces over recent days.

“Two Daesh fighters entered a Taliban com-mander’s house where a cer-emony was under way and opened fire,” said Zabihullah Amani, spokesman for the Sar-e-Pul governor’s office said, using a term widely used for Islamic State.

He said 15 Taliban were killed and another five wounded.

UN: Australia must stop separating migrant familiesAFP

GENEVA: The United Nations voiced alarm yesterday at Australia’s decision to “actively and indefinitely separate” the family of a recognised refugee in the country by deporting her husband to Sri Lanka.

The UN refugee agency warned that “the deportation overnight of the father leaves his Sri Lankan partner, who is a rec-ognised refugee, alone with their 11-month-old daughter.” UNHCR said that prior to the deportation it had appealed to the Australian government to allow the man to remain with his family, but to no avail.

The move, it warned in a statement, “contravenes the basic right of family unity, as well as the fundamental principle of the best interests of the child.” The UN has long criticised Australia’s policy of “offshore processing and deterrence”, which since 2013 has seen asylum seekers who have reached the country shipped off to remote camps in

Nauru and Papua New Guinea.UNHCR said yesterday that

policy had led to numerous sep-arations of refugee families, since those who arrive to Aus-tralia by sea have been pre-vented from reuniting with their loved ones in the country.

It said it was also aware of families separated when a spouse or parent is transferred from Nauru to Australia for medical reasons, including to give birth.

“The government of Aus-tralia has refused to allow them to be reunited in Australia, despite the fact that neither Nauru nor Papua New Guinea are considered suitable places of settlement for the vast majority of refugees,” it said.

With the latest deportation, UNHCR warned that Australia had gone “beyond a refusal to reunite families to instead actively and indefinitely separate them.” It pointed out that Australia leg-islation prevents the Sri Lankan mother in the case from ever sponsoring her spouse to join her and their child in Australia.

The Interim defence minister requested the

participants of a roundtable to focus on two

important elements while understanding hybrid

warfare. “The first was to recognise where the

‘will’ of the enemy lays. And the second was to

‘know’ who to attack and who to defend in the

unclear parameters of hybrid warfare,” he said.

Thrown together from

different parts of

the country, people

have to adjust to a

strange new hybrid

society where former

city dweller and

former village farmer,

uneducated and

educated, liberal and

conservative now

live side by side in

tent camps or rented

homes, with different

accents, cuisines and

customs. They all

share the realization

that this may be their

future.

08 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018VIEWS

Home may be forever lost for displaced within Syria

When Hikmat’s mother managed to sneak back into their home city of Aleppo, now controlled by

government forces, she found a single word spray-painted in red on their house: “Confiscated.” Same with the family store and another house. Their farm, south of the city, is probably lost to them as well, in territory recently recap-tured by Syrian forces.

This is the new reality for displaced Syrians who supported the armed oppo-sition challenging President Bashar Assad or who lived in areas once held by the opposition. Now driven elsewhere, they face the prospect that they may never be able to return.

Around half of Syria’s pre-war pop-ulation of 23 million has been uprooted. Nearly 6 million fled abroad, while 6.6 million are displaced within Syria.

Roughly a third of the displaced are crammed into areas that remain outside government hands in northern Syria: rebel-held Idlib province and a neigh-boring Turkish-controlled enclave. Thrown together from different parts of the country, they have to adjust to a strange new hybrid society where former city dweller and former village farmer, uneducated and educated, liberal and conservative now live side by side in tent camps or rented homes, with

different accents, cuisines and customs. They all share the reali-zation that this may be their future.

“I see this as a long-term thing. It is not a year or two and we will return. No!” Hikmat said, speaking recently in Jarablus, a Turkish-adminis-tered town in northern Syria. “All (our prop-erties) are gone.”

He spoke on condition he be identified only by his first name to protect his family, because some rel-atives can still access gov-ernment-held areas.

As the government regains control of opposition areas further south, the number of displaced constantly grows. UN officials say 2018 has seen the largest wave of displacement since the war began in 2011. The government has called on those who left homes to return, but the military victories are often followed by revenge attacks and unilateral confiscation of properties by government militias.

Separately, a new property law, known as Law 10, allows the gov-ernment to expropriate properties it deems abandoned in areas zoned for development. Expropriations under the law haven’t begun, but already the gov-ernment has zoned off recaptured suburbs of Damascus for redevel-opment, meaning many homes would be vulnerable because residents are gone, mostly to the north.

That has triggered accusations the law is part of a design to socially engineer a new Syria, a charge the gov-ernment denies.

Syria’s deputy parliament speaker Najdat Anzour told The Associated Press the opposition is seeking to turn Law 10 into a tool for “political extortion.” He said those who criticize the unregulated housing sector are now critical of the law, which will be implemented every-where in Syria. He lashed out at the opposition and the Western countries who he said are misrepresenting the law to hamper the process of rebuilding.

Broad outlines of a demographic shift are clear, however.

Hikmat, who was once a radiologist, said he believed his house in Aleppo was seized by government supporters known as “shabiha” in revenge because, in 2012, when his part of the city broke away from the government, opposition fighters defeated the local shabiha militia and confiscated its commander’s property.

Since fleeing Aleppo in 2016 as gov-ernment forces retook rebel-held sec-tions of the city, Hikmat has had to move twice more before ending up in Jarablus. Some displaced have had to move as many as two dozen times, getting further from their homes.

Now Hikmat is dealing with life in the territory he and other displaced refer to as the “rural north,” almost as if it’s a new province.

He lamented the loss of cosmo-politan Aleppo. His clinic was in one of the city’s posh neighborhoods, his boss was an Armenian, his colleagues Chris-tians. In Jarablus, he runs an orphanage for children from Aleppo, and he worries that here they are forgetting city life.

The kids are losing their distinct Aleppo accent, their last link to their home, he said. Aleppo is known as Syria’s food capital because of its elab-orate dishes, and the food habits in their new home were a shock to some of the children. Some of them laughed at a

teacher — himself displaced from eastern Syria — for eating a traditional plate of rice and meat with his fingers.

Omar Aroub, who was evacuated more than 14 months ago from his home in the city of Homs, still can’t find a job. Homs was once the heart of the uprising against Assad but is now almost empty of its population.

The 20-year-old Aroub lives in a tent camp in Jarablus with hundreds of others displaced from his Homs neigh-borhood of Al Waer. Theirs was the last district of the city to fall after years of bombardment and siege that wreaked destruction and pushed residents to near starvation.

Newly displaced Umm Khaled can’t fathom what life has come to. She arrived in April in Al Bab, another Turkish-administered town, escaping the government capture of Ghouta, a once relatively prosperous agricultural region on Damascus’ outskirts. She finds it unbearable being crammed into a tent camp with few services and hundreds of others. People from her hometown of Douma, in Ghouta, are more conserv-ative and the men keep heavy watch over the women, she said. She covers her face with a veil and wears gloves.

“This life is not for us,” she said. “We Doumanis are difficult. Our men are dif-ficult. ... There will be problems between the different people because of different mentalities.”

Abdulkafi Alhamdo, a 33-year-old English teacher, has run into cultural differences after fleeing from Aleppo to Idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold. People there regularly drop by each other’s homes, while Aleppans are more private, he said, so his new neighbors were flustered. “They say why are they not visiting us? Are they upset?” he said. His Aleppo accent also stood out, bringing jokes from his students.

All that was fine, but he said he was hurt when Idlib locals accused him of failing to defend Aleppo and questioned his sacrifices in one-upmanship over who paid a higher price for the cause.

When Alhamdo and his colleagues decided to commemorate their expulsion from Aleppo, locals asked them not to, fearing a gathering could draw government airstrikes.

The experience, he said, has made him more compassionate for new-comers as thousands more continue to roll in. “Demographic change ... is the worst thing that happened in Syria, much worse than the destruction.”

SARAH EL DEEB AP

QUOTE OF THE DAYJust as people spoke

about the triumph of democracy in the 90s, people now are

talking about the triumph of tribalism and the strong man.

But we need to resist that cynicism.

Barack Obama

Former US President

Trudeau defends handling of asylum seekers

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his gov-ernment’s han-

dling of thousands of asylum seekers crossing into Canada from the United States.

He was reacting to crit-icism from recently elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who blamed Trudeau for the inun-dation of more than 3,000 refugees currently living in temporary housing in Toronto. At a meeting with Trudeau, Ford wanted to know why Canada had not refused the immigrants entry to the country.

“The premier asked me a question that a lot of people have asked me: ‘Why don’t we just stop them at the border? Why don’t we just prevent them from crossing?,’” Trudeau said during an interview on a Toronto radio program. The answer, he said, is the law.

“We have to provide due process for people according (to) Canadian law and values,” Trudeau said.

Without naming Trump, Trudeau said the influx is a result of anti-immigration policies promulgated by some leaders.

“Unfortunately, con-servative politicians here

and around the world are playing a very dangerous game with something that shouldn’t be fodder for division,” he said.

The federal gov-ernment has allocated $50 million for the prov-inces of Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec, where more than 7,600 illegal asylum seekers crossed into Canada from the US in the first four months of 2018. Of that, $11 million is earmarked for Ontario.

But Toronto Mayor John Tory has asked for $64 million and he and Ford want the Trudeau government to pay the bill.

“Right now, we are saying we have a problem

and we need help,” Tory said. “We have exhausted our available (shelter) sites, our resources and our personnel.”

A statement from Ford’s office said Ottawa was responsible for the influx of asylum seekers.

“This mess was 100 percent the result of the federal government and the federal government should foot 100 percent of the bills,” the statement read.

Federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is on record as saying he is concerned about the Toronto situation and Ottawa will help. “We will be there for Toronto,” Hussen said.

Qatar’s gesture

of helping

Jordan through

investment and

provision of job

opportunities to

Jordanian youth

has been widely

appreciated

around the world.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Materializing the commitment

To materialize country’s commitment of helping brother country Jordan for its ongoing economic reforms, Qatar has formed a joint committee with the

Hashemite Kingdom to follow up on the implementation of the directives of Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to provide 10,000 job opportunities for Jordanian youth in Qatar.

Last month, Qatar announced it would invest $500m in Jordan. The announcement had been made during a meeting between King Abdullah II of Jordan and Qatar’s Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Amman.

Qatar’s gesture of helping Jordan through investment and provision of job opportunities to Jordanian youth has been widely appreciated around the world. Qatar has always been at the forefront in terms of helping various Arab and non-Arab countries facing different kinds of challenges either economic or natural calamities.

The Qatari package for Jordan also included opening 10,000 jobs for Jordanian nationals in the country as well as investments in infrastructures and tourism in Jordan.

Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, HE Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, said yesterday that based on the wise directives of HH the Amir to provide 10,000 job opportu-nities for Jordanian youth in Qatar, it has been agreed to form a joint committee between both ministries to follow up on the implementation of the directives.

The joint committee will provide a database to facilitate the process for private and public entities in Qatar to choose a candidate that meets their needs and wishes to work in Qatar

Al Nuaimi said the meeting also touched on the nature of the job opportunities available in Qatar and the different sectors that have the capacity to welcome Jordanian youth who wish to work in Qatar, including health, education, finance, insurance, services, construction, agriculture, animal resources.

The Qatari side is expecting to provide 1,000 jobs for Jordanian youth till September through the coordination and cooperation of the committee, before intensifying efforts in the following phase to provide other jobs according to the wishes of jobseekers and the needs of employers.

Jordan’s Minister of Labor, Sameer Saeed Murad said that this kind gesture is no stranger to Qatar and HH the Amir and is highly valued and appreciated. The Jordanian minister said that 1,000 people will be employed starting now until September, adding that a comprehensive database will be built to include all jobseekers in Jordan in order to make it easier for employers in Qatar to learn about the available specialties and qualifications.

He added that available job opportunities in Qatar will be in the public and private sectors and cover the different health, educational, financial, insurance and construction industries. “We are talking about scientific, specialized, technical and engineering job opportunities,” the minister said, adding that there will be a focus on 2022 World Cup projects and the specialties that they require.

BARRY ELLSWORTH ANATOLIA

Trump said that

the US and Russian

militaries were

coordinating in

Syria, but he did

not go as far as

saying that they

had agreed to fight

together there,

which has been

a longstanding

proposal of Putin’s

dating back to

September 2015,

just before Moscow

intervened militarily

in the country.

09WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 OPINION

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OFFICE

TEL: 4455 7741 / 767FAX: +974 4455 7758

MANAGING EDITOR

TEL: 4462 7505

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

TEL: 4455 7769

LOCAL NEWS SECTION

TEL: 4455 7743

BUSINESS NEWS SECTION

TEL: 4462 7535

SPORT NEWS SECTION

TEL: 4455 7745

ONLINE SECTION

TEL: 4462 7501info@pen.com.qa

PUBLIC RELATIONS

TEL: 4455 7613pr@pen.com.qa

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

TEL: 4455 7837 / 780FAX: 4455 7870 adv@pen.com.qa

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT

TEL: 4455 7857adv@pen.com.qa

SUBSCRIPTION &

DISTRIBUTION

TEL: 4455 7809 / 839FAX: 44557819info@tawseelqatar.com

D-RING ROAD

POST BOX: 3488

DOHA - QATAR

editor@pen.com.qa

All thoughts and views expressed in these columns are those of the writers,not of the newspaper.

All correspondence regarding Views and Opinion pages should be send to editor-in-chiefoffice or mailed to the editorinchief@pen.com.qa

The Rohingya are victimsof ethnic cleansing

Trump defends Putin’s denial of electoral interference

ANTÓNIO GUTERRES THE WASHINGTON POST

Small children butchered in front of their parents. Girls and women gang-raped while family members were tortured and

killed. Villages burned to the ground.Nothing could have prepared me for

the bone-chilling accounts I heard last week in Bangladesh from Rohingya ref-

ugees who had fled widespread killings and violence in Rakhine state, Myanmar.

One man, a member of this mostly Muslim ethnic group, broke down in tears describing how his eldest son was shot dead in front of him, the man’s mother was brutally murdered and his house was torched to ashes. He said he took refuge in a mosque but was dis-covered by soldiers who abused him and burned the Quran.

These victims of what has been rightly called ethnic cleansing are suf-fering an anguish that can only stir a vis-itor’s heartbreak and anger. Their hor-rific experiences defy comprehension, yet they are the reality for nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees.

The Rohingya have suffered a pattern of persecution — lacking even the most basic human rights, starting with citizenship — by their own country, Myanmar.

Systematic human rights abuses by the security forces in Myanmar over the past year were designed to instill terror in the Rohingya population, leaving them with a dreadful choice: stay on in fear of death or leave everything simply to survive.

After a harrowing journey to safety, these refugees are now trying to cope with the harsh conditions in the Bang-ladesh district of Cox’s Bazar that have naturally resulted from the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis.

Bangladesh is a developing country with resources stretched to the limits. Yet, while larger and wealthier countries around the world are closing doors to outsiders, the government and people of Bangladesh have opened their borders and hearts to the Rohingya.

The compassion and generosity of the Bangladeshi people show the best of humanity and have saved many thou-sands of lives. But the response to this crisis must be a global one.

A Global Compact on Refugees is being finalized by member states of the United Nations so front-line countries such as Bangladesh are not alone in responding to a fleeing wave of humanity.

For now, however, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies are working flat-out alongside the refugees themselves and host communities to improve conditions. But far more resources are desperately needed to avert disaster and to give fuller expression to the principle that a refugee crisis calls for a global sharing of responsibility.

An international humanitarian appeal for almost $1 billion is funded at only 26 percent. This shortfall means that malnutrition prevails in the camp. It means that access to water and sani-tation is far from ideal. It means that we cannot provide basic education for refugee children. Not least, it means inadequate measures to alleviate the immediate monsoon risk.

Makeshift homes hastily built by the refugees on arrival are now threatened by mudslides, requiring urgent action to find alter-native sites and build stronger shelters.

Much has been done to address the challenge, but there are still grave risks because of the sheer dimensions of the crisis.

I traveled to Bangladesh with World Bank Pres-ident Jim Yong Kim and welcome his leadership in

mobilizing the bank’s announcement of $480 million in grant-based support to Rohingya refugees and their hosts. Yet far more is required from the interna-tional community.

Expressions of solidarity are not enough; the Rohingya people need genuine assistance.

Despite all they endured in Myanmar, the refugees I met in Cox’s Bazar have not given up hope. “We need security in Myanmar and citizenship. And we want justice for what our sisters, our daughters, our mothers have suf-fered,” one distraught but determined woman told me as she gestured to a mother cradling her young baby, the result of rape. The crisis will not be solved overnight. At the same time, the situation cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.

Myanmar must create the conditions for the return of the refugees with full rights and the promise of living in safety and dignity. This requires a massive investment — not only in reconstruction and development for all communities in one of Myanmar’s poorest regions, but also in reconciliation and respect for human rights.

Unless the root causes of the vio-lence in Rakhine state are addressed comprehensively, misery and hatred will continue to fuel conflict. The Rohingya people cannot become for-gotten victims. We must answer their clear appeals for help with action.

The author is Secretary-General of the United Nations.

US President Donald Trump expressed skepticism about a US indictment of 12 Russian intelligence agents

for allegedly interfering in the 2016 US presidential election as he stood next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference following their summit meeting on Monday in Helsinki.

“I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia, Trump said. “I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”

On Friday the US Justice Department formally accused 12 members of the GRU, Russian military intelligence, of stealing Democratic Party emails in a hacking operation and giving the materials to WikiLeaks to publish, in order damage the can-didacy of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton.

At the press conference, Putin offered to allow American investi-gators from the team of special counsel Robert Mueller, who put the indictment together, to travel to

Russia and take part in interviews with the 12 accused Russian agents. He also offered to set up a joint cyber-security group to examine the evi-dence. He also asked that in return Russia be allowed to question persons of interest to Moscow in the United States.

“Lets discuss the specific issues and not use the Russia and US Rela-tionship as a loose change for this internal political struggle,” Putin said.

The indictments did not include any members of Trump’s campaign team for “colluding” with the alleged Russian hacking effort, which has been a major allegation throughout the two years of the so-called Russia-gate scandal. Those allegations are routinely reported in US media as established fact, though there is still no evidence of collusion.

Trump emphasized that point in the press conference. “There was no collusion at all,” he said forcefully. “Everybody knows it.”

US media also routinely reports the allegations in the indictment and accusations by unnamed US intelli-gence officials as fact, though the charges in the indictment will almost never have to be proved in court because of the extreme unlikelihood

that the 12 agents would be arrested in Russia and brought to the United States.

Putin said the allega-tions are “utter non-sense, just like Trump recently mentioned.” He added: “The final con-clusion in this kind of dispute can only be delivered by a trial, by the court. Not by the executive, by the law enforcement.”

Trump questioned why the FBI never examined the computer servers of the Demo-cratic National Com-mittee to see whether there was a hack and who may have done it. Instead a private company, CrowdStrike,

hired by the Democratic Party studied the server.

“Why haven’t they taken the server “ Trump asked. “Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Dem-ocratic National Committee I’ve been wondering that. I’ve been asking that for months and months and I’ve been tweeting it out and calling it out on social media. Where is the server I want to know, where is the server and what is the server saying”

Trump said the unproven alle-gation of collusion “as had a negative impact upon the relationship of the two largest nuclear powers in the world. We have 90 percent of nuclear power between the two countries. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous what’s going on with the probe.”

The American president said the US has been “foolish” not to attempt dialogue with Russia before, to coop-erate on a range of issues, including the Middle East.

Trump thanked Russia for its efforts to defeat ISIS. “When you look at all of the progress thats been made in certain sections with the eradi-cation of ISIS, about 98 percent, 99 percent there, and other things that have taken place that we have done and that, frankly, Russia has helped us with in certain respects,” he said.

After a meeting in Moscow last week with Putin, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he accepted Assad remaining in power.

“President Putin also is helping Israel,” Trump said at the press con-ference. “We both spoke with Bibi Netanyahu. They would like to do certain things with respect to Syria, having to do with the safety of Israel. In that respect, we absolutely would like to work in order to help Israel. Israel will be working with us. So both countries would work jointly.”

Trump also said that the US and Russian militaries were coordinating in Syria, but he did not go as far as saying that they had agreed to fight together there, which has been a long-standing proposal of Putin’s dating back to September 2015, just before Moscow intervened militarily in the country.

“Our militaries have gotten along

Myanmar must

create the

conditions for

the return of the

refugees with full

rights and the

promise of living in

safety and dignity.

This requires a

massive investment

— not only in

reconstruction and

development for

all communities in

one of Myanmar’s

poorest regions, but

also in reconciliation

and respect for

human rights.

probably better than our political leaders for years,” Trump said. “Our militaries do get along very well. They do coordinate in Syria and other places.”

Trump also said Russia and the US should cooperate in humani-tarian assistance in Syria. “If we can do something to help the people of Syria get back into some form of shelter and on a humani-tarian basis.. that’s what the word was, a humanitarian basis,” he said. “I think both of us would be very interested in doing that.”

Putin said he had agreed on Sunday with French President Emmanuel Macron on a joint effort with Europe to deliver humani-tarian aid. “ On our behalf, we will provide military cargo aircraft to deliver humanitarian cargo. Today, I brought up this issue with Pres-ident Trump. I think there is plenty of things to look into,” Putin said.

The reaction in the United States to Trump’s performance at the press conference was almost universally hostile.

“Donald Trumps press con-ference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors,’” tweeted former CIA director John Brennan. “It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trumps comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you”

Representative Liz Cheney, the daughter of the former vice pres-ident, tweeted: “As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am deeply troubled by President Trumps defense of Putin against the intelligence agencies of the US & his suggestion of moral equiva-lence between the US and Russia. Russia poses a grave threat to our national security.”

Media attend a joint press conference by US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

QNA

10 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018ASIA / EUROPE

Two Koreas

take another

step to peaceANATOLIA

SEOUL : North Korea fulfilled another of its obligations to South Korea and the United States yesterday, after Pyongyang reached agreements with the allies in separate summits this year.

The Koreas fully restored a military hotline in the western border area, according to Seoul’s Defense Ministry, as was promised under the so-called Panmunjom Declaration — referring to the first summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Moon Jae-in on April 27.

While critics have pointed out that Pyongyang is yet to take concrete steps towards its main promise of denucleari-zation, steps such as facilitating border communications are seen as a valuable element of wider peace efforts following decades of hostilities.

“As the western communi-cation line is fully recovered and normalised as part of efforts to enforce the Pan-munjom Declaration, this would practically contribute to the two Koreas’ efforts to dial down tensions and build trust,” a ministry official was quoted as saying by local news agency Yonhap.

The restoration of the hotline, which was severed amid tensions in 2016, required an exemption from the United

Nations Security Council, because strict sanctions against North Korea remain in place. The work needed the South to supply equipment which might oth-erwise have raised concerns.

Future inter-Korean mil-itary plans are set to include reestablishing their eastern hotline and moving artillery units from the border.

The North has also been in talks this week with the US to return the remains of American soldiers who fought in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War.

Kim had agreed to do so “immediately” when he met with US President Donald Trump on June 12.

Also yesterday, table tennis players from North and South Korea played alongside each other at an international tour-nament, winning their matchups in the latest instalment of Korean sporting diplomacy.

Malaysian King calls for unity amid racial tensionsAFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s King has appealed for calm amid growing racial tensions in the country after an electoral earth-quake in May toppled the Malay-dominated coalition that had ruled the country for decades.

In his inaugural address to lawmakers during the new par-liament session, King Sultan Muhammad V urged “every citizen to preserve and strengthen” Malaysia’s “peace and unity.”

Race, language and religion are closely intertwined with pol-itics in Malaysia, where Muslim Malays make up about 60 percent of the 32 million popu-lation, followed by large Chinese and Indian minorities.

Malaysia experienced deadly 1969 race riots that still haunt the country.

Tensions have increased since May 9 elections that saw the Barisan Nasional coalition, led by former prime minister Najib Razak, defeated for the first time since independence from Britain in 1957.

Najib’s own party, the United Malays National Organ-isation (UMNO) had been the backbone of the coalition and championed the rights of

Malays, who have long enjoyed a favoured position in society under an official affirmative action programme.

Now in opposition, the UNMO claims the government is undermining Malays’ privi-leged status.

Its supporters fear that the government’s plans to officially recognise exams taken in

Chinese-medium high schools will challenge the status of Malay as the country’s official lan-guage, and have also accused the government of cutting back spending on the redevelopment of mosques.

Lokman Adam, a UMNO supreme council member who led some 300 party members in a noisy protest near parliament,

said that race relations between Malays and other minority races were strained.

“Race relations are a bit tense. Malays are restless. We feel Islam is being treated badly (by the new government).”

“We feel the current gov-ernment is not able to protect Malay rights, Islam, the Malay language and the Malay rulers.”

The 15th King of Malaysia, Sultan Muhammad V (second right), Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (second left), Mahathir’s wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Ismail (right) during the opening ceremony of the Parliament, in Kuala Lumpur, yesterday.

The restoration of

the hotline required

an exemption from

the United Nations

Security Council,

because strict

sanctions against

North Korea remain

in place.

Philippines nabs wife of top IS militantANATOLIA

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Philippine police and military forces have captured the wife of the alleged top IS militant in Southeast Asia.

Nafisa Pundog, the wife of Owayda Benito Marohombsar, alias Abu Dar, was arrested at her safehouse in General Santos City. She was included in the

Martial Law Arrest Order released by the Department of National Defense last year, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Major Ezra Balagtey announced Monday.

Pundog was a fugitive who escaped Marawi City Jail in 2016 and had a standing warrant for illegal possession of a blasting cap or incendiary

device. Abu Dar has been the target of intensive military operations in Lanao del Sur province since last month after military intelligence reports revealed that he succeeded former leader Isnilon Hapilon, who was slain last October fol-lowing a five-month siege in Marawi that killed over 1,100, mostly militants.

Five dead in S Korea helicopter crashAFP

SEOUL: Five marines were killed and one injured when a South Korean military heli-copter crashed yesterday at a marine base in the country’s southeast, the defence ministry said.

The helicopter came down and caught fire during a test flight after repairs at the base in the port city of Pohang, the ministry said in a statement.

“Five of the six crew members on board were

killed and the remaining one has been taken to hospital due to injury,” it said.

The ministry said an investigation into the cause would be launched soon.

The helicopter was a domestically made model known as the MUH-1 or Marineon, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.

Manufacturer Korea Aer-ospace Industries said it would “fully cooperate with the military to identify the cause of the crash”, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Japan floods toll rises to 222ANATOLIA

ANKARA: The death toll from floods in western Japan has topped 220, according to local media yesterday.

Japan Times, a Tokyo-based daily, cited the coun-try’s national disaster agency saying that the death toll from the torrential rains and land-slides dominating the entire region hit 222.

Around 700 landslides have occurred in the coun-try’s 31 prefectures over the last two weeks of heavy rains.

Japanese authorities believe the death toll will rise further, as around 30 people are still missing.

Search and rescue opera-tions with more than 70,000 rescuers continue in the flood-affected areas —including the Hiroshima, Okayama, and Ehime prefectures.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, around 6,700 people remained in shelters. Up to 5.9 million people were ordered to leave their homes in 19 prefectures due to landslides and flooding.

Military personnel inspecting the site where a helicopter crashed on a runway at a military airport, in Pohang, South Korea, yesterday.

EU screens Macedonia and Albania for accession talksREUTERS

SKOPJE: The European Union began screening the readiness of Balkan neighbours Mace-donia and Albania yesterday to start negotiations by June next year on joining the EU.

EU governments last month delayed by at least a year a decision to allow membership talks with Macedonia and Albania after France and the Netherlands demanded more reforms to tackle organised crime and corruption.

Johannes Hahn, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner, said he was happy “to announce today the official launch of the screening process with your country”.

Hahn explained the screening would allow Mace-donia and neighbouring Albania to become familiar with European Union legal norms and the EU to gauge their pre-paredness to comply with them, especially the chapters on rule of law.

“This shows our very strong engagement to accompany you

in your reform efforts and to turn your EU integration per-spective into reality,” Hahn said, promising the EU door would be open.

“Start work as soon as pos-sible, do not lose a single day: produce results to quell all doubts,” Hahn told Albania’s government hours later as he launched the screening process in Tirana.

Hahn congratulated Mace-donia on its invitation to join Nato after solving its name issue with Greece, which he said was “an important contri-bution to peace and stability in Europe”.

Greece ended its feud with Skopje by agreeing that its neighbour would henceforth be called “Republic of North Macedonia”.

But Macedonia’s people must first ratify the deal with Greece in a referendum, expected in late September or early October. The government feels the prospect of Nato and EU membership will prove a powerful incentive for a “yes” vote.

Anti-graft activist attacked with chemical in KievREUTERS

KIEV: A top Ukrainian anti-corruption activist said he suffered chemical burns yesterday when an assailant threw green liquid in his face as he took part in a demon-stration outside a prosecutor’s office in Kiev.

Most of Vitaliy Shabunin’s face and his left hand were covered in bright green stains similar to marks left by a green solution, known as “zelyonka”.

“I’m sorry my eyes are closed. I have a chemical burn,” the head of the non-governmental Anti-Cor-ruption Action Center said in a video posted online.

Surge in migrant arrivals in SpainAFP

GENEVA: The number of migrants arriving in Spain by boat is surging, the UN said yesterday, and it has now surpassed Italy as the top desti-nation for Mediterranean crossings.

So far this year, 50,872 migrants have crossed the Med-iterranean to Europe — less than half the number that made the treacherous journey during the same period of 2017, according to the UN migration agency.

But while the overall numbers have fallen dramati-cally, Spain has seen landings on its shores nearly triple, IOM said.

“As we have predicted for several weeks now, Spain has become the most active route of African migrants and people using Africa as a stepping stone into Europe,” agency spokesman Joel Millman told reporters in Geneva.

Spain “surpassed Italy this past weekend,” he said.

In all, 18,061 migrants have arrived in Spain since January, compared to 6,500 during the

first half of 2017, with nearly 10,000 of those arrivals regis-tered in June alone.

At the same time, arrivals in Italy total 17,827 since the beginning of the year — com-pared to 93,237 during the same period last year.

The dramatic drop of Italian arrivals came after a contro-versial deal reached between Rome and the Libyan coast-guard a year ago.

The numbers have fallen further since Italy’s new pop-ulist government pushed the issue to the forefront of the EU agenda last month by refusing to open the country’s ports to a number of NGO migrant rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean.

Spain has opened its ports to several rescue ships run by charities which were turned away from Italy.

Migrants arrive on a makeshift boat to the tiny Mediterranean Island of Alboran, Spain, yesterday.

Journalist gets jail term for attack on officerAFP

MINSK: A court in Minsk yesterday sentenced an inde-pendent journalist to four years in prison for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Dzmitry Halko, 38, was detained on April 22 during a visit to his native Belarus from neighbouring Ukraine where he had lived since last year.

Late last year, authorities accused him of attacking a policeman in the Belarus capital Minsk when police came to the door of his flat neighbours complained about loud music.

Halko left Belarus fol-lowing the incident but decided to return to visit his son in April, when he was detained at the border with Ukraine. He denies assaulting the policeman and calls the case politically motivated.

11WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 EUROPE

May wins approval

for Brexit custom billREUTERS

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly avoided a defeat in parliament at the hands of pro-EU lawmakers from her own party yesterday, fending off a rebellion that had threatened to deepen a crisis over her Brexit strategy.

Parliament voted 307 to 301 against an amendment to trade legislation in a vote that had been closely followed by cur-rency markets, and was seen as a test of May’s ability to deliver a British exit from the European Union and keep her job.

The amendment would have required the government to try

to negotiate a customs union arrangement with the EU if, by

January 21, 2019, it had failed to negotiate a frictionless free trade deal with the bloc.

But there was no guarantee the matter of retaining a form of customs union — which pro-EU MPs see as vital to pre-serving industrial and com-mercial supply chains — would not resurface.

Yesterday’s legislation was technical in nature — focusing on converting trade deals between the EU and third coun-tries into bilateral deals with Britain, and was not originally intended to define new trade policy.

However, the government did suffer an unexpected defeat on a separate amendment, which means it will now be required to seek an agreement that allows Britain to have con-tinued participation in the European medicines regulatory framework.

“Very significant defeat of govt tonight on European med-icines regulation amendment. Near miss on customs union amendment. Margin is closing on these votes & we will keep at it,” tweeted Keir Starmer, Brexit spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, which favours a customs tie with the EU.

May is expected to face many more challenges to her strategy after a summer break as she works her way through a mountain of Brexit-related legislation. Any final deal with the EU will also require ratifi-cation by a bitterly split parliament.

Pro-Brexit campaign group faces probe over spendingREUTERS

LONDON: Britain’s officially designated Brexit campaign group, Vote Leave, was fined $81,000 yesterday for breaching spending rules in the 2016 referendum and was referred to the police by the Electoral Commission.

The move by the com-mission, which said serious breaches of the law had been committed by Vote Leave, added to calls from opponents of Brexit for a re-run of the ref-erendum on EU membership, though Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly ruled out another vote.

Two years since voting by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the bloc, the United Kingdom, its political and business leaders remain deeply divided over the country’s plans for departing from the EU on March 29, 2019.

The commission said Vote Leave, which was fronted by leading Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson, who resigned as foreign secretary last week, and Michael Gove, now envi-ronment minister, used an allied group to pay Aggregate IQ, a company which used social media data to target voters, and thus exceeded spending.

Cyprus’ tourist arrivals up 8.2 percent in JuneAFP

NICOSIA: More than 1.6 million tourists visited Cyprus in the six months to June, the largest number ever for the first half of the year, the island’s statistics office said yesterday.

Tourist arrivals in January-June rose 12.4% to 1.64 million from 1.46 million in the same period last year, according to the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

“This also outnumbers the total of arrivals ever recorded in Cyprus during the first six months of the year,” it said.

An influx of tourists from main market Britain and an upswing from Sweden helped Cyprus mark another record as arrivals in June broke the 500,000 barrier, Cystat said.

“June 2018 had the highest volume of tourist arrivals ever

recorded in Cyprus during the specific month,” it said.

Arrivals reached 511,073 in June, an increase of 8.2% from last year’s 472,450.

The statistical department noted however a 5.1% drop in the number of Russian tourists, as well as a 15.1% decrease in arrivals from Israel and a 11.3% decline from Germany.

Year-on-year, tourist arrivals from number one market the UK rose by 9.9% in June to 164,477 while there was a 20.2% increase in tourists from Sweden.

Sweden has now become the island’s third largest tourist market, with Russia still holding second place.

Industry officials argue that arrivals from Russia are down due to fluctuations of the ruble and the renewed popularity of Turkey .

Putin slams Britain’s poison claimsAFP

WASHINGTON: President Vladimir Putin accused Britain of making baseless allegations against Russia after a former Soviet spy was among four people found poisoned by a nerve agent in southern England.

Asked in an interview about the British government’s assertion that Moscow was behind the Novichok attack on the former spy Sergei Skripal, Putin said London had not pro-vided any evidence to back up their claim.

“We would like to get

documentary evidence but nobody gives it to us,” Putin, speaking through a translator, said.

“It’s the same thing with the accusations of meddling in the election process in America,” he added in reference to claims that Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election which was won by Trump.

Putin suggested the case could be driven by domestic issues in Britain, saying “Nobody wants to look into these.”

“We just see the ungrounded accusations — why is it done this way? Why should our rela-tionship be made worse by

this?”, the Russian leader said.Former Russian double

agent Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed in Salisbury on March 4 after being exposed to Novichok. Both have since recovered.

Then on June 30, Charlie Rowley and his partner Dawn Sturgess fell ill not far from the Skripal attack after being exposed to the same nerve agent. Sturgess died last July 8.

Russia has strongly denied poisoning the Skripals, sparking a diplomatic row that has led to tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between Britain and its allies and Russia.

Scandal grows over deportation of alleged Bin Laden bodyguardREUTERS

BERLIN: German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer faced accusations yesterday of having illegally deported a suspected Islamist militant who once served as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard just one day after a court said he should be allowed to stay in Germany.

German authorit ies deported the man, identified only as Sami A, to his native Tunisia last Friday despite pre-vious concerns that he might be tortured back home and despite the administrative court verdict a day before the deportation.

German opposition politi-cians criticised Seehofer’s interior ministry for its handling of the case.

“You don’t bend the rule book,” Greens party leader Robert Habeck said.

Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy leader of the opposition Free Democratic Party (FDP), told said: “If courts can no longer rely on the authorities telling them the truth, then things look dark in Germany.”

Sami A told the best-selling Bild daily he had been told the decision to deport him had come “from the very top and I cannot do anything about it”.

The interior ministry said that while it was politically important to deport the suspect quickly, it had not pressured authorities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to accelerate the procedure. Deportations are usually a matter for individual states in Germany.

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said it had only learned about the administrative court’s ruling when the suspect was already on the flight bound for Tunisia

Germany admits its intelligence body contacts with FETOANATOLIA

BERLIN: The German government has confirmed that its intelligence organisations were primarily responsible for contacts with groups affiliated with terrorist FETO, but declined to give any detail about ongoing talks with the group, arguing that it could harm activities of its intelligence organisations.

The US-based Fetullah Gulen’s shadowy group FETO is classified as a terrorist organi-sation by Turkey, for carrying a long secretive campaign to infil-trate state instutitons and orchestrating the foiled coup attempt in 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

But in Germany, which is

home to more than 3 million Turkish immigrants, the group continues their activities without any hindrance through associ-ations, schools and media organisations.

In its reply to a parlia-mentary question from the opposition Left Party the German government has said it could not rule out that “the members of Gulen movement were involved in the coup attempt”, but also argued that so far it did not receive sound evi-dence about FETO suspects living in Germany.

Asked “if the German federal government has cooperation with Gulen affiliated persons, institutions, associations and media organisations”, and “whether it has such plans for

future” which would necessitate federal funding, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government declined to give any information to the parliament.

The subject matter of this question involves information which particularly affects the functional capability of the intel-ligence ogranisations and therefore we cannot provide information that can be available to the public,” the government said in its written reply.

The government also argued that the public release of any information related to this question involves big risk of revealing the valuable “intel-ligence contacts” that should be protected.

Left Party lawmaker Ulla Jelpke slammed the government

for hiding information from the parliament about its cooperation with FETO-affiliated groups.

“The government views its cooperation with the associa-tions of Gulen sect so explosive that it is refusing to give an answer arguing that doing so would effect the the functional capability of the intelligence ogranizations,” she told Ger-many’s international broad-caster DW.

“It seems that the gov-ernment is cooperating with Gulen exclusively through the intelligence services,” she added.

Germany’s tolerance towards the group, and its reluc-tance to extradite FETO suspects to Turkey, has been a source of tension between the two countries.

The amendment

would have required

the government

to try to negotiate

a customs union

arrangement with

the EU if, by January

21, 2019, it had

failed to negotiate a

frictionless free trade

deal with the bloc.

Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition in LondonBritain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Andrew Mlangeni — who was in prison with Nelson Mandela — looking at a Shakespeare book favoured by prisoners on Robben Island during their visit to the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, in south London, yesterday.

Four held for helping migrants cross Alpine passAFP

BRIANÇON: Four people accused of illegally helping migrants cross the border into France were being questioned by police, the latest case over aid provided to refugees on the move through Europe.

The activists, part of the “Tous Migrants” association, took part in a solidarity march of 100 activists escorting some 20 migrants over an Alpine pass last April.

They were responding to a blockade set up at a nearby mountain pass by several dozen far-right activists from Generation Identitaire who were seeking to keep the migrants out.

“My conscience is clear, I have nothing to feel guilty about”, said Benoit, one of the three men summoned along with a woman by police in Briancon. “The concept of fra-ternity has no borders.”

Two ‘Ed Sheerans’ in BerlinNico Eckl (right), lookalike of Ed Sheeran poses beside a wax figure of musician Ed Sheeran in the Madame Tussauds wax museum, in Berlin, Germany, yesterday.

12 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018AMERICAS

Brazil police seek to arrest 64 in cargo theft investigationREUTERS

SAO PAULO: Brazil’s federal police sought to arrest some 64 people yesterday as part of a cargo theft investigation, police said in a statement, as Latin America’s largest economy seeks to gain control over its increasingly insecure highways.

The operation, code-named “Transbordo,” uncovered a cargo theft scheme involving truck drivers in six Brazilian states, ranging from Ceará in the impoverished Northeast to Sao Paulo in the populous Southeast. The police, who estimated that losses resulting from the scheme surpassed 8.6 million reais ($2.22m), also carried out 106 search warrants.

As part of the scheme, police said, complicit drivers would fake the attacks, give co-conspirators time to deac-tivate the trucks’ security mechanisms, and lodge false complaints with authorities.

The size and sophistication of the operation reflects the increasing seriousness of cargo theft in Brazil, where over 22,000 such robberies were recorded in two states alone - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - in 2017.

Major retailers operating in Brazil, ranging from Chile’s Cencosud SA to Via Varejo SA, an indirect subsidiary of France’s Casino Guichard Perrachon SA, have invested heavily to keep their goods from being stolen on the way to market.

US lawmakers slam Trump’s embrace of Putin, look to punish RussiaREUTERS

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump faced outrage yesterday for his failure to hold Russia accountable for meddling in the 2016 US election, and some US lawmakers threatened action in Congress to punish Moscow and show support for US intelligence agencies.

At a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a summit in Helsinki on Monday, Trump stunned pol-iticians back home by shying away from criticising Putin for Moscow’s efforts to undermine the election, contradicting the findings of American intelligence agencies.

Trump, whose summit with Putin concluded a week-long Europe trip that included a Nato meeting and talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, pushed back yesterday at the storm of criticism, blaming media coverage.

“While I had a great meeting with Nato, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of

Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!,” he tweeted.

The condemnation for his performance at the Helsinki news conference, including from many fellow Republicans, matched or eclipsed previous controversies in Trump’s tur-bulent 18 months in office.

“The president needs to understand he has damaged U.S. foreign policy,” Representative Mike Turner, a Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN. “He’s given them a pass and is certainly not holding

them accountable for what they’re doing.” Some lawmakers said they would seek remedies in Congress.

Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a longtime Trump critic, has raised the idea of passing a resolution that would voice law-makers’ support for the U.S. intelligence community and U.S. allies, many of who are feeling the sting of strong Trump crit-icism in recent weeks.

Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations panel, has floated a resolution similar to Flake’s.

Several senators, including Republican Ben Sasse, Repub-lican Pat Toomey, Senate Dem-ocratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Mark Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate intelli-gence panel, have backed more sanctions on Russia, but it was unclear whether Senate or House of Representatives leaders would support such a move or how new sanctions might be crafted.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, calling Russia’s government “menacing,” said he was willing to consider additional sanctions

on Russia, and reiterated his support for US intelligence com-munity findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Congress nearly unani-mously passed a sanctions law last year targeting Moscow for election meddling and for its actions in Ukraine and Syria. In April, that law led the US Treasury to impose major sanc-tions on Russian officials and oli-garchs, in one of Washington’s most aggressive moves to punish Moscow.

Schumer also called for the immediate passage of legislation to enhance election security, and reiterated calls for the Senate to hold immediate hearings to get testimony from Trump’s national security team about what tran-spired during the private Trump-Putin meeting “so we can find out what the heck happened there.”

US intelligence agencies concluded last year that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election campaign

and sought to tilt the vote in Trump’s favor, something Moscow has long denied. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is probing that allegation and any possible collusion by Trump’s campaign.

Trump has denied collusion and casts Mueller’s probe as a witchhunt that detracts from his election victory.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on Tuesday for passage of legislation increasing funding to improve the security of US election equipment and prevent cyber-attacks. Pelosi also wants to force a vote on the House floor on a resolution rebuking Trump’s remarks in Helsinki.

Other lawmakers called for members of the Trump admin-istration to resign in protest.

Not all Republicans were angry with the president’s conduct in Helsinki. “The pres-ident did a good thing by meeting with Putin,” Senator Rand Paul told CBS “This Morning”

program, comments that won him public thanks from Trump on Twitter.

The issue of Russian election interference could come up later on Tuesday, when Trump was scheduled to meet with members of Congress, although it is expected to focus on tax reform.

Russia’s political and media establishment heralded the summit as a victory for Putin in breaking down Western resolve to treat Russia as a pariah.

“The West’s attempts to isolate Russia failed,” read the headline on a report on Monday’s summit meeting in state-run newspaper Rossiisskaya Gazeta.

The summit capped a tumul-tuous trip during which Trump accused Nato allies of failing to spend enough on their militaries and embarrassed May by saying she had refused to take his advice about how to negotiate Britain’s exit from the EU. He referred to the European Union as a “foe” in trade and repeatedly criticized it.

A section of the US-Mexico border fence in San Diego, California. The entire Southwest border saw 34,114 US Border Patrol apprehensions in the month of June compared with 40,338 in May.

REUTERS

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump yesterday morning cast his Monday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a glowing light and attempted to discredit the widely held perception that the day he spent with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, was detri-mental to the United States.

“While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an

even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!”

Trump’s news conference alongside Putin, where he dis-counted U.S. intelligence assess-ments that Russia meddled with the 2016 election, drew fire from members of both political parties, who said he put Russia above U.S. interests.

Last week, Trump met with

fellow NATO members, pushing them to increase their spending on defense. In another tweet yesterday, he took personal credit for the strength of the North Atlantic Treaty Organi-zation, saying it is better funded “only because of me.”

“I had a great meeting with Nato,” he said in the same tweet. “Nato was weak, but now it is strong again (bad for Russia). The media only says I was rude to leaders, never mentions the money!”

Trump: Putin summit ‘even better’ than Nato meeting

US court ruling gives time for separated immigrant familiesREUTERS

NEW YORK: Lawyers for immigrant families separated by the US government at the border with Mexico said a federal judge’s order barring rapid deportations until at least next Tuesday would give them breathing room as they struggled for access to clients.

The families had been separated amid a broader crackdown on illegal immi-gration by President Donald Trump’s administration, sparking an international outcry. The president ordered that the practice be halted on June 20.

Judge Dana Sabraw, in Monday’s order, sided with the American Civil Lib-erties Union, which argued that parents facing imminent deportation should have a week to decide if they want to leave their children in the United States to pursue asylum separately. Sabraw asked the gov-ernment to respond before the next hearing on July 24 in a case brought by the rights’ group to challenge the family separations. Until then, he halted rapid deportations.

The judge’s order on Monday gave lawyers more time to “figure out what reunification is going to mean for our

clients,” said Beth Krause, a supervising lawyer at the New York-based Legal Aid

Society’s Immigrant Youth Project. Some mothers may turn down reuni-

fication if it meant their child could win asylum in the United States even if they themselves are deported, she said.

In a related ruling in a separate case on Tuesday, the Legal Aid Society won a temporary court order barring the gov-ernment from moving any of the dozens of separated migrant children the group represents in New York without at least 48 hours’ notice.

The group had asked for an emer-gency injunction on Monday, arguing that the government was swiftly moving children and parents without giving them time to speak to lawyers about the possible legal consequences, including removal from the country. U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain said the order expired on Thursday unless extended or modified by another judge, and that it applied only to Legal Aid’s clients and not to all of the thousands of separated children. Jorge Baron, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said the ban on rapid deportations “buys us a little bit of time.”

Mexico ruling party leader resignsAFP

MEXICO CITY: The leader of Mexico’s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party resigned for “personal reasons” after it suffered a crushing loss in elections that swept the anti-establishment leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to power.

Rene Juarez, who spent less than three months in the post, oversaw the PRI’s worst election defeat since its founding in 1929.

“Today we have to ask our-selves... what is the real, pro-found transformation our party needs? I can only conclude that the PRI’s future transformation

has to be as big as our current defeat,” he said in a press con-ference. He will be replaced by the party’s secretary general, Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas, niece of former president Carlos Salinas (1988-1994).

The PRI, long the dominant force in Mexican politics, ruled the country as a one-party state for 71 years, before losing power at the ballot box in 2000 to the conservative National Action Party (PAN).

It convinced voters to give it a second chance in 2012, when its handsome and charismatic presidential candidate, Enrique Pena Nieto, promised a new PRI of transparency and reforms.

But after six years of cor-ruption scandals, disappointing economic growth and brutal violence fueled by the coun-try’s powerful drug cartels, Mexicans punished the party severely in the July 1 elections. Lopez Obrador won over 53 percent of the vote, beating his nearest rival by more than 30 points -- Ricardo Anaya of the PAN -- and crushing the PRI candidate, Jose Antonio Meade, who finished a distant third with 16.4 percent.

Lopez Obrador’s coalition — led by his recently founded party, Morena — also won a strong majority in both houses of Congress.

Protesters rally outside the White House in Washington, after US President Donald Trump’s return from Helsinki, Finland, yesterday.

Nicaragua ‘coup has failed’, Ortega ally saysAFP

MANAGUA: Nicaragua’s government has defeated a “coup”, a senior minister said in an interview after months of deadly protests in the Central American country against President Daniel Ortega.

Paul Oquist, the minister for national policies and one of the cabinet members closest to Ortega, added that the dozens of deaths since the violence broke out in April would be studied “case by case”.

“Nicaragua’s good news is that the coup has failed, that is, the attempt to carry out a coup d’etat in Nicaragua is already defeated,” Oquist said after talks in Brussels between the EU and Latin American countries.

“And that is very good news because what it leaves then is dialogue, because the coup plotters did not want dialogue.”

Around 280 Nicaraguans have been killed in clashes since protests — led mostly by students and young people — against Ortega and his government erupted on April 18, initially in oppo-sition to a pension reform before mushrooming into wider civic discontent.

House Speaker

Paul Ryan, calling

Russia’s government

“menacing,” said he

was willing to consider

additional sanctions

on Russia, and

reiterated his support

for US intelligence

community findings

that Russia interfered

in the 2016 election.

BUSINESSWednesday 18 July 2018

PAGE | 15PAGE | 14Doha Bank wins

‘Best Arab Customers Services’ title

Japan, EU sign free trade pact amid worries about Trump

QDB to launch FinTech, SportsTech incubation centresMOHAMMAD SHOEBTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Development Bank (QDB) is set to launch two more incubation centres as part of its accelerated efforts to support startups and SMEs to achieve economic diversification in Qatar’s private sector, revealed a senior official of the state-backed development agency.

The new incubation centres will be dedicated to financial technology (FinTech) and sports technology (SportsTech). They will support every way possible to the innovative ideas of budding Qatari entrepreneurs who are

aspiring to extend their contri-butions in transforming Qatar into a knowledge-based society.

QDB is already overseeing the Qatar Business Incubation

Centre (QBIC) which is a unique mixed-use business incubation centre providing support services to help entrepreneurs and com-panies who either have an idea

to start a business or wants to grow an existing business. The new centres will be tech-based and catering to startups from the finance and sports sector.

“During the fourth quarter of 2018 QDB will launch two more incubation centres dedicated to the sports and financial sector technologies,” Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al Mannai (pictured), Executive Director for Advisory Services at QDB, told The Peninsula on the sidelines of an event.

Al Mannai added: “The Sport-stech incubation centre is being developed in collaboration with Aspire Zone Foundation, while the FinTech is being established in association with the American tech giant IBM.”

He said that the preparations for the openings of the ambitious incubation centres are almost at

the final stages, which will be launched at a grand ceremony in the presence of all stakeholders.

Both the incubation centres will be budgeted by QDB (up to 90 percent) and supported by its partners. The SportsTech incu-bation centre will located in Aspire Zone, and the FinTech will be initially housed at QDB head-quarters building located along the Grand Hamad Street.

The programme development and how much intake these centres will have initially are under development, which is expected to be finished very soon.

→ CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

QCB foreign exchange reserves jump by 12.7% to $44.8bnSATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) foreign exchange reserves jumped 12.7 percent to $44.8bn in May on month-on-month, equating to 7.0 months of import cover. Bank assets growth was 2.5 percent y/y in May. Credit growth was 2.7 percent as deposits from the non-resident and private sector remained stable in May.

QNB’s monthly monitor noted yesterday the country’s real GDP growth slowed in Q1 due to a further fall in hydro-carbon output. Powered by the construction sector, non-hydro-carbon real GDP growth was a

solid 4.9percent y/y in Q1 2018. CPI inflation dropped to 0.1 percent y/y in June; food inflation continued to cool even as deflation in housing costs moderated.

Booming construction output, up 17.2 percent y/y, remained the key driver of activity in the non-hydrocarbon sector. Manufacturing gained 3 percent. Brent crude prices slipped to an average of $76/b in June; Qatar’s oil production fell to 578000b/d in April from 616000b/d prior.

Broad money supply (M2) steadily grew by 11.64 percent in May and Interbank rates remain steady despite higher US short-term rates.

The fiscal account remained in deficit in Q4 but should recover subsequently as revenue rises in line with higher oil prices. The current account surplus widened to 7.3 percent of GDP in Q1, while the financial account deficit narrowed. Exports grew 22 percent y/y in May as a result of higher oil prices, while imports growth was a more moderate 2.7 percent.

The real estate price index continued its recovery, edging up 1.0 percent month-on-month in March. 5-star and 4-star hotel occupancy rates slightly fell to at 57 percent and 61 percent respectively. Industrial pro-duction rose to 1.4 percent y/y in April.

Moody’s raises QIIB outlook to stableTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: QIIB announced that Moody’s has affirmed the bank rating at A2 and changed its outlook to stable, reflecting the strength of the Qatari economy in its various institutions, espe-cially the banking sector.

Moody’s stated that it founded the grounds of QIIB upgrade and the improvement of its outlook to stable reflects the resilience in its financial position and performance, as it managed to maintain strong asset quality and capital buffers and its liquidity buffers remained solid.

Moody’s said: “The change of the Bank’s outlook to stable is based on the operational

environment flexibility in Qatar and the ability of the Qatari gov-ernment to support local banks to stay unaffected by the regional conflict which only impacted the foreign inflows, compensated later on by the government. It is doubtful that the continuous conflict will affect the credit situation of the State of Qatar, whose outlook for the economy has been upgraded to stable and con-firmed at Aa3 recently”.

Commenting on the Bank rating and the upgrade of the Bank`s outlook to stable QIIB Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad Al Shaibei (pictured) said: “This important event is founded primarily on the high soundness and solidity

of the Qatari economy, inter-preted by Moody’s itself when it confirmed the strong rating of the Qatari economy and adjusted its future outlook to stable.”

“We are an active com-ponent of the Qatari banking sector and we are pleased to be organically connected with the positive changes in the outlook of the Qatari economy.”

→ CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

The Sportstech

incubation centre is

being developed in

collaboration with

Aspire Zone Foundation,

while the FinTech is

being established in

association with the

American tech giant iBM.

QDB will launch

the new incubatio

centres in fourth

quarter of 2018

14 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018BUSINESS

9,449.64

+9.67 PTS

0.10%

QSE FTSE100 DOW BRENT7,607.40

+6.95 PTS

0.91%

25,064.36

+00.00 PTS

0.00% Dow & Brent before going to press

$67.55

-0.51

MarketWatch

→ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

QDB has also announced to host a workshop on ‘Mobile Apps’ by the end of this month. The workshop aims to educate and train busi-nesses about how to identify right opportunities and cap-italize on it using technology and appropriate mobile app ideas.

QDB is keen on bringing the best local, regional, and international expertise to help promote entrepreneurs skills and support their projects as an SME.

It offers various training programmes, workshops, and exhibitions for the SMEs who can choose the ones that interest them the most.

“The upcoming Mobile App workshop is part of our efforts to enhance support to our SMEs. It will be high-lighting and educating about the benefits of using smart-phones and mobile apps and other technologies in mar-keting their products and services,” added Al Mannai.

“The idea of organising the workshop is to educate the SMEs about the use of appropriate technology in developing their businesses, and also to classify the apps as per the industry, and not the app development itself.”

QDB to launch new incubation centres

→ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

“Qatar’s economy proved after a year of blockade that it is a bouncing and dynamic economy capable of over-coming all challenges and transforming these challenges into opportunities and growth figures”, he added.

The success banking sector including the different Qatari economy sectors which recog-nised by international rating agencies, is a message to the whole world ‘We are able to progress’

“.Thanks to the support and patronage of His Highness the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani for his great efforts, the Qatari gov-ernment as well as all sincere

Qataris to achieve the country’s development and progress. Together we are able to overcome all obstacles and challenges and turn the chal-lenges into opportunities, projects and growth figures,” Dr Al Shaibei said.

QIIB, established in 1990 as the second Islamic bank in Qatar, is currently the third largest Islamic bank in terms of assets and market capitali-sation. The bank started oper-ations in 1991 and listed on the Qatar Exchange. It provides integrated banking services to its customers through a network of branches across the country Qatar. The Bank boosts several regional and interna-tional partnerships.

Moody’s raises QIIB outlook

GCC corporate, infrastructure

sukuk issuance declines in ’18SATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

DOHA: With a diminishing funding needs and the corpo-rates continuing to operate with limited investment programmes, the GCC corporate and infra-structure sukuk issuance volumes in 2018 is expected remain well below the 2017 levels.

Addit ional ly , g lobal investors’ perception of the GCC risk has increased over the past 12 months, which has convinced some sukuk issuers to hold off on potential issuance for the time being, S&P Global Ratings noted yesterday.

According to the ratings agency, the GCC region’s cor-porate and infrastructure issuers raised over $7.6bn via sukuk in 2017.

The issuance was subdued in the first half of 2018. Five issuers raised around $2.6bn in total, representing a 60 percent decline relative to the $6.5bn achieved in the first half of 2017. Over the past 18 months, the real estate sector dominated the number of issuances, making up 10 of the 16 issuances executed. This is explained by the sector’s need for long-term financing amid muted sales and lower risk appetite from the banking system, because of the ongoing

real estate price contraction in some GCC countries.

While the GCC region has a good number of Islamic banks that are frequent sukuk issuers, the number of corporate issuers that tap into the sukuk space remains small, resulting in vol-atile annual volumes of issuance. For example, over 50 percent of the $7.6bn raised by the region’s corporate and infrastructure issuers last year was driven by the activities of two issuers: Saudi Aramco, which raised SAR11.25bn (around $3bn) and Investment Corporation of Dubai, which raised $1bn. The ratings agency noted that it had not seen many similar-sized transactions so far in 2018.

“In 2017 and 2018 to date, we have seen a visible improvement in the liquidity of GCC banks. The stabilization of oil prices, large issuances by select sovereigns that injected the liquidity locally, and muted loan growth explain this trend. Therefore, the banks continue to offer credit at favo-rable terms to GCC corporates. We do not foresee any major change in this picture over the next 12 months, since we believe that lending growth will remain muted, and local liquidity strong”, the ratings agency said.

Despite stronger oil prices, the S&P believes many GCC cor-porates remain cautious,

translating into muted investment programs in some sectors. Introduction of the value-added tax, energy subsidy reforms, and other government revenue-enhancing initiatives created pressure and uncertainty for some sectors. Additionally, market participants’ expecta-tions that global and regional interest rates will continue to normalize at higher levels is also causing issuers to pump the breaks on spending.

Although Dana Gas reportedly reached a restruc-turing deal outside of court with its investors, the dispute acted as a wakeup call that standard-ization of legal documentation for sukuk issuance and Shariah interpretation is yet to happen. Dana Gas has also highlighted the risks related to enforceability of foreign judgment in emerging markets.

“We think that this will result in investors paying closer attention to the content of legal documents in the near to medium term and having lower risk appetite for GCC issues. While the market is talking about a few selective issuances in the second half the year, we still expect to see weaker issuances volumes relative to 2017, barring any unexpected improvement in the global and regional eco-nomic outlook.”

Vodafone Qatar connects ASTAD with fixed servicesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: An agreement signed yesterday by Vodafone Qatar and ASTAD will ensure all the site offices of the country’s project management arm are connected via Vodafone Qatar’s fixed services.

The strategic agreement was signed at ASTAD’s headquarter office by Vodafone Qatar’s Head of Large Sales, Mahday Al Hebabi and Abdulla Alyafei, ASTAD’s IT Director.

Vodafone Qatar will provide ASTAD with a world class tele-communications infrastructure using a mix of fibre and microwave that carry high band-widths, with guaranteed business service level agree-ments, and redundancy measures to protect ASTAD’s critical data flow.

Commenting on the agreement, Vodafone Qatar’s Head of Large Sales, Mahday Al Hebabi said: “We’re proud to be the Telecom partner of choice for ASTAD and to be supporting the delivery of their ambitious projects, many of which play a vital role in the development and growth of Qatar’s various sectors.”

ASTAD’s IT Director, Abdulla Alyafei stated: “We look forward to working together with Vodafone with the aim of imple-menting a robust network across our offices that will further improve business efficiency by leveraging ‘best in class’ network infrastructure. This will only further support the delivery of our projects throughout Qatar.”

ASTAD was established in 2008 to meet the growing needs

of the construction industry in Qatar and the region. Since then they have managed and delivered more than 250 complex infrastructure and building projects across various sectors including Education, Healthcare, Sports, Commercial, Residential and Transport, bringing together all the nec-essary components required to build a booming nation with a bright future to look forward to.

Vodafone Qatar has made significant progress in providing key entities around the country with mobile and fixed infra-structure and services.

Drawing on the very best of the Vodafone brand globally, Vodafone Qatar is able to access the needed solutions and support needed to move Qatar towards becoming one of the most con-nected countries in the world.

Mahday Al Hebabi (third right), Vodafone Qatar’s Head of Large Sales; and Abdulla Alyafei (second right), ASTAD’s IT Director; with other ASTAD and Vodafone senior executives during the signing ceremony.

Doha Bank wins ‘Best Arab Customers Services’ titleTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Doha Bank, one of the largest commercial banks in Qatar, has triumphed in the ‘Best Arab Customers Services’ category at the recent Arab Banks Awards and Commen-dations of Excellence event in Lebanon.

Organised by the World Union for Arab Bankers (WUAB), the awards ceremony took place during a lavish gala dinner in Beirut, which was attended by regional financial and banking leaders, industry experts and VIP guests.

The award, presented by Wissam Fattouh, Secretary General, World Union of Arab Bankers, was received on behalf of Doha Bank by Sheikh Mohamed bin Fahad Al Thani, Acting Chief Human Resources Officer.

Dr. R Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank said “We are extremely proud of winning this prestigious award. This laurel

once again confirms Doha Bank’s important contributions towards strengthening the financial landscape in Qatar. By developing innovative banking solutions, we are providing out-standing services based on the ever-evolving needs of our valued customers.”

He said Doha Bank has been the first in Qatar to adopt several ground-breaking systems, including the pio-neering Tablet Banking solution for opening an account.

“We continually upgrade our mobile banking application to bring our loyal customers greater convenience and the ability to access their accounts, money and finances, anywhere, anytime. Improving customer satisfaction has always been a top priority for Doha Bank. This award demonstrates that our hard work is bringing impressive results, which are being recognized both locally and internationally,” Dr Seetharaman added.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Fahad Al Thani (centre), Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Doha Bank with other officials during the WUAB awards ceremony in Lebanon, recently.

Qatar Chamber hosts visiting Turkish business delegationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Chamber held a meeting yesterday with a trade delegation from the Turkish state of Siirt who are visiting Doha currently under the chair-manship of the governor of the state Ali fuat Atik to discuss the development of trade relations between businessmen from both sides, QNA reported.

During the meeting, Board Member of Qatar Chamber

Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Obaidli, valued the growing trade rela-tions between Qatari busi-nessmen and their counterparts in Turkey.

He pointed out that the number of Turkish companies

operating in the Qatari market is estimated at 330 companies, which are concentrated in the sectors of contracting, infra-structure, construction and elec-trical works, and the volume of projects implemented by Turkish companies in Doha is about $11.6bn.

Al Obaidli added that the trade exchange between Qatar and Turkey, which reached about $1.3bn last year, reflects the desire of the private sector

in the two countries to work together in the light of agree-ments and memorandums of understanding signed between the two sides which aimed at developing economic relations and boosting trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also reviewed Qatar Chamber’s efforts in developing trade relations between the two sides, which hosted a number of Turkish trade delegations and organised a visit for Qatari

businessmen to the cities of Izmir and Istanbul, in order to encourage businessmen in the two countries to enter into long-term partnerships and alliances.

The visit alos aimed to direct investors to the most prominent economic sectors, and introduce regulations and laws relating to foreign investment.

The governor of the state Ali fuat Atik explained that Siirt is famous for tourism, food

products, and other economic possibilities and commercial areas which will enable Qatari businessmen to form partner-ships and alliances with their counterparts in Turkey in light of the countries’ potential.

He stressed on special interest of businessmen in Siirt to explore the investment oppor-tunities available in the State of Qatar, especially at a time when Doha is witnessing remarkable development in many areas.

Trade exchange

between Qatar and

Turkey reached about

$1.3bn last year.

EU, Switzerland, US complain about Gulf excise tax at WTOREUTERS

DUBAI: The European Union, Switzerland and the United States have complained at the World Trade Organisation about an excise tax imposed by several Gulf Arab states on carbonated and energy drinks, according to notes of a WTO meeting and diplomatic sources.

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain were asked to explain the rationale behind a 100 percent duty on energy drinks and a 50 percent tax on other carbonated beverages, notes of a July 3 & 4 WTO meeting show.

The tax was introduced in 2017 as governments in the region came under fiscal pressure from a sharp drop in oil prices. The Gulf states have said the tax aims to diversify revenues and promote healthy lifestyles in countries where there are high rates of diabetes and obesity.

The United States called on the three countries to repeal the tax and urged other Gulf states not to implement it, while Switzerland asked Gulf finance ministers to con-sider modifying the tax.

The Gulf’s soft drink market, which also includes Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, was worth $8.4bn last year, according to market researchers Euromonitor.

15WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 BUSINESS

BREAK TIMEVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

Ant-Man And The Wasp (2D/Action) 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:30, 1:30, 3:00, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm Skyscrapper (2D) 10:15am, 12:00noon, 12:30, 2:40, 2:45, 5:00, 5:30, 5:40, 7:15, 7:45, 8:20, 9:30, 10:00, 11:15, 11:45pm & 12:00midnight Hotel Transylvania 3 3D 10:00am & 2:00pm 2D 12:00noon, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnight Ocean’s Eight (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm Escape Plan 2: Hades (2D/Action) 4:45pmThe Lullaby (2D) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm Tag (2D/Comedy) 11:50am, 3:50, 7:50 & 11:50pmQalb Omnah (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 4:30 & 11:00pm Taxi 5 (2D/Action) 12:15 & 8:45pm Loving Pablo (2D/Drama) 2:15 & 8:45pm The First Purge (2D/Horror) 10:00am, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnight Skyscrapper (3D/IMAX) 11:00am, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00pm & 12:00midnight

Hotel Transylvania 3 (2D/Animation) 2:00, 3:45 & 5:00pmKadaikutty Singam (2D/Tamil) 2:15 & 11:30pm Soorma (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 9:00pm The Incredibles 2

(2D/Animation) 5:30pm My Story (2D/Malayalam) 4:30 & 11:45pm Skyscraper (2D/Action) 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00pmThe Little Witch (2D/Comedy) 7:30pm Ant-Man And The Wasp (2D/Action) 9:30pm The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir (2D/Comedy) 11:30pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Soorma (2D/Hindi) 2:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm Lullaby (2D/Horror) 5:00pmHotel Transylvania 3 (2D/Animation) 2:15, 4:00 & 5:45pmThe Extraordinary Journey of Fakir (2D/Comedy) 5:00pm The Incredibles 2(2D/Animation) 6:45pm Muse (2D/Thriller) 9:30pmKadaikutty Singam (2D/Tamil) 6:45 & 11:30pmSkyscraper (2D/Action) 7:15, 9:30 & 11:15pmMy Story (2D/Malayalam) 11:30pm

Tamizh Padam 2 (2D/Tamil) 2:00 & 11:30pm Soorma (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 11:15pm Hotel Transylvania 3 (2D/Animation) 3:00, 5:00 & 7:00pmMy Story (2D/Malayalam) 4:30pm The Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 5:00pm Skyscraper (2D/Action) 7:15, 9:00 & 11:00pmAnt-Man And The Wasp (2D/Action) 9:15pm Lullaby (2D/Horror) 9:30pm

My Story (2D/Malayalam) 8:45pm & 01:45amKadaikutty Singam (Tamil) 11:15pm Tamizh Padam 2 (2D/Tamil) 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm Sanju (2D/Hindi) 5:45pm Soorma (2D/Hindi) 6:00pm

Ant-Man And The Wasp (2D/Action) 12:00noon, 5:30 & 11:00pm Skyscraper (2D/Action) 11:00am, 1:15, 6:30 & 11:45pmMy Story (2D/Malayalam) 3:30 & 8:45pmTamizh Padam 2 (2D/Tamil) 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30pm Kadaikutty Singam 2:30 & 8:00pm

Ant-Man And The Wasp (2D/Action) 10:30am, 4:30, 5:20 & 10:00pm Hotel Transylvania 3 (2D/Animation) 1:00, 3:10 & 7:50pmThe Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 10:30am & 5:20pm Kadaikutty Singam 10:30am, 1:30, 7:00 & 10:00pm My Story (2D/Malayalam) 10:30am, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30pm Skyscraper (2D/Action) 10:30am, 12:50, 1:00, 3:10, 5:40, 7:50 & 10:00pm

Sanju is a biopic of the controversial life of actor Sanjay Dutt: his film career, jail sentence and personal life.

FLIK Mirqab

SANJU

Ant-Man And The Wasp 10:20, 11:55am, 12:45, 2:30, 4:55, 7:20, 8:00, 6:00, 9:10, 10:25, 11:20pm & 12:00midnightHotel Transylvania 3 12:35, 1:30, 2:20, 3:10, 5:00 & 7:05pm Incredibles 2 11:00am, 3:35, 4:30 & 6:05pm Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 12:20, 2:55 & 5:20pm Maya The Bee 10:40am The First Purge 10:05pm & 12:20am My Story 12:30, 3:25, 6:20, 9:05pm & 12:10am Ocean’s 8 12:15, 7:50,

9:20 & 11:40pm Skyscraper 11:30am, 1:40, 2:20, 3:50, 4:50, 5:35, 7:00, 8:25, 9:45, 10:35, 11:35pm & 12:45am Woman In Times of Blockade 10:20am & 12:45am

Japan, EU sign free trade pact amid worries about TrumpREUTERS

TOKYO: Japan and the European Union signed a wide-ranging free trade deal yesterday that both sides hope will act as a counterweight to the protec-tionist forces unleashed by US President Donald Trump.

The ambitious trade pact, which creates the world’s largest open economic area, comes amid fears that a trade war between the United States and China will diminish the role of free trade in the global economic order.

“There are rising concerns about protectionism, but I want Japan and the EU to lead the world by bearing the flag of free trade,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a news conference after the signing ceremony.

The United States this month imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34bn of Chinese goods to lower the US trade deficit, and China quickly retaliated with an increase in tariffs on US goods.

The Japan-EU trade deal is also a sign of shifting global ties as Trump distances the United States from long-time allies like the EU, Nato and Canada.

“We are sending a clear message that we stand against protectionism. The EU and Japan remain open for cooperation,” European Council President Donald Tusk, who speaks for the 28 EU national leaders, told reporters.

The deal removes EU tariffs of 10 percent on Japanese cars and 3 percent on most car parts. It would also scrap Japanese duties of some 30 percent or more on EU cheese, and secure access to large public tenders in Japan.

Europe’s food sector is one of the biggest winners from the deal, which should allow it to capitalise on Japanese demand

for high-quality cheese, choco-lates, meats and pasta.

Japanese car and car parts makers are also expected to increase their sales to Europe, where they have lagged behind European rivals. However, Japan’s dairy industry is expected to lose market share to European products once tariffs of up to 40 percent on some cheese imports start falling.

Japan and the EU also agreed yesterday to establish a regular dialogue on trade and economic policy, with the first meeting to be held before year’s end.

The dialogue will be chaired by Japan’s trade and foreign min-isters and the European Commis-sion’s vice-president for com-petitiveness, both sides said in a joint statement.

Both Japan and the EU,

having seen Trump pull back from free trade relationships, are keen to show they remain com-mitted to removing barriers they say hamper growth, analysts said.

“Trade liberalisation and market openness continue to march ahead in Asia-Pacific,” said Ajay Sharma, the regional head of global trade and receiv-ables finance at banking and

financial services provider HSBC.EU accords with Singapore

and with Vietnam were at the ratification stage, while deals with Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand were being nego-tiated, he added.

A China-EU summit ended on Monday with a communique affirming the commitment of both sides to the multilateral trading system.

Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Japan and 10 other states on his first day in office in January 2017 and has pushed to renegotiate a free trade pact with Canada and Mexico.

Trump says he is taking a hard line on trade to protect US workers and US companies, but critics say his approach is upending the rules of multilateral global trade.

Japan and the EU account for about a third of global GDP and their trade relationship has room to grow, according to EU officials, who expect the deal to boost the EU economy by 0.8 percent and Japan’s by 0.3 percent over the long term.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (centre), European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (left), and European Council President Donald Tusk on the sidelines of Japan-EU summit at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday.

The deal removes

EU tariffs of 10% on

Japanese cars and

3% on most car parts.

It would also scrap

Japanese duties of

some 30% or more on

EU cheese, and secure

access to large public

tenders in Japan.

BAE says international partners to join UK fighter project in 2019REUTERS

FARNBOROUGH: BAE System’s CEO said international partners would be brought in to help to develop Britain’s proposed new fighter jet in 2019, also signalling that teaming up with a rival Franco-German project in future was possible.

BAE showed off a model of the new warplane, Tempest, on

Monday, linking up with a group of industrial partners to fulfil a government plan for a new combat jet by 2040.

Charles Woodburn (pic-tured) CEO of BAE Systems, Brit-ain’s biggest defence company, said the plan was to bring those partners onboard during 2019.

“In terms of the timeframes for international partnerships, we’ve talked about...2019,” he

told reporters at the Farn-borough Airshow yesterday.

This programme is led by France’s Airbus, part of the Eurofighter consortium and Das-sault Aviation SA, the maker of the Rafale.

Industry executives have said that the Tempest project could at some stage be merged with the rival Franco-German plan, although Britain is trying to

negotiate its departure from the European Union in March 2019, making any tie-up tricky for the time being. Woodburn said no partners had been ruled out.

“I think the UK government has an open mind on this and will keep an open mind,” he said. “Our view is that it’s a team sport building next generation systems and to use a footballing analogy you really do want the strongest

players around the table and that’s in all of our interests to do that.” Asked about Brexit, Woodburn said the impact on BAE Systems was limited, but noted that one area where the company could be affected was on the Tempest project.

“Team tempest, that is, from a Brexit perspective, is where it can or could affect us in future,” he said.

THE PENINSULA

ASTRAKHAN, RUSSIA: Over-drive Racing’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah will be bidding for his first ever victory in the Silk Way Rally when he and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel line-up at the start of the first of seven special stages in Astrakhan on Saturday.

Al Attiyah drives a Toyota Hilux with support from Red Bull, the Qatar Motor and Motor-cycle Federation (QMMF), Ooredoo Qatar and Toyota GAZOO Racing and run on the event by the Belgian car prepa-rations company.

The Qatari will also be tar-geting a first ever win for the Japanese manufacturer at one of the world’s most famous cross-country rallies, where former winners include double Dakar winners Carlos Sainz and Jean-Louis Schlesser and Frenchman Cyril Despres, a five-time Dakar winner on a motor-cycle and the Silk Way winner for the last two years.

After a couple of disap-pointing results in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies that made it mathematically impossible for the Qatari to retain his title in 2018, the decision was taken to concen-trate on preparations for the Silk Way event and Al Attiyah is con-fident that he can achieve a first victory.

“I really enjoy the format of the longer cross-country rallies and the target is the outright win on stages that will be new and challenging,” said the Red Bull-supported two-time Dakar winner, who finished as runner-up to Sainz in 2010 – his only

podium finish at the Silk Way Rally thus far.

“Matthieu and I have set the target and I know we have the car that is more than capable of taking the win against strong opposition.”

Baumel added: “We have not been able to test since Kaza-khstan. We start the Silk Way Rally with some new technical components on the car and a new engine and we will test for one day before the race in Russia, close to Astrakhan. The race is important, but the most important is to have the car ready for the next Dakar.

“This race in Russia will be very interesting and challenging. The four days around Astrakhan will be a little bit difficult for navigation and driving on the small dunes with vegetation and a mix of fast and sandy tracks. It will not be easy and we will need to have a good strategy to make a gap on the first four days.“

“Then we have three days going up to Moscow and we will need to look at the weather. We saw at the final of the World Cup how heavy the rain was! If we get a lot of mud it will be very difficult and I am sure we are preparing for a very difficult and challenging rally. Our only goal is the victory. We are ready!”

The Silk Way Rally ran for the first time between Kazan in Russia and Ashgabat in Turkmenistan in 2009 and was then based in Russia between 2010 and 2013, where it featured in the ASO’s Dakar Series on three occasions.

Rally officials laid on a route between Moscow and Beijing - via Astana in Kazakhstan - in 2016 and last year’s edition started in Moscow and finished in Xi’an, China.

Rally organisers were forced to modify the original route for 2018 that had seen the intended event start at

Xi’an and run over a two-week period to finish in Moscow. Logistical issues involving work being carried out to a runway

that was to be used by vital cargo aircraft en route

forced the dramatic changes in June.

A d m i n i s -tration and t e c h n i c a l checks will now take place at Astrakhan in Russia on July 19-20 and the entire rally will run through the country to a f i n i s h i n Moscow on July

27, using around 2,500 competitive kilo-

metres and sections through the Kalmykia desert that were used back in 2013.

Leg one will be a loop stage through the Takyr desert around Astrakhan on July 21 and then competitors will embark upon a Marathon stage without service assistance to the town of Elista on July 22. The compact route then returns to Astrakhan on the second half of the Marathon

stage on July 23, before drivers tackle a second loop around Astrakhan in the Takyr desert on July 24.

The Silk Way Rally then begins its gradual path towards the Russian capital with the fifth high-speed stage on fast tracks running between Astrakhan and Volgograd on July 25 and the penultimate section heading in the direction of Lipetsk on July 26.

The final stage features dif-ficult navigation and runs between Lipetsk and Moscow before the ceremonial finish in Red Square on July 27, where race officials hope the Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance.

Al Attiyah, Baumel eye success in Russia

SPORTWednesday 18 July 2018

PAGE | 18 PAGE | 19Socceroos legend

Cahill retires from national duty

England seal series with crushing win over India

FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: As the new football season approaches, Al Arabi are targeting a better show at the QNB Stars League (QSL), hoping to show consistency in the tough competition.

The ‘Red Devils’ were able to secure only the 7th position in the prestigious 12-team league after an inconsistent performance. Close to the end of last season, Al Arabi were

near the relegation zone but a few important wins in the last few rounds saw them retain their place for the 2018-19 season.

However, the result was not enough to convince the avid fan-base of the Qatari club, prompting the man-agement to make several changes in the team to get desired results in the new season.

Al Arabi will have coach Luka Bonancic for the entire

season and it will be his task to bring consistency in the team’s performances. Clearly, Al Arabi management have shown confidence by giving full control of the side to Bonacic.

Kwame Karikari of Ghana, Saad Nateq of Iraq and Diego Jardel of Brazil are the heav-yweights in the Al Arabi ranks, who will be expected to deliver in the new season.

Jardel, the inspiration in the midfield clearly has

promises to keep from the last season.

Defender Ahmed Saleh of Syria and Mudir Abdurabu of Yemen will join new signing Colombian striker Franco Arizala to add muscle to Al Arabi forward line.

The Al Arabi think-tank did not ignore homegrown players with the signing of defender Ahmed Al Nahawi, goalkeeper Sheet Abbasi, Fahad Khalfan and Mohamed Salah El Neel.

The team, which will face Al Khor on the opening day of new QSL season on August 4, is currently undergoing a training tour in Moravske Toplice, Slovenia, where there are also scheduled to play various friendly games as part of their preparations. Following the sig-nificant changes and extensive preparations for the new season, the Bonancic-side will look to give tough challenge to their rivals for the 2018-2019 Falcon Shield.

The first of seven special stages of the Silk Way Rally begins in Astrakhan on Saturday.

Al Attiyah drives a Toyota Hilux with support from Red Bull, the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), Ooredoo Qatar and Toyota GAZOO Racing.

The Qatari driver also targets a first ever win for the Japanese manufacturer at one of the world’s most famous cross-country rallies.

y

Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (right) and co-driver Matthieu Baumel.

Overdrive Racing’s Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (right) and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel driving their Toyota Hilux in this file photo.

Al Khor aim high THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Al Khor, who finished eighth in the last QNB Stars League (QSL) season, are aiming high in the new season that kicks off in the first week of August.

Last season, Al Khor won only 7 matches and lost 12 games to finish just above Al Ahli, Qatar SC, Al Kharaitiyat and Markhiya in the QNB Stars League standings.

This year coach Adel Al Sulaimi will be working at feverish pace to set the tone ahead of the new season which is just a few weeks away.

Among the changes that have taken place, Al Khor have brought in Al Sulaimi as the coach. Al Sulaimi will lead the team following the departure of coach Nassif Al Bayawi, who has joined Al Kharaitiyat.

Al Sulaimi will be eager to see Al Khor occupy a good position in the rankings early in the season.

A powerful player roster is there for Al Khor to seek positive results. Al Khor have roped in experienced Rebin Sulaka to beef up their backline while completing a deal with Mohamed Ahmed Bugshan from Al Shamal Club.

Sulaka, a Swedish Iraqi player, is one of the tallest members of the side at 1.93 meters.

A strong defense and centre will be one of the targets for coach Al Sulaimi.

Al Khor are currently training in the Neth-erlands to prepare for the new season.

Coach Al Sulaimi will be busy working on his starting line-up for the season’s first game.

New-look Al Arabi look to changefortunes in upcoming QSL season

Al Arabi players taking part in a practice drill during their pre-season training camp in Slovenia yesterday.

17WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 SPORT

Under-20 Worlds: Aspire Academy celebrates Hemeida’s silver medal THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Aspire Academy held a celebration yesterday to mark the latest achievement of one of their upcoming star athletes, 17-year-old Bassem Hemeida.

Hemeida won a silver medal in the Men’s 400m hurdles at the 2018 IAAF World Under-20 Champi-onship in Finland, which concluded earlier this week.

Hemeida was welcomed by Aspire Academy’s officials, including. Ivan Bravo, the Acad-emy’s Director General, Prof. Tim Cable, Director of Sports Science at Aspire Academy, Lee Chris-topher, Multi Events Athletics Coach and Luke Gallagher, Senior Performance Analyst.

Aspire Academy’s Hemeida fin-ished the race in 49.59s, a minute better than his previous best of 50.55, and only seconds behind winner Sokwakhana Zazini who bagged South Africa’s second-ever gold medal in the event after fin-ishing the race in 49.42s.

In addition to Bassem Hemeida, other student-athletes included Owaab Barrow and Jaber Hilal Al Mamari (110m hurdles and 4x100m relay races).

They were joined by Aspire graduates Moaaz Mohamed Ibrahim (discus throw), Nuh Anuh

(high jump), Soud Abdulaziz Al-Hudmaidi (discus throw), Khalil Bedoui (hammer throw) and Abdulaziz Mohammed Salem (200m and 400m races), who trains with the Qatar Athletics

Federation programme. Speaking from the sidelines, Ivan Bravo praised the performance show-cased by Aspire Academy’s current and former student athletes during the competitions that featured

international athletes representing more than 35 countries. Bravo also urged Bassem and his teammates to continue their hard work to achieve even greater results with Aspire Academy’s support.

Aspire Academy Director General Ivan Bravo welcomes Bassem Hemeida, Aspire Academy student, winner of the silver medal at the Men’s 400m hurdles at the 2018 IAAF World Under-20 Championship in Finland, which concluded earlier this week.

Stallions Cricket Academy tours Sri LankaTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s leading cricket academy, Stallions Cricket Academy concluded a very successful second tour to Sri Lanka yesterday.

Stallions played 21 matches in three cities with leading schools and academies in Sri Lanka.

Some of these academies are managed/coached by current and former Sri Lankan test players such Angelo Mathews, Sanath Jayasuria, Sajeewa Silva.

The tour group of 70 was made up of three teams in the Under 10, Under 13 and Under 16 age categories.

. This is the largest ever-overseas tour Stallions embarked on after many suc-cessful tours to England, Aus-tralia, Oman, Dubai and Sri

Lanka. The teams consisted of experienced players who have been training with Stallions for the past few years. During the tour, the teams were managed by experienced and ICC qual-ified coaches.

The tour comprised of a coaching camp that was con-ducted by former Sri Lankan fast bowler, Chaminda Vaas.

Commenting on the tour Sidath Tennakoon, the Head Coach of Stallions said: “This tour further provided our players an opportunity to put into match practice the skills they have learned. Whilst our tours provide a lifelong expe-rience for our players, it is also a great opportunity for us to carry Qatar’s name to the international cricketing circle.

“In the near future we intend to bring cricket teams from

overseas countries such as England, Australia, Sri Lanka to Qatar, which will not only help develop the game but also promote Sports Tourism.”

The main sponsor for this year’s tour was Q-tickets, the leading e-ticketing platform in Qatar.

Commenting on the tour Dr Tejinder Sigh, Chairman of Q Tickets said: “We were delighted to be the main sponsor of the Stallions tour to Sri Lanka. As an organization, we promote sports and cricket is something special to us. We are extremely happy at the way the tour progressed and the success they achieved.”

Other sponsors included Doha Bank, Lulu, Q Vision Pro-ductions, Shoura Business Group, MaktApp, New Waves, Q Pay International, Amadeus Qatar and Go Mosafer.

Stallions Cricket Academy players and officials pose for a picture on complexion of their Sri Lankan tour yesterday.

Spieth seeks to emulate HarringtonAFP

CARNOUSTIE: Jordan Spieth feels he is back in the groove and capable of becoming the first player since Irishman Padraig Harrington in 2007/08 to win back to back Opens.

The 24-year-old and a swathe of his fellow young Americans threatening to dom-inate the future of the sport will also have a returning Tiger Woods.

The man who dominated the past until personal and physical problems intervened to bring that to a juddering halt is back at the Open for the first time since he missed the cut in 2015.

Spieth has not won since his Open success last July but he believes his game is back in place for the rigours of Carnoustie when battle commences on Thursday, having taken some time out to relax.

“I had the itch to get back to it after a couple of weeks of not really working and it was nice to kind of start from scratch,” Spieth said at a press conference on Monday.

“I feel like I’m in a position now with every part of my game, I attacked the places that really

needed some strong work.“That combination with an

Open Championship, the way it needs to be played, I think, is a really good spot for me to kickback into shape.” Fellow young Turks such as PGA Champion Justin Thomas, Masters champion Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka, who defended his US Open title last month, will be fancying their chances.

Compatriot Rickie Fowler could take issue with being left out of their club given he is also under 30 at 29 -- the only problem being he has developed a reputation for filling the minor places in the majors.

The return of Woods, who inspired many of the 20-some-thing Americans to take up the sport, will be intriguing to see if the sea air awakens the genius in him.

Although there have been moments of magic since he resumed playing competitively after protracted problems with his back he warns his game is not necessarily where he would want it to be in terms of winning a tournament for the first time in five years.

At the same time the 14-time

major winner -- including three Opens -- likes the look of the course.

“No, no I don’t have to relearn how to play this style of golf because I have played in so many Opens and so many links

courses over my career,” he said.“You don’t get the chance to

see Open venues this brown so often but then it was just like this in 2000 (his first win at St Andrews) and also at Hoylake (his win in 2006), as well.”

In a Ryder Cup year the European challenge looks weak by comparison in the only major played outside the United States.

The likes of Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, the in form Italian

Francesco Molinari and perhaps a dark horse in Sweden’s Alex Noren, who won the French Open on the course where this year’s Ryder Cup will be con-tested, look the likeliest to be contenders.

McIlroy for one will be des-perate to end four years without a major and disprove those who think even at just 29 the wow factor of earlier years has lost its sheen.

“I’ll just treat it like any other event,” McIlroy told Golf World.

“Prepare the way I normally do and go out and play and see what happens. I’m not putting any pressure on myself.

“My record in the Open Championship’s been pretty good the last few years,” added McIlroy, who first showed what a talent he was as an amateur in the 2008 Open.

Rose admits the Open has never yielded the results he would have liked -- tied for sixth in 2015 is his best finish -- and wants to set that right.

“I think this is the one that would feel so good, and to have that Claret Jug on the dinner table most nights for the fol-lowing year after winning would certainly be a treat.”

Jordan Spieth of the US in action during the practice session ahead of the 147th Open Championship, Carnoustie, Britain, yesterday.

Mercedes still fastest despite lost points: WolffREUTERS

LONDON: Formula One champions Mercedes made mistakes in the last three back-to-back races but they still have the fastest car, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

World champion Lewis Hamilton won in France last month but suffered his first retirement in two years at the following race in Austria and was second in his home British Grand Prix after going from pole position to last.

The Briton heads to Hockenheim for this week-end’s German Grand Prix with an eight-point gap to make up on Ferrari’s four- times champion Sebastian Vettel, who will be racing in front of his home crowd.

“We didn’t score as many points in the triple-header as we had hoped for. A lot of that was down to our own mistakes,” Wolff said in a team preview of Sunday’s race.

“However, there is a silver lining to this -- while we didn’t maximise on points, we did bring the quickest car to all three races.” Vettel won in Silver-stone while Red Bull’s 20-year-old Dutchman Max Verstappen took his first win of the season at his team’s home race in Austria.

The triple header was a first for Formula One, the scheduling aimed at avoiding a clash with the World Cup final in Russia.

Mercedes started all three races from pole position but Hamilton and team mate Valtteri Bottas scored only 61 points between them, compared to 98 for championship leaders Ferrari and 65 for Red Bull.

Hockenheim is the 11th race of the 21-round season and Mercedes have won just three times, com-pared to six by the same stage last year.

18 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018SPORT

Bolt closing in on surprise deal with Australian football clubAFP

SYDNEY: Usain Bolt is on the verge of sealing a deal to trial with the A-League’s Central Coast Mariners, the Australian club said yesterday, as the sprint legend pursues his dream of playing professional football.

Eight-time Olympic champion Bolt, 31, who retired from athletics after August’s World Champion-ships in London, is an avid Man-chester United fan who has long dreamt of playing top-flight football.

The 100m and 200m world record-holder trained with Nor-wegian club Stromsgodset last month and Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in March.

The planned arrangement will see him take part in a six-week trial starting next month at the Mariners’ base in Gosford, some 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of Sydney, chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said.

A season-long deal could follow if it goes well, he told commercial broadcaster Channel Seven.

Football agent Tony Rallis, who has been working on the deal, told Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast yesterday it has been agreed “in principle... subject to a couple of benchmarks”.

“Mainly, a trial, and of course marquee funds support from (gov-erning body Football Federation Australia),” he said, adding that the arrangement was not a gimmick.

“Once the FFA comes back and says that they’ll be part of the process, we’re going to the trial... This bloke’s an ambitious athlete. The A-League needed a hero, and we got superman.”

Mielekamp said his club had been working on the agreement for four to five months, and there was still “some work to do”.

“But fingers crossed things might play out, but the most important thing is we wait to find

out and see how good a footballer he is first.

“If all goes well, who knows? He may be playing in the A-League this season.”

Mielekamp said reports of Bolt’s performance at the European clubs he has trialled with have been “pretty good”, and that “every time he trains, he improves significantly”.

“He has a very good left foot, and time will tell at what level he is at and if it fits the A-League... it would only be big if he could play and go really well,” he said.

“If he comes in and he is not up to the level, it could have a detri-mental effect.”

Bolt has dominated sprinting since taking double individual gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The charismatic sportsman went on to win a further six Olympic golds and pick up 11 world titles. The A-League season starts in October.

AC Milan’s Europa League ban appeal set for tomorrowAFP

LAUSANNE: AC Milan’s appeal against a European ban for breaking UEFA’s financial fair play rules will be heard tomorrow by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the court announced.

A spokesman for the Lausanne-based court told AFP that the hearing will be at 9:30 am (0730 GMT) and a decision would follow “probably within 24 hours”.

Last month European football’s governing body UEFA banned Milan from the Europa League for the coming season.

AC Milan have spent a troubled 15 months since they were bought by Chinese businessman Li Yonghong from Silvio Berlusconi in April 2017. The takeover was partly funded by a high-interest loan of 300 million from American hedge fund Elliott Management.

When Milan failed to make a repayment at the start of July, Elliott moved to take over, a process which is due to be ratified by club shareholders on July 21.

The Chinese owners spent more than 200 million euros on players last summer and that, combined with the terms of the Elliott loan, triggered the interest of UEFA.

At the end of June, UEFA ruled that Milan were in breach of “the break-even requirement.” That specifi-cally bars clubs from taking on debt to fund day-to-day obligations such as wages or transfer fees. UEFA banned the club from its competitions.

Despite the investment in players, the club finished sixth in Serie A and only qualified for the Europa League, Europe’s second tier tournament.

The club at once said they would appeal to CAS.In April, after a meeting at UEFA’s headquarters in

Nyon, Switzerland, Marco Fassone, appointed CEO after Li’s takeover, said Berlusconi’s mismanagement was to blame.

“The people who were in charge of the club before us did not respect the rules, because we are under investi-gation for 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17,” Fassone said.

The seven-time European champions are the biggest club to have been punished under the fair play rules.

Malaga, Red Star Belgrade and Galatasaray have all been banned for a year.

UEFA indicated on July 3 that it was reopening a financial fair play case against big-spending French cham-pions Paris Saint-Germain.

Australia’s Tim Cahill celebrates after scoring against Syria during their 2018 World Cup football qualifying match against Syria in Sydney in this October 10, 2017 file photo. Australia’s record goalscorer Cahill retired from international football yesterday after netting 50 goals in 107 appearances for his country.

Iceland’s coach Hallgrimsson steps downAFP

REYKJAVIK: Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson stepped down yesterday, a few weeks after leading the tiny nation at its first World Cup.

“If I had to continue, I would have done it with the same preparation, the same motivation but at some point, this kind of routine can lead to a certain weariness,” he told a press conference in Reykjavik.

The 51-year-old added that it would be “good for the team to have a new vision”.

The Football Association of Iceland had hoped he would extend his contract for two more years.

“Heimir was naturally our first choice due to his excellent work in recent years,” Gudni Bergsson, pres-ident of the federation, said in a statement which also thanked Hallgrimsson.

Hallgrimsson became an assistant coach in 2011 under Swede Lars Lagerback. He took charge after Iceland reached the quarter-finals at the 2016 Euros in France and guided Iceland to first place in a World Cup qualifying group that also included eventual finalists Croatia.

With a population of 330,000, it became the smallest nation to play in a World Cup finals.

In Russia, Iceland opened with a 1-1 draw against Lionel Messi’s Argentina but then lost to Nigeria and old adversary Croatia to exit at the group stage.

Retired Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt makes his signature ‘lightening’

pose during the 2018 FIFA World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday.

AFP

SYDNEY: Australia’s record goalscorer Tim Cahill retired from international football yesterday after netting 50 goals in 107 appearances for his country.

The prolific and tireless talisman had a knack for scoring crucial goals for the Socceroos during more than 14 years in the green and gold.

Here are his top five moments:

1. AUSTRALIA VS JAPAN, 2006Cahill came off the bench for Australia -- who were

playing in their first World Cup for 32 years -- to inspire the team to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Japan. Just minutes before the full-time whistle, Cahill fired home in a goalmouth scramble to record his nation’s first-ever goal in the finals. He was on the spot again five minutes later to lash home a volley from outside the 18-yard box to give the Socceroos a 2-1 lead.

2. AUSTRALIA VS JAPAN, 2009

Japan was again at the receiving end of another Cahill brace, this time in Melbourne in an Asian World Cup qualifying group match. The Socceroos came from behind to score in the 59th and 76th minutes. The first was a trademark header by Cahill, who met Vince Grella’s lofted free kick and arced it beyond the Japanese goalie into the far top corner. His second goal came when he drove home Nicky Carle’s corner from close range.

3. AUSTRALIA VS NETHERLANDS, 2014

Facing the Netherlands in the group stages of the World Cup in Brazil, Australia conceded an early goal before Cahill found the back of the net with a thunderous left-footer that brought back memories of Dutch legend Marco Van Basten’s goal in the 1988 European Cham-pionships final. Latching onto a long ball from Ryan McGowan, Cahill volleyed an unstoppable first-time shot which flew in off the underside of the crossbar -- his fifth World Cup goal. The wonder-strike was voted by FIFA as one of 2014’s greatest goals.

4. AUSTRALIA VS CHINA, 2015

While renowned for his headers, Cahill was also nifty with his feet and demonstrated his athletic prowess with a jaw-dropping bicycle kick against China, his second goal in Australia’s 2-0 Asian Cup quarter-final victory. The stunner sent the Australian home crowd into rap-tures, while Cahill raced to the sidelines to punch the corner flag in a trademark goal celebration.

5. AUSTRALIA VS SYRIA, 2017

Trailing Syria just six minutes into a must-win World Cup play-off, Cahill headed the ball into the net on 13 minutes to level the score and take the match into extra time. Despite lacking regular game time for his then-club Melbourne City, Cahill powered on and in the 109th minute out-jumped his marker to head a cross past the diving Syrian goalkeeper.

KEY MOMENTS IN CAHILL’S AUSTRALIA CAREERSocceroos legend Cahill

retires from national dutyAFP

SYDNEY: Australia’s all-time leading goal-scorer Tim Cahill retired from international football yesterday, ending an illus-trious career that has taken him to four World Cups.

The 38-year-old, who scored 50 international goals in 107 appearances, last played for the Socceroos when he came off the bench for their final group game against Peru at the World Cup in Russia.

“Today’s the day that I’m officially hanging up my boots on my international career with the Socceroos,” Cahill tweeted.

“No words can describe what it has meant to represent my country. Massive thank you to everyone for the support throughout all my years wearing the Australian badge.”

The former Everton striker, one of the finest players to come out of Australia, did not say if he would continue playing club football.

He joined his former club Millwall in the English Champi-onship on a short-term deal in January after quitting Australia’s Melbourne City in a bid to secure more game time before the World Cup.

Governing body Football Federation Australia chief exec-utive David Gallop hailed Cahill as a “genuine legend of our game and for a long time has been a great ambassador for football”.

Ex-teammates and Socceroo fans paid tribute to the tireless player and praised his leadership on and off the field, using the Twitter hashtags #ThanksTim and #ThanksTimmy.

“When he put an Australian jersey on, he just had a knack of scoring goals and getting us out of trouble,” former Soc-ceroos great Archie Thompson told commercial broadcaster Channel Nine yesterday.

“He contributed in making football a brand and in making the Socceroos a brand.”

Cahill, born in Sydney to a Samoan mother, started his international career playing for Western Samoa

under-20s and only became a Socceroo in 2004 after an intense lobbying campaign to world body FIFA.

Two years later in Germany, he became the first Australian to net a goal at the World Cup, going to score in two further tournaments in

2010 and 2014.In 2007, he also became the first Australian

to score at an Asian Cup, and he helped the Soc-ceroos win the Asian title for the first time in 2015.

Before his stint at City, Cahill spent 14 years in England with Millwall and top-flight outfit Everton, scoring more than 100 goals, before signing for the New York Red Bulls.

Cahill, known for his prodigious vertical leap and trademark goal celebration, when he uses the corner flag as a punching bag, also played for China’s Shanghai Shenhua and Hangzhou Greentown.

19WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018 SPORT

Quick Step Floors rider Julian Alaphilippe of France celebrates after winning the stage yesterday.

Alaphilippe climbs his way to stage 10 victory at TourAFP

LE GRAND-BORNAND: Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe turned on the style to secure his maiden Tour de France stage win yesterday as Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet stubbornly held on to the yellow jersey.

Alaphilippe, of the Quick Step team, launched an auda-cious lone attack on the third and penultimate climb and went on to solo over the finish several minutes ahead of the main peloton after a first day in the Alps marked by a yellow jersey truce.

Expected to challenge overnight leader Van Avermaet for the right to wear the race’s fabled tunic into today’s 11th stage, the Sky team of champion Chris Froome failed to muster a challenge despite their best-placed rider, Geraint Thomas, sitting only 43secs behind the Belgian in the overall standings.

Van Avermaet, who is not a specialist climber, appeared under threat at the beginning of the 158.5 km race from Annecy featuring four catego-rised climbs and with a downhill finish into Le Grand Bornand.

But the wily BMC rider exceeded expectations, joining

an early breakaway that went on to build a healthy lead on the main peloton to stymie whatever plans Sky may have had of taking control of the race.

In the end, Van Avermaet produced a fantastic per-formance to finish 1min 43secs behind Alaphilippe, Thomas, Froome and Team Sky trailing

over the finish over three minutes behind the stage winner. In the overall standings Van Avermaet now leads Thomas, in second, by 2:22, with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) now up to third overall at 3:10.

Froome, who is bidding for his fourth consecutive Grand Tour win and fifth overall, is

up to sixth place at 3:21.The 11th stage, held over

108.5 km between Albertville and La Rosiere, features the first summit finish of the race.

The third and final day in the Alps is tomorrow when sparks are expected to fly on the 14km climb, over 21 hairpin bends, to the summit of Alpe d’Huez.

Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet (left), wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, followed by compatriot Serge Pauwels, looks for the best aerodynamic position as he descends a pass during the stage 10 of the 105th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Annecy and Le Grand-Bornand, French Alps, yesterday.

NBA: Denver Nuggets sign point guard Thomas

Root stars as England seal series with 8-wicket win

AGENCIES

NEW YORK: The Denver Nuggets officially signed point guard Isaiah Thomas to a one-year deal on Monday reported to be worth $2m.

Thomas, 29, will join his sixth team as he enters his eighth NBA season. A two-time All-Star, he is coming off an injury-plagued 2017-18 season but has averaged more than 20.0 points in three different seasons.

“It’s not every day you have the chance to add a player with the talent and pedigree of Isaiah Thomas,” said Nuggets president of bas-ketball operations Tim Connelly.

“Isaiah is a player that we know will work extremely hard every single day he steps onto the basketball court and will do anything he can to help our team win. We are excited to add Isaiah to our already explosive core and we can’t wait to get started,” he said.

Thomas recently got together with Connelly and Nuggets coach Michael Malone to discuss his potential place in the club’s plans, and the contract agreement was first reported by ESPN on Friday.

After opening his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings in 2011-12 and subse-quently playing for the Phoenix Suns, Thomas exploded into stardom with the Celtics.

He was an All-Star in both 2015-16 and 2016-17, aver-aging 25.5 points and 6.1 assists in those seasons com-bined. He guided the Celtics in the 2017 Eastern Con-ference finals against the Cavaliers before he was side-lined due to a hip ailment.

Last summer, the Celtics dealt Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, a 2018 first-round draft pick and a 2020 second-rounder to the Cavaliers for guard Kyrie Irving.

After missing the first 36 games of last season, Thomas returned to average 14.7 points and 4.5 assists in 15 games (14 starts). With the Cavaliers struggling, however, they dealt Thomas, Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 8 for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

In 17 games, including just one start, for Los Angeles, Thomas averaged 15.6 points and five assists.

AFP

LEEDS: England beat India by eight wickets to win the third one-day international at Headingley yesterday as they claimed a 2-1 series win in a three-match contest.

England, set 257 to win, finished on 260 for two, with Test skipper Joe Root 100 not out on his Yorkshire home ground.

Together with England one-day captain Eoin Morgan (88 not out) he shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 186.

Earlier, 2019 World Cup hosts England, top of the ODI rankings to India’s second, restricted the tourists to 256 for eight after Morgan won the toss.

India captain Virat Kohli top-scored with 71 as York-shire’s David Willey and Adil Rashid took three wickets apiece. MS Dhoni, criticised for slow scoring during Eng-land’s 86-run win at Lord’s on Saturday that levelled the three-match series at 1-1, made 42 off 66 balls.

India opened series with an 8-wicket victory over England at Trent Bridge.

The two sides will now play a 5-match Test series with the opening match scheduled to start in Bir-mingham on August 1.

Dancing, military parade greet Asian Games flameAFP

YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA: The torch for the 18th Asian Games was welcomed to the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta yesterday, with a military parade, traditional dancing and a flypast by the airforce.

Jakarta and Palembang in Sumatra are set to host about 11,000 athletes and 5,000 offi-cials from 45 Asian countries for the August 18 to September 2 Games, the world’s biggest multi-sport event behind the Olympics.

The flame, which was lit Sunday in India’s capital New Delhi -- the host city of Asia’s first Asian Games in 1951 -- arrived on an Indonesian Air Force Boeing jet that was escorted by five fighters in golden eagle formation.

The arrival of the torch was marked by a traditional Yogyakarta welcoming dance, a

dragon dance, a paragliding show, gun salute, military band and a flypast by an acrobatics fighter jet squadron.

Cheering crowds greeted Indonesia’s torch ambassador and badminton legend Susy Susanti as she led a procession from Adisutjipto Airport through

the city, which is renowned as Indonesia’s cultural capital. The torch will travel some 18,000km (about 11,200 miles) across 54 cities before landing in the capital Jakarta, where the Games opening ceremony will be held.

Yogyakarta was chosen to receive the torch “because it is a city with a lot of history, one of the Kingdoms in Indonesia, and also at the same time it is famous as a city of tourism,” said Erick Thohir, president of the Asian Games organising committee.

Meanwhile, Indonesian police have shot and killed 11 suspected small-time criminals and wounded dozens more in a crackdown before it hosts the Asian Games, authorities said yesterday.

Some 52 suspects have been shot after resisting arrest in the capital Jakarta since the start of July, with 11 dying of their wounds, police said.

A parade marks the arrival of the Asian Games torch from India ahead of the 18th Asian Games, in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, yesterday.

Cheering crowds

greeted Indonesia’s

torch ambassador and

badminton legend

Susy Susanti as she

led a procession from

Adisutjipto Airport

through the city,

which is renowned

as country’s cultural

capital.

INDIAR. Sharma c Wood b Willey ...........................2

S. Dhawan run out (Stokes) ........................44

V. Kohli b Rashid ............................................ 71

D. Karthik b Rashid .......................................21

MS Dhoni c Buttler b Willey ........................42

S. Raina c Root b Rashid ................................. 1

H. Pandya c Buttler b Wood ........................21

B. Kumar c Bairstow b Willey ......................21

S. Thakur not out .......................................... 22

Extras (lb6, w5) ............................................11

Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) ................ 256Did not bat: K Yadav, Y Chahal

Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Sharma), 2-84 (Dhawan),

3-125 (Karthik), 4-156 (Kohli), 5-158 (Raina),

6-194 (Pandya), 7-221 (Dhoni), 8-256 (Kumar)

Bowling: Wood 10-2-30-1; Willey 9-0-40-3;

Plunkett 5-0-41-0 (2w); Ali 10-0-47-0; Stokes

6-0-43-0 (2w); Rashid 10-0-49-3 (1w)

ENGLANDJ. Vince run out (Pandya/Dhoni) ................ 27

J. Bairstow c Raina b Thakur ....................... 30

J. Root not out ............................................ 100

E. Morgan not out ........................................ 88

Extras (b3, lb6, nb1, w5) ............................ 15

Total (2 wkts, 44.3 overs) ............. 260Did not bat: J Buttler, B Stokes, M Ali, D Willey,

L Plunkett, A Rashid, M Wood

Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Bairstow), 2-74 (Vince)

Bowling: Kumar 7-0-49-0; Pandya 5.3-0-39-0

(3w); Thakur 10-0-51-1 (2w); Chahal 10-0-41-0

(1nb); K Yadav 10-0-55-0; Raina 2-0-16-0;

Result: England won by eight wickets

Man-of-the-match: Adil Rashid (ENG)

Series: England win three-match series 2-1

Man-of-the-series: Joe Root (ENG)

SCOREBOARD

20 WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2018HOME

HIGH TIDE 09:00 – 21:15 LOW TIDE 03:45 – 14:00

Hot daytime with slight dust to blowing

dust at places by afternoon

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 35oC 44oC

FAJRSHOROOK

03. 27 AM

04. 54 AM

11. 40 AM

03. 05 PM

06. 28 PM

07. 58 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

Emerging Doha-based artists’ works on displayRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

DOHA: An eclectic mix of contemporary artworks by emerging Doha-based artists are on show at the third annual Artist in Residence exhibition which opened yesterday at the Fire Station’s Garage Gallery.

Dubbed Dual Inspirations, the exhibition, which runs until October 1, marks the end of another highly successful season of the Artist in Residence Programme — an annual initiative that nurtures creative talent from across the country under the patronage of Qatar Museums (QM) Chairperson, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

This year’s edition is presented as a conversation between two artists sharing their perspectives on the same topic. The main narrative of the exhibition is based on the idea of “reflection and inspiration”, whereby two artists are matched in one section under a specific theme which describes their work. Themes include: Memory, Constructivism, Material, Con-templation, Abstractionism, City, Result, Self, Per-ception and Viewpoint.

“The exhibition explores the ideas that revolve around inspiration as a platform though which 18 artists experiment in relation to the creative process,” said the curator, Dr Bahaa Abudaya, who is also the curator of Contemporary Art at the Fire Station.

“Active discussion and interaction between artists and curator helped to raise issues pertinent to the

identity of contemporary art production and the essence of a truly contemporary artwork,” added Abudaya.

Participating artists include Mubarak Nasser Al-Thani, May Saleh Al Mannai, Islam Shehab, Fatima Mohammed, Alexandra Jawe Oddie, Ahmad Nooh Ahmad, Paul Valentine, Yasser Abdulla Al Mulla, Ryan Browning, Fatma Al Naimi, Wajiha Pervez, Yousef Fawzi Bahzad, Diogo Esteves, Aisha Al Fadhala, Aisha Al Malki, Yassmin Al Khasawneh, Shouq Al Mana, and Rachel Leah Cohn.

Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director of the Fire Station, commented: “This exhibition is not only a testament to the world-class artistic talent that exists among

Qatar’s creative community, but is also a proof of the impact that the programme has had in terms of nurturing our artists’ skills. I am proud to announce the conclusion of another exciting edition and look forward to being amazed by our artists’ future endeavours.”

The exhibition also features a section titled Con-temporary Artists Reading Modernism Loudly which discusses the inspiring relationship between con-temporary and modern art. Participating artists were tasked with visiting Mathaf and choosing an artwork that inspires and informs their own practice. The selected artworks are presented alongside their own to emphasise a dialogue that has taken place between two epochs and generations of artists. Some of the artists’ ideas were an extension and an answer to works by those pioneers, while others were chosen to question or provide a contrast to the works pre-sented at Mathaf. Participating artists include Mubarak Nasser Al Thani, May Saleh Al Mannai, Fatima Mohammed, Yousef Fawzi Bahzad, Paul Val-entine, Ryan Browning, and Diogo Esteves.

The Artist in Residency Programme provides participants with a chance to delve into the world of aestheticism and be exposed to influential mentors that can help them challenge and develop their artistic skills. The programme is a highlight of QM’s initiatives, all which aim to create a new generation of talents that can inspire audiences and drive forward Qatar’s cultural sector.

Third annual Artists in Residence exhibition which opened at Fire Station’s Garage Gallery, yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

QNL and Unesco to support Arab documentary heritage preservationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar National Library (QNL) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) have signed an agreement to implement a joint project entitled ‘Supporting Documentary Heritage Libraries in the Arab Region.’

The agreement will strengthen the role of QNL and Unesco in preserving the rich cultural heritage present in libraries across the Arab region, which is of critical importance worldwide. The project aims to protect the Arab region’s history, identity, and knowledge through the preservation of documentary heritage, which cur-rently runs the risk of being lost due to neglect, natural decay, outdated technology, inadequate housing, or deliberate destruction.

Taking place over an 18-month period, the extensive project will ensure that the documentary heritage of all countries in the Arab region is

mapped, and that specific areas which require capacity-building and addi-tional support are identified. An important outcome will be the pro-vision of capacity-building training sessions and workshops for docu-mentary heritage preservation prac-titioners based in countries in crisis, providing guidance on the preventive conservation of documentary heritage in emergency situations.

The project will also strengthen the existing cooperation between QNL and Unesco, and build on both organizations’ achievements in preserving and pro-moting documentary heritage in the Arab region. Commenting on the agreement, Dr. Stuart Hamilton, Deputy Executive Director for International Relations and Communications, QNL, said: “Archival and library materials are of vital importance to a nation’s legacy. We are proud to be working with Unesco to support heritage libraries in the Arab region, and to raise awareness of their significance.”

Anna Paolini, Unesco Represent-ative in the Arab States of the Gulf and Yemen, and Director of the Unesco Doha Office, said: “The Middle East is home to extraordinary cultural heritage. The manuscripts, books, maps, videos and archives of the region are a contri-bution to the history of humanity, and it is therefore essential to protect and promote them to foster a dialogue between cultures; and that’s what we hope to achieve through this project.”

“With the support of Qatar National

Library, we aim to gain a good under-standing of the challenges and needs of heritage institutions in the region in order to better assist them in conserving and bringing to light the region’s most valuable documents,” added Paolini. The joint project supports QNL’s ongoing role as the regional Preservation and Conservation Centre (PAC) for Arab countries and the Middle East. QNL was selected as the regional PAC in 2015 by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Officials during the signing of the agreement.

14 new doctors join HMC’s Bone and Joint CenterTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Fourteen physicians have joined Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Bone and Joint Center after successfully completing their residency training programs. The physi-cians, who completed programs in orthopedic surgery, foot and ankle surgery, and spine surgery, were recognized during a ceremony held at the Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel recently.

Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, HMC’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medical Education, and Dr Yousuf Al Maslamani, Medical Director at Hamad General Hospital, attended the ceremony, which included a keynote speech from Dr Mohamed Al Ateeq, Director of

the Bone and Joint Center. Dr Al Ateeq, who is also Chairman of HMC’s Orthopedic Department, noted that HMC’s orthopedic res-idency program allows young doctors to train alongside leaders

in orthopedic surgery, gaining knowledge and experience through tutorials in the clinic and the operating theater.

“We are delighted to graduate this new group of

resident physicians who have the knowledge and clinical and sur-gical skills required to practice at the highest possible level of competence. These graduates have completed excellent

training programs and have demonstrated they have the capacity and capabilities to become leaders in orthopedics and rehabilitation research, edu-cation, and patient care,” said Dr Al Ateeq.

While, Dr Al Khal called HMC’s residency programs an important investment in Qatar’s future and said residency training is a vital step in a physician’s pro-gression to practice. He noted that HMC’s orthopedics residency program is providing the next gen-eration of physicians with the training and education needed to deliver the very best patient care.

“Residencies help prepare physicians for productive careers in medicine. HMC’s residency and fellowship programs play an essential role in providing

Qatar’s next generation of phy-sicians with the training and edu-cation they need to deliver the very best care. Hamad is a premier teaching hospital which has been recognized interna-tionally for a commitment to high-quality medical education. Our programs meet interna-t i o n a l l y b e n c h m a r k e d standards,” said Dr Al Khal.

During the ceremony, a number of the physicians were recognized for their performance in the residency program. Dr Fadi Bouri received the Best Intern award, Dr Hassan Abu Hijla was named Best Instructor, Dr Abdul Jabbar Al Humoud received the Best Researcher award, and Dr. Shaheen Abdul Qayyum earned the Service award.

Newly joined doctors with officials at the HMC’s Bone and Joint Center.

Algerian Foreign Minister meets Qatar’s envoyALGIERS: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Abdelkader Messahel, yesterday met Ambassador of Qatar to Algeria, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al Sahlawi, on the occasion of ending his tenure. The Algerian Minister of foreign affairs expressed his wishes of success to Qatar’s ambassador in his future diplomatic posts.