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Volume 23 | Number 7571 | 2 RiyalsThursday 28 June 2018 | 14 Shawwal I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

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Docking at fishingports to be limited to Qatari ships THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Cabinet which met with Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani in the chair yesterday approved a draft law on the regulation of fishing ports under which docking at fishing ports shall be limited to Qatari ships that have a permit from the competent department.

Under the terms of the draft law, the provisions of the law apply to fishing ports only, and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment shall manage, maintain and develop fishing ports in the State.

In addition, docking at fishing ports shall be limited to Qatari ships that have a permit from the competent department. Ship-owners or employees shall not engage in business within the boundaries of fishing ports.

Following the meeting, Min-ister of Justice and Acting Min-ister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Dr. Hassan bin Lahdan Al Hassan Al Mohannadi stated that the Cabinet reviewed topics on its meeting’s agenda.

The Cabinet took the nec-essary measures to ratify the fol-lowing agreements between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Togo. They

include an agreement on can-cellation of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and private passports; an agreement on the promotion and protection of mutual investments; an agreement on economic, trade and technical cooperation; and an agreement on legal cooperation.

The Cabinet also approved the first executive program of the agreement on cooperation in the field of culture and art between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Gov-ernment of the State of Kuwait for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020. It also approved a draft agreement for cooperation in the field of environment between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Mali.

The Cabinet reviewed the following topics and took the appropriate decision, including the views of the concerned parties on the annual report of the work of the National Traffic Safety Committee and its rec-ommendations in this regard. This committee, which is estab-lished within the Ministry of Interior, is responsible for devel-oping policies and plans in the field of traffic, solving traffic problems.

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ICAO Council rejects siege countries’ objectionsTHE PENINSULA

MONTREAL: The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has rejected the objections filed by the siege countries on the non-compe-tence of the organisation to the complaint of the State of Qatar.

This came during the meeting of the ICAO held on Tuesday to hear the complaints submitted by the State of Qatar on the negative effects caused by the siege countries on aviation as well as the aviation security and safety.

Minister of Transport and

Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, commended voting of the majority of the ICAO members in favour of con-sidering the complaint of the State of Qatar and rejecting objections of the siege countries. He lauded the efforts exerted by the Organisation in maintaining aviation security and safety.

He stressed that the viola-tions of aviation safety and security committed by the siege countries are contrary to all customs and conventions binding on all parties, in addition to their serious consequences on aviation safety. He expressed

hope that the Executive Council of the ICAO would expedite the adoption of appropriate decision on the air traffic and the siege counties’ violations of inter-national law, in accordance with the dispute settlement mechanism adopted by the ICAO in Article 84 of the Chicago

Convention. The Minister reaf-firmed his confidence in the Council and its wise decisions in the interests of aviation safety and security.

Minister of Transport and Communications also stressed the State of Qatar’s firm stance in respect of the international laws

and regulations governing the airspace in general, was mani-fested in its decision not to take any similar measures to what the siege countries have taken.

According to Article 84 of the Chicago Convention on Interna-tional Civil Aviation, “If any disa-greement between two or more contracting States relating to the interpretation or application of this Convention and its Annexes cannot be settled by negotiation, it shall, on the application of any State con-cerned in the disagreement, be decided by the Council.

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Team Qatar Channel Swim seek historic feat at ‘La Manche’ARMSTRONG VAS &CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The love of adventure sport and the thrill of extreme sports have inspired a team of seven amateur swimmers from Qatar to embark on a challenging journey to swim across the fabled English Channel.

Team Qatar Channel Swim is aiming to make history by becoming the first ever Qataris to swim across the English Channel, one of the toughest

physical challenges in the world.The team members come

from diverse backgrounds ranging from medicine, business, service and legal fields. The group which consists of four doctors will embark on the epic journey between July 20 to 27, it was announced yesterday.

The seven Qataris, aged between 34-52, are expected to take around 18-20 hours to cover a distance of more than 34 kilometres on relay basis.

The team consists of Dr Mohammed Al Kuwari, Dr Faleh

Mohamed Ali, Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, Dr Khalid Al Jalham, Prof Nasser Al Mohannadi, Fahad Al Buenain and Talal Al Emadi.

“We hope our attempt will inspire Qatar’s residents to be active and live a healthy lifestyle. We can all achieve something great by being health conscious,” Al Buenain told The Peninsula.

Al Buenain, a former record holder in free-diving, was speaking on the sidelines of a press con-ference which took place at the Wyndham Doha Hotel yesterday.

“We will face one of the

hardest challenges any athlete can take but we hope to be suc-cessful in this inspirational journey. It will inspire our nation and promote sports and healthy lifestyle. It will give an important message - age or career success are not obstacles if you want to take part in sport,” added the marketing and corporate com-munications executive.

This team will endure frigid water temperatures, jellyfish, and oil slicks, low water temperature, fog and possible rain or lighting on the very challenging journey.

The English Channel, known as “La Manche” in French, is a body of water between England and France linking the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. lt’s length is around 560 km and it is considered to be the world’s busiest waterway.

The attempt will start at or near Shakespeare’s Cliff or Sam-phire Hoe, between Folkestone and Dover, and the aim is to finish at or near Cap Gris Nez between Boulogne and Calais.

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Minister of Transport and Communications stressed that the violations of aviation safety and security committed by the siege countries are contrary to all customs and conventions binding on all parties, in addition to their serious consequences on aviation safety.

Gulf crisis moves to UN’s top court in case filed by QatarAFP

THE HAGUE: The bitter Gulf crisis moved into the interna-tional courts yesterday as Qatar accused the United Arab Emirates of fostering an “envi-ronment of hate” against Qataris.

And in a surprise tit-for-tat move, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi announced they too planned to file their own case at the UN’s top court against Doha. The legal moves at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) come a year after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties with Doha.

“Historically the people of Qatar and its neighbours have been close. For decades Qataris and Emiratis have worked together, prayed together and married into each other’s fam-ilies,” said Mohammed Al Khu-laifi, Qatar’s lawyer.

“Despite these close ties” the UAE implemented a “series of broad discriminatory measures against my country and its people on the basis of their Qatari nationality,” he told a 16-judge bench at the tribunal.“The UAE has fostered such an environment of hate against Qatar and Qataris that individuals in the UAE are afraid even to speak to family members living in Qatar,” he said.

The ICJ judges will over the next three days hear argu-ments from Doha’s lawyers, with the UAE to respond on today. Both will talk tomorrow.

At the start of the crisis last June, Qatar found its only land border closed, its state-owned airline barred from using its neighbours’ airspace, and Qatari residents expelled from the boycotting countries.

QP to invest $20bn in US oil and gasBLOOMBERG

W A S H I N G T O N : Q a t a r Petroleum, the world’s biggest seller of liquefied natural gas, is looking to get even larger, investing $20bn in America’s oil and gas fields at a time when rival US exporters are expanding.

The investments will be made over five years, Chief Exec-utive Officer Eng Saad Sherida Al Kaabi said in an interview with Bloomberg News in Washington. Some of that will likely go toward lining up gas supplies for the

Golden Pass LNG export project in Texas, being developed with Exxon Mobil Corp.

Al Kaabi said Qatar will probably be announcing a deal in the US “before the end of the year,” but he declined to say whether it would involve oil or gas. Qatar is also looking to invest an additional $5bn in so-called downstream assets, such as chemicals projects, he said.

“We have a huge growth plan,” Al Kaabi said. “We’re talking to many people and many com-panies in the US.” Within 8 years,

he added, the company plans to go “from 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent a day to 6.5 million.”

The state-owned company is looking at both shale and conven-tional resources in the US, according to Al Kaabi. Qatar Petroleum and its partners in the Golden Pass project are now weighing commercial bids from contractors, and expect to decide whether to move forward with the project by the first quarter of 2019, he said.

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South Korea’s forward Son Heung-min celebrates scoring his goal during the 2018 World Cup, Group F football match against Germany at the Kazan Arena in Kazan yesterday. South Korea won 2-0 and dumped defending champions Germany out of the World Cup.

South Korea knock Germany out of World Cup

Al Muraikhi meets Palestinian Ambassador

02 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018HOME

Qatar gives great importance to stability and global harmonyQNA

BEIRUT: The State of Qatar has stressed that it attaches great importance to national devel-opment, regional stability and global harmony.

It also contributes signifi-cantly to international devel-opment and to alleviating the suffering of those affected by war and conflict through humanitarian assistance and development projects in many areas of conflict and occupation.

In a speech at the opening of the 30th ministerial session of the United Nations Eco-nomic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut yesterday, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi noted that Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attaches great importance to realizing the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030, namely economic development, social devel-opment, human development and environmental devel-opment, which are in line with global goals.

In his speech, he stressed Qatar’s commitment to con-tinue its approach to devel-oping comprehensive, inte-grated and balanced methods to promote a culture of part-nership and innovation and to take further initiatives based on the values of cooperation, solidarity and the maintenance of fundamental rights, which place humanity at the center of its priorities.

The State of Qatar, he said, firmly believes that the right to development is one of the fun-damental and inalienable human rights and that equal opportunities for development are one of the pillars of good governance and are the best way to build healthy, peaceful and integrated societies, which are the means to protect young people from the scourge of extremism, violence and ter-rorism. Healthy society and happy individual are the goal of every quest for sustainable growth and prosperity, he said.

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that Qatar’s second national development strategy for the period 2018-2022

highlighted the importance of the international cooperation sector in enhancing Qatar’s regional economic, political and cultural role to contribute to global peace and security through political initiatives and development and humanitarian aid, noting that Qatar has ben-efited greatly from the experi-ences of ESCWA and its tech-nical perspectives in the prep-aration of this strategy, which was launched in March.

During the presidency of the State of Qatar for the 29th session of ESCWA over the past two years, many workshops and technical events were held in the fields of sustainable devel-opment, economy, trade, energy, water, women and others, he said.

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the world today, especially the Arab region, is going through a very dangerous and complex phase, in terms of the major challenges and pressing issues that are embodied in the suffering of the peoples, and is a constant concern for the rulers and officials.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, met yesterday with Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Qatar, Munir Abdullah Ghannam. They discussed bilateral relations as well as means of boosting them and enhancing prospects for cooperation, in addition to issues of common concern. A number of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ officials attended the meeting.

DIFI holds discussion on Family-Sensitive Social Protection projectTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has held a consultation meeting on Family-Sensitive Social Protection (FSSP) in collabo-ration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The meeting, which took

place in Doha, resulted from a joint project between DIFI and ESCWA to develop and promote a focus on families in social pro-tection. DIFI is scheduled to issue a preliminary report sum-marizing the proceedings of the meeting and the recommenda-tions reached.

The objective of the joint DIFI/ESCWA project is to develop a conceptual framework for fam-ily-sensitive social protection,

examine its rationale, collect evi-dence to support the proposal, and identify challenges asso-ciated with its design and implementation.

Commenting on the collabo-ration with ESCWA, DIFI Executive Director Noor Al Malki Al Jehani said: “Social protection is an important thematic area of DIFI’s work on family wellbeing, and increasing evidence shows that social protection measures lead

to positive outcomes for families, especially on children’s education and general wellbeing.”

“Our collaboration with ESCWA helps to strengthen social protection for families and boosts the focus on major social policy initiatives to sustain fam-ilies living in poverty and social exclusion, including single parents or large families, and families providing care to people with disabilities.”

She pointed out that social protection services remain an unfulfilled right for many vul-nerable families, including those in the Arab region.

Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCWA Khawla Mattar said: “The UN regional commission serves an important role in pro-viding and facilitating the social protection of families across the Arab region.” “It is our aim to ensure policymakers direct

special attention to women, who often bear the main responsi-bility for the wellbeing of their families; and to countries in con-flict and crisis, where families are under unusual pressure and often torn apart”

Mattar stressed that ESCWA highly appreciates DIFI’S initi-ative to highlight the important contribution of families, coop-erating and identifying the best ways to support them.

Nod for law limiting docking of Qatari ships at fishing portsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The committee is also

responsible for proposing methods of addressing coordi-nating and cooperating between different bodies whose work affects the proper regularity of traffic and proposing the devel-opment of legislation related to traffic, roads and transport engi-neering in accordance with international standards and

commensurate with the require-ments of continuous devel-opment of roads and transportation.

The topics also included a letter of the head of the com-plaints committee of the Qatar Financial Market Authority (QFMA) on the report of the committee for the period from July to December 2017. The committee, is established with

QFMA, is chaired by one of the presidents of the Court of Appeal with the membership of two judges from the Court of Appeal and two experts in securities trading to look into grievances and requests issued by the QFMA. During the period mentioned, the committee considered a number of grievances and requests for suspension and issued its deci-sions in this regard.

ASTANA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has sent a written message to the President of the Republic of Kaza-khstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, pertaining to the bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them.

Qatar’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Ahmed bin Ali Al Tamimi, handed over the message during his meeting with Kaza-khstan’s Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov yesterday.

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03THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018 HOME

Minister of Education honours exceptional studentsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi said that the excep-tional achievement of students in the Secondary School Certif-icate this year is an indication of the quality of the educational policies and initiatives imple-mented by the Ministry.

Speaking at a ceremony organised to honour the excep-tional students in the general and specialized secondary for the academic year 2017/2018, the Minister said that the Ministry’s educational policy has

contributed to increasing the academic attainments of stu-dents at various levels of schooling, and has also con-firmed that they are moving in the right direction.

The Minister of Education and Higher Education said that it is through monitoring that the number of outstanding students has increased year after year in line with the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Al Hammadi noted that more than 1,500 male and female stu-dents received more than 90%, which represent 25% of the total students who performed the sec-

ondary school exam this year.He also congratulated the

exceptional students, their schools, their families and praised their outstanding aca-demic performance, and wished them a future full of achievements.

He advised the outstanding students to be influential, pro-ductive and effective actors in

their family and social sur-roundings and in their working environment to serve their country and humanity in general.

He further expressed the hope that their exceptional achievement would be a moti-vating and inspiring factor for other colleagues to follow in the educational field.

Dr Mohammed bin Abdul

Wahed Al Hammadi honored the top ten at the level of general and specialized Secondary Certificate as well as top and first Qatari stu-dents at the level of specialized schools and the Religious Institute preparatory and sec-ondary for the Year Academic 2017/2018.

The event was attended by Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education Fawzia al Khater and senior offi-cials of the Ministry of Education and Higher education and guardians of the exceptional stu-dents and their families, their school principals and teachers,

where the outstanding students were awarded valuable certifi-cates and financial prizes.

Khalid Ramadan Farih Ahmed Farih from Musab Bin Omair Secondary School for Boys achieved the first place at the level of Secondary School Cer-tificate with 99.75 percent, while Amna Mohammed Issa Shaheen Al Mannai from Al Bayan Secondary School for Girls ranked first among Qatari female students with 99.5 percent. The percentages of those who received the top 10 places in the Secondary Certif-icate were not less than 99.38 percent.

Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, honouring the excellent students in the Secondary School Certificate at a ceremony held yesterday.

NHRC will continue efforts to trigger international mechanisms to end violations of siege countriesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri called on the European Parliament to shoulder its responsibilities and issue a decision condemning the viola-tions committed by the siege countries against the State of Qatar and setting out their inter-national responsibilities.

Dr Al Marri reiterated that the National Human Rights Com-mittee will continue its efforts to trigger the international justice mechanisms until putting an end to the violations and redress the victims, QNA reported.

Dr Al Marri was speaking during a meeting with President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, in the course of a series of important meetings he held with a number of European officials in Brussels.

The NHRC Chairman handed over a copy of “One Year on the Siege of Qatar” report to the

European Parliament President. The report documents all the violations of the siege countries against the Qatari people and the residents on the GCC coun-tries, and the efforts exerted by the National Human Rights Committee inside Qatar and abroad to stop these violations.

Al Marri praised the positive role of the European Union and the European Parliament towards the siege imposed on the State of Qatar, referring to the European Parliament’s support for the report prepared by the delegation of the technical mission of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights following its field visit to Qatar, and its condemnation of the siege.

He also highlighted the rich discussions during the hearing session he held at the European Parliament, and the strong support of the MPs for the efforts exerted by Qatar and the NHRC to stop the violations resulting from the siege imposed

on Qatar since the 5th of June last year.

The NHRC Chairman called on the President of the European Parliament to take more effective measures and stronger positions to urge the siege countries stop their violations and to put an end to the suffering of thousands Qatari and GCC families.

Dr Al Marri also gave a detailed explanation on the issue of politicizing religious rituals by the Saudi authorities and its con-tinued intransigence in pre-venting Qatar’s pilgrims from performing the rituals.

The NHRC Chairman also briefed the President of European Parliament on all the issues raised in international human rights forums in order to stop the vio-lations resulting from the siege of Qatar, as well as the complaint filed by the State of Qatar before the International Court of Justice against the UAE.

Dr Al Marri stressed the importance of continuing judicial and legal proceedings in the

The Chairman of National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri (left), with the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, in Brussels, yesterday.

international arbitration bodies to stop the violations of the siege countries and to redress the victims of the siege, noting that all the evidence and the reports of the international

human rights organizations confirm the involvement of the siege countries in serious vio-lations of human rights, in breach of all international norms, rules and provisions.

Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, said that more than 1,500 male and female students received over 90%, which represent 25% of the total students who performed the secondary school exam this year.

ICAO Council rejects siege countries’ objectionsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The State of Qatar filed two complaints to the ICAO Council under Article 84 of the Chicago Convention con-cerning the interpretation and application of the Chicago Con-vention on Civil Aviation (1944) and its Annexes, as well as the interpretation and application of the International Airline Transit Agreement.

The siege counties sub-mitted a preliminary objection to the ICAO Council and argued that the Council was not competent to con-sider the complaints sub-mitted by the State of Qatar, with a view to evading their obligations to the Chicago Conventions and the Transit Agreement, wishing to expand negative impacts on aviation security and safety.

The State of Qatar sub-mitted a response to the objection of the siege coun-tries, in which it explained that its complaint was within the ICAO Council’s competence. The Council of the Organi-zation had earlier set the date of June 26, 2018 as the date for hearing the State of Qatar’s complaint against the siege countries. It should be noted that on 31 July 2017, the ICAO Council set emergency routs for Qatari aircraft.

DOHA: The Unified Standing Committee for the Selection of Candidates for Military Officers began its work for the third year in a row under the directives of the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah .

The committee held a pre-paratory meeting in March under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff of Qatari Armed Forces H E Lieutenant General (Pilot) Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanim, who is also Chairman of the Committee.

Katara to host Second International Hunting and Falcons ExhibitionTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Katara Cultural Village has started preparations for the second International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition (S’hail 2018) to be held at Katara from September 4 to September 8, 2018.

A number of local, regional and international companies specializing in falconry and hunting equipment are expected to take part in the exhibition.

The exhibition is named after “Sohail”, a star that has been closely related to hunting. Hunters eagerly wait for Sohail, year after year, as it marks the beginning of overland journeys, hunting and falconry. It comes when the temperature starts to drop and falconers get ready for the upcoming hunting season.

Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara Cultural Village said that the second edition of the exhi-bition will have several new fea-t u r e s a n d s e e a n

increase in participants. Katara has allocated an area of more than 10,000 sqm for the exhi-bition, he added.

“Katara has prepared a com-prehensive plan to ensure the biggest participation of com-panies and other entities special-izing in falcons and hunting equipment. The first edition was a huge success making the event

one of the major exhibitions in this field in the local, regional and international levels,” said Al Sulaiti.

He said that the marketing campaign for the exhibition has succeeded in attracting several reputable international com-panies such as IWA in Nuremberg and JAGD&HUND in Dortmund, two major firms in

Germany specializing in hunting equipment. A number of leading companies from Qatar and abroad have also agreed to par-ticipate in the forthcoming exhibition.

On the other hand, Katara has announced a special prize worth QR30,000 for the best commercial stall in the exhi-bition. This is to encourage the

participating com-panies to prepare their pavilions in the best manner in terms of exhibits and arrangement to attract the maximum number of visitors. Katara h a s a l s o announced a prize for the most beau-tiful falcon hood and has invited the companies and manufacturers concerned to take part in this contest.

The international exhibition aims to promote Qatar’s rich Arab heritage by supporting falcon enthusiasts and the hobby of hunting. It will feature stalls selling falcons, hunting equipment and advanced tech-nology used in the hobby of hunting. It will also showcase ancient hunting-related artifacts from around the world.

Committee for Selection of Candidates for Military Officers begins works

Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (left), General Manager of Katara Cultural Village, said that the second edition of the exhibition will have several new features and see an increase in participants

Attorney-General meets top French official

04 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018HOME

QNL announces Athan contest winnersTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar National Library (QNL) has announced the winners of its online Athan (call to prayer) contest, organized as part of the library’s Ramadan activities.

The contest saw competitors recite the Athan and share their recordings online with QNL staff, with more than 140 entries being received, including three from children and two from outside Qatar.

“The Athan contest is important in fostering the talents of community members and encouraging them to use the facilities at the library, such as the recording studio at our inno-vation stations,” said Ahmed Naddaf, Information Services Librarian at QNL.

“In order to reach the final stages of the competition, par-ticipants’ voices were filtered by voice experts and then voted on

by library staff, ensuring both the professional and spiritual nature of the winners’ voices. As part of our drive to promote community engagement, we will use the recording of the first-place winner to announce the

prayer times in our library building.”

First place was won by Mahmoud Majdy Al Domery, teacher of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language at the Sher-borne Qatar; second place by

Mohammad Hilal Sayeed, Imam at Qatar’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs; and third place by Mohammad Ali Al Abrash, currently a postgraduate student at Qatar University in Islamic Studies.

Commenting on the contest, the winners said that Athan is of great importance in Islam, as it is a call to enter the mosque and a gateway into Islam. They expressed their delight that QNL organized such a unique contest that appreciates and credits

the muezzins (reciters of Athan) of the community, and their hope that more competitions like this will be held in the future, both in Qatar and throughout the Arab world.

The winners with an official.

DOHA: LG Electronics Gulf (LGE) has announced the launch of its new flagship Sound Bar, the LG SK10Y. Building on the success of last year’s SJ9, the 2018 upgrade brings with it a host of new connected services and features, including Dolby Atmos compatibility and Google’s Chromecast built-in for multi-room music and control via the Google Assistant.

LG has partnered with renowned audio company Meridian Audio to tune the new LG SK10Y Sound Bar for precision quality and fidelity. The LG SK10Y Sound Bar will include the hi-fi com-pany’s digital sound processing (DSP) modes including bass, space and height elevation, which raises the sound to the level of the screen.

“With the launch of the premium LG SK10Y Sound Bar, we are offering our customers an incredible audio experience in a sleek and elegant design that is sure to be a perfect addition to LG’s range of OLED TVs for the home. The R&D and innovations that led to the LG SK10Y Sound Bar make us very proud, and we are excited to introduce this revolutionary product to our customers in Qatar,” said CV Rappai, Director & CEO, Video Home & Elec-tronic Centre and Jumbo Electronics.

The LG SK10Y Sound Bar features Dolby Atmos, creating a complete cinematic audio experience by innovative up-firing speakers that deliver a sense of realism and height. It also includes a wireless subwoofer, delivering 550W of power. It also supports a multitude of high fidelity audio formats for smooth, lifelike playback of your favourite music.

LG launches flagship SK10Y sound bar

Milestone for Ooredoo as 22 5G network towers now liveDOHA: Ooredoo announced yesterday a new network mile-stone, with 22 5G network towers now live, covering an area from West Bay to Hamad International Airport.

Due to this momentous effort from the company, some of Qatar’s busiest areas are now 5G ready, meaning more people than ever will be able to access the life changing network tech-nology when devices become available. The latest network tower updates include areas such as the Pearl, Hamad Inter-national Airport, West Bay, Rawdah and more.

Talking about the milestone, Waleed Al Sayed, Chief Exec-utive Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “At our world-first 5G launch in May, we promised that 100 5G sites would be ready in three months and we are working hard to fulfil this. We understand the potential of 5G and want to ensure Qatar is the first country to truly benefit

from its network technology, which is why we are investing so heavily in the roll-out. With our state-of-the-art 5G network now available in some of Qatar’s most populated areas, it will vastly improve signal strength for both 5G users, and other net-works (such as 4G) when devices are available.”

To demonstrate the amazing power of Ooredoo 5G to its cus-tomers, the company recently built a high-tech Virtual Reality

simulated football environment in one of the World Cup Fan Zones in Khalifa stadium.

The VR football envi-ronment is available to enjoy for free at Gate 2, Level 1 of Khalifa Stadium until 14 July, and the experience runs solely and seamlessly on Ooredoo 5G.

Reaching 22 5G network towers is the latest milestone for Ooredoo’s Supernet network, in May Ooredoo announced it was the first operator in the world to launch a 5G network commer-cially, in the 3.5GHz spectrum band, and the company has since gone on to roll-out the network to Katara Cultural Village, where a live speed test reached an impressive 2.51 Gbps with an extremely high throughput and low latency.

As well as speed and relia-bility, Ooredoo’s 5G network roll-out will have a hugely pos-itive impact on many business sectors and organisations in Qatar. Most noticeably, Ooredoo 5G will lead to the rise of Internet of Things applications in Qatar such as smart cars, VR, AR and drones.

Due to world-wide manu-facturing limitations, Ooredoo’s 5G Supernet network is not yet accessible by smartphones, however, the company has stated that it is working to rapidly roll-out its state-of-the-art network so that consumers and businesses across Qatar can instantly benefit as soon as com-patible devices are made available.

Waleed Al Sayed, CEO of OoredooAttorney-General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri (right), with the Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the French Republic, Philippe Etienne (centre). The meeting discussed means of enhancing legal and judicial cooperation through judicial cooperation agreements with the French Ministry of Justice, as well as enhancing academic and cultural cooperation through Francophone education.

Team Qatar Channel Swim seek historic feat at ‘La Manche’CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

British captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unas-sisted swim across the channel from England to France in August 1875. Over the past 143 years, only 1484 individual swimmers and 757 relay teams have succeeded in crossing the hazardous waterway, also considered as the Mount Everest of open water swimming. Founded in 1927, The Channel Swimming Association (CSA) is the organisation responsible for observing and authenticating Cross-Channel Swims.

With over 600 tankers and 200 ferries passing through the channel every day, the swimmers must depend on experienced and CSA cer-tified pilots to escort them during the attempt using vessels also reg-istered with the Association. The team will be escorted on the Channel by the vessel Rowena, captained by Pete Reed.

FROM LEFT: Michael Khoury, Wael Zeidan, Dr Jamal Al Khanji, Dr Khalid Mohammed Al Jalham, Dr Mohammed Al Kuwari, Fahad Mohammed Al Buenain and Talal Abdulaziz Al Emadi.

The latest network tower updates include areas such as the Pearl, Hamad International Airport, West Bay and Rawdah. As well as speed and reliability, Ooredoo’s 5G network roll-out will have a hugely positive impact on many business sectors and organisations in Qatar. More people than ever will be able to access the life changing network technology when devices become available.

MoPH concludes National Health Strategy sessionsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Public health (MoPH) has recently concluded a series of interactive roadshow sessions introducing the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2018-2022 to the health sector. The series included seven sessions at different health sector organi-zations and covered more than 500 health sector staff.

The sessions introduced the Strategy’s 12 priority areas and 19 National health Targets. It also explained the roles of the National health Strategy Leads, who were newly appointed by HE the Minister of Public health Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, to drive the strategy implementation.

Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Public Health Department Director at the MoPH, the Deputy NHS lead for the Enhanced health Protection’ priority area, and a keynote

speaker at the roadshow said: “as a key component of health sector engagement, the road shows have been invaluable. Not only have they ensured the core elements of the Strategy reach the people delivering healthcare, they are interactive sessions which have resulted in excellent questions, new ideas, and have deepened our understanding as to what the healthcare com-munity feels are areas for imme-diate attention. We have

emphasized in return that people in all fields have a real oppor-tunity to stay connected and contribute. It has been a very good experience.”

During the sessions, the audience were asked to vote on what they thought were the key enablers to the success of the strategy, the areas which require the most urgent attention from the healthcare system, as well as the MOPH communication channels they prefer, to stay up

to date on the progress of the NHS 2018-2022. The responses will be used as a guide for next steps in the strategy implemen-tation and communications.

The Road Shows were held at the MOPH, Um Salal health Centre, Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medicine, Al Wakra Hospital and Al Khor Hospital. They were well received by staff, who were eager know more about their role in sup-porting the strategy and its implementation.

Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Public Health Department Director at the MoPH, addressing a meeting.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1“We’re in the final stages to

really make a decision very soon,” he said. “We are very eager to do the project. We think this is a very important project for us, and we believe we’re aligned with Exxon Mobil on that.”

The final go-ahead will come only after the company secures gas to feed the project. “You can buy gas off the market, but we want to be naturally hedged.”

While Qatar is currently the top LNG exporters, according to the International Gas Union, the US is on the rise, and analysts have speculated it could grab the top spot in the next two

years as new American projects get the green light.

Two US export terminals are in service -- one in Louisiana and one in Maryland -- and four more are expected to come online by 2020. A long list of others are vying for a spot in the global market. Golden Pass is one of four fully permitted US ventures that are still awaiting a final investment decision from developers.

Of Qatar Petroleum’s 14 LNG-producing units -- called “trains” -- all but one were developed alongside US com-panies, Al Kaabi said. He said he hopes to show the US gov-ernment the importance of seeing Qatar as a business

partner. “We felt we deserved more support from the US than we got,” Al Kaabi said. “I don’t think the US administration or the US public understands how important Qatar is and how good Qatar has been to our partners.”

Qatar’s relationship with the administration seems to be improving, he said, adding that he has several meetings lined up with US officials -- including a one-on-one with Energy Sec-retary Rick Perry -- while he’s in Washington for the World Gas Conference.

“That relationship in the long term is very important to us,” Al Kaabi said. “We have an economic tie that’s very strong.”

QP to invest $20bn in US oil and gas

05THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

AFP

JUBA: South Sudan’s warring parties yesterday agreed to a permanent ceasefire to take effect in 72 hours, as long-suffering citizens wondered whether this latest attempt at peace would fall apart as well.

South Sudan’s government confirmed the deal was signed after face-to-face talks between Pres-ident Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar in Sudan. The discussions followed their meeting last week in Ethiopia, their first in nearly two years.

The new agreement also calls for the opening of corridors for humanitarian aid, the release of prisoners and the withdrawal of forces. The African Union and East African regional bloc are asked to provide forces to oversee the cease-fire. South Sudan in the three years ahead also will prepare for elections. Meanwhile Sudan and South

Sudan will “immediately reha-bilitate the oil fields” central to the economy, which has largely collapsed.

Tens of thousands have been killed in South Sudan’s five-year civil war, which erupted two years after independence from Sudan and has created Africa’s largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide and left millions near famine. Multiple attempts at peace deals have failed in the past, and the United States, the country’s top human-itarian donor, has grown increasingly frustrated.

The two sides expressed mixed emotions shortly after the agreement.

“This is the president signing, so everyone in the gov-ernment will have to implement it,” said government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny. “We’re very happy with this deal.”

Expect a power-sharing agreement in the next couple of

weeks, Ateny said.Meanwhile, opposition

spokesman Mabior Garang said there was no guarantee the cease-fire will work. “However, the involvement of the region is more serious now. We are cau-tiously optimistic.”

The latest cease-fire in December was violated within hours.

The new talks are being mediated by the East African regional bloc and its leaders, with Ethiopia’s new prime min-ister inviting Kiir and Machar last week for the first round and an awkward embrace. South Sudan’s government emerged saying it rejected the idea of having Machar return as Kiir’s deputy under a power-sharing deal, and the opposition rejected the “imposition” of a deal.

The two sides, however, agreed to meet again this week in Sudan and are set to hold further talks in Kenya.

South Sudan’s warring sides agree to permanent ceasefire

AFP

RAMALLAH: Britain’s Prince William found himself on diplo-matic thin ice during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank yesterday when he called the Palestinian Territories a “country”.

Meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah, the prince appeared to fall foul of the complex lan-guage surrounding the Middle East conflict.

“Thank you for welcoming me, and I am very glad that our two countries work so closely together and have had success stories with education and relief work in the past,” he told Abbas, speaking without notes.

T h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l

community typically refrains from referring to the Palestinian Territories as a country or state, instead supporting the Pales-tinian demand for a sovereign state in the future — the so-called two-state solution.

And while Palestine has observer status at the United Nations, it is not an officially recognised member state.

The Likud party of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who the prince met in Jerusalem on Tuesday, rejects Palestinian statehood and sup-ports Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Abbas’s Palestinian Authority is based.

Israel’s coalition gov-ernment, considered the most right-wing in the country’s

history, includes ministers who have voiced support for annexing the West Bank.

There was no immediate comment from the British foreign office or from royal offi-cials in London on whether William made a slip of the tongue.

The trip, the first by a senior royal to both Israel and the Pal-estinian Territories, comes at a particularly sensitive time after US President Donald Trump rec-ognised Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

The US move outraged Pal-estinians and sparked deadly clashes on the border with Gaza.

Today, the prince is to com-plete his stay by visiting his-torical and religious sites in east Jerusalem.

In West Bank, Prince William speaks of Palestinian ‘country’

AFP

ABUJA: Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari faced calls yesterday to improve security or resign, after more than 200 people were killed in the latest bloodletting between herders and farming communities.

Buhari came to power in 2015 on a promise to curb inse-curity across the country, in par-ticular by Boko Haram, whose Islamist insurgency has killed at least 20,000 since 2009.

But a resurgence of vio-lence in the long-running con-flict between cattle herders and farmers has become a key issue as he seeks re-election in Feb-ruary next year.

Analysts predict the extent of the unrest could eclipse that of the jihadists in the northeast.

The violence in Plateau state on Saturday was an apparent reprisal after ethnic Berom farmers allegedly killed five Fulani herders last Thursday. Governor Simon Lalong said in the state capital, Jos, late on Tuesday that the clashes had caused “the painful loss of over 200 people”.

The police, blaming sus-pected herders, have said 86 people were killed. However, multiple local sources from the communities affected main-tained that more than 100 people died.

The main association rep-resenting the largely nomadic herders has denied its com-munity had any involvement in the killings and said its members had been repeatedly targeted for months.

The clashes are rooted in tensions over access to land between the pastoral herders and sedentary farmers but have also generated sectarian friction between Muslims and Christians. Lalong suggested “criminal elements” were

exacerbating hostilities, including “conflict merchants” involved in “cattle rustling, theft, banditry, gun running” and other crimes.

Both he and Buhari have also warned about politicising the conflict or giving it a reli-gious dimension.

Lalong said after talks with Buhari in Jos that the latest attacks were carried out with “sophisticated weapons” that were “reflective of a terrorist invasion”.

“It (the bloodshed) therefore demands a justified response like that which was undertaken to address the Boko Haram insurgency,” he added.

Lawmakers earlier this month issued a thinly veiled threat of impeachment to Buhari, accusing his security chiefs of repeatedly failing to protect lives and property.

The 75-year-old leader said on Tuesday he would “continue to pressurise members of the law enforcement agencies directly under me by the con-s t i t u t i o n a s t h e commander-in-chief”.

He also said it was an “injustice” to imply he was doing nothing because he was also Fulani and Muslim.

Police and army reinforce-ments have been sent to Plateau to improve security, while a dusk-to-dawn curfew remained in place in areas of the state to restore calm.

Several hundred protesters meanwhile marched to the governor’s office in Jos on Tuesday, demanding an end to the violence and action against the perpetrators.

In Abuja, nigeria’s two par-liamentary speakers, Bukola Saraki of the Senate and Yakubu Dogara of the lower House of Representatives, warned of the consequences of doing nothing.

Buhari under pressure after deaths of over 200 in violence

REUTERS & AFP

ADEN: A UN special envoy met Yemen’s exiled president yesterday in efforts to find a political solution that would avert an all-out assault on the country’s main port city, which the United Nations fears could trigger a famine.

A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched an offensive on June 12 to drive the Iran-aligned Houthi movement from Hodeidah, the port that serves as lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation.

The Houthis have indicated they would be willing to hand over management of Hodeidah port to the United Nations, and Washington has encouraged the Arabs to accept such a deal, Western sources have told Reuters.

But a UAE official said on Tuesday the Houthis must quit the Red Sea city altogether as a condition for any peace deal.

The Arab states have been battling since 2015 to restore a government that was driven out of the capital Sanaa by the Houthis, who are Shias fighters that Yemen’s neighbours view as agents of Iran.

The Houthis now control most of Yemen’s populated areas as well as the capital. They deny being Iranian pawns and say they are defending the country from foreign invasion.

UN envoy Martin Griffiths, who has held meetings with the Houthis, met President Abdrabb uh Mansur Hadi in the southern city of Aden, tem-porary headquarters of his

exiled government.Yemen’s embattled pres-

ident has demanded a full rebel withdrawal from conflict-hit Hodeida, a government source said, after talks with the UN’s top envoy in Aden.

“President Hadi insisted on the need for the Houthis to withdraw completely and without conditions from Hodeida, or face a military solution,” a Yemeni government source said, requesting anonymity.

In a statement after the meeting, Hadi’s foreign minister Khaled Al Yamani said the pres-ident welcomed the UN efforts, based on a “Hodeidah initiative” that has been on the table since May 31.

“The initiative is a bundle of decisions which stands on the Houthis’ complete withdrawal from the port and the city of Hodeidah,” the statement said.

Forces from the legitimate government’s interior ministry would take over the city and its strategic port under the initi-ative, it added.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya tel-evision quoted sources as saying Griffiths told Hadi that the Houthis had agreed to hand management of the port to the United Nations, but Hadi stressed that the Houthis must leave the city entirely.

Fighting has abated in the last week since UAE-backed forces took control of Hodeidah airport. But the United Nations fears the next phase of the battle could see the Arab forces attack the city centre and move on the port, which could cause both high casualties in Hodeidah itself and a potential humanitarian catastrophe if supplies to the rest of Yemen are cut.

The United Nations has been struggling to nudge the warring parties to the negoti-ating table as it seeks a peace deal in the three-year conflict.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and created the world’s most urgent human-itarian emergency, with 22 million people dependent on aid and 8.4 million at risk of starving.

The Arab states say they must recapture Hodeidah to deprive the Houthis of their main source of income and prevent them from smuggling in arms.

Western powers have tacitly supported the Arab states in the conflict and the United States, Britain and France sell them bil-lions of dollars a year in weaponry. But the prospect that a battle could wreak a human-itarian calamity has spurred Western leaders to urge caution on their allies.

UN envoy resumes talks to avert attack on Yemen’s main port

ANATOLIA

ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli at the presidential complex yesterday, according to a presidential source.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak also attended the meeting, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Bahceli once again congratulated Erdogan over his victory in Sunday’s elections. The two leaders exchanged views on the parliamentary works and preparations for the new term. The MHP and the Justice and Development (AK) Party had participated in the elections together under an alliance.

The two leaders last met on April 18 before the elections at the presidential complex.

Britain’s Prince William (centre), speaks with Palestinian students at a school operated by the UNRWA inside Al Jalzoun refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah, yesterday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right), with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli in Ankara, yesterday.

Erdogan meets MHP leader in Ankara

AFP

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has arrested a prominent women’s rights activist, campaigners said yesterday, in a widening crackdown even as the kingdom cele-brates the end of a decades-long ban on female motorists.

Hatoon Al Fassi’s detention was reported by multiple activists including London-based Saudi rights group ALQST, following a wave of arrests of women campaigners who long chal-lenged the driving ban.

“Confirmed news on more arrests amongst Saudi female activists.. professor @Hatoon-ALFASSI is under arrest. She actively participated in #Wom-en2Drive campaigns,” tweeted exiled activist Manal Al Sharif. Fassi, a professor at Riyadh’s King Saud University who long campaigned for the right to drive, last appeared active on Twitter on Thursday.

Saudi arrests woman activist in widening crackdown

The Houthis have indicated they would be willing to hand over management of Hodeidah port to the United Nations, and Washington has encouraged the Arabs to accept such a deal, Western sources have said.

06 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018ASIA

PM: 500 millionavailing social security coverIANS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said that 500 million people in the country have come under social security cover, which is a 10-time leap from the 2014 figure.

Interacting with the bene-ficiaries of various social security schemes through video conferencing on the Narendra Modi (NaMo) app, he said that over 20 crore people had reaped the benefits and were secure with the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana.

Modi said that under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, a government-backed Life insurance scheme, “over 5.5 crore people have enrolled themselves and also claimed crores of rupees”.

“Over three lakh people have enrolled for the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana — a pension scheme for the senior citizens,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that about three lakh elderly people have benefited from this scheme started last year, under which citizens above 60 years get 8 per cent fixed return for 10 years.

“In addition, the gov-ernment also increased the basic limit of income tax from Rs2.5 lakh to Rs3 lakh for senior citizens.”

Modi also said that the gov-ernment’s social security schemes, launched at a low premium to ensure financial security to people from all social and geographical sec-tions, had helped people cope with the uncertainties of life.

He said that more than 13 crore people had availed the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.

“Under this scheme, people can claim accidental insurance coverage of up to Rs 2 lakh by paying a premium of just Rs 12 per year.”

On Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, Modi said: “We emphasised on three aspects —opening the doors of the banks for the poor, access to capital for small business and budding entrepreneurs and a social security cover for the poor and vulnerable.

“The total number of 28 crore bank accounts opened under this scheme during the period 2014 to 2017 is nearly 55 per cent of the total bank accounts opened in the world.”

He also expressed hap-piness that more women have bank accounts in India now and that the number of bank accounts in India “has reached 80 per cent from 53 per cent in 2014”.

“I am particularly happy that more women have bank accounts. It is important for women to be in the financial mainstream.”

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley (left), and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding talks in New Delhi, yesterday.

Haley and Modi discuss India-US cooperation, counter-terrorismIANS

NEW DELHI: US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley met Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday and discussed ways to enhance India-US cooperation including on counter-terrorism.

During the meeting, Haley noted the deepening relations between India and the US par-ticularly in strategic and defence sectors, a statement said.

Modi expressed appreciation for US President Donald Trump’s South Asia and Indo-Pacific strategies and com-mended his initiative for denu-clearization of the Korean Peninsula. “Both the dignitaries discussed ways to enhance

India-US cooperation including on counter-terrorism and in multilateral fora. They expressed confidence that strong India-US partnership will continue to be an important factor for global peace and pros-perity,” the statement said. Haley, who is on a two-day visit to India, had called on Modi to convey greetings from the US President.

Recalling his earlier meetings and interactions with Trump, Modi also requested Haley to convey his best wishes to the US President.

Earlier, Haley said she is here to strengthen bilateral rela-tions and to continue the dem-ocratic bonds.

“I am here to once again solidify our love for India, our belief in the friendship that India and the US have and our will-ingness to make that relation even stronger,” Haley said during her visit to the Humayun’s tomb.

Mentioning that there were multiple level of opportunities between the two countries, Haley said India and the US shared the value of freedom.

“Whether it is countering terrorism, whether it is the fact that we want to continue our democratic opportunities, or start to work together more strongly on the military aspect, there are lots of things that India and the US have in common,” she said.

Thomson Reuters report an opinion poll, says govtIANS

NEW DELHI: The government yesterday dismissed the Thomson Reuters Foundation report titled ‘The world’s most dangerous countries for women 2018’ which held India as the most dangerous country for women, saying that it is based on an opinion poll, rather than data.

“Reuters has used a flawed methodology to arrive at this claim. The ranking is based on a perception poll based on responses to simply six questions. The results are not derived from any kind of data and are solely based on inherently subjective opinions,” said the Women and Child Development Min-istry in a statement.

“Further, the poll has been conducted with 548 respondents, which have been defined by Reuters as ‘experts focused on women’s issues’. However, information on their designation, credentials, country of expertise or quali-fications is not available thus reliability is an issue,” it added.

The ministry also raised questions on the methodology given by the organisation, saying no information or opinion has been sought from it regarding this poll.

According to the poll, out of 548 global experts on women’s issues, 43 are based in India who were asked questions relating to risks faced by women in six areas.

Modi said that the government’s social security schemes, launched at a low premium to ensure financial security to people from all social and geographical sections, had helped people cope with the uncertainties of life. He said that more than 130 million people had availed the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.

Clashes in Tripura after boy murdered; CM denies organs stolenIANS

AGARTALA: All the vital organs of an 11-year-old student who was found brutally murdered in Tripura on Tuesday are intact, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said yesterday, after rumours that the boy’s kidneys were removed led to a clash among villagers and policemen, leaving many injured.

“Class 4 student Purna Biswas was brutally murdered on Tuesday at Mohanpur (in western Tripura) and his body was found near his home late on Tuesday. After the postmortem it was found that all the vital organs of his body including the kidneys are intact,” Deb told the Assembly.

Reports in local media

yesterday claimed that the boy’s body bore grievous injuries and the kidneys were missing, sending shock waves through the state.

In reply to questions by former Health Minister and CPI-M legislator Tapan Chakraborty, the Chief Min-ister said: “It was a most painful and heart-rending

killing. Police personnel went to the village to help the vil-lagers, but they were attacked by the agitated villagers. Two injured police officials are still in hospital.”

Deb, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that one person was arrested in con-nection with Tuesday night’s violence.

Residents stand beside their damaged house at a fishing hamlet of Srinivasapuram on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Chennai yesterday. More than 50 houses were damaged due to seawater incursion following high tide accompanied by strong winds.

High tide woes

Contempt plea against NBCC for tree cuttingIANS

NEW DELHI: A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court yesterday seeking contempt action against the National Buildings Construction Corp (NBCC), tasked with redeveloping six south Delhi colonies, for allegedly violating its undertaking to the court not to cut trees till July 4 for residential projects here.

The contempt petition was mentioned before a bench of Justice Vinod Goel and Justice Rekha Palli which posted the plea, filed by environmentalist Vimlendu Jha, for hearing on July 4 along with the main petition.

While hearing the main plea, which had sought setting aside of the terms of reference and environmental clearance granted to the project by the Environment Ministry, the bench on June 25

asked the NBCC not to axe till July 4 the 16,500 trees set to be cut for the residential project.

In the contempt plea, Jha alleged that there was “delib-erate and willful default” of the June 25 undertaking given to the court by the NBCC.

He said that the alleged contemnor (NBCC CMD) had undertaken not to cut trees in areas concerned till July 4 but on Tuesday he noticed that the officials and workers of NBCC were cutting trees in Netaji Nagar in south Delhi.

A police complaint had been filed and he sought con-tempt action against author-ities, the plea added.

On Monday, the court asked the NBCC not to cut the trees till the next date of hearing and the NBCC had assured the bench that it will not chop any tree till July 4.

Six security personnel dead in Jharkhand Maoist attackIANS

RANCHI: Maoist guerrillas exploded a landmine in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, killing six security personnel, officials said yesterday.

The attack took place at Budha Pahad area when the six were engaged in security operations late on Tuesday.

Due to bad weather, the injured security personnel were not airlifted by heli-copter for treatment.

Yesterday, amid rains, security forces and Maoist guerrillas exchanged gunfire in the same area.

According to police, a gun battle had taken place between the security forces and Maoists on Sunday also.

The police had launched a search operation for the Maoists based on intelligence inputs. The rebels ambushed them on Tuesday by tracking their movement.

After the landmine blast, the Maoists fired at the security personnel.

Jharkhand Director General of Police D.K. Pandey said the operation will con-tinue at Budha Pahad till the Maoists were eliminated. Additional forces have been deployed in the area and both the police and the Central Reserve Police Force have intensified their operation.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state.

Target all Lok Sabha seats in 2019: Amit Shah to Bengal BJPIANS

KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah yesterday asked the party’s West Bengal leadership to strive for victory in 100 per cent Lok Sabha seats in the state in the coming 2019 general election, a state BJP leader said here.

Shah, on a two day tour of the state, has also asked the state

leaders not to compromise with Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Con-gress on any front.

“Shah has asked us to fight for victory in all 42 Lok Sabha seats here. He asked us to target big for the 2019 elections, so that we come up with a good result.

“He also said the party lead-ership here should take the fight to Trinamool Congress,” said a senior state BJP leader present

at the party’s election man-agement team meeting.

State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, BJP MP and Union Minister Babul Supriyo, party’s national secretary Rahul Sinha, state women wing President Locket Chatterjee were among those present at the meeting.

The saffron outfit had previ-ously set a target of 22 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal for next year’s general election.

Shah, who arrived in the city on Wednesday afternoon, is scheduled to hold meetings with Bengal BJP’s election committee, social media cell and core com-mittee and would also address a section of the state’s intellectuals during the day.

“Shah’s visit to Bengal has triggered an earthquake in the Trinamool Congress. They are trying to hold a public meeting

in Purulia district within three days of Shah’s visit there.

“They are in such a bad shape right now that their activists pulled down many of our hoardings welcoming Amit Shahji in the Kolkata airport area. Such activities by TMC prove that BJP President’s visit is making them shiver,” BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha told reporters here.

07THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018 ASIA

China won’t give up ‘one inch’ of territory, Xi tells MattisREUTERS

BEIJING: China is committed to peace and won’t cause “chaos” in the world, but cannot give up even an inch of territory that the country’s ancestors have left behind, Chinese President Xi Jinping told US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis yesterday.

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

Mattis is visiting against a backdrop of spiralling tension between Beijing and Washington over trade.

Beijing is also deeply suspi-cious of US intentions toward self-governing and democratic Taiwan, which is armed by the United States. China views the island as a sacred part of its territory.

Meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi told Mattis Xi that China had only peaceful intentions and would not “cause chaos”, state television reported.

Both countries’ common interests far outweigh their dif-ferences, but on territorial issues there can be no concessions, Xi added, without referring to spe-cific areas.

“We cannot loose even one inch of the territory left behind by our ancestors. What is other people’s, we do not want at all,” state television cited Xi as saying.

Mattis, in comments in front of reporters, told Xi his talks had been “very, very” good.

“I am happy to be in China and we are assigning the same high degree of importance to the military to military relationship,” Mattis said.

Meeting earlier in the day, China’s defence minister told Mattis that only with mutual respect and by avoiding confron-tation can China and the United States develop together.

“China upholds peaceful development, and China’s mil-itary unswervingly protects the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” Chinese Defence Minister Wei

Fenghe said, according to his ministry.

“China and the United States can only develop together if we maintain no conflict, no confron-tation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” Wei added.

“China and the United States two militaries must implement the consensus of the two coun-tries’ leaders, increase mutual trust, strengthen cooperation and manage risks to turn ties between the two militaries into a factor for stability in the bilateral relationship.” Mattis, the first Pentagon chief to visit China since 2014, told Wei he expected all of his conversations in Beijing would be characterised by an “open and honest” dialogue, like the one he had with Wei.

“The military-to-military rela-tionship is critical to the broader relationship between our two countries,” Mattis added, in com-ments also in front of reporters.

Mattis invited Wei to visit him at the Pentagon.

Wei was similarly upbeat in his public remarks. “Your visit to China this time is... a new pos-itive factor to the military-to-military and state-to-state rela-tionship,” said Wei, who only assumed his position in March.

The Chinese defence min-istry statement made only passing mention of the South China Sea, Taiwan and North

Korea, citing Wei as telling Mattis what China’s positions were on those issues.

As Mattis arrived, Chinese state media said a formation of Chinese warships has been holding daily combat drills for more than a week in waters near Taiwan, and there have been fre-quent Chinese air force exercises near the island.

While China and the United States have tried hard to keep lines of communication between their militaries open, especially at the senior level, they are deeply suspicious of each other.

The United States accuses China of militarising the South China Sea with its island-building work there, while China has been angered by U.S. naval

patrols through the strategic waterway.

In May, the United States withdrew an invitation to China to attend a major U.S.-hosted naval drill, the Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC and previously attended by China, in response to what Washington sees as Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea.

China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe (left) and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis review a guard of honour during a welcome ceremony at the Bayi Building in Beijing, yesterday.

Pakistan-US discussion on Afghan peace next weekINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: A senior US envoy Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice G Wells is scheduled to visit Pakistan next week to explore the possibility of a permanent peace in Afghan-istan, official sources said.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis told Pentagon reporters on Monday that he saw encouraging signs for substantive talks between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban after 17 years of war.

Secretary Mattis noted that the Eid ceasefire initiated by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had also “cut deep into the Taliban. We’ll see how this goes forward”.

Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also offered to discuss with the Taliban their demand for the withdrawal of US and inter-national forces from Afghan-istan, adding that Washington would “support, facilitate and participate in these discussions”.

Earlier this month, Wells who looks after South and Central Asian affairs told a congressional panel that Pakistan had “an important role” and “legitimate interests” in Afghanistan, which “it wants to ensure are met during any peace process”.

Army to be deployed for four days during Pakistan pollsINTERNEWS

LAHORE: In an unprecedented measure, services of hundreds of thousands of Pakistan army troops will be hired for four days — July 23 to July 26 — to provide security during the next month’s general elections, the top election body announced yesterday.

In this regard, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has formally written a letter to the Ministry of Defense for deployment of the army inside and outside the polling stations for the general elections slated for July 25.

“The ECP in its letter has requested the Ministry of Defence for army deployment from July 23 till July 26,” said an official statement issued by the commission.

In the past, the army was usually only deployed outside of polling stations that were declared ‘most sensitive’. This time, however, troops will be deployed in and outside all polling stations across the country.

The deployment will be in addition to the security cover the army will be providing for gov-ernment printing presses where ballot papers will be prepared.

The additional troops will be guarding the Printing Corporation of Pakistan Press in Islamabad, National Printing Security Company in Karachi, and Pakistan Post Foundation in Islamabad.

The deployment will start on June 27. In addition to providing security at the printing presses, the troops will also be providing security for ballot papers and other election material being transported to the offices of returning officers and then to polling stations.

Army, Rangers, and police officials assigned security duties for the July 25 polls would be given training on the election

process and a code of conduct would be provided to them regarding enlisting their duties.

The ECP official said the step has been taken to ensure security officials know exactly what their role is, where they can intervene and where cannot. ECP officials would train master trainers of those departments that would further impart training to their staffers to be deputed on election duty.

In addition to this general training, the ECP would develop a code of conduct for law-enforcement agencies, elabo-rating on their roles.

“The presiding officer is in charge of a polling station. All

other officials - including those deputed for security duty - should be assisting him or her,” the official said, adding there were incidents in the past where officials deputed were confused about their roles.

There will be more than 85,000 polling stations situated in around 45,000 buildings across the country. More than 350,000 army troops would be needed to secure those areas.

Having a history of attacks on its officials in some areas during the last general elections, the ECP is concerned about the security of the election staff - including returning officials.

Australia to pass foreign interference laws amid rising China tensionsREUTERS

SYDNEY: Australia is expected to pass legislation today aimed at preventing interference by foreign governments, a move likely to further stoke tensions with major trading partner China.

Mirroring similar rules in the United States, Australia will require lobbyists for foreign countries to register, and makes them liable for criminal prose-cution if they are deemed to be meddling in domestic affairs.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last year referred to “disturbing reports about Chinese influence” as justifi-cation for the measures.

China has denied allega-tions of meddling in Australian affairs, but concern over Chinese political donations and relationships between law-makers and Chinese businesses has intensified in Australia.

“It will come down to whether China is cited when the legislation passes. China will not want to again be singled out,” said James Laurenceson, Deputy Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the Uni-versity of Technology Sydney.

The legislative package before the Senate includes the new Foreign Influence

Transparency Scheme Bill, which requires the registration of lobbyists working for foreign governments.

Another amended law expands potential crimes to include meddling by these agents.

Having cleared the lower house, the package is expected to pass in the Senate where the main opposition Labor Party has said it will support it.

Another planned bill, banning foreign political dona-tions, has yet to be introduced in the lower house.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said law-making was a country’s internal affair and he declined to comment, though he did appeal for all countries to “abandon Cold War thinking”.

“We further want all other countries in the world to follow the principle of not interfering in other countries’ internal affairs,” Lu told a daily news briefing.

“So we hope that all coun-tries can abandon Cold War thinking and on a foundation of mutual respect and equal treatment pursue better com-munications and cooperation. We believe this better fits with the interests of all countries’ peoples.”

Afghan girls carry a gas cannister on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif, yesterday.

Help at hand

PTI seeks extension in polling timeINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to increase the time of polling on July 25 by three hours due to the possibility of hot and humid weather condi-tions.

The demand was formally made by the PTI through a letter sent to the ECP by the party’s information secretary Fawad Chaudhry. The ECP has announced that the polling time

will continue from 9am to 5pm on July 25.

In his letter, the PTI’s infor-mation secretary has said that since people normally do not come out of their homes between 12 noon and 4pm when heat intensity is at its peak, the ECP should extend the time of polling till 8pm to allow more and more people to use their democratic right to vote.

Moreover, he said, the move would allow even senior citizens and those suffering from illness to cast their votes with comfort.

The PTI made the request a day after the ECP dismissed three petitions seeking post-ponement of the upcoming polls and holding of elections for pro-vincial assemblies’ seats in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and the rest of the country on the same day.

Dr Farogh Naseem, the counsel for Habib Orakzai of the Muttahida Qabail Party, while arguing for holding elections on the proposed provincial assembly seats in Fata on July 25, had also raised the issue of scorching

weather in the month of July, saying that voters’ turnout was likely to be very low due to harsh weather conditions.

“The issue of inclement weather condition in Kaghan could have been raised, had the elections been planned for winter” was an instant response of Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza who disagreed with the contention that the weather would be too harsh to dissuade people from exercising their right to franchise.

“China upholds peaceful development, and China’s military unswervingly protects the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said.

The Deputy Permanent Representative added that the State of Qatar continues at the national level to strengthen national legislation related to the fight against terrorism in order to adapt to the latest changes, challenges and international resolutions.

BLOOMBERG

08 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018VIEWS

Qatar reiterates its commitment to implement the global counter-terrorism strategy

The State of Qatar reiterated its full determination to coop-erate with various United Nations bodies related to the

fight against terrorism and to support the efforts of those bodies in fulfilling their mandate and their ability to assist Member States in eradicating this scourge.

This came in a statement delivered by Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Abdulrahman Yacoub Al Hammadi, at the UN General Assembly session on “Sixth Review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy” at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Deputy Per-manent Represent-ative reviewed the compre-hensive approach taken by the State of Qatar in the fight against terrorism, reaffirmed its com-mitment to the imple-mentation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its fully compliance with its obli-gations under inter-national instruments and Security Council res-

olutions relating to the fight against terrorism and its financing as well as its severe condemnation of terrorism in all its forms whenever and wherever committed and by whomever committed regardless of its justifications.

He added that the State of Qatar was taking a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism in line with the four pillars of the global strategy to

counter this scourge in all its aspects, in addition of being a privileged partner in international efforts to combat terrorism at various military, financial and legal levels, it also focuses on strengthening efforts to eliminate conditions leading to ter-rorism, such as the security vacuum and policies based on injustice, tyranny, repression, marginalization and discrimination, by supporting technical capacity-building to prevent violent extremism leading to terrorism.

Al Hammadi pointed out that rec-ognizing the importance of pre-vention, the State of Qatar has adopted a comprehensive approach that involves the consolidation of a culture of peace, tolerance and dialogue among civilizations, cultures and reli-gions, hosts a range of leading intel-lectual, enlightenment and mediation centers in the region and promotes freedom of expression and freedom of press to counter any attempt to exploit counter-terrorism as a pretext for achieving political objectives.

Al Hammadi added that the State of Qatar welcomed the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, stressing that the current review provided an opportunity for Member States to assess how best to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and to update it to cope with the evolving changes and challenges facing the international community.

He added that the resolution adopted by the General Assembly was important in strengthening the collective action to combat this serious scourge and strengthening the capacity of the United Nations system to assist Member States in that area, welcoming the important new elements of the resolution, including those relating to the Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Secretariat.

He referred to the initiative of the State of Qatar to hold the General Assembly meeting on the prevention of children and young people from violent extremism in June 2016 and that the State of Qatar has launched initiatives that have become concrete in support of education and youth employment in order to keep them away from the specter of extremism and terrorism, pointing to the signing of a

memorandum of understanding between the Silatech Foundation and the United Nations Office for Com-bating Terrorism to support youth employment opportunities within the framework of the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

He praised the General Assem-bly’s resolution, which stresses the importance of education as a tool to prevent terrorism and violent extremism, pointing out that “Educate a Child” program of Education Above All Foundation, recently announced its success in achieving its goal of re-enrolling 10 million children in schools around the world and Qatar is one of the founders of the global fund for involving communities and enhancing adaptive capacity, which attaches particular importance to resisting the agendas of violent extremism and Qatar is a major con-tributor to this fund.

Al Hammadi said also that the State of Qatar is working within the framework of relevant international organizations and platforms, including the Financial Action Task Force, the International Monetary Fund and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, and is an active member of the Interna-tional Coalition Against ISIS.

He added that Qatar’s commitment to international cooperation is reflected in its support for the United Nations efforts, such as the adoption of the study on the links between human trafficking and financing of terrorism in the context of the implementation of Security Council resolution 2331 (2016) and the State of Qatar has signed several bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding with a number of friendly countries from around the world such as the United States, the People’s Republic of China and France, expressing the belief of the State of Qatar that the elimination of this cross-border scourge requires cooperation and con-certed efforts.

The Deputy Permanent Represent-ative added that the State of Qatar con-tinues at the national level to strengthen national legislation related to the fight against terrorism in order to adapt to the latest changes, challenges and international resolutions. He pointed out the issuance of a system of listing terrorism lists and new rules for the definition of terrorism and the financing of terrorism.

QNA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We should plan now for the possibility

we need to extend the March 2019

deadline ... we are drifting towards March

2019 with no clear negotiating position.

Tony BlairFormer British Prime

Minister

Keep standards high to oppose Trump more effectively

Since he announced his cam-paign for high office in 2015, President Donald Trump has waged a relentless battle

against the dignity of American insti-tutions, from the legal system to Con-gress, while tearing down, often viciously, any individual who might stand in his way.

The erosion of civility has not been restricted to the White House. In the wake of revelations of the administra-tion’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents, protesters drove Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen from her dinner at a restaurant in Washington.

Then, over the weekend, Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee

Sanders was asked to leave a res-taurant in Virginia. The proprietor of the Red Hen described taking the action reluctantly, in the belief that it was morally necessary to stand against an “inhumane and unethical” administration.

Democratic pluralism has always required a set of behaviors as well as a set of laws. We count on laws to safe-guard individual rights, but it’s more often behavior that protects individual dignity. We bestow respect on neighbors, including political oppo-nents, not only to honor their humanity, but to honor and preserve our shared republic, which will cease to function if comity and compromise run dry.

No doubt Trump is the main threat to that vision. But his elevation of the worst of American politics requires

that the rest of us try harder to prevent its triumph. Even in these intemperate times, there are plenty of role models in the right places. Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona and Ben Sasse of Nebraska have spoken out against base presidential insults. House Dem-ocratic leader Nancy Pelosi this week chided Rep. Maxine Waters for stepping over the line in an attack on administration officials.

A commitment to civility doesn’t deny the high stakes of the moment. It doesn’t dispute the value of dissent, or reject the right of moral protest. There are times when the call of conscience must be heeded. But politicians and citizens alike must answer that call with our best republican selves, fully committed to American pluralism, especially when it grates.

Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) of Qatar, Dr. Ali bin Smaik Al Marri had exposed the vicious treatment meted out to the people with special needs, which he termed unprecedented measures in human history.

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

Respect human rights

The unjust siege imposed on Qatar by its neighbours has been inflicting untold sufferings and hardships on the innocent people not only of Qatar but other Gulf Coop-

e r a t i o n C o u n c i l ( G C C ) c o u n t r i e s t o o . The fact that the blockade has not spared even people with disabilities shows how inhumane is the acts of the quartet led by Saudi Arabia.

Recently, the Chairman of the National Human Rights Com-mittee (NHRC) of Qatar, Dr. Ali bin Smaik Al Marri had exposed the vicious treatment meted out to the people with special needs, which he termed unprecedented measures in human history.

During a meeting with Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Catalina Devandas, in Geneva, Dr. Al Marri said that the violations resulting from the Gulf crisis have not excluded persons with disabilities. Many of them have been separated from their families and others have been expelled and deprived from the hospitals of some of the siege countries.

According to Al Marri, the NHRC has monitored and doc-umented cases of violations, described as tragic. In several

cases these special needs people who had been undergoing treatment which demanded special care, were expelled from the hospital of some of the siege countries such as Saudi Arabia.

It is high time the international community woke up and put an end to this barbaric acts the people who require special care and support for survival are subjected to. Qatar is concerned about the well being of its people whether they are differently abled or oth-erwise and the country has a history of upholding the rights of the special people at all costs.

Meanwhile, Qatar has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and its relevant mechanisms, to act urgently in a more effective manner to put an end to the violations caused by the siege imposed on Qatar. Deputy Permanent Representative of Qatar to the Unied Nations Office

in Geneva Al Mohannad Ali Al Hammadi told the 28th special session of the Human Rights Council on Monday that viola-tions of human rights committed by the blockading countries and suffering of those affected by it continue till date.

The nefarious siege has prevented hundreds of students from continuing their education, patients were forced from hospitals and individuals were denied their right to work or to access their property because of their Qatari nationality. As another Haj season is far near, the Saudi authorities continue to create obstacles and take arbitrary measures against people of Qatar from performing the Haj.

Denying the religious rights is worse than human rights violations. Nobody has any right to prevent any Muslim from fulfilling his religious duties. The international community should not turn a blind eye towards the sufferings of the affected people and the perpetrators should be made to pay for their atrocities against the innocent people and the sovereignty of a respected country.

09THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018 OPINION

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Trump sees vindication forimmigration views

Nanotechnology preserves Qatar’s cultural heritage

JONATHAN LEMIRE AP

BOSHRA AL-MERAIKHI

A long time coming, the Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday in favor of Pres-ident Donald Trump’s

travel ban hands the president a much-needed victory sure to embolden him in pressing hard-line immigration policies heading into the midterm elections.

The decision arrived just as Trump was facing a political fire-storm over the wrenching images of migrant children separated from their parents at the border. Bipar-tisan blowback to the family sepa-rations had caused the president to abruptly reverse course last week on the issue, and it raised questions about whether the hawkish immi-gration views that helped propel Trump into office could sustain

Republicans this fall.Trump took the court’s ruling as

vindication for his beliefs, first out-lined moments after he descended the Trump Tower escalator to launch his presidential campaign three years ago.

“The ruling shows that all of the attacks from the media and the Democrat politicians are wrong, and they turned out to be very wrong, and what we’re looking for as Republicans, I can tell you, is strong borders, no crime,” a defiant Trump said from the White House. “What the Democrats are looking at is open borders, which will bring tremendous crime.”

Trump glossed over the fact that the court’s decision applied to the third version of his travel ban, not the original and far more sweeping version. Officials from across the government spent months crafting criteria to assess each country’s security situation and willingness to share information with the US to ensure the final version would hold up in court.

The president was in the White House residence when he found out about the 5-4 ruling. Among West Wing aides and outside Trump advisers, there was a feeling of sat-isfaction that after months of what they viewed as overreaction in the media and from liberals, the highest court in the land found their policy to be legally sound.

“Donald Trump ran on and won because of his commitment to keep America safe. Today’s Supreme Court ruling on his travel ban is a vindication of the president, his administration and the will of the American people,” said Steve

Bannon, a key architect of the original travel ban that sparked chaos at airports and was panned by critics as a glorified “Muslim ban.”

The victory was also seen as val-idation for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to break with precedent and refuse to hold hearings to confirm President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court choice in 2016. That left the seat open for Trump’s pick, Neil Gorsuch, who provided the margin of victory on Tuesday.

The ruling comes days after Trump succumbed to tremendous political pressure and issued an executive order ending the practice of separating migrant children from their parents when families cross the border illegally. Overwhelmed by nonstop cable coverage of children pulled from their mothers, Trump reluctantly signed the order to end the separation of families detained at the border.

US Customs and Border Pro-tection officials announced this week that they are no longer referring such cases for prosecution, though the administration’s Supreme Court victory added to questions about whether Trump agrees with that policy.

Trump, who had complained privately and publicly that the third iteration of his travel ban was not strong enough, showed no reluc-tance to take a victory lap on Tuesday and made clear that he expected Republicans to put immi-gration at the center of their strategy for midterm elections that could determine the fate of his presidency.

“We’re going to run on border security,” Trump said. The Demo-crats, he added, are “going to run on open borders and nobody wants open borders.”

Trump’s hawkish views on immigration were on display from the first moments of his campaign in June 2015, when he called for the construction of a border wall with Mexico and accused the country of sending migrants who were “bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.

The science and treatment behind heartburn inspired a new technology to preserve Qatar’s history. While the country is swiftly developing, the

intensive process is burying a significant amount of its own history beneath new contemporary designed buildings. Never have documents been so important in preserving Qatar’s past.

Since many documents and books from the 19th century are quickly approaching deterio-ration, Khaled Saoud, an associate professor of physics at Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts in Qatar, sought out a way to preserve and maintain Qatar’s heritage for the future generations.

“I found a way of how we can take this doc-ument without changing the identity of it, but add something to it which is nano, where it is invisible basically, and remove the important factor which is the acidity of the paper,” Saoud said.

The importance of preserving manuscripts has always been stressed in academia, but a new technology has been introduced that advances the process. The emerging field of nanotechnology has the ability to design and engineer materials to do just about anything. Now nanotechnology is being deployed to preserve historical documents.

How nanotechnology preserves heritageTake 150-year-old physics book as an

example. Acidity damages and deteriorates the paper, which destroys the fibers within the doc-ument. Similar to neutralizing a heartburn with a tablet, the idea was applied to treating the weak papers through nanomaterials. Calcium and barium hydroxide nanomaterials as well as ethanol was sprayed onto the old paper, which turned out to be the best solvent to raise the alka-linity or the pH level of the paper. Saoud explained that the mechanical strength of the paper increased by 10 times than its original state.

The higher the pH level, the longer the lifespan of a fragile document will last. According to Saoud, the pH level of the paper was eight and half to nine after the treatment, which translated to an additional thousand years. The alkaline reserve was the test used to determine how many years a paper will last.

What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology is used to design new mate-

rials based on a specific purpose. It is the first time in history where one has full control on the mate-rials around them, as stated by Saoud.

Along with engineering the materials used, nanotechnology interconnects with nanoscience, which focus on molecules and structures on a scale of one to 100 nanometers. The idea of nan-otechnology is based on the size and the prop-erties of the material, which can be controlled by controlling the size of the material. Prior to 2001, Saoud worked for Motorola, an American multi-national telecommunications company, to plant nanowires inside chips. It is important to reduce the size of wires since chips are increasingly becoming complex.

“The first thing I did was nanowires made out of gold for Motorola, which used to be a thin layer, about two nanometers to five nanometers. We were the first ones to show an image of atoms and the gold,” Saoud said.

A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Yet Saoud explains that with this scale, our eyes can only see down to 50 micros.

“But the question is how do you work with materials you cannot see? Well, we did not see things, but we have certain reactions and certain tools now, such as electron microscopes.”

Electron microscopes are not like normal microscopes as they have the ability to display the structure of the materials used. These micro-scopes are able to transfer the details to an image where you can see what is being made. Electron microscopes capture an image of what you are creating and cannot physically see it with a naked eye. It is used for nanotechnology, where atoms are so small that a normal microscope cannot capture them.

For Saoud, the reason behind his project was mainly because a lot of noticeable and rapid developmental changes are taking place in Qatar. He was concerned about how the valuable cul-tural heritage items will be passed onto the next generations.

“You find something different everyday, and things are accelerating,” Saoud said. “I thought okay, the next generation or five generations from now, what are they going to learn about Qatar history? How are they going to know what the identity is of this country?”

If these old archives and historical documents can be preserved for another thousand years, then it would be a great thing to give as a gift to the nation and to the upcoming generations, he added.

Digitizing cultural heritageThe nanotechnology method that Saoud

developed is a new way to preserve Qatar’s physical cultural heritage, as opposed to capturing

and digitizing old manuscripts taking place at the Qatar National library. There is an ongoing debate about preserving the physical archives and digi-tizing them.

For Mohammed Abo Ouda, head of web services at Qatar National Library, three pillars applied to preserve and digitize historical docu-ments, which include long term preservation, the enrichment process and making these items available to the general public. This form of pres-ervation involves the process of modifying the structure of the paper to translate it into a digital format. The enrichment process, or the digiti-zation process, is more than photocopying and scanning, instead it contains more metadata around the object, similar to extracting text from a book.

“If I am a researcher and I am searching for a certain word in a certain document, it would be much easier if I could search the content on the [digital] content,” he said.

The availability of the archives in a digital format will make it easily accessible to the public.

“Most of the people try to access the books online. The digital format will allow more people to find the reading experience easier. In fact, that will leverage the reading potential for normal people and for researchers as well,” Abo Ouda added.

“Disaster recovery” is taken into consideration during the digitization process. If any event, such as a water flood, a fire or a sandstorm, happens and that may damage the historical books and archives, the digital copy produced by the library, which are at least three different copies, are maintained and distributed into two distinctive physical geographical locations, according to Abo Ouda.

“So preserving the culture, we are definitely preserving it. That is not the only thing, we pre-serve and we enrich,” he said.

Although the process of digitizing historical archives is easily accessible to the public, the cul-tural and traditional values behind preserving the physical versions still linger.

What is considered cultural heritage?For the director of The Media Majlis at North-

western University in Qatar, Pamela Erskine-Loftus, there are things from history that we do not deem heritage, because sometimes they are either of past history or current history. Political, social and cultural factors deemphasize a par-ticular thing that might have happened in the past.

“Nothing is automatically heritage. People make it heritage,” she said.

Bipartisan blowback to the family separations had caused the president to abruptly reverse course last week on the issue.

Although some museums get carried away with the use of tech-nology, like digitizing items that belong to a culture, what still remains is the cultural value behind preserving them.

“Today whereas you can dig-itize so many things, why is the physical thing still important? Because to museums, they are very much about ‘the real thing’,” she added.

According to Erskine-Loftus, museum visitors only see what the museum chooses to put on display. What the visitor has in mind is that if it is important enough to be on display, then there is an emphasis that the object is even more important, though it was not seen as significant to the culture it belonged to during their period of time.

Younger generations are coming around to understanding the importance of preserving physical artifacts, and not just dig-itally converting them.

Reem Abou Ghazala, a 23-year-old art history instructor at VCUarts in Qatar has noticed that her stu-dents have slowly realized the importance of physical sources, since the university started to drift towards an eco friendly path.

“Being an art historian in a digital age is somewhat difficult. You’re missing the most important part of looking at works of art,” she said. “You don’t get the impression you would in reality. The size of the painting and the texture all play an effect in the way you view it. Having it on the screen does not really tell you much about it.”

The writer is a student of journalism at Northwestern University in Qatar.

10 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018ASIA / EUROPE

Unofficial count shows Widodo supporters winning pollsREUTERS

DEPOK, INDONESIA: Unofficial counts in Indonesia’s regional elections yesterday put candi-dates favouring President Joko Widodo ahead in three provinces on Java island, home to more than half of the population of the world’s third-largest democracy.

But candidates backed by the opposition fared better than expected in the elections, which is an important pointer for national parliamentary and pres-idential races in 2019.

Some hardline Islamic leaders have publicly called for the ousting of Widodo, who has pledged to protect Indonesia’s tradition of pluralism and mod-erate Islam in the officially secular country.

Widodo is expected to run again for the presidency in 2019, against retired general Prabowo Subianto, who was narrowly defeated in the last presidential vote in 2014.

Political analysts said the mixed results meant Widodo, who has mostly enjoyed high

approval ratings, may face a tougher fight next year than expected.

“This is likely to be a wake-up call for Jokowi that he can’t be too confident and has to be more aware of people’s sen-timents,” said Keith Loveard of Concord Consulting Indonesia, referring to the president by his nickname.

Yesterday, elections were

held for 171 city mayors, regents, and provincial governors across the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country.

The regional election results will help underpin support for presidential candidates since local-level leaders are often best placed to mobilise voters. Pres-idential candidates need to be declared by August 10.

The extent of Islamist influence on voters will be closely watched after a bitterly fought contest for the Jakarta governorship last year exposed deep religious and ethnic rifts.

In West Java province, a con-servative area with a population of 47 million, Ridwan Kamil, a 46-year-old, US-educated architect, had won 33 percent of the vote, inching ahead of rivals, according to quick counts, based on unofficial tallies of a sample of votes.

Kamil, the former mayor of Indonesia’s third-largest city of Bandung, has won praise for his progressive approach to gov-ernance, but was opposed by hardline Islamist groups ques-

tioning his Islamic credentials.Kamil has not explicitly

voiced support for Widodo.Indonesia is on high alert

after a series of suicide attacks in Surabaya city killed 30 people last month, in the deadliest mil-itant Islamist attacks in more than a decade.

Last week, one of Indonesia’s highest-profile Islamic State sup-porters was sentenced to death for his involvement in a series of

earlier attacks, and experts have warned of a risk of retaliation by supporters.

The security forces have deployed more than 170,000 personnel to secure the polls.

There have been no reports of unrest and police declared as false rumours on social media of voter intimidation in some parts of the country with sizeable ethnic Chinese communities.

At some voting stations in

Java and on the resort island of Bali there was a festive feel, with polling booths decked out in a World Cup theme and election officials dressed in soccer jerseys.

More than 160 million people are registered to vote.

Some voters complained that religious had figured too prom-inently in the election, and can-didates should have focused more on bread-and-butter issues.

People vote at a World Cup-themed polling station during local elections in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, yesterday.

Prayers for Thai children trapped in flooded caveAFP

MAE SAI, THAILAND: Chanting monks in orange robes prayed alongside distraught relatives outside a flooded cave in northern Thailand where 12 children and their football coach have been trapped for days.

Rescuers battled heavy rain as they struggled to drain the flooded tunnels in the Tham Luang cave where the youngsters, aged 11 to 16, and their coach have been stuck since Saturday.

Three British cave-divers who have previously explored the site arrived in Thailand yesterday to join about 1,000 soldiers, navy SEAL divers, police and park rangers at the mud-slicked site in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

Officials shipped in several high-pressure water pumps overnight to help drain the waterlogged chambers of the cave near the Laos and Myanmar borders, which is several kilometres long.

It was a losing battle as rain kept falling for most of the day, but by evening one of the largest pumps was set up and operating.

Murky water and limited oxygen inside the cave also proved difficult for the 200 rescuers inside.

Thailand’s SEAL unit said on its Facebook page that water levels rose 15 centimetres over-night and that a third chamber of the complex cave network — believed to be several kilo-metres long —was flooded.

As the desperate search for the missing boys entered its fifth night, officials said they were still sure they would find them.

“We are confident the children are still alive. They have food, they are skilful, we are confident they are safe,” Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda told reporters.

“We need to do every-thing to reach these children.” The monks led chants alongside frantic relatives who clung to hope the boys would be found soon.

“I hope that today with the help from all teams he will be saved. I’m certain in my heart,” Pean Kamlue, the mother of a 16-year-old boy in the cave, said.

Poland scraps prison threat for blaming nation for HolocaustAP

WARSAW: Polish lawmakers passed changes to a disputed Holocaust speech law yesterday, scrapping the threat of prison for attributing Nazi crimes to the Polish nation.

The passage of the amend-ments means that Polish author-ities have largely backtracked on a law that had supposedly been aimed at defending the country’s “good name,” but which mostly had the opposite effect.

There were widespread sus-picions that the true intent was to suppress free inquiry into a complex past, and the law was compared by some to history laws in Turkey and Russia.

The amendments, presented to lawmakers by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, were passed 388-25 in the lower house of parliament with five abstentions following an emo-tional but short debate.

The original version of the law, passed early this year, called for prison terms of up to three years for falsely and inten-tionally accusing the Polish nation of Holocaust crimes that were committed by Nazi Germany.

The ruling Law and Justice party said it needed a tool to fight back against foreign media and politicians who sometimes used the expression “Polish death camps” to refer to German-run

camps in occupied Poland. Even former U S President Barack Obama once used such termi-nology, sparking outrage in Poland.

Polish authorities insisted that nobody would be punished for any statement backed up by facts and that there would be no criminal punishment for dis-cussing individual cases of Polish wrongdoing.

But the law nonetheless sparked a major diplomatic crisis with Israel, where Holocaust survivors and politicians feared it was an attempt to whitewash episodes of Polish violence against Jews during the First World War. The United States warned it threatened academic freedom and that it would harm

Poland’s “strategic position.” Ukraine was also opposed because the law made it a crime to deny atrocities committed by Ukrainian nationalists against Poles during and after the war.

The strained ties with those three allies came as Poland’s ties with the European Union and individual Western European nations are also threatened by a judicial overhaul seen as an erosion of democratic checks and balances.

Many critics argued that the Holocaust speech law would be useless against people outside of Poland and feared it was mostly meant to suppress a growing body of scholarly research about Polish violence..

The focus on that side of Polish history is deeply unset-tling to many Poles, who fear it is will come to overshadow the heroic aspects of Poland’s resistance to Nazi Germany and the massive suffering inflicted on the country.

Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said he was pleased that the Polish government “is now taking the appropriate steps to amend one of the most problematic and dan-gerous clauses and remove the criminal penalties imposed by the law.” Lawmakers held an emo-tional debate, with members of the opposition lashing out at the Law and Justice party for ever passing the law in the first place.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, US National Security Adviser John Bolton and members of the delegations attend a meeting in Moscow, Russia, yesterday.

Putin hopes Trump aide visit ‘first step’ to improving tiesAFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that yesterday’s visit to Moscow by US leader Donald Trump’s national security adviser will help improve bilateral ties amid tensions between Moscow and the West.

Hardliner John Bolton is in Moscow to lay the groundwork for a summit between the Kremlin chief and President Trump that may take place next month in Europe.

“Your visit to Moscow gives us hope that we can at least take the first step to reviving full-blown ties between our states,” Putin told Bolton at the start of the Kremlin meeting after the two smiled and shook hand for the cameras.

“We never sought confron-tation,” Putin said in televised remarks, adding he regretted that

the Russia-US ties were not “on top form.” Bolton said it was important to keep talking and complimented Putin on his handling of the football World Cup, currently taking place in Russia.

“Even in earlier days when our countries had differences our leaders and their advisors met and I think that was good for both coun-tries, good for stability in the world and President Trump feels very strongly on that subject,” he said.

“So again we are most appre-ciative of your courtesy and gra-ciousness here and I look forward to learning how you handle the World Cup so successfully, among other things.”

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier in the day the meeting would be used to discuss “the sad state” of bilateral relations as well as top international issues.

Spain’s ‘stolen babies’ trial adjourned with accused in hospitalAFP

MADRID: Spain’s first trial over thousands of suspected cases of babies stolen from their mothers during the Franco era was adjourned yesterday after the accused, an elderly doctor, was admitted to hospital, the court and his lawyer said.

Eduardo Vela, 85, a former gynaecologist at the now-defunct San Ramon clinic in Madrid, went to hospital after “an episode of pain and dizziness

overnight,” his lawyer, Rafael Casas, said.

When he took the stand on Tuesday, Vela appeared frail and spoke in a weak mumbling voice.

The court was not able to say when the trial would resume. It can be delayed by up to 30 working days.

“We had to suspend (the trial) and we hope to have more information” to know if the court could resume the trial next week,” one of the judges hearing the case, Maria Luisa Aparicio,

told the court.Vela is accused of having in

1969 taken Ines Madrigal, now aged 49, from her biological mother, and giving 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.

During questioning in court

on Tuesday’s opening day, Vela said he could not remember details of how the San Ramon clinic, which he ran for 20 years up to 1982, operated and that the signature on Madrigal’s birth certificate was not his.

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.

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

Baby stealing began in the 1950’s after Franco came to power following the 1936-39 civil war pitting left-wing Republicans against conserv-ative Nationalists loyal to the general, as part of an effort to purge Spain of Marxist influence.

Elections were held for 171 city mayors, regents, and provincial governors. The regional election results will help underpin support for presidential candidates since local-level leaders are often best placed to mobilise voters. Presidential candidates need to be declared by August 10.

11THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018 EUROPE

World powers agree to give more teeth to OPCWAFP

THE HAGUE: The international community yesterday voted to boost the powers of the global chemical weapons watchdog to enable it to name those behind toxic arms attacks in Syria, fighting off stiff opposition from Russia.

After two days of tense talks, the British delegation to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) rejoiced on Twitter that its pro-posal “has passed with votes 82 in favour. 24 No.” The OPCW now “has a crucial extra power, not just to identify the use of chemical weapons, but also to point the finger at the organisation, the state that they think is responsible,” said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in a video message.

Other delegates said applause broke out at the rare special session of the OPCW’s top

policy-making body, held in The Hague which had been addressed by Johnson on Tuesday.

“It’s passed! Australia proud to cosponsor with @UK_OPCW decision to attribute chemical weapons attack,” Canberra’s Ambassador Brett Mason said in a tweet.

Norway tweeted that the British-led proposal had been “overwhelmingly” adopted, with ambassador Martin Soerby praising OPCW members for taking “a decisive and necessary decision to expose the perpe-trators of chemical attacks.”

The OPCW’s secretariat “shall put in place arrangements to identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.” British ambassador to The Hague, Peter Wilson hailed “an important day” saying the move was “a critical step forward in ensuring

the chemical weapons abuse stops.” OPCW director general Ahmet Uzumcu and his suc-cessor, who takes over in July, were also mandated to draw up proposals to give the body broader powers to identify those unleashing chemical weapons

in any other country, if govern-ments ask for help.

Those proposals will go to the next meeting of state parties in November for a vote, Wilson told reporters. “The principle has been established that there should be a general attribution arrangement as well as a clear flick of the switch which allows the director general to proceed with attribution in Syria,” he said.

Both Moscow, the main ally of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, and Damascus, had vehe-mently opposed the move. They stand accused by the interna-tional community of using chemical weapons in recent months — allegations they deny.

Moscow accused Britain of manipulating its allies, saying earlier yesterday that “deception is perhaps the word of the day”.

Britain had failed to provide any evidence that Moscow was

behind the nerve agent attack on Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March, the Russian embassy said in a tweet.

Instead, Britain has “embroiled their allies in the blatant campaign against Russia. Now they try to drag the #OPCW in their games,” the Russian embassy tweeted.

The vote comes as the OPCW is also due to publish a highly-anticipated report into an alleged chlorine and sarin gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma. Moscow and Damascus insist the attack was fake, staged by the Syrian rescue volunteers known as the White Helmets.

Wilson confirmed the OPCW now had the power to identify who could be behind the April attack in Douma in which medics and rescuers said 40 people were killed.

Irish PM keen to start talks on renewing govt pactREUTERS

DUBLIN: Ireland’s prime minister wants talks with the main opposition party on renewing a government pact to start well in advance of its expiry at the end of the year and will discuss the issue with his opposite number shortly.

Leo Varadkar’s minority government operates with the backing of some independent lawmakers and is facilitated by an agreement with his Fine Gael party’s main rival, Fianna Fail, to abstain from opposition on key votes until the end of 2018.

The two centre-right parties’ “confidence and supply” deal was struck to enable the passage of three annual budgets with a review at the end of this year fol-lowing the completion of the third and final budget for 2019.

“For a government to function and govern well, that government needs to know it is going to be around in a month’s time or two month’s time or three month’s time and that is why I think it is prudent that we should renew the confidence and supply agreement before it expires,” Varadkar told reporters.

“And I do want to renew it, I think this government is working well. We’ve a lot of work to do to deal with out-standing challenges and in order to do that, we will need an extension and that is some-thing I will talk about a little bit later.” Varadkar said this was something he was going “to talk about in the next couple of weeks” and would discuss first it with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

Martin, whose party trails Fine Gael in opinion poll by a wider margin than at the last parliamentary elections in 2016, has said he does not wish to wish to review the agreement until the end of the year.

Malta grants safe haven to migrant rescue shipAP

VALLETTA, MALTA: An aid ship stuck at sea for six days will be allowed to dock in Malta and the more than 200 migrants onboard will be distributed among eight European Union states, Malta’s prime minister announced yesterday, ending Europe’s second impasse in recent weeks over the fate of people saved at sea amid rising political resistance to their welcome.

Joseph Muscat said that once in port, the Lifeline Mission ship would be impounded and the crew placed under investigation for allegedly operating illegally — including violating rescue pro-tocols and operating without the correct registration. The migrants, who were rescued off Libya’s coast, would be vetted to determine if they are eligible for political asylum or if they are economic migrants to be sent

back to their countries of origin.Muscat said Malta had no legal

obligation to act since the rescue happened in Libyan waters, but said it was willing to act “before the sit-uation escalates to a humanitarian crisis.” The eight countries to accept vetted migrants from the ship are France, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Malta itself. It was unclear how many each would take.

While Muscat emphasized that the Lifeline case was unique because of the alleged violations of the crew, the refusal by Italy and Malta to open their ports to the ship — and the haggling among EU states over how to dis-tribute the migrants — showed a hardening of positions as EU leaders head into a summit where migration policies are expected to be debated.

Earlier this month, Italy and Malta both refused port to a French humanitarian ship, forcing

some 630 migrants to travel an additional 1,500km to Spain.

The fate of the ship operated by the German group had appeared resolved a day earlier

when Italy announced it would take some of the migrants and Malta would open its ports. But Malta later said the ship was not welcome until it had a deal for all

of the migrants on board. On Wednesday, Malta allowed the ship to enter its waters to seek shelter from rough sea conditions, before announcing it could dock.

Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at a press conference, flanked by Malta’s Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Michael Farrugia (right) and Malta’s Minister for Health Chris Fearne in Valletta, yesterday.

Scotland’s Sturgeon prepares for early poll ahead of BrexitREUTERS

EDINBURGH: Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has moved one of her key allies into a campaigning role because she thinks the United Kingdom could hold a national election just before it is due to leave the European Union.

In one of the most tumul-tuous periods in recent British political history, there have been four major elections in the past four years: the Scottish independence refer-endum of 2014, the 2015 UK election, the Brexit refer-endum of 2016 and the snap election called by Prime Min-ister Theresa May last year.

Sturgeon’s pro-inde-pendence Scottish National Party says it must be prepared for every eventuality as May, who leads a deeply divided party and country, struggles to strike a Brexit deal with the EU before exiting the bloc on March 29, 2018.

In an attempt to prepare her party for a possible election, Sturgeon moved the economy minister in her devolved government, Keith Brown, to take over cam-paigning at the SNP, Stur-geon’s education minister John Swinney told BBC radio.

The SNP is priming itself for “the possibility of an early election in the autumn for which the party has to be ready, and also to make sure the party is advancing the arguments around inde-pendence,” Swinney said.

Swiss government rejects proposed burqa banREUTERS

ZURICH: The Swiss government opposed yesterday a grassroots campaign for a nationwide ban on facial coverings in public that will prompt a binding refer-endum, the latest twist in a Europe-wide crackdown on burqas championed by anti-Muslim activists.

The Swiss cabinet said indi-vidual cantons should decide on the matter, which nevertheless will go to a nationwide vote under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy after activists last year gathered enough public support.

Measures against the wearing of Islamic veils have already been taken in Belgium, France, Denmark and Spain, among others, with the Netherlands passing its own ban this week.

The Swiss government sug-gested instead adopting laws that would prevent people from cov-ering their faces when dealing with officials and punish anyone who forced women to conceal their faces with up to three years in jail.

“The government is aware that facial coverings can lead to problems. With its proposals it suggests targeted and specific legal measures in areas in which

it has authority,” the cabinet said after a meeting.

“The initiative would make it impossible to take into account the individual cantons’ differing sensitivities, in particular removing their ability to determine for themselves how they wish to treat tourists from Arab states who wear facial cov-erings,” it added.

The face veil ban will come to a binding referendum after activists last year collected the more than 100,000 signatures required to put the proposal to a national vote.

The group, called “Yes to a

Mask Ban”, includes some leaders who also spearheaded the 2009 Swiss ban on con-structing new minarets.

Full-face coverings such as niqabs and burqas are a polar-ising issue across Europe, with some arguing that they sym-bolise discrimination against women and should be outlawed. The clothing has already been banned in France.

“Facial coverings are a symbol of radical Islam that have nothing to do with religious freedom but are rather an expression of the oppression of women,” Anian Liebrand, a Swiss

campaign leader, said when pre-senting the col lected signatures.

“In Switzerland, we show our faces when we talk to each other.” Others contend that bans unnecessarily intrude on reli-gious freedom.

Two-thirds of Switzerland’s 8.5 million residents identify as Christians. But its Muslim popu-lation has risen to 5 percent, largely because of immigrants from former Yugoslavia.

One Swiss canton, Italian-speaking Ticino, already has a similar ban, while two others have rejected it.

Firefighters work to contain a moorland wildfire on the hills near Stalybridge, northwest England, yesterday.

UK army called in to help tackle moorland fireREUTERS

CARRBROOK, ENGLAND: The army was called in to help battle a moorland blaze yesterday which has been spreading for days in hot weather near Manchester, northern England.

Soldiers will operate high-volume pumps and help move firefighters move across Saddle-worth moor, Greater Manchester assistant chief fire officer Dave Keelan said.

“We have been liaising with a military adviser on the scene and... have requested military assistance.” Keelan said.

The fire has been declared a major incident. Local schools were closed on Wednesday with residents advised to stay indoors and keep windows and doors

closed. More than 100 firefighters and 29 fire engines are trying to bring the blaze under control.

But an improvement in air quality in the area allowed resi-dents to return to some 34 houses that had been evacuated.

“There’s still a lot of smoke from the fire but air quality levels are being monitored regularly in different locations. Air quality is currently at a safe level and therefore residents have been let back into their homes,” Keelan said.

Like most of Britain, the area has experienced hot weather in recent days and forecasters expect tempera-tures to remain high for the rest of the week.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.

The OPCW now “has a crucial extra power, not just to identify the use of chemical weapons, but also to point the finger at the organisation, the state that they think is responsible,” said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

For children under five, reunification must take place within two weeks of the order issued by US District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego. US federal authorities have 10 days to allow parents to call their children if they are not already in touch with them.

12 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018AMERICAS

US judge orders separated families be reunitedAFP

LOS Angeles: A US judge has ordered that migrant families separated at the border with Mexico under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy be reunited within 30 days.

For children under five, reunification must take place within two weeks of the order issued late on Tuesday by US District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego.

Sabraw made the sternly worded decision in response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a seven-year-old girl who was separated from her Congolese mother and a 14-year-old boy who was separated from his Bra-zilian mother.

The judge also issued an injunction against any more family separations, which was part of a policy under which anyone crossing the border ille-gally is detained and referred for criminal prosecution. US federal authorities have 10 days to allow parents to call their children if they are not already in touch with them, the judge said.

Trump last week signed an executive order halting his gov-ernment’s practice of taking children away from parents who cross the border without papers, even to seek asylum. Many are destitute people fleeing gang vio-lence and other turmoil in Central America.

It was a rare retreat for Trump, who has made fighting immigration — both illegal and

legal — one of the most sacred mantras of his fiercely US-cen-tered policy agenda.

But the order made no spe-cific provisions for families already separated under the policy, which sparked heated criticism in America and worldwide as inhumane and even a form of child abuse.

More than 2,000 children taken from their families remain under the care of federal author-ities. Some are just toddlers, or even infants. The ACLU argued that the administration has no real plan for reuniting families.

Every night small children “are crying themselves to sleep wondering if they will ever see their parents again,” said ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt.

Now, the policy of detaining parents who cross illegally with children has been suspended, with authorities saying that among other factors they do not have space for all the families coming over from Mexico.

Judge Sabraw was scathing

in his criticism of the Trump policy of taking children away from their parents. “The facts set forth before the court portray reactive governance — responses to address a chaotic circum-stance of the government’s own making,” Sabraw wrote in the 24-page ruling.

“They belie measured and ordered governance, which is central to the concept of due process enshrined in our Consti-tution,” the judge added.

The attorneys-general of 18 mainly Democratic states also filed a lawsuit on Tuesday chal-lenging the Trump family sepa-ration policy.

They argued that Trump’s order halting the practice has so many caveats it is meaningless. It calls for money to be appro-priated to reunite families but does not say how much or by when, and depends on a judge allowing indefinite detention of children, the officials wrote.

“Keeping children separated from their parents is inhumane, unconscionable and illegal — and we’re filing suit to stop it,” wrote Attorney General Barbara Underwood of New York.

Some 200 protesters turned out in Los Angeles to protest a visit by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, one of the most visible faces of the Trump border control policy. Around 20 were arrested after defying police orders to disperse.

Trump did score a big win on immigration on Tuesday, however, as the US Supreme Court upheld the latest version of his

A file picture of people taking part in a protest against US immigration policies outside the US embassy in Mexico City.

US House rejects compromise bill on border family separationsREUTERS

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives rejected a broad “compromise” immi-gration bill yesterday, as expected, that would have addressed the crisis of families being separated at the US-Mexico border.

The House could still vote as early as this week on a narrower measure that is still being developed and that would focus specifically on the family sepa-rations issue.

On a 121-301 vote, the Repub-lican-controlled House rejected a bill that addressed the family sep-arations, but also gave long-term

protections to young “Dreamer” immigrants brought into the country years ago illegally as children, and provided funding for President Donald Trump’s pro-posed US-Mexico border wall.

Trump has demanded that Congress resolve the family sep-arations with legislation, amid an uproar at home and abroad over the separation of more than 2,300 children from their parents that resulted from his administra-tion’s policy of “zero tolerance” toward illegal immigration.

The separations sparked widespread condemnation in the United States, including from within Trump’s own Republican Party, and abroad.

travel ban targeting people from some Muslim-majority countries. By a 5-4 vote, the court’s conserv-ative majority said Trump was within his legal authority as pres-ident to issue such a ban.

Trump pounced on the decision as an endorsement of his authority to defend national security and “a tremendous success and victory for the American people.” Immigration has been among the thorniest issue in American politics for decades, with Congress repeatedly failing to pass com-prehensive reforms.

Hannah Hanmer, who was pro-testing with her baby in Los Angeles, said she was angry the government was trying “to remove human dignity from immigrants” arriving with children. “I want to be one of the people who said no,” the 26-year-old said.

Humanitarian touchUS Vice-President Mike Pence (centre) speaks with Venezuelan refugees at the Santa Catarina Humanitarian Centre in Manaus, yesterday. Pence discussed with Brazilian President Michel Temer the fate of Brazilian children stranded at the US southern border and Venezuela’s deepening crisis.

US Supreme Court deals major blow to American unionsAFP

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court yesterday dealt a major blow to American organized labor, ruling that public sector unions cannot charge non-members fees to cover the costs of collective bargaining.

The 5-4 decision by the con-servative-dominated court reversed a four-decade prec-edent and threatened to starve US labor unions of a once-dependable source of cash, weakening a traditional pillar of the Democratic Party in the process.

American unionization has been in steady decline since the 1950s, with the public sector one of its last bastions as police, fire-fighters and school teachers remain among the most heavily

unionized workforces.President Donald Trump

swiftly hailed the ruling, which followed a concerted effort by conservative political donors and organizations, saying it allowed workers the freedom not to support union-chosen political candidates.

“Big loss for the coffers of the Democrats!” he tweeted.

However the issue before the court was not whether workers could be forced to pay for a union’s political activities — the court had already found that unconstitutional in 1977 — but whether unions could charge fees to non-members who still benefit from their labor contract negotiations.

Unions say freeloading should not be encouraged, and the ruling could leave public sector employees with little

reason to pay for collective bar-gaining. By some estimates, the Supreme Court’s decision stands to shave off a substantial share of union membership.

But the court held yesterday that even requiring workers to subsidize collective bargaining violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.

“Forcing free and inde-pendent individuals to endorse ideas they find objectionable is always demeaning,” said Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority.

The landmark decision resulted from a complaint lodged by Mark Janus, an Illinois state child support worker who refused to join a public sector union and said being forced to pay for its collective bargaining violated his rights.

Democrat Crowley ousted by political novice in US shockerAFP

WASHINGTON: The US Demo-cratic Party was rocked to its core as establishment congressman Joe Crowley (pictured) — seen as a potential standardbearer — was ousted by a 28-year-old far-left political novice.

Crowley, a 10-term incumbent representing New York’s diverse 14th district and the number four Democrat in the House of Representatives, had been considered a possible successor to Nancy Pelosi as party leader and even speaker, should Democrats reclaim the majority in November’s midterm elections.

Instead the 56-year-old Crowley, chairman of the Dem-ocratic caucus, suffered the biggest shock upset to date in the 2018 political season, losing his primary to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx-born Latina activist and Bernie Sanders supporter who has never held elected office.

According to a detailed profile this week in Vogue, just months ago Ocasio-Cortez was still working as a server in a restaurant. She identifies as a Democratic socialist.

Her impressive 15 per-centage point victory could spell a leftward shift for the party that is squaring up against President Donald Trump’s Republicans in the fall.

Her campaign’s Facebook page highlights her political positions — expanded Medicare for all and tuition-free college — that are similar to those put forward by Sanders, a Vermont socialist who ran for the Dem-ocratic presidential nomination against Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The implications of Ocasio-Cortez’s primary victory are profound. It highlights the Democratic Party’s surging

progressive wing as it grapples with its identity in the Trump era and in the run-up to November’s midterm elections when Democrats are aiming to reclaim the House.

“What you have shown is that this nation is never beyond remedy. It is never beyond hope,” Octavio-Cortez told her cheering supporters. “We are going to rock the world in the next two years.”

Trump swiftly weighed in on Twitter. “Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi’s place, just LOST his primary election. In other words, he’s out!” Trump said. “That is a big one that nobody saw happening,” he said, before following up with a more Trump-like declaration: “The Democrats are in Turmoil!”

Crowley addressed his sup-porters and wished Ocasio-Cortez well, hoping she would be victorious in November. Liberal Democrats congratulated the party’s newest star, with Sanders calling her victory an example of “what progressive grassroots politics can do.”

Crowley’s loss is remi-niscent of the shock defeat four years ago of Republican con-gressman Eric Cantor, who was the party’s number two in the House until he was ousted by a little-known conservative college professor who success-fully rallied grassroots voters.

Woman gets $28m damages in landmark age bias verdictAFP

LOS ANGELES: A 58-year-old woman was awarded damages of $28m in an age discrimi-nation payout her lawyer said may be the largest of its kind in Los Angeles legal history.

Codie Rael said she was forced to quit after enduring a barrage of abuse from her superiors at Sybron Dental Specialties and KaVo Kerr Group, both owned by Wash-ington-based medical tech company Danaher.

Los Angeles Superior Court ordered the companies to pay her $16m and $12m respectively in punitive damages, on top of a $3m compensation award she won last week in the same case.

“I never expected this,” a jubilant Rael said outside the courtroom as she fought back tears. Rael’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, represented a client awarded $26.1m against office supplies chain Staples in 2014, in a wrongful termination and age discrim-ination case. The attorney said the total awarded to Rael may now be the largest of its type in the history of the Los Angeles County jurisdiction.

Rael worked as a materials buyer and planner for Sybron and KaVo Kerr in locations across southern California but was forced out in October 2014.

She said she was sub-jected to such comments as “you are outdated”, “we need younger workers here” and “dumb female”, often from her supervisor and his boss.

Rael quit because of the stress of her job and was replaced by a man in his 20s, according to her court papers. The jury accepted Rael’s claim that she had also been the victim of age harassment, wrongful termination and retaliation, finding that her employers acted with malice, oppression or fraud.

BUSINESSThursday 28 June 2018

PAGE | 15PAGE | 14UK committed to

free trade: Hammond

Huawei executive warns Australia risks economy with 5G ban

QP moves full steam ahead to boost LNG output: Al KaabiTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Petroleum Pres-ident and CEO Saad Sherida Al Kaabi said Qatar Petroleum has lived up to its international repu-tation as a reliable and trust-worthy energy producer at all times and under all circum-stances.

Speaking at the 27th World Gas Conference held yesterday in Washington, D.C., Al Kaabi said Qatar Petroleum is moving forward with its plans to increase Qatar’s LNG output by 30 percent - from 77 million to 100 million tons per year.

He said “this will be a major milestone towards securing future LNG supplies to meet rising global demand.”

Al Kaabi said the contracts for the production expansion project would be awarded by the end of next year, while the 100 mtpa production target would be met by the end of 2023.

Al Kaabi made the remarks during a high profile session

entitled “The Biggest Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Global Gas Industry”, and with the participation of Mr. Bob Dudley, BP Group Chief Exec-utive, Patrick Pouyanné, Total Chairman & CEO, Ryan Lance, ConocoPhillips CEO, and Jens Økland, Statoil’s Executive VP for Marketing, Midstream and Processing.

In addressing the challenges

facing the LNG industry, Qatar Petroleum’s President & CEO said “Human beings need energy. Gas should be seen as a destination fuel not just as a transition fuel.”

Al Kaabi stressed the need for serious action by some con-suming countries for the estab-lishment of receiving LNG ter-minals. He also highlighted the importance of additional effort

to tackle infrastructure issues within consuming countries to enhance easier access to this environmentally friendly fuel.

“LNG is a capital intensive industry that requires the ability to make investment decisions,” Al Kaabi said in his keynote address.

“It requires long-term financial commitment by con-sumer countries to secure

long-term offtake agreements and supplies,” he added.

Al Kaabi also tackled the opportunities that lie ahead in the LNG industry by placing emphasis on the rising demand for LNG as the cleanest of hydro-carbon fuels. He said there is room for growth in which eve-ryone can have a place.

Qatar Petroleum’s President and CEO later responded to

questions from the session’s moderator Maria van der Hoeven, the Former Minister of Economic Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on a number of issues related to the global gas industry.

He highlighted Qatar Petro-leum’s commitment to meet future global demand for clean energy as a reliable and trust-worthy energy producer.

Saad Sherida Al Kaabi (left), President & CEO, Qatar Petroleum, speaking during a panel discussion at the 27th World Gas Conference in Washington, DC, the US.

Confidence in Qatar’s banking sector high: QCB SurveySATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Most banks in Qatar are increasingly confident of the financial stability of the coun-try’s banking system.

Participating in QCB’s ‘Risk Perception Survey-2018’, more than 90 percent of banks expressed that their confidence in the financial stability of the banking sector has increased from a year ago.

The survey suggested that overall credit risk either decreased or remained the same in 2017 as opined by more than 50 percent of the banks. However, a large percentage of banks said an increase in credit risk in 2018, but would lower again in 2019.

Systemic risk and market

risk may decline in 2018 and 2019 as opined by a majority of banks. As regards to liquidity risk, a higher percentage of banks believe the reverse for 2018. However, more than two third of the banks opined the risks from liquidity will reduce in 2019.

The survey also sought the banks to rank the key global and macro-economic risks factors that have impacted Qatar financial system from a given list of major vulnerabilities. Geopo-litical issues is considered as the major risk as opined by a good majority of banks in 2017.

They also believe that the risk level from this vulnerably may continue in current year as well. Risk from lower oil prices which came as the top most risks in the last year survey is

expected to be reduced in the coming years.

All other risk events are con-sidered to have comparatively lower significance by the respondents.

The survey also captured banks’ perception on the major risk events from the given set of events pertaining to credit, liquidity, market and operational risks. 60 to 80 percent of the banks opined, they consider risk from real estate developers/con-tractors as the major risk from the given list of credit vulnerabilities.

However, a majority of banks responded that risk level will decrease or remain the same in 2019.

As regards to liquidity and market risk, banks opinion differs in choosing the top most

risk. Increase in vulnerability on account of on ‘reduced liquidity flow from international’ may increase in 2018 as said by a large number of banks.

Meanwhile the QCB’s latest edition of FSR noted the liquidity indicators, improved in 2017, indicating an ease in liquidity pressures amidst large with-drawal of deposit liquidity from the Non-resident depositors.

“A large volume of volatile liquidity seems to have gone out of the banking sector facilitating the sector to streamline its funding structure….With higher inflow of domestic deposit, loan to deposit ratio improved sub-stantially during the year. Thus, various measures of liquidity risk indicate, risk levels declined in 2017”, the QCB document noted.

BoE criticises Brussels on Brexit plansAFP

LONDON: The Bank of England (BoE) yesterday criticised the European Union for not revealing financial sector contin-gency plans in the event of Britain leaving the bloc without a deal.

The BoE’s Financial Policy Committee, tasked with safe-guarding the financial system, meanwhile praised the UK gov-ernment’s “progress” on han-dling risks arising from Britain’s

EU withdrawal, due on March 29 next year.

The regulator added in its biannual stability report that Britain’s EU (Withdrawal) Bill alongside plans for a temporary permissions regime allowing post-Brexit cross-border financial trade had dimmed those risks.

Providing an overall assessment, BoE governor Mark Carney (pictured) said: “The biggest remaining risks of dis-ruption are areas where action

is needed by both UK and EU authorities, such as ensuring the continuity of the £96trillion of existing derivative contracts.”

He added: “Based on our experience and knowledge of these markets, it will not be pos-sible, ahead of March 29, for private financial institutions on their own to mitigate fully the risks of disruption to financial services.”

Carney said that “the EU has not yet indicated their solution to these fundamental issues

which would be expected to have more material impacts on the costs and availability of finance on the continent in the unlikely event of a disorderly Brexit”.

Qatar’s trade surplus surges 39.5% in MayTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s foreign merchandise trade balance, which is the difference between total exports and imports, in May 2018 showed a surplus of QR14.9bn that was QR4.2bn or 39.5 percent higher thab same month previous year.

The surplus has increased by nearly QR0.1bn or 0.5 percent compared to April 2018, according to a report on trade balance released yes-terday by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics.

In May 2018, the total exports of goods (including exports of goods of domestic origin and re-exports) amounted to around QR24.8bn, showing an increase of 22 percent compared to May 2017, and increase by 3.4 percent compared to April 2018.

The imports of goods in May 2018 amounted to around QR9.9bn, showing an increase of 2.7 percent over May 2017. However, on a month on month (M-o-M) basis the imports increased by 7.9 percent.

The year-on-year (My 2017 to May 2018) rise in total exports was mainly due to higher exports of Petroleum gases and other gaseous h y d r o c a r b o n s ( L N G ,

condensates, propane, butane, etc.) that reached QR14.5bn approximately in May 2018, showing an increase of 20 percent.

Petroleum oils & oils from bituminous minerals (crude) reached QR4.1bn, registering an increase of 22.8 percent, and increase in the Petroleum oils & oils from bituminous minerals (not crude) reaching QR2.5bn, increased by 118.6 percent. In May this year, South Korea was at the top of the countries of destination of Qatar’s exports with close to QR4.2bn, a share of 17.1 percent of total exports, followed by Japan with almost QR3.8bn and a share of 15.2 percent, China with about QR3bn, a share of 11.9 percent.

US was the leading country of origin of Qatar’s imports in May with about QR1.8bn, a share of 18.2 percent of the imports, followed by China with QR1.2bn almost, a share of 12.4 percent, and India with QR0.6bn, a share of 6.4 percent.

South Korea was at the top of the countries of destination of Qatar’s exports with close to QR4.2bn, a share of 17.1% of total exports.

14 THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018BUSINESS

8,928.74 +33.53 PTS0.38%

QSE FTSE100 DOW BRENT7,621.69 +83.77 PTS1.11%

24,117.59 −165.52 (PTS0.68% Dow & Brent before going to press

$72.30 +1.17

MarketWatchMoody’s assigns counterparty

risk ratings to Qatar banksSATISH KANADY THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Moody’s Investors Service yesterday assigned Counterparty Risk Ratings (CRR) to 46 rated banks and their branches in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Moody’s CRR are opinions of the ability of entities to honour the uncollateralised portion of non-debt counter-party financial liabilities (CRR liabilities) and also reflect the expected financial losses in the event such liabilities are not honoured.

In Qatar, the ratings agency assigned CRR to a total of 10 banks, including QNB, QIIB, QIB, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank and Masraf Al Rayan.

The Moody’s assigned QNB’s local currency and foreign cur-rency long-term CRR at Aa3; and local currency and foreign currency short-term CRR at P-1.

The Commercial Bank’s local currency and foreign cur-rency long-term CRR is assigned at A2 as local currency and foreign currency short-term CRR were assigned at P-1.

Following ratings were assigned to other banks in Qatar:

Doha Bank: Local currency and foreign currency long-term CRR of A2. Local currency and foreign currency short-term CRR of P-1.

Masraf Al Rayan: Local cur-rency and foreign currency long-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of Aa3; Local currency and foreign currency short-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of P-1.

QIIB: Local currency and foreign currency long-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of A1; Local currency and foreign currency short-term Counter-party Risk Ratings of P-1.

QIB: Local currency and foreign currency long-term

Counterparty Risk Ratings of Aa3; Local currency and foreign currency short-term Counter-party Risk Ratings of P-1.

Ahli Bank: Local currency and foreign currency long-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of A1; Local currency and foreign cur-rency short-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of P-1.

Al Khalij Commercial Bank : Local currency and foreign currency long-term Counter-party Risk Ratingsof A2; Local currency and foreign currency short-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of P-1.

Barwa Bank: Local currency and foreign currency long-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of A1; Local currency and foreign cur-rency short-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of P-1.

IBQ: Local currency and foreign currency long-term Counterparty Risk Ratings of A1; Local currency and foreign currency short-term Counter-party Risk Ratings of P-1.

CRR liabilities typically relate to transactions with unrelated parties. Examples of CRR liabilities include the uncollateralised portion of pay-ables arising from derivatives transactions and the uncollat-eralised portion of liabilities under sale and repurchase agreements.

CRRs are not applicable to funding commitments or other obligations associated with covered bonds, letters of credit, guarantees, servicer and trustee obligations, and other similar obligations that arise from a bank performing its essential operating functions.

Togo launches new energy scheme with focus on renewablesAFP

LOME: The Togo government yesterday launched a new energy policy that aims to provide universal access to electricity in the small west African country by 2030.

The “electrification strategy”, which relies heavily on renewable energy, will unroll in three phases over 12 years and cost 1,000 billion CFA francs ($1.7bn), of which half will come from private investment.

The official launch of the programme took place on yes-terday morning at a meeting between Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe and the vice-pres-ident of the African Devel-opment Bank (AfDB) Amadou Hott. Hott pledged 20 billion CFA francs “to finance private operators”, according to the Togo presidency.

Along with extending the existing power grid to nearly 1,000 communities, the pro-gramme will see a significant investment in solar energy, selling individual kits to remote households and constructing “60

solar mini-plants” across the country, electricity government official Tiem Bolidja said.

“French companies like Engie, EDF, or Sunna Design are present in Lome and have expressed their interest in upcoming tenders,” Bolidja said.

Greenlight Planet, a company that sells solar kits worldwide, has already won a tender to distribute 300,000 units over the next three years.

Despite Togo’s small size, its population is just 7.5 million, businesses are keen to try out the market.

“This is a relatively small market,” said Patrick Muriuki, African development director for Greenlight Planet. “But it’s an interesting market for us because Togo is moving forward quickly on its electrification strategy” in contrast with other countries who are slow to invest in renewable energy infrastructure.

The Togo government has lifted the 30 percent tariffs on solar kits and there is still a good postal system in the country so they can reach customers, added Muriuki.

Moody’s Counterparty Risk Ratings are opinions of the ability of entities to honour the uncollateralised portion of non-debt counterparty financial liabilities (CRR liabilities) and also reflect the expected financial losses in the event such liabilities are not honoured.

In Qatar, the ratings agency assigned CRR to a total of

10 banks, includ-ing QNB, QIIB, QIB, Commercial Bank,

Doha Bank and Masraf Al Rayan.

UK committed to free trade: HammondREUTERS

BEIJING: Britain is committed to promoting free and open trade, and hopes to seize “unlimited opportunities” brought by China’s Belt and Road initiative, British finance minister Philip Hammond (pictured) wrote in Chinese financial magazine Caixin yesterday.

Writing in Caixin, Hammond signalled what he called “globalised Britain’s” support for free trade.

“Britain is committed to promoting free and open trade, and as Britain and its European cooperation partners form a new rela-tionship, we will deepen our relations with other regions around the world,” he wrote, in the Chinese-language article.

Hammond wrote that there was “enormous devel-opment space” for cooper-ation in financial services, and that Britain wanted to encourage two-way trade and investment.

Britain is an “ideal coop-eration partner” to turn Belt and Road into a globally rec-ognised asset class via Lon-don’s position as a global financial hub, he wrote.

BREAK TIMEVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

(2D/Thriller) 10:00am 12:15pm 02:30pm 04:45pm 07:00pm 09:30pm 11:45pm 8:00pm 10:15pm 12:20amSicario 2: Day Of The Soldado (2D/Action) 11:00am 01:30pm 04:00pm 06:30pm 09:00pm 11:30pm; The Incredibles (2D/) 10:00am 12:30pm 3:00pm 5:30pm; Leilet Hana Wa Srour (Arabic) 10:00am 2:00pm 6:00pm 10:00pm 11:59pm; Abla Tamtam (2D/Arabic) 12:000 04:00pm 8:00pm; Book Club (2D/Thriller) 11:00am 04:00pm 09:00pm; Deadpool 2 (2D/Action) 1:15pm 6:15pm 11:15pm; Sgt. Stubby: Anamerican Hero (2D/Animation) 10:00am 12:00pm 2:00pm 4:00pmBlood Money (2D/Thriller) 6:00pm 8:00pm 10:00pm 11:59pmJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 10:00am 2:45pm 7:30pm 11:59pm; Adrift (2D/Action) 12:45pm 5:30pm 10:10pmEscape Plan 2: Hades (2D/Action) 10:00am 12:10pm 2:20pm 4:30pm 6:40pm 8:50pm 11:00pm; The Incredibles (2D/IMAX) 10:00am, & 6:00pm

The Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:45pm; Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:00 & 5:30pm; Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 2:30pm; Kuttan Pillayude Sivar-athri (2D/Malayalam) 4:45 & 11:30pm; Karma (2D/Arabic) 7:00 & 9:00pm; Ocean’s Eight (2D/Thriller) 7:00 & 9:00pm. Escape Plan 2: Hades (2D/Action) 7:15 & 11:30pm; Sicario 2: Day Of The Soldado (2D/Action) 9:30pm; Asuravadham (Tamil) 11:00pm

ROYAL PLAZA

The Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 5:00pm; Kuttan Pillayude Sivarathri (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 6:00 & 11:30pm; Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (2D/Animation) 3:00 & 4:30pm; Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 4:45pm; Escape Plan 2: Hades (2D/Action) 7:15 & 11:15pm; Ocean’s Eight (2D/Thriller) 7:15 & 9:15pm. Karma (2D/Arabic) 8:45pm; Sicario 2: Day Of The Soldado (2D/Action) 9:00pm; Blood Money (2D/Thriller) 11:15pm

Kuttan Pillayude Sivarathri (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 11:30pm; Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 3:45pm; The Incred-ibles 2 (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 5:15pm; Karma (2D/Arabic) 4:45 & 9:00pm; Senegal vs Colombia (World Cup Live) 5:00pm A Woman In The Time Of Blockade - Qatari (2D) 7:15pm Ocean’s Eight (2D/Thriller) 7:30 & 11:30pm; Escape Plan 2: Hades (2D/Action) 7:15 & 9:30pm; England vs Belgium (World Cup Live) 9:00; Sicario 2: Day Of The Soldado (2D/Action) 11:30pm.

Sanju (2D/Hindi) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00, 10:30pm & 1:00amAbraham’s Santhathikal (2D/Malayalam) 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30pm & 1:00am Kuttan Pillayude Sivarathri (2D/Malayalam) 1:00, 3;30, 6:00, 8:30, 11:00pm & 1:15am; Asuravadham (Tamil) 12:30, 3:00, 8:00pm & 1:15am; Tik Tik Tik (Tamil) 5:30pm

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

Escape Plan 2: Hades (2D/Action) 8:30, 5:30; 3:00; Karma (2D/Arabic) 9:40; The Incredibles 2 (2D/Animation) 3:00; Kuttan Pillayude Sivarathri (2D/Malayalam) 3:40; Ocean’s Eight (2D/Thriller) 3:00pm 1; Sanju (2D/Hindi) 8:00pm

Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri is a Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Jean Markose and produced by Raji .

FLIK Mirqab

KUTTAN PILLAYUDE SIVARATHRI

Dead Pool 2 (2D/Action) 2:40, 5:05, 9:30 & 7:35; 07:05 pm; 12:20 amIncredibles 2 11:00, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30 & 7:00pmJurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom (2D/Action) 12:35, 3:10, 5:45, 6:30; 8:20, 11:00, 11:30; Karma 3:55 & 10:00pm; Kuttan Pillayude Sivar-athri (2D/Malayalam) 10:35, 1:10, 3:45, 6:20, 8:55 & 11:30pm; Maya The Bee 11:20am; Ocean’s Eight (2D/Thriller) 10:50, 1:05, 10:00, 9:05,11:20pm; Sanju (2D/Hindi) 5:10pm

15THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018 BUSINESS

Nakilat reinforces its position in global shipping industry

1. Describe Nakilat’s business oper-ations and its current fleet.

Established in 2004, Nakilat is a public listed Qatari-owned shipping and maritime company providing the critical transportation link in the State of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chain. Its main role is to manage the shipping requirements of Qatar’s LNG and associated products such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to global markets.

Nakilat’s LNG and LPG vessels are trading worldwide, either directly managed in-house through our sub-sidiary Nakilat Shipping Qatar Ltd. (NSQL) or in cooperation with Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO), or by our joint venture partners such as MOL, NYK, ‘K’-Line, Maran Gas, Teekay, Pronav and SCI.

Nakilat has a total of 70 vessels in its fleet, which is made up of 65 LNG, 4 very large LPG carriers and 1 floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) vessel. Out of the 65 LNG carriers, 25 of them are wholly-owned by Nakilat while the remaining 40 vessels are jointly-owned. For jointly-owned vessels, Nakilat’s ownership ranges from 20-60%, with an aggregate average of 45%.

Nakilat Shipping Qatar Limited (NSQL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nakilat, responsible for the in-house ship management of our vessels. At present, NSQL manages 18 vessels, com-prising of 14 LNG (8 Q-Flex, 6 Q-Max) and 4 LPG carriers.

Nakilat’s business portfolio extends beyond shipping to also include a com-prehensive range of maritime services, complementing Nakilat’s vision to be a global leader and provider of choice for energy transportation and maritime services. Nakilat operates the ship repair and construction facilities at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Laffan Industrial City via two strategic joint ventures: Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) and Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ). It also pro-vides shipping agency services through Nakilat Agency Company (NAC) at all Qatari ports and terminals, as well as towage and other marine support services through its joint venture Nakilat SvitzerWijsmuller (NSW) for

vessels at the Port of Ras Laffan and around Qatar’s Halul Island.

2. Has Nakilat undergone any expansion recently?

Strategic alliances with renowned partners have been fundamental to our success, and we are always looking for opportunities to grow our international presence with first-class companies.

Earlier this month, Nakilat had achieved a historical milestone by estab-lishing a joint-venture company to acquire a 55% interest in a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) – the first such vessel to join the Nakilat fleet. This acquisition is pivotal to the State of Qatar’s energy sector, as the FSRU Exquisite is the first Qatari-owned FSRU, which paves the way for Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) to expand its outreach to emerging markets ahead of the coun-try’s plan to increase LNG production in the near future.

In addition, Nakilat had expanded its joint venture partnership with Greek shipping company Maran Ventures Inc., earlier in March this year to include two additional LNG vessels to its fleet.

3. How is Nakilat diversifying its business to stay competitive?

Nakilat’s aim is to provide solutions to meet the associated demand for vessels, Floating Storage and Regasifi-cation Units (FSRUs) and maritime services locally and internationally.

As part of the company’s diversifi-cation strategy, Nakilat recently worked with Excelerate Energy, a well-recog-nized global leader in floating LNG regasification solutions, to establish a joint-venture company to acquire an FSRU, allowing the company to further expand its international outreach to emerging markets. Last year, Nakilat had also established a strategic alliance with Hoegh LNG, a leading owner and operator of FSRUs, to explore collabo-ration opportunities in the FSRU market. These efforts enable Nakilat to secure its industry-leading position in the dynamic and competitive LNG market and simultaneously support the coun-try’s position as the top exporter of clean energy worldwide.

By focusing on long-term charter agreements with first-class charterers

NAKILAT is a public listed Qatari-owned shipping and maritime company pro-viding the critical transportation link in Qatar’s LNG supply chain. Nakilat has a total of 70 vessels in its fleet, which is made up of 65 LNG vessels, 4 LPG vessels, and one FSRU vessel. In an exclusive interview, ENGINEER ABDULLAH AL-SULAITI, Chief Executive Officer, said the development of a sustainable Qatari workforce is one of the key priorities at Nakilat. Al-Sulaiti also outlined the company’s business operations, expansion, diversification and growth plans as well as contribution of Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard to the company’s overall vision. Excerpts of the interview below.

Engineer Abdullah Al-SulaitiChief Executive Officer, Nakilat

and strategic joint ventures with leading shipping companies, the company is able to effectively navigate volatile markets while maintaining strong liquidity and providing strong, positive results to our shareholders.

4. What are Nakilat’s plans for growth?

Since its inception, Nakilat has increased certain aspects of ship man-agement from an over-sight and mon-itoring role while working on a tran-sition plan to allow for the careful and systematic transfer of operations of our wholly-owned LNG carriers from STASCO to NSQL.

In 2017, Nakilat successfully com-pleted the first phase of its fleet man-agement transition of ten wholly-owned LNG carriers from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Ltd. (STASCO), to Nakilat Shipping Qatar Limited (NSQL), bringing the total fleet size managed by NSQL to 18 vessels (14 LNG and 4 LPG carriers).

The expansion of the company’s in-house managed fleet is expected to bring significant value through the benefits of economies of scale. In addition, the consolidated man-agement of these vessels will allow for a more standardized operational platform which enables us to exceed customer expectations and enhances the experience base.

In terms of fleet size, we are con-tinuously looking to expand our port-folio on the basis of long-term con-tracts. We are looking at multiple market sectors to provide this growth such as LNG ships, FSRUs, LPG ships and small-scale LNG. The worldwide increase in LNG will provide an

excellent, large-scale opportunity for Nakilat to hopefully grow its fleet size.

5. How does the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard contribute to Nakilat’s overall vision?

Strategically situated in the Port of Ras Laffan, Nakilat’s Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard provides a com-prehensive range of ship building, ship repair and offshore fabrication services for marine vessels and offshore struc-tures. These activities are carried out by two of Nakilat’s joint ventures, Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) and Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ). To date, N-KOM has successfully com-pleted more than 800 marine and off-shore projects. This includes the repair and maintenance services for jackup rigs, liftboats and offshore platforms, as well as fabrication services for off-shore structures such as liftboats, jackets, piles and wellhead platforms. NDSQ on the other hand, has success-fully delivered 40 vessels along with 28 yacht refits and repairs. Its state-of-the art facilities include fully climate-con-trolled halls enabling interior and exterior finishing to the highest yachting standards.

Nakilat is in a unique position as the company is able to leverage on the existing synergy and capabilities within the organization to carry out repairs and maintenance for its fleet, thereby allowing it to have direct control over the process. This is vital step in sup-porting the integrity of Qatar’s LNG supply chain as well as the cargo trans-portation from Qatar to the rest of the world. In addition, having comple-mentary maritime services in-house such as towage and a shipping agency

allows Nakilat to effectively contribute to the growth of Qatar’s maritime industry and further its own ambition to be a global leader and provider of choice for energy transportation and maritime services.

6. How does Nakilat contribute to Qatarization?

In line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030, the development of a sustainable Qatari workforce is one of the key pri-orities at Nakilat, to ensure Qatari Nationals are provided with ample opportunity to develop their careers that would enable them to eventually take on positions of higher responsibility.

The company has a range of attractive schemes to attract Qatari nationals across all levels, allowing for career growth and development at every stage of one’s career. Nakilat’s diverse business portfolio further allows Qataris to explore vast career opportunities onboard vessels, at the shipyard, agency or at headquarters.

Some of the National Development Programs offered to Qatari Nationals include:

Q Marine Cadet ProgramQ National Development ProgramQ National Continuous Education Program

In 2018, Nakilat was awarded theAnnual Qatarization Award for ‘Sup-porting Training & Development’at the Energy and Industry Sector’s Annual Qatarization Review Meeting. This is the second consecutive year that Nakilat has won an award for its tremendous efforts in support of Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030, with a current Qatarization rate of 41%.

Huawei executive warns Australia risks economy with 5G banAP

CANBERRA: Australia could damage its economic future if it bans Huawei from the nation’s next-generation mobile network technology, the Chinese telecom-munication giant’s Australian boss said yesterday.

Australia barred Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunica-tions equipment supplier, on national security grounds from bidding for contracts in 2011 for the national broadband network which is being rolled out countrywide.

According to media reports, the government is now poised to ban Huawei from supplying 5G networks, the next evolution in phone technology that will start commercial services in Australia next year.

Huawei Australia Chairman John Lord (pictured) told the National Press Club his Shenzhen-based company was having discussions with gov-ernment “at all levels” on its involvement in 5G. He dismissed media reports of an imminent ban as “supposition,” adding that Huawei had not contemplated that outcome.

“In saying ‘no’ to one of the leading 5G suppliers in the world, what are we really doing?” Lord said.

“This is not just a tough political decision, this is a

long-term technology decision that could impact our growth and our productivity for generations to come,” he added.

Huawei has been under intense scrutiny in several coun-tries over its links to the Chinese government. The private Chinese company started by a former People’s Liberation Army major in 1987 suffered a setback in the U.S. market in 2012 when a con-gressional report said it was a security risk and warned phone companies not to buy its equipment.

The House Intelligence Com-mittee found that Hauwei and Chinese rival ZTE Corp., which is partly state-owned, were tied to the Chinese government.

“China is known to be the major perpetrator of cyber-espi-onage, and Huawei and ZTE failed to alleviate serious con-cerns throughout this important investigation. American busi-nesses should use other vendors,” the committee’s chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich, told a news

conference. The report said the companies failed to provide responsive answers about their relationships and support by the Chinese government, and detailed information about their operations in the United States. It said Huawei, in particular, failed to provide thorough infor-mation, including on its corporate structure, history, financial a r r a n g e m e n t s a n d management.

Huawei denied being financed to undertake research and development for the Chinese military, but the committee said it had received internal Huawei documentation from former employees showing the company provided special network services to an entity alleged to be an elite cyber-warfare unit within the People’s Liberation Army.

Lord at the time urged Aus-tralia not to be swayed by the US report, which he said was about protectionism rather than security.

Huawei was revealed this week as the biggest corporate sponsor of overseas travel for Australian federal lawmakers, flying 12 to the company’s head-quarters in southern China.

Lord, a retired Australian navy rear admiral, said he had been debriefed by government officials about the 2011 decision to ban the company from the national broadband network, but

had not been told of any assessment of the telecom made by security agencies.

“I will be open and honest and say we were told that we were no longer ... allowed to bid for NBN contracts, and it ... was just based on that we were a Chinese company and they could not guarantee our equipment at that time,” Lord said.

Huawei has since grown into the largest provider of 4G mobile broadband in Australia and had expanded into cybersecurity, he said.

“We realize that as a Chinese company - we knew then, but we now realize more - we have to be squeaky clean. It’s a matter of building trust and that takes time,” Lord said.

Treasurer Scott Morrison, asked on Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio why the government seemed to distrust Huawei, replied: “We always act in accordance with the advice of our national security agencies when it comes to matters of national security.”

Weak auto, aircraft sales hold down US durable goods in MayAFP

WASHINGTON: A steep drop in US auto sales and a second straight month of declining orders for civilian aircraft held down sales in the US manufac-turing sector in May, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

The crucial auto sector, which is now vulnerable to retal-iation by US trading partners in President Donald Trump’s emerging trade war, had its steepest monthly decline in more than three years. And orders for US-manufactured primary metals also fell despite the tariffs Trump imposed in May on steel and aluminum.

The May decline marked two months of falling sales and could weigh on GDP growth in the second quarter. Still, orders were nearly 10 percent higher than their level in May of last year. And analysts said upward revisions to April’s figures made May sales decline look worse than it otherwise might have.

Total orders for large, US-manufactured items fell 0.6 percent for the month to $248.8bn, slightly better than the one percent drop that analysts were expecting. Auto sales fell 4.2 percent, the largest decrease since January 2015. Civilian

aircraft sales fell seven percent, after the 30.3 percent decline in April, but military aircraft jumped 21.1 percent.

Excluding the volatile trans-portation sector, sales also still fell 0.3 percent, also a disap-pointment as economists had expected this measure would rise 0.4 percent. The defense sector and communications were bright spots, with military aircraft and other hardware helping offset losses in metals, electrical equipment and computers, according to the monthly report. Orders for electrical appliances and components fell 1.5 percent, the largest decline since November. Meanwhile, civilian capital goods orders, which can track changes in the price of oil, fell 0.2 percent.

Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics said down-played the drop in car sales, saying the auto sector had reverted to the trend seen before last year’s late-summer hurricanes, which caused a large bump in sales of replacement vehicles, and so was “nothing to worry about.”

Furthermore, the dip in capital goods followed a steep upward revision for April, “so the robust upward trend remains intact” and should contribute to second-quarter GDP growth, he said in a research note.

Australia is poised to ban Huawei from supplying 5G networks, the next evolution in phone technology that will start commercial services next year.