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Most Qatari firms to create business

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Volume 23 | Number 7570 | 2 RiyalsWednesday 27 June 2018 | 13 Shawwal I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

Included withtoday’s edition is a

special supplement

KOREA REP. VS GERMANY

5.00PM

MEXICO VS SWEDEN

5.00PM

SERBIA VS BRAZIL

9.00PM

SWITZERLAND VS COSTA RICA

9.00PM

TODAY’S MATCHES

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

AUSTRALIA 0-1 PERU

DENMARK 0-0 FRANCE

NIGERIA 1-2 ARGENTINA

ICELAND 1-2 CROATIA

Foreign Minister and Pompeo discuss regional issues

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met yesterday with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his official visit to the United States. They discussed the bilateral relations in addition to the latest developments in the region, especially the Gulf crisis and the repercussions of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, Libya, Palestine and Syria. On the prospect of reaching a solution to the crisis before an upcoming Gulf Arab summit, Sheikh Mohammed told Al Jazeera that there are no indicators for solution but Qatar continues to deal with the issue in a constructive and positive way.

Rise in oil pricehelps cut Qatar’sfiscal deficit

DOHA: The rise in crude oil prices and positive global outlook helped reduce Qatar’s fiscal deficit and increased surplus in the 2017 current account balance.

In addition, the country’s ambitious economic diversifi-cation strategy facilitated developments of non-hydro-carbon sectors and fostered resilience of the economy against the unjust blockade, Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Gov-ernor H E Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud Al Thani has stated.

In his introductory note to QCB’s Financial Stability Review 2017 (FSR) released yesterday, the QCB Governor said the country’s economy quickly rebounded from the unjust economic blockade through relocation and rea-lignment of economic activities, enabled by prudent economic policies and a sound financial system. Inflation during 2017 remained benign and was one of the lowest among GCC coun-tries. Surplus current account balance and declining fiscal deficit even after sustained spending on infrastructure development reflects the strength of the Qatar economy, he said.

Qatar’s financial sector, in particular, the banking sector remained resilient, supported by sufficient capital buffers, low NPL ratio and healthy asset growth. With proactive support from the government and the Central Bank, the financial sector mitigated the challenges faced, after the economic blockade. The sector has since returned to ‘business as usual’ mode and regained the confi-dence of international investors, he said.

The broader financial sector continued to record a healthy

growth, driven by insurance sector, QDB and exchange houses.

High capitalisation and comfortable liquidity among these segments underscored latent capacity for future expansion and resilience towards successful situations. Evidence did not reflect any systemic risk to the payments and settlements system. The policy measures enacted during the year underscored the liquidity infrastructure.

Going forward, Sheikh Abdulla said, policies targeted to strengthen SME sector and thrust to complete the key infrastructure projects related to 2022 World Cup are expected to improve the credit demand from both private and public sectors. He said the banking sector is adequately capitalised to support this growing demand and the regulatory framework are equipped enough to overcome any macroeconmic challenges.

QCB’s annual FSR provides a review of the events that influenced the country’s financial sector during the year. The 2017 review summarises the activities of Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA). The analysis is based on the data up to the financial year 2017.

SATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

Qatar renews commitment to supporting UNRWAQNA

NEW YORK: The State of Qatar has renewed its commitment to supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and called on member states to participate in providing support to the agency.

This came in a statement by Qatar’s Permanent Represent-ative to the United Nations Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani before the meeting of the Ad Hoc Com-mittee of the General Assembly for the announcement of the vol-untary contributions of UNRWA.

She said that the Palestinian refugees, numbering over five million registered refugees, con-sider UNRWA’s vital role and assistance indispensable.

“The assistance is extended under its mandate and within the

relevant General Assembly reso-lutions,” she said, noting UNRWA’s minimum services to enable refugees to overcome the difficulties and enjoy basic human rights, human development and an adequate standard of living through the agency’s compre-hensive activities in the areas of basic health care, basic and sec-ondary education, food, shelter, relief and social services.

She added that the provision of such services and support structures was essential in the face of the challenges faced by the Palestinian refugees because of the continued occupation and the siege imposed on Gaza and the failure to reach a just and com-prehensive solution to their cause.

Sheikha Alya drew attention to the fact that the increase in the number of registered Palestinian refugees, the vulnerable conditions in which they live and the

worsening poverty they were experiencing, increased the demand for basic services pro-vided by UNRWA, citing the vast funding gap affecting the agency’s program budget.

“In line with its firm position on the Palestinian cause and the importance of ensuring the basic needs of the Palestinian brothers to enable them to lead a dig-nified life and in line with its firm support for the UNRWA, the State of Qatar announced the largest pledge of $50m at the extraordinary ministerial con-ference held in March 2018 and entitled “Preserving Dignity and Sharing Responsibility - Mobi-lizing Collective Action for UNRWA,” Sheikha Alya said.

She called on all member states to provide support to the UNRWA to ensure the continuity of basic services to improve the lives of millions of Palestinians.

Qatar’s import of food products from Australia rises: Envoy

DOHA: The import of food products from Australia to Qatar is increasing, said Axel Waben-horst, Ambassador of Australia.

“Bilateral trade between Qatar and Australia is currently worth more than $1.6bn (over QR4.3bn,” the Australian envoy told The Peninsula while speaking on the sidelines of an art exhibition on the intersection of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian his-tories along the Canning Stock Route in Western Australia, the longest historical stock route in the world.

The exhibition “Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route” opened on Monday at the City Center Rotana Hotel. The Yiwarra Kuju exhibition displays stunning

artworks from senior and emerging Aboriginal artists and tells the story of the Canning Stock Route’s impact on Aboriginal people, and the importance of the country that sur-rounds it, through the eyes of Aboriginal Australians.

The exhibition was pre-sented by the National Museum of Australia, developed in partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and FORM, in collaboration w i t h t h e A u s t r a l i a n Embassy in Qatar.

“The exhibition will remain open for one week till next Monday,” said Wabenhorst.

He said that the theme of the exhibition is based on the story of

encounter in the Australian desert. “The Canning Stock Route runs almost 2,000 km across the West Australian desert, and was

developed about 100 years ago on Aboriginal homelands as pastoral industries grew ,” said Wabenhorst.

“The exhibition is an important part of Australian history because it reveals the richness of desert life, and tells the story of encounters between Abo-riginal Australians and white people along this vast stretch of land ,” said Wabenhorst. It is a story of contact, conflict and sur-vival, of exodus and return. Above all, it is a story of family, culture and Country.

He said that Australian exports to Qatar are dominated by food products such as meat, and non-food items like alu-minium ores. Major Australian companies have operations in Qatar, including in the infra-structure and engineering sector.

Replying to a question on bilateral trade between the two countries, Wabenhorst said: “We encourage trade and invest-ments. There are a lot of opportu-nities to further expand the trade and investment relationship between Australia and Qatar and the embassy provides information to the people who interested in that. He said that visa procedures for Australia are relatively easy. “People can apply for an Aus-tralian visa online or can go to Jaida Square, VFS office to submit the request in person. But online is the simplest way for visa appli-cation,” said Wabenhorst.

He added that now it is good time to travel to Australia because the weather is good and cool. He said that there are about 3,300 Australian expatriates living in Qatar.

Axel Wabenhorst during the reception to celebrate the opening of ‘Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route’ Exhibition at City Centre Rotana on Monday.PIC:BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Qatar’s ambitious economic diversification strategy facilitated developments of non-hydrocarbon sectors and fostered resilience of the economy against the unjust blockade, said QCB Governor.

Secondary School Certificate exam results announcedSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi endorsed yesterday the results of the first round of examinations of the general and specialised Secondary School Certificate for the academic year 2017/2018.

“The pass percentage in day schools reached 73.23 percent and 24.20 percent in adult education,” said Khalid Al Harqan, Director of the Eval-uation Authority at the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry, yesterday.

He said that the success rate at the Religious Institute Preparatory Secondary School for Boys was 93.55 percent, 68.31 percent at Qatar Secondary Technical School for Boys, and 77.97 percent at Qatar Banking Studies and Business Admin-istration School for Boys.

“The percentages of those who received top 10 places in the Secondary Certificate were not less than 99.38 percent,” said Al Harqan.

He added that Minister of Education and Higher Education called Khalid Ramadan Farih Ahmed Farih from Musab bin Omair Secondary School for Boys, who topped the exami-nation of the secondary certif-icate with 99.75 percent, and Amna Mohammed Issa Shaheen Al Mannai, a girl student from Bayan Secondary School for Girls who was ranked first among Qatari students with 99.5 percent and secured fifth place in the secondary certificate examination.

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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Qatar calls for strategy to

protect civilians from atrocitiesQNA

NEW YORK: The State of Qatar, on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect, called upon member states of the United Nations to develop an implementable strategy to prevent atrocities and protect the civilian popu-lation from atrocities throughout the world.

This came in a statement delivered on Monday by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani at the first official session of the United Nations General Assembly on “Respon-sibility to Protect (R2P)”.

The ambassador, who spoke on behalf of the group which is chaired by the State of Qatar and Italy and includes 50 States and the European Union, said the inclusion of the item “Responsi-bility for protection” in the work of the General Assembly reflects the will of the wide United Nations membership to prevent genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. She stressed the importance of dialogue among member states that would enhance reaching consensus so that the international com-munity could act to prevent such horrific crimes.

Qatar’s Permanent Repre-sentative to the United Nations noted the importance of the 2005 world summit in accepting the document on responsibility to protect, saying that this is a major commitment by the inter-national community to protect populations at risk of genocide, crimes against humanity, war

crimes and ethnic cleansing, stressing that protection would strengthen the sovereignty of states rather than undermining it, while referring to the Sec-retary-General’s statement calling for overcoming the false contra-diction between human rights and national sovereignty.

“Since 2005, the United Nations, member states and other stakeholders, including organizations of the interna-tional community, have made significant progress in activating commitments towards respon-sibility to protect at national, regional and international level,” Ambassador Sheikha Alya said, adding that international and national actors have suc-cessfully developed frameworks for identifying risks, developing early warning mechanisms, identifying the risks of terrible crimes and establishing new institutional mechanisms.

In this context, she noted the expansion of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect in New York and Geneva, the establishment of the Global Network of R2P Focal Points and its inclusion in some 69 UN Security Council resolu-tions, including resolutions relating to the mandates of a

number of peacekeeping oper-ations, as well as resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council.

Qatar’s Permanent Repre-sentative to the United Nations said that the Group of Friends of Responsibility to Protect had supported important initiatives such as the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. She appealed to the UN General Assembly to play an active role in supporting states in their efforts to carry out their primary responsibility for the protection of their populations, calling on the Security Council to consider situations involving the potential for mass atrocities at an early date.

She also stressed the role of women in preventing terrible crimes by saying that their role is crucial in early warning, peace-building, enhanced coop-eration, capacity-building and the creation of more harmo-nious and inclusive societies, urging that concrete steps be taken to end gender discrimi-nation and empower women as a tool to prevent atrocities including ensuring that all girls have equal access to quality education.

Qatar condemns Syria’s refusal to allow Commission of Inquiry into the countryQNA

GENEVA: The State of Qatar condemned the Syr ian author i t ies ’ prevention of the Inde-pendent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria from entering the country to carry out its mandated tasks.

This came in a statement delivered by Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in Geneva Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi, in the interactive dialogue with the Independent Inter-national Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, during the current session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Al Suwaidi said that the report of the Commission of Inquiry demonstrates two fundamental issues: the first is the insistence of the Syrian regime and its allies on the military option and their attempt to thwart the negotiations and evade the political process and its entitle-ments, and the second is the failure of the interna-tional community to protect the Syrian civilians and to hold accountable all those responsible for the violations and crimes com-mitted against the Syrian people.

He noted that the State of Qatar has already warned of attempts to repeated what had happened in the Syrian areas of Darayya,

Madaya, Old Homs, Al Moadamiya and Eastern Ghouta.

Concluding, the State of Qatar stressed that all those responsible for committing crimes and human rights violations should be held accountable and brought to justice, and renewed its support for the interna-tional efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis on the basis of Geneva Declaration 1 and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, in order to meet the aspirations and legitimate demands of the Syrian people in freedom, dignity and justice, and contribute to the building of a democratic Syria and maintain its unity and sovereignty.

Qatar: Siege and unjust measures embody irresponsible policiesQNA

NEW YORK: The State of Qatar reiterates that the fabricated crisis, the unjust siege, and the unjust and illegal unilateral measures against it are the embodiment of irresponsible policies that do not adhere to international law or the provi-sions of the Charter of the United Nations or the principles of good neighborliness.

It pointed out that this crisis, which is alien to the values of the peoples of the region and that is det-rimental to the state of harmony it has experienced throughout history, constitutes a nucleus to threaten the security and stability of this vital region, which is of great importance to the world and has a significant impact on international peace and security.

It reiterated its call for dia-logue to resolve the Gulf crisis, appreciating the efforts of sis-terly and friendly countries and their commitment to mediation led by Amir of the State of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

This came in a statement delivered by H E Qatar’s Per-manent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani before a formal meeting of the UN Security Council, convened by the President of the Security Council, the Ambassador of Russia, the current President of the Council, on the “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Comprehensive Review of the Sit-uation in the Middle East and North Africa”. The ambassador said that this crisis has

highlighted new challenges to regional peace and security.

“The Middle East and North Africa region has, for decades, suffered from conflict and crises that have serious and continuing effects on its security and sta-bility as well as the immense humanitarian consequences that have been inflicted on its people in an indescribable manner, which constitutes a continuing threat to international peace and security that this esteemed council had made great efforts to address,” she said, stressing the need for a com-prehensive view of the nature of these conflicts and crises and their causes and factors that may lead to settlement.

Sheikha Alya reiterated the position of the State of Qatar which called for addressing these old and emerging crises, adding

that it requires recognizing and addressing its root causes, meeting the basic economic and developmental needs of the peoples of the region, strength-ening the rule of law and good governance, respecting human rights, and giving hope to peoples in the future, especially to the youth to protect them from extremism and violence.

She also stressed the para-mount importance of strength-ening international and regional systems and mechanisms for col-lective security and peaceful set-tlement of disputes as provided for in the Charter of the United Nations. Qatar’s Permanent Rep-resentative to the United Nations also renewed the call for collective efforts to combat the scourge of terrorism and extremism and to take the necessary measures to

eliminate and eradicate terrorist groups and to ensure that they do not return or appear in various forms. She noted the call by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the last Security Summit in Munich to establish a regional system that contributes to the enhancement of interna-tional peace and security, sensing the dangers facing the region and the people’s need for security, stability and prosperity and upholding the rule of law.

Concluding, Sheikha Alya affirmed that the State of Qatar will not hesitate to contribute to all efforts to maintain interna-tional peace and security and will continue its policy of support and cooperation with the United Nations and partners in the international community to achieve common goals.

Sheikh Thani bin Ali Al Thani appointed to ICC Court of ArbitrationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The World Council of the Interna-tional Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has appointed Sheikh Thani bin Ali Al Thani (pictured), to the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC, one of the World’s most experienced and renowned international arbitration institutions. The appointment is effective from July 1, 2018 for the following 3 years (2018-2021).

“I am delighted and honoured to serve in this role, to make an effective contribution to the quality and effi-ciency of services provided by the ICC Court and I look forward to working with the other members of the Court from around the globe,” said Sheikh

Al Thani.He added, “This

appointment comes at a very favorable timing as Qatar has mod-ernised recently its law on arbitration in 2017 and has encouraged the use of alternative means to resolve com-mercial disputes and raising trust and confi-dence in investment”.

Founded in 1923, the International Court of Arbitration is the world’s leading arbitral institution. It admin-

isters arbitrations in accordance with the ICC Rules of Arbitration, and helps resolve difficulties in international com-mercial and business disputes to support trade and investment. The ICC Court is located in Paris and has a membership that currently totals 176 individuals from 104 countries.

Secondary School Certificate exam results announcedCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1“A total of 1,482 students

obtained 90 percent marks and above in the general secondary certificate examination. The stu-dents who secured 70 percent and above marks accounted 4,668,” said Al Harqan.

He said that a total of 10,240 students from government schools appeared in the final examination of secondary cer-tificate this year under a total of 59 examination committees; 32 committees for boys and 27 committees for girls.

He added that a total of 1931 students will appear in the second round of the exami-nation. A total of 400 students were not allowed to appear in the examination because of lack of required attendance.

“The results of the exami-nation was posted on official website of the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education under a link https://nateeja.edu.gov.qa/. To get the result in details including passing marks, the students are required to type their personal

ID Number,” said Al Harqan.He said that the schools are

expected to get mark-sheets and certificates of secondary school examination starting from Thursday, suggesting the stu-dents to obtain the certificates f r o m t h e i r s c h o o l s accordingly.

The Minister of Education and Higher Education extended sincere congratulations to the

students who passed the exam-ination, their parents, teachers, school principals and all those who contributed to this success. He also expressed his special congratulations to the student who achieved the first place at the Secondary School Certificate level, and the student who achieved the first place at the level of Qatari students.

Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi.

Khalid Al Harqan (second left), Director of the Evaluation Authority at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, speaking at the press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry, yesterday.

Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, who spoke on behalf of “Responsibility to Protect (R2P) group, chaired by Qatar and Italy and includes 50 States and the European Union, said the inclusion of the item “Responsibility for protection” in the work of the General Assembly reflects the will of the wide United Nations membership to prevent genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

Earn Nojoom points with Ooredoo Money International top-up

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo announced yesterday its award-winning loyalty programme – Nojoom, will now reward Ooredoo Money customers for every international top-up done for their friends and family overseas.

Thanks to the new part-nership, every Ooredoo Money customer who makes an international top-up with Ooredoo Money will be rewarded with 1 Nojoom Point for every QR1 spent.

With the ‘International Top-Up’ service, Ooredoo Money users can recharge any pre-paid mobile number in 100 countries, buy data products for any operator in 14 countries, and also make TV (DTH) subscription pay-ments for India.

Customers can make an ‘International Top-Up’ through the ‘Ooredoo Money’ app (under the ‘Ooredoo Servcies’ option) or USSD menu by dialling *140#. To complete the transaction, users need to simply enter the local currency top-up amount or select the available trans-action tab and select confirm. The transaction will also be secured via a One Time Password (OTP) that needs to be entered with every transaction.

Nojoom Points will be automatically added to the Ooredoo Money account holders Nojoom account at the end of every month.

The new offer is valid until August 31, 2018 and has been designed to encourage more people to use Ooredoo’s secure, instant international top-up services with Ooredoo Money.

Minister of Public Health meets French Ambassador

Al Muraikhi meets Angolan official

03WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018 HOME

HMC technology transforming lives of patients with heart failureTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Patients at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Heart Hospital are benefiting from a new technology that is being used to treat the most advanced forms of heart failure.

The new technology, known as a ventricular assistor, or ‘HeartMate’, is an electrically powered heart pump that improves blood flow and, in turn, the long-term health outcome for patients with heart disease.

According to the surgical team at Heart Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery Department, the new technology will both save lives and significantly improve the quality of life for patients with end-stage heart failure.

“The ventricular assist device is a small mechanical pump that is implanted in the chest and sup-ports heart function and blood

flow in individuals with weakened hearts. The device helps the left ventricle, or the main pumping chamber of the heart, to pump blood through the aorta to the rest of the body. Essentially, it helps circulate blood throughout the body in patients whose hearts are too weak to pump blood ade-quately”, said Dr. Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi, Senior Consultant and Chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Heart Hospital.

Open-heart surgery is per-formed to place the pump above the patient’s left ventricle. The pump attaches to the aorta and to the left side of the heart. Once it is in place, a tube is passed through the skin of the abdomen which connects to a power cable. The power cable is connected to a small monitor called the con-troller and then to a power supply.

Dr Al Khulaifi added that patients who receive the device

have fewer clotting and bleeding episodes than those with other ventricular assist devices. He said the HeartMate’s small size and quiet operation make it suitable for a wide range of patients.

Two patients with advanced heart failure who were not responding to other treatments were the first to receive the devices in Qatar. The new tech-nology is credited with saving the lives of these patients, a male in his late thirties and a male in his sixties. One of the two patients has been discharged from hospital and is continuing to recover at home; the other will complete his recovery in hospital where he has access to a designated care companion.

Dr Rola Taha, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Consultant at Heart Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, said, “Prior to the surgery both patients

received comprehensive edu-cation about the device.” She said the surgical team explained what they could expect prior to, during, and after their surgery as well as the required mainte-nance for the device.

“The patients underwent five months of consultations, which included an extensive medical evaluation and training on how to use the device, including how to

handle emergency situations.”“The pump is best used in

patients under the age of 70 who have normal organ functions, particularly liver and pulmonary functions. It is also ideal if a patient does not have any malignant tumors”, added Dr. Taha.

After surgery patients spend a few days in hospital to ensure the device and equipment set-tings are appropriate for their

needs. Dr. Al Khulaifi said the medical team at Heart Hospital works with each patient and their caregivers to ensure they fully understand how the device works. After being discharged, patients will be required to have regular checkups with their physician and the medical team at Heart Hospital. Most patients are able to return to their normal daily life, with a few limitations.

Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari (right), with the Ambassador of the French Republic to the State of Qatar, Eric Chevallier. The meeting reviewed bilateral relations in various fields and means of enhancing them, especially with regard to the health field.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi (right), with the Secretary for Diplomatic Affairs and International Cooperation of the President of the Republic of Angola, Victor Lima, in Doha yesterday. During the meeting, both sides discussed bilateral relations and means of boosting them and enhancing cooperation, as well as issues of common concern.

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) has implemented a solar-powered water well drilling project in Tharparkar District of Sindh province, Pakistan, where some areas of the province suffer from lack of electricity or frequent interruptions.

Qatar Charity is trying to utilize different technologies to provide appropriate solutions to the water problems experienced by some parts of Pakistan, whether due to the lack of elec-tricity or low groundwater level, said a release.

Pakistan is badly suffering from scarcity of clean water,

where more than 60 percent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water, and waterborne diseases such as scabies, diarrhea, and stomach diseases are common among people.

QC’s interventions in Pakistan focused on water and sanitation projects with the implementation of more than 561 water projects at a cost of QR3m during the first half of 2018, ben-efiting about 74,000 people.

Water projects were imple-mented in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Baluchistan and Sindh respectively, Qatar Charity

managed to provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to improve people’s health in many regions of Pakistan.

Qatar Charity works on the improvement of health and hygiene and the development of vulnerable communities in the country in coordination with the Government of Pakistan.

The charity also works on the construction of toilets and bath-rooms in populated areas, mosques, and public places to overcome the shortage in this aspect, and meet the needs of sanitation.

Qatar Charity implemented

1,079 water projects in Pakistan in 2017, benefiting more than 200,000 people in several provinces of the country including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan.

These projects included the drilling of 859 artesian wells equipped with a hand pump, 149 artesian wells equipped with an electric pump and two bath-rooms, as well as 71 deep artesian wells equipped with an electric pump and two bathrooms.

Qatar Charity enjoys the con-fidence of international organi-zations, and it was rated as a

highly professional partner com-patible with all the standards and policies of donors, according to

periodic evaluations conducted by Unicef for the performance of its partners.

QC implements solar-powered water well project in Pakistan

The water project implemented by Qatar Charity in Pakistan.

MEC launches campaign to promote culture of IPRsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) organised an awareness campaign entitled “Protect Your Product” for owners of factories and phar-maceutical companies in order to enable them to acquire the practical and professional expe-riences that allow them to protect the intellectual property rights for their innovations.

This campaign comes within the framework of the ministry’s continuous approach to consol-idate and spread the intellectual property culture among all seg-ments of the society.

The ministry launched awareness messages through its social media platforms and sent text messages to factories’ owners and pharmaceutical companies to raise awareness of the need to register a trademark that distinguishes

their products and services and protect them from infringement.

The campaign highlighted the importance of intellectual property and its benefits in

business development.The awareness campaign

also emphasized the importance of intellectual property pro-tection and the importance of

registering and preserving property rights in support of national industries and products and the increase of national inventions and creations.

Owners of factories and pharmaceutical companies were briefed on the Ministry’s initiatives to adopt the highest international standards in the protection of intellectual property rights and to provide an integrated electronic system of high quality to support and enable owners of trademarks, inventors, creators and authors to preserve their rights and protect their work and inventions.

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce regularly con-ducts awareness campaigns to promote the culture of intel-lectual property protection and its benefits, and the most important services provided by the Ministry in this field.

The MEC officials at the event.

Qatar attends meeting of Global Coalition against ISIS groupTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar participated in a meeting of political officials of the Global Coalition against ISIS group to discuss the threat posed by the group in the African continent, especially in Libya, West Africa, Sahel states and the Horn of Africa. The meeting is hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco.

The State of Qatar attended the meeting along with the representa-tives of nearly 50 countries as well as a number of regional and international organizations, QNA reported.

During the meeting, Qatar was represented by Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Com-bating Terrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution, Dr Mutlaq bin

Majed Al Qahtani.The meeting focused in particular

on the presence of the ISIS group in Africa and the next steps to be taken by the international coalition to ensure a permanent defeat of the organi-zation in all its areas of presence.

It also discussed ways to speed up the collective efforts

of the coalition countries, identify priorities for international efforts to maintain and support stability in Syria and Iraq, restore essential public services to liberated areas, combat the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters as well as means of financing terrorism and counter-messages, and deepen consultations on the devel-opment of the terrorist threat in Africa. It examined additional ways to coor-dinate and support the efforts of African states in this area.

The Global Coalition against ISIS group was formed in September 2014 and has 75 member states. Its members are committed to degrading and ultimately defeating ISIS group as well as destroying its terrorist and financing networks.

The meeting focused in particular on the presence of the ISIS group in Africa and the next steps to be taken by the international coalition to ensure a permanent defeat of the organization in all its areas of presence.

The surgical team at Heart Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery Department.

04 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018HOME

AURA and Palma entertain football fans at Khalifa StadiumDOHA: AURA Hospitality & Food Services and Palma Hospitality Group, two leading players in the hospitality and entertainment sectors in Qatar and the wider region, have partnered with Aspire Zone Foundation to serve an array of cuisines that will appeal to fans of all age groups and nationalities, while they enjoy a thrilling evening of football at Fan Zone, Khalifa International Stadium, said a statement.

Experience 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia at its best in one of the iconic venues of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, Khalifa International Stadium in Aspire Zone, while enjoying expansive and delectable menus.

Build it Burger, Mokarabia and Remman Café are the exclusive F&B partners of Aspire Fan Zone (AFZ) and will offer a wide range of savory and sweet delicacies to spectators.

Football fans and enthusiasts in the country can watch tournaments in a lively atmosphere in the temperature-controlled venue with a capacity of 7,000 seats on giant screens. VIP suites, private Majlis and kids’ play zones have

Attorney-General and French

official discuss cooperation in

legal and judicial fields

Attorney-General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri with President of the Constitutional Council of the French Republic, Laurent Fabius.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Attorney-General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri met yesterday with President of the Consti-tutional Council of the French Republic, Laurent Fabius.

In the meeting, they discussed means of strengthening bilateral cooperation between Qatar and the France in the legal and judicial field. The two sides also reviewed the cooperation between the French Constitutional Council and the Public Prosecution, which was reflected in the organi-zation of two regional judicial conferences in 2004 and 2008.

Both parties also discussed the legal developments that have been taking place in Qatar since the adoption of the permanent constitution of the state, especially the independence of the judiciary and the Public Prosecution and the recent developments that have emerged in the establishment of three new spe-cialized prosecution as well as the establishment of Institute of Criminal Studies, which reflects the com-mitment of the State of Qatar to the permanent devel-opment of legal, judicial and academic institutions, as

well as its commitment to combating terrorism and money laundering.

They also praised the academic and cultural

cooperation between the two friendly countries and expressed their support for closer cooperation to serve bilateral relations.

QU and Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC to collaborate in research and trainingTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar University (QU) and Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC signed a memo-randum of understanding (MoU) yesterday to establish collaboration in the field of research, development, training, and advisory.

The MoU was signed by QU President Dr. Hassan Al Derham and Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC Man-aging Director Nasser Bin Hassan Al Naimi in the presence of QU VP for Research and Graduate Studies Prof. Mariam Al Maadeed, QU Chief Strategy and Development Officer Dr. Darwish Al-Emadi, and Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC Senior Manager for Strategy R&D Saad Rashid Al-Matwi, as well as officials from QU and Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC.

The terms of the MoU include collaboration between both institutions to provide employment and support of Qatari stu-dents and students born in Qatar, and to use QU’s laboratories to carry out research and develop

software. They also include coop-

eration between QU faculty and Barzan Holdings’ spe-cialists to provide courses designed specifically to meet the requirements of Barzan Holdings.

In his remarks, Dr Hassan Al Derham said: “We are very pleased to collab-orate with Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC through this memorandum of under-standing. There is no doubt that the establishment of Barzan Holdings QSTP-LLC will contribute to building national capacities in Qatar

and to developing technol-ogies in line with the coun-try’s needs. This MoU will serve to establish collabo-ration in the field of research, training, and advisory, as well as the exchange of capacities between both institutions.”

Nasser Bin Hassan Al Naimi said: “The R&D is one of the pillars that our strategy lays on. We are focusing on conducting many research projects and experiments in dif-ferent fields to empower the defense and security capabilities for Qatar.”

Dr Hassan Al Derham and Nasser bin Hassan Al Naimi signing the MoU.

Zakat Fund provides over QR9.5m to needy families during EidTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Zakat Fund Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has provided more than QR9.5m to needy families during Eid Al Fitr.

The Fund said in a statement yesterday that more than 3,000 families registered with it, which receive monthly and seasonal assistance, benefited from this assistance, as well as other families legally entitled to Zakat, QNA reported.

The statement added that the assistance pro-vided during Eid comes within the framework of the seasonal aids for the needy families, in accordance with the guidance of Islam in urging for presenting joy and happiness to the needy families as well as securing the necessary sup-plies and the happiness of their children during Eid.

The Fund confirmed that all aid is provided to its beneficiaries in accordance with the Shariah regulations and after taking the necessary social and office research procedures for those requesting assistance. It pointed out that the financial assistance is distributed through the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

also been provided for guests in the facility.

Guests can choose from authentic Lebanese shawarmas and quick bites by Remman Café; bespoke burgers, sliders and much more from Build it Burger’s gourmet menu; and Mokarabia’s array of mouthwatering Italian-inspired sand-wiches, salads, desserts

and drinks. Palma’s and AURA’s offerings are sure to delight all AFZ’s sports fans until July 15.

“AURA Hospitality & Food Services and Palma Hospitality Group, the biggest F&B companies in Qatar, are extremely proud to be part of this prestigious international sports event in collabo-ration with AZF. This is an

excellent opportunity for us to reach out to our cus-tomers while catering to their gastronomic needs and giving them an early taste of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar in a fantastic atmosphere. A great rehearsal for all of us.” said Finian Conrad Gal-lagher, Managing Director AURA Hospitality & Food Services.

Kahramaa, Qatar University sign memorandum of cooperationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has signed a memo-randum of cooperation with Qatar University (QU) to cooperate in various fields related to scientific, creative, innovative, administrative, technical and research fields.

Signed at Kahramaa Awareness Park, the memorandum of cooper-ation was signed by Kah-ramaa President Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari and QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham.

The memorandum included mutual cooper-ation in the field of expertise and information and the organization of studies, research, special workshops, conferences and meetings of common interest to raise the effi-ciency of the performance of the two sides in accordance with the overall quality standards and outline the vital role

played by ministries and government agencies in the service of the nation and society.

The memorandum provides for a mechanism for its implementation through the formation of working committees and joint teams, holding con-sultative meetings for coordination in the common areas, reviewing the implementation of the items and evaluating the results periodically with the possibility of preparing an executive program or more between the dif-ferent administrative sectors of the two sides t h r o u g h s e p a r a t e agreements.

At a press con-ference held on the occasion of the signing of the memorandum of cooperation, Kahramaa President said that cre-ativity and innovation have become crucial for the development of performance.

“The corporation has adopted and promoted a

culture of creativity and innovation by launching an incubator for inno-vators and supporting them by creating a stimu-lating and positive work environment to launch creative ideas and turn them into innovations,” he noted.

Al Kuwari added that Kahramaa seeks to develop internal and external partnerships to share experiences. “Out of

belief in the vital and effective role that minis-tries and government bodies play in serving the country and society, working with scientific partners will add value and help in addressing the challenges and dealing with them in ways and means that contribute to enhancing performance and achieving the ambi-tious vision of the State of Qatar 2030,” he said.

International press organisations stress success of Qatari media in dealing with Gulf crisisABUJA: A number of representatives of international press organ-izations confirmed the increasing phenomenon of false news and “electronic flies” on social networking sites, and violating the ethics of press work during the Gulf crisis.

The representatives of these organizations considered that the Qatari media succeeded in dealing with the Gulf crisis, in con-trast to the siege countries, which have resorted to practices that violate the ethics of the profession and the freedom of the media, valuing the role of the Doha Center for Media Freedom in spreading awareness about these violations and practices of press freedom and its efforts in advocacy and journalists capacity building.

This came during the 67th annual conference of the Interna-tional Press Institute (IPI) held in Abuja, Nigeria, with the partici-pation of a delegation from Doha Center for Media Freedom, chaired by H E Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al Obaidan, Member of the Exec-utive Committee and Acting Director of Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF). The opening ceremony of the conference was attended by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and represent-atives of media organizations and human rights organizations working in the field of press freedom and the protection of journalists.

The discussions of the International Conference of the Interna-tional Press Institute this year focused on a number of topics that concern the quality of the press during crises, the situation of the African media and the prospects for press freedom in light of the democratic and political transition of the African countries.

On the sidelines of the conference, the DCMF delegation held a series of meetings with representatives of the participating media and human rights organizations. The delegation held a meeting with head of media development at the European Journalism Centre Josh LaPorte, and director of the department of advocacy at the International Press Institute Ravi Prasad, and with President of the Federation of African Journalists Abdelwahid Adisil.

During these meetings, a number of current media issues were discussed, with importance being given to discussing the role played by the media during the Gulf crisis and the siege imposed on Qatar.

Dr Hassan Al Derham (left), President of Qatar University, and Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, President of Kahramaa, during the signing of a MoU at Kahramaa Awareness Park yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

Football enthusiasts waiting in front of a Mokarabia cafe at the Fan Zone of Khalifa International Stadium.

05WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Fighting in Syria’s south escalates; 50,000 displaced AP

BEIRUT: Fighting escalated in southern Syria as government forces yesterday pushed deeper into rebel-held territories in Daraa province under the cover of airstrikes. The United Nations estimated that up to 50,000 people have been displaced by the weeklong offensive.

Jordan said its borders will remain closed for any new ref-ugees, calling on the UN to provide security in southern Syria. Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coor-dination of Humanitarian Affairs, said aid officials were “deeply concerned” for those fleeing the fighting and heading toward the sealed border with Jordan. He called on warring parties to “ensure the protection of these civilians, according to international law.”

Daraa’s residents described living in extreme fear and said many had also headed to the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, believing it to be safer.

The escalation in Daraa,

near the border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, came as Syria’s state media reported that two Israeli missiles struck an area near the Damascus International Airport early yesterday, without naming a specific target.

Since last Tuesday, Syrian troops have targeted rebel-held areas in eastern Daraa, one of the country’s last major rebel strongholds.

The strategic area was part of a truce deal reached last July between the United States, Russia and Jordan.

The offensive’s goal appears to be regaining control of the border crossing with Jordan, which has been in rebel hands since 2015. President Bashar Assad’s recent military victories, including the capture of Damascus suburbs and southern neighbourhoods, have propelled the push. Opposition activists said Syrian and Russian war-planes are taking part in the offensive. Russia’s air force threw its weight behind Assad’s forces in 2015, turning the tide of the war in his favour.

Yesterday, the pro-gov-ernment Central Military Media said Syrian troops gained control of Al Lujat, a rocky area in northeastern Daraa. It said the capture would have a domino effect on other parts east of Daraa and cut rebel supply lines.

Other pro-government media said the army intends to bring the entire province under its control and is likely to move on to western Daraa, where it has conducted a series of air-strikes Monday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war-monitoring group, reported that government troops were advancing in Al Lujat and captured seven new villages in the area.

Daraa-based opposition activist Osama Hourani denied the government controlled parts of Al Lujat, saying the area, known for its caves and rocky plains, will be a challenge for Assad’s troops. The US has said the Syrian offensive risked broadening the conflict and called on Russia to end what it called violations of the truce.

Greetings to Erdogan continue to abound from around the worldANATOLIA

ANKARA: Congratulatory messages for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s historic election success continued to abound from around the world yesterday.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic congratulated Erdogan over his success in Sun-day’s presidential and parlia-mentary elections.

A written statement from the Croatian presidency said Grabar-Kitarovic believed Erdogan would work diligently for Turkey’s future and stability during his time in power.

Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

also congratulated the Turkish leader.

He said in a message that the Turkish nation had showed its support for Erdogan’s policies in order to ensure political and social stability as well as eco-nomic growth in the country.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also sent Erdogan a congratulatory message.

Abe stressed that he hoped to join powers with Turkey -- which has undertaken an important role in the region-- in order to continue contributing to world peace and prosperity.

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland also sent a congratulatory letter to President Erdogan, the Council

said yesterday. “Turkey is one of the longest-standing members of the Council of Europe,” Jagland said, adding that he trusted Turkey in the coming years to “undertake further work together to uphold Europe’s common standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law for the benefit of all Turkish citizens”.

Later yesterday, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena also congratulated Erdogan.

“The resounding electoral victory secured by you is a tes-timony to the trust and confi-dence placed by the people of Turkey in your able leadership and political acumen,” he said in a statement.

Erdogan, Trump agree to improve ties AGENCIES

ANKARA: US President Donald Trump congratulated Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday on his victory in Sunday’s presidential election and the two leaders agreed to improve bilateral, defence and security ties, Erdogan’s office said.

Ties between the Nato allies have been strained over a host of issues in recent months, including Washington’s support for Kurdish fighters in Syria and defence procurements.

Earlier this month, Ankara and Washington agreed on a plan for the withdrawal of the Kurdish YPG militia from the northern Syrian city of Manbij, a move long sought by Ankara. Turkey views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organisation.

In their phone conver-sation, Trump and Erdogan emphasised the need to implement the endorsed plan on Manbij and agreed to work together in the fight against ter-rorism, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Trump and Erdogan will meet in Brussels for a Nato summit on July 11 and 12, the statement added.

Erdogan won a fresh five-year term in Turkey’s presi-dential election on Sunday, also securing sweeping new powers under a constitutional overhaul

approved by a majority of Turks in a referendum last year.

In the meantime, a top Turkish presidential aide yes-terday slammed a US con-gressman for criticising Pres-ident Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s victory.

The Presidential aide Ibrahim Kalin tweeted: “Pres-ident Erdogan certainly does not need YOUR @RepAdam-Schiff congratulations. Turkish people have spoken up. You need to shut up.”

The top election body has shared results of presidential and parliamentary elections with political parties as 100 percent of the votes have been counted. “We have put 100 percent of the votes, cast both inside and outside of the country, in to process and shared them with all political parties,” Sadi Guven, head of the Supreme Election Council, told reporters said on Tuesday.

Erdogan won an absolute majority in the poll with 52.5 percent of the vote while his closest rival Muharrem Ince received 30.6 percent, according to unofficial results.

Palestinians hold portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to celebrate his presidential election success in Khan Yunis, Gaza, yesterday.

Smoke rises above opposition held areas of Daraa during airstrikes by Syrian regime forces yesterday.

‘South Sudan foes agree on some points’AFP

KHARTOUM: South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and arch-foe Riek Machar have “agreed on some points” at peace talks in Khartoum, a Sudanese minister said yesterday, raising hopes of a deal.

After East African leaders stepped up calls for an end to a brutal civil war in the world’s youngest country, a new round of Kiir-Machar talks opened Monday in Khartoum hosted by Sudan’s Pres-ident Omar Al Bashir.

“President Salva Kiir and Doctor Riek Machar, in a closed meeting with President Bashir, have agreed on some points,” Sudanese Foreign Minister Al Dierdiry Ahmed said.

“The details will be announced tomorrow.” The latest push for peace in South Sudan launched by regional leaders last week in Addis Ababa comes as the two warring factions face a looming deadline to avert UN sanctions.

On Monday, Kiir and Machar had indicated their readiness to talk peace as the Khartoum dialogue opened in the presence of Bashir and Ugandan Pres-ident Yoweri Museveni.

“I have come to really bring this unnecessary war in our country to an imme-diate end, and I hope that Doctor Riek Machar is ready to see my point,” Kiir said. After yesterday’s meeting with Bashir, Machar told reporters that he needed 48 hours to consult with other South Sudanese opposition groups. South Sudan’s war, which has killed tens of thousands of people.

AFP

GENEVA: UN investigators yesterday accused the security forces and militia fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of committing crimes against humanity in the coun-try’s restive Kasai region.

The probe was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council last year to inves-tigate abuses in Kasai, which was plunged into violence in Sep-tember 2016 after government troops killed a local chieftain, Kamwina Nsapu.

The chieftain was opposed to the Kinshasa government and

now rebels fighting in his name are battling government forces and a pro-government militia called the Bana Mura. “Some of the abuses committed by the defence and security forces, the Bana Mura militia and the Kamwina Nsapu militia con-stitute crimes against humanity (and) war crimes,” the investi-gators said. The report will be presented to the rights council next month. It accused both gov-ernment troops and militia members of targeting civilians in a “systematic or widespread manner,” highlighting atrocities that include murder, abuse and other “inhuman acts”.

AFP

HARARE: Zimbabwean Pres-ident Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday vowed that elec-tions next month would take place peacefully, defying the unexplained weekend blast that narrowly missed him but killed two bodyguards.

The president, who has claimed he was the target of the attack, said the blast was “calculated to achieve a bloodbath” and “destabilise the ongoing electoral programme”.

Footage of Saturday’s incident, which medical offi-cials said killed two people and injured 49, showed a device exploding and smoke engulfing Mnangagwa.

Both vice presidents were slightly injured in the blast, as were several other top offi-cials in the ruling ZANU-PF party. Mnangagwa had just descended from the podium after addressing supporters at the White City stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city.

It is not known who carried out the attack, and there has been no claim of responsibility. “Those mer-chants of terror must never be allowed to succeed, let alone stop the march of democracy, economic recovery and national progress which our people deserve,” he said.

The first parliamentary and presidential polls of the post-Mugabe era are scheduled to take place on July 30.

Zimbabwean leader vows peaceful polls

UN probe accuses DR Congo troops, militia of ‘crimes against humanity’

Trump and Erdogan will meet in Brussels for a Nato summit on July 11 and 12, the statement added.

06 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018ASIA

India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj (left) and Seychelles President Danny Faure flag off the aircraft during the handover ceremony of a Dornier aircraft at an Indian Air Force station in New Delhi, yesterday.

India hands over Dornier aircraft to Seychelles

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses Bharatiya Janata Party supporters on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the imposition of the ‘Emergency’ in Mumbai, yesterday.

Modi attacks Emergency period, calls for ‘eternal vigil’IANS

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday said the 1975-77 Emergency was a “dark period” that the nation could never forget and called for making democracy stronger by “writing, debating, deliberating, and questioning” its vital aspects and pledged his full commitment to protecting the Indian Consti-tution and Democracy.

Simultaneously, he took the opportunity attack the Congress Party and its leaders — taking care not to name any members of the Gandhi-Nehru family —saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not observing a ‘Black Day’ merely to criticise the Con-gress, but to make the modern youth aware of what happened during Emergency.

“India remembers its as a dark period when every insti-tution was subverted and an atmosphere of fear was created. Not only people but also ideas and artistic freedom were held hostage to power politics. The youth have no idea what hap-pened then and they cannot imagine how living without freedom can be,” Modi said.

Interestingly, Modi’s com-ments came in Mumbai where the Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885, 132 years ago by a group of nationalists to launch the coun-try’s freedom struggle against the British Empire.

It also came a day after Union Minister Arun Jaitley called the then Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi as ‘Hitler’ — and in Mumbai, where BJP ally and Shiv Sena’s ex-Mayor Snehal Ambekar had compared Modi with the German dictator, leading to a massive political furore exactly three years ago.

Addressing a meeting at the Birla Matoshri Autitorium, Modi hailed the spirit of those citizens who firmly opposed the Emer-gency that came into force on June 25, 1975, leading to sus-pension of the fundamental rights. “Whenever the Congress — and especially this one family — apprehends losing power, they start shouting and raise the bogey that the country and democracy are in danger and there is an atmosphere of fear, and they alone can save it,” Modi said.

He accused the (Gandhi) family of breaking the INC — built by the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders — “in their lust for power”, and how it subverted all democratic institutions

including the Constitution, the parliament, the elections, the judiciary and the media, “for the benefit of one family”.

Besides, canards were spread against the RSS and Jan Sangh (which later became the BJP), that they are anti-Muslims and anti-Dalit and they would butcher them, all for the lust for power of the family. “I salute the courage of all those great women and men who steadfastly resisted the Emergency, which was imposed 43 years ago. Their struggles ensured people power prevailed over authoritarianism and the sti-fling of civil liberties. Media persons like the late Ramnath

Goenka and the late CR Irani, and senior journalist Kuldip Nayar braved all odds and censorship to continue fighting for democracy,” Modi said.

“Let us always work to make our democratic ethos stronger. Writing, debating, deliberating, questioning are vital aspects of our democracy which we are proud of. No force can ever trample the basic tenets of our Constitution. We must remain more vigilant in coming times,” he urged. The Emergency lasted till March 21, 1977. The Congress led by Indira Gandhi then was voted out of power in the elec-tions that were held soon after.

Indira ‘tallest leader’, Modi ‘authoritarian’: CongressIANS

NEW DELHI: The Congress slammed the BJP for comparing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with Hitler and hit out at Union Minister Arun Jaitley for “distortion of history”.

Congress leader Anand Sharma also attacked Narendra Modi and said India was now witnessing a systematic sub-version of all institutions that uphold the Constitution and democracy under the watch of an “authoritarian Prime Minister and arrogant government”.

“Indira Gandhi was the tallest leader of her times and a democratically elected popular Prime Minister. Jaitley’s com-parison of Indira with Hitler “is absurd, outrageous and a dis-tortion of history”, Sharma tweeted. “Indira Gandhi’s elected government was sought to be destabilised by unconsti-tutional and undemocratic methods. Emergency was an aberration and Indira Gandhi had herself expressed regret,” Sharma added.

Sharma said Jaitley was suf-fering from selective loss of memory. “Dictators do not hold elections. Let BJP be reminded that Indira Gandhi lifted Emer-gency to hold free and fair

elections. She herself lost and she accepted defeat and the verdict with humility.”

The Emergency came into force on June 25, 1975, leading to suspension of fundamental rights. It lasted till March 21, 1977. The Congress led by Indira Gandhi was voted out of power in the elections held then.

“Jaitley and BJP’s obsession with Hitler is understandable. He comes from the RSS-BJP school who celebrate Hitler and eulogise fascism,” Sharma added.

Sharma added that “the debate was decisively settled in 1980 when the people of India brought Indira Gandhi back with a thumping majority and dumped her tormentors and opponents in the dustbin of history”.

Hitting out at Modi, Sharma said: “What India is witnessing today is a systematic subversion of all institutions that uphold our Constitution and democracy under the watch of an authori-tarian Prime Minister and arrogant government, leading to centralisation of power.”

“BJP-RSS cannot insult her memory or belittle her Mar-tyrdom. People of India will remember her as a hero,” he added.

Court lets trees live to fight another day in Delhi

Women tie banners on trees during “Save The Tree Campaign” in New Delhi, yesterday.

Modi hailed the spirit of those citizens who firmly opposed the Emergency that came into force on June 25, 1975, leading to suspension of the fundamental rights.

REUTERS

NEW DELHI: Thousands of trees in New Delhi were given a reprieve following protests by residents and angry editorials, as a court put a temporary block on plans to cut them down in order to redevelop government housing estates.

The Indian capital is one of the most polluted cities in the world, although many neigh-bourhoods remain pleasantly leafy, with trees providing shade, and helping air quality by releasing oxgyen, while absorbing carbon dioxide, and harmful gases.

The Delhi High Court ordered

the state-owned company running the redevelopment project to stop felling trees until July 4, when it is scheduled to hear a public interest petition calling for the plan to be shelved.

“Can Delhi afford cutting down of so many trees for a housing complex?” The two-judge bench asked after issuing the order.

In Sarojini Nagar, one of seven housing estates earmarked for redevelopment, residents protesting to protect trees have regularly gathered, linking arms around the trunks and holding candles and banners.

According to the petition filed at the court by a neighbourhood

doctor, the housing plan will lead to the felling of 16,500 trees in the capital.

The managing director of NBCC (India) Ltd, the state-owned firm in charge of the housing project, told media that the trees have to be felled to create underground parking space for 70,000 vehicles. Other government agencies have said new trees will be planted.

Diya Deb, campaign director for Greenpeace India, called the project “ridiculous,” given the capital’s air pollution levels.

“It is an unsustainable choice that will have a massive impact on the health of the citizens of Delhi,” Deb said.

Togadia sets deadline for Ayodhya issue, blames ModiIANS

LUCKNOW: Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the delay in construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of cheating people in the name of Lord Ram and said he will wait till October this year before launching a massive agitation to press for a grand shrine on the ruins of the Babri mosque.

The 62-year-old Togadia, who has launched an Inter-national Hindu Parishad, said that his workers will fan out across the country to get 10 crore signatures for con-struction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

A deadline of October would be set for the Modi government to act on the issue, failing which a people’s movement would be launched from Lucknow to press for an early con-struction of the temple.

Interacting with media persons here, the firebrand leader said the BJP had been in power nationally for the last four years but millions of Hindus had been left in the lurch over the promise of construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Togadia also demanded that the Modi government must enact a law for handing over of Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, the Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and the Ram Janma-bhoomi at Ayodhya to Hindus.

Slamming BJP leaders for saying that people would have to wait as the matter was sub-judice, Togadia said if this was the case, why were people told that a grand Ram temple would be built at Ayodhya on the lines of the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

He said the Prime Min-ister might not have got time for the Ram temple as he was busy with his frequent foreign visits.

Vijaya Mallya offers to sell assets to repay bank loansIANS

BENGALURU: Fugitive tycoon Vijaya Mallya has sought the Karnataka High Court’s permission to let him and his holding firm UBHL sell their assets under judicial supervision and repay creditors, including state-run banks.

“UBHL (United Breweries Holding Ltd) and myself have filed an application before the Karnataka High Court on June 22, setting out available assets of about Rs13,900cr,” said Mallya from London in a statement released by his office here yesterday.

The 62-year-old baron, who fled India on March 2, 2016, has been living in London since then despite summons from Indian courts and law enforcement agencies to appear before them for trial in various related cases.

Asserting that recovery of loans was a civil matter, Mallya said the Central Bureau of Inves-tigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) had, however, criminalised it in his case by moving against him aggressively despite his intentions to settle the dues with the banks.

“The CBI and ED seem deter-mined to frame criminal charges

against me on the pretext of non-payment to the banks. The moti-vation, however, seems to be to secure my presence in India to face charges than to determine if the evidence collected by the investigative agencies demon-strates criminal charges against me or to permit me to sell assets and repay creditors,” he said.

Claiming that the bulk of the dues were on account of interest, Mallya said owing to injunctions, attachments and refusal to grant permission to sell the assets, it (interest) had kept mounting.

“Consequently, the bloated figure of outstanding dues to the banks is largely on account of these mala fide actions. If CBI or ED object to my proposal and sale of assets, it will demonstrate that there is an agenda against me beyond recovery of dues to the banks,” the statement pointed out.

Reiterating that he made efforts to settle the dues, Mallya said if politically motivated and extraneous factors interfere, there was nothing he could do.

A consortium of 17 banks, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), gave Rs 5,500cr loans to Mallya’s now defunct Kingfisher Airlines since over a decade.

“Over Rs600cr has been

recovered through sale of pledged assets and Rs1,280cr was deposited with the Kar-nataka High Court since 2013,” recalled Mallya.

Referring to the charges allegedly made by politicians and the media that he ran away from the country after “stealing” Rs9,000cr loaned to his airline, Mallya said some of the lending banks had also declared him a wilful defaulter.

“The CBI and ED have filed charge-sheets against me with untenable and false allegations acting at the behest of the gov-ernment and lending banks. The ED also attached assets belonging to me, my group companies and owned and/or controlled by my family under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) currently valued at Rs13,900cr,” said Mallya.

Observing that he became the “Poster Boy” of bank default and a lightning rod of public anger, Mallya said though he wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on April 15, 2016 clarifying his position and seeking their inter-vention to settle the dues, there was no response from either of them.

Monsoon rains leave parts of Kolkata under knee-deep waterIANS

KOLKATA: Lashed by over-night rains, parts of the city remained under pools of water, knee-deep in some areas, yesterday. In some areas, water also entered some houses.

According to the weather office, monsoon rains occurred at most places over sub-Hima-layan West Bengal & Sikkim and at many places over Gangetic West Bengal. Heavy

to very heavy rain occurred at a few places over Kolkata, South 24 Parganas & East Mid-napore districts.

The chief amount of rainfall recorded in the State was 18 cm in Haldia, 17 cm in Diamond Harbour and 16 cm in Alipore.

In Kolkata, areas like Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Garden Reach, Behala, Wat-gunge, Khidirpur and Hyde Road were severely waterlogged.

07WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018 ASIA

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis receives a bouquet upon arrival at an airport in Beijing, yesterday.

Mattis in China amid spiralling Sino-US tensions over tradeREUTERS

BEIJING: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis yesterday became the first Pentagon chief to visit China since 2014, starting a three-day trip with a goal of improving security dialogue with Beijing despite increasingly fraught Sino-US relations.

Mattis, a former Marine General, has been highly critical of China’s muscular military moves in the South China Sea. The US military even withdrew an invitation to China to join a multinational naval exercise which will start during Mattis’ visit, upsetting Beijing.

The trip comes against the

backdrop of spiralling tensions between Beijing and Wash-ington over trade. Beijing is also suspicious of US intentions toward self-governing and dem-ocratic Taiwan, which is armed by the United States, though China views the island as a sacred part of its territory.

Mattis, who was greeted with a floral bouquet as he exited his plane in Beijing, was cautious to avoid stoking ten-sions when speaking to reporters ahead of his trip. Mattis said he sought “open dia-logue” at a strategic level when he met with military officials in Beijing. “I want to go in, right now, without basically

poisoning the well at this point, as if my mind’s already made up,” said Mattis.

“I’m going there to have a conversation.” Such an approach would appear to be welcome in China, where widely-read state-run tabloid The Global Times said: “Both sides should learn to be good lis-teners.” “Mattis’ visit suggests that the Trump administration is still willing to hold military dialogue with China,” it said in an editorial.

“Such bilateral talks will alleviate tensions between the two countries and is better than blindly guessing the other’s ‘strategic ambitions.’”

Pakistan’s political parties yet to present manifestosINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: While general elec-tions are only one month away, none of Pakistan’s main political parties has come out with its manifesto, exposing their non-seriousness about challenges facing the nation and how to address them.

In established democracies, the party manifesto is considered to be the most important part of

an election campaign as it is through this document that political parties give their view-point on important national issues and announce a strategy to deal with challenges.

A manifesto is known as a “published verbal declaration” through which parties express their “intentions, views and vision” about national issues and also make public their “motives” and “targets” which they plan to

achieve after assuming power.Political experts believe that

a manifesto is actually a pledge a political party makes with people before elections and later it acts as a gauge to measure its per-formance. “The manifesto is the best tool to make parties accountable,” said a senior jour-nalist, Zaigham Khan, who has been covering elections for the last three decades. He said in the man-ifestos, parties should not only

make pledges and announce their programmes, they should also inform the nation how they would achieve their objectives and implement their plans.

In Pakistan, however, political parties publish only a few thousand copies of their mani-festos before an election, consid-ering it a mere formality only for the consumption of the media and for political debate.

Since the parties have failed

to function as an institution and due to lack of ideology-based pol-itics, even election candidates are often found ignorant about man-ifestos of their parties.

In 1970, when the country had its first direct general elections, the founder chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) announced his party’s manifesto with the popular slogan of “Roti, Kapda aur Makan” (Bread, clothes and shelter).

Servicemen march during a military parade, with the participation of Azerbaijani land, naval and Air Force held at the Azadliq Square for the centenary of the creation of the National Army of Azerbaijan, in Baku, yesterday.

Centenary celebrations of the creation of Azerbaijan Army

Two pilots dead in Pakistan fighter crashINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilots were martyred yesterday when a trainer aircraft crashed during landing at the Peshawar Air Base, a PAF spokesperson said. Wing Commander Umar and Flying Officer Israr lost their lives in the incident, PAF offi-cials confirmed.

The accident, according to the Air Force, took place when the aircraft was returning from a routine training mission. “Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF FT-7PG trainer aircraft, while recov-ering from a routine opera-tional training mission, crashed during landing at Peshawar Air Base,” the PAF statement reads.

F7-PGs were first inducted in the PAF in 2002 as a replacement for the F-6, which were then decommissioned. The trainer FT-7PGs came later. The PAF had previously operated F-7Ps. About 11 or 12 F7-PGs/FT-7PGs have been lost during their 15 years in service.

Fighting will continue despite deaths: TalibanAFP

KABUL: The Taliban vowed yesterday to continue its bloody fight against the Afghan government and their foreign backers, brushing aside rising civilian casualties after a ceasefire ushered in hopes of a renewed push for peace talks.

The insurgents returned to the battlefield last week after refusing a government request to extend their unprecedented ceasefire over Eid, launching attacks across the country that have seen scores killed or injured. The renewed violence has poured some cold water on hopes the truce would provide a clear path to peace talks, with the Taliban refusing to bow to pressure to lay down their arms and curb fighting until foreign forces are pushed out of Afghanistan.

In a statement posted in English online, the group defended its tactics, while dis-missing a fatwa issued by reli-gious scholars in Kabul last month against the use of suicide bombings and attacks. “We are expending our utmost efforts to avoid civilian casualties in our Jihadic attacks,” the group said, while adding that such deaths “will happen” in war.

“Religious scholars have never rejected legitimate Jihad because of unintentional civilian

casualties,” it added.The statement stands in

stark contrast to the unprece-dented scenes prompted by the three-day truce as rank and file insurgents flooded into Afghan cities where they took selfies with government troops and civilians.

Calls for peace talks have gathered steam in the ceasefire’s wake with a group of dozens of activists from southern Helmand province arriving in Kabul on foot after marching hundreds of miles and calling for an end to the nearly 17-year conflict.

Civilians have paid a dispro-portionate price in casualties as a result of the conflict. More than 10,000 civilians were killed or wounded in 2017, down nine percent from the previous year, UN figures show. But casualties from suicide bombings and attacks were up 17 percent, as the Taliban and Islamic State increasingly target urban areas, particularly Kabul.

The UN has warned that 2018 could be even deadlier for civilians.

Kyrgyzstan to extradite activist to KazakhstanAFP

BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan is set to extradite an opposition activist to neighbouring Kaza-khstan, his lawyer said yesterday.

Kazakh blogger Murat Tungishbayev faces charges in Kazakhstan of financing and membership of a criminal group. He could be trans-ferred there “today or tomorrow”, his lawyer Nurbek Toktakunov said.

“The verdict was clearly determined from above with the aim of pleasing the Kazakh authorities,” Tok-takunov said of Monday evening’s court ruling.

“There is no evidence of my client having committed any crimes.” Kazakhstan accuses Tungishbayev of links to exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov, whose call for protests on Saturday in the oil-rich republic saw dozens of citizens arrested in the two largest cities, the capital Astana and Almaty. The activist has denied he is a member of the Ablyazov-led Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan group, which a Kazakh court out-lawed as extremist last year.

Australia buys high-tech drones for $5.2bnAFP

SYDNEY: Australia will invest Aus$7bn ($5.2bn) to develop and buy high-tech US drones for joint military operations and to monitor waters including the South China Sea, it said.

Canberra has been embarking on its largest peacetime naval investment through a massive shipbuilding strategy that includes new sub-marines, offshore patrol vessels and frigates to shore up its defence capabilities.

As part of this, the gov-ernment will spend Aus$1.4bn to buy the first of six MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance drones, with the aircraft to enter service from mid-2023, complementing seven P-8A Poseidon planes cur-rently in use.

Polio returns to Papua New Guinea after 18 yearsAFP

SYDNEY: An outbreak of polio has been confirmed in Papua New Guinea, the World Health Organization and the government said, with the virus detected in a child 18 years after the Pacific nation was declared free of the disease.

The WHO said there was one confirmed case — a six-year-old boy with lower limb weakness from Morobe province — with the

disease detected in late April, and paralysis associated with the virus confirmed in May.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the same virus was also iso-lated from stool specimens of two healthy children in the same community, “representing an outbreak”, the WHO added.

“We are deeply concerned about this polio case in Papua New Guinea, and the fact that the virus is circulating,” PNG’s Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said in a statement.

The renewed violence has poured some cold water on hopes the truce would provide a clear path to peace talks.

“We must do everything possible to ensure that food continues to arrive, that schools remain open and that people do not lose hope,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

08 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018VIEWS

UN chief urges world not to abandon UNRWA

The world “must not abandon” the UN’s agency for Pales-tinian refugees as it grapples with a major blow to its

funding stream, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday.

“We must do eve-rything pos-sible to ensure that food con-tinues to arrive, that schools remain open and that people do not lose hope,” Guterres said at a pledging conference for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

“Across the region, millions of Palestine refugees are counting on us to relieve their suffering and to help

them to build a better future. They are counting on us for action now. I urge all of you to join together to close UNRWA’s funding gap,” Guterres added.

UNRWA provides critical aid to Palestinian refugees who have been displaced by successive wars and are now residing in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Earlier this year, the US sus-pended over half of its funding for the agency, withholding $65 million of its $125 million in annual funds after Pal-estinians rejected a US role in any peace talks in retaliation for US Pres-ident Donald Trump’s unilateral rec-ognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The move drew widespread international condemnation as it undermines long-held under-standings on the future of the con-tested city, the east of which is sought by Palestinians as the capital of their future state. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and point person for the Middle East, told Palestinian news-paper Al Quds that the Trump admin-istration is “almost done” with its peace plan.

It is unclear how much money was promised during Monday’s pledging conference, but the agency’s commissioner-general, Pierre Kra-henbuhl, was seeking $250 million in aid amid a funding shortage that threatens to halt school openings in September.

“UNRWA’s vital mission requires a stronger commitment and contri-bution from the international com-munity,” Turkey’s UN ambassador,

Feridun Sinirlioglu, told the pledging conference.

“We should put UNRWA on a path towards sufficient, predictable and sustained financing to enable the agency to duly fulfill its mandate. UNRWA is and will continue to be vital not only for the Palestine ref-ugees in its five fields of operation, but also for the region and for the world.”

“Turkey is and will remain a strong advocate,” he added.

Turkey has already advanced and transferred its annual $1.5m con-tribution to the agency as well as $10m in additional funding. It further granted $1.2m to the World Health Organization for the treatment of Pal-estinians injured by Israeli forces and increased its annual flour contri-bution to 26,000 tonnes.

Earlier, Hamas called on Arab and Muslim states to “live up to their pledges” and contribute to the funding of the refugee agency.

The group further warned that UNRWA’s financial troubles threatened to “adversely affect the lives of five million Palestinian ref-ugees who rely heavily on the services provided by UNRWA”.

The refugee agency is expected to hold an international conference later Monday in hopes of drumming up contributions from UN member states.

In January, the US administration announced plans to withhold $65m in planned aid to UNRWA “pending further consideration” -- a move that threw the cash-strapped agency even deeper into financial crisis.

MICHAEL HERNANDEZ ANATOLIA

ADAM MINTER BLOOMBERG

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The battle for control over Eastern Ghouta

was, truly, the weaponization of

human misery.

Paulo PinheiroUN Human Rights

Council Commission Chairman

Solving the plastic crisis starts with Asia

Since January 1, when China stopped accepting the rich world’s recyclable plastic waste, it’s gotten a ton of crit-

icism for worsening the already deep crisis of ocean plastic pollution. But China isn’t the only culprit here. This is a crisis made - and growing worse - throughout developing Asia.

Just eight countries - in Asia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, plus Egypt - are responsible for about 63 percent of total plastic waste flowing into the oceans. Little of that junk has been exported by rich economies. Instead, it’s almost solely generated by Asia’s newly minted con-sumer classes, the vast majority of whom lack access to garbage col-lection, modern landfills and inciner-ation. Any progress in reducing ocean plastic will have to start with them.

A boom in garbage is almost always the result of two related phe-nomena: urbanization and income growth. Rural dwellers moving to the city shift from buying unpackaged goods to buying stuff (especially food)

wrapped in plastic. As their incomes rise, their purchases increase. That growth in consumption is almost never matched by expanded garbage collection and disposal. In typical low-income countries, less than half of all garbage is collected formally, and what little is picked up tends to end up in unregulated open dumps. In 2015, scientists estimated that as much as 88 percent of the waste generated in Vietnam is either littered or tossed into uncontained dumps. In China, the rate is about 77 percent. By comparison, the US rate is 2 percent.

Every big city in developing Asia faces this problem. Jakarta’s waterways are choked with plastic trash. In Kuala Lumpur, instances of open dumping line the high-speed train route to the airport. On the out-skirts of any Chinese city, loose plastic bags and instant-noodle cups litter every road’s shoulder. Much of this junk ends up in waterways - and, eventually, the ocean. One study found that eight of the 10 rivers conveying the most plastic waste into the oceans are in Asia. China’s Yangtze alone delivers 1.5 million metric tons of plastic to the Yellow Sea each year.

Solutions to all this have proved chronically elusive. China has pro-hibited retailers from providing free plastic bags for a decade, to almost no effect. In Indonesia, longstanding efforts to tax plastic bottles and con-tainers have run into the reality that few locals have access to piped or

uncontaminated water. Although recycling is common in Asia, plastic presents an often insurmountable challenge: Technical and environ-mental factors render much of it unre-cyclable, especially in developing regions. In fact, only about 9 percent of plastics are recycled globally.

Yet there’s another, far more promising option: Improve regular old trash collection. A recent study by the Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment found that boosting trash collection rates to 80 percent in just five Asian countries - China, Indonesia, the Phil-ippines, Thailand and Vietnam - could reduce ocean plastic waste by a whopping 23 percent over a decade. No other solution can promise such an immediate or lasting impact.

Pulling it off won’t be easy. Garbage collection and disposal is often the most expensive line-item on city budgets in the developing world, and achieving the study’s goal would require $4 billion to $5 billion per year. But that’s not impossible: In the U.K., aid organizations are pushing the gov-ernment to spend 3 percent of its annual foreign aid on waste collection and disposal in the developing world If that goal were adopted by other rich countries.

All this is just a start, of course. Developing Asia will eventually need many more modern landfills, inciner-ators and self-funding recycling programs.

The State of Qatar has once again renewed its commitment to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

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

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

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Helping hands

Qatar’s commitment to the Palestinian cause and the importance of dignified life for Palestinian brothers has always been firm and the State through dozens

of initiatives has ensured the provision of basic needs from food to education to people living under constant pain.

The State of Qatar has once again renewed its com-mitment to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani before the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the announcement of the voluntary contribu-tions of UNRWA, said that in line with its firm position on the Palestinian cause and the importance of ensuring the basic needs of the Palestinian brothers to enable them to lead a dignified life and in line with its firm support for the UNRWA, the State of Qatar has announced the largest pledge of $50m at the extraordinary ministerial conference held in March 2018.

Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations drew attention to the fact that the increase in the number

of registered Palestinian ref-ugees, the vulnerable conditions in which they live and the wors-ening poverty they were experi-encing, increased the demand for basic services provided by UNRWA, citing the vast funding gap affecting the agency’s program budget.

She also called on all member states to provide support to the UNRWA to ensure the continuity of basic services to improve the lives of millions of Palestinians and inspire them to work and look forward to a better future for them and for future generations.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called on the international community not to abandon Pal-estinian refugees and to do eve-

rything possible to ensure that food continues to arrive, that schools remain open and that people do not lose hope.

“The outstanding work of UNRWA has an immediate effect by meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of mil-lions of Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria,” Guterres said in his opening remarks at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Pledging Conference in New York. Under the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza is set to embark on the second phase of the emergency humanitarian relief programme for the residents of the Gaza Strip after it had completed the $15m first phase project which began mid-February 2017.

Chairman of the Qatari National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, Ambassador Mohammed Al Emadi said few days ago that he will visit the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories after the Eid Al Fitr holiday to oversee the completion of the second phase of humanitarian relief projects for the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Water prices have become a spiky issue in Singapore, which is due to hold elections by early 2021. A price hike last year - the first in nearly two decades - led to a rare public protest against a government that enjoys strong popular support.

09WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018 OPINION

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Malaysia’s belt-tightening resurrects dispute with Singapore

NOAH SMITH THE WASHINGTON POST

JOHN GEDDIE REUTERS

What immigration crisis? US isn’t being swamped

The eyes of the country are fixed upon the US-Mexico border. Controversy over President Donald Trump’s

policy of separating the children from parents accused of illegal entry -- a practice he didn’t begin, but tempo-rarily scaled up with a so-called zero-tolerance policy toward asylum-seekers -- has caused a flood of outrage. Whether Trump’s apparent reversal of that policy, and his return to Obama-era practices, will mollify

critics remains to be seen.But the larger issue of illegal

immigration from the south remains unsolved. Trump and his advisers, particularly Stephen Miller, have por-trayed illegal entry across the Mexican border as a mounting crisis, necessi-tating dramatic action. Nothing could be further from the truth; the problem has slowly been resolving itself, and will likely continue to do so.

First, net immigration of Mex-icans, by far the largest group of both authorized and unauthorized immi-grants during the past four decades, has ended. The Mexican-born popu-lation in the US -- including both those who came legally and those who came illegally -- peaked in 2007 at about 12.75 million, and has since fallen by about 700,000:

The number of unauthorized Mexican immigrants has fallen even more, by 1.1 million. In other words, during the past decade, the US has seen a large number of unauthorized Mexicans return home, and a modest

number of Mexicans come in through legal channels, leading to a net decline.

Why did this happen? Despite some of its regions being mired in a horrifically violent drug war, Mexico’s economy has grown robustly -- the country’s per capita gross domestic product, valued at purchasing power parity, is now about $19,500, higher than China’s. Mexico’s fertility rate has also fallen to 2.24 children per woman, just slightly more than the replacement rate of 2.1 -- that means people need to stay home to take care of aging parents and take over family businesses, instead of going north to work.

Because of the end of mass Mexican migration, the illegal immi-gration Trump is upset about is coming almost entirely from Central America. Because of violence, political instability and unpromising economic prospects, an increasing number of people from the so-called Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been making the perilous trek north through Mexico, seeking refuge and work in the US

Central America, and the Northern Triangle in particular, has picked up where Mexico left off. As the Mexican-born population has fallen, the Central American-born population has risen by almost the exact same amount.

A majority of the recent Northern Triangle immigration has been of the illegal variety. It is this immigration Trump has been railing against, and repeatedly expressing concern about the threat posed by the Salvadoran gang MS-13.

In the early years of the decade, this was unquestionably a crisis -- not because of the numbers involved, but because of how many children were being put in peril. Unaccompanied children flooded the border, prompting former President Barack Obama to initiate some of the child-detention policies that Trump later

expanded. The number of these children being apprehended at the border has stabilized, though it remains high.

But there are reasons to think that this Central American mass migration, like its Mexican predecessor, will taper off soon. First of all, as in Mexico, total fertility rates in the Northern Triangle countries are dropping. All three countries have now made the transition to small fam-ilies, with El Salvador actually below the replacement rate. That means that as the current generation grows up, there will be more pressure to stay in the country.

Also, the Northern Triangle coun-tries have seen their economies grow considerably. All are still considerably poorer than Mexico’s per-capita of $14,200 in 2008, when net immi-gration from Mexico halted. But both El Salvador and Guatemala have passed the $8,000 per person level, at which point higher GDP tends to reduce emigration. In other words, continued economic growth will make migration from El Salvador and Guatemala shrink from now on. Hon-duras still has a ways to go, but is making steady progress.

So there is every reason to believe that the Central American immi-gration wave has peaked, and will now start to decline, just like Mexico’s did a decade earlier. Meanwhile, even now the number coming in is small compared to the number of Mexicans who came to the US in the 1990s and 2000s.

Although the issue of children at the border presents a moral crisis, Central American immigration is not at a crisis level overall, nor likely to become so. Trump is spreading alarm over a phenomenon that will probably dwindle away from now on. The problem of unaccompanied children at the border is a problem, and one that Trump will hopefully handle better in the future. But the US isn’t in danger of being inundated by Central Americans.

For over half a century, island-state Singapore has been getting half its fresh water from northern neighbour

Malaysia - a deal that could be up for review as the new prime minister in Kuala Lumpur seeks to cut down on the country’s ballooning debt.

Singapore was once part of Malaysia but they separated acrimo-niously in 1965, clouding diplomatic and economic dealings for years. Relations remain volatile.

In his first few weeks back in office, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has put the brakes on projects and cut ministers’ salaries to tackle about 1 trillion ringgit of national debt he blames on past corruption.

Now, he has his guns trained on the price of water sold to Singapore.

“I think it is manifestly ridiculous,” Mahathir said in an interview with Channel NewsAsia published on Monday, referring to the water deal. “That was okay way back in the 1990s or 1930s,” he added, saying he wanted to renegotiate the terms.

Asked about the water issue at a news conference later on Monday, Mahathir brushed it aside saying it

“was not pressing”.Singapore’s foreign ministry said

in an e-mailed statement on Monday that “both sides must comply fully with all the provisions of these agreements.”

Tensions between Singapore and Malaysia were high during Mahathir’s previous tenure from 1981 to 2003, and the water row contributed to the difficult ties. Since returning to power in May, the 92-year-old has said he will halt a high-speed rail project linking Kuala Lumpur with Singapore and would develop some offshore rocks that were the subject of a terri-torial dispute.

Some analysts say Mahathir’s revival of the water dispute could be posturing. Malaysia faces financial penalties from Singapore if it pulls out of the high-speed rail agreement as Mahathir has suggested it will.

“It is not just about money. He (Mahathir) is a very canny statesman,” said Nicholas Fang, director of security and global affairs at think tank the Singapore Institute of Inter-national Affairs. “He knows how to put into place different levers that he can then pull to effect certain things.”

Under a deal penned in 1962,

Singapore can import up to 250 million gallons of water from the Johor River every day from Malaysia - around 58 percent of its current daily water needs - at a cost of 0.03 ringgit per 1,000 gallons. It is obliged to sell a small portion of treated water back to Malaysia at preferential rates.

If fully drawn, that imported water would cost Singapore around 2.7 million ringgit ($670,000) annually.

The water agreement was guar-anteed by both governments when they separated in 1965, and Singapore has said it equates the sanctity of the deal with its survival as a nation state.

“Every other policy had to bend at the knees for our water survival,” Sin-gapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew once said. Lee died in 2015 and his son, Lee Hsien Loong, is the current Singapore prime minister.

Mahathir, who had a famously testy relationship with Lee Kuan Yew, has previously pointed to Hong Kong’s agreement with China as evi-dence it is getting a raw deal.

Hong Kong paid a fixed sum of HK$4.78 billion ($608 million) to import more than two thirds of its fresh water needs - around 480 million gallons a day - from China last year, official data shows.

However, Singapore says the rela-tively low price it pays for Malaysian water is because it has to bear the full cost of treating the water as well as building, operating and maintaining the pumps and pipelines from Malaysia. Malaysia previously asked for a price revision in 2000 and Sin-gapore countered with a request to fix water supply rates beyond 2061.

After a series of exchanges, the talks disbanded with Malaysia saying Singapore was being unreasonable and legalistic.

Singapore blamed Malaysia for the collapse, saying it was looking for a 200-fold increase in current water prices and that it became clear it had “no intention of striking a deal on future water after 2061.”

In 2011, a separate deal for Sin-gapore to draw some water from else-where in Malaysia expired.

Singapore has recently been building up its domestic water sources - which include rain catchment and desalination - and pushing water recycling initiatives to become more

The problem of unaccompanied children at the border is a problem, and one that Trump will hopefully handle better in the future. But the US isn’t in danger of being inundated by Central Americans.

self-reliant by the time the 2061 deal expires.

But the resurgence of the water dispute with Malaysia comes at an awkward time for the city-state.

Hyflux, a private company which has built desalination plants supplying up to a quarter of Singa-pore’s water, is in dire financial straits and to keep creditors at bay it is looking to sell its Tuaspring plant in the west of the city-state.

Singapore’s national water agency PUB said it is “monitoring the developments closely and there are measures in place to keep the Tuaspring plant in continued operation”.

Water prices have become a spiky issue in Singapore, which is due to hold elections by early 2021. A price hike last year - the first in nearly two decades - led to a rare public protest against a government that enjoys strong popular support.

10 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018ASIA / EUROPE

Koreas hold talks on modernising, linking railwaysAFP

SEOUL: North and South Korea held talks yesterday on connecting the railways that run across their border, a physical link that would transform the relationship between the two sides of the divided peninsula.

The discussions, the first on the issue for 10 years, took place in the truce village of Pan-munjom in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two countries.

The two sides agreed to conduct a joint-study “at an early date” on modernising the railways that run through their border, Yonhap reported the South’s Unification Ministry as saying.

A rail line already exists from Seoul to Pyongyang and on to Sinuiju on the Chinese border, originally built by Japan in the early 20th century, long before the Korean War and decades of division.

Linking the two systems —and modernising the North’s ageing rail infrastructure —would give trade-dependent South Korea a land route to the markets of China, Russia and on to Europe.

But doing so would rep-resent a fundamental change on the peninsula: there has been no direct civilian commu-nication between the two Koreas since their division was sealed by the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War —not even post.

Despite the diplomatic warming on the peninsula, with summits between the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un and both the South’s President Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump of the US, Pyongyang remains under heavy sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes.

Any practical steps would only become possible after such measures are eased, South Korea’s chief delegate Kim

Jeong-ryeol acknowledged as he set off for the meeting.

“But we can thoroughly research and study various projects we can pursue after the sanctions are lifted,” he added.

During an earlier period of rapprochement, the South built a gleaming station at Dorasan, just south of the Demilitarized Zone, with platforms marked for non-existent services to the North’s capital.

On the eastern side of the peninsula, railways could connect South Korea’s port city of Busan to Europe via the North and Russia.

Kim and Moon agreed to “adopt practical steps towards the connection” of the railways at their first summit in April.

Moon has also shared his vision of linking the inter-Korean lines to trans-Siberian railways, offering a route to Europe, saying it would bring “huge economic benefits” to Seoul and Pyongyang as well as Russia.

But freedom of movement for North Korean civilians could threaten the grip on power of the ruling Workers’ Party, which imposes tight controls on the population.

The rapprochement on the Korean peninsula was triggered earlier this year when Kim decided to send athletes, cheer-leaders and his sister as an envoy to the Winter Olympics in the South.

US sailors stand next to F/A-18 Super Hornets parked on the bow of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan anchored off Manila bay, yesterday.

US touts ‘enduring’ Pacific presence as aircraft carrier visits ManilaAFP

MANILA: A US aircraft carrier visited the Philippines yesterday, the third such call in four months, as its commander cited America’s “enduring presence” in a region where China’s military aims have raised tensions.

The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan docked in Manila after sailing through the disputed South China Sea as part of a mission intended to reassure Washington’s allies in the area.

China claims almost the entire sea, through which tril-lions of dollars in trade passes annually, with competing partial claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing drew criticism after it landed bombers last month on a disputed island in the waters and reports emerged that it had installed missiles on another.

The US carrier’s com-mander, Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, told reporters on board that the visit was meant to demonstrate America’s dedi-cation to the region. “Countries that are concerned about US

commitment can look to the continued routine presence of (the) Ronald Reagan Strike Group as reassurance,” Dalton said.

“We have operated naval forces in the Pacific for seven decades... and that is an enduring presence and an enduring mission that has not changed and it will not.” This is the third visit since mid-Feb-ruary of an American aircraft carrier to the Philippines or nearby waters, and comes as Manila takes a non-confronta-tional approach with Beijing over the South China Sea.

While the Philippines won a key 2016 ruling against China’s claims in the waterway, President Rodrigo Duterte has opted to set it aside in order to court Chinese investment and trade.

The Reagan, whose nearly 1,100-foot length exceeds the height of the Eiffel Tower, is on a four-day visit to the Philippines.

The Nimitz-class “super-carrier” sails with 5,500 sailors and more than 70 aircraft.

US Navy presence in the region is a flexing of American military muscle that Dalton said

was intended to “promote adherence to a rules-based international order”.

The Pentagon has criticised “intimidation and coercion” in the disputed waterway, where the Chinese air force landed long-range bombers for the first time, putting entire Southeast Asia within their range.

Duterte’s government has faced pressure at home to get tougher with Beijing, especially after reports emerged this month that Chinese Coast Guard personnel had taken Filipino fishermen’s catch in the dis-puted sea.

Manila has said it is working closely with China and is regis-tering protests, but quietly so as to avoid confrontation.

The US Navy periodically conducts “freedom of navi-gation” operations in the South China Sea, where it sails close to island features Beijing has built into military facilities to show it rejects any territorial claims.

Part of the Reagan strike group was the guided-missile cruiser Antietam, which along with a destroyer conducted a freedom of navigation patrol last month that angered Beijing.

Desperate search for 12 children trapped in Thailand caveAFP

MAE SAI, THAILAND: Desperate parents led a prayer ceremony outside a flooded cave in northern Thailand where 12 children and their football coach have been trapped for days, as military rescue divers packing food rations resumed their search yesterday.

Hundreds of people have been mobilised to find the youngsters who went into the Tham Luang cave on Sat-urday and were trapped when heavy rains flooded its main entrance.

Anxious relatives camped out to perform traditional rituals, making offerings and reciting emotional prayers for their children’s safe return.

“I asked for all God’s wishes, but I’m certain in my heart that they will survive. They have been inside the cave before,” the father of one of the young footballers said.

Some relatives wailed at the cave’s entrance near the Laos and Myanmar border, where huge crowds have gathered near stockpiles of water and food.

“My child, I’m here to get you now,” one crying parent said, while another screamed: “Come home my child!”.

The children, aged between 11 and 16, are thought to have retreated further into the tunnel as monsoon rains fell and flooded the cave, believed to be several kilometres long.

Rescuers found bicycles, football boots and backpacks at the entrance to the site on Monday, and divers said they spotted footprints in one of the cave’s chambers.

Park officials, police and soldiers were dispatched on foot, while an aerial team was also being mobilised to see if there was another entrance to the cave.

Navy divers equipped with oxygen tanks and food rations entered the cave early yesterday in northern Chiang Rai province where rain con-tinued to fall.

Dutch Senate passes law enabling partial ‘burqa ban’REUTERS

AMSTERDAM: The Dutch Upper House of parliament yesterday passed a law banning the wearing of face-covering veils in public buildings, such as schools, government offices and hospitals.

The Lower House approved the bill in 2016, after attempts to

impose a more general ban on burqas and other face-covering veils failed.

The new law bans all face-covering garb, including for instance motor helmets and ski-masks, in public buildings, but not on the street.

The law is billed as a way to make schools, hospitals and public transport safer, but critics say its

only aim is to get rid of Islamic veils, such as the burqa and niqab.

The Dutch government’s main advising body in 2015 said the choice to wear an Islamic veil is protected by the constitu-tional right to freedom of religion, and that it saw no ground to limit that right.

It is also said the law was unnecessary, as only 200 to 400

women in The Netherlands wear a burqa or niqab, making it improbable that they would pose a big enough problem for schools, hospitals and public transport to merit a law.

Measures against the wearing of Islamic veils have already been taken in Belgium, France, Denmark and Spain, among others.

Macedonia President refuses to sign name deal with GreeceAFP

SKOPJE: Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov yesterday refused to sign a historic deal with Greece to rename his country the Republic of North Macedonia, after parliament ratified the accord.

Ivanov had been expected to exercise his one-time veto as he is close to the country’s nation-alist opposition and is known to be against any compromise with neighbouring Greece.

The legislation will now go back to the parliament to be rat-ified again and if it passes Ivanov can no longer block it.

Both countries’ foreign ministers signed a preliminary agreement earlier this month that aims to start unravelling one of the world’s longest dip-lomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia’s declaration of independence.

Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Mace-donia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great’s empire — a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks.

“I decided not the sign the law on the ratification of the agreement with Greece,”

Ivanov said in a statement.“The agreement makes

Macedonia dependent on another country, in this case Greece.” Macedonia’s main opposition party, the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE, has repeatedly said it will fight the change of “Macedonia’s constitutional name”, arguing it erodes the country’s identity.

Once parliament ratifies the deal for the second time it will be put to a referendum to be held at a later date.

Macedonia’s Social Dem-ocrat Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said he would resign if the agreement is not sup-ported in the referendum.

If the public do back the name change, Macedonia’s gov-ernment will then have to change the constitution -- a key Greek demand before its own par-liament is asked to ratify the deal.

In exchange for the name change, Macedonia hopes to secure a date to begin European Union accession talks at a summit this week as well as an invitation to join Nato in mid-July.

Due to the dispute with Greece, Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name of the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.

Doctor in the dock in Spain’s first ‘stolen babies’ trialAFP

MADRID: An 85-year-old doctor appeared in the dock yesterday in the first trial in Spain over thousands of suspected cases of babies stolen from their mothers during the Franco era amid emotional protests outside the Madrid court.

Dozens of demonstrators, many wearing yellow T-shirts with the slogan “Justice”, gathered outside the court as Eduardo Vela, who worked as a gynaecologist at the now-defunct San Ramon clinic in Madrid, arrived.

Carmen Lorente, who came to the court from the southern city of Seville to protest, said she was told her baby son suffocated in the womb in 1979 even though she recalls hearing him cry after giving birth in 1979.

“It is a very important day

for all those who are affected and for all mothers. Because a precedent is created by this man sitting in the dock,” she said.

Vela is accused of having in 1969 taken Ines Madrigal, now aged 49, from her biological mother, and given her to another woman who raised her and was falsely certified as her birth mother.

Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year jail term for falsifying official documents, illegal adoption, unlawful detention and certifying a non-existent birth.

Vela denied any wrongdoing and could not remember much when he took the stand.

In a dark and often over-looked chapter of General Fran-cisco Franco’s 1939-75 dicta-torship, the newborns of some left-wing opponents of the regime, or unmarried or poor couples, were removed from their mothers and adopted and

the practice was later expanded.New mothers were frequently

told their babies had died sud-denly within hours of birth and the hospital had taken care of their burials when in fact they were given or sold to another family.

Madrigal, a railway worker who heads the Murcia branch of

the SOS Stolen Babies associ-ation, said she did not expect Vela to provide answers about her origins or apologise.

But she hoped his two-day trial would mark a turning point that leads the authorities to reopen investigations into other “stolen babies” cases.

Demonstrators holding placards reading “Justice” stand outside a provincial court in Madrid, yesterday, on the first day of the first trial over thousands of suspected cases of babies stolen from their mothers during the Franco era.

Linking the South and North Korean railways systems and modernising the North’s ageing rail infrastructure would give trade-dependent South Korea a land route to the markets of China, Russia and on to Europe.

11WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018 EUROPE

Woman, 3 children found dead in Germany; husband suspectedAP

BERLIN: A woman and three children have been found dead at an apartment in southern Germany, police said yesterday, and the woman’s husband was being treated as a suspect.

A witness found the bodies of the 29-year-old woman and the children, ages 3, 7 and 9, in the apartment in the Bavarian town of Gunzenhausen early in the morning, police said.

The 31-year-old man, who was apparently the children’s father, was found lying outside the building with injuries caused by a fall from a great height. “Under the current cir-cumstances he is being treated as a suspect,” said Middle Franconia police spokesman Bert Rauenbusch.

He said autopsies on the victims were still being per-formed, but confirmed they had died as a result of “violent force.”

Couple sentenced to life for murdering au pair in LondonAFP

LONDON: A French couple living in Britain who tortured and murdered their au pair and tried to dispose of the body in a back garden bonfire have been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 30 years.

The Old Bailey court in London sentenced Sabrina Kouider, who is undergoing psychiatric treatment, and Ouissem Medouni for the September 2017 killing of 21-year-old Sophie Lionnet, after a two-month trial ended on May 24 with their convictions.

“Sophie was a kind, gentle and good natured girl,” said Judge Nicholas Hilliard. “The suf-fering and the torture you put her through before her death was prolonged and without pity.” He added: “I’m sure on all the evidence you were both involved.” The jury deliberated for a week before unanimously convicting Kouider and ruling by a majority decision of 10 to 2 that her partner Medouni was also guilty.

Both had denied murdering Lionnet, from Troyes in eastern France, although they had admitted to burning her body.

The court heard how the couple had interrogated and tor-tured Lionnet over their belief she was conspiring with one of Kouider’s ex-boyfriends — Mark Walton, a former member of Irish band Boyzone — who they claimed sexually abused members of their family.

“She died as a result of pur-poseful and sustained violence, and not by accident,” state pros-ecutor Aisling Hosein said when they were convicted.

“They were both jointly involved and came up with a plan to try and destroy her body and escape responsibility for this horrendous crime.” Kouider, who has two children, apolo-gised to her victim in a letter read out in court yeserday.

“I’m suffering every day thinking of you and what hap-pened to you that dreadful night,” she said.

“I only wish I could turn the

clock back, it never happened and you would be alive with us today.” Icah Peart, Kouider’s lawyer, said his client was suffering from an “overwhelming and obsesssional fear” over Walton and “everything she did was absolutely driven by delusional disorder”.

Medouni’s lawyer Orlando

Pownall insisted Kouider had been the “dominant” party and his client was “indoctrinated”. The victim’s mother called the duo “monsters” in a statement read in court last month.

Catherine Devallonne said she “fell into shock and was hospi-talised” after police broke the

news that her daughter, whom she described as a “reserved young girl”, had been killed.

“I’ve been living this nightmare ever since,” she added. “Those monsters beat her to death. They left her hungry. They took away her dignity and eventually her life”.

Parents of murdered French au-pair Sophie Lionnet, Catherine Devallonne (right) and Patrick Lionnet (left) leave the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court, in central London, yesterday.

Brexit bill becomes law, allowing UK to leave EUAFP

LONDON: A bill enacting Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has become law after months of debate, the House of Commons s p e a k e r a n n o u n c e d yesterday, to cheers from eurosceptic lawmakers.

Speaker John Bercow said the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which repeals the 1972 European Communities Act through which Britain became a member of the bloc, had received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II.

The bill transfers decades of European law onto British statute books, and also enshrines Brexit day in British law as March 29, 2019 at 11pm (2300 GMT) — midnight Brussels time.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the approval was a “historic moment for our country, and a significant step towards delivering on the will of the British people”.

The bill has undergone more than 250 hours of acri-monious debate in the Houses of Parliament since it was introduced in July 2017.

Eurosceptics celebrated the passing of the bill through parliament last week as proof that, despite continuing uncertainty in the negotia-tions with Brussels, Brexit was happening.

Stranded migrant rescue ship to dock in Malta: ItalyAFP

ROME: A rescue ship stranded in the Mediterranean with more than 200 migrants on board will finally dock in Malta, Italy said yesterday, as EU states remained at loggerheads over how to handle the influx of people trying to reach the continent.

The German charity vessel Lifeline rescued the 234 migrants, including children and pregnant women, on Thursday

but Malta and Italy initially refused to take it in.

“I just got off the phone with (Maltese) Prime Minister (Joseph) Muscat: the NGO ship Lifeline will dock in Malta,” Prime Min-ister Giuseppe Conte said, without specifying when. “Italy will do its part and welcome some of the migrants who are on board the Lifeline,” Conte said.

He expressed hope “other European countries would do the same”, but did not reveal how

many migrants Italy would take.French government spokesman

Benjamin Griveaux earlier told RTL radio that “a European solution seems to be emerging”.

A spokesman for the Maltese government had added: “There are ongoing discussions among a number of EU member states to take a share of the migrants.” The decision by Italy’s new pop-ulist government and Malta to turn away migrant rescue vessels has plunged Europe into a

political crisis over how to col-lectively handle the hundreds of people fleeing war and misery in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Griveaux insisted there was no migrant “crisis” but urged leaders “to respond quickly to an urgent situation”.

“France is ready to send a team on site to process (asylum) requests on a case-by-case basis,” as it did for migrants aboard the Aquarius once it docked in Spain after also being

spurned by Italy and Malta.Spanish Prime Minister

Pedro Sanchez said Madrid would take part in a “joint response” over Lifeline, but “several countries must partic-ipate”. “Spain is united, a country of solidarity, as we have shown with the Aquarius,” he said.

Nationalist Corsica leader Jean-Guy Talamoni said Monday it was “ready to help” but that it needed the agreement of French state.

German Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party Angela Merkel (left) chats with parliamentary group leader of the conservative CDU/CSU faction Volker Kauder prior to a meeting of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Reichstag in Berlin, yesterday.

Leadership strategy dialogue

Two Ukraine minors in custody over deadly Roma attackAFP

LVIV, UKRAINE: A Ukrainian court has ordered that two minors suspected in a deadly attack on a Roma camp be held in custody for 60 days, officials said yesterday, as concern grows over a wave of hate crimes.

On Saturday, masked assailants attacked a Roma camp outside Lviv, in western Ukraine, with batons and knives, killing one man.

The 24-year-old died from stab wounds while four more people were hospitalised, including a 10-year-old Roma boy and a woman aged 30.

The first fatal attack against Ukraine’s Roma population in years came after rights groups earlier this month accused the Kiev government of turning a

blind eye to a spate of hate crimes in the capital Kiev and the west.

In an apparent attempt to show that West Ukraine was prepared to take a tougher stance, a court in the Lviv region on Monday ordered the two minors be held in pre-trial detention for 60 days.

Six other suspected attackers -- five of them minors -- were still awaiting a court ruling, officials said.

Yulia Shevchenko, a spokeswoman for regional prosecutors, said the ruling was expected later yesterday.

Police said most of the attackers are aged 16 and 17 while their purported organiser is 20.

If convicted, they risk life in prison.

Spanish police launch hunt for mafia ringAFP

MADRID: Hundreds of police officers carried out raids across Spain yesterday as part of an operation against an Armenian mafia ring which authorities said would result in the arrest of 142 suspects.

Over a thousand agents took part in the raids in 73 buildings in six provinces, including Alicante, Barcelona and Valencia on Spain’s Med-iterranean coast, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The operation targeted “one of the biggest organised crime groups of Armenian origin based in Europe”, which is involved in drug traf-ficking, money laundering, arms trafficking, tobacco smuggling and illegal sports betting, the statement added.

Britain and allies call for empowering OPCWREUTERS

THE HAGUE: Britain’s Foreign Minister Boris Johnson called yesterday for all nations to vote to bolster the powers of the chemical weapons watchdog, saying it should be able to assign blame for attacks with banned poison munitions.

The United States and European Union said they would support a draft proposal made by the British delegation at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), while Russia and several of its allies opposed it.

“At present the OPCW’s experts can say where and when an attack happened, but not who was responsible,” Johnson told repre-sentatives of more than a hundred countries at a meeting in The Hague. “If we are serious about

upholding the ban on chemical weapons that gap must be filled.” A vote will be held on Wednesday. Decisions must win two-thirds of votes cast to be passed.

The British are seeking to re-galvanize support for an inter-national ban on chemical weapons, which have been used repeatedly in the Syrian civil war. Banned chemicals have also been used by militants on the battlefield in Iraq in recent years, and are suspected in the poi-soning of a half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last year in Malaysia and of a former KGB spy and his daughter in England this year.

Russia, Iran and Syria objected to the move and accused the British of breaking OPCW rules. The conference chairman said the British call for a vote was in line with

procedures.Western countries blame

Syria’s government for using banned nerve gas in several attacks that killed large numbers of civilians. Russia and Iran are Syria’s main battlefield allies.

Russian representative

Georgy Kalamanov called the British proposal “a clear attempt here to manipulate the mandate of the OPCW and to undermine the legal basis on which it stands, with which we fully disagree.” “We should reflect very seriously on this proposal, and not allow it to undermine the fate of the OPCW,” he said.

The 20-year-old OPCW, which oversees a 1997 treaty banning the use of toxins as weapons, is a technical, scientific body which determines whether chemical weapons were used. It does not have the authority to identify perpetrators.

The British-led proposal was to be debated by roughly 140 countries at a special session of the OPCW that started yesterday. The draft proposal could thrust the OPCW to the front of a dip-lomatic confrontation between

the West and Moscow which has seen relations deteriorate to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Russia and Indonesia sub-mitted rival proposals, but Western diplomats said they were not believed to have strong political backing. Johnson called for other countries to reject them.

The meeting comes as OPCW inspectors prepare a report on an alleged poison attack in the Douma enclave near Damascus, Syria, in April that killed dozens and triggered retaliatory air strikes by the United States, France and Britain.

From 2015-2017 a joint United Nations-OPCW team known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) had been empowered to identify indi-viduals or institutions behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

The United States and European Union said they would support a draft proposal made by the British delegation at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, while Russia and several of its allies opposed it.

12 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018AMERICAS

Top court backs Trump on travel banREUTERS

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court yesterday handed Donald Trump one of the biggest victories of his presidency, upholding his travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries and rejecting the argument that it represented unconstitutional reli-gious discrimination.

The 5-4 ruling, with the court’s five conservatives in the majority, ended a fierce fight in the courts over whether the policy amounted to an unlawful Muslim ban. Trump can now claim vindication after lower courts had blocked his travel ban announced in September, as well as two prior versions, in legal challenges brought by the state of Hawaii and others.

The court held that the chal-lengers had failed to show that the ban violates either US immigration law or the US Constitution’s First Amendment prohibition on the government favouring one religion over another.

Trump quickly reacted on Twitter: “Supreme Court Upholds Trump Travel Ban. Wow!” Writing for the court, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the government “has set forth a sufficient national security justification” to prevail.

“We express no view on the

soundness of the policy,” Roberts added.

The ruling affirmed broad presidential discretion over who is allowed to enter the United States. It means that the current ban can remain in effect and that Trump could potentially add more countries. Trump has said the policy is needed to protect the country against attacks by Islamic militants.

The current ban, announced in September, prohibits entry into the United States of most people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The Supreme Court allowed it to go largely into effect in December while the legal chal-lenge continued.

Roberts said the actions taken by Trump to suspend entry of

certain classes of people were “well within executive authority and could have been taken by any other president - the only question is evaluating the actions of this particular president in promul-gating an otherwise valid proclamation.”

The challengers have argued the policy was motivated by Trump’s enmity toward Muslims and urged courts to take into account his inflammatory com-ments during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump as a candidate called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” In dissent, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said there were “stark parallels” with the court’s now discredited 1944 decision that upheld US internment of Japanese-Amer-icans during World War Two. Sotomayor described at length various statements Trump made on the campaign trail.

“Taking all the evidence together, a reasonable observer would conclude that the procla-mation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus,” Sotomayor added. Roberts rejected the com-parison with Japanese-American internment, saying that the war-era practice was “objectively

unlawful and outside the scope of presidential authority.” Roberts said it was “wholly inapt to liken that morally repugnant order to a facial neutral policy denying certain foreign nationals the priv-ilege of admission.”

The travel ban was one of

Trump’s signature hardline immi-gration policies that have been a central part of his presidency and “America First” approach. Trump issued his first version just a week after taking office, though it was quickly halted by the courts.

Chad initially was on the list

of countries targeted by Trump that was announced in September, but he removed it on April 10. Iraq and Sudan were on earlier ver-sions of the ban. Venezuela and North Korea also were targeted in the current policy. Those restric-tions were not challenged in court.

Protesters holding up signs against US President Trump’s travel ban gather outside the US Supreme Court as the court issued an immigration ruling in Washington, DC, yesterday.

The ruling affirmed broad presidential discretion over who is allowed to enter the United States. It means that the current ban can remain in effect and that Trump could potentially add more countries.

US House to vote on Republican immigration bill todayREUTERS

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives will vote today on a broad-based immi-gration bill that would bar the separation of migrant children from their parents at the southern border, Republican Speaker Paul Ryan said yesterday.

“We address this in the bill we’re bringing to the floor today. We’ve made it extremely clear we want to keep families

together and we want to secure the border and enforce our laws,” Ryan told a news conference.

He said he would not rule out the possibility of bringing a vote on a narrower bill addressing only the detention of immigrant families, if the broader bill did not pass.

US President Donald Trump has faced a global outcry over the separation of children from their parents at the US-Mexico border, which began because of

the administration’s policy of seeking to prosecute all people who cross the border illegally. He bowed to pressure last week and issued an executive order to end the family separations.

The Trump administration, however, has called on Congress to enact a permanent fix.

The government has yet to reunite more than 2,000 children with their parents.

It is also not clear how it will house thousands of families while parents are prosecuted.

Although the administration has said the “zero tolerance” policy remains in place, officials said on Monday that parents who cross illegally with their children will not face prose-cution for the time being because the government is running short of space to house them.

Although Trump’s fellow Republicans control both chambers in Congress, disagree-ments between moderates and conservatives in the party over

immigration matters have hit prospects for a speedy legis-lative fix to the border crisis. A conservative-backed bill failed to pass the House last week.

Ryan described the broader bill as one that sought to mend the “broken immigration system” by resolving the issue of young adults who were brought to the United States ille-gally as children; focusing on a merit-based immigration system; and securing US borders and the rule of law.

AP

CHICAGO: A 67-year-old Florida man has been arrested in the theft of $170,000 worth of diamonds from a Chicago jewellery store.

Chicago police say Tamaz Hubel of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, was taken into custody on Sunday while trying to board a plane to France from Miami-Dade International Airport. Police say he’s being held in Florida pending his extradition to Illinois.

Authorities say the theft occurred June 6 at a store in downtown Chicago’s “Jew-eler’s Row.” They say Hubel was able to “conceal and remove” two diamonds.

Chicago detectives iden-tified Hubel and began tracking him. Police say he was arrested with help from the Miami-Dade Police, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.

The Associated Press has not identified a lawyer who can comment on Hubel’s behalf.

Suspect in Chicago diamond theft arrested

AP

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court effectively put an end yesterday to a California law that forces anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centres to provide information about abortion.

The 5-4 ruling also casts doubts on similar laws in Hawaii and Illinois.

The California law took effect in 2016. It requires centres that are licensed by the state to tell clients about the availability of contraception, abortion and pre-natal care, at little or no cost. Centres that are unlicensed were required to post a sign that said so. The court struck down that portion of the law.

The centres said they were singled out and forced to deliver a message with which they dis-agreed. California said the law was needed to let poor women know all their options.

Justice Clarence Thomas in his majority opinion said the centres “are likely to succeed”

in their constitutional challenge to the portion of the law involving licensed centres. That means that while the law is cur-rently in effect, its challengers can go back to court to get an order halting its enforcement.

“California cannot co-opt the licensed facilities to deliver its message for it,” Thomas wrote for himself and his con-servative colleagues, Chief Justice John Roberts and Jus-tices Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. He called the requirement for unli-censed centers “unjustified and unduly burdensome.”

Justice Stephen Breyer said among the reasons the law should be upheld is that the high court has previously upheld state laws requiring doctors to tell women seeking abortions about adoption services. “After all, the law must be evenhanded,” Breyer said in a dissenting opinion joined by his liberal colleagues, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

AP

SAO PAULO: US Vice-President Mike Pence arrived yesterday in Brazil for a Latin American trip expected to focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situ-ation in Venezuela and migration to the United States.

Venezuela’s economy is in a deep depression and shortages of food and medicine have sent people fleeing by the tens of thousands into neighbouring countries, including Brazil.

The Trump administration wants to further isolate the socialist government of Vene-zuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who recently won a second term in an election con-demned as illegitimate by the US and other foreign governments.

After Brazilian President Michel Temer welcomed Pence at the presidential palace in Bra-silia, the vice president told reporters that he was grateful for Brazil’s leadership in con-fronting the crisis in Venezuela

and said the US backs regional efforts to restore democracy there. He also offered solidarity to the “suffering people of Venezuela.”

Pence and Temer were expected to discuss the wider global migrant crisis, as well as immigration into the US

Brazilian officials have said they will raise the separation of Bra-zilian children from parents who were detained at the US-Mexico border. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has said the trip is an oppor-tunity to discuss a wide range of matters, including space coop-eration and trade.

Pence begins Latin American trip focused on Venezuela

US Vice-President Mike Pence (right) is welcomed by Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, yesterday.

California wildfire grows; 1,500 under evacuation ordersAP

SAN FRANCISCO: A wildfire in Northern California that forced more than 1,000 people to flee their homes grew overnight and was heading toward a sparsely populated area in a region hardly hit by wildfires in recent years, authorities said yesterday.

The fire in Lake County north of San Francisco was nearly 18

square miles (46 square km), said Emily Smith, a spokeswoman with California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze burning through dry brush, grass and timber has destroyed 12 homes and 10 other buildings since it started on Sat-urday. It is threatening another 600 buildings. About 1,500 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders, Smith said.

Authorities over the weekend said residents had to evacuate all homes in the town of Spring Valley, where about 3,000 people live. Officials clar-ified on Tuesday that only half of the residents faced mandatory evacuation orders.

California officials said unu-sually hot weather, high winds and highly flammable vegetation turned brittle by drought helped

fuel several blazes that began over the weekend, the same con-ditions that led to the state’s deadliest and most destructive fire year in 2017.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday declared a state of emergency in Lake County, where the biggest fire was raging about 120 miles (190km) north of San Francisco, a rural region particularly hard-hit by fires in recent years. The

declaration will enable officials to receive more state resources to fight the fire and for recovery.

The blaze is the latest dev-astating wildfire to rip through the isolated county of just 65,000 people in the last few years. In 2015, a series of fires destroyed 2,000 buildings and killed four people. The following year, an arsonist started a fire that wiped out 300 buildings.

High court ends California crisis pregnancy centre law

AP

Paraguay: Paraguay’s Pres-ident Horacio Cartes said he’s withdrawing his resig-nation, signalling defeat in his effort to take a full Senate seat after his term ends in August.

Cartes made the announcement in a tweet, expressing frustration that he’d been unable to get enough Senate votes to approve the resignation.

Cartes has been trying to assume the full Senate seat he won in April, a post that would help him extend his political influence into the future.

His terms as president ends in August, but he would need to leave office by June 30 to be sworn in with other senators because Paraguay’s constitution says he can’t hold two offices at once.

Horacio withdraws resignation and Senate bid

BUSINESSWednesday 27 June 2018

PAGE | 15PAGE | 14Qatar grabs top slot

in KPMG’s growth rating index

GE breaks off health care to focus on power & aviation

Most Qatari firms to create business continuity plan by 2020MOHAMMAD SHOEB THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Within the next two years, most Qatari companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are expected to have a well-designed business continuity and risk management plan as integral part of their business strategy, noted a top official of Business Continuity Institute Qatar Forum.

Business continuity or risk management is to have alter-native plan to protect and ensure the delivery of goods and services by an entity even in case of sudden disruption and failure in hardware/software system, data loss, human error, or

disruption in supply chain for any man-made or natural dis-aster to keep customers happy and satisfied.

“We are expecting that within a couple of years, most of the Qatari companies, be it big or small, will have certain

business continuity plan in place according to identified risks as part of their business strategy,” Abdullatif Ali Al Yafei (pictured),

Chairperson of Qatar Forum, a member of the UK-based BCI, told The Peninsula.

Al Yafei, who is instrumental in organising conferences on strengthening business resilience in Qatar, added: “We are trying to create awareness business continuity through various ways, including seminars and confer-ences. In the past, especially before the economic blockade, many companies thought business continuity, or risk man-agement plan, as optional. But now things have changed significantly.”

He noted that earlier many firms considered business con-tinuity plan as expenditure not investment. They thought it is

wastage of resources, but now the whole story is different. They are taking business continuity with all seriousness; especially after many SMEs faced chal-lenges in restoring normal business operations after several months of the blockade.

Al Yafei noted that the upcoming business continuity conference, which is to be held on November 19, will be tar-geting all companies, but SMEs will be given special focus to help them achieve sustainability and their business target.

Commenting on the pene-tration of business continuity plan among local companies, he said that most companies are already aware about the

importance of having a business resilience plan, but in terms of normal practices, things are improving significantly.

Asked about the business continuity resilience among gov-ernment agencies, especially those responsible for supplying essential goods and services, or preparing to host the 2022 FIFA games, he said: “Officials from concerned government agencies and professionals who are working for risk management at such entities are also attending our conferences. They exchange their expertise with consultants… And I am sure Qatar will host one of the best FIFA games with high standards and global competence.”

NDSQ delivers first superyacht newbuildsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) has successfully delivered its first two newbuilds of fast luxury superyachts. The two 71-meter highly-complex fast diving vessels (FDV), are the first superyacht-quality newbuilds constructed entirely at Qatar’s world-class Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard. Adapted from the Damen ‘Sea-Axe’ fast yacht support vessel, these customized FDVs are designed and built to the highest standards, ensuring excellent performance, ease of maintenance and enhanced safety features.

Immensely proud of the achievement, Nakilat Chief Exec-utive Officer Abdullah Al Sulaiti

said,“NDSQ has been making strides in Qatar’s shipbuilding arena since its operations started in 2011, with successful deliv-eries of a variety of newbuild vessels to support operations at local ports and terminals. The completion of this milestone project is yet another testament of our capabilities to provide comprehensive services to the local shipping and maritime industry. Within the brief span of its operations, NDSQ’s ship-building capabilities have proven to be a strategic addition to Qatar’s maritime industry, acting as a catalyst to spur the coun-try’s growth as well as fulfil the economic diversification objec-tives outlined by Qatar National Vision 2030.”

NDSQ constructs all work-boats required for a variety of tasks carried out at ports and harbours, specialized in towage and movements as well as harbour services. The yard also builds tugboats, pilot boats, work barges, dredgers and high-speed crafts using proven shipbuilding designs, while incorporating industry-leading standards for

quality in all aspects of the man-ufacturing process.

NDSQ also undertakes various works for luxury yachts, with comprehensive shipyard facilities such as fully climate-controlled halls enabling interior and exterior finishing to the highest yachting standards. The Superyacht Hall is used to build, repair and refitsuperyachtsand

yacht support vessels of a length of up to 170m.

To date, NDSQ has success-fully delivered 40 vessels to sat-isfied customers, along with 28 yacht refits and repairs. This has enabled the shipyard to earn a reputation for excellence along the way, despite being very recently established when com-pared to its peers.

An aerial view of NDSQ’s Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard.

Business continuity or risk management is to have alternative plan to protect and ensure the delivery of goods and services by an entity even in case of sudden disruption and failure in system .

Qatar banks stay strong amid challenges: QCBSATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Amid a series of chal-lenging operating environment, Qatar’s banking sector continued its healthy performance in 2017. The Qatar Central Bank’s Financial Stability Review (FSR) 2017 released yesterday noted the country’s sector continued to portray sound, liquid and profitable stability indicators in 2017.

Banking sector assets (average) recorded a growth of 12.1 percent in 2017, higher than the growth registered in 2016. Growth in average assets was manly supported by credit which posted an average growth of 11.7 percent.

Public sector credit demand which averaged around 21.7 percent provided the impetus for double digit growth, while the average credit demand from private sector stood at 6.8 percent. At the same time deposit surpassed the credit growth. Growth in deposit averaged around 15.5 percent, almost double than the growth recorded in 2016. Higher deposit growth lowered the loan to deposit ratio to a greater extent.

As in the case of credit, deposit growth was mainly con-tributed by the public sector, which grew by around 29.9 percent on an average during the year. Monthly data showed, except in December 2017, the year on year growth in assets in

assets recorded double digit throughout the year.

Along with the healthy growth in assets, banking sec-tor’s intermediation process con-tinued to be in the growth tra-jectory. The number of deposit account grew by around 7.8 percent, which number of credit accounts grew by 0.67 percent in 2017.

An analysis of the growth in average assets across bank group showed, domestic conventional banks continue to dominate with higher growth over last year, while Islamic bank group’s growth in asset declined during 2017. In contrast, foreign banks could not sustain the growth recorded in the previous year. The average assets of the foreign

banks reduced considerably during the year.

At the end of 2017, banks’ credit growth declined to 8.5 percent from the previous year’s 12.1 percent. Lower credit growth was attributed mainly to the decline in cross-border credit provided to non-resident as well as lower credit growth to the public sector. Public sector credit growth declined from 23.3 percent t in 2016 to 16.2 percent in 2017. The regional geopolitical issues might have resulted in, banks reducing their exposure to those countries involved in the embargo, the QCB document noted.

“In the wake of the regional geopolitical issues, banking sector has considerably reduced

their exposure to the rest of the world.

Consequently, the banking sector cross-border assets declined by 14.9 percent by the end of December 2017. Except for investment, all other earning cross-border assets reduced. Assets with foreign financial institutions reflected major decline among the asset classes”, the document said.

The volume of credit to real estate sector picked up after a decelerated growth in 2016. Strong growth momentum was visible after the first quarter of 2017. In the second quarter, real estate credit growth grew steeply and thereafter, it maintained the growth momentum in the last two quarters of 2017.

Trump rips Harley-Davidson as company eyes overseas growthAFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on Harley-Davidson yesterday, threatening to tax the company for offshoring manufacturing and saying the iconic American motorcycles should “never” be built outside the United States.

One day after the Wis-consin-based company said it was planning to shift some manufacturing overseas due to the European Union’s tariffs in retaliation for US duties, Trump accused Harley-Davidson of appro-priating the trade war as an “excuse” for the move.

EU officials, meanwhile, suggested Trump had only himself to blame for the falling-out with a company he had previously hailed as “a true American icon.”

In a series of caustic early-morning tweets Trump dismissed any notion that his policies were responsible for Harley-Davidson’s move.

“Early this year Harley-Davidson said they would move much of their plant operations in Kansas City to Thailand. That was long before Tariffs were announced. Hence, they were just using Tariffs/Trade War as an excuse,” he said.

“When I had Harley-Davidson officials over to the White House, I chided them about tariffs in other coun-tries, like India, being too high ... Harley must know that they won’t be able to sell back into US without paying a big tax!”

14 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018BUSINESS

8,895.21 -41.57 PTS0.47%

QSE FTSE100 DOW BRENT7,537.92 +28.08 PTS0.37%

24,329.91 +77.11 PTS0.32% Dow & Brent before going to press

$70.08 +2.00

MarketWatch

QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE

QE Index 8,895.21 0.47 %

QE Total Return Index 15,672.37 0.47 %

QE Al Rayan Islamic

Index - Price 2,178.87 0.42 %

QE Al Rayan Islamic Index 3,535.27 0.42 %

QE All Share Index 2,584.40 0.58 %

QE All Share Banks &

Financial Services 3,123.26 0.50 %

QE All Share Industrials 2,837.38 0.16 %

QE All Share Transportation 1,879.60 0.42 %

QE All Share Real Estate 1,537.67 1.33 %

QE All Share Insurance 3,042.31 1.34 %

QE All Share Telecoms 997.46 1.10 %

QE All Share Consumer

Goods & Services 6,080.99 0.06 %

QE INDICES SUMMARY QE MARKET SUMMARY COMPARISON WORLD STOCK INDICES

GOLD AND SILVER

26-06-2018Index 8,895.21

Change 41.57

% 0.47

YTD% 4.36

Volume 4,512,212

Value (QAR) 216,671,101.36

Trades 2,146

Up 08 | Down 28 | Unchanged 0325-06-2018Index 8,936.78

Change 68.56

% 0.76

YTD% 4.85

Volume 6,646,605

Value (QAR) 219,306,129.27

Trades 3,447

EXCHANGE RATE

GOLD QR147.5363 per grammeSILVER QR1.9035 per gramme

Index Day’s Close Pt Chg % Chg Year High Year Low

All Ordinaries 6292.1 -16.6 -0.26 6347.8 5834

Cac 40 Index/D 5304.06 20.2 0.38 5657.44 5038.12

Dj Indu Average 24252.8 -328.09 -1.33 26616.71 21197.08

Hang Seng Inde/D 28881.4 -79.99 -0.28 33484.08 28895.4

Iseq Overall/D 6998.77 21.42 0.31 7257.41 6410.26

Kse 100 Inx/D 41246.09 267.86 0.65 47144.12 40169.62

S&P 500 Index/D 0 0 0 2872.87 2532.69

Currency Buying SellingUS$ QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500

UK QR 4.7936 QR 4.8616

Euro QR 4.2318 QR 4.2917

CA$ QR 2.7092 QR 2.7626

Swiss Fr QR 3.6595 QR 3.7108

Yen QR 0.03293 QR 0.03357

Aus$ QR 2.6703 QR 2.7232

Ind Re QR 0.0529 QR 0.0539

Pak Re QR 0.0296 QR 0.0304

Peso QR 0.0673 QR 0.0686

SL Re QR 0.0228 QR 0.0233

Taka QR 0.0425 QR 0.0437

Nep Re QR 0.0331 QR 0.0338

SA Rand QR 0.2661 QR 0.2714

Qatar grabs top slot in KPMG’s growth rating indexTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: KPMG’s Growth Promise Indicators (GPI) index has found that Qatar is in the top 20 percent of countries world-wide, and within the top 5 percent of coun-tries within the Middle East and Africa (ranking third), based on productivity potential.

The index assigns a GPI rating (from zero to 10),based on information taken from global data sources, on 15 individual categories including education, transport quality, tech-readiness, and financial services.

Wider trends in the analysis suggest that the real strides made by countries have been driven by improvements in infra-structure, and in particular in tech-readiness – both of which have featured prominently in Qatar’s development in recent years.

On the ranking, Ahmed Abu-Sharkh (pictured), Country Senior Partner at KPMG in Qatar said:“The GPI report explores how individual countries can grow sustainably and fulfil their potential. I was delighted to see that Qatar ranks 34th of 181 countries in the report, placing it within the top 20 percent world-wide for potential growth,

representing Qatar’s standing on the world’s economic stage and commitment to developing a sus-tainable future for the country’s citizens and residents.”

The report shows that a number of countries are accel-erating development through smarter investments in tech-nology or infrastructure. However, it is important that countries also invest in the right education and training to equip future generations with theskills they need to thrive in the future.

On this Abu-Sharkh con-tinued: “Qatar’s National Vision 2030 makes it clear that the gov-ernment is committed to the country’s future and addresses many of the critical success factors raised in the GPI including education, infra-structure, health and trade.”

The study found institutional strength, which covers per-formance in areas such as gov-ernment ef fect iveness ,

regulatory quality, and business rights, to be the most important category amongst the GPI com-ponents and this is the category which Qatar scored highest on.

Latest data shows high scores on institutional strength are not dependent on income level, with lower income countries like Rwanda and Bhutan having higher scores than higher income peers.

Western European countries top the GPI league table, with the Netherlands ranking 1st, Swit-zerland 2nd, Luxembourg 3rd and Norway 5th. Hong Kong (S.A.R) (4th), a jurisdiction added to the report as a comparator, and Singapore (7th) were the only non-European countries and jurisdictions to make the top 10.

Despite Brexit, the UK ranking remains unchanged at 13th, just behind Canada, which is up two places to 12thas a result of institutional and infrastructure improvements. However, through policies such as the Industrial Strategy there is eve-rything to play for to move the UK higher up the rankings.

Many of the larger global economies rank outside the top 10, including Germany (14th), Japan (20th), United States (23rd)

and France (24th). Meanwhile India rose three places in the ranking helped by a rise in business rights.

Yael Selfin, Chief Economist at KPMG in the UK and author of the report, said: “Institutional reforms that raise government effectiveness and regulatory quality do not require the size of investment needed to improve infrastructure, yet they can bring about major improvement to countries’ growth potential.

“While Western Europe con-tinues to dominate the top ranking, this year’s GPI results saw big improvements across all regions, with countries like Indo-nesia, Serbia, Argentina, and Algeria seeing significant increases in their ranking, and large emerging economies like India also on the rise. It is encouraging to see better policies to support increased prosperity disseminate around the world.”

The study has looked at two d e c a d e s o f d a t a retrospectively.

S&P raises Greece debt rating to B+ on reduced debt risksAFP

NEW YORK: Ratings agency S&P Global announced it was upgrading the debt rating for Greece given the improved prospects for the country to pay off its sovereign debt.

S&P raised the country’s debt grade a notch to “B+” with a stable outlook, noting that the debt relief announced by Europe last week and the country’s cash buffers “significantly” reduced debt servicing risks over the next two years.

The upgrade comes after eurozone ministers agreed to extend maturities by 10 years on major parts of the country’s total debt obligations, a mountain that has reached close to double the annual economic output.

They also agreed to disburse ¤15bn ($17.5bn), which left Greece with a hefty ¤24bn

safety cushion, officials said. S&P said the maturity extensions and the sizeable cash buffer would cover Greece’s debt pay-ments through 2021 and “partly cover repayments coming due in 2022,” significantly reducing refinancing risks.

However, the ratings agency cautioned that “public and private debt remains high and the authorities’ track record on attracting foreign direct investment is weak.”

Greece has the second-highest gross general gov-ernment debt-to-GDP ratio after Japan, S&P said. S&P said it was important for the country to resist rollback of economic reforms and continue with addi-tional measures “to restore eco-nomic health and confidence in the banking sector as well as to attract foreign capital inflows to finance growth.”

Qatar ranks 34th among 181 countries in the report, placing it within the top 20% world-wide for potential growth.

15WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018 BUSINESS

BREAK TIMEVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

Adrift (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00; 6:00, 8:00 & 10:00 & 11:59pm; Deadpool 2 (2D/Action) 11:00am, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 5:00, 8;00, 8:30pm; 9:00 & 11:00pm; The Incredibles 2 (2D/Ani-mation) 10:00am, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 & 10:30pmLeilet Hana Wa Srour (Arabic) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00 & 11:59pm; Abla Tamtam (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 2:00, 6;00 & 10:00pm; Hereditary (2D) 12:00, 3:15 & 8:30pmMaya: The Bee 2 (2D) 10:00am, 3:15 & 8:30pm Race 3 (2D/Hindi) 12:00, 5:15 & 10:30pm; Beirut Aka High Wire Act (2D) 10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00, 12:45, 3:30, 6:00, 6:15, 9:00, 11:45 & 11:59pm; The Incredibles (2D/IMAX) 10:00am & 6:005pm Deadpool 2 (2D/IMAX) 12:30 & 8:30pm Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (3D/IMAX /Action) 3:10, & 11:20pm

Abraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 2:30; 8:45 & 11:30pm; Tik Tik Tik (Tamil) 2:00 & 11:30pm The Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 2:00, 4:15, 6:30pm; Race 3 (Hindi) 11:15pm; Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 4:15 & 9:15pm; Din Mohabbat In (2D/Urdu) 5:00pm; Abla Tamtam (2D/Arabic) 7:30pm; Beirut (2D/Thriller) 6:30pm; A Woman In The Time Of Blockade - Qatari (2D) 8:30pm Adrift (2D/Action) 9:45pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Abraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 2:15, 5:00; 8:45 & 11:15pm; A Woman In The Time Of Blockage - Qatari (2D) 4:30 & 7:30pm; Race 3 (Hindi) 2:15 & 11:00pm; Tik Tik (Tamil) 6:15 & 11:30pm The Incred-ibles 2 (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:45 & 7:00pm; Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 6:15 & 11:30pm; Adrift (2D/Action) 9:15pm; Beirut (2D/Thriller) 9:30pm.

Tik Tik (Tamil) 2:15 & 11:00pm; The Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 2:30; 4:30 & 6:45pm; Abraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 2:00; 6:00 & 11:00pm; Race 3 (2D/Hindi) 10:45pm; A Woman In The Time Of Blockage - Qatari (2D) 9:00pm; Maya: The Bee 2 (2D/Animation) 4:15pm; Adrift (2D/Action) 9:00pm; Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 4:45pm; Beirut (2D/Thriller) 7:00pm; Leilet Hana Wa Srour (2D/Arabic) 9:00pm;

Abraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 12:00, 12:30, 2:15, 3:15, 5:00, 5:45, 6:00, 7:45, 8:45, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30pm 1:15am, 1:45am & 2:00am; Race 3 (Hindi) 6:00 & 11:30pm, B-Tech (Malayalam) 3:15pm & 08:30pmTik Tik Tik (Tamil) 1:00, 3:30 & 9:00pm

Abraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 11:30am, 2:30; 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30pmRace 3 (Hindi) 11:30am, 5:15, & 11:00pmThe Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 10;30am, 3:45 & 6:15pmJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 2:40, 7:30, 10:10, 7:00, 9:40; 10:30pm.Tik Tik Tik (Tamil) 12:30; 3:10; 5;50 & 9;00pm

Abraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 12:30, 3:30; 6:30 & 9:30pm; Adrift (2D/Action) 12:30; 5;30; 2:40 & 4:50pmThe Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 12:30, 3;00, 5:30 & 8:00pmJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 10:30am, 4:30 & 10:10pm Tik Tik Tik (Tamil) 1:00, 3:30 & 9:00pm

The feature film “A Woman in the Time of Blockade”, which is currently on display in the Qatari theaters, shows the moral aspect of the Qatari people in dealing with the siege.

FLIK Mirqab

A WOMAN IN THE TIME OF BLOCKADE

Adrift (2D/Action) 11:20 am; 07:05 pm; 12:20 amThe Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 12:10, 2:35, 4:40 & 6:05Dead Pool 2 (2D/Action 11:50am, 4:50, 6:45, 8:309:50 & 11:35pmMaya The Bee 11:20am, 1:10, 2:55 & 5:00pmJurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 1:05, 2:15, 3:35, 7:15, 9:05, 10:50pm & 12:15am

GE breaks off health care to focus on power & aviationAFP

NEW YORK: Once-dominant industrial giant General Electric announced yesterday it will shed its healthcare and oil field services businesses to concen-trate on power, aviation and wind turbines in the latest attempt to shore up the strug-gling company.

John Flannery (pictured), GE’s chief executive, hailed the new corporate plan as a rebirth for the longsuffering company, which he said would slash debts and stabilise its balance sheet as a leaner, more focused enterprise.

“We will run GE in a funda-mentally different way going forward,” he said on a call with Wall Street analysts and reporters.

“Our businesses will be the center of gravity and will run on a new operating system that we believe will improve our opera-tions and cash performance.”

Within two to three years, the company will spin-off the oil field services giant Baker Hughes, in which it holds a 62.5 percent stake, but will “immedi-ately” begin the 12-to-18-month process of separating from its

health care segment, Flannery said.

The Baker Hughes spinoff comes less than a year after GE acquired its controlling stake in the company for $32bn. By 2020, this will reduce company debts by $25bn, or two and a half times earnings, while slashing

corporate costs by $500m, according to Flannery.

Flannery said the resulting company would be a “new GE, a high-tech, industrial GE, a simpler, stronger and more focused company.”

Yesterday also marked the company’s first day off the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average, which capped a year-long slide of more than 50 percent in GE’s share price -- hit by weaknesses in its power and oil and gas businesses. Shares in the company were up more than seven percent in early morning trading on Wall Street.

Flannery became CEO last summer, replacing Jeffrey Immelt, as the company worked to right the ship.

Since then, GE has trimmed costs, streamlined its board, cut

its dividend and revamped employee compensation. The company has also announced plans to sell $20bn in industrial assets.

The company announced in April it had set aside $1.5bn in reserves for possible settlement with the Justice Department stemming from the subprime activities at GE Capital -- which the company said yesterday would also slash assets by $25bn.

GE expects to generate cash from 20 percent of the value of GE Healthcare, while returning the remaining 80 percent to shareholders in a tax-free distribution.

In the power segment, where Flannery said results had been “unacceptable,” the company still expects to have a “ fundamental ly s trong

franchise,” in part by continuing to service its existing base of installed turbines and power generation facilities.

The company claims to gen-erate about a third of the world’s electricity.

“This is a turnaround story and we are confident in our ability to improve the future operating performance,” Flannery said.

The health care arm, which provides medical imaging and other services, had $19bn in revenue in 2017. Last month, the company announced it would merge its transportation arm with railroad manufacturer Wabtec in an $11bn deal.

GE on Monday had already announced the sale of its indus-trial gas engine business to Advent International for $3.25bn.

China, EU to form group to update global trade rulesAP

BEIJING: China and the European Union agreed on Monday to launch a group that will work to update global trade rules to address technology policy, subsidies and other emerging irri-tants and preserve support for international trade amid US threats of import controls.

Actions such as US President Donald Trump’s unilateral tariff hikes in a technology dispute with Beijing show World Trade Organization rules need to keep pace with changes in business, said an EU vice president, Jyrki Katainen.

Katainen said Europe was not siding with Beijing in its dispute with Trump but was taking action to protect the

global system of regulating free trade. He said the EU wants other governments to join the WTO group.

Companies worry the US-Chinese dispute could chill global trade and economic growth if other governments respond by raising their own import barriers.

Even before Trump took office, economists were warning countries were tightening import restrictions and taking steps to favour their companies over foreign rivals.

US officials complain the WTO, the Geneva-based arbiter of trade rules, requires an overhaul because it is bureau-cratic, rigid and slow to adapt to changing business conditions.

Katainen said Europe wants to focus on issues including sub-sidies to industry, government pressure on foreign companies to hand over technology and the status of state-owned industry - all areas in which Beijing faces complaints by Trump as well as other trading partners.

“I don’t expect these nego-tiations to be easy,” Katainen said at a news conference. But if nothing is done, “the envi-ronment for multilateral trade will vanish.”

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of 10 percent to 25 percent on up to $450bn of Chinese goods. Beijing responded to Washington’s first round of hikes on $34bn of imports by raising duties on US products.

Other governments have similar complaints but Trump has been more direct about challenging Beijing and threat-ening to disrupt exports.

Beijing agreed to narrow its multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the United States by pur-chasing more American goods but scrapped that after Trump went ahead two weeks ago with a tariff hike on $34bn of imports.

On Monday, Premier Li Keqiang, China’s No. 2 leader, told visiting French Premier Edouard Philippe that Beijing would allow more imports of beef and other food from France. Li said French com-panies were welcome to invest.

“China takes a positive attitude to cooperation with the French side,” Li said.

Islamic Development Bank signs MoU with AIIBAA

ANKARA: The Islamic Devel-opment Bank (IsDB) Group and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a memorandum of under-standing (MoU) for strategic cooperation during AIIB’s third annual meeting in Mumbai.

The signing of the “Mobi-lising Financing for Infra-structure: Innovation and Col-laboration” was announced in a statement, yesterday.

Jin Liqun, president of the AIIB, said: “An agreement between our banks is a natural fit because we are both dedi-cated to development and helping our members promote

growth and economic opportunity.”

The MoU aimed to deepen relationship between the two banks, as well as encourage col-laboration, information sharing and facilitate knowledge exchanges on development finance, Islamic finance and integrity mechanisms. It is also focuses on sustainable infrastructure.

Bandar Hajjar, president of the IsDB Group, said: “The IsDB Group looks forward to jointly strengthening the effectiveness and sustainability of our banks’ operations and to looking for new ways to stimulate the region’s economic growth together.”

Yesterday also marked the company’s first day off the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average, which capped a year-long slide of more than 50% in GE’s share price.

16 WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018MORNING BREAK

HIGH TIDE 03:00 – 17:15 LOW TIDE 09:45 – 00:00

Hot daytime with slight dust to blowing

dust at places at times.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 32oC 45oC

FAJRSHOROOK

03. 16 AM

04. 46 AM

11. 37 AM

03. 00 PM

06. 30 PM

08. 00 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS QU selected among top 1,000 universities THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar University (QU) has been ranked 332nd in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2019, among the top 1,000 universities in the world, and 36th in the “QS Top 50 Under 50” 2019 ranking.

In the QS World University Rankings 2019, QU improved on its 2018 performance by 17 positions. It is noteworthy that QU has moved up 219 ranks over the last 6 years. QU is also among the top 6 universities in the Arab region.

The University also improved in the “QS Top 50 Under 50” ranking by one position on its 2018 performance and by 13 positions on its 2016-2017 performance. It is almost amongst the 3 universities ranked from the Arab region.

The QS World University Rankings continue to enjoy a remarkably con-sistent methodological framework, compiled using six simple metrics that effectively capture university per-formance. Thus, universities continue to be evaluated according to the fol-lowing six metrics: Academic repu-tation (40%), Employer reputation (10%), Citations per faculty (20%), Faculty/student ratio (20%), Interna-tional faculty (5%), and International student ratio (5%).

For inclusion in the “Top 50 Under 50”, universities must be under 50 years old. This is assessed based on each institution’s date of estab-lishment. Institutions formed within the last 50 years through a merger, or which previously existed under a

different name and/or status, may also be included. Established in 1977, QU is 41 years old. First published in 2012, the “QS Top 50 Under 50” celebrates the world’s leading young universities. It is published annually, based on the latest edition of the QS World Uni-versity Rankings®, and since 2015 has doubled its range to include the “Next 50 Under 50”. 25 different study des-tinations are represented in this year’s ranking.

Commenting on this achievement, QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham said: “Being selected among the top universities in the world is an important moment to QU. In the 2019 rankings, QU improved by 17 places on its 2018 performance and by 61 places on its 2017 performance. QU’s improvement in the rankings is all the more admirable this year as the list of assessed universities increased by 44 universities since last year, however QU’s rank continued to improve. The “QS Top 50 Under 50” 2019 ranking also shows an improvement of the Uni-versity’s last year performance as it

was ranked 37th in 2018. This demon-strates the high-quality education that QU offers to its students and the alignment of its academic programs with the needs of the local labor market. QU will continue to address relevant local and regional challenges and to advance knowledge. The Uni-versity developed a new five-year strategy (2018-2022) which maps out the routes to achieving continuing per-formance excellence, as we aim to prepare national leaders and develop the national human capital towards building a knowledge-based economy. We look forward to consistently increasing our positioning among the top universities in the region and worldwide.”

QS Regional Director – Middle East, North Africa & South Asia, Ashwin Fernandes, said: “It is commendable to see the rise of Qatar University through our various rankings, including the recently released QS World University Rankings 2019 edition, with an increase of over 219 positions since its inclusion in 2013. This increase is just not a number, but a statement that Qatar University is aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030, and aiming to create an educa-tional system which is on par with global standards, providing the youth of Qatar and the community at large with a university for the future. It is one of the fastest rising universities in the region today.”

QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham (right) receives the certificate from QS Regional Director – Middle East, North Africa & South Asia, Ashwin Fernandes.

In the QS World University Rankings 2019, QU improved on its 2018 performance by 17 positions. It is noteworthy that QU has moved up 219 ranks over the last 6 years. QU is also among the top 6 universities in the Arab region.

Captive whales find new home as aquarium shows declineAFP

LONDON: Two beluga whales performing in a Shanghai aquarium are to be flown to a new sanctuary in Iceland, giving hope to more than 3,000 captive ceta-ceans as the popularity of marine shows wanes.

Little White and Little Grey will be taken next year from Changfeng Ocean World to Klettsvik Bay, organisers told a press conference at the Sea Life London Aquarium yesterday.

The 12-year-old female ceta-ceans will still be in human care in the netted-off sea inlet as it is thought they will never survive on their own in the wild.

But the founders said it will give them a better life — and help research into how captive whales could one day be prepared for release out of human dependency.

British-based Merlin Enter-tainments operates attractions including Legoland, The Tussauds Group and the Sea Life aquarium.

It took over Changfeng Ocean World in 2012 and started looking for a new environment to house Little White and Little Grey. Orig-inally from Russian Arctic waters, it is thought they were two or three years old when captured. They weigh around 900kg and

are around four metres long. Their 30-hour transfer planned for next year will involve stretchers and transport semi-submerged in tanks, by truck, chartered flight and then ferry.

They will be assessed in a care pool before being released into Klettsvik Bay at Heimaey, one of the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland.

The bay, which is leased, measures up to 32,000 square metres with a depth of up to 10 metres. Klettsvik is where Keiko, the killer whale in the 1993 film “Free Willy”, was flown in 1998. The orca was fully released in 2002 but did not fully adapt to life in the wild and died 18 months later in a Norwegian fjord.

“We hope that by showing the way with our sanctuary, we will help to encourage the rehabili-tation of more captive whales into natural environments and one day bring an end to whale and dolphin entertainment shows,” said Andy Bool, head of the Sea Life Trust charity.

Campaigners have criticised Merlin for continuing the beluga whale shows ahead of the transfer and pointed to the irony of choosing Iceland as a destination since it openly defies an interna-tional ban on hunting whales. The Shanghai whales are being

trained to hold their breath for longer, become physically stronger to cope with tides and currents, and are putting on blubber to help them cope with the colder water temperatures.

A third beluga whale at the aquarium, Jun Jun, died from a bleed on the brain in June last year, aged 17. Belugas typically live for 40 to 60 years.

More than 3,000 whales and dolphins are kept in captivity and it is hoped that up to eight other belugas could join Little White and Little Grey in the future.

“There is a real alternative now for these animals,” Bool said.

“The argument has been in the past that you can’t just put them back in the sea — and that’s right. But hopefully, people will see what we’re doing and want to replicate it.”

Cathy Williamson, from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity, said public support for aquarium shows was waning. “The world’s first whale sanctuary presents a pathway towards the end of the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity,” she said.

Live music concerts an added fun for visitors at Qatar Fan ZoneTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Fan Zone at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena is adding to its cultural offering a series of six free live concerts between the evening match screenings of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia for all the visiting football fans and families to enjoy.

The series of perform-ances kicked off on Monday with Moroccan singer Hatim Ammor as the first star to take the Zone’s stage before the kick-off between Morocco and Spain.

The music concerts, organised by local enter-tainment business Social Studios, will bring some of

the most loved music stars from across the Middle East, including North Africa’s world-renowned Cheb Khlaed, who is due to perform for the Fan Zone’s visitors tomorrow. All con-certs are scheduled to start at 7:30pm.

During the quarter finals of the World Cup, the music concerts will feature Iraqi singer Mohammed Al Fares and Lebanese artist, Ziad Bourji, on Friday, July 6 and S a t u r d a y , J u l y 7 respectively.

During the following and final week of the month-long tournament, Kuwaiti Star Academy sensation Essa Almarzoug is set to take the stage on Tuesday, July 10,

followed by his compatriot star Ibrahim Dashti the next day (Wednesday, July 11).

Qatar Fan Zone is organised by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the Ministry of Culture and Sports (MCS) and QTA. For the latest news from Qatar Fan Zone follow the SC (@roadto2022) and Qatar Calendar (@QatarCal-endar) on social media.

Qatar Fan Zone is a high-light of this year’s Qatar Summer Festival (QSF), which kicked off on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. Organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), the 11-week festival is a nationwide celebration of the country’s diverse retail and hospitality offerings,

complemented by a host of entertainment and sports activities.

The fan zone is open daily from 2pm until mid-night until June 28, and will be open from 4pm until mid-night between June 30 and

July 15. Operating on match days only, it is powered by Vodafone Qatar as the official telecommunications partner and supported by The W Doha Hotel & Resi-dences, the official hospi-tality partner.

A singer performs at Qatar Fan Zone.

A woman poses for a photo in front of a beluga whale at a zoo in Beijing.

AFP

PARIS: Flight crews have higher than average rates of certain cancers, according to a study of more than 5,000 US-based flight attendants.

“We report a higher lifetime prevalence of breast, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers among flight crews rel-ative to the general population,” said Irina Mordukhovich, a researcher at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and co-author of a study published yes-terday in the journal Environ-mental Health.

“This is striking given the low rates of overweight and smoking in this occupational group,” she said in a statement.

Out of 5,366 flight attendants who took part in the study, just over 15 percent reported ever having been diagnosed with cancer.

Taking age into account, the study found a higher preva-lence of cancer in flight crew for every type of cancer examined. Some 3.4 percent of the women who flew for a living had breast cancer, com-pared to 2.3 percent in the general population. The

flight-crew rate was 0.15 percent compared to 0.13 percent for uterine cancer; 1.0 compared to 0.70 percent for cervical cancer; 0.47 compared to 0.27 percent for stomach or colon cancer; and 0.67 com-pared to 0.56 percent for thyroid cancer.

The risk of breast cancer was higher in women who had never had children, as well as those who had three or more.

Having no children was a known risk factor, noted Mordukhovich.

“But we were surprised to replicate a recent finding that exposure to work as a flight attendant was related to breast cancer exclusively among women with three or more children,” she said.

“This may be due to com-bined sources of circadian rhythm disruption — sleep dep-rivation and irregular schedules — both at home and at work.”

Male flight attendants were found to have higher rates of skin cancer — 1.2 and 3.2 percent for melanoma and non-melanoma cancer, respectively, compared to 0.69 and 2.9 percent for the adult population as a whole.

Commercial flight crews show higher cancer rates: Study