Volume 24 | Number 7885 | 2 RiyalsWednesday 8 May 2019 | 3 Ramadan 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

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BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 07

Record-breaking season thrills Qatar’s motor sport family

World-class Swedish CNG buses to hit

Qatari roads before 2022 FIFA Cup

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Ramadan TimingToday's Iftar: 6:11pm

Tomorrow's Imsak: 03:19am

DOHA METRO STARTS TODAY

50%

400 m

Revolutionising country's transport system

Amir exchanges Ramadan greetings with Somali President

Amir receives more Ramadan well-wishers

QNA/DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani exchanged greetings with President Mohammed Abdul lahi Faramago of the Republic of Somalia, on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, in a telephone conversation His Highness held last evening.

Mahaseel to begin marketing local products from June 5THE PENINSULA/DOHA

Hassad, Qatar’s premier investor in the food sector announced yesterday that Mahaseel for Marketing and Agri Services would commence receiving and marketing the local agricultural products in the Qatari market on June 5.

The company also announced that the gov-ernment has allocated a piece of land, as a permanent head-quarters for the Mahaseel’s project, near the new central market in A’Sailiyah. �P3

THE PENINSULA DOHA

A new study by Qatar University (QU) titled ‘Blockade on Business: A Survey of Qatar’s Financial and Industrial Firms’ has revealed that 69% of financial companies in Qatar said that the impact of the blockade on business revenues was ‘neutral’.

The study was conducted by the QU represented by The Social and Economic Research Institute (SESRI) and the College of Business and Eco-nomics (CBE), in collaboration with the Qatar Finance and

Business Academy (QFBA).The study focused on the

industrial and financial sectors, using the highest scientific research methodology, to identify the initial and ongoing effects of the blockade on the functioning of the companies, as well as their outlook for the future.

The opinion of financial companies was more positive about the impact of the blockade than industrial companies, with 69% of financial companies stating that the impact of the blockade on business revenues was “neutral” and, conversely, only 22% of industrial companies

said their revenues remained the same as before the blockade.

In addition, 46% of com-panies in the industrial sector reported an increase in demand for their products, with the exception of the construction sector, where demand remained low.

Looking at the supply chains and the import and export capacity of Qatar, companies experienced some difficulties, however, 63% of companies reported being able to find alter-native countries in a very short period of time (less than 5 months).

The goal of the study is to obtain firm-level assessments of Qatar’s business environment, employment and labour markets, trade and logistics, and finance and investment conditions.

The SESRI event where QU representatives announced the results of the study was attended by Qatar University President Dr Hassan Al Derham and CEO of QFBA Dr Khalid Al Horr.

Director of SESRI Dr Hassan Abdulrahim Al Sayed spoke at the event and emphasised the importance of the study in forming a comprehensive picture about the effects of the

blockade on the economic sector.

Manager of the Policy Department in SESRI, Dr Majed Mohammed Al Ansari gave a presentation, which included a set of recommendations for decision makers. Al Ansari said the results showed that in terms of general working conditions in Qatar, companies are generally positive and optimistic about the future, as local markets have improved dramatically and have been able to reach new markets and suppliers.

In addition, Al Ansari said policymakers should look at

success stories as well as chal-lenges, building on the strengths and creativity of Qatar’s business community. They should con-tinue to look for ways to enhance business flexibility to access import sources and export des-tinations. The government should also encourage an effective response to future dia-logue between the business community.

Finally, it is recommended to investigate the reasons why industrial companies and financial companies differ in their perception of the financial circumstances in the country.

For majority of financial firms impact of blockade is 'neutral'

Doha Metro to revolutionise travel experience from todaySACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

As Doha Metro Red Line South is set to start operations today, it will revolutionise the way people move around Doha and its suburbs. Traveling with Doha metro will not only be time saving but will also be comfortable, entertaining and convenient. The state-of-the-art Doha Metro will cut over 50 percent of travel time and will offer free Wi-Fi to the commuters, allowing them to check e-mails and browse internet on the go.

From today, 13 stations on the Red Line will be open, from Al Wakra in the south to Al Qassar in the north, the Ministry of Transport and Communications had announced on Monday.

People can travel on Doha Metro with different kinds of

travel cards. Standard Travel Cards can be purchased from self service Travel Card Vending Machines (TVMs) at all Doha Metro stations and from licenced retailers such as Al Meera, Lulu, and Carrefour. Limited Use Travel Cards can also be purchased from TVMs. A single ride starts from QR2 while full day travel will cost QR6.

Doha Metro is one of the fastest driverless trains in the world and will be the fastest in the region, which will able to reach 100km per hour. The trains will deliver a safe, reliable and fast commuter service for pas-sengers. There is an integrated strategy in place for facilitating commuters to get to and from the stations and providing end to end journeys.

Mowasalat has announced special deals in their Karwa taxis

and also free feeder buses for metro commuters. To solve the last mile connectivity, it will be running metrolink feeder buses from stations. “Take the first and last mile connect to Doha Metro riding free in comfort and luxury of metrolink feeder buses,” Mow-asalat said yesterday in a tweet.

“Karwa taxi paasengers trav-elling to and from any metro station can book taxi through Karwa App using promo code RAIL to avail flat QR8 promo-tional fare for a journey within 3km,” it added. There will be safe pedestrians walk-ways within 400 metre of every stations and bike-ways with in two kilometre of each Doha metro stations.

Commuters will be able to access travel information like never before with integrated journey planner apps that will help com-muters in planning their travel.

Amir graces QF convocation 2019

FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday graced the graduation ceremony of the 2019 batch of universities of the Education City, which celebrated the achievements of 787 students,

at the Ceremonial Court in Education City.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of QF; H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF; H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee and several other dignitaries also

graced the ceremony.The celebration was held in

honour of students graduating from Hamad Bin Khalifa Uni-versity (HBKU), QF’s partner uni-versities and graduate colleges in computer science, design, Islamic studies, engineering, international relations and med-icine. �P4

I am pleased to attend the graduation ceremony of the new batch of Education City universities, and looking forward to see every year these distinguished youth of Qatar, residents and students from abroad create a beacon of renaissance for Qatar, Arabs and the world.

Ajax vs Tottenham

SEMI-FINAL 2ND LEG RESULT

TODAY'S FIXTURE: SEMI-FINAL 2ND LEG(KICKOFF 10:00PM QATAR TIME)

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

There will also be real time pas-senger information systems to

ensure that commuters are always updated.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), and H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF, during the Qatar Foundation convocation held at the Education City, yesterday.

QNA/DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received at Al Wajba Palace yesterday, more well-wishers including Their Excellencies Sheikhs and citizens, on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Personal Representative of H H the Amir, attended the reception along with a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs. �P2

Doha Metro expected to cut travel time by over

Free Wi-Fi will be available on trains

Free feeder buses for Metro passengers

Safe pedestrian walkways within of stations

02 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019HOME

Amir receives more Ramadan well-wishers

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received, at Al Wajba Palace yesterday, more well-wishers including Their Excellencies Sheikhs and citizens, on the advent of the Holy month of Ramadan. H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Personal Representative of H H the Amir, attended the reception along with a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs.

03WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 HOME

Speaker of Shura Council meets President of Burundi SenateThe Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, met yesterday with the President of the Senate of the Republic of Burundi, Reverien Ndikuriyo, and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they discussed the mutual cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Burundi and ways of promoting it, especially in the parliamentary field, in addition to issues of common interest. The President of the Senate of Burundi congratulated

the Speaker of the Shura Council on the success of the meetings of the 140th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentray Union, which was held in Doha under the chairmanship of the Speaker of the Shura Council in April. The President of the Senate of Burundi underlined the significance of the outcome of those meetings in the march of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The meeting was attended by Mohammed bin Mansour Al Shahwani, member of the Qatar-Africa Friendship Group.

Amir receives more Ramadan well-wishers

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received, at Al Wajba Palace yesterday, more well-wishers including Their Excellencies Sheikhs and citizens, on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan. H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Personal Representative of H H the Amir, attended the reception along with a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs.

National Museum of Qatar welcomes over 132,000 visitors in first monthTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) has welcomed over 132,000 visitors in the first month since opening, firmly establishing its keystone role in the country’s cultural infrastructure.

Since opening its doors to the public on March 28, the NMoQ’s immersive experience has attracted thousands of residents and tourists with its use of audio-visual presentations, digital exhi-bitions, historical artefacts and immersive, multisensory approach.

It has also hosted several workshops, talks and presenta-tions for members of the com-munity. From welcoming some of the world’s best-known artists, to creating new go-to sites for fam-ilies, NMoQ has become a desti-nation for those who want to learn about the country and its people.

As the country’s national museum, NMoQ also strives to create a dialogue with members of the community to gather feedback, ideas and recommen-dations for improving the museum experience. It held the first ever seminar in Qatar to specifically address the field of Visitor Studies in museums and cultural institutions.

Distinguished international speakers including Jo Har-greaves, Director of Morris Har-greaves MacIntyre, Dr Alexandra

Bounia, Professor of Museum Studies at UCL Qatar, and Dr Karen Exell, Senior Museum Development Specialist at NMoQ, gave insightful presen-tations, and a keynote address was delivered by Professor John H. Falk from the Institute for Learning Innovation, Oregon State University.

Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al Thani, Director of the National Museum of Qatar, said, “After more than a decade of planning, we are deeply grat-ified to welcome the people of Qatar and our international vis-itors to this exciting, multi-layered, experiential museum. From the start, Qatar Museums and the National Museum team

knew that we wanted to create a living experience for our people—a museum with a heart. We have created galleries full of movement, sound, and color in order to engage our public fully, with their senses and emotions as well as their intellects, and have assembled creative and authentic content that is so rich that people will discover some-thing new with each visit. It is now time for the discoveries to begin.”

QM has also developed strong ties with local schools through a number of interactive and inclusive programmes, including the Teacher’s Council, and creative teaching materials. Since the museum opening, 18 schools

visited NMOQ to discover its gal-leries and educational offerings.

Building on QM’s long-standing role as partner to Qatar’s educational institutions, NMoQ educators are also offering ‘welcome tours’ featuring insights into how the topics and themes of the museum can support classroom learning and cur-riculum development. Schools can now book structured workshop sessions taking place from September.

NMoQ is planning a range of events and programmes to run across the summer, including launching ‘Activity Backpacks’ which children and families could pick up at reception to have access to themed activities related to the gallery they are visiting. In collab-oration with the Friends of the Environment Centre, NMoQ will be installing an insect breeding cage in the Natural Environments galleries for visitors to learn about and observe the lifecycle of insects, with FoEC specialists on hand to talk to visitors.

Working with Al Thuraya Planetarium (Katara), NMoQ will launch a programme of in-gallery expert talks and short films con-nected to celestial navigation and traditional practices. Later in the year, to celebrate the opening of the NMoQ playgrounds in the fall, NMoQ will organise a week-long festival of family activities, including drama, film, art and food.

The NMoQ’s immersive experience has attracted thousands of residents and tourists.

Initiative for bakeries launchedTHE PENINSULA DOHA

On the occasion of the holy month and within the framework of its efforts to bolster various commercial activities across Qatar, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced yesterday an initiative aimed at supporting and bolstering the productivity of bakeries, restaurants, cafe-terias and juice shops during Ramadan.

The Ministry authorised bakeries, restaurants, cafeterias and juice shops to offer various

items in demand during the holy month. The items covered by the initiative include Kebabs, Qatayef and sambusas in addition to different kinds of pastries and sweets served during Ramadan.

The initiative is aimed at bolstering various sectors and business activities in Qatar, and to encourage bakeries, restau-rants, cafeterias and juice shops to increase productivity and enhance the quality of their products during the holy month in addition to easing consumers’ access to these products across different outlets.

Mahaseel to begin marketing local products from June 5FROM PAGE 1

Given the Hassad aims to support the local market needs, the company has allocated an assembly point at the current central market in Abu Hamour, to start the first phase until Mahaseel’s permanent facility is ready.

Mohamed Al Ghaithani (pictured), Mahaseel’s General Manager, said: We are pleased to announce that June 5 is the com-mencement date for

receiving and marketing the agricultural products in the local market. Mahaseel aims to contribute to achieving self- sufficiency in vege-tables sector and ease the burden on local farmers’ in order to focus on enhancing the quality and quantity of local produce”.

Al Ghaithani said that Mahaseel has put in place a well-established operations module to ensure that the products are delivered to the

assembly point, sorted, packaged then marketed in the local market in an effi-cient and smooth process, to ensure the product is delivered to the consumer in the best form.

Mahaseel is currently working with local farmers (who signed up) to identify the types, grades and quan-tities of vegetable products that will be marketed based on their contracts in the first phase.

Overall aid provided by QRCS over past three years benefited 30 millionTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) said that the overall aid provided by QRCS over the past three years amounted to above QR1bn, used to fund hundreds of relief, development, and social projects for up to 30 million beneficiaries in and out of Qatar.

In a statement on the occasion of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day that will be marked tomorrow, Sec-retary-General of QRCS Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi said, “All of these achievements, and their underlying principles and values, were possible only with the spirit of compassion, benev-olence, and commitment among our staff and volunteers.”

“Love is the energy that motivates you to give and to overcome the challenges to your cause. We stand by humanity everywhere. Vulnerable indi-viduals are our target. Saving lives is our goal, and preserving dignity is the basis of whatever we do,” he added.

“As part of the Movement, we have intensified our efforts

to help the victims of disasters and conflicts around the world,” said Al Hammadi. “We also work to serve the Qatari community across a wide range of fields and target groups”.

The QRCS, together with the fellow members of the Interna-tional Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, marks World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, which is observed every year on 8 May.

Remarkably, this year is the centenary of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which was established in 1919.

Over the year, the world cel-ebrates the power of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, as well as the contributions of staff and move than 12 million active volunteers.

Under the theme of #Love, the celebration is aimed at making the Movement widely visible, by highlighting its diverse and global scope of work.

Also, it seeks to mobilize the sentiment towards the Movement in promoting the dedication and influence of Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers.

04 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019HOME

Creator of ‘Humans of New York’ all praise for Qatar FoundationFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Brandon Stanton, the creator of famous ‘Humans of New York’ has lauded the efforts made by Qatar and Qatar Foun-dation in areas of innovation and education.

Stanton in an interview with The Peninsula said that it is ‘amazing’ to see how the country is heading innovation and education.

“The Education City and the country are based on innovation and resources,” said Stanton, who is in Doha and delivered the keynote speech during the Qatar Foundation Convocation 2019, yesterday.

Stanton is an American author, photographer, and blogger. He is the author of ‘Humans of New York’, a

photoblog and book. He is one of Time’s ‘30 Under 30 People Changing The World’.

He has emerged as a worldwide Internet phenomenon and one of today’s most influential story tellers. He started as a photographer and story teller in 2010, when he was fired from a bond trading job.

“Bond trading and photography are two completely different worlds. Bond

trading is very intellectually stimulating and markets are fascinating. But it is a very synthetic world,” he said.

“The move to photography was opposite and it is interacting with the physical world, learning about people and their stories. But I think that’s what I was missing in bond trading,” he added.

Since 2010, Stanton has talked to 10,000 people living and working pri-marily in New York City, accompanied by bits of conversations about their lives. He has also travelled outside of the United States, capturing people and their lives in more than 20 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Mexico.

Followed by over 25 million people on social media, ‘Humans of New York’

features daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.

“I look for people who are alone. People I choose randomly but it takes long time to get to the very emotional story of people,” said Stanton.

“As a photographer and story teller I used to get up and go choose what work I do,” he said. He also said that it is important to find the ‘big purpose’ of life which is “what we want to do and love what we do.”

In recent years, Stanton has expanded the blog to include stories from over thirty different countries, and was invited in 2015 to interview Barack Obama in the oval office. In 2017, ‘Humans of New York’ was turned into a television series that is now available on Facebook Watch.

Brandon Stanton, Creator of the Popular Humans of New York blog at Qatar Foundation. PIC: ABDUL BASIT /

THE PENINSULA

The Education City and the country are based on innovation and resources, said Stanton, who is in Doha and delivered the keynote speech during the Qatar Foundation Convocation 2019, last evening.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the graduation ceremony of Class of 2019.

Amir graces QF convocation 2019

FROM PAGE 1This year’s graduating class

included 378 Qatari and other from 70 different nationalities. The graduating Class of 2019 joined the QF’s growing global alumni network which is 5,059 members.

“For our Class of 2019 grad-uates, Convocation has many things: a personal and shared cel-ebration, a source of pride, and a time to reflect on their achieve-ments and experiences at Edu-cation City. It is a culmination — but it is also a beginning,” said Sheikha Hind.

“At Convocation, the talented, dedicated, and ambitious young people that Qatar Foundation is proud to have called our students step out of one phase of their lives and into the next. A future that holds challenges and possibilities awaits them, but wherever their path leads, they will travel it empowered by the knowledge that they are as well-equipped to create, innovate, contribute, and thrive as any set of graduates in the world,” she said.

“Every member of our Class of 2019 has recognized and max-imized the unique educational opportunity that Qatar Foundation provides. Their academic excel-lence has been matched by their growth as knowledge-seekers,

critical thinkers, and active cit-izens who are determined to be drivers of positive change. As embodiments of QF’s belief in what quality education stands for, and what it makes possible, they will always be part of our story – and we will watch with pride as they write their own,” she added.

Among them,173 graduated from homegrown research institute HBKU, 129 from HEC Paris, 111 from Texas A&M Uni-versity at Qatar (TAMUQ), 68 from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), 84 from Virginia

Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), 49 from the Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar (WCM-Q), 78 from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), 64 from the Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) and 30 from UCL-Qatar.

“The learning experience at VCUarts Qatar and Qatar Foun-dation is an lifetime opportunity and experience,” said Yasamin Shaikhi, a graduate in Interior Design.

Salman Shaban, who grad-uated in Executive Masters from

HEC Paris-Qatar said, “I had the opportunity to learn a perfect MBA programme and the journey has been very memorable.” Shaban owns a recycling factory in Doha.

Hassan Al Jahni, graduated with a degree in Communica-tions from the NU-Q also shared a similar thought and said, “It was an opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge.” With a passion in story telling Al Jahni is aims at making short films in future.

The students received rings from deans of the respective campuses and colleges before they did the traditional walk through the ‘Door to the Future,’ symbolising their

passage from QF partner uni-versities to the next stage of their lives. Throughout the years, this door has witnessed the passage of thousands of QF graduates who now hold notable positions in different sectors, and play crucial roles in organisations in Qatar and across the region.

The 2019 Convocation keynote speaker was Brandon Stanton, author of ‘Humans of New York.’

“The modern world has trained us to judge all our efforts by the immediate feedback that they get, but the more sus-tainable and more sturdy path to success is to forget about those things that are outside your

control, and focus on the things that you can control – the amount of work that you put in, and what you do on a 24-hour basis with your time,” Stanton said.

The project Mobsron was announced as the winner of Cycle 2 of QF’s Akhlaquna Award – an initiative announced by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser in 2017 that aims to help nurture pos-itive behavioral change within society.

Created by students Nawal Al Kurbi, Almazun Al Marri, and Amal Al Gherainig, Mobsron is a mobile app that helps people who are blind and visually impaired to order food, review ingredients, and compare prices.

FROM LEFT: Yasamin Shaikhi, Salman Shaban and Hassan Al Jahni. PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

05WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 HOME

Second Akhlaquna Award announced

FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

An audible mobile application which aims to promote the value of mercy, has won the Cycle 2 of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Akhlaquna Award and it was presented by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, at the Education City Convocation ceremony, yesterday.

The project initially stemmed from the belief that it is every human’s right to live a dignified, independent life and be provided with equal opportunities to participate in society.

The Akhlaquna Award was first announced by H H Sheikha Moza during QF’s 2017 Convocation ceremony. The award is designed to rec-ognise and celebrate young people who display exemplary moral character for the good of humanity.

Mobsron, a fully-audible mobile application that pro-vides people who are blind and visually impaired with a tool for ordering food, reviewing ingre-dients, and comparing prices, led by 17-year-old Nawal Al Kurbi with Almazun Al Marri, and Amal Al Gherainig.

“I am very proud that Mobsron has won this pres-tigious award,” Nawal Al Kurbi said. “I couldn’t have achieved this without my teammates. We believe that winning this award will help us to reach a larger audience and take our project to the next level, with Qatar Foundation’s support,” said Nawal.

The Akhlaquna Award was first announced by H H Sheikha Moza during QF’s 2017 Convocation ceremony. The award recognises and celebrates young people who display exemplary moral character for the good of humanity.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, awarded students Nawal Al Kurbi, Almazun Al Marri and Amal Al Gherainig with the 2nd annual Akhlaquna Award for their project “Mobsron”, which aims to empower and integrate the visually impaired in society through a mobile app that aids in food ordering and restaurant transactions.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, attended the 2019 Qatar Foundation Convocation, which celebrated the 787 students graduating from nine Education City universities.

Almazun, the initiative’s deputy leader, said, “Each human has the right to live an inde-pendent life, and it is for this reason that we launched our mobile app. Through this human initiative, we are looking to provide a very effective service to help the blind and visually impaired in Qatar, and hopefully beyond.”

Amal who is the initiative’s media specialist,said, “My par-ticipation in the Akhlaquna Award this year has given me confidence to follow my beliefs – without hesitation – and to challenge myself.”

Mobsron was one of the three

finalists who were shortlisted from among a hundred applica-tions for the award.

“The ultimate aim of this award is to recognise and cele-brate young people who have developed projects that embody exemplary moral character and inspire others to effect positive change in their communities. Mobsron is a great example of how Qatar Foundation, through this award, is committed to helping empower the next gen-eration of leaders, and how our youth are responding to this,” said Machaille Al Naimi, Pres-ident of Community Devel-opment, QF.

Cycle 2 of the initiative aims to highlight projects that best embody moral values shared across different religions and cultures – reflecting Qatar’s diverse and multicultural envi-ronment, while being rooted in Islamic heritage.

This year’s finalists are Future Compass, a summer pro-gramme created by 15-year-old

student Eman Alobaide that sees 25 local organisations providing real-life work experience to young people; Tmakkan, a pro-gramme established by 19-year-old Reema Al Kuwari, where retired people serve as mentors to young Qatari professionals.

The Cycle 2 finalists were chosen by this year’s jury members, Amaal Al Mannai,

Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Foundation for Social Work; Dr Jassim Sultan, Director of Wijdan Cultural Centre; Dr Emad El Din Shahin, Dean of the College Of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, a member of QF; and Professor Mabrouk Zeid Elkheir, Director of the National Centre for Research in Islamic Sciences in Algeria.

Qatar, Ethiopia promote security cooperation

The State of Qatar and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia signed yesterday a Letter-of-Intent which aims to promote joint security cooperation between both countries. The Letter-of-Intent was signed by the Director of Public Security, Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim Al Khulaifi, and Commissioner General of the Federal Police Commission in Ethiopia, Endeshaw Tassew, who is currently visiting the country.

TNG Volleyball Team wins gold medalThe TNG volleyball team bagged the gold medal at the 12th School Olympic Program. The students participated in two different categories – Level 1 & Level 2. In both the categories students participated enthusiastically and showed great potential. The winners of the match were presented with gold medal during the award ceremony held at Aspire Academy recently.

06 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019HOME

First Deputy PM of Kosovo meets Qatari AmbassadorQNA PRISTINA

The first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli, met with the non-resident Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Kosovo, Ali bin Hamad Al Marri.

During the meeting, they discussed the bilateral rela-tions and ways of strength-ening and developing them, as well as issues of mutual interest.

LG & Jumbo to sponsor H H the Amir Volleyball Cup THE PENINSULA DOHA

Jumbo Electronics & LG have signed a sponsorship agreement with the Qatar Volleyball Asso-ciation last week to sponsor H H the Amir Volleyball Cup 2019.

From Jumbo Electronics, Sajed Jassim Mohammed Sulaiman, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, and C V Rappai, Director & CEO, were present along with Qatar Vol-leyball Associations (QVA) Pres-ident, Ali Ghanin Al Kuwari, and Youssef Ahmed Kanuat, Treasurer, at the sponsorship signing event.

The main round of the

volleyball tournament began on May 4 with the finals slated for May 17.

Ali Ghanim Al Kuwari expressing gratitude to Jumbo Electronics & LG stated, “This is not the first time that Jumbo Electronics & LG have offered their sponsorship to QVA. We warmly welcome them on board the championship. The Amir Cup is the season-ending event and all the participating teams have put in great efforts to win it every year. They bring some of the best players in the world in a bid to become champions. As a result, the tournament benefits and the sport also prospers.”

“We are happy to sponsor the championship. It is a great honour for us to be a part of this

premier tournament in Qatar. Our association with the QVA goes

back many years but H H the Amir Volleyball Cup is certainly our

proudest moment. We are com-mitted to the society and sports provides us a big avenue to serve this community,” said Sajed Jassim Mohammed Sulaiman, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Jumbo Electronics.

Jumbo Electronics is one of the leading business groups in Qatar offering a diverse range of products and services across its various business verticals in con-sumer electronics & durables retailing, wholesale, telecom services, B2B, MEP and after sales service. With over 13 retail outlets, over 100 channel partners it has developed a for-midable sales network over the past 4 decades.

The officials of Jumbo Electronics and Qatar Volleyball Association during the signing ceremony on the sponsorship of H H the Amir Volleyball Cup 2019.

Doha Forum returns this December to address most pressing challenges THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Doha Forum will return for a 19th edition this December 14 and 15, under the patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The annual policy gathering will be held under the theme ‘Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World’, building on last year’s success that saw eye-opening conversations with world leaders, enriched by a new partnership model.

This edition will also see the launch of the Doha Forum Award, given for the first time in 2019 to an individual or organ-isation that demonstrates out-standing achievements rooted in the core values of Doha Forum—dialogue, diplomacy and diversity. The winner will be announced at Doha Forum this December.

Doha Forum 2019 will also see the return of last year’s stra-tegic partners including Inter-national Crisis Group, European Council for Foreign Relations, and Munich Security Conference, each of which will curate panel discussions and offer expertise into some of the world’s most pressing challenges around security, defence, humanitarian crises and foreign relations.

Lolwah Al Khater, Spokes-person for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Qatar, said: “We live in a world undergoing massive shifts in power, politics and trade. In the midst of breakthroughs in technology, issues of migration, and increasingly complex security challenges, a new format of dialogue is needed to forge a consensus. I look forward to welcoming leaders from around the world to another series of diverse, inclusive and action-ori-ented conversations.” The 2019

Forum will tackle key themes including; Trends and Tech-nology; Trade and Investment; Human Capital and Inequality; Security, Cyber Governance, and Defence; International Organi-sations, Civil Society and Non-State Actors; and Culture and Identity. Last edition brought together decision-makers, heads of state, ministers, business executives and advocates. Key speakers included His Highness and President of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno; UN Secretary-General, António Gutteres; Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohamed Javad Zarif; Nobel Laureate, Nadia Murad; Japanese Foreign Minister, Taro Kono; President of the United Nations General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés; Foreign Min-ister of Romania, and Teodor-Viorel Meleşcanu; and Wolfgang Ischinger Chairman, Munich Security Conference.

Ministry of Education reviews achievements QNA/DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, represented by the School Evaluation Office, held a seminar entitled ‘Achievements Day’ during which it reviewed a number of achievements of the competent task forces of the Ministry in various fields, including the revision of national school accredi-tation standards, mechanisms and procedures for the accreditation of private schools and the revision of the criteria and procedures for evaluating kinder-gartens and public schools.

The work of the Statistics Committee of the Min-istry and two working groups were also reviewed to prepare operational plans for public schools and kindergartens and private schools and kindergartens, as well as discussing the achievements of the working group of the awareness and information plan.

Director of the Evaluation Authority at the Min-istry, Khalid Al Harqan, praised the achievements made and the future development plans for the man-agement of the schools’ evaluation, stressing the importance of commitment to excellence, quality

and impartiality in the work. Director of the Education Development and

Training Centre, Mona Mohamed Al Kuwari, spoke on ‘The Art of Managing Change’ and its influential and effective role in all areas of life. She pointed out that the world of management is currently under-going continuous change, including the process of innovation and development, which is characterised by speed, flexibility and high quality, noting the importance of change management in solving problems and making good decisions. The seminar included a workshop entitled ‘Hand in Hand for Qatar’ by the human development coach Hamza Al Dosari, during which he discussed a number of topics, including the characteristics of the successful team and mechanisms to promote the spirit of work, coop-eration and altruism among the members of the team.

He also discussed the importance of harmony, coordination and flexibility in work, as well as clarity of vision and removal of obstacles, if any, and emphasise the importance of exchanging experi-ences and acceptance of the other opinion and pro-fessional work and objectivity.

PISQ holds annual award ceremony THE PENINSULA DOHA

Pakistan International School Qatar (PISQ) has recognised the outstanding accomplishments of the high achievers who came off with flying colours in the annual examination of academic year 2018-19 by conferring medals, and merit certificates on them at a ceremony.

The annual prize distribution ceremony is a regular feature instituted to acknowledge the marvellous talent and extra-ordinary perseverance of the stu-dents who scale the ladder of success by dint of sheer com-mitment and academic excellence.

Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, Ambassador of Pakistan, graced the occasion as a chief guest. The Ambassador admired the whole administration of the school and faculty for bringing the school at the heights of excellence and expressed his happiness over the success of Bright and talented faces who will be the citizens of tomorrow who rule the world

and who are going to make a dif-ference in our society.

He said that the students are excelling pro-actively in co-cur-ricular and extra-curricular activities. He advised the faculty and students to continue working with the same devotion and passion.

The Principal of Pakistan International School, Nargis Raza Otho, Heads of all the wings, learned faculty and the out-standing achievers of Pakistan International School, parents of

the award winners and a large number of students attended the event. The ceremony was a joint venture of all the four wings of the school. Abdullah Naem, Abdullah Adil, Jawariya Rehman and Aqsa Shahid, students of girls and boys wing were the hosts of the prestigious cer-emony . First the colourful pres-entation made by the tiny tots of KG Wing earned the loudest praise by the audience. The stu-dents of primary wing per-formed short drama.

Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, Ambassador of Pakistan, with the award winning students of KG and the Principal and Vice-Principal of PISQ.

07WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 HOME

EAA launches fundraising campaignFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Education Above All (EAA) Foundation has launched a campaign to raise funds during the Holy month of Ramadan with an aim to provide quality education to marginalised children around the world.

The campaign being held for the second year under the theme ‘No Child Left Out’ aims to raise a minimum of QR 15m and will support EAA’s projects and help out of school children in several countries including in Qatar, officials said yesterday.

The collected funds will assist projects implemented by EAA’s pro-grammes - Educate A Child (EAC) and Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) - in countries including Somalia, Gaza, Lebanon, Turkey, Mali, Pakistan, Iraq and many others.

“The EAA Ramadan Campaign will

target huge brand awareness of EAA and its global work across Qatar through dif-ferent channels. Last year we aimed at raising QR10m and collected QR23m.

“This year we aim at raising minimum of QR15m and have a special focus on out of school children in Qatar,” said Mohamed Al Naama, Senior Rep-resentative of Fundraising Department at EAA.

Prof Dr Ali M Al Qaradaghi, Sec-retary-General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and Vice Chairman for European Council for Fatwa and Research, said, “Zakat and Sadaqah hold extreme importance in empowering underprivileged. And EAA Foundation is eligible to receive Sadaqah and Zakat donations.”

The EAA’s Ramadan Campaign will raise awareness about the challenges the world face in accessing quality edu-cation as well as collect donations at dif-ferent locations across the country. EAA

has partnered with Lulu hypermarkets, Marriot Hotels, ExxonMobil and Qatar Airways for raising awareness. Ooredoo, Nakilat, W Hotel, QAPCO, Shell, Car-refour, ELAN, Dar Al Sharq, Qatar TV, Muntajat and Dar Al Arab are also sup-porting the initiative.

Donations can be made through donation boxes at 60 locations including shopping malls and public places.

Payments can also be made by con-tacting +974 44542288, or visiting the EAA website: donateducationaboveall.org or sending an SMS at 92016 to donate QR10, and at 92087 to donate QR100. Donations can be made through credit card, cheques, or through Ooredoo Mobile Money Account.

On May 15, Qatar TV will air a special episode during its programme Hayatuna for EAA’s fundraising cam-paign. The campaign will also be covered on Qatar radio on Layali Ramadan programme.

EAA through its projects provides and increases access to educational facilities, projects and resources;

improves the quality of education and engages youth as leaders in defining and advocating for innovative solutions.

Mohammed Jassim Al Naama (left), Senior Fundraising Representative, and Prof Dr Ali M Al Qaradaghi, Secretary-General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and Vice-Chairman for European Council for Fatwa and Research, during a press conference held on EAA’s Ramadan Campaign. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE

PENINSULA

VCUarts Qatar’s graduates step into future at 2019 commencement

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) recently held it ’s 18th annual Commencement ceremony at HBKU Student Centre in Education City to great acclaim.

It was made memorable by inspiring and touching speeches that were given by faculty, grad-uates, and the keynote speaker at the event that brought together families, friends, faculty and staff to celebrate the accomplish-ments of VCUarts Qatar’s graduates.

Dr Michael Rao, the Pres-ident of Virginia Commonwealth University told the students: “You are creative scholars who embody the very best of our uni-versity and illuminate the very meaning of our humanity. I know you will use your vast talents to benefit humankind.”

The Commencement’s Keynote Speaker, Qatari con-temporary composer, songwriter and symphonic artist Dana Al Fardan, told the students, “Today you are stepping onto a new platform; a global marketplace where your talents and skill rep-resent your international

currency, and art the interna-tional language.”

The Class of 2019 Co-Vale-dictorians Hind Ghanim Al Saad and Yeon Geong Hwang, both graphic design graduates, gave a well-received speech in which they thanked their families, fellow graduates, friends, and faculty, and looked forward to what comes next.

“All of you make up our com-munity, and because we were surrounded by you, we grew as people, developed ways of seeing, thinking and reflecting, which completely shifted our perspectives of the world, we started to notice all the small

details and see all the connec-tions. It was a creative com-munity of like-minded people, and that was our creative fuel, which made us grow and develop further as creatives, by allowing new perspectives to come in,” Hind said.

“We deeply appreciate that we had such an amazing batch as classmates and friends for the last four years. This batch had inspiring energy — that never sought to give up — and it brought us here today. It would’ve been a very different experience without every single one of you. We also want to thank the often hidden and often

less noticed staff of our uni-versity. And last but certainly not least, we thank our amazing faculty.

Sometimes I think our faculty suffers a bit more than us, and for that, we are very thankful,” Yeon said.

The university conferred 68 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art history, and eight Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in design. Nearly 60 percent of the graduating students are Qatari.

The 2019 graduating class of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) posing for a group photo.

The university conferred 68 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art history, and eight Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in design. Nearly 60 percent of the graduating students are Qatari.

HEC Paris in Qatar honours graduates at convocationTHE PENINSULA DOHA

HEC Paris in Qatar, one of the world’s leading providers of executive education, has honoured the latest graduating classes of 2019 for its inter-national Executive MBA (EMBA) and the Specialised Master in Strategic Business Unit Management (SBUM) degree programmes. The convocation ceremony was held at the Qatar Foun-dation’s Ceremonial Court for all the Education City partners, yesterday. Dr Nils Plambeck, Dean and CEO of HEC Paris in Qatar, and Jean-Paul Vermis, Chairman of the HEC Paris Board, attended the ceremony. With the underlying theme as ‘Door to the Future’, the 2019 ceremony focused on the convocation as the time for transformation and growth for grad-uates. Among the 129 graduates of HEC Paris in Qatar for 2019, 95 students were Qataris, which comprised 65 female and 30 male students whereas the total number of women and men in the class was 74 and 55, respectively. This was a remarkable year for HEC Paris in Qatar where women partici-pants outnumbered their male coun-terparts. This year’s graduates also included nationals from Europe, Central & South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Sahara & Africa, and

North America.Dr Nils Plambeck, said, “Being a

member of Qatar Foundation allows HEC Paris to unite academic excellence of world-class Executive Education programmes with a stimulating learning environment in Qatar, empowered by the unique education ecosystem of QF. And this convocation ceremony is a great platform to showcase the learning experiences of visionary leaders of Qatar as well as some of the most influential leaders of the world to inspire and ignite vigour among our graduates.”

Professor Peter Todd, Director General and Dean of HEC Paris, said, “The constantly growing number of graduates year on year is the reflection of our long-standing academic excel-lence, which is fast penetrating into Qatar’s educational landscape. We are delighted to see business leaders enhancing their knowledge and skillsets and transforming the future of the Qatari economy, he said.

Todd added, “We are confident that during the coming years, HEC Paris in Qatar will further strengthen its role of a key enabler in realising the Qatar National Vision 2030.” Since joining Qatar Foundation in 2010, HEC Paris has graduated 593 participants in Qatar - 279 in the EMBA programme and 314 in the SBUM programme.

Secret Notes boutique launches Yin Transformation at Doha Festival City

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Secret Notes boutique recently launched Yin Transformation from The Harmonist in Doha. To celebrate the launch of the new fragrances, a reception was hosted at the second branch of Secret Notes in Doha Festival City.

Present at the launch were Anne De Gravelaine, International Director; Carole Ayme, International Trainer France- Priya Sheer, Feng Shui Master and Fawaz Al Idrisi CEO of Abu Issa Holding group.

The Harmonist, the first Maison de Parfum inspired by the five ele-ments of feng shui, yin and yang, invites its users to unlock emotional clarity with a new parfum infused with the power to balance one’s inner harmony.

This interplay of energy affects the natural order of the universe creating nationally recognised global norms such as the four seasons and four directions. Centred on the concept of metamorphosis, Yin Transformation balances one’s Yin feminine energy, which in turn equalises the Yang mas-culine energy.

Through this balance, the wearer can gain clarity, thus able to optimally explore The Harmonist’s 10 signature parfums based on the five elements: metal, earth, fire, wood and water.

Yin Transformation is reminiscent of the transformation that swells first within the Yin energy itself, then moves over into Yang. We can feel this through the scent’s initial aqueous and playful, flowery base notes which sub-sequently transform and manifest in a new light via creamy notes of san-dalwood and white musk.

This fragrance is at its best parfum

concentration and provides stability and balance between yin and yang energies for the wearer.

A precious lacquered bottle is inspired by ancestral ceramic vials used by alchemists to preserve pre-cious perfume. As a piece of contem-porary art, the Yin Transformation bottle reveals an enigmatic blue colour inspired by the different facets and infinite movement of water. The blue shade also evokes the concepts of infinity, transparency, imagination, wisdom, truth, creativity, spirituality, dreams and escape.

The officials at the launch in Doha Festival City.

Qatar’s plans for World Cup are based on the hosting of 32 teams, but SC is open to the FIFA and the sports community opinions on this matter, especially that SC’s position from the beginning is that the World Cup is the championship of all peoples of the region and will benefit all of them.

08 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019VIEWS

Qatar’s World Cup achieves fast pace sustainable development

The hosting countries of the World Cup are planning to make the most of the eco-nomic benefits after the World

Cup, just as Russia achieved after 2018 edition profits estimated at $14 billion, but the State of Qatar broke this rule and turned into an exception, and began years ago to reap the benefits of hosting the 2022 World Cup through its accelerated pace of integrated and sustainable development in all sectors of the state.

Yasir Al Jamal, (pictured) Vice Chairman of the Technical Operational Office at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), said that the 2022 Qatar World Cup played an important role in accelerating the pace of development and the completion of many projects planned in advance within the Qatar National Vision 2030. He considered that the World Cup and development are two sides of a single message that Qatar is prepared to organize the most important event in the Arab region and the Middle East and provide the best version in the history

of the World Cup.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Jamal said that Qatar’s recent devel-opment projects have been planned for a long time within the Qatar National Vision, but hosting a huge his-torical event in the size of the World Cup was the main vehicle that drove these projects directly to see

the light quickly, according to the planned form and schedule set in the plan of the comprehensive committee to organize the World Cup.

He added the SC’s projects for the hosting of the World Cup began at the right time after the completion of the period of planning and design, where the start of the construction phase and all projects are now in full swing, all of which will be ready by the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.

The Qatar World Cup projects have been progressing rapidly in various sectors since 2010, which confirms the ability of Qatar to fulfill its promise to organize the best version in the history of the World Cup, serving all the coun-tries of the region and benefiting the peoples of the region, Al Jamal said.

Vice Chairman of SC’s Technical Operational Office pointed to the achievements that have been done fol-lowing eight years of hard work within an integrated plan which included sta-diums hosting World Cup matches, training grounds and infrastructure facilities. He explained that this is evident in the accelerated pace of development and the completion of many megaprojects, most notably the Doha Metro project, which three lines (red, golden, orange) will be fully com-pleted by the end 2019 and the beginning of 2020, in a major achievement and within a short period.

The World Cup stadiums, which are the most sophisticated in the world of football both in terms of design and exterior shape and in terms of interior design, were not built solely to host the tournament, but to reflect the Qatari originality and give the fans a unique and unprecedented experience of learning

more about the rich Qatari heritage.Al Jamal added that Al Wakrah

Stadium, which will be completed in the coming weeks, will be ready for official matches, and it is inspired by traditional boats, especially that the city of Wakrah is coastal and located in the southern regions, as well as Al Rayyan Stadium inspired by sand dunes in its outer shape with Qatari inscriptions that decorate old houses, and Lusail Stadium, which was inau-gurated last December, is inspired by the shape of the bowl used in the past. The design of Abu Aboud stadium is unique, as it is the first stadium in the world to consist of huge containers installed in the stadium.

The SC is responsible for the imple-mentation of the infrastructure projects to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qatar. The heritage and sustainability are the cornerstones of Qatar’s organization of the World Cup. Al Jamal stressed that the cooling technology is one of the characteristics of Qatar’s stadiums, and there are no stadiums in the world using this technology, and the cooling technology in Qatar stadiums has undergone various stages of devel-opment since it was first applied in Al Sadd Stadium, then Khalifa Interna-tional Stadium, and now at Al Wakrah Stadium, which will this month (May).

Al Jamal added that the committee promised to donate 170 thousand chairs through coordination with the FIFA and distribute them to countries that need to develop sports infrastructure.

Al Jamal emphasizes that the main idea in the construction of the World Cup stadiums was based on the eco-nomic and social sustainability of these facilities after the World Cup so that the community benefits from it.

Concerning the crisis of the unjust blockade imposed on the State of Qatar and its impact on the World Cup projects, Al Jamal stressed that the blockade is part from the past and has become a success story for Qatar, adding that since the first hours of the blockade, the SC has begun to commu-nicate with the main contractors in order to activate the emergency plans in the work program of the World Cup project, which was designed with great flexibility and immediate readiness to meet any emergency conditions, in order to re-evaluate the status of sup-pliers and supply systems.

Al Jamal added that the blockade benefited contractors in a large way and opened new doors for them in terms of quality of materials and com-petitive prices, which are better than the previous, by opening up to markets in Turkey, Oman, Vietnam, South Korea and other countries where these areas were not known to local con-tractors in Qatar, and it was an oppor-tunity for them to communicate with these companies and to get products with high quality and at a better price.

Al Jamal added that in addition, the local market rebounded after the SC reviewed the evaluation of the local market, to discover that many products manufactured locally need to develop the plant so that this product reaches international quality, and this is evident in the World Cup stadium chairs, which are 100 percent local.

Al Jamal stressed that many local companies have begun to move effec-tively after the blockade to take their chances in World Cup projects, and the contracts signed for the World Cup projects reached about 100 contracts, 62 percent, are of local companies, which strengthens the local economy.

Al Jamal asserts that there is no

problem with the operation of the World Cup stadiums which are scheduled to be completed in the beginning of 2021 until the official launch of the championship at the end of 2022, as this will be under the responsibility of the main contractor for each stadium, and this according to the contracts signed by the SC with the main contractors in all stadiums.

Al Jamal added that the budget allocated to all construction projects for the World Cup stadiums and training stadiums estimated at about QR 24 billion, and that the number of workers at all work sites in the facil-ities of the World Cup estimated at 133,000 workers, pointing to the com-pletion of 170 million hours of work for workers in stadiums and facilities, but the total work of advisers, technicians and officials reached about 230 million hours of work, stressing that the health and safety statistics for workers are excellent compared to major projects and events happening in the world.

Yasir Al Jamal, Vice Chairman of SC’s Technical Operational Office con-firmed that the World Cup projects were implemented by the joint efforts of all governmental and non-govern-mental institutions, stressing that these efforts are very important to continue the march and the success of the event during the period of the tournament. He explained that the committee has set up integrated plans to deal with all aspects of transportation, in cooper-ation with all the relevant authorities from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Ashghal, Hamad International Airport and the Mowasalat company, where everyone expressed observations and all aware of their role and responsibil-ities during the tournament. He added that FIFA will be briefed on the plan for adoption as a full transport plan in the World Cup.

Al Jamal added that all the projects during the World Cup such as cleaning the stadiums and streets will be in full coordination with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, which will take over this matter.

Responding the questions about Qatar’s inability to absorb the expected audience to watch the World Cup, Al Jamal refuted all these opinions by saying that SC has developed inte-grated and alternative plans for every-thing related to hosting the World Cup. He explained that SC did a compre-hensive survey of the hotel rooms expected to be available during the World Cup, when it found that it would not be enough, it developed alternative plans such as building cruise ships and special fans villages that will also help to introduce visitors to Qatari heritage in the important tourist areas, in addition to renting private housing units, and all these plans are being studied accurately in order to reach the appropriate number that will cover the needs of all visitors to the World Cup.

With regard to the fans’ zones during the World Cup, Al Jamal explained that the committee has planed three main areas for fans during the World Cup (Al Bidaa Park, Al Khor Park, Al Wakra Park), and is currently contacting FIFA to adopt fans’ zones during the World Cup, with a capacity of about 50,000 people. He added that the committee is looking to create additional areas for gathering the masses, but for a smaller number, in some important tourist areas where the infrastructure is available, and the places are rich in Qatar’s culture and heritage.

QNA DOHA

QUOTE OF THE DAYWe are enormously

pleased that Myanmar has released our courageous reporters, Wa Lone and

Kyaw Soe Oo. Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press

freedom around the world.

Steve Adler Reuters Editor-In-Chief

The stations are environment friendly and have been designed and built embracing global sustainability standards.

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

Another milestone

Qatar is achieving major milestones in a regular manner. The much anticipated Doha Metro will open today for the public, much before the scheduled time.

The Doha Metro Red Line South will start its initial oper-ation from Al Qassar to Al Wakra. Everybody in the country has been awaiting for this special day in the transportation and the developmental history of Qatar.

Out of the 18 Red Line stations, the initial operation will include 13 stations — Al Qassar, DECC, QIC West Bay, Cor-niche, Al Bidda, Msheireb, Al Doha Al Jadeda, Umm Gha-walina, Al Matar Al Qadeem, Oqba Ibn Nafie, Free Zone, Ras Bu Fontas and Al Wakra. And the inauguration of the section 1 of Doha Metro Red Line will be a significant mile-stone for country’s transport sector.

Doha Metro has been doing the trial runs for several months to weed out any kind of technical glitches. The details of the project and the techniques used, such as digital media and signage, latest self-service ticketing facilities, integrated travel planning, smart air-conditioning, full Wi-Fi coverage and others, can better any such services in the world. Doha Metro has got one of the fastest driverless trains in

the world and will be the fastest in the region, capable of speeds up to 100kmph, and will deliver a safe, reliable and fast com-muter service for passengers.

According to Qatar Railways Company, the total number of trains serving the project would be 110, once it’s fully operational, especially when Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup 2022, which is expected to attract over a million visitor during the tournament. The average journey time between adjacent stations would be two minutes.

One of the major achieve-ments of the project was the total number of man-hours worked and one of the lowest Accident Frequency Rates (AFR) in construction in the world. Metro trains’ fusion of elegant, modern and futuristic design have proven to be an award winning concept on a global platform winning several accolades.

The stations are environment friendly and have been designed and built embracing global sustainability standards. Another interesting fact is that Qatar Rail announced the research on the use of massive quantity of soil, which was displaced during the tunnelling works of the project, for agricultural purposes. This is a major step in the direction of achieving food self-sufficiency in a sustainable manner.

The first and last mile strategy is more important for the success of any metro network. For that purpose, Qatar Railways Company has signed an agreement with Careem Qatar. Mowasalat has announced special deals in their Karwa taxis and also free feeder buses for metro commuters. The joint cooperation will offer discounted taxi fare pro-motions to the passengers for their first and last mile journeys.

It’s also welcome step that some commercial establish-ments are setting up their branches at the stations. Com-mercial Bank is planning to open up to nine branches across the Metro network. Al Meera will also open its branches at main stations. All these remarkable achievements of Doha Metro prove that Qatar has overcome all odds to make every one in the country feel proud.

“It’s like Groundhog Day, it’s the same dynamic over and over again,” Khaled Elgindy, a nonresident fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, told Today’s WorldView. “We’re not really addressing the root of the problem,” he added, namely “the blockade and the enormous suffering and economic instability” endured by Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

09WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 OPINION

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Myanmar press freedom ‘suffocating’ despiteReuters reporters’ release

Netanyahu and Hamas locked into a cycle of violence

SU MYAT MON & HLA-HLA HTAY AFP

ISHAAN THAROOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Media freedom advocates praised the surprise release of Reuters reporters in Myanmar but

stressed the pair should never have been jailed in the first place and called for sweeping reforms of paralysing press laws. The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters walked free from

Yangon’s Insein prison yesterday after more than 500 days behind bars as part of a large presidential amnesty following a global campaign calling for their release.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years in prison under the draconian Official Secrets Act last year after probing a massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. The killings occurred in the conflict-wracked region of Myanmar that has been largely off-limits to journalists since an army crackdown forced some 740,000 members of the stateless Rohingya minority to flee to Bangladesh.

But as the world cheered the sudden release Tuesday, media watchdogs cautioned against cele-brating the move as a new chapter for Myanmar’s tainted press freedom record. Nicholas Bequelin of Amnesty International called the case against the Reuters reporters “a travesty of justice from start to finish”.

He said there were still “a range of repressive laws used to detain

journalists, activists and any per-ceived critic” in place.

“Until these laws are repealed, journalists and activists remain under a permanent threat of detention and arrest.”

The United Nations on Tuesday echoed Amnesty’s fears after wel-coming the pair’s release.

“The situation for freedom of expression (in Myanmar) is dire,” the UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva.

She added that “no positive progress has been observed” since the rights office issued a set of recom-mendations last year aimed at improving free speech in Myanmar.

Myanmar is ranked 138 out of 180 countries for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders, and critics say it employs colonial-era legislation to target journalists and activists.

That includes a roster of legis-lation such as the State Secrets Act and laws on unlawful association and incitement. A telecommunications law passed in 2013 has also been used to target reporters and government critics.

There are currently almost 130 prisoners behind bars in Myanmar either convicted or awaiting trial for politically motivated reasons, according to the Assistance Associ-ation for Political Prisoners in Yangon.

The Reuters saga is not the first time Myanmar has courted unwanted attention for press freedom issues.

On June 2017 three journalists from two independent news outlets -- the Irrawaddy and Democratic Voice of Burma -- were arrested by the mil-itary at a checkpoint after reporting from an ethnic armed group-con-trolled area. They were charged with unlawful association and held for 10 weeks before the military dropped the case.

Another journalist Swe Win faces

an ongoing case of online defamation that has dragged on for almost two years and which requires him to make frequent trips to another city hours away to attend hearings. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s release does little to change Myanmar’s “suffocating media environment”, said Matthew Bugher of Article 19, a freedom of expression organisation.

“If the government was serious about media freedom, it could start by reforming the repressive colonial-era law that was used to charge the two men, as well as a whole host of other laws that stifle independent jour-nalism and free speech,” he added.

Bugher said the pair’s release was a “face-saving response to persistent international pressure and bad publicity”.

Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, once considered a democracy icon, faced intense scrutiny for not intervening to secure the reporter’s freedom. Her party swept to power in 2015 elections, the first polls in decades, after spending a combined 15 years under house arrest during the military regime.

She is currently in an uneasy power-sharing agreement with Myanmar generals, and she has been stripped of several honours interna-tionally over her failure to speak up for the Rohingya.

Suu Kyi has also refused to lend her voice in defence of the Reuters pair despite evidence revealed in court that they had been set up in a sting.

A government spokesman said Tuesday that the reporters were released for the “long-term interest” of the country.

Reuters lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw thanked President Win Myint Tuesday after his clients were freed and called for more protections for the country’s journalists.

After three days of rocket fire and airstrikes, an uneasy cease-fire settled over Israel and the Gaza Strip on

Monday. Militants in the Palestinian enclave had fired close to 700 rockets into Israeli territory; Israel carried out airstrikes on 350 targets in Gaza, lev-eling whole multistory buildings. At least 23 people were killed in Gaza, and rockets fired from Gaza killed four Israelis.

The clashes marked the worst escalation of hostilities since a devas-tating 51-day war in 2014 that saw close to 2,000 people die, including more than 400 Palestinian children. But it was in keeping with a consistent pattern of violence over Gaza, a ter-ritory of 2 million Palestinians that’s controlled by the Islamist faction Hamas and suffocated by an Israeli land, air and sea blockade.

Last year, Israeli snipers shot more than 1,000 Palestinians pro-testing conditions in Gaza by the barrier fence with Israel. This past weekend’s escalation followed a deadly exchange of fire in March.

The Israeli military blamed the militant faction Islamic Jihad for starting the attacks, but Hamas - at times a rival, at other times, a co-con-spirator - also was involved. “Hamas officials said they escalated the vio-lence to push Israel to stick to the terms it had agreed after another such flare-up in March, when rocket fire had caused Netanyahu to cut short a

trip to Washington,” my colleagues reported. “Hamas accused Israel of reneging on the deal to allow in cash assistance of $30 million a month from Qatar, expand fishing rights and ease the restrictions on imports and exports that have choked Gaza’s economy.”

Now, according to reports, U.N.- and Egyptian-brokered talks have taken both sides back to the fragile status quo that preceded the week-end’s hostilities. It’s a stalemate that has irked both domestic allies and rivals of Israeli Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu, who faces calls from the right to carry out a more sys-tematic effort to defeat Hamas and other militants for good - no matter the hideous collective price in blood that Palestinians (as well as Israelis) would have to pay.

“The campaign is not over and it demands patience and sagacity,” Netanyahu said on Monday, in an attempt to assuage Israeli impatience. “We are prepared to continue.” Mean-while, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday that little would change if Israel does not take steps to lessen the economic pain of those in Gaza.

“It’s like Groundhog Day, it’s the same dynamic over and over again,” Khaled Elgindy, a nonresident fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, told Today’s WorldView. “We’re not really addressing the root of the problem,”

he added, namely “the blockade and the enormous suffering and economic instability” endured by Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Unemployment in the territory stands above 50 percent. The blockade has left Gazans dependent on foreign cash handouts from gov-ernments such as Qatar’s - funds that swiftly get spent to buy consumer goods from Israel or Egypt and do little to revive a ravaged local economy. Hamas and other militant factions have come to recognize that the occasional barrage of crude rocketry is an effective tactic to secure more aid.

Israel’s military, if not its political leadership, seems aware of the funda-mental problem. “In a press briefing, the military said the country needed to make changes to its strategic policy to improve living conditions in the Gaza Strip if it did not want another flareup of violence in coming weeks,” noted a Monday report in the Times of Israel.

“While the army has reportedly pushed for measures meant to make the lives of Palestinians in the Strip more bearable,” wrote Times of Israel reporter Judah Ari Gross, “the political leadership has been more hesitant, fearing being portrayed as giving in to terror, especially with Hamas holding Israeli captives and the remains of soldiers.” Some analysts also argue that Hamas’s continued presence in Gaza gives Netanyahu a permanent reason to ignore the two-state solution - the goal of an independent Palestinian state that has effectively died on his watch.

“For Netanyahu, Hamas is a hedge against a united Palestinian movement focused on serious negoti-ation to reach a two-state solution,” wrote former U.S. diplomat Aaron David Miller in March, adding that Hamas, too, is more interested in its parochial clash with other Palestinian factions in the West Bank than mean-ingful negotiation. “Indeed, both Netanyahu and Hamas would prefer the current situation - a de facto three-state reality - to a two-state solution,” Miller wrote.

Netanyahu’s desire to keep Hamas as “a viable counterweight to Pales-tinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ government in Ramallah,” wrote Shalom Lipner of the Atlantic Council, would suggest he gains by letting it maintain power in Gaza. Lipner added that Hamas, too, is likely happy with “a sustained course of intermittent conflict through which it exercises a degree of leverage over Israel.”

There are currently almost 130 prisoners behind bars in Myanmar either convicted or awaiting trial for politically motivated reasons, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Yangon.

For Israel, there’s little political incentive to change things. “Ongoing conflict with Gaza helps Netanyahu fuel Palestinian divi-sions, and kills the two state solution,” wrote Gaza-based com-mentator Muhammad Shehada in Haaretz. “Improving the situation in Gaza is anathema to his extremist constituency, drip-fed for years by the myth that might is right and the only way to deal with Palestinians is brutal force, to keep them in line.”

But experts fear that things will only get worse. “I think we will reach a point that it will be difficult for the Israeli government to con-tinue like this and it will feel obliged to respond more violently,” said Celine Touboul, deputy director general of the Tel Aviv-based Economic Cooperation Foundation think tank, to NBC News. “If money doesn’t enter Gaza or restrictions on the border remain, I don’t see any reason why we won’t see another wave of escalation.”

All this is taking place while the Trump administration has vowed to unveil a new chapter in the mor-ibund peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. But there’s little optimism about the White House’s plans - which Palestinians have already rejected, given the slate of unilateral concessions President Trump gifted Netanyahu - and the current cycle of hostilities in Gaza points to a broader failure of diplomacy.

“That this could become the norm shows you how completely dysfunctional the peace process is,” said Elgindy. “Now that we can definitively say that it’s dead, there’s nothing that is working to resolve the underlying causes of this kind of violence.”

Palestinian students looking at a building that was destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, yesterday.

Iftar time for Sudan protesters

10 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Italian Premier warns against military action in LibyaAFP ROME

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned yesterday against possible military action in Libya, as the head of Tripoli’s internationally recognised government, Fayez Al Sarraj, kicked off a European tour to drum up support against a possible attack by strongman Khalifa Haftar.

The contents of a meeting between Conte and Sarraj — which Italian media said lasted about 90 minutes— were not made public. But Conte said on the sidelines of a separate event that “there is no military solution that could guarantee the stabi-lisation of the country”.

“The military solution would,

in any case, come at the cost of human lives and humanitarian crises,” Conte said.

Sarraj, who heads the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, is seeking support against an attack on Tripoli by Haftar, who has urged his troops to “wipe out” gov-ernment forces.

After his meeting with Conte, Sarraj was set to travel to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron today.

The visit to France, in par-ticular, comes after the GNA repeatedly accused Paris of politically backing the assault which Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched on Tripoli on April 4.

Italy, Libya’s former colonial power, is a key backer of the GNA and has echoed calls by Merkel for a “unified” European position and a political solution to resolve the crisis.

In a slip of the tongue, Conte said he had spoken “with pres-ident Haftar,” but immediately corrected himself to say: “I’ve spoken with president Sarraj. I am confident I will be able to meet General Haftar soon. We are seeking to establish how and when.” Sarraj may also possibly travel to London as part of his tour.

Britain has pushed for a res-olution at the UN Security Council demanding a ceasefire in Libya but its efforts have foundered amid divisions at the world body.

Ethiopia chargesformer spy chief, 25others with abuses

AFP/ADDIS ABABA

Ethiopia has charged powerful former intelligence chief Getachew Assefa and 25 others over alleged human rights abuses, the office of the attorney general said yesterday.

Getachew was the head of the Ethiopia National Intelli-gence and Security Service (NISS) until June 2018, when he was removed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed amid a raft of reforms in the Horn of Africa nation.

Under Ethiopia’s previous government, the NISS was accused by rights groups of overseeing the torture and murder of dissidents.

Getachew was charged with 25 other intelligence officers, the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

“The 26 suspects have been charged with a total of 46 criminal charges, with 22 of them currently in custody while the other four individuals including Getachew Assefa’s cases will be tried in absentia”, it added.

Since taking office in April 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has sought to address rights violations and break with the country’s authoritarian past.

Toll from Niger tanker truck blast rises to 60AFP/NIAMEY

The death toll from a tanker truck explosion near the inter-national airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, has risen to 60, authorities said yesterday.

The tally is likely to rise further as the prognosis is poor for several people who sus-tained severe burns, security official Hamani Adamou Abdoul-Aziz told state tele-vision. The overturned tanker exploded on Sunday night as crowds gathered to collect spilt fuel. Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum, who inspected the site Monday, said people on foot and motorcycle had rushed to the scene to take fuel. According to witnesses, one biker failed to switch off his engine, causing a spark that ignited the 50,000 litres of fuel.

The driver of the tanker truck has told investigators that an electrical failure caused him to lose control of the vehicle and its brakes.

Suspects in UN experts’ death escape DR Congo jailAFP KANANGA, DR CONGO

Two men suspected of involvement in the murder of two UN experts investigating mass killings in the Democratic Republic of Congo escaped from prison overnight, a defence lawyer said yesterday.

The pair, Evariste Ilunga

Lumu and Tshiaba Kanowa, fled the central prison in Kananga, in central DRC, Lumu’s lawyer Tresor Kabangu said.

He was informed of their disappearance by the military prosecutor’s office. At dawn yesterday, heavy gunfire could be heard from the vicinity of the prison in Kasai-Central province.

A correspondent reported that by morning, the situation at the prison was tense with inmates in the yard threatening to attack anyone who ventures inside.

Military and police officials were at the scene, awaiting rein-forcements to enter the prison and do a headcount to determine how many have escaped.

The experts —Zaida Catalan, a 36-year-old Swedish-Chilean national, and American Michael Sharp, 34 — were in Kasai on behalf of the UN Security Council to investigate mass graves asso-ciated with a rebellion.

They were abducted and killed on March 12, 2017.

Kinshasa initially blamed the murders on members of the

Kamwina Nsapu (Black Ant) militia, who embarked upon a campaign of armed violence after troops killed their leader in August 2016.

In 2017, a UN panel con-cluded that the pair was likely killed during a random ambush by members of a militia group, while refusing to rule out involvement of the authorities.

Shell casings are seen on the ground during a fight between members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces and Eastern forces in Al Yarmouk south of Tripoli, Libya, yesterday.

Iran to announce partial withdrawal from N-deal todayAP TEHRAN

Iran today will announce it is partially withdrawing from the nuclear deal it struck with world powers, its state-run news agency reported, a year to the day that President Donald Trump pulled America from the accord.

The terms of the withdrawal remain unclear, though the Irna news agency said President Hassan Rouhani will explain Iran’s decision in letters to leaders of Britain, France and Germany that will be handed to ambassadors in Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif separately will write to the European Union, the agency said.

The semi-official Isna news agency reported that Zarif had left for Moscow to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral and international issues, without elaborating. Details of the letters, all to signers of the 2015 accord, will not be publicly dis-closed, it said.

The letters will come as offi-cials in the Islamic Republic pre-viously warned that Iran might increase i ts uranium enrichment, potentially pulling away from a deal it has sought to salvage for months. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says Iran has con-tinued to comply with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, which saw it limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the

lifting of economic sanctions. But American sanctions have wreaked havoc on Iran’s already-anemic economy, while promised help from European partners in the deal haven’t alle-viated the pain.

The US last week stopped issuing waivers for countries importing Iranian crude oil, a crucial source of cash for Iran’s government. It also halted waivers allowing Iran to store excess heavy water in Oman and to swap enriched uranium for raw yellowcake with Russia.

Trump campaigned on a promise to tear up the deal struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Iran’s hard-line Javan newspaper, associated with the Revolutionary Guard, said Wednesday would “ignite the matchstick for burning the deal.” It suggested in its yester-day’s edition that Iran may install advanced centrifuges at its Natanz facility and begin enrichment at its Fordo facility, activities prohibited under the nuclear deal.

Palestinians: EU, Russia and UN should counter US peace planAP UNITED NATIONS

The Palestinian UN ambassador said yesterday that the European Union, Russia and the United Nations should take action to save a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if the long-awaited US peace plan doesn’t lead to two independent nations.

Riyad Mansour told a group of journalists that these key parties that support two-states living side-by-side in peace need to take practical actions that would prevent a US plan without an independent Palestinian state

from succeeding. “We have a global consensus with us” sup-porting a two-state solution, he said, adding that if the Trump administration plan runs against that consensus, then there should be “practical steps” by supporters of Palestinian independence not to allow that plan to be imposed.

President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, a key player in drafting the plan, has been tight-lipped about its contents, saying last week that the blueprint, which has been two years in the making, attempts to ensure security for Israel and provide

economic opportunity to improve the lives of Palestinians. The plan won’t be released before Ramadan ends during the first week of June, and perhaps not even then.

The Palestinians have pre-emptively rejected any peace proposal floated by the Trump administration amid concerns it would fall far below their hopes for an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem — which they want as their capital — and Gaza, lands captured by Israel in the 1967 war. Their demand for a two-state solution is supported by the UN and

almost all of its 193 member-states.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ruled out the United States as a broker for peace with Israel in a speech to the Security Council in February 2018 and called for an interna-tional peace conference by mid-2018 with the key goals of full UN membership for the state of Palestine and a timeframe for a two-state solution. That deadline was missed.

Mansour said he told EU offi-cials and members during a visit to Brussels last month that support for a two-state solution is welcome “but that is not suf-

ficient - they have to act on it.”He said the EU could call an

international conference “to see how we can open ways to move forward” based on the “global consensus.” The EU could also help save the two-state solution by having all members - including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg - recognize the state of Palestine, he said.

As for Russia and China, Mansour said, Russia already has authorization, including in a Security Council resolution, to host an international conference in Moscow.

Sudanese protesters gather to break their fast outside the Army Headquarters in Khartoum, on the second day of Ramadan. Demonstrators remain camped out in the soaring heat of Khartoum calling for civilian rule three weeks after the military ousted veteran leader Omar Hassan Al Bashir.

US sending B-52s to Mideast to ‘counter Iran’

AFP/WASHINGTON

The US Air Force is deploying massive B-52 Stratofortress bombers to the Gulf in response to an alleged possible plan by Iran to attack American forces in the region, the Pentagon said yesterday.

Several nuclear-capable B-52s are heading to the region along with an aircraft carrier task force following what the Defense Department called “recent and clear indications that Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were making prepara-tions to possibly attack US forces.”

“The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force are considered a prudent step in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests,” said acting Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers in a statement.

“We emphasize the White House statement that we do not seek war with the Iranian regime, but we will defend US personnel, our allies and our interests in the region.”

Escalation in Idlib rattles months-old truceAFP KAFR NABL, SYRIA

Air strikes and shelling killed eight civilians in northwestern Syria after deadly clashes between pro-government forces and militants rattled a months-old truce and sparked a new wave of displacement.

At least 53 fighters have been killed since Monday, in one of the deadliest flare-ups since a demilitarised zone around the Idlib region was agreed in Sep-tember last year, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Several deadly skirmishes have occurred since the deal was reached in Russia but the last few weeks have seen an

uptick in violence inside the planned buffer zone.

The region of some three million people is under the control of a former Al Qaeda affiliate in one of the last parts of Syria President Bashar Al Assad has yet to take back.

His government had threatened an all-out assault on the area last year but that was averted by the deal for a de-mil-itarised buffer zone between his ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara.

A surge in attacks since April 20 has raised new fears a gov-ernment offensive is imminent, prompting thousands of civilians to flee their homes towards quieter areas deeper inside Idlib province.

The terms of the withdrawal remain unclear, though the Irna news agency said President Hassan Rouhani will explain Iran’s decision in letters to leaders of Britain, France and Germany that will be handed to ambassadors in Tehran.

11WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 ASIA

Congress moves SC against Modi’s remarks on RajivIANS NEW DELHI

The Congress yesterday moved the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi “Bhrashtachari No. 1 (Corrupt No. 1)” at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh last week.

In an additional affidavit filed before the court, Congress MP Sushmita Dev, said that by making extremely derogatory comments on Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister has committed an “act unbecoming of the high office he holds; made unprece-dented obscene/ derogatory remarks in a speech on May 6 by referring to present Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s late father and former Prime Minster of India, Rajiv Gandhi, in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh.”

Dev’s additional affidavit came a day after the Supreme Court asked her to put on record the Election Commission (EC)’s order giving clean chit to Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah.

According to the affidavit, Modi allegedly said: “Your father may have been declared ‘Mr Clean’ by his courtiers, but he died as ‘Bhrashtachari No 1’. This arrogance will destroy you. This country forgives mistakes but never betrayal.”

The Congress also attacked

the lack of transparency in the functioning of the EC, and claimed that dissent on record by one of the Election Commis-sioners has not been provided with the order.

“This demonstrates a com-plete lack of transparency and arbitrariness in decision-making process on complaints against Modi and Amit Shah,” said the affidavit.

The Congress also said that speeches by Modi and Shah should be declared “corrupt practices” under Section 123A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which “ex-facie pro-motes feeling of enmity and hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion”.

Citing Modi’s statement against Rajiv Gandhi, the Con-gress noted that the poll panel has already placed sanctions on Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Sama-jwadi Party leader Azam Khan for speeches similar in “tone, tenor, purport, and intention”.

The affidavit said this kind of discrimination and arbitrar-iness is not expected from a poll body, which is, supposed to be unbiased.

Earlier, representing Dev, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the EC has not been reasonable in declining the complaints registered by the Congress party on the violation of the model code of conduct by the Prime Minister and BJP Pres-ident Amit Shah by purposely using the armed forces in their election campaign in order to gain political mileage.

He also mentioned that many orders of the poll body contained dissenting notes by its officials.

The bench asked Dev’s counsel to file an additional affi-davit in court documenting, on record, the poll body’s orders on the complaints of MCC violations by the BJP leaders.

The apex court last week directed the Commission to decide on all the remaining complaints against Modi and Shah filed by the Congress regarding the violation of MCC before May 6.

A policewoman detains a demonstrator during a protest after a panel of judges dismissed a harassment complaint against Chief Justice of India, outside Supreme Court, in New Delhi yesterday.

CJI case: Complainant seeks probe report copyIANS NEW DELHI

A woman, who accused Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment, yesterday asked the apex court’s in-house probe committee for a copy of the report giving a clean chit to the CJI on all charges.

“I have a right to know how, why and on what basis have Your Lordships found my com-plaint to have ‘no substance’,” the complainant said, adding she was “deeply shocked” on the outcome of the committee’s

findings. “Despite my detailed affidavit, ample corroborative evidence, and clear and con-sistent statement reiterating my experience of sexual harassment and consequent victimisation, the committee has found no sub-stance in my complaint and affi-davit,” she said.

The letter, addressed to the in-house committee comprising Justices SA Bobde, Indira Ban-erjee and Indu Malhotra, could be construed as complainant’s official demand for a copy report of the committee. She claims that if a copy of the report is handed

over to the CJI, then it is her right to have report to learn about the reason behind the rejection of her complaint, and “depositions of any witnesses, any other persons or any other evidence considered by the committee”.

She termed the decision of not handing over the report to her “strange”. While notifying that the in-house committee had given a clean chit to the CJI in the matter on Monday, the Supreme Court’s Secretary General had communicated that committee’s findings would not be made public.

99% suspects nabbed, Sri Lanka now safe: PresidentAP COLOMBO

Sri Lankan President has said “99%” of the suspects in Easter Sunday attacks on churches and hotels have been arrested and their explosive materials seized, and that it is safe for tourists to return to Sri Lanka.

“The country is in a safe position right now,” President Maithripala Sirisena said in an interview yesterday.

“Our intelligence divisions have identified how many ter-rorists are there and 99% of them have been arrested. One or two may have been left and they too will be arrested,” he said.

Sirisena spoke hours after an interim report was submitted by a committee his office formed to examine why Sri Lankan security forces did not heed Indian intel-ligence information ahead of the

attacks that killed more than 250 people.

Sirisena declined to discuss the report but said that “heads of security divisions have failed

to take appropriate measures and failed to inform me too.” The President also said “all” of the suspects’ explosives, weapons, safe houses and training centres

had been found in the 16 days since the blasts rocked the island.

Acting police chief CD Wick-ramaratne said in a statement on Monday that authorities had also seized improvised explosive devices and hundreds of swords, $140,000 in cash in bank accounts and $40m in assets including land, houses, vehicles and jewellery connected to the suspects.

Those things weren’t dis-covered earlier because of “weaknesses” in Sri Lanka’s intelligence divisions, Sirisena said.

Officials said the coordinated suicide bombings the morning of Easter Sunday were carried out by Sri Lankan militants tar-geting churches full of people and luxury hotels in the capital, Colombo, popular with foreign tourists.

Since Sri Lanka’s civil war

ended a decade ago, the country has built a vast tourism sector that draws visitors from around the world to its beaches, wildlife and ancient temples. The dead included dozens of foreigners.

Sirisena was out of the country on a private trip to Sin-gapore on the day of the attacks. Upon his return, he demanded the resignation of his defence secretary and chief of police.

Sirisena said yesterday that the violence wasn’t a problem specific to Sri Lanka, instead ascribing it to “global terrorism.” He said countries fighting inter-national terrorism had volun-tarily sent intelligence experts to the island who are collaborating with local intelligence units.

Police said two previously little-known radical groups - National Towheed Jamaat and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - conspired in the attacks.

Sri Lankan security officials stand guard outside St Anthony’s church, one of the churches attacked by militants, in Colombo, yesterday.

Myanmar frees two Reuters journalistsAFP YANGON

Two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar walked out of prison yesterday, freed in a pres-idential amnesty after a vigorous global campaign - and backroom diplomacy - for their release.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were mobbed by media as they stepped out of Yangon’s noto-rious Insein prison after more than 16 months in detention.

Their December 2017 arrests made them an international cause celebre and a sign of Myanmar’s deteriorating press freedoms under Nobel laureate and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Wa Lone, 33, thanked people from “around the world” for advocating for their release and vowed he would return to work. “I can’t wait to go to my newsroom,” he said. “I am a journalist and I am going to con-tinue.” Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said: “We are enormously pleased that Myanmar has released our cou-rageous reporters”.

“Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. We welcome their return.” They were freed in an amnesty that included more than 6,000 prisoners.

A government spokesman

told reporters that family members had sent letters to Suu Kyi and the president Win Myint.

“Leaders took into consid-eration the long-term interest of (the) country,” Zaw Htay said.

Lord Ara Darzi, a British advisor and confidant of Suu Kyi, said it was “fitting” the pair were released a few days after World Press Freedom Day. “The lesson is simple: dialogue works even

in the most difficult of circum-stances,” he told media in Yangon.

The United States, which had condemned the journalists’ jailing, welcomed their release and called for further action.

“We hope to see the release of other imprisoned journalists and greater freedom of expression,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted.

Reuters reporters Wa Lone (left) and Kyaw Soe Oo walk to Insein prison gate after being freed, after receiving a Presidential pardon in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday.

India, US call for inclusive Afghan peace processIANS NEW DELHI

India and the US have agreed that Afghanistan’s political future is for its people to decide through an inclusive and legit-imate process, US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said yesterday after his talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and senior offi-cials here.

Khalilzad, who was in New Delhi for two days after visiting Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries in the region, said the US and India agreed on benefits that peace in the war-torn nation will bring, and address the threat of terrorist use of Afghanistan.

“By precluding the use of Afghan territory to attack any other nation, a peace agreement could strengthen ties by allowing the regional growth of trade and economies,” he said after holding talks on Afghan peace process with Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

He appreciated India’s expression of support for the US efforts, saying it strengthens an emerging international consensus.

“As the world’s oldest & largest democracies, we agreed that the gains made in the last 18 yrs should be preserved. We also agreed that Afghanistan’s political future is for Afghans to decide through an inclusive and legitimate process,” Khalilzad said in a series of tweets.

He also recognised the many important contributions India has made to Afghanistan’s development, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy here.

Ambassador Khalilzad and his counterparts “discussed the many important benefits that peace would bring, including: preventing International ter-rorist use of Afghanistan as a platform for attacks; improved prospects for regional peace and security; and increased regional connectivity and trade”, the statement said.

Centre releases additional aidfor Odisha; cyclone toll at 37IANS NEW DELHI

The Central government has released Rs1,000 crore addi-tional assistance to Cyclone Fani-affected Odisha while stepping up work to restoring power supply and the telecom-munications network, a Home Ministry statement said yesterday.

The Home Ministry released the amount a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement to assist Odisha. Earlier, Rs341 crore was provided to the state in advance, the statement said.

The information was shared in a review meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), chaired by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha.

Stressing on early resto-ration of power infrastructure, the Odisha government said that following deployment of addi-tional manpower and materials from central public sector units and neighbouring states, the power supply has been restored partially in Bhubaneswar, while a lot of ground still needed to be covered in Puri. “Power supply to maintain essential services such as water, health and banking is being provided through diesel generator sets. It

was reported that land line con-nectivity has been restored in Puri though mobile services still remain skeletal,” said the statement. Department of tele-communications is coordinating with the state government to implement a priority plan for restoration of mobile and Internet services in the affected areas, said the statement, adding mobile service providers have allowed free SMS and intra circle roaming in these areas.

“Cellular towers on wheels are also being deployed in Puri.

“Banking services have started and efforts are being made to operationalize all ATMs.” The Centre has also decided to extend the regis-tration dates of the JEE advanced examinations by five more days up to May 14 in Odisha. Those students who are unable to get Internet connectivity can approach IIT Bhubaneswar for registration, said the statement.

Meanwhile, The death toll due to cyclone Fani has increased to 37 in Odisha, said an official yesterday.

While 21 died in Puri district, where the devastating cyclone made landfall on May 3, five people were killed in Cuttack and four in Mayurbhanj. Besides, four died in Jajpur and three in Kendrapara.

The Congress said speeches by Modi and Amit Shah should be declared “corrupt practices” under Section 123A of the Representation of the People Act 1951.

12 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019ASIA

Qureshi: National consensus on CPEC stays intact INTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has emphat-ically stated that there is no threat to the country’s nuclear programme and multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Winding up discussion on an adjournment motion in the Senate yesterday, he said there was national consensus on both the nuclear programme and the CPEC and it will stay intact.

The Foreign Minister also dispelled the impression that the country was heading towards one-unit or a presidential system was being brought in the country.

Qureshi said that announcing National Finance Awards every five years is a con-stitutional responsibility and present government will fulfill this responsibility.

He, however, regretted that the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz failed to fulfill this constitutional requirement in its five-year tenure.

He said the President con-stituted the 9th NFC award but despite repeated requests by the former Finance Minister Asad

Umer, the provincial govern-ments especially delayed the process of nominating its rep-resentatives for the NFC award.

The Foreign Minister said the present government was seeking an International Monetary Fund (IMF) package because of the damage inflicted to the economy over the last ten years.

He said that our friendly countries including Saudi Arabia, China and the United Arab Emirates gave the much-needed balance of payment support but the gap is so huge that we have to go to the IMF to secure economic package.

He, however, reminded the opposition parties that their gov-ernments in the past also approached the International lender for the bailout package.

Indonesia thwarts IS-linked bomb plots: PoliceAFP JAKARTA

Indonesia has thwarted a bid by Islamic State-linked militants to stage a series of bombings when it announces official election results this month, authorities said.

Police in the Southeast Asian nation have said that they had arrested eight suspects at several locations over the past week, including in Sumatra and near the capital Jakarta. The roundup comes after IS-inspired Easter suicide bombings killed 257 in Sri lanka, and as Indonesia marks the anni-versary of its worst terror attack in years, which saw a dozen killed at churches tar-geted by suicide bombers last May.

Authorities said the arrested militants were members of Jemaah Anshurat Daulah (JAD), a local extremist group that has pledged allegiance to IS and was blamed for last year’s church bombings.

The group planned to set off bombs at various locations when the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation releases election results on May 22. There are concerns about street demonstrations after presidential chal-lenger Prabowo Subianto, a retired military general, warned protests could erupt over his allegations of massive electoral fraud.

Subianto has vowed to challenge the official results if they confirm that his rival, President Joko Widodo, won a second term.

National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said the terror cell planned to target police stations and take advantage of any chaos

before or after the poll results are confirmed. “They have two goals - the first is to target police officers and the second is to exploit election momentum,” he said.

Last year, two families carried out bombings at churches in Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya, killing a dozen people and children of the attackers, including two young girls. It was Indonesia’s worst terror attack in years. Since the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed over 200 people including

scores of tourists, Indonesia has seen a string of deadly attacks. In March, police said they had uncovered a huge stash of explosives linked to a JAD terror suspect whose wife blew up herself and a child following a dra-matic standoff at their home.

The discovery of some 300 kilograms of assembled explosives and bomb-making materials had raised fears that a major attack was being planned ahead of last month’s elections.

An Indonesian police officer displaying a photo of a suspected militant during a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.

PTI govt to present next year’sfiscal budget on May 24 INTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

The National Assembly budget session will commence in the last week of this month and next year’s fiscal budget will be presented in the house on May 24.

The budget document will be transmitted to the Senate the same evening since Senate will also be starting its session on the same day. The two houses which are currently in session will be adjourned sine die on May 13.

Well placed parliamentary sources said that Adviser to the Prime Minister for finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh will present the budget in the National Assembly.

The opposition has decided to challenge authority of the Adviser to place budget docu-ments in the National Assembly.

S h a i k h w a s

appointed de-facto head of the Finance Ministry a few weeks ago after former Finance Min-ister Asad Umer was asked to step down.

The opposition stalwarts, who put their heads together to evolve strategy to deal with the upcoming events in parliament, are convinced that an Adviser cannot put up the budget in the house. Former speaker National Assembly and PML-N Member National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is of the view that legal experts should examine if an Adviser to the Prime Minister who isn’t elected for any house could perform the duty of pre-senting budget in the house.

The parliamentary sources maintained that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) State Minister Hamad Azhar, who was declared elected from Lahore in 2018 general elections could present budget document in the

National Assembly.It is certain that he will

transmit the budget to Senate, and he will pilot the debate in the Upper House of parliament regarding budget.

The sources said that the government has planned to adopt the finance bill on or before 31st of May that will mark the passage of the budget. With that the two houses will be prorogued.

The ruling party is trying its level best to keep its allies in the government support intact and place them on its right side for adoption of the budget.

The government will have to work hard for the purpose since it has very thin majority in the National Assembly, the sources reminded.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan has been given the additional port-folio of Petroleum Division,

Mount Sinabung volcano spewing thick volcanic ash, as seen from Karo, Indonesia, yesterday.

Sinabung volcano erupts again in IndonesiaAFP JAKARTA

An Indonesian volcano erupted yesterday, sending a massive column of ash and smoke 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the air, coating local villages in debris.

Mount Sinabung on Sumatra island - which has been rumbling since 2010 and saw a deadly eruption in 2016 - spewed the thick plume after activity picked up in recent days.

Disaster agency officials said the eruption has the “potential”

to affect flights, but it had not issued a formal notice for planes to avoid the area. Local residents living along rivers near the crater were advised to be on alert for possible lava flows. There were no reports of injuries or deaths after the latest eruption and the disaster agency did not issue an evacuation order. No one lives inside a previously announced no-go zone around the volcano.

Sinabung roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity it erupted once more

in 2013, and has remained highly active since. In 2016, seven people died in one of Sinabung’s eruptions, while a 2014 eruption killed 16. Last year, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami which killed over 400 people. Indonesia is home to around 130 active vol-canoes due to its position on the “Ring of Fire”, a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.

Ten elephants from Ayutthaya camp march in procession near the Grand Palace to celebrate Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s coronation, in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday.

Omar Ayub given charge of Petroleum MinisterINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has given the additional charge of Petroleum Minister to Omar Ayub Khan.

Omar Ayub already holds the charge of Power Division. Earlier, Ghulam Sarwar Khan was heading the Petroleum Division but he was removed a few days ago after he apparently failed to perform according to expecta-tions. The Cabinet Division issued a notification to give the addi-tional portfolio of Petroleum Division minister to Omar Ayub.

“In terms of Rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the prime minister has been pleased to allocate, with immediate effect, the additional portfolio of Petroleum Division to Omar Ayub Khan, Federal Minister for Power Division,” the Cabinet Division said in the notification. Earlier, PM Imran asked former Finance Minister Asad Umar to take over the portfolio of Petroleum Minister during the cabinet reshuffle. However, Umar declined the request. After-wards, the premier appointed Task Force on Energy Chairman Nadeem Babar as Special Assistant on the Petroleum Division. Now, Ayub has been given the additional charge of Petroleum Minister.

The Foreign Minister says the government had to seek a bailout package from IMF despite balance-of-payment support by some friendly countries, due to the damage inflicted to the economy over the past 10 years.

Thais mark King’s coronation

US returns $57m in 1MDB money to MalaysiaAFP KUALA LUMPUR

Millions of dollars forfeited by the company behind the Leonardo DiCaprio film “Wolf of Wall Street” have been sent to a Malaysian account set up to recover money looted in a massive state fraud, officials said yesterday.

Billions of dollars were stolen from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, allegedly by former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his cronies in a crime that stretched around the world.

The US Department of Justice is in the process of seizing assets it says are linked to the scandal.

It has now transferred funds that were handed over by Red Granite Pictures, the Hollywood production company behind the 2013 film about a massive stock market scam that netted its per-petrator millions of dollars.

Malaysia’s attorney-general Tommy Thomas said the money represented “the first instalment of funds recovered from asset seizures related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)”.

The funds, totalling $57.04m, were sent to an account specially set up to receive recovered 1MDB funds, he said in a statement.

US prosecutors allege that the film company, co-founded by Najib’s step son Riza Aziz, was funded by money stolen from 1MDB. In 2017 Red Granite agreed to settle a US civil lawsuit against it for $60m. About $3m were deducted to cover costs before the funds were returned, Thomas said.

As well as “The Wolf of Wall Street”, Red Granite also pro-duced the Jim Carrey hit “Dumb and Dumber To” and “Daddy’s Home”, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

Prosecutors had made claims for profits generated by all three films as part of their case. The DoJ is also in the process of returning a further $139 million of looted funds that came from the sale of a stake in the Park Lane Hotel in New York, Thomas said.

It was bought by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, who was accused of playing a central role in plundering 1MDB, he said.

Japan recoversparts of crashedfighter jetAFP TOKYO

Japan said yesterday it had recovered some debris from a stealth fighter jet that crashed in April, but was still looking for the “all-important” memory that could offer clues into the accident. Nearly a month after the high-tech F-35A plum-meted into the sea off the coast of northeastern Japan, neither the pilot’s body, nor the plane’s fuselage have been found, said Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Experts say Japan and the US are keen to prevent debris from the plane being recovered by Russia or China, with Iwaya admitting last month there were “a significant amount of secrets that need to be protected” on board.

Some debris, including a part of the flight data recorder, were recovered “on or after May 3”, Iwaya said.

13WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 EUROPE

May seeks Brexit deal amid pressure to quit

AGENCIES LONDON

British Prime Minister Theresa May faced renewed pressure yesterday from lawmakers in her Conservative Party to abandon efforts to seek a Brexit compromise deal with the oppo-sition Labour Party.

After several weeks of fruitless negotiations, senior Conservative and Labour law-makers resumed discussions in what appears to be one final push to reach an agreement.

The talks have been given new urgency by last week’s local elections, which saw the Con-servatives hammered and Labour also lose ground as voters expressed anger at the country’s Brexit impasse.

Almost three years after

Britain voted to leave the EU, the date and terms of Brexit remain uncertain. The UK’s departure date has been postponed from March 29 until October 31 because lawmakers have repeatedly rejected May’s divorce deal with the bloc.

That has led her to seek a deal with Labour. But the left-of-centre opposition party insists it will only agree to a Brexit deal that includes a permanent customs union with the EU to avoid barriers to the trade of goods. The government wants a looser relationship with the bloc that would let Britain strike new trade deals around the world.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said “compromises on all sides” were needed “because the message of last week was that voters for both main parties are very, very angry about the fact that Brexit hasn’t been delivered.” But suggestions the government might soften the terms of departure from the EU has infuriated pro-Brexit Con-servatives, who are demanding May’s resignation. “The time has come for her to resign,” said lawmaker Bill Cash. “She needs to be given a date. The sooner

the better. But it needs to be done in an orderly manner.” May has said she will step down once a Brexit deal has been rat-ified, but it’s unclear when — or

even if — that will happen.The chairman of a powerful

Conservative committee that oversees party leadership con-tests was due to meet May to

deliver a demand for “clarity” about her departure date. Local Conservative organisations have said they will hold a non-binding no-confidence vote in May’s

leadership on June 15.European Commission chief

Jean-Claude Juncker said yes-terday he regrets not intervening in the Brexit referendum, insisting the EU could have “destroyed the lies” that led to Britain voting to leave.

Juncker, who will step down in the autumn after completing his five-year term, said he made a mistake by listening to British leader David Cameron when he told him to stay out of the cam-paign before the June 2016 vote.

“The then prime minister asked me not to interfere, not to intervene in the referendum campaign. It was a mistake not to intervene and not to interfere, because we would have been the only ones to destroy the lies that were circulated round,” Juncker said. “I was wrong to be silent at an important moment.” The former Luxembourg prime min-ister said it was one of two “major mistakes” he made during his mandate — the other being his slow response to the LuxLeaks financial scandal at the start of his term. Britain’s bomb-shell vote — by 52 percent to 48 — to leave the EU sent shock-waves through the bloc.

After several weeks of fruitless negotiations, senior Conservative and Labour lawmakers resumed discussions in what appears to be one final push to reach an agreement.

Britain’s Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell, and Secretary of State for Departing the European Union, Kier Starmer, of the Labour Party, arrive for cross party Brexit talks at Cabinet Office, in London yesterday.

UK to take part in European elections: MinisterAP LONDON

The British government yesterday acknowledged for the first time that the country will definitely take part in the European Parliament elections this month because there’s no chance that a Brexit deal can be approved in time to avoid

them. Prime Minister Theresa M a y ’ s C o n s e r v a t i v e government had been desperate to avoid UK partic-ipation in polls for UK seats in the 751-seat European Union legislature. The vote in Britain on May 23 is being held almost three years after UK voters chose to leave the EU.

Cabinet Office Minister

David Lidington, the No. 2 in May’s government, said “regrettably” it was no longer possible to get Brexit finished before the elections, which are being held across the EU from May 23-26. “We very much hoped that we would be able to get our exit sorted and have the treaty concluded so that those elections did not have to

take place,” he said. “But legally they do have to take place unless our withdrawal has been given legal effect, so those will now go ahead.”

Lidington said the gov-ernment still hoped Britain would leave the bloc before the new European Parliament takes up its seats in early July.

The Conservative Party

fears it will be trounced in the European election as pro-Brexit and pro-EU voters both express anger at the country’s political impasse. Two new parties — the anti-EU Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage and the pro-European Change UK party — are campaigning hard, hoping to make gains among disgruntled Britons.

‘Yellow vest’ protests banned near WWII event AFP PARIS

Paris police said “yellow vest” protesters whose weekly demonstrations have caused vandalism and security head-aches will be barred from Paris’s famed Champs-Elysees avenue today during commem-orations of the end of World War II.

The anti-government dem-onstrators will be banned from disrupting “solemn cere-monies” to take place at the Arc de Triomphe and along the avenue, which is near the French presidential palace, the police said in a statement.

French authorities have been taking a harder line against the “yellow vest” pro-tests since the last Paris police chief was sacked on March 18 for failing to counter a stone-throwing and fiery rampage along the Champs-Elysees.

Fifth suspect held in French attack plotAFP PARIS

French police arrested a 16-year-old in the eastern city of Strasbourg yesterday as part of an investigation into a suspected plot to attack security forces and possibly the presi-dential Elysee Palace, a judicial source said.

His arrest comes after three adults and another teenager were arrested on April 26 over plans to carry out what Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said would have been an “extremely violent terror attack”.

The attack was allegedly planned to coincide with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began in France on Monday, with offi-cials saying the suspects had scouted out areas near the Elysee and a police station in the Parisian suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.

Russia probes pilot error after deadly plane fireAFP MOSCOW

Russian investigators were yesterday considering pilot error as the cause of a crash-landing that saw a plane erupt in flames at Moscow’s busiest airport and kill 41 people, media reported.

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 had just flown out of Shereme-tyevo airport on Sunday evening when it sent out an emergency signal and circled back, bouncing on the runway and catching fire. Sources in the

investigation told Kommersant newspaper the Aeroflot pilots made a number of errors including flying into a thunder-storm and landing with a full tank rather than circling to use up fuel. Various sources told the business daily RBK the pilots opened a cockpit window, potentially fanning the flames, and failed to turn off engines immediately after landing.

Investigators are still exam-ining the black boxes from the plane and have so far given no official reason for the crash.

Pamela Anderson visits Assange in prisonAFP LONDON

Former “Baywatch” star and now animal rights campaigner Pamela Anderson spoke emotionally after meeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a London prison yesterday, warning that his life was in danger.

“It’s been very difficult to see Julian here and to make our way through the prison to get to him was quite shocking,” said Anderson, who visited Assange several times when he lived as a fugitive inside Ecuador’s embassy. “He’s a good man, he’s

an incredible person. I love him. I can’t imagine what he has been going through,” the US actress and former Playboy model said outside Belmarsh prison, wearing a large cape with slogans calling for the defence of free speech.

“We need to save his life. That’s how serious it is,” she said, adding: “We just have to keep fighting because it’s unfair. He’s sacrificed so much to bring the truth out”.

Anderson, who lives in France, starred in the hit US series “Baywatch” and is now a prominent animal rights activist.

British police arrested

Assange at the embassy last month after Ecuador withdrew his asylum after seven years.

He had sought refuge there to escape extradition to Sweden where he had been accused of abuse and physical assault.

Assange is now serving out a 50-week sentence for jumping bail and is contesting an extra-dition request from the United States where he is wanted for hacking.

WikiLeaks published hun-dreds of thousands of classified documents exposing US military wrongdoing in the Iraq war and diplomatic secrets about scores of countries.

Britain eagerly awaits royal baby nameAFP WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM

Thrilled Britons bet on baby names and congratulations poured in yesterday after Prince Harry and Meghan welcomed the royal family’s first known mixed-race member.

Harry on Monday announced the birth of the couple’s first — a son who will be seventh in the long line to the British throne.

“This little thing is absolutely to die for,” Harry, 34, said with a giggle, delighted but somewhat overwhelmed.

Harry “was so genuine,” remarked Mark Schultz, 57, an American queuing outside Windsor Castle with his wife Jeanelle and other tourists yesterday.

“Any time there’s a royal baby it’s exciting, but Meghan, she’s one of ours,” Jeanelle added.

The members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland perform in the Changing of the Guard ceremony near Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London yesterday, the day after the announcement that Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has given birth to a son.

Pompeo cancels German visitAFP BERLIN

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abruptly cancelled a visit to Germany yesterday hours before he was due to arrive in Berlin, with his spokeswoman citing “pressing issues”. “We look forward to rescheduling this important set of meetings,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said. “The Secretary looks forward to being in Berlin soon.” She gave no further details or explanation for the sudden change of plans.

Pompeo had been due to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas yesterday.

It was not immediately clear whether he would still travel to Britain today, when he was to meet with Prime Min-ister Theresa May, or tomorrow to Greenland, where he was to complete his European tour.

Pompeo started the trip attending a meeting of min-isters of the Arctic Council in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi. Merkel’s office referred all queries about the reasons for the cancellation to the US embassy in Berlin, which could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cyprus police in first apology over serial killingsAFP NICOSIA

Cyprus’s new police chief issued the force’s first apology yesterday for its handling of the killings of seven foreign women and girls, acknowledging officers had failed to protect them. The

murders have sparked anger against the police over its failure to act on missing person reports that allowed the killer to carry on undetected for nearly three years. New chief Kypros Michaelides issued the apology as he was sworn in to replace Zacharias Chrysostomou.

Chrysostomou was sacked on Friday over what he called police “negligence and incom-petence”, a day after Justice Min-ister Ionas Nicolaou resigned.

“The recent painful develop-ments and the loss of defenceless innocent women and children who had come to our country in

search of a better future have greatly damaged the prestige, honour and reputation of the Cyprus police, highlighting weaknesses, gaps and omis-sions,” Michaelides said. “That is why, as representative of the police force, I want... to convey a big apology because we did not

manage to protect these innocent and defenceless souls who died in a tragic and disgraceful way.” In his dismissal letter to Michaelides’ predecessor, the president decried “the apparent negligence and dereliction of duty of the police in investigating reports of missing persons”.

14 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019AMERICAS

‘No proof of spying on Trump campaign’AP WASHINGTON

FBI Director Chris Wray (pictured) said yesterday that he does not consider court-approved FBI surveillance to be “spying” and said he has no evidence the FBI illegally moni-tored President Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election.

His comments at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing broke from Attorney General William Barr, who has said that he believed the Trump campaign had been spied on during an investigation into potential collusion with Russia. Trump seized on those com-ments as part of his allegation that the investigation was tainted by law enforcement bias.

Asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., if he would say the FBI is “spying” when it inves-tigates suspected terrorists and mobsters while following “inves-tigative policies and procedures,” Wray replied, “Well, that’s not the term I would use.” He added: “I believe that the FBI is engaged in investigative activity, and part of investigative activity includes surveillance activity of different shapes and sizes. And to me, the

key question is making sure that it’s done by the book, consistent with our lawful authorities. That’s the key question. Different people use different colloquial phrases.” Wray declined to discuss in detail the FBI’s inves-tigation into the Trump campaign because of an ongoing Justice Department inspector general probe into the origins of the Russia inquiry. Barr has said he expects the watchdog report to be done in May or June.

But asked whether he was aware of evidence that the FBI had illegally spied on the Trump campaign, Wray said, “I don’t think I personally have any

evidence of that sort.” Barr is investigating whether there was a proper basis for the FBI to open a counterintelligence investi-gation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“The attorney general is seeking to understand better the c ircumstances at the department and the FBI relating to how this investigation started, and we’re working to help him get that understanding,” Wray said about the Justice Depart-ment’s review. “I think that’s part of his job and part of mine.” Barr didn’t specify what he meant when he said he believed there had been spying on the Trump campaign, though he also said that he did not mean for the word in a negative way.

The FBI obtained a secret surveillance warrant in 2016 to monitor the communications of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The New York Times also reported last week that the FBI used a woman posing as a research assistant to approach ex-Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who had earlier been told by a Maltese professor that Russia had “dirt” on Democrat Hillary Clinton in the form of stolen emails.

Members of security forces stand guard at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, yesterday.

Venezuela to prosecute lawmakers AFP CARACAS

Venezuela’s Supreme Court yesterday ordered the prose-cution of seven lawmakers who supported last week’s failed uprising orchestrated by oppo-sition leader Juan Guaido.

The court said it had asked Attorney-General Tarek William Saab “to continue the criminal investigation of this

case.” Five people died and 233 were arrested in protests sparked by a failed military uprising against Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro last week, Tarek William Saab said. “All those cases are being investigated,” Saab said.

A small number of military personnel on April 30 joined opposition leader Juan Guaido outside an air base in the capital Caracas calling on those

inside to join the rebellion. The insurrection quickly

petered out, though, and 25 rebel soldiers sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Saab, a Maduro loyalist, confirmed that 18 arrest warrants were issued against “civilians and military plotters,” although he gave no names. In an interview, Guaido blamed the failure on unkept promises by other members of the armed forces.

Texas seeks more armed school personnel after mass shootingAP AUSTIN, TEXAS

Nearly a year after a mass shooting at a Texas high school in which eight students and two substitute teachers were killed, lawmakers in the gun-friendly state are close to passing new

measures that they say would harden campuses by adding more armed school personnel, beefing up security plans and boosting student mental health resources. As for restricting gun sales or access to weapons, there’s likely no chance of that happening in a state where the

Republican leadership has long pledged to protect gun rights. Texas allows the licensed carry of handguns and the unlicensed open carry of long guns, such as assault-style rifles.

“We can make soft targets harder for a person with violent intent to get to, and we can try

to find these people earlier, but in Texas leaders are loath to touch the guns themselves,” said Cal Jillson, political science pro-fessor at Southern Methodist University. “It’s part of the broad Texas ethos, the Texas image, this sort of cowboy image from history.” Texas isn’t alone in its

push to arm more educators. Florida lawmakers approved increasing the number of armed teachers in response to the Feb-ruary 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland that killed 17.

The changes being pushed in Texas include several measures

proposed by Gov. Greg Abbott shortly after the May 2018 killings at Santa Fe High School near Houston. The current Texas legislative session is the first for state lawmakers since that event, and Abbott declared school safety one of his top priorities. The session ends May 27.

GOP senators to be briefed on Kushner’s immigration planAP WASHINGTON

Looking for feedback and support, the White House invited Republican senators yesterday to discuss a “fairly compre-hensive” new immigration plan being spearheaded by senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The group was expected to include lawmakers who have been in discussion with Kush-ner’s team about the plan, as well as more conservative members who could be more resistant to it. Among those expected to attend were David Perdue of Georgia, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

Kushner’s plan is expected to include two major compo-nents: Border security measures that would include efforts to secure ports of entry and a package of legal immigration proposals that would create a more “merit-based” system giving preference to those with job skills rather than relatives of immigrants already in the country. Kushner said during an

interview at the TIME 100 Summit two weeks ago that he would present a revised version to Trump “probably at the end of this week, next week” and that the president would then “make some changes, likely, and then he’ll decide what he wants to do with it when he wants to do with it.” “My hope is that we can really do something that unifies people around what we’re for on immigration,” he said. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Tuesday described the plan as “fairly comprehensive” and said it could include changes to the diversity visa lottery, which Trump has long criticized.

She also told Fox News Channel that Trump might be open to a deal that would address the plight of hundreds of thousands of “Dreamer” immigrants who were brought to the country as children and are here illegally. “We’ll see,” she said, later telling reporters, “The president made very clear in January 2018 in the Cabinet Room that he was willing to do a deal on DACA and the Dreamers.”

Private jet crashes in Mexico; 13 feared deadAFP TORREÓN, MEXICO

The wreckage of a private jet that disappeared while flying from Las Vegas to Monterrey, in northern Mexico, was found, with no sign that any of the 13 people on board survived, officials said.

Air-traffic controllers said they lost contact with the Bom-bardier Challenger 601 jet on Sunday evening, after it abruptly lost altitude over the state of Coa-huila, in northern Mexico.

“On an overflight of the area, (officials) sighted the remains of the aircraft in a mountainous, dif-ficult-to-access area in the

municipality of Ocampo, Coa-huila,” the state public security ministry said in a statement.

“No survivors were observed.” Images of the wreckage on Mexican TV showed the badly charred and shattered remains of the fuselage, with only the wings and tail left intact.

A state aviation official had initially said there were 11 pas-sengers on board the plane, but the ministry corrected the figure to 10, plus three crew: the pilot, the copilot and a flight attendant.

According to Mexican media reports, authorities believe the charter jet was flying a group of passengers back from Saturday

night’s middleweight title fight in Las Vegas, in which Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeated Daniel Jacobs of the United States. Its destination was the wealthy industrial city of Monterrey, in Nuevo Leon state, which borders Coahuila.

Authorities said bad weather could have played a part in the crash. “There has been a lot of atmospheric activity and insta-bility recently. Over the past four days, we’ve had rain storms, hail and winds with gusts of more than 60km per hour,” Francisco Martinez, Coahuila’s deputy public safety minister, told TV network Milenio.

The wreckage of a private jet found yesterday in Ocampo, Coahuila State, in northern Mexico, a day after it disappeared while flying from Las Vegas in the US to Monterrey in Mexico.

Melania Trump announces expansion of ‘Be Best’AP WASHINGTON

Melania Trump celebrated yesterday’s anniversary of her “Be Best” initiative by announcing its expansion and another international trip to promote it.

The first lady launched “Be Best,” her first major initiative, a year ago Tuesday to focus on child well-being, social media use and drug abuse. She cele-brated its anniversary from behind a lectern in the sun-splashed White House Rose Garden with several Cabinet secretaries who have worked with her and other guests.

Mrs. Trump said her focus on drug abuse will now include children of all ages, not just babies born dependent on opioids and other addictive substances, and young mothers. The social media pillar will broaden to add online safety to the emphasis on bullying and good citizenship online.

The first lady announced that she will embark in the fall on another international trip to promote “Be Best,” but did not reveal her destination; she said the “details are still coming together.” She promoted “Be Best” on a four-country African swing last October.

Mrs. Trump said she has spent the past year listening to and learning from parents, medical professionals, teachers, leaders in the field of tech-nology and social media and many others, and said she was ready for more.

In a video reel that played before she spoke, the first lady said children have written to her with their concerns about drug abuse and online safety. “I’m ready for all of the work that is still to be done,” she said in the video.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (centre) walks away from the Senate floor after speaking about the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 US election and stated “case closed”, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, yesterday.

McConnell: ‘Case closed’ on Mueller probeAP WASHINGTON

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is declaring “case closed” on the Russia probe and potential obstruction by Pres-ident Donald Trump, deriding Democrats who he says are “grieving” the result.

The Republican leader, in his most significant public comments

yet on the investigation, opened the Senate yesterday with a speech discussing how special counsel Robert Mueller’s “exhaustive” probe went on for two years and is now complete. The remarks, which are certain to please the president, are being billed as his final thoughts on the topic.

“It’s finally over,” McConnell said. The Kentucky Republican

called Mueller’s findings “bad news for the outrage industrial complex but good news for the rest of the country.” Republicans, taking their cues from Trump, are eager to push past the inves-tigation. But the case is anything but closed for Democrats, who are pressing for further oversight of the White House and the pres-ident’s handling of the Mueller probe.

15WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019 HOME

HBKU team discusses reform and renovation in NetherlandsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently participated in a workshop on ‘Islamic Reform and Modernity’, held in collaboration with the Islamic University of Applied Science Rotterdam (IUR) – the only accredited Islamic university in Europe. A dele-gation from CIS joined repre-sentatives from the universities of Utrecht and Leiden in the Netherlands, and Central European University in Budapest, during which they addressed Modernity, Reform, and Tajdid (Renovation).

The CIS delegation comprised Dr Hossam Mohamed, Senior Researcher at Al Qaradawi Center for Islamic Reform and Renewal (QCIMR), which led the collabo-ration from CIS; Dr Muetaz Al Khatib, Assistant Professor; and Chaoiki Lazhar, Deputy Director of the Center for Islamic Legis-lation (CILE) at CIS.

Papers on ‘Islamic Reform and Modern Nation State: A Critical Analysis’, ‘Ethics in the Context of Reform Movement in Modern Egypt’, and ‘The Function of Islamic Sciences: Towards a Benchmark for Reap-praising Scriptural Sciences in the Modern Context’ were pre-sented by Dr Hossam Mohamed, Dr Al Khatib, and Chaoiki Lazhar, respectively.

Dr Hossam said: “CIS’s col-laboration with IUR brought together academics from diverse backgrounds to provide reflec-tions on major debates of modernity in connection with

Islam and Muslim societies. Del-egates – a mix of Muslim and non-Muslims – offered refreshing insights stemming from their unique areas of expertise, which will go on to

inform future workshops and research.”

Delegates from other partic-ipating universities spoke on ‘Modernity, Reformation and Tajdid’, ‘Islam as a Source of

Human Rights’, ‘Islamic Reform and Tajdid in the Era of Modernity: The Moroccan Expe-rience’ and ‘Reform and the Concept of Jihad’. All research papers delivered during the

workshop are to be published in a special edition of The Journal of Rotterdam Islamic and Social Science.

CIS regularly participates in local and international events, public lectures and conferences that aim to promote a deeper understanding of the various aspects of Islam. The QCIMR in particular aims to promote mod-eration and revival of Islamic thought through research, and address contemporary issues such as human rights, the status of women and family, environ-mental concerns, and so on through a moderate and enlightened understanding of Islam. The college is also home to several other distinguished research centres that unite scholars and thought leaders from around the world.

HBKU is committed to fos-tering dialogue and discourse on complex issues and challenges facing the Qatari community and beyond. In doing so, it cultivates partnerships to align with modern-day needs.

The College of Islamic Studies, part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, debates issues surrounding Islamic modernity and renovation.

CIS regularly partici-pates in local and international events, public lectures and conferences that aim to promote a deeper understanding of the various aspects of Islam.

QU’s Sport Science Program organises symposium THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Sport Science Program (SSP), at Qatar University’s (QU) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) organised a symposium titled “School Sport: Interdisci-plinary Perspective.” The event aimed to provide an opportunity for academic researchers and experts in the field to share their knowledge and experience on topics such as the importance of school sport in enhancing physical activity and healthy life-styles as well as the correlation of well-being and academic performance.

The symposium’s agenda featured a wide range of topics including “Results from Qatar’s 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth,” presented by Researcher Suzan Al-Sayegh, Aspetar; “Levels of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in QU Community,” presented by Dr Lina Majed, Assistant Professor in CAS; “Physical Fitness and Physical Self-Concept of Male and Female Young Adults in Qatar” pre-sented by Dr Bryna Chrismas, Assistant Professor in CAS; “Use of School-based High-intensity Interval Training to Improve Adolescents’ Health and Fitness,” presented by Researcher Dr. Kathryn Weston, Qatar Meta-bolic Institute, Hamad Medical

Corporation; and “A Skill Theme Approach Teaching for Physical Activity in Schools,” presented by Dr Ferman Konukman Assistant Professor, Sport Science Program.

The second session involved a presentation on “Physical Activity and Health,” by Dr Abdelhamid Kerkadi Associate Professor, Human Nutrition Department in CAS followed by Anthony Hazeldine, Head of National Talent Identification Program, who presented on “ASPIRE Talent Identification Program in Schools in Qatar.”

The symposium ended with a panel discussion by two physical education teachers Karim Qabbary and Lee Dewaal, who offered their insights on oppor-tunities and challenges of PE lessons in schools.

Dr Mahfoud Amara, Director of QU’s Sport Science Program said, “The results on the effect of physical inactivity on popu-lation health should be an incentive for better and cohesive interventions of sport science and health community in the country. Increasing the level and diversity of physical activity in

schools is crucial.”He added, “To date, 18.8

percent of Qatari boys and 15.5 percent of Qatari girls below the age of 20 years are obese and these figures are still rising. Moreover, the latest Qatar Active Healthy Kids Report Card (2019) showed that only 25 percent of children meet the physical activity guidelines for health, while the large majority are still considered inactive. Developing sport practice at a grass roots level has the same importance as developing a strong base line for elite sport in Qatar.”

The event aimed at providing an opportunity for academic researchers and experts in the field to share their knowledge and experience.

QNL lecture sheds light on impactof Indian education sectorTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar National Library held an informal panel discussion, “Indian Schools: Educating the Indian Expat Community,” on May 3, 2019.

The panel featured senior representatives of Qatar’s oldest established Indian schools, including Birla Public School, DPS Modern and MES Indian Schools, and focused on the impact of the Indian education sector in educating Indian expa-triates in Qatar since the early 1970s.

Alumni present at the event shared their personal stories and discussed how these schools have helped to shape their pro-fessional lives.

Sayeed Mohammed, Infor-mation Services Librarian at the Library, said: “The event has given the community the chance to acknowledge and appreciate

the positive impact of these schools on generations of stu-dents, which continue to play a major role in educating youth in Qatar.

The Library supports the role of formal education in spreading knowledge, which can have a transformational effect on the lives of many.”

The participants at the informal panel discussion.

AZF’s Ramadan Sports Festival begins todayTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) has announced the start of its annual Ramadan Sports Festival, which will take place from May 8 to 17. The Festival will feature a raft of events and tournaments with a focus on giving participants an opportunity to improve their overall health.

One type of exercise that is often overlooked but whose ben-efits are wide-ranging is walking.

It is a low-impact exercise accessible for people with all fitness levels, does not require additional equipment and can be practiced across many different venues and terrains. Doctors rec-ommend walking 10,000 steps a day to avoid many chronic dis-

eases, such as heart disease, dia-betes, and obesity.

Aspire Dome will organise walking sessions that will take place before Iftar from 3pm – to 5pm and will be led by Aspire Zone trainers. Two sessions will take place during that time lasting 45 minutes each, with the first session starting at 3:15pm.

Walking enthusiasts will be able to burn around 200-250 cal-ories having walked an estimated 840 steps per round. Participants will be encouraged to complete six rounds which equates to 5,000 steps. Interested participants can enter from Aspire Dome’s back entrance, the one facing Hamad Aquatic Centre. The Festival will be sponsored by Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co, Aseel Water and EsQalar Sports.

Ooredoo announces tie-up with Uber

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo announced yesterday a tie-up with Uber that will see Hala customers receiving discount on Uber rides when they recharge their accounts with Ooredoo Flexi cards.

The promotion, valid from May 6, offers Hala customers 35 percent off on up to four Uber rides with a maximum discount of QR30 when they recharge their accounts with Flexi Cards.

Customers recharging with a QR100 Flexi Card will get 35 percent off on two rides up to QR20, recharging with a QR150 Flexi Card will allow 35 percent off on three rides up to QR25 and recharging with a QR200 Flexi Card will allow 35 percent off on four rides up to QR30.

E l i g i b l e c u s t o m e r s recharging with a Flexi Card of QR100 and above will receive a unique code with an activation

notification. They’ll then need to activate the promo code on their Uber app.

If customers do not yet have the Uber app, they will need to download it from the App Store or Google Play. On activating the code, customers will be eligible to enjoy the benefits of the offer, which will be valid till June 5, 2019.

Speaking of the tie-up and promotion, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director PR and Cor-porate Communications at Ooredoo, said: “We’re excited to introduce this amazing pro-motion with Uber, where our customers will be able to enjoy generous discounts on trips around town.

We know value for money is an important factor for many of us, and we’re delighted we can offer customers extra value when they top up their Hala accounts. We hope they enjoy their Uber rides for less!”

The event has given the community the chance to acknowledge and appreciate the positive impact of these schools on generations of students, which continue to play a major role in educating youth in Qatar.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in coop-eration with Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar, announces the recall of Mercedes-Benz SLC model of 2018 due to right rear underbody not conforming to manufacturer specifications.

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

The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the mainte-nance and repair works and will communicate with cus-tomers to ensure that the nec-essary repairs are carried out.

The Ministry urges all cus-tomers to report any viola-tions to its Consumer Pro-tection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department, which processes complaints, inquires and suggestions.

MoCI announces recall of Mercedes-Benz SLC 2018 model

16 WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 2019MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

03. 30 AM04. 53 AM

11. 30 AM02. 58 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum30oC 41oC

HIGH TIDE 05:27 –19:22 LOW TIDE 01:57 – 13:16

Hot daytime with some clouds at times.

General Cleanliness Department recognises workers’ performance THE PENINSULA / DOHA

The Director of General Cleanliness Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Safar Mubarak

Al Shafi, honoured workers f o r t h e i r e x c e l l e n t performance.

A total of 120 workers of the department were hon-oured in recognition of their

hard work at a ceremony held on the fifth consecutive year. The workers were also pro-vided food packets on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Director of General Cleanliness Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Safar Mubarak Al Shafi (centre), honours a worker during a ceremony.

Scientists develop device to detect bacteria in minutesAFP WASHINGTON

The era of doctors prescribing patients powerful anti-biotics while they wait for lab reports could soon be numbered, with a new device returning results within minutes instead of days.

It was invented by a team at Penn State university and described in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday.

Co-developed by Pak Kin Wong, a professor of bio-medical engineering and mechanical engineering, the device uses microtechnology to trap single bacteria cells that can then be viewed under an electron microscope.

The approach allows clinicians to determine in as little as 30 minutes whether bacteria is present and its susceptibility to drug treatment — as opposed to the three-to-five days such lab work currently takes.

“We currently prescribe antibiotics even when there is no bacteria present,” Wong said.

“That is over prescription. That is one of things we tried to express. Can we quickly determine the existence of bacterial infection?” The researchers’ paper said that in addition to being able to detect whether bac-teria is present, the device can begin to classify the type by determining whether the cells are spherical, rod-shaped, or spiral.

He added that the team had applied for a provi-sional patent and could bring their device, which they hope to scale down in size so that it can be used in hos-pitals and doctors’ offices, to market in three years’ time.

Migrant death ship to be shown at Venice art fairAFP VENICE

The remains of the worst known Mediterranean migrant shipwreck, in which up to 900 people died, will be exhibited at the prestigious Venice Biennale art fair this week.

The blue and red fishing boat was carrying almost 1,000 migrants when it struck a Por-tuguese cargo ship that was coming to its aid off the coast of Libya during the night of April 18-19, 2015.

The boat sank quickly as the cargo ship’s horrified crew raced to save 28 people.

Swiss artist Christoph Buchel obtained permission from Italian authorities and a group that represents the victims to transport the hull to Venice as part of a project called “Barca Nostra” (Our Boat). It will be shown in a shipyard by itself, without any explanation.

“It is a quiet site, sheltered from noise, an invitation to silence and meditation,” said Paolo Baratta, the head of the Venice Biennale which opens on Saturday.

Italy spent around ¤10m ($12m) to raise the wreck from a depth of 370 metres (1,200 feet) and transport it to Sicily so the victims could be

identified and given a proper burial. A large rectangular opening was cut in the hull to allow workers to recover hun-dreds of bodies, with dozens of medical examiners called in to examine the remains of 800-900 people.

Travel documents from Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory

Coast, Mali, Senegal, Somalia and Sudan, were found, along with small packets of earth from some migrants homelands and a school report that a teenager had sewn into their clothes.

“It seems we are looking at the worst massacre ever seen in the Mediterranean,” UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami

said at the time. The disaster provoked an emergency EU summit as Europe tried to control a migrant crisis that has presented the union with one of its biggest challenges ever. The victims now lie in various Sicilian cemetaries, and it was decided to not destroy the boat but integrate it into a Sicilian “memory garden”.

The fishing vessel that sank on April 18, 2015 trapping hundreds of migrants in its hull, is being installed in Venice’s former shipyards as part of the centerpiece of a new art project by Swiss-Icelandic artist Christoph Buechel, prior to the the 58th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, yesterday in Venice.

‘Avengers’ blast past ‘Titanic’ to all-time No. 2AFP LOS ANGELES

Disney and Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” has stormed into historic territory, earning $2.19bn worldwide in less than two weeks to become the No. 2 film of all time, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Monday.

That exalted number, which includes the film’s take of $147.4m this three-day weekend in North America, pushes the superhero blockbuster past “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which netted $2.07bn, and even “Titanic” ($2.18bn).

Only “Avatar” ($2.79bn) has done better, yet “Avengers” hit its record total in just 11 days.

Hollywood analysts predict a long run for “Avengers,” which drew a rare 95 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website and features a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin.

Trailing “Avengers” by several light years, rival studios still managed to place new films in the next three box-office spots.

Sony’s psychological thriller “The Intruder” came in second,

at $10.9m. Michael Ealy and Meagan Good star as a young couple who buy a dream home in California’s Napa Valley unaware that its previous owner (Dennis Quaid) plans to take it back — at all costs.

In third was Lionsgate’s romantic comedy “Long Shot,” at $9.7m. Seth Rogen plays Fred Flarsky, an out-of-work jour-nalist who has a romantic interest in his former babysitter (Charlize Theron) who — now a candidate for the US presidency — might seem a bit out of his reach. STX Films’ animated film “UglyDolls” placed fourth, at $8.6m. The plot? A bunch of misfit dolls with pointy ears and bad teeth — residents of Ugly-ville — face a harsh world but finally discover their inner beauty. The voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Wanda Sykes and Janelle Monae are featured.

In fifth place, hanging strong in its ninth week out, was Dis-ney’s “Captain Marvel,” at $4.3m. Brie Larson stars as a former fighter pilot who gains superpowers. Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were: “Break-through” ($3.9m) “The Curse of La Llorona” ($3.7m) “Shazam!” ($2.5m) “Dumbo” ($1.5m) “Little” ($1.4m)

GDCD strengthens culture of safety through awareness SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

The General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD) organised an awareness campaign at the Doha Festival City (DFC) in order to raise awareness on a variety of measures to ensure safety, particularly on domestic fire accidents.

The four-day event, which began on Monday, targeted children, house-wives and visitors of mall to educate them on the use of fire extinguishers, said First Lieutenant Abdul Hadi Ali Al Marri, Officer at Media and Preventive Education Section at the General Direc-torate of Civil Defence.

“On Monday, we received about 200 people and we expect to attract over 1,000 people by the end of the campaign. Also from next week, we have another campaign which will focus on drivers and road users. We will distribute Iftar meals and awareness

brochures among them,” he said. The department runs awareness campaign throughout the year but it intensifies it during the holy month of Ramadan. “We are seeking to activate the motto of the International Day of Civil Defence this year, which is ‘safety of our children is our responsibility’,” First Lieutenant Abdul Hadi Ali Al Marri added.

The drive also educates housemaids on how to communicate with the Civil Defence team in case of any fire incident as well as strengthening the culture of security and safety at home and raise awareness on safety measures in general.

First Lieutenant Abdul Hadi Ali Al

Marri pointed out that the department has another awareness campaign at the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara which also targets families and house-maids and there is a women team from the Civil Defence conducting this drive at Katara. “We distribute useful bro-chures among children and train them on how to use fire extinguishers of dif-ferent sizes and types.”

Al Marri has urged housewives on the importance of using all the security and safety requirements at home, from

ensuring the availability of a functioning fire extinguisher at house and work-places, perfect knowledge on best mode of their usage, good electrical connec-tions, safe connection of cooking gas, care not to leave cooking pans on stove for a longer period without surveillance etc. “It is important also to monitor children, when they are inside kitchen, and adopt alertness while cooking, are some of the safety measures that should be taken by us for ensuring the general safety.”

The officials of the General Directorate of Civil Defence educate children on safety measures during an awareness campaign at the Doha Festival City.

The department runs awareness campaign throughout the year but it intensifies it during the holy month of Ramadan.