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Volume 21 | Number 7051 | 2 RiyalsTuesday 24 January 2017 | 26 Rabia II 1438

People visiting stalls at Souq Waqif as part of the Spring Festival, yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin/The Peninsula

Festival attracts visitors

The Peninsula

The single window customs clearance service ‘Al Nadeeb’, introduced by

the General Authority of Cus-toms (GAC), has attained 400% increase in number of contain-ers cleared each day. Once fully established by July, all the min-istries and other allied organisations will be linked to the online system, without any human interference in the clearance procedures.

“Clearance of containers raised from 200 containers per day to some 1,000, with the Al Nadeeb service. The system has eased and sped up the custom procedures significantly,” said Abdul Hadi Hasan Al Sahli, Director of Sea Customs

Department at Qatar’s General Authority of Customs (GAC).

“The system is being upgraded. By July, electronic link between GAC and all min-istries and other organisations concerned with customs will be established. Hamad Port will be fully functional in July, so that some of the issues face by a few companies now, will be resolved,” said Al Sahli in a statement.

The electronic link will have a lot of salient features easing custom clearance, enhancing coordination and cooperation with the partners. The link will help process the customs dec-laration within few minutes if there is no restriction on the goods.

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QNA & Anatolia

The Sudanese govern-ment signed yesterday an agreement with Sudan Liberation Movement -Second

Revolution (SLM-SR) , in accord-ance with the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.

Qatar's Deputy Prime Minis-ter and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud attended the signing in Doha, along with Assistant to the Presi-dent of Sudan Musa Mohamed Ahmed and Jeremiah Kingsley Mamabolo, who is the Joint Spe-cial Representative for Darfur and Head of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Dar-fur (UNAMID).

The agreement was signed by SLM-SR leader Abu Al Qasim Imam and Sudanese Vice-Pres-ident Amin Hassan Omar. In 2007, Imam split from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al Nur and signed a peace deal in Libyan capital Tripoli with the Sudanese government. His group took up

arms against Khartoum in 2010, after accusing the government of violating the terms.

The Doha Document was first signed in mid-2011 by Khar-toum and the Liberation and Justice Movement, a Darfurian rebel group. The deal, however, was not signed at the time by Darfur’s two other leading rebel movements, the SLM and the Jus-tice and Equality Movement.

Al Mahmoud gave a speech to mark the occasion and conveyed the greetings of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Minister added that the Emir was following with interest the developments of peace in Dar-fur and is hoping for sustainability and development of the region as well as all of Sudan.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the Doha Document for peace has crowned the efforts of all parties committed to the interests of the people of Darfur. The document also became the

basis of ending the struggle and initiating a rebuilding and devel-opment process in Darfur. He praised the example set by Liber-ation and Justice Movement back then, when it signed the document and choose the road of peace, to help the people of Darfur achieve stability and development.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that SLM-SR led by Abu Al Qasim Imam Haj has signed an initial agreement on the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in N'Djamena of Chad Republic, noting that the final agreement

is to be signed in the ceremony. Al Mahmoud said that it con-

firms the movement's courage and determination to establish peace and start a new beginning of stability and development for the people of Darfur. "The movement deserves to be thanked for participating in the national dialogue that took place recently in Sudan in addition to the Darfur peace agreement, which confirms the movements commitment to achieve peace."

The mediation followed cer-tain principles in its quest to

achieve peace in Darfur saying, that the aim of the agreement is to include everyone, providing stability and well being to the people of Darfur.

Al Mahmoud said the Doha Document was ratified by the peo-ple and supported by the regional and international community cov-ers an all around just solution for the cause of the conflict and is a result of the hard work of all the partners with close discussion of the people of Darfur, who are the most important element.

→ Continued on page 3

Rebel group signs Qatar-backed Darfur peace plan

400% increase in daily container clearance

MOKHA: Yemeni govern-ment forces captured yesterday the port of Mokha as they pushed to oust Huthi rebels from the Red Sea coastline, a journalist said.

Government forces were combing the port, a journalist accompanying the troops said, almost three weeks after the loyalists launched an offensive against the Shia insurgents and their allies on Yemen's southwestern coast. An offi-cial statement said government forces recap-tured the whole city, but a military commander in the field said that loyalists were still fighting the rebels on the southern outskirts of Mokha.

Fazeena Saleem The Peninsula

Many have started bene-fiting from the recently introduced free e-gate

service for expatriate passengers at the arrivals and departures terminal of the Hamad Interna-tional Airport (HIA).

The Ministry of Interior acti-vated the service in December last year and also a biometric data activation centre was set up two weeks ago for e-gate users.

Several expatriates, The Peninsula spoke to, expressed happiness over the move, saying the free e-gate service is conven-ient and helping them save time.

Expatriates claim that the

e-gate service has helped to speed up immigration proce-dures as they are not required to wait in queues for the officers to manually check their details and stamp the passports.

The e-gate service is accessible to expatriates above 18 years of age, using their Qatari ID cards. They are required to scan the ID card on the card reader machine installed at e-gate followed by finger print or eye scan (retina scan). If data on the ID and biometrics/ retina matches, the system will open the gate.

These procedures are com-pleted through e-gate using automated machines within a very short time, according to expatriates who have benefitted from the e-gate service. Dharshan

Goonethillaka, a bank employee said: “ I used the e-gate service last week and it was very fast and use-ful. All one has to do is swipe the Qatar ID, get eye scan and just go. It’s a super awesome service and everything was completed within couple of minutes.”

“It can be even more helpful in situations as when we reach the airport late for a departure, because the service is very fast and we don’t need to spend any time for immigration formalities. The e-gate service is one of the efficient services introduced at the HIA,” he added.

A long time Indian expatri-ate sharing his experience at HIA’s e-gate service said: “Finally, we no longer need to

wait in long queues. E-gates are very quick and efficient. The whole procedure at the e-gate takes less than two minutes.”

At present 19 e-gates have been installed at the departures terminal and 16 at the arrival ter-minal. “I was not aware of the e-gate service at HIA and was waiting at the regular immigra-tion queue which was pretty long and the airport officials directed me to the e gate. It was very fast and easy. It saved so much of time and prevented from stand-ing after a long journey ,” said D'Souza a long time expatriate in Doha. Some expatriates who were using the e-gate service with a smart Qatari ID said the new free service is beneficial.

“I have been using the e- gate facility for some time because I don’t like waiting in queues. But the e-gate service was accessible to those who have subscribed to the Qatari smart ID card services for which had to pay an extra amount anually. It’s really good that with the new facility everyone could exit or enter from the e-gate fast and free of charge,” said a Kenyan expatri-ate. Ann Morris, a frequent traveller said: “Queues at HIA immigration can be long and take time. I have always used the e-gate facility and found it to be fast and convenient way to clear immigration. But on my recent trip I noticed that the e -gate is now very crowded as many peo-ple still getting used to it.”

Expatriates hail free e-gate services at HIA

First day of Syria talks end without breakthroughASTANA: A first day of indi-rect peace talks between Syrian rebels and the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Kaza-khstan's capital Astana ended Monday without any appar-ent breakthrough, sources said.

"Our delegation's meet-ings are over for today," a source close to the regime said, after rebel spokesman Yehya Al Aridi told reporters the opposition's meetings were also done for the day.

Yesterday's talks, organ-ised by rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran, could have marked the first time armed rebel groups directly negotiate with Assad's regime since the con-flict began in 2011.

→ See also page 7

Yemen army seizes Red Sea port city

"Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was following with interest the peace process in Darfur and is hoping for sustainability and development of the region as well as all of Sudan," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud who attended the signing ceremony in Doha.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud speaking during the signing ceremony in Doha, yesterday.

02 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017HOME

Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari with the Secretary of Health in the Republic of the Philippines, Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial, in Doha yesterday. During the meeting, they discussed means to develop relations in the field of health.

Minister of Public Health meets Philippine counterpart

Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah with the GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Military Affairs Major-General Khalifa Hamid Al Kaabi, who approaches the end of his term in office, in Doha yesterday. Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Maj Gen (Pilot) Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanem also attended the meeting.

Al Attiyah meets GCC military official

The Peninsula

The American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar (AmCham Qatar) yester-

day hosted the third and final installment of its popular “Dis-tinguished Speaker Series” focusing on the US Presidential elections, this time analysing the often unpredictable campaign and its outcomes through the lens of media coverage and the significant role played by social media.

The third session of the “Pres-idential Predications Forum” offered an analytical perspective on the historical campaign. As members and observers of the role media plays in today’s soci-ety, AmCham panelists shared their perspectives on President Trump’s relationship with the press and how that could evolve and impact his Presidency and the world’s view of the United States.

AmCham Qatar Chairman Robert A Hager said, “The Amer-ican Chamber of Commerce in Qatar welcomes the 45th

President of the United States of America to the Oval Office and wishes him the best as our new Commander in Chief. With this, we are entering a new era of American politics with a signif-icant new focus on the private sector. We look forward to working with the business com-munity in Qatar to help offer guidance and share intelligence about the pace of progress under the new Administration.”

Northwestern Qatar (NU-Q) Dean and CEO Everette E Dennis was back to moderate the panel, which featured some new faces and old favourites. One of the two new prominent panelists speak-ing at the event included Ali Mustafa, who is a digital journal-ist for Turkey’s national public broadcaster’s English content service TRT World.

Another new addition to the panel was Craig LaMay, an Asso-ciate Professor of Journalism at NU-Q on leave from the univer-sity’s home campus in Evanston, Illinois. Jocelyn Mitchell, Assist-ant Professor of Political Science

at NU-Q, who teaches compar-ative and American politics, was back to share her impressions and discuss her thoughts on the way we will view elections and gauge public opinion in the future.

During the previous panel discussion, panel moderator and NU-Q Dean and CEO Dennis warned against a premature prediction of election results noting that: “In American elec-tions, anything can happen and sometimes does,” which proved prophetic as results began roll-ing in on November 9th. At the same time, Professor Mitchell speculated that outdated poll-ing models would be liable for erroneous predictions of a Clin-ton win — a prediction that became a key focus of election coverage and analysis of Elec-tion Day results. “This presents an interesting challenge for poll-sters and data analysts to review how we capture and weigh opinion, something that we will surely be working on in the months to come.”

AmCham Qatar hosts final session on US Presidential elections

(From left) Everette E Dennis, Jocelyn Mitchell, Ali Mustafa, and Craig LaMay Q at Post Election Predications Forum hosted by American Chamber of Commerce Qatar in Doha yesterday.Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula

Katara Winter Festival attracts huge crowdsThe Peninsula

The fourth Katara Win-ter Festival, which opened on Sunday, is attracting hundreds of visitors to Katara

Esplanade to watch street per-formers and traditional shows as well as participate in games and workshops.

The festival, which runs until Thursday, offers a diverse array of events and activities which combine education and entertain-ment catered to all types of audience. Many people includ-ing families thronged the festival yesterday taking advantage of the pleasant weather as they spend their free time as the fes-tival coincides with schools’ spring break.

Children took part in activi-ties organized by the Childhood Cultural Centre comprising a range of educational programs

and interactive competitions on the history of Qatar and games such as giant board games and crossword puzzles.

The Qatar Heritage and Iden-tity Center provides a range of educational and awareness activ-ities concerning Qatari heritage and national identity, as well as theatrical presentations, lectures

and programs for the winter sea-son. Environmental awareness and appreciation is also a main

element of the program children know the different plants and flowers native to the country and

their benefits. Acrobatic perform-ances, ice sculpture and magic tricks also proved a crowd

pleaser at the festival. While Al-Gannas Association

has organised an interactive exhibition and workshop on fal-conry and Saluki, Katara Souq has put up a display of local antiques and traditional food. The organizers of Al-Galayel Championship also hosts an exhibition showcasing collecta-bles and equipment from previous championships.

In addition, Bin Muftah Med-ical Centre presents an informative session on prevent-ing winter diseases.

The Katara Festival for Ara-bian Atyab, a new initiative in Katara launched simultaneously with the Winter Festival also draws a huge number of visitors interested on Arabian perfumes. The festival, which runs until February 12, features Arabian scents and the history, literature, folklore and tradition associated with oud fragrances.

Diversity

The festival offers a diverse array of events and activities which combine education and entertainment.

Katara Festival for Arabian Atyab, a new initiative, also draws a large number of visitors.

Children take photos with street performers at the fourth Katara Winter Festival.

03TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 HOME

The Peninsula

Science, technology, engineering and math are fascinating subjects to learn, but not always the easiest of subjects to

talk about, and that’s the idea behind FameLab, which was launched yesterday for the sec-ond year in Qatar, it was announced at a press conference yesterday attended by officials from the British Council and QNRF.

FameLab is one of the big-gest science communication competitions in the world initi-ated by Cheltenham Science Festivals in the UK, and brought to Qatar by the British Council in partnership with Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and supported by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Contestants of FameLab are expected to deliver an entertain-ing and original three-minute talk about any scientific topic without using PowerPoint or other electronic presentation tools and with limited use of

props. The talk must be scientif-ically accurate, but also engaging to a non-scientific audience.

In preparation for the com-petition, the participants will receive a science communica-tion skills training in Arabic and English, which will be delivered by science communication train-ers and will run for a week long from 19-23 February 2017, but the journey will not stop here, after the auditions that will take place on 1 and 2 March 2017. Only 12 finalists will make it to the final and will also receive a 2-day advanced science

communication training (FameLab Master Class) deliv-ered by one of the leading communicators in the UK from 11-12 March 2017 as a prepara-tion for the participants for the national final that will take place at QNCC.

The winner will of the FameLab Qatar winner will win a trip to the UK to represent Qatar in FameLab International Competition at the Cheltenham Science Festivals, while the

runners up will receive a cash prize to spend them on science projects or research. FameLab registration is open for partici-pants from 16 to 40 years old as of now, until 12 Feb 2017,

Commenting on FameLab competition this year 2017, Dr Frank Fitzpatrick, Director, Brit-ish Council Qatar said, “I am very pleased about the positive response that FameLab had here in Qatar last year, as It was the first time that we have

staged this, tried and tested Brit-ish Council competition in any Gulf country and the success that we have had is the fruit of an outstanding collaboration with our strategic partner, Qatar National Research Fund, and our delivery partners the Min-istry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Being able to talk about science, explain science and make sci-ence relevant to young people and to engage their interest is an ability and skill that is so important in order to ensure the commitment and success of the next generation of young scientists."

Dr Abdul Sattar Al-Taie. Executive Director, Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) said to the media "We are very proud of our partnership with the British Council to host this international competition for the second year running, in which Qatar representative was one of the runners up in the 2016 FameLab international competition even though it was the first time for Qatar to par-ticipate in FameLab.”

→ Continued from page 1

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud stressed that the Doha Document for Peace is the context for peace in the region and so cannot be renegotiated. He maintained that it can enriched by signing protocols that develop the document's implementation mechanisms.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the people of Darfur started feeling the outcomes of peace following years of strug-gle after the signing of the document. He stressed the

importance of providing a suit-able environment for the people of Darfur to start returning to their homes voluntarily.

The Deputy Prime Minister also stressed that the develop-mental projects agreed upon during the donors conference in Doha must be implemented to enable the people of the region to rebuild their economy. He added that this was espe-cially important now after the US eased some of the economic sanctions on Sudan.

Al Mahmoud added that work continues to end all tribal disputes in order to revert Dar-fur to the peaceful area it used

to do. He renewed the invitation for all movements who are yet to sign the document to do so in response to the demands of the people and UN Security Resolutions.

In concluding his remarks, the Deputy Prime Minister thanked everyone who made today's signing possible. He extended his thanks in particu-lar to President of Chad Idriss Deby, President of Sudan Omar Al Bashir, the SLA and UNAMID. He also extended his thanks to former head of UNAMID Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi for his role, as well as the current one Mamabolo.

Shura Council discusses changes to penal codeQNA

The Advisory Council held yesterday its reg-ular weekly session

during its 45th ordinary ses-sion under the chairmanship of the Speaker H E Moham-med bin Mubarak Al Khulaifi.

At the outset of the meet-ing, the agenda was read out, which was approved before the council ratified the min-utes of its previous meeting.

The Council reviewed a report by the Legal and Leg-islative Affairs Committee on a draft law amending some of the provisions of Law 11 of 2004 on penal code and decided to submit its recom-mendations thereon to the Council of Ministers.

The Advisory Council's Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee held yesterday a meeting under the chairman-ship of its Rapporteur Nasser Serayea Al Kaabi during the council's 45th regular session.

The committee resumed their study of a draft law reg-ulating the work of real estate brokerages. They decided to invite Minister of Justice H E Dr Hassan bin Lahdan Al Mohannadi to attend the next meeting to review the minis-try's view on the mentioned draft law.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khulaifi met yesterday with Peru's Ambassador in Doha Carlos Velasco Mendiola. They discussed parliamentary relations and the means to enhance them further.

FameLab launched for second yearPrestigious event

FameLab is one of the biggest science communication competitions started by Cheltenham Science Festivals.

Contestants expected to deliver an original three-minute talk about any scientific topic.

Officials at the press conference.

GCC education strategy team to meet tomorrowQNA

The team responsible to pre-pare the strategic plan for the GCC ministers of edu-

cation will hold their third meeting in Doha on Wednesday and Thursday.

The meeting is scheduled to continue working on the s t r a t e g i c p l a n t o

form a committee of the GCC education ministers. During the last two meetings the team identified the fields of joint actions to include in the strate-gic plan, in addition to collecting all data and informa-tion about the current higher education situation in the GCC including colleges, universities or research centers.

People in Darfur have started getting benefits of peace: Deputy Premier

Josoor Institute invites applications for second programmeQNA

Josoor Institute is accepting applications for the second cohort of its professional cer-

tif icate and diploma programmes that are set to begin in March 2017, it said in a press release.

The institute is retaining the programme topics for the sec-ond intake following the success of the first cohort. They are "Football and Sports Man-agement" and "Major Events Management." Scholarships are also available for delegates who are interested to join and meet the selection criteria.

The professional certificate and diploma programmes are designed and delivered by Josoor Institute, the center of excellence for the sports and events indus-tries, along with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Leg-acy (SC) in partnership with leading international academic partners, including Georgetown University, University of Liver-pool and Leeds Beckett University. The 12-month pro-grams are of the highest standards and are delivered by renowned academicians and leading industry practitioners.

Delivered part-time and in six blocks spread over the year, the certificate and diploma pro-grams provide delegates with the knowledge and skills nec-essary to develop their

management and leadership capabilities in the sports and major events industries. The programs allow delegates the flexibility to continue with their professional careers and ena-ble them to learn the practical and theoretical applications of delivered content.

"Following the great suc-cess of our first cohort of the certificate and diploma pro-grams, we are committed and driven more than ever to con-tinue to grow regional talent and develop the human capa-bilities of the MENA region's sports and events industries," Mushtaq Al Waeli, acting exec-utive director of Josoor Institute, said.

"The graduating delegates from the first cohort have gone on to grow their careers and developed a network of indus-try peers through the connections made at the pro-grams. With the launch of the second cohort this March, we enter the next phase of our exciting journey in providing the skills and knowledge required to build sustainable sports and events industries across the region and beyond. The learnings gained from the programs will empower dele-gates to shape not only their own careers but also the future of the industry creating a leg-acy for the region for many years to come.

Ministry officials detect violationsQNA

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has deteced three violations

while carrying out a surprise inspection campaign on shops in the North and Ruwais.

The Ministry pointed out that these violations were for failing to declare the price, the lack of advertisement in Arabic and for advertising without a licence, which is a clear violation of the provi-sions of Law No. (8) of 2008 and law No. (5) of 1984 on selling through sales (clearance).

The Ministry said that it will firmly deal with the neg-ligent in carrying out their obligations under the Con-sumer Protection Act and will step up inspection campaigns to control such practices, and will refer anyone who vio-lates the laws and ministerial decisions to the competent authorities to take appropri-ate action to protect the rights of consumers.

The Ministry of Economy and Trade urged all consum-ers to report any abuses or irregularities or suggestions through the channels of communication.

The inspection campaigns aimed at monitoring the com-pliance of shops with consumer protection laws and ensure their commitment to the application of laws and ministerial decisions.

The Peninsula

More than 3,000 tonnes of waste has been removed during a massive clean-up drive which continued for two months until Jan-

uary 15 and focused on Northwest beaches.The drive started on November 20 last year

as per Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s plan to keep beaches clean.

The Ministry made available all requirements to accomplish the task because beaches are very important for visitors especially on weekends.

Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, recently issued a ministerial decision No (197) for the year 2016 for establishing a special committee for cleaning residual oil from beaches and islands.

Members of other departments also partici-pated in the campaign including the Environmental Protection, Nature Reserves & Wildlife

Department, Fisheries Department and Qatar Petroleum.

“The Ministry is giving priority to cleaning beaches and islands and has provided all require-ment for that, which guarantee cleaning of the beaches through the year," said Safar Mubarak Al Shafi, General Cleanliness Project Director.

He also said that the cleaning plan was divided into three phases to clean up about 65km of beaches and the department had provided a per-manent place to facilitate the workers until the end of the campaign.

The first phase of the campaign, started from Abu Daluf to Al Arish, and the second clean –up drive started from Al Arish to Al Zubara, while the third one covered the stretch from Al Zubara to Um Haish.

“During the drive, about 3,151 tonnes of wastes were removed, including 1,952 tonnes of residual oil, 1,120 tonnes of other waste and 80 tonnes of wood” Al Shafi added.

Ha also said the process of cleaning didn't affect the marine environment.

The Ministry urged people to support its efforts to keep beaches and islands clean by throwing waste in proper places and avoiding careless behaviour which might harm the ecosystem.

04 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017HOME

HBKU to hold Graduate Information SessionsThe Peninsula

Hamad Bin Khalifa Uni-versity (HBKU) will be hosting a series of Grad-

uate Information Sessions through February for its vari-ous colleges and programmes. Each event in the series offers an excellent opportunity for prospective students to inter-act with HBKU’s faculty and admissions staff and explore the opportunities on offer.

Sessions have been tailored specifically to encourage pro-spective students to ask questions, explore their study options, and get clarifications before HBKU’s 2017 applica-tion deadline.

Those attending will gain a thorough understanding of their preferred programme, its eligibility requirements, admis-sions process, curriculum, and research areas before submit-ting their application.

Dr Khalid B Letaief, Prov-ost of HBKU, said: “Attending an information session pro-vides a great way for

prospective students to inves-tigate graduate study at HBKU and for them to gain an in-depth understanding of the high-quality learning provided by HBKU faculty. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the outstanding opportunities for study at HBKU and thinking about join-ing our growing body of talented students to pay us a visit.”

The College of Islamic Stud-ies at HBKU is hosting an information sessions for its MA in Islamic Studies and MS in Islamic Finance programmes on February 8. Additionally, the College of Humanities and

Social Sciences will be holding sessions on its MA in Transla-tion Studies and MA in Audiovisual Translation on February 15.

HBKU’s College of Science and Engineering (CSE) will host an information session at the HBKU Student Center in Edu-cation City on February 6 followed by a second session at the HBKU Executive Educa-tion Center in Tornado Tower on February 22. CSE is bring-ing faculty representatives to both locations from the follow-ing programmes: Computer Science and Engineering, Sus-tainable Energy, Sustainable Environment, Biological and

Biomedical Sciences, Cyberse-curity, and Data Science and Engineering. CSE’s Executive Master in Energy and Resources programme is scheduled to hold programme-specific ses-sions at the HBKU Executive Education Center on February 1 and February 22.

Finally, the College of Law and Public Policy will offer pro-spective students the chance to explore its first-in-the-region JD graduate law programme at the HBKU Student Center on February 1 and February 21, and at the HBKU Executive Education Center on February 7 and February 27.

Prospective students inter-ested in attending one or more of the information sessions are strongly encouraged to regis-ter at hbku.edu.qa/infosessions. Students can also make use of weekly drop-in advice sessions every Wednesday between 1pm and 5pm at the HBKU Student Center. For more information, prospective students should check out the HBKU website at hbku.edu.qa.

Expert presents insight into aspirin overdoseThe Peninsula

The symptoms and treatment of aspirin overdose were dis-cussed at the latest instalment of Weill

Cornell Medicine – Qatar’s Grand Rounds lecture series.

The lecture was given by Dr Grigory Ostrovskiy (pictured), an alumnus of Weill Cornell Medi-cine – Qatar (WCM-Q) who was privileged to speak in the pres-ence of his former professors.

He has a particular interest in toxicology and chose the topic of salicylate — or aspirin

— poisoning. Dr Ostrovskiy said, “From the 1950s to the 1970s, aspirin was a leading cause of overdose death, particularly among children, but then safer packaging was introduced and new painkillers were developed. Today, because it has been off

the radar for some time, clini-cians are not as familiar with the symptoms of aspir in overdose.”

He added, “Many people accidentally overdose, as they do not realise that drug companies are using aspirin in a range of different medications.

“Patients who have taken too much aspirin may present with a variety of signs and symptoms, including rapid breathing, nau-sea and vomiting, tinnitus, hyperthermia and lactic acido-sis — whereby lactic acid builds up in the body. It may also be dif-ficult to ascertain how much

aspirin has been taken because of variations in the absorption rate.”

The audience of health pro-fessionals from across Qatar were informed that to treat aspirin poisoning, the patient should be hyperventilated and that fluids should be replaced with a sodium bicarbonate solution. Activated charcoal works to some extent in neu-tralising the aspirin but is not without drawbacks, not least aspiration.

In serious situations, dialy-sis should be considered, particularly if the patient fails

to improve, the levels of aspi-rin in the body are not decreasing, there is renal fail-ure, or there is evidence of severe toxicity.

Dr Ostrovskiy, who gradu-ated from WCM-Q in 2011, is assistant professor of emergency medicine at WCM-Q, and is the first alumni to join the college as a faculty member.

The activity was an Accred-ited Group Learning Activity (Category 1) as defined by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners-Accreditation Department and was approved for a maximum of one hour.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) building in Doha.

WCM-Q lecture

Many people overdose accidentally not realising that drug companies are using aspirin in other medications.

More than 3,000 tonnes of waste removed from beaches

Waste being removed from a beach during the cleaning drive.

05TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 HOME

DFI to screen UAE director's film

The Peninsula

Doha Film Institute (DFI) Cinema will screen Emirati director Humaid Alsuwaidi’s first

feature film Abdullah on Thurs-day and Friday at 7.30pm at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Auditorium.

The screenings, which are part of Hekayat Khaleejiya series, will be followed by Q&A session with lead actor Alaa’ Shaker.

Hekayat Khaleejiya is dedi-cated to showcasing cinematic voices from the Gulf region, and presents films followed by ques-tion-and-answer sessions with the filmmakers to gain insight

into their work and their crea-tive process.

Abdullah tells the story of an Emirati boy (Abdullah) who develops a fascination for music from an early age, but struggles to hide that over the years from his highly conservative family—where many things are forbidden. Alsuwaidi shot the film in the Emirate of Ajman, north of UAE, despite all the dif-ficulties in location and funds. He directed and produced the film with the help of his New

York Film Academy (NYFA) alumni.

Alsuwaidi is a former Asso-ciate of Fine Arts (AFA) Filmmaking student. He studied his first year in Abu Dhabi and moved to Los Angeles to com-plete his second year of the degree programme.

The DFI Cinema series pro-vides cultural and creative discoveries for audiences in Doha all-year long, making a valuable contribution to the diversity of screen culture in the region. The

initiative is aimed at strengthen-ing appreciation for the arts and contributing to the evolution of Qatar’s rich cultural fabric, and offers audiences in Doha a unique opportunity to view films that may not necessarily reach commercial cinemas.

Tickets are priced at QR35 while students with valid ID can avail of tickets at discounted price of QR25. Tickets can be purchased from the MIA DFI Box Office or online at www.doha-filminstitute.com.

A still from Abdullah directed by Humaid Alsuwaidi.

Hekayat Khaleejiya

The initiative is aimed at strengthening appreciation for the arts and contributing to the evolution of Qatar’s rich cultural fabric.

E-link with Al Milaha to be completed in July

Continued from page 1Al Nadeeb is an advanced system for customs clearance, ini-

tially used only for customs programmes. Later within an year it was connected with the Ministry of Municipality and Environ-ment, Ministry of Transport and Communications and Ministry of Public Health.

The declaration submitted by the clearance agent went to afore-mentioned ministries, who then take decision about releasing the consignment immediately or after putting some restrictions.

“Al Nadeeb has now eased and sped up the procedures of cus-tom clearance to be done in record time. The system allows customers and traders, who are even abroad to submit custom declaration from their offices online,” he said.

Once the electronic link is set up completely, the custom dec-laration could be released within a minute if the goods are not restricted.

The electronic link with Al Milaha (Qatar Navigation) is expected to be completed in July. Following this, custom clearance will wit-ness unprecedented growth with no human interference in customs procedures.

The latest technologies and machines have been installed at all ports. The sea customs department is currently providing its services at Hamad Port. The department is also providing serv-ices at Al Ruwais Port where commercial ships coming from Iran and Somalia are anchored.

The port also receives ships carrying gabbro. The department is also dealing with Lafan Port that receives industrial ships and also with Messaid port.

The Doha Port has been turned into tourist port to receive tourist ships only. Doha Port is slated to be closed from March 31 for development and upgrading. Then it will be reopened to receive giant tourist ships.

QNA

Qatar's early planning and detailed preparations to host a safe and secure FIFA

World Cup will set a precedent for future mega events, accord-ing to Tim Morris, Interpol executive director for police services.

In Doha to discuss Interpol's Project Stadia, which supports Qatar in its preparations for

hosting the world football's showpiece, Morris had an oppor-tunity to learn about plans for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

While in Qatar, the Interpol chief met with Secretary-Gen-eral of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Hassan Al Thawadi, as well as security officials to discuss Interpol's Project Stadia, which besides supporting Qatar in its 2022 plans, also backs other Interpol

member countries preparing for major public events.

In April 2017, Project Stadia will host the first International Major Event Security Conference in Doha, involving key decision-makers, experts and practitioners from around the world.

"Hosts look at what other hosts are doing and the smart ones learn from each other. We are seeing more and more that preparations are undertaken

early but I think so far Qatar has set the benchmark for preparing early for such a major tourna-ment," Morris said.

"Interpol's Project Stadia is allowing officials from both organ-isations to prepare for future challenges, but also to prepare a body of knowledge that leaves a legacy not only for Qatar and the region but globally on some of the lessons learned in terms of secu-rity and running such important

global events," he added.Morris added that one of the

big challenges in terms of secu-rity is trying to imagine what the world will look like in 2022. "We know what the security context is today, but in six years' time it might be a different question and anticipating that and making provisions to be able to be flex-ible enough to address it in 2022 will certainly be one of the chal-lenges. Seeing the preparations,

I'm confident the processes are beginning to be put in place to enable the team here to address that challenge."

"The visit to the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Leg-acy has helped me understand much more clearly the context of the whole project and not just the tournament. You can see how it is an important catalyst for growth, development and ultimately, leg-acy," the Interpol official said.

Qatar setting benchmarks for tournament preparations: Interpol official

06 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017HOME

QF festival on Islam attracts crowds

The Peninsula

Hundreds of families attended ‘The Bea-con of Knowledge and Light’ festival, which was held at

Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Educa-tion City Mosque during the weekend.

The two-day festival gave an opportunity to community members of all ages and back-grounds to learn and discover fascinating elements about Islam and Islamic history.

Mohamed Al Ghurbani, Head of Islamic Affairs, Com-m u n i t y D e v e l o p m e n t Department, Qatar Foundation, said, "'The Beacon of Knowledge and Light’ event aims to intro-duce all community members, regardless of their backgrounds, languages or cultures, to the Education City Mosque. It also aims to strengthen friendships, develop public knowledge, and

emphasise that the EC Mosque welcomes all residents of Qatar.”

“This event highlights Qatar Foundation’s efforts to foster social engagement by providing a diversified educational envi-ronment with the objective of building stronger and more active communities. The event has proven hugely popular owing to a sincere desire by Qatar’s residents to visit the EC Mosque, which is one of the country’s most striking archi-tectural works.”

Dr Omar Abdelkafy gave the Khutba at the event, and held a question and answer session before activities commenced. The programme, which was delivered in both Arabic and

English, included storytelling sessions, puppet shows, a live calligraphy station, movies under the stars, Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG) discovery activi-ties, a kids’ corner, astrology workshops, and stories of the Prophets (MPBUT).

Gamal Al Haidari, a visitor to the festival, said, "This is a wonderful initiative, as it helps develop the community’s knowledge of Islamic history and ancient civilisation. We hope that the officials of the Education City Mosque will be inspired to continue organising engaging events designed for all community members to explore their culture and heritage.”

Children participate in an Arabic calligraphy workshop held as part of the ‘The Beacon of Knowledge and Light’ festival.

Beacon of light

Community members of all ages and backgrounds learn and discover fascinating elements about Islam and Islamic history at Education City Mosque.

The Peninsula

Eight hundred seedlings have been distrib-uted among winter campers and animal farms under the initiative “plant it” which

aims at increasing vegetation by supporting camp-ers and animal farms.

The seedlings were distributed by Environ-mental Protection Department, Nature Reserves Department and Wildlife Department at the Min-istry of Municipality and Environment in

collaboration with the Public Parks Department.

The Ministry allowed campers for the first time dur-ing this winter camping season to plant wild trees in the camping areas. One camper can plant a maximum of five trees such as Sidra, Al Ghaf, Al Gharat.

Plant it: 800 seedlings distributed

A seedling distributed under the initiative.

Diversion on 22 February Street QNA

The Public Works Author-ity (Ashghal) announced yesterday that it will nar-

row all three lanes in each

direction along an 800 metre stretch of 22 February Street.

The diversion will start today and last for 11 months in coordination with the Traffic Police Department.

During this period, trucks and heavy load vehicles trav-elling towards Al Shamal and the Industrial Area will be prohibited from using this route.

07TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Turkey arrests over 1,600 terror suspects in weekANKARA: More than 1,600 terror suspects were arrested in Turkey last week, the Inte-rior Ministry said. They included 1,218 suspected members of the Fetullah Ter-rorist Organisation (FETO) held responsible for the attempted coup in July, 372 PKK suspects and 75 Daesh suspects, according to a state-ment. Turkey has been hit by more than a dozen bomb and gun attacks since July 2015 that have resulted in hun-dreds of deaths. The terror attacks were usually claimed or attributed to the PKK or Daesh. The coup attempt saw at least 248 people martyred.

Astana

AFP

Syrian rebels vowed yes-terday to keep fighting if the peace talks fail with the war-torn coun-try's government in

Kazakhstan, as the two sides opened indirect negotiations.

The talks had been billed as the first time armed rebel groups would negotiate directly with President Bashar Al Assad's regime since the conflict erupted in 2011.

"If the negotiations succeed, then we are with the negotiations," rebel spokesman Osama Abu Zeid said. "If they don't succeed, unfor-tunately we'll have no choice but to continue fighting."

The rebels' announcement came as Russia's defence minis-try said its warplanes had bombed the Islamic State group in the area around Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, where regime forces have been fighting the jihadists.

Rebel spokesman Yehya Al Aridi said the opposition backed out of the first round of direct talks in Astana because of the regime's continued bombard-ment and attacks on a flashpoint area near Damascus. A session of indirect negotiations began after 1200 GMT following a short break in the talks.

A Turkish official told jour-nalists that "it is necessary to focus on reinforcing the

ceasefire" agreed last month, hoping that "confidence build-ing steps that could be obtained from Astana talks will contrib-ute to the political process in Geneva."

Negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana coincide with a rapprochement between regime ally Russia and rebel backer Tur-key, who together brokered the current truce in December after months of US disengagement in the conflict.

Several rounds of failed talks in Geneva saw political opposi-tion figures take the lead in negotiating with the regime.

But in Astana, the 14-mem-ber opposition delegation is composed solely of rebels lead-ing the armed uprising, with members of the political oppo-sition serving as advisors.

The initiative has been widely welcomed, but the two sides arrived in Astana with

apparently divergent ideas on their aim.

Chief rebel negotiator Mohammad Alloush said in his opening statement that the opposition was focused on bol-stering the nationwide truce, while Assad has insisted rebels lay down their arms in exchange for an amnesty deal.

"We came here to reinforce the ceasefire as the first phase of this process," Alloush said in comments broadcast online. "We will not proceed to the next phases until this actually hap-pens on the ground."

Damascus has also called for a "comprehensive" political solu-tion to a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 and dis-placed more than half of Syria's population.

The head of the regime del-egation, Syria's UN ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, said in his opening comments carried by the country's Sana state news agency that he hoped the talks

"will reinforce the cessation of hostilities". He added the gov-ernment was keen to separate the rebels from the Islamic State group and former Al Qaeda affil-iate Fateh Al Sham Front.

Delegation spokesman Abu Zeid said the rebels were con-cerned with "more than just a ceasefire".

"The issue is putting moni-toring, investigation and accountability mechanisms in place," he said. "We want these mechanisms so that this doesn't play out over and over."

Previous pushes for a long-term ceasefire have faltered, with both sides trading accusa-tions over violations.

Syrian state media said the regime had met the Iranian del-egation as well as UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura ahead of Monday's talks, to discuss their positions. In his opening state-ment published by the UN, de Mistura said it encouraged the talks' organisers "to create a

mechanism to implement the consolidation and de-confliction ceasefire measures, and to see what else can be done to build confidence."

"This is not a replacement for the Geneva process," rebel nego-tiator Fares Buyush said. referring to the UN-hosted polit-ical negotiations set to resume in the Swiss city next month.

Although Russia and Turkey back opposing sides, they have worked hand-in-hand in recent weeks to try to secure an end to the brutal war and forged a part-nership likely to be tested in Astana.

US President Donald Trump's administration was invited to participate in the talks but did not send a delegation.

Washington is instead rep-resented by its ambassador to Kazakhstan, the State Depart-ment said, while a European diplomatic source said France and Britain are represented at the ambassador level.

Abidjan

Agencies

Equatorial Guinea's opposi-tion has denounced the government's decision to

welcome exiled Gambian Presi-dent Yahya Jammeh, who flew to the Central African nation over the weekend after 22 years in power.

Andres Esono Ondo, Secre-tary-General of the Convergence for Social Democracy, said in an email yesterday that President Teodoro Obiang would be responsible "for what might occur" as a result of Jammeh's

presence on the country's soil.In a statement over the

weekend, opposition groups said welcoming Jammeh was like welcoming "the waste of Africa."

Obiang's government not yet commented on Jammeh's pres-ence in Equatorial Guinea.

Jammeh lost the December election to Adama Barrow but refused to step down, forcing Barrow to be inaugurated last week in Senegal. Barrow is now planning his return to Gambia.

Meanwhile, the Gambia yes-terday awaited the arrival of President Adama Barrow as his

team said former strongman Yahya Jammeh plundered the nation's cof-fers before going into exile.

Barrow, who was sworn in as the new head of state on Jan-uary 19 at his country's embassy in neighbouring Senegal, has put off his return over fears for his safety. His team refused to con-firm exactly when he expected to return. An aide to Barrow meanwhile accused Jammeh of emptying the state's coffers by plundering millions of dollars in his final days in power.

"Over two weeks, more than 500m dalasi ($11mn) were

withdrawn" by Jammeh, Mai Fatty said. "As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress."

"The coffers are largely empty." After 22 years of iron-fisted rule, Jammeh refused to recognise the result of a Decem-ber 1 election won by Barrow, triggering a weeks-long politi-cal crisis. But under the threat of a regional military intervention, he chose exile in Equatorial Guinea, which is not party to the International Criminal Court.

That means he cannot be extradited in the event he is

charged with crimes against humanity or other serious offences. Barrow's spokesman Halifa Sallah said Barrow aimed to set up a truth and reconcilia-tion committee, his "preferred method" of dealing with griev-ances against the regime, though many Gambians want Jammeh and his entourage to be prosecuted.

Sections of the security serv-ices were under Jammeh's personal control and are respon-sible for extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention, rights groups say.

Haniyah in Cairo for talks Cairo

Anatolia

ISMAIL HANIYAH, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening with an accompanying delegation for talks with Egyptian offi-cials, Egyptian sources said.

According to a security source at Cairo International Airport, Haniyah and his del-egation will remain in Cairo for several days, during which they will discuss recent devel-o p m e n t s i n t h e Israeli-occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip with Egyptian officials.

Haniyah and his delega-tion were received at the airport by members of an Egyptian "sovereign author-ity", the source said, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on talking to media.

"Haniyah, accompanied by several Hamas leaders, arrived in Egypt’s capital on Sunday evening from Qatari capital Doha," a source close to Hamas confirmed.

Gaza City

Anatolia

A senior Hamas leader has warned the new US President, Donald

Trump, against plans to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying it would harm regional stability.

In a statement posted on the Hamas website on Sunday,

Moussa Abu Marzouq said: “The relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem will pose an increasing danger.”

Abu Marzouq slammed statements by Trump and his aides, saying they “neither serve stability in the region nor serve the US itself”. The new American president had pledged during his electoral campaign to relocate the U.S.

embassy from Tel Aviv to Jeru-salem despite reluctance to do so by past administrations -— Republican and Democrat alike.

While Israel claims the city as its "eternal capital" after occupying East Jerusalem dur-ing the 1967 Arab-Israel war, the international community does not recognize the claim and foreign embassies are cur-rently located in Tel Aviv.

Syria rebels vow to keep fighting if talks fail

Equatorial Guinea oppn denounces arrival of Jammeh

Chief Opposition Negotiator Mohammad Alloush (centre) of the Jaish Al Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group attends the first session of Syria peace talks at Astana's Rixos President Hotel, yesterday.

Jerusalem

AFP

A deal to evacuate a hard-line Jewish outpost that has become a symbol of

Israel's occupation of the West Bank was in jeopardy yester-day ahead of a February 8 deadline to remove it.

Settlers in the Amona out-post of some 40 families and which was built on Palestin-ian land accused the government of not living up to the terms of a deal reached in December that would see them moved nearby.

Palestinian landowners also filed a petition to the Israeli high court yesterday with fur-ther objections to the government's relocation plans, said rights group Yesh Din, which is representing them.

Beyond that, Prime Min-ister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff Yoav Horowitz reportedly told ministers from his Likud party on Sunday that the deal could not be implemented because of legal complications.

The lack of a clear solu-tion has once again raised the possibility of a forced evacu-ation of the Amona settlers by the Israeli government and fears that violence could result.

"Right now we're dealing with the fact that the govern-ment and officials lied," said Eli Greenberg, an Amona res-ident and spokesman for the outpost.

Deal to remove Israeli outpost in jeopardy

Hamas warns US against embassy relocation

Bombing continues

Rebel spokesman Yehya Al Aridi said the opposition backed out of the first round of direct talks in Astana because of the regime's continued bombardment and attacks on a flashpoint area near Damascus.

Newly graduated police officers attend a parade holding Dome of the Rock model, during their graduation ceremony organised by the Palestinian Government in Gaza City, yesterday.

The peace talks between Syrian rebels and the regime of Bashar Al Assad got off to a lacklustre start in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana yesterday. The meeting, backed by key players Russia, Turkey and Iran,

was expected to see, for the first time since the conflict started in 2011, direct negotiations between the rebels and Assad’s regime, but rebels backed out at the last moment accusing the government of continued attacks near Damascus. But the fact that the meeting took place is in itself an achievement. It gave both sides an opportunity to share ideas and put forward their demands to pave the way for a solution to the conflict.

Despite the initial reservations and setbacks, the Astana meeting can set the stage for more negotiations if both sides are keen to make compromises. Though the rivals didn’t talk face-to-face at the meeting, they took part in indirect talks and held a three-way meeting with Russia, Turkey and the United Nations. A rebel spokesperson called the consultations ‘long and productive’. Also, the meeting is noteworthy for the representation of several parties. Turkey’s participation will instill confidence among rebels. The rapprochement between Russia and Turkey will have a positive

impact on talks. The US was conspicuous by its absence. President Donald Trump is yet to outline his policy on Syria and the absence of Washington in key talks which can decide the future of Syria speaks of the dwindling influence of the superpower in the future of the country. But it’s a fallout of the wrong policies of Barack Obama

who deliberately ignored all opportunities for intervention in Syria

The regime and the rebels need to focus on a cessation of hostilities. But there is a divergence of opinion on this. Chief rebel negotiator Mohammad Alloush said the opposition was keen on strengthening and widening the ceasefire, while the regime representatives were more focused on getting the rebels to lay down their arms.

As the rebel leaders said, the regime forces must stop their attacks near Damascus. Assad and his allies are entering the talks in a position of strength and they have the primary responsibility to adhere to the ceasefire terms. The Syrian regime also has a duty to make the maximum concessions to pave the way for peace. The opposition has vowed to keep fighting if the negotiations fail. Though they remain considerably weakened after the fall of Aleppo, the rebels still have the strength to continue their fighting in several parts of the country.

08 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017VIEWS

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

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

msalim@pen.com.qa

Astana talks

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Neither confrontation nor submission to the United States in renegotiating the two countries’ relations under new President Donald Trump.

Enrique Pena NietoMexico’s President

The Syrian regime and the rebels need to focus on a complete cessation of hostilities to pave the way for peace.

In the blocks surrounding the White House, signs reading “Love Trumps Hate” and “Build Bridges Not Walls” lit-tered the sidewalks on Sunday, the detritus of the Women’s March protest-

ing the policies of President Donald Trump.Both Trump’s supporters and women and

men who took part in the massive march against him in Washington on Saturday con-templated the vestiges of protest and ruminated about the convulsive first 48 hours under the Republican president.

For Mary Forster, who joined her first political demonstration on Saturday, the weekend only reinforced her worries that the country was splitting further apart after a bit-ter election.

“I feel like we’re getting driven farther apart,” said Forster, a 42-year-old environ-mental regulation specialist from Ithaca, New York. “There really is no middle any more. We seem to be losing the middle ground.”

She has voted both Democratic and Republican in the past but was motivated to march by concerns over the comments and policies of businessman-turned-politician Trump, many of which are seen by the left as harmful to women and minorities.

Like Forster, millions of women, but-tressed by male family members and friends, joined marches throughout U.S. cities in a much larger-than-expected challenge to Trump.

“There used to be more things that unified us and now I feel like we are more divided than we used to be,” Forster said.

It is a view widely held by Americans. A Pew Research Center poll released on Thurs-day showed that 86 percent of Americans believed the country was more politically divided than it had been in the past, sharply higher than the 46 percent who held that view eight years ago, just before former President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Democrats and Republicans concurred in their view of the division, a marked change from 2009 when more than half of Republi-cans thought the country was becoming more divided, compared to about four in ten Democrats.

For many observers, the split is likely to be exacerbated by Trump, who stunned both parties with his Nov. 8 victory and has made his mark in world politics with blunt, often offensive speech.

“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote?” Trump said on Twitter on Sunday morning. He added a conciliatory note: “Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.”

Most of the dozens of march participants interviewed by Reuters said they had voted for his Democratic rival, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The largest marches were in states that had voted for Clinton, like California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

First days of Trump era signal deepening political divideScott MaloneReuters

Trump’s inaugural speech on Friday offered little in the way of unifying mes-sages. He appealed directly to his supporters, painting a bleak picture of “American carnage” - a country filled with rusted factories and plagued by crime and vowed, “from this day for-ward it’s going to be only America First.”

The grim vision of America the 70-year-old president often evokes is belied by statistics showing low levels of unemployment and crime nationally. But Trump won many votes in parts of the nation where manufacturing indus-try has been badly hit and people feel left behind in the recovery. Republican domination in Washington suggests par-tisan divisions will only grow deeper, at least over the next two years until the next congressional elections.

“There is no question that Trump has exacerbated the divisions that already existed in the United States, on impor-tant issues from national security to civil

rights to climate change,” said Wendy Schiller, a professor of political science at Brown University.

“Dividing the

country is a recipe for winning elections but it is not a recipe for successful government.”

With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress they will have lit-tle to no need to reach across the aisle. Democrats also may prefer to simply rail against Republican proposals rather than compromise, to better rile up their base supporters for the mid-term elec-tions, political observers said.

“The ideology of congressmen in the Democratic party is to the left of rank-and-file Democrats and the same is true on the Republican side, they are to the right,” said Jeffrey Berry, a professor of political science at Tufts University out-side Boston.

“Congress makes it worse. It is not a moderating force.”

Trump supporters questioned the rationale of launching such large protests on his first full day in office, before he had much time to take policy actions.

“They are not giving him any time. They are just presuming that he is going to do a bad job,” said Kimberley Morgan, a 54-year-old laid-off teacher from Alabama.

Morgan had supported Ben Carson in the Republican primaries but voted for Trump after the retired neurosurgeon dropped out. She resolved to wear her Trump baseball cap as she rode the subway into downtown Washington on Sunday morning with her family, a gesture she had decided against on Saturday due to the march.

“People presume all these things about you because you voted for Trump. People presume that you are racist. We are not racist,” said Morgan. “It’s hard to listen to people when they are screaming at you.”

Both Trump’s supporters and women and men who took part in the massive march against him in Washington on Saturday contemplated the vestiges of protest and ruminated about the convulsive first 48 hours under the Republican president.

ED ITOR IAL

People participating in a Women’s March to protest against US President Donald Trump in New York City.

Leonid BershidskyBloomberg

09TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 OPINION

with it. Liberal and traditional Republican pundits stressed the differences in values between Putin’s authoritarian state and the US, accused Russia of barbarity and war crimes in Syria and called for tougher action to rein it in. Those calls are largely ignored.

In days past, such a campaign could have whipped the populace into a frenzy. In his 2010 book, “Crimea: The Last Crusade,” Orlando Figes quoted what the English and French newspapers wrote about Russia in the early 1850s. The quotes have a familiar feel. A writer who dared suggest Russia may have been right in protecting the Balkan people against Turkey was attacked from all sides as a Russian stooge. A French paper called the Impartial editorialised in January, 1854:

To pretend otherwise is to overturn all notions of order and justice. Falsity in politics and falsity in religion — that is what Russia represents. Its barbar-ity, which tries to ape our civilisation, inspires our mistrust, its despotism fills us with horror.

It went on: “The policies of Nicholas have raised a storm of indignation in all the civilised states of Europe; these are the policies of rape and pillage; they are brigandage on a vast scale.” No wonder the kings of England and France had full popular sup-port when they declared war on Russia a couple of months later. Today, however, similar incantations fail to drum up majority support even for a re-enactment of the Cold War. Trump’s idea of negotiating some kind of mutually acceptable deal

Gambia: A lesson for African dictators

Soon after the peaceful transition of power from Barack Obama to Donald Trump in the US, Gambia’s crisis was also resolved with-out a single gunshot. The embattled President Yahya Jammeh appeared on

national TV announcing his decision “to relinquish the mantle of leadership”.

Jammeh’s decision to step down was not only important to his own people, as he effectively decided not to push the country into bloodshed to retain power, but it also set an important precedent in Africa for a peaceful transition of power after a decades-long dictatorship. The political turmoil in Gambia, was the result of what I call “the curse of an authoritarian electoral defeat”. It is a curse that plagues any country with long authoritarian rule where questions about the fate of the outgoing leader during and after the handover of power and about the transition from authoritarian to democratic poli-tics remain unresolved.

Jammeh took power in Gambia in 1994 through a military coup and stayed in power for 22 years, get-ting regularly re-elected in, what were perceived as, unfair elections. On December 1, 2016 Jammeh’s opponent, Adama Barrow, won the elections with a four percent lead, a defeat that the incumbent ini-tially accepted.

The crisis started when, on December 9, Jammeh rescinded his earlier concession of defeat . Although Jammeh claimed that there were electoral irregulari-ties, what really pushed him to change his mind was his fear of political reprisals against him by the opposition.

Instead of seizing Jammeh’s concession of defeat as an opportunity to negotiate an exit strategy

ensuring peaceful transfer of power, politics of vengeance, not uncommon in transitions from authoritarian rule, started to creep into the political discourse. Members of the opposition started talking about annulling Gambia’s withdrawal from the Inter-national Criminal Court, refusing immunity to Jammeh, having him prosecuted, and seizing his assets.

Jammeh was cornered and went on the offensive, declaring a state of emergency and pressing the par-liament to extend his rule by three months.

Central to the success of diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis was regional leadership. The Eco-nomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) took the lead both in setting the agenda and launch-ing the diplomatic process which involved five rounds of presidential missions to Banjul mobilising a total number of six African presidents, including Nobel Peace Prize laurate, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia.

Unlike in other African transfer of power crises, where power sharing was the focus of negotiations, ECOWAS decided not to compromise and pushed for enforcing the outcome of the December 1 elections.

Its diplomatic efforts also received firm support from international actors such as the African Union, which warned Jammeh of “ serious consequences “, the United Nations, and the European Union.

An important factor in the successful resolution of the crisis was that ECOWAS did not limit its actions only to diplomacy, but also backed its efforts with a credible threat of military action. Apart from its 17 December summit decision to “undertake all neces-sary action” - a euphemism for use of force - ECOWAS member states mobilised their troops and prepared to enter Gambia’s territory upon the expiry of the 19 January deadline they set for Jammeh to leave power.

The crumbling of Jammeh’s regime from inside was major internal catalyst for the swift and peaceful end of the stalemate. The string of cabinet resigna-tions followed by the departure of long-time vice president, Isatou Njie-Saidy, forced Jammeh to dis-solve his cabinet entirely. Even Jammeh’s military chief who stood by him throughout the crisis eventu-ally announced that he had no plan to fight the ECOWAS troops marching into the Gambia.

Trying to avoid bloodshed, ECOWAS decided not to follow up on its initial threat of ensuring the inau-guration of Mr Barrow in Banjul and instead opted for an extraordinary decision to swear Gambia’s new president in the Gambian embassy in Senegal’s capi-tal, Dakar on January 19 .

This act sealed Jammeh’s political defeat, paving the way for the AU and others to withdraw their rec-ognition of Jammeh and welcome Mr Barrow as the

According to recent data from Pew Research, 90 percent of Americans view “Russia’s power and influence” as a threat, and 72 percent believe

Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton cam-paign. A Washington Post/ABC News poll found 64 percent of Americans believe that Russia hacked the Democrats. In short, America has been persuaded, no matter how little it trusts its media and other institutions. Does this mean, how-ever, that most Americans are angry with President Vladimir Putin and would like to punish Russia? Polls say no. Like President Barack Obama’s Russia sanctions, the attempts to demonise Russia for its inter-ference seem to have backfired.

Pew results show Putin’s favourability has slightly increased compared with two years ago — thanks to a significant bump in positive views among Republicans. This is not love; rather, it is a grudging respect.

It also comes through in The Washing-ton Post/ABC News results. Overall, a narrow plurality of that poll’s respondents — 43 percent — says Donald Trump, who has barely criticised Putin, is too friendly toward Russia, while 40 percent say he’s taking the right approach. Among Republi-cans, though, 75 percent say Trump is getting it right on Russia. Among white voters in general, a 52 percent majority agree with Trump’s approach.

Trump’s electoral base has taken on board everything that has been said about Russia’s increased international assertive-ness and its daring in playing on US turf — but not the recommendations that went

Putin wins American minds, if not hearts

Gambians awaiting the arrival of President Adama Barrow outside of the Statehouse in Banjul, yesterday.

with Russia is about as popular among the general electorate as the notion of a tough response. And among Republicans, it is overwhelmingly the popular choice. Even the ultimate Russia hawk, Senator John McCain, is leaning toward voting for Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, after the former oil executive outlined a flexible Russia policy.

In a sense, this is what Putin has always wanted from the US He never expected a love affair or — a word US commenta-tors love —a bromance. His goal has been to have a non-ideological conversation about common interests and mutually enforced red lines. As Sergei Karaganov, an influen-tial foreign policy adviser to the Kremlin, wrote in a recent article in the official Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Competition with the US won’t go away. It can be acute and even dangerous. But the arrival of a new administration that wants to focus on America itself, creates a window of opportunity for the normalisation of relations, for rebuilding them on the basis of interests and bal-ances. It is, however, also something for which Trump appears to have a mandate from Republican voters. They realise Russia is not a friendly power, but they lean toward negotiation rather than implacable confrontation.

Perhaps it’s generally more difficult today, after all the devastating wars of the 20th century and the unresolved, bloody local conflicts of the last 15 years, to whip people into a belligerent mindset. Perhaps Russia’s status as a nuclear power inspires certain respect, especially since Putin’s mili-tary adventures largely have been successful. Perhaps regime change in Russia appears to be an unrealistic goal after fail-ures in a series of smaller, weaker countries. And perhaps, by convincing Americans that Russia successfully meddled in the US election, the Democrats and the media that has largely accepted that narrative, bolstered faith in Russia’s power and the conviction that treading carefully would be a good idea.

If the latter is true, the US has continued to build up Putin’s power. It started with the weak Ukraine-related sanc-tions that helped Putin convince Russians the West was an enemy and bought him time while the economy suffered from an oil price decline. It has more recently continued by advertising Russia’s hacking and propaganda prowess. As a result, Putin is punching well above Russia’s economic weight, and many Americans are happy to let Trump legiti-mize it. Perhaps that’s for the better: In the longer term, it may be harder for Putin to survive a constructive relationship with the West than a sharply adversarial one. The Soviet Union, remember, fell when its relations with the West were friendlier than ever in its history.

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legitimate president of Gambia. What ultimately guaranteed the

peaceful end of the crisis was the eventual successful negotiation of the terms for Jammeh’s exit. In exchange for peaceful transfer of power to the new president, he received guarantees of a secure retirement with full benefits of a citizen, a party leader and a former head of state.

In this way, Gambia set an important precedent for other authoritarian rulers, who continue to be in power long after losing popular support due to their uncer-tain future. Gambia’s experience shows that they can get a dignified exit, if they allow free and fair election.

In so doing, not only would they spare their countries the agonies of a violent transition, but also avoid the fate of Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo, who is on trial at the ICC after he was forced out of power by a French military intervention in 2011.

The clear lesson for opposition parties and the citizenry in coun-tries with authoritarian leaders is that not only should they forge unity during elections, but also pre-pare to work with regional and international bodies for a negoti-ated exit guaranteeing peaceful transfer of power.

As Barrow’s plan to convene a truth and reconciliation commis-sion for dealing with past abuses shows, Jammeh’s exit does not completely preclude the pursuit of measures of accountability as part of an inclusive transitional process.

Solomon DerssoAl Jazeera

Jammeh took power in Gambia in 1994 through a military coup and stayed in power for 22 years, getting regularly re-elected in, what were perceived as, unfair elections. On December 1, 2016 Jammeh’s opponent, Adama Barrow, won the elections with a four percent lead, a defeat that the incumbent initially accepted.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll found 64 percent of Americans believe that Russia hacked the Democrats. In short, America has been persuaded, no matter how little it trusts its media and other institutions.

10 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017ASIA

S Korea urges swift THAAD deploymentSeoul

AFP

North Korea's nuclear and missile capabil-i t i e s a r e accelerating at an "unprecedented"

pace, the South's acting presi-dent said yesterday, urging the swift deployment of a US anti-missile system that has infuriated Beijing.

Seoul and Washington agreed last year to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in the South after a string of North Korean nuclear and missile tests -- prompting strong objections from China, which fears it will undermine its own ballistic capabilities.

Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn said the North had conducted two nuclear tests and fired multiple ballistic missiles last year, averaging two per month.

"Its nuclear and missile capabilities are developing at an unprecedented pace," Hwang said. "They are real and obvious threat."

A "swift" deployment of the

THAAD system "is necessary to protect the lives and safety of our people", he added.

Within South Korea, voices opposing the installation have grown louder, with some oppo-sition candidates pledging to scrap the agreement if they win a presidential election due this year.

The plan has also angered Beijing, which has imposed a string of measures seen in the South as economic retaliation, including effectively barring

K-pop stars from performing on the mainland and not authoris-ing South Korean airlines to operate charter flights between the countries.

"There are various concerns about economic retaliation from THAAD but the relationship between South Korea and China did not happen in just one or two years," Hwang said.

He took over President Park Geun-hye's sweeping executive powers after she was impeached in December, becoming the de facto leader of Asia's fourth larg-est economy.

Park is accused of colluding with close friend Choi Soon-Sil to strong-arm companies into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi controlled.

The case is now being con-sidered by the Constitutional Court -- which has up to six months to reach a ruling -- but hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have joined weekly protests calling for Park's imme-diate departure from office.

If the court confirms the impeachment, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days.

Hong Kong AFP

Dozens of people were evacuated yesterday after a World War II

bomb was discovered at a con-struction site in Hong Kong, near a university campus and staff quarters.

67 residents at three blocks of a university hall were moved after the 500-pound US-made aerial bomb was unearthed on Pok Fu Lam Road, police con-firmed yesterday.

The bomb was to be deto-nated on site yesterday evening and treated with an "abrasive water-cutting system", a bomb disposal expert said. The whole process was estimated to take around three hours.

Pedestrians and vehicles

would be barred from entering the premises, and residents in the blocked area were urged to stay indoors and away from windows in case of accidents.

Unexploded wartime bombs or grenades are fre-quently found by hikers or construction workers in the southern Chinese city, which was the scene of fierce fighting between Japanese and British allied forces in 1941.

US and allied air forces bombed Japanese occupiers after the then-British colony fell. Last year, police disposed of eight explosive devices found by a hiker.

In 2014, police defused a wartime bomb weighing nearly one ton, the largest yet found in the city. More than 2,200 people were evacuated.

One-off abdication law eyed for Japan EmperorTokyo

AFP

Japan could pass a one-off bill allowing its retirement ready emperor to step down, a gov-

ernment panel said yesterday, in what would be the first abdi-cation in over two centuries.

The option was one of sev-eral presented by the group of experts charged with sorting out the thorny issue. They are expected to make a final recom-mendation in March.

Last summer, Emperor Aki-hito, 83, expressed a desire to abdicate after nearly three dec-ades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, one of the world's old-est monarchies, citing his advancing age and weakening health.

The news sent shockwaves across Japan and unleashed a

flood of questions. Japan has had abdications in its long imperial history, but the last one was over 200 years ago and there is no mechanism for one under cur-rent laws.

Yesterday, the six-member panel, which was tapped to find the best way forward, said other options include revising the law to allow future emperors to resign if they choose, reducing Akihito's official duties, or let-ting him become a regent instead of abdicating.

"This is a very serious issue and we need to discuss it care-fully," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Abdication is a sensitive issue in light of Japan's modern history of war waged in the name of Akihito's father Emperor Hirohito, who died in 1989.

Some scholars and politi-cians worry the issue could open a can of worms and risk Japan's monarchs becoming subject to political manipulation. Under the constitution they play only a symbolic role.

The leading opposition Democratic Party opposes a one-off change, arguing this

would not ensure stable future successions. It has advocated a revision to the permanent law that governs imperial family.

Japanese media have previ-ously reported that the government is planning for Aki-hito to retire and be replaced by his eldest son, Naruhito, on Jan-uary 1, 2019.

Mauritius PM hands over power to sonPort Louis

Reuters

The son of the outgo-ing Mauritius prime minister was

appointed as the new premier yesterday, prompting accusations of nepotism and calls for a referendum from opponents.

Anerood Jugnauth, 86, who has been in his post since 2014, the lat-est of several terms at the helm, announced on Sat-urday he would step down in favour of his son and Finance Minister Pravind Jugnauth, 55, cit-ing the need for "a young leadership".

President Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim, who holds a largely cer-emonial role on the Indian Ocean Island, said Pravind Jugnauth had been issued with a letter of appointment as the

new prime minister yesterday.

The formal swearing-in was due later in the day.

"Everywhere on the island it can be seen that the population is against the 'father and son deal' which has not gone through an election," said Paul Berenger, a former prime minister and member of the opposi-tion Mauritian Militant Movement.

"We chal lenge Pravind Jugnauth to organise a referendum on this deal. Otherwise, we need to call a general election," Berenger said, said after the prime min-ister announced his plan to step down for his son.

After the opposition parties met yesterday, Berenger said that the opponents would dem-onstrate against the appointment.

WWII bomb found near HK campus

Nuclear programme

Its (North) nuclear and missile capabilities are developing at an unprecedented pace. They are real and obvious threat: Hwang.

"A swift deployment of the THAAD system "is necessary to protect the lives and safety of our people".

Chairman of a government advisory panel on emperor abdication Takashi Imai and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a meeting at the latter's official residence, in Tokyo, yesterday.

Policewomen stand watch as supporters of cleric Habib Rizieq hold a rally outside the police headquarters, in Jakarta, yesterday.

Cleric questioned over hate speechJakarta

Reuters

Indonesian police yesterday questioned a cleric over a hate speech complaint by a

civil group following a lecture in which he said new banknotes carried the communist ham-mer-and-sickle symbol.

Communism remains a highly sensitive issue in Indo-n e s i a a f t e r b l o o d y anti-communist purges in the country in 1965 and symbols and

some literature remain outlawed.

Habib Rizieq, head of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), is being investigated over two separate complaints, as author-ities take a tougher stance against fundamentalist groups in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

Rizieq made the comments about the banknotes in a vide-otaped lecture last month.

"This is already a formal investigation," said Jakarta

police spokesman Argo Yuwono. "We are looking looking further into his comments on whether the money has the hammer-and-sickle symbol."

The central bank has denied the new banknotes carry any communist symbols.

"What's being seen by some people as a hammer and sickle symbol is actually the Bank Indonesia logo...and it is part of the security elements in the notes to prevent counterfeiting," Bank Indonesia said.

11TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 ASIA

Philippines to reaffirm Asean solidaritySingapore

Reuters

The Philippines told countries outside Southeast Asia yester-day not to use the region as "a proxy for

their rivalry" as it wanted to pre-serve unity and establish a mechanism to resolve disputes in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is chairman of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) this year and will host its annual meetings, some of which are joined by outside powers including China and the United States.

The issue of territorial dis-putes in the South China Sea

pitting China against several Southeast Asian countries has in recent years emerged as a source of friction in the bloc.

Some Asean countries have taken positions on the issue in line with China, while others have been more suspicious of China's assertiveness, reflecting US thinking.

Philippine defence minister Delfin Lorenzana (pictured) told the delegates from more than 20 countries at a security con-ference in Singapore that outside powers should not pursue their competition in the region.

"As the host to the leaders of the US, China, Japan, Russia and India, we will have to remind our friends, firmly if necessary, not to use Asean as a proxy for their

rivalry," Lorenzana said yesterday.

"We will reaffirm the unity and solidarity of Asean amidst this emerging super-power competition."

Asean is drawing up a code of conduct in the hope of

making sure all claimants follow legal and diplomatic processes in settling territorial disputes.

Lorenzana said he hoped the code would provide the frame-work for lasting solutions to the disputes over the waters.

About $5 trillion worth of goods passes through the South China Sea every year.

"We want a rules-based, lasting solution to this issue," he said.

China has built several arti-ficial islands in the exclusive economic zone of the Philip-pines, which an arbitration tribunal last year ruled unlawful.

With billions of dollars of potential Chinese trade and investment at s take,

the Philippines has a difficult balancing act in upholding its sovereignty claims while stay-ing on the better terms President Rodrigo Duterte has established with historic rival China.

Yesterday, China agreed to cooperate with the Philippines on 30 projects worth $3.7bn focusing on poverty reduction, the two countries said after a meeting in Beijing.

It marked the first announce-ment from a two-day visit by a Philippine cabinet delegation to China that comes three months after President Rodrigo Duterte visited Beijing to pave the way for new commercial alliances.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims in the waters.

New Delhi

IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday presented the National Bravery

Awards to 25 children from dif-ferent parts of the country who have been selected for the hon-our by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW).

The National Bravery Award

Scheme was initiated by the ICCW in 1957 to give recognition to children who distinguish themselves by performing out-standing deeds of bravery and meritorious service.

"Their deeds of bravery show these children's decisive-ness and courage," the Prime Minister said during the felicita-tion ceremony.

Interacting with the

awardees, he said: "You must ensure that this award does not become the end of your life's purpose, but rather should only mark the beginning."

He said that bravery is a state of mind; a healthy body helps, but the prime moving force is the mind.

He further added, "we need to make the mind strong. The adulation and fame that you are

getting, should not become an obstacle to the future progress."

Modi reminded the children about the significance of the day -- January 23 which is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary -- and urged them to read as much as possible.

Women and Child Develop-ment Minister Maneka Gandhi was also present on the occasion.

Filipino rebels still holding 25 hostagesSingapore

AFP

THE Philippine defence chief said yesterday that 25 hostages are still being held by Islam-ist militants in the southern Philippines but urged that no ransom be paid for their release.

Delfin Lorenzana added that President Rodrigo Duterte has been under pressure to declare martial law in at least three southern islands where jihadists operate, but he did not think there was a need.

The defence minister said the companies which employed two recently freed Indonesians had paid a ran-som of $400,000.

He did not identify the captives but the Philippine military said two Indonesian hostages were freed last month by militants from Abu Sayyaf, which has pledged allegiance to the IS group.

The two were among seven crew seized from a tug-boat off the southern Philippines in June.

Modi felicitates 25 children with bravery awards

New Delhi Reuters

Lawmakers in India's Tamil Nadu state passed an emergency

order yesterday allowing bull-taming festivals to resume after a court ban on the traditional events led to mass protests.

Hours before the state

government lifted the ban, police firing tear gas clashed with stone-throwing protest-ers who were demanding the resumption of "jallikattu" bullfights, in which men wres-tle with rampaging bulls.

At least 100 protesters were arrested and 22 police officials were hurt.

"Jallikattu will be cele-brated. We urge the protesters

to go back home immedi-ately," said senior police officer P K Kannan in Chennai.

Thousands of people had taken part in a week of pro-tests, which also hit the state's auto industry.

Animal rights activists say that the tradition is cruel and have urged the government to keep the ban in place.

India lifts ban on bull-taming events

New Delhi

IANS

The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) has pointed out

to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that diaspora Indians are being turned away by the RBI from depositing or exchanging their demonetised currency and appealed that they be allowed to do so.

The GOPIO, which brings together the Indian diaspora around the world, said in a statement that Indian diaspora with foreign citizenship and OCI/PIO card holders are being turned away by Reserve bank of India from depositing their demonetized currencies, despite the extended deadline for NRIs being till June 30, 2017.

The GOPIO, in an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that after standing outside for several hours, Indians with foreign citizenship were being told by the RBI that only NRIs with Indian passport can go inside and exchange the scrapped Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes.

The organisation requested the Prime Minister that Diaspora Indians with foreign citizenship, and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Over-seas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders be given the same opportunity for depositing old currency notes as given to NRIs

(Indian Passport holders), allowing them to deposit up to Rs2,50,000 of Indian currency in the RBI instead of notified amount of Rs 25,000.

The appeal further states that Diaspora Indians (who are not able to visit the country) should also be permitted to deposit money in their bank account in India through an authorised agent.

The GOPIO also said that since all Diaspora Indians with foreign citizenship, PIO and OCI card holders may not be able to visit India prior to June 30, they should be allowed to deposit old currency notes at either the RBI/NRO accounts maintained with various banks in India up to December 31.

The appeal addressed to the PM states, "You have repeatedly acknowledged the role of NRIs/PIOs and expatriates in the resur-gence of India and their record annual remittances to India which is the highest compared to any country in the world.

"We urge you to agree to the requested concession for goodwill of 30 million NRIs and PIOs and amend the notifica-tion # RBI/2016-17/2005/DCM/(Plg) No 2170/10.27.00/2016-17 dated December 31, 2016," the organisation said.

The Centre had extended for six months the last date for applying for conversion of PIO cards to OCI cards to June 30, 2017 from December 31, 2016.

Policemen remove protesters during a demonstration against the ban on the Jallikattu bull-taming ritual at Marina Beach in Chennai, yesterday.

Memorial service Roof collapses in Afghan refugee camp; six deadKabul

AP

AN Afghan official says the roof of a shoddily constructed house in a refugee camp in eastern Afghanistan col-lapsed as a family was sleeping inside, killing 6 family mem-bers, including two women and two children.

Attaullah Khogiyani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial governor, says four other members of the family were injured in the incident, which took place yesterday.

The family was among tens of thousands of refugees who have returned from neighbor-ing Pakistan in recent years.

There are an estimated 1.5 million Afghan refugees still living in Pakistan.

Singapore meet

As the host to the leaders of the US, China, Japan, Russia and India, we will have to remind our friends, firmly if necessary, not to use Asean as a proxy for their rivalry: Lorenzana.

Asean is drawing up a code of conduct in the hope of making sure all claimants follow legal and diplomatic processes in settling territorial disputes.

Diaspora seeks Modi's help over demonetised currency

Members of the public and police attend a vigil in memory of victims who were mown down by a 26-year-old man driving a car, at Federation Square in Melbourne, yesterday.

12 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017EUROPE

UK spy chief announces resignationTHE head of Britain's communications spy-ing agency announced he was resigning yesterday, after just over two years in the post, for personal reasons.

Robert Hannigan, the head of the Govern-ment Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), informed Foreign Sec-retary Boris Johnson of his decision.

The 51-year-old said he had been "lucky enough to have some extraordinary roles in public service over the last 20 years". But he added: "They have all demanded a great deal of my ever patient and understand-ing family, and now is the right time to change direction".

Switzerland refuge requests plunge 31% SWITZERLAND plunged by nearly a third to around 27,200 last year after authorities closed the Balkan land route used by thousands to flee hot spots in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, the SEM migration agency said yesterday.

In December alone, requests for asylum fell 64 percent from a year earlier, bringing the full-year drop to 31 percent after the Balkan route was interrupted in March and Swiss authorities took a tough line on the border with Italy last summer.

Court toughensSarkozy aide's prison term A FRENCH appeals court yesterday toughened a prison term for a close aide of former president Nicolas Sarkozy over mis-use of public funds.

Judges sentenced Claude Gueant, once one of France's most influen-tial figures, to two years in prison with one sus-pended, toughening an earlier sentence of two years suspended.

However under French law pertaining to sentences of less than two years, the 72-year-old is unlikely to have to go to prison.

NEWS BYTES

Snow and ice crystals in the Olympia Park in Munich, southern Germany, yesterday.

Forlorn in the snow

London

Reuters

British Prime Minis-ter Theresa May said yesterday she was briefed about the successful certi-

fication of a nuclear submarine as she came under increasing pressure over her handling of reports its unarmed Trident missile misfired.

The Sunday Times reported a test firing of the missile from a submarine malfunctioned last June, sending it veering off in the wrong direction, shortly before May asked parliament to spend £40bn ($50bn) on new submarines.

The report triggered fierce criticism about a perceived lack of transparency from May and prompted lawmakers to demand answers from her defence minister in parlia-ment. CNN, citing a US defence official with direct knowledge of the incident, also reported yesterday a missile test involv-ing Britain’s nuclear deterrent failed off the coast of Florida.

Asked four times during a BBC interview on Sunday whether she knew about the misfire before the vote in par-liament, May repeatedly declined to answer directly. On Monday, she again failed to give a clear answer.

“I’m regularly briefed on national security issues, I was briefed on successful certifi-cation of HMS Vengeance and

her crew,” she told BBC tele-vision, saying the government did not comment on opera-tional details for national security reasons.

The controversy overshad-owed the launch yesterday of May’s “Modern Industrial Strategy”, a central plank of her plans to rebalance Britain’s economy as it leaves the EU.

The so-called “demonstra-tion and shakedown operation” happened in June, shortly before May became prime minister.

In her first major speech to parliament as prime minister the following month, she asked lawmakers to approve the building of four new subma-rines, a vote that was passed by 472 to 117.

Lawmakers criticised the government’s handling of the issue, although several said it wouldn’t have changed the way they voted.

May criticised

for handling of

Trident reportGrave allegation

“I’m regularly briefed on national security issues, I was briefed on successful certification of HMS Vengeance and her crew," May said.

The report triggered fierce criticism about a perceived lack of transparency from May.

Paris

AFP

France ordered an inquiry after scientists reported that a food additive widely

used in Europe to whiten tooth-paste and chewing gum could cause precancerous lesions in rats. Researchers from France and Luxembourg gave the addi-tive, called E171 in Europe and the United States, to lab rats in their drinking water for 100 days.

In 40 percent of the rodents exposed, they observed the development of "preneoplastic lesions" or precancerous growths, the team reported.

The additive also inhibited the immune systems of the rats and "accelerated" the growth of lesions induced for the experi-ment, France's INRA agricultural research institute, which took part in the study, said in a statement.

"These results demonstrate a role in initiating and promot-ing the early stages of colorectal cancer formation," it added, though it said no conclusion could be drawn about later phases of cancer, or of any dan-ger to humans.

The results were published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. Reacting to the report, France's ministers of health,

agriculture and economy instructed the country's food health and safety agency, Anses, to investigate whether the addi-tive poses a risk for human health. The agency must report its findings by the end of March.

E171 contains nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, a naturally occurring metal oxide. It is one of the five nanomaterials most commonly used in consumer products, including food, paints and cosmetics, according to the study. E171 is commonly used as a whitening and brightening agent in candies, chewing gum, white sauces and cake icing. The US Food and Drug Administra-tion approved it in 1966.

Circus artist, Johann Le Guillerm, in front of one of his sculptures, as part of the "Installations" exhibition, yesterday, at La Friche Belle de Mai exhibition centre in Marseille, France.

Artist behind the art

Berlin

Reuters

A 21-year-old man arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning an Islamist

militant attack has admitted links with a second suspect in Vienna who had been in touch with jihadists in Albania, Ger-man investigators said yesterday.

German security police arrested the man and a woman during a raid on a flat in the western city of Neuss on Satur-day, the regional Criminal Investigation Office (LKA) said. The woman, identified by local media as the man’s wife, was later released. German author-ities have been on high alert

since a Tunisian man whose bid for asylum had been rejected rammed a truck into a Christ-mas market in Berlin on Dec. 19, killing 12 people.

A spokesman for the Dues-seldorf prosecutor’s office said the 21-year-old suspect admit-ted during questioning that a 17-year Austrian with Albanian roots who was arrested in Vienna had visited him for two weeks at the end of last year, though the purpose of the visit was not immediately clear.

Austrian officials initially said the Vienna suspect was 18.

A search of the suspect’s apartment in Neuss did not turn up any evidence of an immi-nent attack and no weapons or explosives were found.

The Hague AFP

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte yesterday urged people to vote for

stability in coming elections and called on immigrants "to adapt," seeking to drain support for the far right.

Bidding for a third term in government, Rutte's conserva-tive liberal VVD party launched its campaign slogan "Act. Nor-mally" in an open letter to "All Dutch people."

At a time of political turbu-lence in Europe and the United States, Rutte positioned him-self firmly as a candidate of the

status quo. But in an effort to woo supporters of anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, whose Freedom Party is currently top-ping opinion polls, Rutte warned that "those people who refuse to adapt, and criticise our values" must "act normally or leave." He took issue with those who "harass gay people, or whistle at women in short skirts." He said he understood why some "people think that 'if you so fundamentally reject this country then I'd prefer it if you leave'."

"Sometimes it seems that no one acts normally any more," he wrote in the letter, published in two Dutch newspapers.

Berlin

AFP

German rightwing populist party AfD decided yester-day not to expel a leading

member over a speech criticis-ing Berlin's Holocaust memorial and urging the country to stop atoning for its Nazi past.

The AfD (Alternative for Ger-many) executive board held a three-hour telephone confer-ence in which it voted to instead impose unspecified "disciplinary measures" against Bjoern Hoecke, party chairman in the central state of Thuringia.

"The board concludes that the statements made by Bjoern Hoecke in his Dresden speech on January 17 hurt the image of the party," it said in a statement.

The AfD leadership said it would review "all legal and political aspects that are relevant" in determining what action to take against Hoecke but ruled out removing him from the party.

Amid an internal power struggle ahead of a September general election, AfD leader Frauke Petry had called Hoecke a "burden on the party" last week after his address in which he condemned the Holocaust memorial as a "monument of shame in the heart of the capital".

"We need nothing less than a 180-degree shift in the politics of remembrance," Hoecke added in the remarks to chants of "Ger-many, Germany". The comments triggered an uproar, with Social Democrat vice chief Ralf

Stegner accusing him of making a "hate incitement speech" -- which is illegal in Germany -- that called for history to be rewritten.

Germany's Central Council of Jews also expressed outrage, saying Hoecke was trampling on the memory of six million Jew-ish Holocaust victims murdered by the Nazis. But AfD deputy chief Alexander Gauland, who like Hoecke belongs to the hard nationalist wing of the party, defended the politician, telling national news agency DPA that he had "in no manner criticised the remembrance of the Holocaust".

Hoecke himself Monday blasted the board's conclusions as well as the critical media cov-erage of his comments, which

he called a "malicious and delib-e r a t e l y s l a n d e r o u s interpretation". A poll Sunday in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed that 61 percent of Ger-mans believed the party should kick Hoecke out for his speech.

The AfD started out in 2013 as an anti-euro party but has since morphed into an anti-immigration group attacking Chancellor Angela Merkel's lib-eral refugee policy, which brought some 890,000 refugees to Germany in 2015 alone.

The party, which also dis-putes the place of Islam in Germany, is polling nationwide at around 12 to 15 percent. But an ideological split has threat-ened its unity, as some leaders try to ally the AfD with explicitly far-right parties in Europe.

France investigates report on food additive that harmed rats

Man held in Germany for planning IS attack

Dutch PM urges voters not to rock the boat

AfD party not to expel controversial member

13TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 EUROPE

Berlin

Reuters

European Union sanc-tions on Russia are pointless, the frontrun-ner in France’s presidential election

Francois Fillon said yesterday in Berlin, warning Russia and the United States under Donald Trump could forge links that exclude the EU.

Speaking after meeting Ger-man Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has taken a hard line in favour of sanctions against Rus-sia over its support for a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine, Fillon said a gesture from Russia would be needed before sanctions could be lifted.

“I am convinced that the eco-nomic sanctions are totally ineffective,” Fillon said after meeting Merkel. “We must find another way to talk.”

He said: “I do not want (US President Donald) Trump to talk with Russia at our expense. It would be damaging for Europe if Trump went above our heads, which is not inconceivable.”

Ukraine was also not doing what it needed to do to ensure peace, said Fillon. Fillon told Le Monde daily that in the longer term he would aim for a new

economic partnership with Rus-sia and a Europe-Russia security conference, once the conflict in Ukraine was resolved.

Fi l lon met fe l low

conservative Merkel on a number of occasions when he was prime minister in 2007-2012.

Fillon said he and Merkel agreed on the need not to let the United States impose its extra-territorial laws that have cost European companies - especially banks - billions in fines and other settlements over violations of American sanctions against other countries.

“French and Germans are on the same page on the fact that we cannot let those rules - that are made for the United States, for the US banking system and that are totally negative tools for Europe - be imposed on us,” he said.

He also criticised work at the Basel committee on banking reg-ulation, which he said was not good for Europe.

Fillon said he had promised to quickly carry out structural

reforms if elected and said his plans were “perfectly compati-ble” with what Germany expected. Fillon is the only can-didate in the April-May presidential election to be received by the German chan-cellor so far, in a sign of support from Merkel. But Merkel looks unlikely to give him explicit backing - the meeting was not open to the media and there was no joint statement afterward.

Merkel, up for re-election herself in September, publicly backed conservative Nicolas Sarkozy when he sought re-elec-tion in 2012. He lost.

Asked if Merkel would be willing to meet the French pres-idential election’s Socialist candidate, who is to be nomi-nated on Sunday, Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference: “If there is a wish from the French side, then yes”.

EU sanctions on Russia pointless: FillonTrump effect

“I do not want Trump to talk with Russia at our expense. It would be damaging for Europe if Trump went above our heads, which is not inconceivable," Fillon said.

Fillon said he and Merkel agreed on the need not to let the United States impose its extraterritorial laws that have cost European companies.

Les Republicains party candidate for the French 2017 presidential election, Francois Fillon, gives a talk during his visit at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, yesterday.

Penne

AFP

Rescuers recovered three puppies from under the rubble of Italy's avalanche

hotel yesterday sparking fresh hopes some of the 23 people still missing after five days could be found alive.

Fireman Fabio Jerman said the discovery of the three shaggy white Abruzzo sheepdog pups meant there were still air pock-ets in the collapsed luxury spa resort, "an important sign of life, which gives us hope".

But as light began to fade, the body of a woman was recovered from the rubble, bringing the number of the dead to seven.

A new route was being dug into the wreck in a last-ditch effort to find survivors, as ques-tions mounted as to whether the disaster could have been avoided. "It's a race against time, we know we need to go fast, but

it's not an easy working environ-ment," fire service spokesman Luca Cari said as teams worked feverishly to reach the centre of the resort, where they believe many of the missing could be.

An email sent by the hotel to local authorities pleading for help just hours before Wednes-day's tragedy has gone viral.

Although the email did not mention fears of an avalanche it described the mounting panic of guests trapped in the hotel by snow as earthquakes shook the region. Five days after the huge avalanche, which struck with the force of 4,000 trucks driving full speed, the small, fresh sign of life within the concrete tomb spurred rescuers on.

The puppies were born in December in the ill-fated Hotel Rigopiano to Lupo and Nuvola (Wolf and Cloud), who escaped when the avalanche hit and were found the following day in a nearby hamlet.

Nine people pulled out alive on Friday had described being trapped in tiny spaces, eating dirty snow in the pitch black to survive. Burrowing narrow holes in the snow and rubble, rescue workers have been painstakingly searching each room of the lodge. Late Sunday rescuers began attempting to access the wreckage from the left-hand side -- a riskier enterprise which could trigger snowfalls but would ultimately get them more quickly to new search zones.

With shovels, drills and their bare hands, they were also working to recover the trapped body of one of the victims, a task expected to take hours.

The other bodies found so far have all been recovered and funerals for two of them -- both employees of the hotel -- were set to take place Tuesday.

Though the avalanche risk was lowered from four to three on a five-point scale, a special

radar was installed on the slopes to warn rescue teams of any fresh slides as snow and rain continued to fall on the moun-tainous area of central Italy.

Investigators in the nearby city of Pescara on the coast stepped up a probe into the dis-aster, which could lead to manslaughter charges if prose-cutors find the luxury spa should not have been built in that area, or should have been evacuated.

The hotel opened in 1972 and was transformed 10 years ago into a four-star hotel with a heated external swimming pool and sauna frequented by celeb-rities including US actor George Clooney, according to Italian media reports. Investigators had launched a probe into the number of building permits awarded in the vast Gran Sasso national park amid suspicions of corruption, but the case was dropped in November.

Three Puppies found alive in Italy avalanche hotel

Belfast

Reuters

Sinn Fein named Michelle O’Neill to succeed Martin McGuinness and lead the

Irish nationalist party into Northern Irish elections in March, marking a shift towards a generation not directly involved in decades of conflict.

McGuinness, a former Irish Republican Army (IRA) com-mander turned peacemaker, bowed out of frontline politics last week, saying illness and Northern Ireland’s current political crisis had led him to step down several months ear-lier than planned.

He was also deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.

“This is the handover of a primary leadership position from my generation, from Mar-tin’s generation, to another generation,” Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams told a news conference.

O’Neill was 21 when she began her political career as an advisor at Northern Ireland’s devolved assembly in 1998, the year the Good Friday peace agreement was signed, largely ending the bloody period of “The Troubles”.

McGuinness was Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator in the peace talks between Catholic nation-alists seeking a united Ireland and Protestant pro-British unionists wanting to remain in the United Kingdom.

Outgoing Health Minister O’Neill, who turned 40 this month, was the first woman to serve as mayor of her local council area before being elected to the assembly 10 years ago. Her father, a former Sinn Fein councilor, was jailed dur-ing the conflict.

Her appointment by the party’s leadership also raises the prospect that Sinn Fein could soon be led on both sides of the Irish border by women from a younger generation.

Rome

Reuters

After a turbulent first month in office, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni could learn

this week how much longer his government might last when the constitutional court reviews the validity of Italy’s election law.

An unambiguous ruling offer-ing a simple solution to Italy’s electoral tangle could open the way for an early ballot by June. A more convoluted reading would certainly leave Gentiloni in charge until the legislature ends in early 2018.

The prime minister, sworn in last month after the resignation of his predecessor Matteo Renzi, could be forgiven for hoping for a short tenure following a dra-matic start to his rule, marked by a battery of crises and emergency heart surgery.

Natural disasters, an inter-vention to save the banking system, a rating agency down-grade, tensions with Brussels and a renewed influx of migrants have combined to give Gentiloni one of the most torrid debuts of any Italian leader.

“We are living through a suc-cession of extraordinary

emergencies,” said Sergio Fab-brini, director of the School of Government at Rome’s LUISS university. “The country is not in despair, but the situation is excep-tionally difficult.”

Complicating Gentiloni’s position is the lack of clarity over whether he is just a caretaker prime minister or if he will have time to effect meaningful change?

Renzi resigned after a crush-ing defeat in a referendum on his plans to overhaul the constitu-tion, but he remains leader of the ruling Democratic Party (PD) and is pushing for elections before the summer, hoping for a victory to

propel him back into power.Holding him up is the fact that

Italy has different electoral laws for the upper and lower houses of parliament which President Sergio Matteralla says must be harmonised.

The shape of the new law could be determined by the con-stitutional court. It meets on Tuesday to decide the legality of a system that was drawn up in 2014 with an eye to providing political stability by instituting a two-round ballot guaranteeing a majority to the winner in the lower house. The nation’s top judges have many options. They

could decide there is nothing wrong with the law or spell out precisely what needs changing. They could also just make gen-eral suggestions.

“If the court intervenes to change the electoral law, remov-ing the second round and essentially leaving a proportional system in place, then the likeli-hood of an election this year is very high,” said Anna Ascani, a PD lawmaker close to Renzi.

“But there’s no consensus in parliament on what kind of elec-toral law to write should the court only make suggestions to change the current law,” she told

Reuters, saying such a scenario would make a snap vote in 2017 highly unlikely. Some politicians say the battery of emergencies facing Italy -- the numerous earthquakes and aftershocks since August—mean this govern-ment should stay in place.

“The problems tied to the earthquakes show that we need to make the most of this legisla-ture,” Pietro Grasso, a member of Renzi’s PD, told Corriere della Sera newspaper on Saturday.

The quakes have killed more than 300 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

New leader ahead of N Ireland polls

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill poses with Martin McGuinness after being announced as his replacement for the upcoming elections, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, yesterday.

Italy reviews new electoral law as old problems pile up

Rescue teams working at the avalanche-hit Hotel Rigopiano, near the village of Farindola, on the eastern lower slopes of the Gran Sasso mountain.

An Italian firefighter holds a puppy rescued from the Hotel hit by an avalanche, yesterday.

14 TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017AMERICAS

Washington

AP

All eyes are on Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as a Senate committee is

poised to vote on President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state.

The nomination of Rex Till-erson got a boost on Sunday after two influential Republi-can senators — John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — offered tepid endorsements of the former Exxon Mobil chief. The focus shifts to the Foreign Rela-tions Committee yesterday afternoon as the members, including Rubio, cast their votes on Tillerson.

Rubio, whom Trump defeated for the GOP presiden-tial nomination last year, clashed with Tillerson at a com-mittee hearing earlier this month. Rubio bridled at his refusal to label Russian Presi-dent Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” or condemn human rights violations in Saudi Ara-bia and the Philippines in strong enough terms. He chided Till-erson over the need for “moral clarity.”

But as the committee pre-pares to vote on Tillerson’s nomination, Rubio faces a dilemma. He must either back down, which means a retreat from a strong stand on Russia and human rights, or cross Trump in the first days of his presidency.

A “no” vote from Rubio

would not doom Tillerson’s confirmation, because the nom-ination could go directly to the Senate floor without a positive committee recommendation. But it would be an embarrass-ing rebuke to Trump just as his presidency gets underway, with questions swirling about his ties to Russia. GOP party activists would be certain to remember Rubio’s defection, although it’s impossible to predict how such a vote might look years from now if Rubio ever runs for pres-ident again.

Ahead of the vote Rubio was keeping fellow senators and everyone else guessing. After Trump was sworn in on Friday, Rubio was tight-lipped, saying only that he would make his decision “certainly before the vote” and that Tillerson’s responses to written questions had addressed some of his concerns.

Neither McCain nor Graham is on the committee, but their support could make it tougher for Rubio to remain a holdout. McCain said Tillerson’s responses to his questions, particularly in private, convinced him that the nominee could spearhead US diplomacy.

“Though we still have concerns about his past dealings with the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin, we believe that Mr. Tillerson can be an effective advocate for US interests,” McCain and Graham said in a joint statement on Sunday.

Dubai

AP

Businesses around the world bearing US President Donald Trump’s name face an increased risk now

that he is in the White House, security experts warn, especially as several are in areas previously targeted by violence.

As Trump remains a brand overseas, criminal gangs or mil-itants could target buildings bearing his name in gold, abduct workers associated with his enterprises for ransom or worse, they say.

“They may kidnap a Trump worker and not even want to nego-tiate,” aiming for publicity instead, said Colin P Clarke, a political sci-entist with the RAND Corporation who studies terrorism and inter-national criminal networks.

Predicting an attack keeps

police, intelligence agencies and security experts awake at night around the world — and, by its very nature, it remains speculative.

US brands have been

targeted in overseas violence before, but they never belonged to a president. That’s the differ-ence. Trump becoming America’s 45th president presents a unique challenge given the range of his interna-tional business interests.

Asked about security issues, the Trump Organisation said it has “extensive protocols in place at our Trump-owned and -man-aged properties” in the United States and abroad.

“Our team continues to work very closely with local law enforcement,” the statement said. “We are also working in tandem with the local developers at Trump-branded properties worldwide to ensure that all residents, guests and associates remain safe and secure.”

That hasn’t worried Kim Ok Kyu, who lives in a Trump-branded apartment tower in Seoul, South Korea. She said

security at her building is quite good, with many guards and strict restrictions on outsiders entering the building. “Terror? I don’t think about it. I just hope my home prices go up,” Kim said.

But other properties are in areas that have seen violence, like Trump Towers Istanbu. Flags and banners around the site bear the president’s name, while private security guards man X-ray machines and metal detectors at its entrances, a standard practice in the city.

In Bali, Trump’s organisation has licensed the president’s name to a planned luxury resort. A Trump-named residential tower is under construction in the Indian city of Mumbai. Another tower is being built in Manila in the Philippines. Philippine police say they haven’t monitored any specific threat toward Trump properties, though a tower rising in Manila

sits in an area under an intensified security watch after Duterte declared a “state of lawlessness” following a September bombing.

Even Trump’s soon-to-open golf course in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates could be a target. The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi did not respond to questions about the golf course, which Trump’s children are expected to soon visit.

Away from the properties themselves, employees could be threatened, robbed or held captive, experts warn. Under US law, the Secret Service is authorised to protect the president, the vice president and their immediate families. That would include his sons Eric and Donald Jr., who will run the Trump Organisation under the plan announced by the president at a news conference last week.

Trump begins first week in office with outreachWashington

AP

President Donald Trump is set to meet with congres-sional leaders from both

parties to discuss his agenda, as he enters his first official week in the White House and works to begin delivering on his ambi-tious campaign promises.

Donald Trump promised business leaders yesterday that he would cut taxes "mas-sively" and slash regulations by 75 percent. He also warned the 12 corporate CEOs gath-ered at the White House that he would impose a "border tax" on goods imported by companies that move jobs out of the United States.

"What we're doing is we are going to be cutting taxes mas-sively for both the middle class and for companies, and that's massively," he said.

"A bigger thing, and that sur-prised me, is the fact that we're going to be cutting regulation massively." "We think we can cut regulations by 75 percent, maybe more, but by 75 percent," he added.

The outreach effort comes after a tumultuous first week-end in the White House that included lambasting news organisations for correctly reporting on the size of the crowds at his inauguration and mass protests against his presidency on the following day.

Trump also announced that he’s set up meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Jus-tin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

“We’re going to start some negotiations having to do with NAFTA,” he said of his meeting with Pena Nieto.

New York

AP

A lawsuit yesterday alleged that President Donald Trump is violating the

Constitution by allowing his business to accept payments from foreign governments.Trump is violating the so-called emoluments clause in the Con-stitution that prohibits him from receiving money from diplomats for stays at his hotels or foreign governments for leases of office space in his buildings, accord-ing to the suit filed by a legal watchdog group. The language in the clause is disputed by some

legal scholars, setting the stage for a court fight with the White House.

White House Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks said that “the president has no conflicts,” and referred to arguments made by Trump law-yer Sheri Dillon at the president’s news conference earlier this month.

Dillon has said the framers did not intend for the Constitu-tional prohibition to apply to fair-value exchanges, such as paying for a hotel room or venue space at a hotel.

“No one would have thought the Constitution was written that

paying your hotel bill was an emolument,” Dillon said at a news conference.

The liberal-funded watch-dog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.

CREW is being represented in the lawsuit by two former White House chief ethics law-yers: Norman Eisen, who advised Barack Obama, and Richard Painter, who worked under George W. Bush. The two have been pushing Trump to divest from his business to avoid what they believe are unprecedented

conflicts that will violate the Constitution.

“These violations of the For-eign Emoluments Clause pose a grave threat to the United States and its citizens,” accord-ing to the lawsuit. “As the Framers were aware, private financial interests can subtly sway even the most virtuous leaders, and entanglements between American officials and foreign powers could pose a creeping, insidious threat to the Republic.”

CREW faces several legal hurdles, including making the case that it even has standing to bring the lawsuit.

Washington

Reuters

The US Supreme Court yes-etrday declined to hear an appeal by Texas seeking

to revive the state’s strict Repub-lican backed voter-identification requirements that a lower court found had a discriminatory effect on black and Hispanic people.

The justices let stand a July 2016 decision by the 5th US Cir-cuit Court of Appeals that found that the 2011 Texas statute ran afoul of a federal law that bars racial discrimination in elections and directed a lower court to find a way to fix the law’s dis-criminatory effects against minorities.

There were no noted dis-sents from the high court’s decision not to hear the case from any of the eight justices, but Chief Justice John Roberts

took the unusual step of issuing a statement explaining why the case was not taken up, noting that litigation on the matter is continuing in lower courts.

Roberts said that although there was “no barrier to our review,” all the legal issues can be raised on appeal at a later time.

The law, passed by a Repub-lican-led legislature and signed by a Republican governor, had been considered one of the strictest of its type in the United States. It was challenged in court by the US Justice Department under former President Barack Obama, civil rights groups and individual voters.

Critics including the Obama administration had said the Texas law and similar statutes enacted in other Republican-governed states were tailored to make it harder for minorities including black and Hispanic voters, who tend to support Democrats, to cast ballots.

Backers of these laws have said they are necessary to prevent voter fraud, despite little evi-dence of such fraud.

The seven types of govern-ment-issued identification permitted under the law as proof of identity included a driv-er’s license, a concealed handgun license, a military ID card and a US passport but not state university ID cards or iden-tification issued to obtain welfare benefits.

A special 15-judge panel of the New Orleans-based appeals court ruled 9-6 that the Texas law had a discriminatory effect and violated the US Voting Rights Act. The judges were divided differently on other parts of the ruling.

The appeals court directed a federal district court to examine claims by the plaintiffs that the law was actually intended to be dis-criminatory, rather than merely having a discriminatory effect.

Trump staff & properties 'face terror risk'Law enforcement

As Trump remains a brand overseas, criminal gangs or militants could target buildings bearing his name in gold, abduct workers associated with his enterprises for ransom or worse, security experts say.

US brands have been targeted in overseas violence before, but they never belonged to a president. That’s the difference.

Secretary of State vote a litmus test for Rubio

Lawsuit: Trump businesses violate constitution

US President Donald Trump speaks, as Vice President Mike Pence watches, before the swearing-in of the White House senior staff at the White House yesterday.

Texas plea on voter ID law rejected

French President Francois Hollande arrives at Catam Military airport in Bogota, Colombia yesterday.

Hollande in Bogota

15TUESDAY 24 JANUARY 2017 AMERICAS

Adel, Georgia AP

A vast storm system that kicked up apparent tornadoes, shredded mobile homes and left other

destruction scattered around the Southeast has claimed at least 19 lives during its two-day assault on the region.

Authorities said yesterday at least 15 deaths occurred in south Georgia alone, including seven from an apparent winter twister that tore through a trailer park before dawn Sunday. Authori-ties reported four deaths on Saturday in Mississippi as the storm system ramped up. It was so big parts of it threatened the Carolinas and north Florida.

In southwest Georgia, Bridget Simmons along with her parents, her daughter and her grandson were in their brick home in the city of Albany when the sky got dark Sunday after-noon and the wind began to howl.

“I was in the den and I heard that loud roar and I grabbed the baby and I said, ‘Let’s go guys. This is it.’ We laid down and that was it.” The wind was so loud, she added, “you could hear it beating back and forth.”

Minutes later, their home was largely unscathed, save for a carport that collapsed atop two cars. But trees were down all around, police sirens wailed and authorities would add four more deaths for an overall count of at least 19. Dougherty County Cor-oner Michael Fowler said early yesterday that a total of four people died in the county that includes Albany on Sunday, increasing the total in south Georgia to 15.

Some 60 miles away from Simmons’ home, Coroner Tim

Purvis in south Georgia’s Cook County confirmed seven people died at the mobile home park in the rural community of Adel, where about half of the 40 homes were leveled. Debris lay about not far from mobile homes largely untouched but emptied of survivors and cor-doned off by police.

Elsewhere, shredded siding from mobile homes, a house stripped of exterior walls but left standing, even a piano blown outdoors, all bore evidence of the power of the powerful storms system that tore across the Deep South. The 15 killed in south Georgia included two deaths each in the counties of Berrien and Brooks.

In South Carolina, the National Weather Service has confirmed that two tornadoes struck over the weekend, injur-ing one woman who was trapped in a mobile home that was damaged near Blackville. The weather service says a tor-nado touched down about 3:45pm on Saturday in Barnwell County and moved into Bam-berg County. The other occurred in Orangeburg County a few minutes later.

Los Angeles AP

The tail end of a punishing winter storm system lashed California with thunder-

storms and severe winds yesterday after breaking rainfall records, washing out roads and whipping up enormous waves over the weekend.

A thunderstorm brought ashore hail northwest of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, where a tornado warning was briefly issued. No tornadoes were reported but wind gusts topped 60 mph.

Flood watches and warnings remained in place for much of

Southern California, a day after nearly 4 inches of rain fell south of Los Angeles, flooding road-ways, toppling trees and raising concerns about damaging mudslides.

Commuters faced a messy drive to work, with rainfall expected to ease slightly but not taper off until today. Motorists were urged to use caution on mountain passes where heavy snow fell.

The National Weather Serv-ice warned that the system could be among the strongest storms in years, and it delivered.

Long Beach Airport received 3.87 inches of rain by 5pm Sun-day, breaking the all-time daily

record for rainfall. Los Angeles Airport got 2.78 inches, another all-time daily record.

California has been swamped during a wet winter that has brought plenty of rain and snow after years of drought.

Firefighters in San Ber-nardino County east of Los Angeles staged a dramatic swift-water rescue of a couple whose pickup truck was trapped in surging water west of the Cajon Pass.

Television footage showed rescue crews sending a raft, which was anchored to a firetruck, into rushing brown water so the trapped couple could climb aboard, one by one,

from the car’s passenger window.

Residents in rural Santa Cruz County south of San Francisco watched helplessly Sunday as the San Lorenzo River spilled over its banks for the second time this month, sending muddy water and debris into yards and homes. No injuries were reported.

Traffic was diverted off inter-states 110 and 710 south of downtown Los Angeles because of water flowing across lanes. Authorities ordered evacuations near wildfire burn areas in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange counties. Potential debris flows could restrict access for emer-gency responders, officials said.

Caracas, Venezuela

AP

Venezuelan officials may face US sanctions for profiting from food short-

ages that have exacerbated hunger in the South American country. The calls by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle come in response to an Associated Press investigation that found trafficking in hard-to-find food has become big business in Venezuela, with the military at the heart of the graft. Embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro has given the military increasingly broad con-trol over the food supply as shortages have led to widespread malnutrition this year.

“When the military is prof-iting off of food distribution while the Venezuelan people increasingly starve, corruption has reached a new level of depravity that cannot go unno-ticed,” said Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The AP report published last month detailed a chain of dirty dealing by the military, including kickbacks to generals for food contracts and bribes to move food out of the port. Some of the food is purchased in the US and some of the bribes passed through the US banking system.

US prosecutors are investi-gating senior Venezuelan officials, including members of

the military, for laundering riches from food contracts through the US financial system, the AP learned from four people with direct knowledge of the probes. No charges have been brought.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said President Donald Trump should take immediate action to sanction the top officials named in the AP report.

“This should be one of Pres-ident Trump’s first actions in office,” Rubio, who is chairman of the Foreign Relations subcom-mittee that oversees Latin America, said in a statement.

The Associated Press cited documents and testimony from business owners who pointed to food minister Gen. Rodolfo

Marco Torres and his predeces-sor, Gen. Carlos Osorio, as key figures involved in fraudulent food imports. Neither official responded to requests for com-ment, but in the past, both have dismissed charges of corruption as empty accusations propagated by political opponents.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, said she is urging the State and Treasury Departments to apply sanctions to Marco Torres and Osorio, as well as anyone else getting rich off Venezuela’s food shortages. She is also asking that govern-ment agencies ensure US companies are not doing busi-ness directly with any Venezuelan business owners fronting for corrupt officials. Sen.

Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, joined her in calling for those involved in food corruption to be held accountable.

In 2014, the Obama adminis-tration, at the urging of Rubio and Menendez, froze US assets and denied visas for top Venezuelan officials accused of drug traffick-ing and of human rights violations during a wave of anti-government protests. Maduro responded by calling the US lawmakers “terror-ists” bent on destabilizing the oil-rich nation, and banned them from Venezuela. Venezuelan law-maker Carlos Berrizbeitia, who sits on the congressional audit committee, said sanctions or no, the opposition will do all it can to stop officials from participat-ing in food trafficking.

Tornadoes leave 19 dead in southeast US

Intense storm pounds Southern California

Weather experts say tornadoes can hit any time of year in the South — including in the dead of winter. Even north Florida was under the weekend weather threat.

While the central US has a fairly defined tornado season — the spring — the risk of tornadoes “never really goes to zero” for most of the year in the Southeast, explained Patrick Marsh of the Storm Prediction Center in Nor-man, Oklahoma.

He said 39 possible tornadoes were reported across the South-east from early Saturday into Sunday evening — none immedi-ately confirmed. Of that, 30 were reported in Georgia, four in Missis-sippi, and one each in Louisiana and South Carolina.

January tornado outbreaks are rare but not unprecedented, par-ticularly in the South. Data from the Storm Prediction Center shows that, over the past decade, the nation has seen an average of 38 tornadoes in January.

Tijuana, Mexico

AP

Protesters took control of vehicle lanes at one of the busiest crossings on

the US border on Sunday to oppose Mexican petrol price hikes, waving through motor-ists into Mexico after Mexican authorities abandoned their posts.

Motorists headed to Mex-ico zipped by about 50 demonstrators at the Otay Mesa port of entry connect-ing San Diego and Tijuana, many of them honking to show support. The demon-strators waved signs to protest gas hikes and air other grievances against the gov-ernment of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Other protests closed southbound traffic for hours at the San Diego-Tijuana San Ysidro port of entry, the bus-iest crossing along the 2,000-mile border, and halted southbound traffic at one of two crossings in Nogales, Arizona.

US Customs and Border Protection and California Highway Patrol officers closed southbound Interstate 5 to block access to the San Ysidro crossing, diverting traffic several miles east to the Otay Mesa port of entry.

Only a small percentage of motorists entering Mexico from the US are stopped for inspection under normal cir-cumstances, but Sunday’s demonstration gave them an open invitation. Guns and cash from drug sales in the US are often introduced to Mex-ico by car.

Guadalajara, Mexico

AFP

A dozen bodies—including seven that were headless and mutilated—were

discovered over the weekend in western Mexico’s seaside resort of Manzanillo, apparent victims of the country’s epi-demic of drug violence, local officials said yesterday.

It was a shocking turn of events for an area popular with American and other foreign tourists, which until now had largely been spared from the bloody drug wars wracking other parts of Mexico.

Seven bodies were found early Saturday in an abandoned taxi on the road from Manza-nillo to the town of Cihuatlan.

The bodies were “mutilated, apparently decapitated, and one of the victims was a woman,” the port city’s police chief Carlos Heredia said.

On the vehicle was a mes-sage signed by the increasingly powerful Jalisco New Genera-tion drug cartel, he said. That cartel is blamed for a surge in murders in the tiny Pacific state of Colima, where Manzanillo is located. Yesterday, five half-naked bodies were found dumped in a forested area, a municipal police commander said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.

The bodies showed signs of torture and were left with two green cards signed by the Jalisco New Generation cartel, he said.

Severe storms

The 15 killed in south Georgia included two deaths each in the counties of Berrien and Brooks.

Weather experts say tornadoes can hit any time of year in the South — including in the dead of winter. Even north Florida was under the weekend weather threat.

Protesters take control of border

US lawmakers seek action on Venezuela food corruption

12 bodies found in Mexican town: Officials

Cars driving through rain on a flooded street in Los Angeles, yesterday.

A relative hands out flyers to a man with images of her loved one during a protest to demand justice for their kin who have disappeared and for those who have been victims of forced disappearances, in Monterrey, Mexico.

Demand for justice

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PRAYER TIMINGS

People walk past portraits of the founding fathers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as they visit the newly opened Etihad Museum in Dubai. The Etihad Museum presents experience-driven exhibitions, interactive programmes and education initiatives that explore the chronology of events that culminated in the formation of the Union of the Emirates.

Historical journey of United Arab Emirates

'Secrets of the Simpsons' to be revealed in DohaBy Irfan Bukhari The Peninsula

The American Chamber of Com-merce in Qatar (AmCham Qatar) has planned an exciting event for

residents as Mike Reiss, writer, show-runner and producer of famous American animated series “The Simpsons” will be in Doha on March 6 to share his history and showcase some fun-facts about the show with the audience.

Mike Reiss has won four Emmys during his three-decade journey of writing for “The Simpsons”.

He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series “The Simpsons” and co-created the animated series “The Critic”.

He is also a contributing writer to

two dozen animated films, including the Ice Age, Kung Fu Panda, and Des-picable Me.

In his fun-filled 70-minute pres-entation loaded with cartoon clips in Doha, Reiss will tell the audience the stories, secrets and scandals behind the show like dealing with network censors, celebrity guests, surprising critics (including George HW Bush) and surprising fans.

The topic of the event is “Secrets of the Simpsons” and Reiss will be on hand to share his history and show-case some interesting anecdotes about the show.

This was revealed on the sidelines of third session of “Presidential Pred-ications Forum” hosted yesterday by the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar (AmCham Qatar).

Bahrain Meditation Centre to hold fourth conferenceThe Peninsula

Under the patronage of Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa

(pictured), Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Bahrain Medita-t i o n C e n t r e f o r Self-Development will host its 4th conference ‘Creating Change’.

This event will be held at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Feb-ruary 7 to 9, 2017.

The conference aims to empower individuals, organi-sations and communities to create a better future with confidence, happiness and clarity. This will be achieved through the assistance of renowned international experts in the field of self-development, healing and leadership.

The ‘Creating Change’ Conference is all about navigat-ing the waves and winds of change, discovering how to remain calm amidst chaos, and learning how to guide our thoughts, feelings and actions towards the most positive outcomes.

When we are able, amid the outer waves of change, to steer the self towards a safe and stable state of mind, then we can effectively innovate and generate positive change.

Throughout the conference, the participants will be using the tool of meditation to help develop a deeper understand-ing of the self. People have used meditation as a technique for thousands of years, to develop concentration, regener-ate inner power, attain self-mastery, and ultimately initiate change for personal and world benefit.

Bahrain Meditation Centre for Self-Development has invited the public to join them for the few days of experi-ential learning from which one will emerge refreshed, rejuvenated, powerful and ready for change.

For more information please visit www.creatingchange-bahrain.org or call 00973 17712545.

The Simpsons (left) and Mike Reiss.

Dwarf galaxies shed light on dark matterParis

AFP

The first sighting of clustered dwarf galax-ies bolsters a leading theory about how big galaxies such as our Milky Way are

formed, and how dark matter binds them, researchers said yesterday.

Theorised but never seen, the bundled gal-axies were discovered using the largest optical survey of the night sky ever compiled, they reported in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Seven clusters of three-to-five galaxies are each 10 to 1,000 times smaller than the Milky Way.

Unlike our home galaxy, all have long-since stopped giving birth to new stars.

"We suspect these groups are gravitation-ally bound and thus will eventually merge to form one larger, intermediate-mass galaxy," said lead author Sabrina Stierwalt, an astro-physicist at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlotteville, Virginia.

The findings shed light on several big ques-tions about how structures such as galaxies formed in the early Universe, she said.

A leading theory predicts that, after the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago, smaller things joined together to form bigger ones.

But there has been frustratingly little obser-vational evidence of such mergers occurring on a scale as small as dwarf galaxies, Stierwalt explained.

One reason is that dwarf galaxies are hard to see. Only two — known at the Magellanic Clouds — are visible to the naked eye.

As of a decade ago, no more than a dozen had been identified by astronomers.

And even as bigger telescopes made their discovery commonplace, those found were either isolated "field dwarfs," or "satellite dwarfs" being cannibalised by larger galaxies.

"Independent groups of only low-mass

galaxies — like the ones we found — reveal a possible formation mechanism for larger ones such as our Milky Way," Stierwalt said.

The clusters are between 200 million and 650 million light years away from Earth.

"That sounds like a lot, but it is relatively nearby given the vast size of the Universe," she said.

The researchers spotted the galaxies by combing through a massive library of star maps compiled under a project known as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, made public in 2008 and upgraded regularly since.

The team then used telescopes — including one at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, and the Walter Baade Telescope at the Los Campanas Observatory in Chile — to con-firm their findings. Dwarf clusters are also natural laboratories for better understanding the mysterious substance known as dark mat-ter, thought to account for a quarter of the Universe, the study found.

Likely made up of unknown sub-atomic particles, dark matter can only be inferred through its gravitational pull on other objects in space.

Visible matter — everything we can touch and see — comprises about five percent of the Universe.

Dwarf galaxies are doubly interesting in the quest to understand dark matter.

Compared to larger galaxies, "they tend to have a lot more dark matter," explained Sti-erwalt. Its gravitational force holds the clusters together. And because they are older, these dwarf galaxies also have very little "debris" such as gas and dust, and thus are unobstructed hunt-ing grounds for dark matter.

Some astronomers are searching for this elusive substance using gamma-ray detecting telescopes, on the theory that dark matter par-ticles may produce gamma rays as they decay or annihilate each other in space.

HIGH TIDE 03:30 - 13:00 LOW TIDE 10:30 - 20:15

Expected strong wind at plac-

es. Mild daytime with slight dust

to blowing dust at places at times,

cold by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Minimum Maximum

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

17oC 22oC