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Volume 23 | Number 7569 | 2 RiyalsTuesday 26 June 2018 | 12 Shawwal I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

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SAUDI ARABIA 2-1 EGYPT

SPAIN 2-2 MOROCCO

IRAN 1-1 PORTUGAL

Deputy Amir chairs Qatar University Board of Trustees meeting

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Qatar University (QU), presided over the fourth meeting of the Board of Trustees for the academic year (2017/2018), held at the Amiri Diwan yesterday. The Board reviewed the implementation of its decisions and recommendations adopted during the third meeting of the academic year (2017-2018). The Board discussed the topics listed on its agenda and took appropriate decisions.

The Turkish flag and a portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan projected on Sheraton Grand Doha to celebrate the presidential election victory, yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

Regulation, control of private school fees discussedTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Advisory Council which met here yesterday with Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud in the chair considered the request made by a number of Advisory Council members for a general discussion on education issues.

The discussion focused on the development and Qatari-zation of education, the regu-lation and control of private school fees, school day hours, the duration of the academic year, the duration of the annual leave of teachers and the many tasks assigned to them and the unification of holidays between public and private education and higher education.

After extensive discussion, the Council decided to refer the request to the Cultural Affairs and Information Committee to

study it and submit a report thereon to the Council.

The Advisory Council also discussed a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 15 of 2002 regarding civil aviation, and decided to approve it and submit its recommendations thereon to the respected government.

During the session, the Council also discussed the reports of the Services and Public Utilities Committee on a draft law regulating road transport and a draft law on road transport of hazardous materials.

Moreover, the Council dis-cussed a report of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee on a draft law regulating non-Qatari ownership and use of real estate.

After the discussion, the Council approved the three draft laws and decided to submit its recommendations thereon to

the respected government.At the end of the session, the

Advisory Council reviewed the participation of the Council’s del-egation in the Emergency Open-Ended Meeting of the Standing Committee on Palestine of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC member states on the current sit-uation in Palestine, which was held recently in Tehran.

The Council also welcomed the final communique of the meeting, which reaffirmed that the question of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital, is the first priority of the Islamic Ummah and the main focus of its concerns. The communique called on the Islamic countries to abandon differences and con-solidate the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and provide all forms of support for the ongoing Palestinian uprising.

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Erdogan victory to turn Qatar-Turkey ties stronger: Envoy

DOHA: Terming the resounding victory of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in June 24 elections ‘very important’ for regional stability and prosperity of Turkey, Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar Fikret Ozer said yesterday that President Erdogan’s victory would make Qatar-Turkey relations stronger.

“Turkey-Qatar relations are very strong and they will become stronger with the election victory of President Erdogan,” said Fikret Ozer while talking to The Peninsula.

The Turkish Ambassador said that success of President Erdogan in elections was historic and very important for the region. “Last year through a referendum Turkey amended the constitution that replaced parliamentary system of government with the presidential system. On June 24,

2018, both President Erdogan and People’s Alliance comprised of Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) gained victory in presidential and parliamentary elections held simultaneously,” he said.

He said that Turkey was geo-graphically placed at a strategically important location and the sur-rounding region was facing various conflicts and challenges like Syria, Palestine etc. “Turkey being an important country of the region and as head of OIC has to play a crucial role. Now after Pres-ident Erdogan’s victory, Turkey can make important and urgent decisions to bring stability and peace in the region,” he added.

Ozer said that in Turkey too many mega projects were underway which would be com-pleted at a faster pace after Erdogan’s election.

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IRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Museums, expos attract over half a million visitors

DOHA: Over half a million people visited different museums and exhibitions in Qatar last year, reflecting that the country has become a vibrant centre for arts and culture in the region and beyond.

A total of 575,215 visitors came to the museums and exhi-bitions held in the country in 2017, according to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics data. The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), the flagship project of the Qatar Museums, was the biggest crowd puller among the museums as it attracted 411,869 visitors last year.

Fire Station - Artist Resi-dence, Alroaq Gallery, Zubara Fort Museum and Msheireb Museum also attracted signif-icant number of visitors in 2017. Fire Station - Artist Residence attracted 36,764 visitors while 35,921 people came to see Alroaq Gallery in 2017. Zubara Fort Museum attracted 31,440 visitors, Katara Gallery 15,864 visitors while 24,841 people visited Msheireb Museum last year.

“MIA is always in the top of the visit-list of foreigners coming to Qatar, whether those on official visit or on leisure trip,” a senior official of a tours and travel company told The Peninsula. “When it comes to art and culture, MIA has estab-lished itself as one of the important centres of art and culture not only in the region but also in the world,” he added.

Representing the full scope of Islamic art, the MIA collection includes manuscripts, ceramics,

metal, glass, ivory, textiles, wood and precious stones. Col lected from three c o n t i n e n t s , i n c l u d i n g countries across the Middle East, and reaching as far as Spain and China, the Museum’s artworks date from the 7th through to the 20th century.

Apart from the rare collection of these museums, the exhibitions also play crucial role in pulling crowds. Last year many world class exhibitions were organised by these museums.

According to the MDPS data, December, April and March were the busy months for these museums as maximum number of visitors came during these three months.

Qatar’s influence in the field of art and culture is set to grow stronger with opening of the National Museum of Qatar. The National Museum is an architectural gem designed by world-renowned French architect Jean Nouvel, and is due to open in December this year.

SACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

A total of 575,215 visitors came to the museums and exhibitions held in the country in 2017, according to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics data. The Museum of Islamic Art alone attracted 411,869 visitors last year.

NHRC monitors rights violations against persons with disabilitiesTHE PENINSULA

GENEVA: The Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, underlined that the violations of the siege countries have even included the persons with disabilities who have been subjected to unprecedented measures in human history.

During a meeting with Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabil-ities Catalina Devandas in Geneva, Dr. Al Marri said that the violations resulting from the Gulf crisis have not exclude 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 such as Saudi Arabia.

The NHRC Chairman handed over a statistic of the violations against the persons with disabilities to the Special Rapporteur, asking her to include it in her report before the Human Rights Council.

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02 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018HOME

400 female students attend QU’s ‘Skills for Future Careers’ eventTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Foundation Program under the Deanship of General Studies at Qatar University (QU) hosted the “Skills for Future Careers” event aimed to prepare students for interviews when searching for jobs.

Organised in collaboration with QU Career Services Center, the event engaged 400 female students and a number of faculty members. It brought together 22 business spe-cialists from various institu-tions such as Boeing, College of the North Atlantic - Qatar, Nakilat, Qatar Airways, Qatar International Court and

Dispute Resolution Centre, and Qatar Petroleum.

The students were allo-cated according to their majors, namely: business adminis-tration, law, arts, education, and sharia to conduct personal interviews.

Lecturer in the Department of English Lan-guage at QU Foundation Program Shamsa Al-Rushaidi explained the objective of the event, which was mainly to create an authentic environment that allows students to practice the language fluently without any evaluation pressure. She ended by explaining the

mechanism of the event to ensure its implementation in an effective way.

The event provided the students with the opportunity to experience what it is like to be in a job interview where questions cover areas of qual-ifications, experiences, skills, and personality traits required for each job. In addition, the students had the opportunity to interact with industry experts, which positively con-tributed to motivate them further towards learning in general and learning the English language in particular. The interviews were followed by a training workshop on CV

writing by the Career Services Center.

In his remarks, QU Foun-dation Program Director Dr. Hezam Al-Awah commended the crucial role of the program to promote and enhance the collaborative ties between QU and the local community and businesses.

Section Head of Student Affairs at QU Foundation Program Hayat El Samad noted that the aim of the event was to enhance English lan-guage skills by providing “semi-authentic” envi-ronment for engaging stu-dents to qualify them professionally.

Medical City hospitals home to one of region’s most advanced pharmaciesTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The central pharmacy supplying Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) three new hospitals in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City is one of the most technologically-advanced hospital pharmacies in the Middle East.

The pharmacy supplies med-ication to Qatar Rehabilitation Institute, the Women’s Wellness and Research Center, and the Ambulatory Care Center.

The three hospitals were for-mally opened by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in December 2017, and now deliver care at more than 40,000 outpatient appointments each week. Last week the new hospitals recognized a milestone, having delivered care at more than 310,000 outpatient appointments since first becoming operational.

“The central pharmacy ful-fills an essential role, providing state-of-the-art storage, dis-pensing, and distribution of med-ication for a full spectrum of patient needs. This can include medication for a mother fol-lowing the delivery of her baby, a patient recovering after day surgery, or a rehabilitation patient continuing their healing

journey,’’ said Dr. Moza Al Hail, Executive Director of Pharmacy at HMC.

The pharmacy’s advanced technology provides secure high-density storage of medications while also controlling access to a wide range of medicines. Mul-tiple operator stations allow pharmacists to retrieve medi-cation at the same time, with barcode technology and password-protected systems helping enhance operational

efficiencies and reduce the risk of medication errors.

In addition to ensuring safe medication storage, the tech-nology within the central pharmacy automates the dis-pensing process. “An advanced feature of our system is its ability to repackage all medication into unit dose pouches. The pouches contain all the required infor-mation for safely dispensing medication and medical admin-istration,” noted Dr Al Hail.

“The dis-pensing system,

which includes a state-of-the-art IV robot, also eliminates many manual steps that may otherwise be required during the medication dispensing process. By doing so, the potential for error is greatly reduced,’’ Dr Al Hail stated.

Once the medication is safely dispensed, it can be transferred manually by motor carts or auto-matically by a pneumatic tube system, depending on the type, quantity, and urgency. The

pneumatic tube system is made up of five zones of tubes, each originating in the central pharmacy and ending in various units within the three new hos-pitals. The tube network supplies all inpatient wards as well as outpatient pharmacies and guar-antees the fast and safe trans-portation of medication.

“An enormous amount of time and care has been invested in the design and build of the pharmacy to ensure that we are able to not only meet the high demand that comes from supplying medication

to three hospitals but to also do so in the safest, most efficient, and timely manner possible,’’ explained Dr. Al Hail.

In addition to a number of smart technologies adopted to decrease wait times and increase the time pharmacists have available to spend with patients, a number of other practices have been implemented at the Medical City Hospital’s central pharmacy to increase patient satisfaction, including a queue management system and satellite pharmacy with a dispensing robot.

Act effectively to end suffering of siege victims, Qatar urges UNHRCTHE PENINSULA

GENEVA: The State of Qatar called upon the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and its relevant mechanisms, especially the special proce-dures, to act urgently, seriously and more effectively and to carry out their responsibilities to put an end to the violations caused by the unjust siege imposed on Qatar by a number of countries in the region for one year, and to end the suffering and find effective redress for those affected by the siege, and to hold those responsible accountable in order to prevent the recurrence of those viola-tions.

Addressing the 28th special session of the Council yesterday, Deputy Permanent Represent-ative of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Al Mohannad Ali Al Hammadi said that the month of June marks one year of the unilateral and coercive measures and the unjust siege imposed by a number of countries in the region on Qatar, noting that the violations of human rights and the suffering of those affected continue until this moment.

During this year, the National Human Rights Com-mittee in Qatar received 4,105 complaints.

The report of the technical mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

also monitored a long list of vio-lations involving families that were separated and prevented from communication. The vio-lations reached the point of depriving children of one of their relatives, and the members of these families have been sub-jected to great psychological pressure.

Many students were pre-vented from continuing their education, patients were forced to leave hospitals, and indi-viduals were denied their right to work or to access their property because of their Qatari nationality, Al Hammadi explained.

One year after the siege and the unilateral coercive measures, the Hajj season is approaching, and the same sce-nario is repeated.

The Saudi authorities con-tinue to put obstacles and

arbitrary measures against the citizens and residents of Qatar to practice this Islamic ritual in the Kingdom, Al Hammadi added, noting that this siege and these unilateral coercive measures have far-reaching effects, particularly on the social fabric and the rights of individuals, which are difficult to remedy if decisive and urgent action is not taken to end such violations.

Meanwhile, the absence of mechanisms of redress for the victims in the siege countries makes it difficult to prosecute the perpetrators of these viola-tions at the national level, and it closes the door before those affected to receive any compen-sation or reparation for damage, especially as their suffering increases daily without a solution to the crisis, Al Hammadi underlined.

Addressing the 28th special session of the Council yesterday, Deputy Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Al Mohannad Ali Al Hammadi said that the month of June marks one year of the unilateral and coercive measures and the unjust siege imposed by a number of countries in the region on Qatar, noting that the violations of human rights and the suffering of those affected continue until this moment.

The central pharmacy fulfills an essential role, providing state-of-the-art storage, dispensing, and distribution of medication for a full spectrum of patient needs.

Regulation, control of private school fees discussed

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Meanwhile, the Advisory Coun-

cil’s Cultural Affairs and Information Committee yesterday held a meeting within the 46th ordinary session of the council, chaired by its rapporteur Dr. Hind bint Abdulrahman Al Muftah.

The Committee studied a draft law amending certain provisions of the Law No. 1 of 2016 on the organiza-tion of sports clubs. The Committee decided to submit its recommen-dations on the draft law to Shura Council. The Committee also stud-ied a request for a general discussion on education by a number of mem-bers, it decided to complete its study at its next meeting.

Erdogan victory to turn ties between Qatar, Turkey stronger: Envoy

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1He said Turkey-Qatar relations

were very strong covering political, eco-nomic and security spheres. “The victory of President Erdogan under new pres-idential system would make these rela-tions more stronger,” he noted.

On current Gulf crisis, the ambas-sador said that Turkey was trying to find a solution of the problem as it also had maintained relations with Saudi Arabia and other countries involved in the crisis.

He said that economic relations between Turkey and Qatar strengthened after imposition of siege against Qatar.

“Our bilateral trade volume which was $860m in 2016 increased to $1.3bn in 2017; a 64percent surge in one year,” he said.

The ambassador said that an agreement between two countries to enhance bilateral trade and investment would be signed in a couple of months, most likely by August this year, that would make bureaucratic procedures easier for bilateral investment and trade as well as introduce some tax exemptions. To another question, Fikret Ozer said that Qatari investments in Turkey were amounted to around $19bn (both government and private).

He said that Qataris had invested in banking, real estate and industrial sectors.

“Turkish companies on the other hand doing

mega projects in Qatar like Qatar Rail, 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums,” he said, adding that a Turkish firm was also producing fodder for live-stock in Qatar. The ambassador lauded Qatar’s efforts and initiatives towards achieving food security.

“Qatar efforts towards achieving self-suffi-ciency in food are excellent. In the last one year, food security position of Qatar has improved a lot and 50 new local products were launched after the siege,” he added.

Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar, Fikret Ozer

QNA

DOHA: Commander of the Amiri Air Defence Forces Brigadier General (Pilot) H E Hamad

Mubarak Al Dawai Al Nabit met yesterday with Deputy Commander for the US Army Central Command Brigadier General David Hill. During the

meeting, they discussed the bilateral relations and the exchange of expertise between the two friendly countries and ways of promoting them.

Amiri Air Defence Forces Commander meets US Army official

03TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 HOME

QC provides dry food suppliesto Somali refugees in KenyaTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Charity (QC) has distributed dry food supplies to 1,000 Somali refugee families living in the Dadaab camp in Kenya to help them cope with the acute food shortage.

The distribution of food sup-plies was carried out at a cost of QR 200,000 through QC’s field office in the country in cooper-ation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is responsible for managing these camps.

The relief was provided as part of a joint campaign launched by Qatar Charity and UNHCR last April to raise more than $9.6m to reach out to 100,000 people.

The campaign is aimed at helping Somali returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and integrating them with receiving communities by reha-bilitating the public infra-structure in the fields of health, education, shelter, water, and sanitation.

UNHCR and Qatar Charity seek to enable Somali returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and receiving commu-nities to have access to edu-cation; and reintegrate them through the establishment of a public infrastructure that will assist in rehabilitation and con-struction in order to promote peaceful coexistence and self-reliance.

Also, both parties seek to

provide access to basic services in the areas of return; so that Somali returnees, displaced persons and receiving commu-nities can achieve appropriate conditions of stability.

Qatar Charity has chosen Dadaab camp, one of the oldest refugee camps in the world, due to the need for food support, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. The relief project has targeted 1,000 refugee fam-ilies in the camp, providing a food basket to each family. The basket includes rice, sugar, flour, oil and powdered milk.

The implementation of this project came at a time when ref-ugees living in Dadaab camps faced a shortage of Ramadan food supplies, as most of them

PHCC calls for adopting proactive steps to prevent cancerTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The month of Ramadan has ended but if you chose the holy month to set some new personal wellness goals, making that new, healthy regimen part of your long-term lifestyle plan could have significant benefits to staying fit, healthy and free from cancer, said a release of Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) .

‘Screen For Life’, Qatar’s National Breast and Bowel Cancer screening program, strives to raise awareness levels across Qatar of the benefits of screening in the early detection of cancer and subsequently seeking to ease the burden of cancer on Qatar.

Bowel cancer can be a non-symptomatic illness, which is why it is imperative to continue to pay close attention to what you put into your body and take regular exercise. If you used

Ramadan as a starting point to reduce your food intake and eat more healthy foods, then maintain that approach moving forwards.

Continuation of fasting in shorter forms would have ben-efits as fasting enhances mental fortitude and focus, it also helps reduce stress levels. Being

watchful of what and how much you eat – key during the holy month - will also help maintain a healthy weight moving for-wards if you already started on this path during Ramadan. Lim-iting foods that are high in cal-ories, fats and sugars are crucial to reaching a healthy weight.

Adhering to a healthy regime

during at all times is a positive step in taking control with your health. This approach helps to clear the body of toxins. And a large part of that healthy regime includes regular exercise. The mercury may be rising, making it hard to get outdoors to exercise but, short, high-intensity workouts at home, in addition

to taking the stairs instead of the elevator, will put you on the right path to a healthy lifestyle, release positive endorphins, relieve stress – putting you on track to a healthier future.

Consequently, with the body cleansing itself, it is a good time of the year to request a breast or bowel screening appointment at one of the three dedicated ‘Screen For Life’ facilities at Al Wakra, Leabaib and Rawdat Al Khail Health Centers. By learning more about the goals and objec-tives of ‘Screen For Life’ and taking a voluntary, precau-tionary screening, this proac-tivity could well influence others to follow suit and take their health seriously.

So, take control of your health put yourself on the path for a healthier future. For more information on ‘Screen For Life’, its objectives and how you can take the initiative, contact the dedicated hotline on 8001112.

depend on food aid provided by humanitarian organizations, especially WFP.

Also, Qatar Charity is pre-paring to implement an educa-tional project for the refugees living in the Kakuma Camp, the second largest camp in Kenya, in

cooperation with UNHCR, Edu-cation Above All Foundation and a number of humanitarian organ-izations. The Dadaab camp was established in northeastern Kenya on the border with Somalia in 1991 when the civil war broke out in Somalia.

Qatar Charity workers distributing food items to Somali refugees in Kenya.

MoPH keen on safety of food imported from EUTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Representatives of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday held a meeting with commercial atta-che’s in the embassies of the EU countries accredited to the State of Qatar, to discuss how best to enhance the safety of foodstuffs imported from EU countries.

The meeting which was attended by Head of Trade Section in the EU Delegation Lucie Berger, discussed means of joint cooperation to enhance the safety of food imported from the EU coun-tries to the State of Qatar, facilitating the control measures by creating an elec-tronic system for registration of food products on the website of the Ministry of Public Health.

During the meeting, repre-sentatives of the MoPH gave a brief presentation on the nature of the current procedures carried out by the ministry’s departments and the future development plans to match the procedures applied with the best international standards.

EU countries’ trade repre-sentatives expressed their appreciation for the cooper-ation and communication in this regard and stressed the growing desire of many European investors to work in the State of Qatar.

The meeting emphasized the importance of continued

communication between the two sides to serve the interest of all parties, as well as the need to hold more meetings between them.

The Ministry of Public Health has recently launched an electronic system for regis-tering food products through the Ministry’s website.

The system includes the registration of all information on imported food, which facil-itates the process of monitoring and tracking it in the case receiving notifications of pos-sible link to specific dangers.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Ministry of Munic-ipality and Environment, repre-sented by the Building Permits Complex, announced the start of the implementation of new procedures to issue licenses to build commercial warehouses in the country within three working days.

The new procedures are carried out in accordance with the seven approved models, in cooperation with Qatar Eco-nomic Zones Company (Manateq) and the concerned authorities, said a release.

The ministry pointed out that this step comes within the framework of the memo-randum of understanding

signed with the concerned authorities and the decision of the technical committee to study the international reporting indicators in the Min-istry of Economy and Com-merce regarding the business environment in Qatar.

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment pointed out that the new procedures aim to

raise the level of providing con-struction permits services to commercial stores and facilitate procedures for investors in line with international standards in this regard. Details about sub-mitting request for the issuance of the license is available under the link https://www.manateq.qa/ar-qa/invest/logisticsparks/pages/24Hours.aspx.

Licence to build commercial warehouses in three days

NHRC monitors rights violations against persons with disabilities

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1He explained that the

NHRC has monitored and documented cases described as tragic, especially the viola-tions that have affected the large number of the Gulf common families, noting that some of the cases which need special care has been expelled from the hospitals of some of the siege countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Dr Al Marri briefed the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disa-bilities on the complaints filed with the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disa-bilities (CRPD) and some international mechanisms, and gave her updates on the statistics of violations moni-tored by the NHRC.

Dr Al Marri called for taking the necessary proce-dures on the basis of the infor-mation provided to the Special Rapporteur regarding the violations of the rights of persons with disabilities by the siege countries, sending urgent appeals and letters to the States concerned to clarify these cases and to com-pensate the victims morally and materially for the unprec-edented measures they have been subjected to.

He also called for con-ducting field visits to the countries parties to the crisis to discuss the issue of the pro-tection of the rights of persons with disabilities and to prepare a report to the Human Rights Council to present the conclusions and recommendations, like all the international organizations and missions that monitored the various violations of the siege countries.

A meeting attended by Head of Trade Section in the EU Delegation, Lucie Berger, discussed means of joint cooperation to enhance the safety of food imported from the EU countries to the State of Qatar, facilitating the control measures by creating an electronic system for registration of food products on the website of the Ministry of Public Health. Indonesian cultural team entertains audiences at DEC

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Indonesian cultural team enter-tained audiences with their exquisite performances, traditional dances at The Entertainment City at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC) recently.

The event hosted different activities and games for adults and children, the venue features 20 mechanical, 50 video, and 10 skill games spread out on a 15,000 sqm area, said a release. QSports, which organizes the event, has offered various games such as the world’s largest bouncy castle, synthetic ice skating rink, bungee trampoline, skill games, virtual reality setup, amusement rides, and video games.

Indonesian Ambassador Air Marshal (Ret.) Muhammad Basri Sidehabi said: “It is a great pleasure to entertain the audience the Indonesian cultural performance high-lighting the cultural dances, and colorful tra-ditional attires”. The former Indonesian Par-liament added that the embassy is taking lot of measures to promote Indonesian tourism through such cultural activities.

The performances showcased a colorful cultural show, traditional dances, and soothing music of bamboo Angklung music. The audiences were enthralled by various traditional dances. The event unfolded Indo-nesian cultural and traditional diversity before the audiences.

Indonesia also participates the mini trade

fair which hosts some 125 stalls for exhib-itors by showcasing unique products and souvenirs. According to Embassy’s official, Boy Dharmawan, the festival is also sup-ported by Puspa Qinarya cultural group led by Margie Aziz and the angklung (a musical instrument from Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes) orchestra led by Felisia Ristiani.

They also showed the traditional con-temporary dance that blends dynamic move-ments, coming from various regions in Indo-nesia. Those artist are the Indonesians living in Qatar. These ladies — mothers, daughters, and wives — are very active and dedicated in preserving and promoting Indonesian culture and art in Qatar.

Indonesian artistes perform at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC).

04 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018HOME

Aster opens optical showroom at C-Ring Road medical centreDOHA: Aster DM Healthcare Qatar, the largest private healthcare provider in the region, has expanded its scope of medical offerings in Qatar.

The leading private medical chain has now opened a new full-fledged optical showroom, ‘Aster Optics’, in their existing medical centre located on C- Ring Road. The new optic shop will provide world class optical services with the support of existing Ophthal-mology department.

Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran, inaugurated the shop in the presence of Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, Chairman, Bethel Group, Dr Sameer Moopan, Chief Executive Officer, Aster DMH Qatar, Dr Nazar Moopan, Medical Director & Chief of Medical Staff, Dr T P V Saseendranath, Ophthalmol-ogist, Dr Kapil Chib, Chief Oper-ating Officer, Aster Hospital Doha and other officials.

The new optics shop in Aster Medical Centre, C-Ring Road will also provide world class optical services, complete with a wide choice of frames, lenses,

sunglasses, contact lenses and solutions. To celebrate the opening, the new Aster optics has announced an inaugural offer of high quality glass and frames in a discounted price.

Commenting on the occasion, P Kumaran said, “I want to use this occasion to congratulate Aster for the opening of its new optical shop at Aster Medical Centre C-Ring Road. I always had been happy with successful business operations of Aster in Qatar and the region in general.”

“It is a pleasure to see flour-ishing and successful India- Qatar partnerships. Our associ-ation for Aster is too fall. Aster is one of the important panels of hospitals for the embassy and they take care of the health of embassy staffs. I am very happy that Aster supports community welfare activities by partici-pating in medical camp regu-larly organised by ICBF and other organizations”

Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Hassan Al Thani said, “I want to take this opportunity to congrat-ulate Aster. Aster is the main private healthcare provider in the

region and they are very profes-sional in caring people. I also wish Aster best wishes for their future expansions in Qatar”.

Stating on the expansion, Dr Sameer Moopan, Chief Exec-utive Officer, Aster DM Healthcare, Qatar said, “We are pleased to expand our healthcare offerings and adding a new optical shop in Aster C ring Road. Our aim is to be a comprehensive medical service provider in order to provide better care and cure facilities to our customers. We have two Ophthalmologists in C Ring road. The new optics will provide a wide range of service under a same roof.”

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. TPV Saseen-dranath, Specialist Ophthalmol-ogist and Head of Aster Ophthal-mology department said, “We are delighted to have our own Aster Optical unit which can provide quality frames, lenses and contact lenses. Now with our new Optical unit we can ensure the correct power and axis of the lenses since we cross-check them before delivery.”

QA launches Oryx Kids Club On-board Children’s ProgrammeTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Airways announced yesterday the launch of Oryx Kids Club On-board Children’s Programme, offering an enhanced experience for its youngest travellers by providing them with specially designed plush toys, activity packs, and special meal boxes featuring their favourite super heroes from the Oryx Kids Club.

Children travelling on ultra long-haul routes are now able to enjoy their flight with their favourite super heroes from Oryx Kids Club: “Orry” and “Orah” the Oryx and their friends Kamil the camel, Faaiz the falcon and Farrah the desert fox. The programme will extend to long-haul flights from July 1, and on short-and medium-haul routes from September 1.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Marketing and Cor-porate Communications, Salam Al Shawa, said: “At Qatar Airways, we always seek to enhance the travel experience of our passengers of all ages. We especially want to ensure that flying is as enjoyable as it can be for children and families. These new special new toys, amenity packs and meal boxes featuring the Oryx Kids Club super heroes will ensure that our youngest travellers are entertained from

the moment they board the air-craft, alongside our dedicated children’s channels on the Oryx One entertainment system”.

In March, the airline revealed the new Oryx Kids Club heroes, which are designed to inspire and excite children when they fly and make Qatar Airways the airline of choice for families. The new cuddly toys, activity packs, and specially-designed children’s meals will help make flying with Qatar Airways a seamless and fun-filled journey for every child.

The airline will also soon launch the Oryx Kids Club Loyalty Programme, offering children between the ages of two and 11 the opportunity to enjoy value-added benefits while travelling with Qatar Airways as well as the ability to earn Qmiles, which can be redeemed for attractive awards. In addition, they will also be eli-gible to earn Qpoints, which moves them to a higher tier,

offering exclusive benefits.The airline has already

made a substantial investment at its home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), to excite and inspire children. The iconic Teddy Bear lamp is a firm favourite with families, along with dedicated children’s play areas. Al Mourjan Lounge at HIA also features a Formula 1 simu-lator in the play area and a games room, as well as a dedi-cated children’s nursery. Children travelling on their own also have access to a special unaccompanied minors’ lounge.

With more than 4,000 entertainment options to choose from, Qatar Airways’ award-winning in-flight entertainment service, Oryx One, also features dedicated children’s channels such as Disney, Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, Baraaem and Jeem, to keep youngsters happy throughout the flight. Family-friendly films currently being shown on board include A

Wrinkle in Time; P e t e r R a b b i t ; Scooby-Doo & Batman: The Brave and The Bold; LEGO S c o o b y - D o o ! Blowout Beach Bash, as well as many others.

The award-winning airline has received a number of recent accolades, including ‘Airline of the Year’ by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, held at the Paris Air Show.Specially-designed activity packs for children.

SEK International School students celebrate graduationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: SEK International School Qatar has achieved a high important milestone by celebrating the graduation of the first class to complete the Middle Year Program (MYP) and the Diploma Program (DP) of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB).

Twenty MYP students and eleven DP students celebrated their graduation in the presence of SEK President, Nieves Segovia, and the Ambassador of Spain to Qatar, Ignacio Escobar Guerrero.

The objective of these pro-grams is to train young people on engaging actively in the learning process and offer them all the opportunities to join the best universities all over the

world. The Middle Years Program

is dedicated to students between 12 and 16 years old. And through the program, the students will understand the complexity of the societies in which we live and will develop an open and sympathetic attitude toward the world.

On the other hand, the Diploma Program is allocated to the 16-18 age category. It pro-motes the development of com-munity conscience at local and international levels, and allows the students to explore their interests and passions.

SEK International School Qatar was established in 2009 within the scope of the Out-standing Schools Program of the Qatari Ministry of Education.

SEK-Qatar offers the IB

programs since pre-school until Grade 12. SEK schools use the curriculum framework of the IB, which combines a strict course of study with a method-ology which promotes compe-tence development. The IB

offers high quality courses of study to a community of pres-tigious schools all over the world.

Currently, SEK International Schools embrace more than 5500 resident and non-resident

students, aged between 0 and 18 years old, of more than 70 nationalities, in their locations within Doha (Qatar), Madrid, Barcelona, Almeria, Pontevedra, Dublin (Ireland), and the Alps (France).

Students with officials during the graduation ceremony.

Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran, inaugurating ‘Aster Optics’ in the presence of Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, Chairman, Bethel Group; Dr Sameer Moopan, Chief Executive Officer, Aster DMH Qatar; Dr Nazar Moopan, Medical Director & Chief of Medical Staff, and other officials.

Ooredoo launches Nojoom Football Millionaire GameDOHA: Ooredoo yesterday announced its Nojoom Loyalty Programme is launching a new competition for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Nojoom Football Millionaire Game has been designed to encourage more people to support football in Qatar and unite fans across the country. With the game, Ooredoo customers have to simply choose their team and register at Ooredoo.qa/goal to earn Nojoom Points and the chance to win the Mega Prize of One Million Nojoom Points.

Registered members will win 10 Nojoom Points, plus an entry into the Mega Prize Draw, each time their chosen team scores a goal during the FIFA World Cup tournament. The Nojoom Football Millionaire Game will run until July 15 and the Mega Prize Draw will be held on July 16.

Every Ooredoo residential customer with a mobile number under their QID or passport can register to the Nojoom Football Millionaire game and earn Nojoom Points. Points can be redeemed at over 220 local and international Nojoom partner outlets.

Children travelling on ultra long-haul routes are now able to enjoy their flight with their favourite super heroes from Oryx Kids Club: “Orry” and “Orah” the Oryx and their friends Kamil the camel, Faaiz the falcon and Farrah the desert fox. The programme will extend to long-haul flights from July 1, and on short-and medium-haul routes from September 1.

QC to organise seminars on ATA Carnet in JulyTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar Chamber will organise many introductory seminars and workshops on

how to use the ATA Carnet from July to r a i s e awareness and knowledge on the system which will be implemented in the country on August 1, according to a press statement issued by the chamber.

The ATA Carnet is an interna-tional customs document that allows the duty-free and tax-free temporary import and export of goods for up to one year. The system is applied to import-export goods that will return to the country of origin within the period which is approved by customs authorities, said a release.

The statement said that the chamber has completed its prep-arations for the implementation of the system in coordination with the General Authority of Customs after Qatar’s official accession to the World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC) on May 9. The chamber has called upon all companies to register to attend these seminars

and workshops via its website. The ATA Carnet seminars and workshops which will be held at the chamber’s headquarter will focus on benefits of using the system and mechanisms of implementation in Qatar.

The most prominent features of the ATA Carnet is that it enables marketing representa-tives, exhibition participants and businessmen to make advance customs arrangements at a pre-determined cost, visit several countries consecutively and use the ATA Carnet for several trips during its one-year validity.

The system facilitates and simplifies customs procedures across borders for exporters and

importers using one document to complete all customs proce-dures in the 77 countries that apply the ATA Carnet system.

It includes all types of goods and equipment, including commercial samples, professional equipment, and goods for fairs, exhibitions and enter-tainment events on condition that they will be returned to the country of origin within the period which is approved by customs authorities. Qatar Chamber is the national guarantor for the application of the ATA Carnet as The Convention On Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention) required the pro-vision of a national guarantor for the system.

The ATA Carnet doesn’t only

reduce costs; it also facilitates customs clearance in both Qatar and foreign countries and is valid on multiple trips for up to one year. It covers a broad range of goods including commercial samples such as jewelry, leather products, trade show booths and requirements, professional equipment, which includes broadcast equipment, audio and video equipment, cinematog-raphy, musical instruments, clothing, theater objects, seminar and meeting equipment, display and test equipment, repair and maintenance equipment and equipment for surgeons, archae-ologists, entertainers, lecturers and athletes.

05TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Erdogan wins sweeping powers after victoryREUTERS

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won sweeping new executive powers yesterday after his victory in landmark elections that also saw his Islamist-rooted AK Party and its nationalist allies secure a majority in the parliament.

Erdogan’s main rival, Muharrem Ince of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), conceded defeat but branded the elections “unjust”.

Erdogan, 64, the most popular leader in modern Turkish history, told jubilant, flag-waving sup-porters there would be no retreat from his drive to transform Turkey, a Nato member and, at least nominally, a candidate to join the European Union.

He is loved by millions of devoutly Muslim working class Turks for delivering years of stellar economic growth and overseeing the construction of roads, bridges, airports, hospitals and schools.

But his critics, including rights groups, accuse him of destroying the independence of the courts and press freedoms. A crackdown launched after the coup has seen 160,000 people detained, and the state of emergency allows

Erdogan to bypass parliament with decrees. He says it will be lifted soon.

“It is out of the question for us to turn back from where we’ve brought our country in terms of democracy and the economy,” Erdogan said on Sunday night.

His victory means he will remain president at least until 2023 — the centenary of the founding of the Turkish republic on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Erdogan responds to criticism by saying he is trying to modernise Turkey and improve religious freedoms.

With virtually all votes counted, Erdogan had 53 percent

against Ince’s 31 percent, while in the parliamentary vote the AKP took 42.5 percent and its MHP nationalist allies secured 11 p e r c e n t , o u t s t r i p p i n g expectations.

Turkish markets initially rallied on hopes of increased political stability - investors had feared deadlock between Erdogan and an opposition-controlled par-liament - but then retreated amid concerns over future monetary policy. The vote ushers in a pow-erful executive presidency backed by a narrow majority in a 2017 ref-erendum. The office of prime min-ister will be abolished and Erdogan will be able to issue decrees to form and regulate min-istries and remove civil servants, all without parliamentary approval.

The secularist CHP draws support broadly from Turkey’s urban, educated middle class. It won 23 percent in the new par-liament and the pro-Kurdish HDP nearly 12 percent, above the 10 percent threshold needed to enter parliament. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a rights watchdog, said high voter turnout, at nearly 87 percent, demonstrated Turks’ commitment to democracy.

Seeking to reassure investors, Erdogan’s Chief Economic Adviser, Cemil Ertem, said the new gov-ernment would focus on economic reforms and budget discipline. He added that the central bank’s inde-pendence was “fundamental”.

The EU’s executive Com-mission said it hoped Erdogan would “remain a committed partner for the European Union on major issues of common interest such as migration, security, regional stability and the

fight against terrorism”. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Erdogan to congratulate him but there were no reports of Western leaders doing so, underlining the chill in relations between Ankara and its traditional Nato allies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is greeted by supporters in Istanbul.

Military extends assault in southwest Syria, thousands displacedREUTERS

BEIRUT: Government heli-copters dropped barrel bombs on Deraa city for the first time in nearly a year yesterday, a rebel and a war monitor said, extending an assault in southwest Syria which has driven thousands from their homes.

Along with the barrels crammed with explosives, the helicopters dropped leaflets saying the army was coming and urging people to “kick out the terrorists as your brothers did in Eastern Ghouta”, the sources said. “My wife and I left with only the clothes on our backs, because the house was com-pletely destroyed,” Muhammad

Abu Qasim, 45, said. Heavy bombing had turned his village northeast of Deraa into “an unbearable hell”. The region is politically sensitive because of its proximity to Israel and Jordan and because of a “de-escalation” deal there agreed between the United States, Jordan and Syrian government ally Russia.

Washington had warned Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and his Russian allies that vio-lations of the ceasefire would prompt a response, but rebels said the United States had told them not to expect any American military support.

A European diplomat said the violation of the de-escalation agreement by Russia and Syria was “deeply troubling”. “No one

is in any doubt about the likely military outcome from this uneven clash, but the conse-quences could be significant. It not only risks a significant humanitarian crisis, but is likely to destabilise further an already precarious situation. It also casts real doubt about Russia’s

willingness to stand by its own commitments,” he said. The fighting has displaced thousands of people and threatens to uproot many more from their homes, adding to the around 6.5 million people already internally displaced by Syria’s seven-year-old conflict.

Civilians flee during airstrike by Syrian regime forces in the east of the southern Syrian province of Daraa.

ADDIS ABABA: Eritrean officials are expected in Ethiopia’s capital this week in a rare diplomatic meeting between the hostile neigh-bours, Ethiopian state media said yesterday.

“A high-level Eritrean government delegation will arrive in Addis Ababa this week,” state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Cor-porate reported, without giving further details. A former province of Ethiopia, Eritrea voted for independence in 1993, rendering Ethiopia landlocked. The Eritrean meeting has been scheduled despite a blast on Saturday at a pro-government rally.

Eritrean delegation to visit Ethiopia

86 dead in central Nigeria as farmers, herders clashAP

NIGERIA: Scores are dead after vicious weekend clashes in central Nigeria between mostly Muslim herders and Christian farmers, with one report citing police saying 86 people were killed. The growing conflict by some accounts has become deadlier than Nigeria’s Boko Haram extremist insurgency.

Nigeria’s president in a statement yesterday accused unnamed politicians of taking advantage of the chaos ahead of next year’s elections, calling it “incredibly unfortunate.”

Dramatic footage from Jos showed angry people waving machetes and sticks and shouting at passing security forces as they weaved around overturned and burning vehicles.

Smoke rose in the distance. Women and children clutching overstuffed bags piled into the back of trucks, seeking a way out.

President Muhammadu Buhari warned against reprisal attacks after the “deeply unfor-tunate killings across a number of communities” in central Plateau State as the military, police and counterterror units

were sent to end the bloodshed. “No efforts will be spared” to find the attackers, Buhari said.

Nigeria’s government said “scores” were killed but did not announce a death toll. The inde-pendent Channels Television cited a Plateau State police spokesman, Mathias Tyopev, as saying 86 people had been killed, with at least 50 houses destroyed.

Prince William in Israel for historic visitJERUSALEM: Prince William arrived in Israel yesterday for the first-ever official visit of a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled.

Arriving from neighbouring Jordan, the Duke of Cambridge landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport and then departed to Jerusalem, where he will stay at the elegant King David Hotel, site of the former administrative headquarters of the British mandate. Three decades of British rule between the two world wars helped establish some of the fault lines of today’s Israeli-Pal-estinian conflict, and Britain’s withdrawal in 1948 led to the eventual establishment of Israel and Jordan.

GUINEA: Guinea’s Transport Ministry said four people are dead after a small plane crashed after takeoff from the capital, Conakry.

Transport Minister Aboubacar Sylla says among the dead in Sunday’s crash are pilots from Germany and Cape Verde and tech-nicians from Poland and Guinea. He says the bodies are being transferred to a morgue in the capital.

Four dead as plane crashes in Guinea

ADDIS ABABA: The US is sending the FBI to help investigate a grenade attack in Addis Ababa which killed two people at a rally addressed by Ethiopia’s reformist prime minister, state media said yesterday.

“The US government said it will send FBI experts to investigate Saturday’s bomb blast at a rally organised to support [the] reform agendas of Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed,” state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said. A spokesman for the US embassy in Addis Ababa confirmed the FBI’s involvement.

FBI to help probe into Ethiopia rally blast

With virtually all votes counted, Erdogan had 53 percent against Ince’s 31 percent, while in the parliamentary vote the AKP took 42.5 percent and its MHP nationalist allies secured 11 percent, outstripping expectations.

06 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018ASIA

India, Seychelles to work on Assomption Island projectIANS

NEW DELHI: India and Seychelles yesterday agreed to work on the Assomption Island naval base project keeping each other’s interest in mind as New Delhi promised a $100m line of credit to the Indian Ocean archi-pelago nation to strengthen its defence capabilities.

“On the issue of Assomption Island, we are ready to work together on the basis of each other’s interest,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a joint press meet with Seychelles Pres-ident Danny Faure after talks between the two leaders at Hyderabad House here.

The agreement allowing India to build naval facilities on Assomption Island was signed by the two countries during Modi’s first visit to Seychelles in 2015. The opposition in Sey-chelles is against the pact on con-cerns about sovereignty.

Faure is on his first bilateral visit to India at the invitation of

President Ram Nath Kovind. He visited Ahmedabad and Goa before landing in Delhi.

Expressing the intention to continue the dialogue on the issue, Faure, too, said: “In the context of maritime security, Assomption Island was dis-cussed. We are equally engaged and will continue to work together bearing each other’s

interest in mind.“We have underscored our

commitment to remain at the heart of joint initiatives and col-lective efforts to stimulate and facilitate cooperation in fields representing priorities on the sub-regional, regional and con-tinental agendas.”

Further, India announced a $100 million line of credit to Sey-chelles to strengthen its defence capabilities, maritime infra-structure and capability of its defence personnel.

“I feel pleasure in announcing a credit of $100m for Seychelles defence. With this credit, Seychelles will be able to buy defence equipment from India to build its maritime capacity,” Modi said.

With India’s support, Sey-chelles will be able to tackle both traditional as well as non-tradi-tional maritime challenges and will be able to safeguard its mar-itime resources, he said.

During Faure’s visit, the two countries added six new agreements

covering significant sectors of devel-opment including culture, cyber security, maritime safety and security cooperation, diplomacy and infrastructure development.

“We will benefit from a second line of credit that will help the infrastructure of our military (and) defence forces in Seychelles. Through a grant, we

will build a new government house. We will also build a new police headquarters and a new building for the Attorney Gen-eral’s office,” Faure said.

Modi said the Dornier aircraft India was proposing to give to Seychelles would be there before its National Day on June 29.

“India and Seychelles are

connected by Indian Ocean. Secure maritime environment is essential for our people’s pros-perity and development of sus-tainable ocean economy... We are cooperating on making nav-igation charts available and for conducting hydrography surveys. An MoU has been signed to share White Shipping Data,” Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Seychelles President Danny Faure after presenting a model of Dornier aircraft during a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi yesterday.

Senior BJP MLA in Rajasthan quits party, blames state & central leadership

IANS

JAIPUR: Senior Rajasthan BJP MLA and former Education Minister Ghanshyam Tiwadi yesterday resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but said he will remain asso-ciated with the RSS.

He wrote a letter to BJP President Amit Shah holding Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and the central leadership responsible for his decision.

Tiwadi has formed his own party, Bharat Vahini Party, and said he shall admit veteran leaders from both the Congress and the BJP.

He has also declared to contest upcoming Assembly election from Sanganer. Around 15 MLAs in the state were in touch with him, he said. His party will contest elections on all the 200 seats in the state.

Tiwadi said that in the last four years, there had been a state of lawlessness and turmoil in Rajasthan and an undeclared Emergency existed in the state.

Tiwadi has been an MLA six times, a Minister two times and has been associated with the RSS for many years.

Jaitley compares Indira Gandhi to HitlerIANS

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday compared former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who imposed Emergency, to Hitler, stating that both used the Consti-tution “to transform democracy into dictatorship”.

Jaitley, whose second blog of a three-part series coincided with the 43rd anniversary of imposition of the Emergency, also noted that unlike the German dictator, Gandhi went ahead to transform India into a “dynastic democracy”.

“Both Hitler and Gandhi never abrogated the Constitution. They used a republican Constitution to

transform democracy into dicta-torship,” he said.

The BJP leader said Gandhi imposed Emergency under Article 352, suspended funda-mental rights under Article 359 and claimed that disorder was planned by the opposition.

Jaitley said Hitler, who became the German Chancellor on January 30, 1933, got his Pres-ident to invoke Article 48 of the country’s Constitution which gave emergency powers for the “pro-tection of people in the State”.

“The decree giving emer-gency powers put restrictions on personal liberty, free speech... The pretext for imposition of Emergency was that on February

27, 1933, German Parliament House, known as ‘Reichstag’, had been set on fire.

“Hitler claimed that it was a communist conspiracy to burn Government buildings and museums. Thirteen years later, in the Nuremberg trials, it was established that Reichstag fire was the handiwork of Nazis and Goebbels had conceived it.”

He said Hitler arrested most opposition MPs.

“Indira Gandhi arrested most opposition MPs and, therefore, procured, through their absence, a two-third majority of members present and voting and enabling the passage of several obnoxious provisions through Constitution

amendments,” Jaitley said.The BJP leader said the 42nd

Amendment diluted the power of High Courts to issue writ petitions, “a power which Dr (B R) Ambedkar had said was the very heart and soul of India’s Constitution”.

“They also amended Article 368 so that a Constitution amendment was beyond judicial review. There were a few things that Hitler did not do which Gandhi did.

“She prohibited the publi-cation of Parliamentary pro-ceeding in the media. The law which gave mandate to the media for publishing Parlia-mentary proceedings was pop-ularly known as the Feroze

Gandhi Bill,” he said.Since Hitler’s own election

has been set aside, he had no change to make in this regard.

“Gandhi amended both the Constitution and the Represen-tation of People Act. The Consti-tution amendment made the election of the Prime Minister non-justiciable before a court.

“The Representation of People Act was retrospectively amended to insert those provi-sions so that the invalid election of Gandhi could be validated by changes in law.”

He said amendments to the constitution made during Emer-gency were later reversed by the Janata Party government.

Cars are seen amidst debris after the wall of a residential building collapsed due to heavy rains in Mumbai, yesterday.

Five dead as rains lash MaharashtraIANS

MUMBAI: Torrential rains clob-bered large areas of Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra seri-ously hitting road traffic and rail operations, claiming at least five lives in rain-related incidents, officials said here yesterday.

Mumbai’s lifeline, the sub-urban locals on Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) were running between 15-30 minutes late on account of waterlogging on the railway tracks and periphery of several stations like Sion, Chinchpokli and Matunga, inconveniencing office-goers due to overnight rains that lashed the city.

On the WR, the downpour

had dislocated train movement due to heavy rains in south Gujarat and north-west Mahar-ashtra, but services were restored (after nearly 90 minutes) with severe speed restrictions by 9.10am yesterday.

WR General Manager A K Gupta left for the affected track sites between Bhilad-Sanjan (south Gujarat), even as several mail and express trains bound for Mumbai and from Mumbai to various destinations like Gujarat and Delhi, were delayed at various points en route.

The Mumbai morning peak road traffic was badly hit as waterlogging was reported in some parts of the Eastern and Western Express Highways

(EEH-WEH), main and arterial roads and many low-lying areas of the city and suburbs and traffic to and from adjoining Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts.

There was flooding in several areas like Chunabhatti, Wadala, Dadar, Malad, Kurla, Gamdevi, Santacruc-Chembur Link Road and other places hitting traffic movement severely and delaying school buses transporting kids to their schools.

A portion of the wall of an under-construction highrise at Lords Estate in Antop Hill trapping many residents and damaging over a dozen private cars parked in a neighbouring society premises.

Pre-election grand alliance not practical, says Sharad PawarIANS

NEW DELHI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar yesterday said a pre-poll grand alliance in the next year’s Lok Sabha elections is “not practical” while maintaining that non-BJP parties may come together for state-specific alli-ances to take on the ruling BJP.

He said while regional com-pulsions of parties in states may deem a pre-poll grand alliance impractical, a post-poll alliance could be on the cards to thwart the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from forming a government again.

“There is a lot of media spec-ulation, lot of write-ups about some alternative front like a maha gatbandhan (grand alliance). But I don’t see anything like that. I don’t see that possibility,” said Pawar, according to a release issued by CNN-News18.

“There are our certain friends who want that but that is not practical. My own thinking is that ultimately there will state-wise position,” he added.

The Nationalist Congress Party leader said that while there might be states like Tamil Nadu, where the number one party will be the DMK, the other non-BJP parties will have to accept it.

“If you go to Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, you will find Congress will be the number one party. Or in Andhra, one has to accept that Telugu Desam Party will be the number

one party or Chandrashekhar Rao will be an important factor in Telangana,” he said.

Pawar, however, did not discount the possibility of the non-BJP parties coming together after the elections.

“After the election, there is every possibility that all these leaders will come together because the total thrust of the election was against the BJP. All these forces will come together and find some alternative so as not to hand the country’s reins to the BJP. That I am confident of,” he said. “But no ‘maha gatbandhan’ prior to election,” he reiterated.

On the possibility and pros-pects of Congress President Rahul Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister, Pawar said: “I can’t say that, can’t say anything about any individual… Ultimately, their acceptability is important.”

Alleging an assault on the constitution and secularism, he accused the BJP of promoting communal atmosphere in the country so they could take elec-toral advantage from it.

He alleged that pro-BJP ele-ments were behind most of the lynching incidents in the country. “They have consistent line. Sometime they were showing no, no they are secular, they are not going to harm any minority sections of the country. But we have seen continuously their total and ultimate efforts are to consolidate their positions in the name fundamentalism and communalism.”

Monsoon session of Parliament from July 18 to August 10IANS

NEW DELHI: The monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 18 to August 10, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said here yesterday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Home Min-ister Rajnath Singh.

During the session, which will have 18 working days, the government is expected to push for bills including those related to triple talaq and constitu-tional status for the National Commission for Other Backward Classes.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Ananth Kumar appealed to all political parties to “construc-tively cooperate with the gov-ernment” to make the session productive.

Expressing the intention to continue the dialogue on Assomption Island naval base project, Seychelles President said: “In the context of maritime security, Assomption Island was discussed. We are equally engaged and will continue to work together bearing each other’s interest in mind.

07TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 ASIA

REUTERS

KABUL: The Taliban yesterday rejected pleas by Afghan elders and activists for an extension of this month’s ceasefire and said they amounted to a call for surrender to foreign forces.

Taliban spokesman Zabi-hullah Mujahid dismissed the peace “slogans” and urged civil society activists and others not to join movements he said played into the hands of US and international forces the Taliban wants to force from the country.

“They are not speaking about the occupation or the withdrawal of foreigners. Their objective is that we lay down our weapons and accept the regime imposed by the invaders,” he said in a statement.

A truce over the three-day Eid Al Fitr festival this month, during which unarmed Taliban fighters mingled with soldiers and civilians in the capital Kabul and other cities has given fresh impetus to the calls for peace, although many also dismiss the ceasefire as a Taliban trick. A small group of peace marchers who came to Kabul on foot from the southern province of Helmand this month have also gained prom-inence, with pleas to all sides to end a conflict which has now lasted for 40 years.

“Tribal elders may not be able to bring about peace and create a ceasefire to the whole country but they can for their own districts and they will,” said Dawlat Wazir, an elder in Jani Khil district in the eastern province of Paktia.

In Jani Khil, elders held a meeting that drew hundreds of people at the weekend, calling on the government and Taliban forces to refrain from fighting in their area. “We are so fed up with operations by government forces in our areas that trigger fighting for days,” said Malek Sakhto, one of the elders behind the meeting. “We’re pleading with the government and the Taliban to agree on a ceasefire and stop killing each other and civilians.”

The success of such local initiatives is mixed and may stand little chance as military operations pick up.

President Ashraf Ghani ordered government forces to stop offensive operations against the Taliban for another 10 days after the end of the ceasefire but there has since been fierce fighting in several areas. In Logar, to the south of the capital Kabul, local elders and religious scholars have been trying to arrange a ceasefire in Azra district, according to Abdul Wali, a member of the Logar provincial council.

Body building: The pursuit of beauty in war-torn KabulAFP

KABUL: Hindi music pumps from the speakers as dozens of Afghan men grunt and sweat their way through a workout beneath the watchful eye of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose muscle-bound image hangs from the wall.

The scene inside this Kabul gym is repeated at venues all round the capital, where body building has become ubiquitous since the fall of the Taliban regime.

The sport has a long tradition in Afghanistan, and was even tol-erated by the Taliban when they ruled the country from 1996-2001 — so long as the men wore long trousers as they lifted. But as

security deteriorated and the initial euphoria after the US invasion dissipated into stress, trauma and loss, more and more young men took to the gym.

“Everyone, everywhere in Afghanistan, wants to have a beautiful body shape, and this sport is a favourite sport for every young man,” says Hares Mohammadi, a law and political science student turned champion bodybuilder who is also a trainer at one gym in Kabul.

The 25-year-old, dressed in grey, strikes different poses showing off his carefully honed muscles, and warms up his chest and shoulders ahead of a regional body building competition.

Despite a surge in bombings and suicide attacks, life goes on,

he says, and young Afghans want to “make their mark”. One way is through sporting success. So, along with Schwarzenegger, other stars from Hollywood and Bol-lywood such as Sylvester Stallone and Salman Khan are held up as heroes, and the gyms stay busy for hours, filled with music and camaraderie as men tone their bodies to perfection.

Afghan body building legend Aziz Arezo reminisces about his time as a teenage lifter, when there were “very, very few people” in the capital who knew anything about the sport.

He himself was only inspired to take it up after seeing movies and posters featuring foreigners such as Schwarzenegger.

“Arnold was my... role

model,” he says, smiling as he remembers how expensive post-cards featuring the star were.

Speaking between lifting weights at his small gym in Kabul, Arezo — his physique not quite what it was in his glorious body building past — reels off his long list of accolades, including being named Afghanistan’s first master sport bodybuilder by the country’s Olympic Committee in the 1970s.

Though now a trainer himself, guiding hundreds of Afghan youths through lifts and crunches, he never had the guidance of one.

Under Taliban rule, he worked for four months in Kabul before eventually fleeing again, fearing their restrictions despite their views on body building.

Election body unable to check candidates’ possible terror ties

Afghan body builders exercising at a gym in Kabul. Hindi music pumps from the speakers as dozens of Afghan men grunt and sweat their way through workout. The scene inside this Kabul gym is repeated at venues all round the capital, where bodybuilding has become ubiquitous since the fall of the Taliban regime.

INTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has no mechanism to determine if any person placed on the Fourth Schedule list (for suspicion or involvement in terrorist activities) was contesting the upcoming general election.

The commission, it is learnt, has not yet approached the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) which has the consolidated data in this regard. Moreover, the Federal Investi-gation Agency (FIA), which is involved in scrutinizing pro-spective candidates on some matters, has also not been taken into the loop about names on the Fourth Schedule.

Despite repeated attempts, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhmmad Raza did not respond for

comments. Meanwhile, NACTA chief Ihsan Ghani blamed the provincial home departments, saying that they had the most updated data in this regard.

“Provincial election commis-sioners may have obtained rel-evant data,” Ghani said.

An ECP official, who did not want to be named, blamed the FIA for this state of affairs.

“If someone’s name is on the Fourth Schedule list, it is not pos-sible that FIA does not know about it. The FIA is part of online scrutiny,” the official said.

However, it is learnt that a meeting between ECP and NACTA official was scheduled, but the meeting’s agenda was to determine security threats against some candidates.

But an FIA official said that the authority had not yet been directed to guide the election commission about individuals on

the Fourth Schedule list.“FIA has data on persons

already placed on the Fourth Schedule list and it also knows which persons were wanted by law. During the 2013 general election, FIA was not asked to guide the ECP so some indi-viduals listed on the Fourth Schedule list managed to dodge the system,” he stated.

Any individual with known or suspected links with a pro-scribed organization can be pro-scribed by the home department of a province, slapping various restrictions. After the home department issued a notifi-cation, such individual’s name was included in the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Ter-rorism Act, 1997.

According to NACTA data as of May 7 this year, as many as 7,779 individuals have been pro-scribed across the country.

Nawaz not to return home as wife ‘fights for life’ in London

Pakistan PM reviews election preparationsISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk has been briefed regarding the preparations of upcoming general elections 2018. During a high-level meeting, the concerning departments assured the premier that they are ready to conduct elections on July 25.

Meanwhile, a report on the publication of ballot papers and security arrange-ments was also presented in the session. Chief Ministers of all provinces, chief secretaries, and inspectors general of police attended the meeting. Earlier, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had issued an 86-point code of conduct for upcoming general elec-tions 2018.

Taliban reject Afghan ceasefire extension pleas

Australia and Vanuatu to negotiate security treatyAP

CANBERRA: Australia said yesterday that it would negotiate a security treaty with Vanuatu, weeks after the Australian prime minister warned China against building a military base in the South Pacific island nation.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the nego-tiations during a visit to the Aus-tralian Parliament House by Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas.

“We agreed to commence negotiations on a bilateral security treaty on common security interests, such as humanitarian assistance and dis-aster response, maritime

surveillance and border security, police and defense cooperation,” Turnbull said in a statement.

Turnbull said he and Salwai had reinforced their com-mitment to a deep and enduring economic and security part-nership. A Vanuatu government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.

In May, China and Vanuatu denied media reports that the Chinese had approached the former joint British-French colony, which has a population of 280,000, about building a permanent military presence in the South Pacific.

Turnbull said at the time that Australia “would view with great

concern the establishment of any foreign military bases in those Pacific island countries and neighbours of ours.”

New Zealand Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern had said her country takes “a strong position in the Pacific against militari-sation.” Vanuatu’s infrastructure minister, Jotham Napat, told Aus-tralian Broadcasting Corp. last week that Salwai would use his Australian visit to ask Turnbull for Australia to help pay for a high-speed telecommunications cable from Sydney to Vanuatu.

The request follows the Aus-t r a l i a n g o v e r n m e n t ’ s announcement last week that it would pay most of the 137 million Australian dollar ($101

million) price tag for such an undersea cable to South Pacific neighbors Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

Australia stepped into that project after the Solomons’

government signed a contract with Chinese telecommunica-tions giant Huawei in 2017 to build a cable to the Sydney broadband hub. The Solomons consequently scrapped.

INTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: Deposed Paki-stani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ruled out leaving his wife’s side while she is on a ventilator at a London hospital, Express News reported.

Speaking to media on Sat-urday, the three-time premier asked reporters if it would be appropriate to return to Pakistan when Begum Kulsoom is fighting for life.

On June 14, Nawaz and daughter Maryam left for Brit-ain’s capital after being granted a brief exemption from the ongoing corruption trial. The Sharif family is facing trial at an accountability court in Islamabad on cor-ruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the wake of Supreme Court’s July 28, 2017 verdict in Panamagate case disqualifying Nawaz and directing the anti-graft watchdog to launch an inquiry.

While the father and daughter were en-route to London, the former first lady suffered a cardiac arrest and was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and placed on a ventilator.

Expressing his regret over not being able to see her while she was conscious, Nawaz said he planned on a four-day visit but was unsure about returning to Pakistan due to Kulsoom’s health. He added that the matter will be further deliberated upon after consul-tations with the doctors.

The supremo of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), however, asserted his intent to return.

FROM LEFT: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop speaks to Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before a meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, yesterday,

The workers preparing election posters for National Assembly candidate Imran Khan, the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, at a printing workshop during the election campaign in Rawalpindi, yesterday.

A truce over the three-day Eid Al Fitr festival this month, during which unarmed Taliban fighters mingled with soldiers and civilians in the capital Kabul and other cities has given fresh impetus to the calls for peace.

In a Twitter message, the chairman of Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, Yousef al-Qaradawi, congratulated Erdogan and the Turkish nation “for their success in the democracy wedding”.

YOMIURI SHIMBUN

08 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018VIEWS

Erdogan’s historic win praised around world

Prominent leaders and person-alities from around the world yesterday continued to praise President Recep Tayyip

Erdogan following his historic election win on Sunday. Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party said the

Turkish election results indicate “Turkish nation’s trust for AK Party and its alli-ances, and support for Erdogan and his party’s policies.”

The leader of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolu-tionary and Opposition Forces, Abdur-rahman Mustafa also congratulated the president over his election victory

“which revealed the Turkish people’s confidence in Erdogan’s leadership”. Mustafa added he hopes Turkey would continue supporting Syrians in estab-lishing their own democratic and independent country.

In a Twitter message, the chairman of Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, Yousef al-Qaradawi, congratulated Erdogan and the Turkish nation “for their success in the democracy wedding”.

The general observer of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan, Awadallah Hassan, also congratulated Erdogan over his election success in a Facebook post. Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim expressed his “heartiest congratulations” in a letter to the Turkish president, in which he said: “I also congratulate the people of Turkey for their peaceful participation in their nation’s democratic process.”

Ibrahim said Erdogan’s victory was also a victory for the Muslim world “in portraying a modern and progressive face of Islam”. Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the head of Jerusalem’s Supreme Islamic Authority and the imam of the iconic Al Aqsa Mosque, said Sunday’s election results was the reaffirmation of the Turkish people’s trust in President Erdogan. “The election atmosphere in Turkey is a cultural indicator of the Turkish people.

“They have said their word and placed their trust in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with all the objectivity and transparency,” Sabri said. Erdogan’s success ‘meant for all Muslims’

American Muslim opinion leaders said Erdogan’s success meant a lot for the Muslims living around the globe.

The head of the Council on Amer-ican-Islamic Relations, Nihad Awad, congratulated the Turkish nation for the successful election, saying that a high voter turnout marked the polls. Oussama Jamal, the secretary-general of the U.S. Council of Muslim

Organizations, said the Turkish elections were held in democratic maturity and sent a message to the world.

The executive director of the Chi-cago-based charity Zakat Foundation, Halil Demir also said President Erdogan proved that he was not the president of his ruling AK Party, but the entire country.

Vladimir Potapenko, the deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — one of the observer organizations for Turkey’s Sunday elections — said in a news con-ference: “The elections is conducted in accordance with the legislation in force in Turkey, we confirm that all condi-tions necessary were provided for it.”

He added that their mission termed the elections as “transparent, impartial and democratic”.

Moulana Shabbier Ahmed Saloojee, the rector of Darul Uloom Zakariyya -- South Africa’s largest Islamic university -- congratulated President Erdogan in a message.

“All Muslims in the world will con-tinue to take benefit from President Erdogan’s leadership, together with the Turkish nation,” he said.

Early Monday morning, Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won absolute majority in the presidential election after 97.7 percent of ballot boxes were opened.

YSK head Sadi Guven also said Justice and Development (AK) Party, Republican People’s Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and Good (IYI) Party surpassed the 10 percent threshold in the parliamentary election.

ADEL ABDELRHEEM HUMAIDA ELFADOL, MENNA AHMED & ABDEL RAUOF ARNAOUT ANATOLIA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Migrant centers are now under United Nations auspices, I

would like them to be under the UN and the European Union flag.

Matteo SalviniItaly’s Interior Minister

Harmful effects feared from EU’s regulation on personal data

How can personal data be uti-lized while suppressing the adverse effects caused by the monopoly of internet

giants? International discussions are needed, from a broad perspective, on the appropriate nature of regulations.

The European Union has intro-duced a new rule dubbed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that calls for businesses to strictly manage personal data.

The new regulation is based on the idea that the handling of personal data is decided not by a corporate entity but an individual person. Concerning data on individual persons living in Europe, businesses are required to inform the users of services about the content of data to be collected and how the data can be used, and obtain their approval on these matters.

Firms will be obliged to implement such measures as deleting personal information and suspending the use of data for business purposes if so requested by individual persons.

Huge web-based companies chalk up enormous profits by utilizing per-sonal data for ads and other purposes without the knowledge of individual

persons.In the aftermath of an illegal leak

of a great volume of users’ personal data involving Facebook, Inc. of the United States, demands for protection of personal data have been gaining momentum across the world.

The EU’s direction toward strengthening the protection of per-sonal information is understandable.

Work out universal rulesA matter of concern is that the new

regulation is too stringent.A company that violates the regu-

lation faces a fine of up to 20 million euros (about 2.5 billion yen) or the equivalent to 4 percent of its worldwide sales, whichever is higher.

Huge monetary penalties inflict a serious blow to companies. If the new regulation is applied strictly, it would lead to a business slump within the EU and have a negative impact on the European economy.

The new regulation applies also to Japanese firms, even if they have no bases in Europe. Its effect will extend to a wide range of corporate entities, including mail-order businesses and travel agencies.

To deal with the new regulation, businesses are required to increase the number of personnel and renew their online systems. Many companies seek

advice from lawyers and consulting firms well versed in European laws and regulations.

Putting aside cash-laden big busi-nesses, small and medium-sized com-panies will have to bear heavy cost burdens. There are conspicuous delays in making preparations.

It cannot be overlooked that the move toward establishment of blocs, as regards the handling of private data, has been accelerating globally.

The United States, which has many huge information technology firms, permits the free distribution of per-sonal data.

China, where the distribution of information is strictly managed and controlled, adopts a system to close off personal data. The EU’s new regu-lation bans, in principle, acts that move private data outside the EU.

The fact that methods for pro-tecting personal data differ greatly among the United States, Europe and China undermines corporate activities conducted beyond national boundaries.

Japan should actively call on other countries to work out international rules for the protection of personal data, by taking advantage of such occasions as meetings of the Group of 20 major economies.

Congratulations from world leaders flowed to President Erdogan and H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was among the first to hold a telephonic conversation with H E President Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in the election.

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

Decisive Victory

The head of Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK), Sadi Guven yesterday announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the presidential election after winning 52.55

percent of the vote, in light of the result of counting 99.91 percent of the votes, while his top rival Muharrem Ince lagged behind at 30.67 percent of the vote.

“I accept the election results,” Ince said, addressing a news conference at the Republican People’s Party (CHP) headquarters in the capital Ankara. The Supreme Election Council is due to announce the final results of the presidential and parliamentary elections on June 29.

With the results of the presidential and parliamentary elec-tions held on Sunday, Erdogan has won an absolute majority in election described as fair and transparent by abound 500 observers from eight international organizations deployed to watch the elections process.

Congratulations from world leaders flowed to President Erdogan and H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was among the first to hold a telephonic conversation with H E President Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in the election, wishing him continued success and the brotherly people of Turkey further progress and prosperity.

The man who placed Turkey among the world’s top ten most pow-erful countries and top twenty econ-omies in the world within the past ten years has won term for five years, despite the challenges and conspir-acies he faced in attempt to demonise him and overthrow the regime he established. The unprecedented media propaganda against him does not influence the people of Turkey who supported Erdogan renewing their trust and confidence on him due to the remarkable progress with greater economy and prosperity they are witnessing on the ground.

Overall Turkish People have cel-ebrated the victory and similar thing was noted here in Doha. Erdogan’s victory is gain for Qatar which con-siders Turkey as its strategic partner and the relation of the two countries have witnessed qualitative leap in different fields under President Erdogan’s leadership. Ambassador of Turkey to Doha Fikret Ozer also told The Peninsula yesterday that

the victory of President Erdogan would make ‘already very strong bilateral relations’ more stronger. One of the first fruits of this electoral victory the a state of emergency declared on July 20, 2016 following a deadly coup attempt by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, will be lifted and is no longer to be extended.

“The will is clear. There is a will to lift the state of emergency and the framework and time period of this will be determined and we will take steps accordingly,” the Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told A Haber news channel yesterday. Under the presidency of H E President Erdogan, Turkey will remain indis-pensable and committed partner for the US and EU, and the Middle East on issues of common interests such as migration, security, regional stability and fight against terrorism. Mevlut Cavusoglu, foreign minister said addressing Muslim opinion leaders from the US in Ankara, that Turkey is an indispensable country for the US and other allies.

The government’s spokesman hailed the outcome as “a historic decision” that would allow “the Greek people to smile again”, while Tsipras boasted that “Greece is once again becoming a normal country, regaining its political and financial independence”.

09TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 OPINION

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Video replay for refsmakes World Cup better

Why the debt deal with EU is bad for Greece

LEONID BERSHIDSKY BLOOMBERG

JEROME ROOS AL JAZEERA

Soccer can be annoying, espe-cially to those who watch only the big tournaments. There are too many fouls, baffling

referee errors and players without a scratch on them rolling in the grass as if in unbearable pain - and too few goals. But the 2018 World Cup has been surprisingly different (with a few

exceptions). The improvement probably comes down to a single rule change: Referees now have access to video replays.

A little more than a week into the monthlong competition, it’s too early to know for sure how much the tech-nology called Video-Assisted Referees will change the game. But there are signs it’s making it better. So far, there have been fewer serious fouls than usual and no referee errors that affected match outcomes. In addition, compared with previous World Cups, the players appear to be more singu-larly focused on scoring or preventing goals, and less on hurting and intimi-dating opponents or trying to trick referees into favorable decisions.

Replays have been used to settle disputes in US professional sports for years, but soccer is extremely

conservative and every tweak to the rules causes a controversy because players and coaches consider the game perfect as it is. But some innovations turned out to be very effective. For example, the 2006 decision that ref-erees should send off players for delib-erately elbowing opponents to the head reduced head injuries by 29%.

The introduction of Video-Assisted Referees, know as VAR, to the World Cup for the first time this year was hotly contested, though. Soccer is a defiantly analog, pointedly democratic game that’s played and loved as much in poor countries as rich ones. VAR is a rich-country addition. It has been tested, for one season, in some wealthy leagues, including in Germany and Italy, where it wasn’t an unqualified success. In both countries, fans com-plained about long decision times of two minutes or more while referees stopped play to consult monitors.

By mid-season, delays had been reduced. Still, in one German game, after reviewing play thanks to VAR, the referee recalled the teams from the halftime break to take a penalty kick. In a high-stakes game in Australia, the technology broke down at a crucial moment, and a winning goal that should have been disallowed was counted. In Italy making outcome-changing errors.

Nonetheless, statistics from the trials show that VAR has achieved some important results. In the Italian Serie A last season, it reduced the per-centage of mistaken referee decisions to 1 percent from 6 percent. At the same time, the number of fouls dropped by 8.8 percent, the number of yellow cards for serious fouls by 14.7 percent and the number of dives,

or fake fouls, by 43 percent.The technology seems to be paying

off in the 2018 World Cup. There is no talk of the kind of disastrous referee errors that plagued previous tourna-ments. VAR doesn’t remove all subjec-tivity from the decisions of referees, who assess the situation on the screen as best they can. Bit it gives them the capacity to have the same vantage point as fans watching TV at home, ensuring that there are no blatant mis-calls or oversights.

Anyone who has watched most of the games so far will have noticed that players spend less time simulating injuries than at previous World Cups, and that there’s surprisingly little dirty play. Nonetheless, yellow and red card statistics indicate that this may turn out to be the nicest World Cup in at least two decades.

One of soccer’s more frustrating qualities for viewers is that goals are often few and far between. The 2018 World Cup is the first since 1954 in which there haven’t been any scoreless draws in the first 20 games.

There’s no obvious connection between the introduction of VAR and the more competitive nature of the games in Russia. Yet there may be a deeper link. Soccer can be a below-the-radar dirty game, in which players set out to hurt each other in ways that escape the scrutiny of ref-erees. With VAR, a special team watching the game from many camera angles can alert the referee on the field that something ugly is going on. It’s almost pointless, or at least more risky, to start sneaky violence campaigns. So players concentrate harder on fair-play competition.

Shortly before coming to power in January 2015, Alexis Tsipras - then still known as an out-spoken Greek opposition

leader and unconventional anti-aus-terity firebrand - vowed not to wear a tie until international lenders agreed to cut his country’s towering debt load to sustainable levels.

On Friday evening, the 43-year-old prime minister, who has since presided over three years of highly unpopular austerity measures in return for a third EU bailout, finally donned a burgundy piece of neckwear as he addressed a group of political allies in Athens to celebrate the con-clusion of a new debt deal with European creditors.

The agreement, signed in the early hours of Friday, extends Greece’s most pressing loan maturities by 10 years and provides a further 15 billion euros ($17.5bn) in EU financing. By boosting the government’s cash reserves and pushing its first repay-ments back to 2033, the decision is expected to provide Greece with much-needed breathing room before a return to international capital markets following the expiration of its bailout programme in August

In Athens, officials lauded the agreement as signalling the end of Greece’s decade-long economic crisis. “I have to say, the Greek government is happy with this deal,” Finance Min-ister Euclid Tsakalotos said after the marathon talks in Luxembourg. “I think Greece is turning a page.”

The government’s spokesman hailed the outcome as “a historic

decision” that would allow “the Greek people to smile again”, while Tsipras boasted that “Greece is once again becoming a normal country, regaining its political and financial independence.”

Buoyed by a similar triumphant mood, European officials fell over themselves to congratulate their Greek counterparts. Klaus Regling, the eurozone’s bailout chief, even ven-tured the unlikely proposition that the deal constituted “the biggest act of solidarity the world has ever seen”.

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is somewhat more compli-cated. In reality, this hard-fought agreement is unlikely to restore Greece’s debt to sustainable levels in the long term - nor does it demon-strate anything like a meaningful commitment to European solidarity.

On the contrary: The creditors’ rejection of a formal debt write-down means that Greece’s total debt load remains stuck at a staggering 180 percent of GDP, with the agreed extension of loan maturities merely pushing the problem further down the road. As a result, rather than ending the crisis once and for all by cancelling part of the debt and thereby sharing the burden of adjustment equitably with European creditors, this deal simply shifts the burden of adjustment onto future generations of Greek workers and taxpayers. To understand why, we need to take a closer look at the small print of the agreement.

First of all, while Tsipras - with his falling approval ratings and next year’s elections firmly in mind - is

eager to portray the deal as consti-tuting a clean break with eight years of punitive loan conditions and intrusive creditor supervision, the fact remains that his government has already agreed to introduce further tax increases, pension cuts and priva-tisation later this year.

Many of these far-reaching measures will come into effect after the third bailout programme formally expires on August 20, meaning ordinary Greeks are unlikely to expe-rience any improvement in their living standards in the short term.

Nor are these fiscal pressures likely to ease in the long run. In fact, the terms of the latest agreement require the Greek government to con-tinue running a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent until 2022, fol-lowed by an average of 2.2 percent until 2060, effectively committing the country to 42 more years of austerity. To be clear, no sovereign state has ever managed to run uninterrupted primary surpluses for that long.

Moreover, even after exiting the current bailout programme, suc-cessive Greek governments will con-tinue to be subjected to “enhanced surveillance” by international cred-itors for the foreseeable future.

The European Commission, European Stability Mechanism and International Monetary Fund will be sending special monitoring teams to Athens four times a year to make sure that Greece does not backtrack on its fiscal targets and pledged reforms. As one eurozone official put it, “this will be a short leash.”

Finally, the hardline creditor countries - with Germany and the Netherlands in the lead - have once again managed to stave off the only credible alternative: meaningful debt cancellation, in the form of a signif-icant write-down in the face value of Greece’s foreign obligations.

What is worse - the deal stipulates that eurozone officials will only revisit the issue in 2032, meaning that Greece is likely to remain stuck in a debt trap for the next decade and a half at the very least.

At best, this agreement, therefore, serves to provide Greece with a financial buffer in the short term as it returns to international capital markets later this year. It also buys time for the rest of the eurozone to further delay an economically inevi-table, but politically unpopular, debt write-down, allowing sitting govern-ments - especially Merkel’s increas-ingly precarious coalition in Germany - to push the moment of reckoning far beyond their short-term electoral horizons. This shambolic com-promise clearly comes at the expense of Greece’s long-term debt

2018 World Cup has been surprisingly different (with a few exceptions). The improvement probably comes down to a single rule change: Referees now have access to video replays.

sustainability.As a group of world-leading

economists including Barry Eichen-green and Jeromin Zettelmeyer already demonstrated in a widely distributed policy paper in April, “the measures outlined by the Eurogroup [whose basic contours were already evident at the time] will not be sufficient to restore the sustainability of Greece’s debt.” Their models show that only “face value debt relief … would restore Greece’s debt sustainability with reasonable confidence.”

But there is more to this deal than the arithmetic of long-term debt sustainability. At the heart of Greece’s protracted fiscal crisis was always a highly contentious social and political question about the real meaning of European soli-darity: Who should be made to pay for the presumed “profligacy” of successive Greek governments, or the “excessive risk-taking” of profit-hungry private creditors in the lead-up to the crisis?

The course of action that European leaders ended up settling on turned out to be very one-sided in this respect: Greece alone was to blame for its predicament, and therefore, Greece alone would be made to pay for it.

The real motivation behind the bailouts was always to safeguard the survival of a dangerously over-exposed European banking system - but this fact was quickly obscured. Instead, right-wing poli-ticians and the tabloid media whipped up a frenzy of anti-Greek sentiment. The Greeks were widely portrayed as splurging the money on lavish pensions and long beach holidays - or on “booze and women,” as former Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem infa-mously put it last year.

10 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018ASIA / EUROPE

Romania facing cyberattacks, Russian influxAP

BUCHAREST: Romania faces Russian aggression on a daily basis in the Black Sea, and is fending off a wave of cyberattacks and political interference, the Defence Minister said. But even amid such uncer-tainty, Mihai Fifor said that the country of 19 million aims to be the region’s main security provider and early warning outpost

for threats to fellow Nato allies.“I don’t think there’s a single day without

a challenge” from Russia in Romania’s air-space or territorial waters, he said, but the government is working “to discourage as much as possible, as efficiently as it can.” The former Soviet-satellite state hosts a major US military base, and has consistently taken more pro-American stances than its neighbors, leading to cool relations with Russia, which

Fifor said had become “practically a neighbor” since it annexed Crimea in 2014. “Russia is increasing its military capacity on the Crimean peninsula practically every day; we are talking about new naval capacities, new frigates, new submarines,” he said, adding that Romania plans to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP this year from 1.81 percent, and “demonstrate that it is a pillar of stability and security.”

West, Russia square off for fight over empowering chemical weapons bodyREUTERS

THE HAGUE: Britain, which has condemned Russia over the nerve agent poisoning of an ex-spy, is pushing to give more teeth to the global chemical weapons watchdog so that it can point the finger at those who carry out attacks with banned toxic substances.

The 20-year-old Organi-sation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which oversees a 1997 treaty banning the use of toxins as weapons, is a technical, scientific body which determines whether chemical

weapons were used. But it does not have the authority to name those responsible for illegal use.

A British-led proposal, which is backed by Western powers including France, Germany and the United States and will be debated at a special session of the OPCW, would give the world body greater powers to assign responsibility for violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The draft proposal circulated by Britain, a copy of which has been obtained by Reuters, would thrust the OPCW to the forefront of the diplomatic confrontation between the West and Moscow

which has seen relations deteri-orate to their lowest point since the Cold War.

The Western draft is opposed by Russia which has submitted a rival proposal, the details of which are not yet known. Western dip-lomats said Moscow’s draft, and a third text from Indonesia, were not believed to have strong political backing. The poisoning of the Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in March led to tit-for-tat expulsions of dip-lomats by Moscow and the West. Russia has denied any involvement in their poisoning.

Magnitude 5.4 earthquake rattles GreeceATHENS: A strong earth-quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck off southern Greece but no injuries or damage were reported, Greek authorities said.

A smaller quake was also felt later in the day near the country’s second-largest city,Thessaloniki, but it also caused no damage or injuries.

The Athens University’s Geodynamic Institute said the first, undersea quake occurred at 0514GMT (8:14am local time) off the south-western tip of the Peloponnese.

South Korean war veterans pay silent tribute during a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in Seoul, yesterday.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono (right) with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a courtesy call in Jakarta to discuss ties.

Koreas mark war anniversary in mood of detenteAFP

SEOUL: The two Koreas yesterday marked their war anniversary in a mood of detente, with Pyongyang dropping its customary anti-US rhetoric.

Pyongyang’s tightly con-trolled official media are nor-mally packed with anti-American invective on June 25, when the North launched a mass invasion of the South in 1950. But this year proved to be a marked exception in the wake of the historic Singapore summit.

The North has long accused the US of provoking the 1950-53 Korean War as part of a plan for global domination and blames it for the division of the peninsula, agreed between Moscow and Wash-ington in the closing days of World War II.

A US-led 16-country United Nations force supported the South in the conflict while China backed the North.

“Every year on this day, our army and people row the boat of memories, full of creed and determination to defend the nation,” read a report in the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun. “What surprised the world even more was... our people’s solidarity to annihilate the enemy,” it added — without identifying the enemy by name in any of its coverage.

In stark contrast, all six pages of the newspaper last year were filled with colourful criticisms of the “US imperi-alists”, blaming Americans for

“a holocaust in which they mas-sacred countless Koreans in the most brutal and barbarous way”.

This year’s anniversary comes less than two weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump shook hands at the unprecedented summit in Singapore.

More virulent forms of anti-US propaganda have been disappearing from the streets of Pyongyang, while images of missile launches and military formations on a prominent site outside the city train station have been replaced with visuals of industry and agriculture.

Analysts say the rare omission of the US in North Korean media coverage of the anniversary may be part of the regime’s efforts to maintain the current diplomatic momentum.

Across the border at a war anniversary ceremony in Seoul, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon acknowledged that the conflict began “due to North Korea’s invasion”. But Lee noted the diplomatic rapprochement on the peninsula.

Koreas discuss removing North’s artillery from borderAP

SEOUL: The rival Koreas are discussing the possible relocation of North Korea’s long-range artillery guns away from the tense Korean border, South Korea’s Prime Minister said yesterday, as the countries forge ahead with steps to lower tensions and extend a recent detente.

If realised, it would be yet another conciliatory step by North Korea since it entered talks on giving up its nuclear weapons earlier this year. But some experts say it might be a tactic to push Seoul and Washington to withdraw their more sophisti-cated artillery systems from front-line areas in return for pulling back its outdated conven-tional weapons.

In a speech marking the 68th anniversary of the start of the

1950-53 Korean War, Prime Min-ister Lee Nak-yon said that “moving (North Korea’s) long-range artillery to the rear is under discussion,” as he explained what types of goodwill steps between the Koreas have been taken in recent months.

Lee’s comments appeared to be Seoul’s first official confir-mation of media reports that South Korea demanded that North Korea reposition its forward-deployed artillery pieces during inter-Korean military talks on June 14. Seoul’s Defence Min-istry, which has denied those reports, said it had no immediate comment on Lee’s speech.

North Korea has deployed an estimated 1,000 artillery pieces and rockets along the 248km border, putting the Seoul metro-politan area within its striking distance. Seoul, a capital city with

10 million people, is about 40-50km from the border. Many experts have called the North Korean artillery threats “signif-icant” because it can inflict massive casualties and devastate much of Seoul in the initial hours of a war before the much-better-equipped U.S. and South Korean militaries could fully respond.

But there are also views that such an assessment may be an exaggeration as the North’s artillery guns in general have poor accuracy and cannot destroy hard concrete structures. During a North Korean artillery strike on a South Korean border island in 2010 that killed four people, 90 of the 170 shells fired by the North fell into the sea while 30 of the 80 shells that reached the island didn’t explode, according to military commen-tator Lee Illwoo.

Japan, Indonesia discuss ties

Support for Abe rises, boosting shot at historic tenureREUTERS

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s support rose 10 points to outstrip his disapproval rating for the first time since February, a survey showed, boosting his chance of weath-ering a series of scandals to become Japan’s longest-serving premier.

Abe’s ratings have been on a

roller coaster since last year, when the public learned of the heavily discounted sale of state-owned land to a school operator with ties to his wife. Questions also arose over government approval for a new veterinary school by another educational body run by a friend of Abe.

Abe’s support rate jumped to 52 percent in a June 22-24 survey by the Nikkei business daily,

while his disapproval rating fell to 42 percent.

Those backing the prime minister cited his global view and the stability of his gov-ernment as the reason - although a hefty majority of voters still don’t think the scandals have been resolved, the paper said. International news including U.S. President Donald Trump’s his-toric summit with North Korean

leader Kim Jong Un over-shadowed scandal news in June.

Abe, who returned to power for a rare second term in 2012 promising to reboot the economy and strengthen defence, also topped the list of lawmakers whom voters want to see win a September ruling Liberal Dem-ocratic Party (LDP) leadership race. Abe took 30 percent, tele-genic young lawmaker Shinjiro

Koizumi 26 percent and former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba 20 percent. Ishiba has indicated he intends to throw his hat in the ring but few expect Koizumi, 37, to run.

Among other potential rivals, Internal Affairs Minister Seiko Noda garnered four percent. Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida and his successor, Taro Kono, tied at three percent.

Analysts say the rare omission of the US in North Korean media coverage of the anniversary may be part of the regime’s efforts to maintain the current diplomatic momentum.

Three dead in gun attack on airport in PapuaAP

JAYAPURA: Gunmen killed three people in an attack yesterday at an airport in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua that targeted a light plane transporting paramil-itary police, the military said.

Col. Muhammad Aidi, the army’s spokesman in Papua province, said three civilians were killed and two people, including the pilot, were injured in the attack, which occurred after the plane landed at Kenyam airport in remote Nduga district.

The dead civilians were migrant traders from South Sulawesi province, including a husband and wife, who were shot and stabbed as the attackers fled the airport, Aidi said. A pro-independence insurgency has simmered in the formerly Dutch-con-trolled Papua region since it was annexed by Indonesia in 1963. Aidi said the chartered Twin Otter plane was trans-porting paramilitary police from the highlands town of Wamena to Nduga to provide security during regional elec-tions tomorrow.

Malaysia must abide by water deal: SingaporeREUTERS

SINGAPORE: Singapore urged Malaysia to fully comply with a water-sharing agreement struck in 1962, after Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he was looking to renegotiate it. Mahathir crit-icised the agreement in which Singapore can draw up to nearly 60 percent of its water needs from Malaysia at a fixed price, as being “too costly”, adding that it was an issue “we need to settle” with Singapore.

A spokesperson for Singa-pore’s foreign ministry responded in an emailed statement, saying: “The 1962 Water Agreement is a funda-mental agreement that was guaranteed by both govern-ments in the 1965 Separation Agreement which was regis-tered with the UN. Both sides must comply fully with all the provisions of these agreements.”

11TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 EUROPE

Outside EU, France launches crisis force with Britain & othersREUTERS

LUXEMBOURG: France launched a military force with other coun-tries including Britain outside the framework of the European Union yesterday, as Paris tries to keep London close to European defences after Brexit.

After months of negotiations with Germany, which France also wants at the centre of the force, the so-called European Inter-vention Initiative aims to bring together a coalition of willing mil-itaries ready to react to crises near Europe’s borders without Nato or the United States.

France’s Defence Minister Florence Parly held a ceremony in Luxembourg at which Germany, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal signed a letter of intent. “Our conviction... is that Europeans should be strong, capable of ever more, able to protect ourselves and our sover-eignty,” Parly told reporters after the ceremony.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea in a speech last September, initially facing scepticism because the European Union in December also agreed a landmark defence pact that aims to develop forces and weapons together. Italy was also set to be involved, Parly said, but dropped out following the election

of a new government of anti-establishment left and far right parties. Despite concerns about potentially overlapping European defence initiatives, Nato Sec-retary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the decision, saying it would help modernise European militaries and make them quicker to mobilise. “I believe it can strengthen the readiness of forces, because we need high readiness,” Stoltenberg, who spoke to a joint meeting of EU defence and foreign ministers in Luxembourg, told reporters.

European governments, pil-loried by US President Donald Trump for slashing military spending after the Cold War, face

the challenge of remedying long-running problems with helicopters and jets that are grounded for lack of parts. Parly also said the French-led initative should go some way to answering Trump’s call for Europe to do more on security. EU defence ministers agreed the rules of that pact, known as Permanent Structured

Cooperation (PESCO), which will be backed by a new multi-billion euro defence fund from 2021. That will not include Britain because it is leaving the European Union at the end of March next year, but London hopes to be involved in some defence projects as a non-EU nation.

France now sees itself at the

centre of evolving defence struc-tures after Brexit, including the EU defence pact, with a bigger role for Spain, and Macron’s intervention force that involves Britain, Europe’s biggest military along with France.

Britain’s role in the force appears to have helped overcome differences between Germany,

which has a historical resistance to military missions using force, and France, which wants quicker reaction to crises such as in Mali in 2012, where Paris intervened to stop Islamist militants taking over. Berlin wanted Macron’s force within PESCO, which includes all EU countries except for Britain, Malta and Denmark. France insisted it be outside the more deliberate PESCO structures that are long term, focused on devel-oping weapons and other gear.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass appeared to share France’s impatience with slow-moving EU decision-making, saying Berlin wanted EU foreign policy to decided by a majority vote in future, not based on una-nimity, which allows countries to block. Despite its departure, Britain seeks a security treaty with the EU by 2019, eager to keep access to EU databases, arms deals and share intelligence, and many EU countries support the idea.

Separately, Spain was awarded the right to take over Britain’s command of an EU mar-itime mission that combats Somali pirates next year off the Horn of Africa, on March 30, 2019, a day after Britain’s EU departure.

“This is an important step for Spain and for European Union sol-idarity towards Africa,” Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles told reporters.

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May welcomes Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, to 10 Downing Street in London, yesterday.

FROM LEFT: Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleved, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and French Defence Minister Florence Parly attend at the ceremony on European Intervention Initiative during a Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers meeting in Luxembourg, yesterday.

Migrants in limbo as Italy blocks rescue shipsAFP

ROME: Confusion reigned in the Mediterranean yesterday after a chaotic weekend with the Libyan coast guard claiming to have rescued about 1,000 migrants, Italy stepping up the ante and several humanitarian and commercial ships waiting for more clarity before carrying out more operations.

Italy, on the frontline of Europe’s migrant crisis, has turned away rescue vessels with its new populist government saying the

onus was on Libya to take them in.

Here are some of the rescue ships in limbo: Lifeline, a ship belonging to a German NGO of the same name, is moored about 30 nautical miles off Malta with 234 migrants who were rescued on Wednesday, including 14 women and four children younger than three.

Lifeline’s co-founder Axel Steier said that the Dutch regis-tered vessel was turned away by the Italian authorities and told to go to Libya. An email sent by

Lifeline to the Libyan coast guard remains unanswered, according to Steier.

Lifeline yesterday asked for permission to berth in France.

“The problem is that we have 234 people on a 30-metre-long boat near a developed country and Europe is watching these people slowly waste away,” Steier said.

He later said the boat had been delayed by poor weather.

“Go towards France yes, we wanted to do that initially but due to the weather conditions, it’s not possible at the moment. And we

wanted to stay in international waters rather than enter a port,” he said.

“It will not happen today, tomorrow or the day after, because the weather is bad, but we keeping the option open”.

The Seefuchs of the German NGO Sea-Eye is docked in the Maltese capital Valetta, where authorities are checking if the ship, which is flying the Dutch flag, is indeed registered in the Nether-lands. Dutch authorities have said it does not figure in their naval registers.

Sea-Eye has said the process of verification should be complete by the end of the week.

Spanish NGO Pro Activa’s vessel Open Arms is stuck in inter-national waters off the Libyan coast. It has said that Italian authorities have rejected its appeal to help them rescue about 1,000 migrants.

Italian coast guards said on Monday that a Danish container ship Alexander Maersk was near the Sicilian port of Pozzallo with 108 migrants who had been rescued on Friday.

Prosecutor opens probe into Macron campaignAFP

LYON: A prosecutor in southeast France has opened a probe into allegations that local authorities in Lyon offered illegal help to Emmanuel Macron during his campaign for the presidency last year, a legal source said.

The investigation was opened after a complaint from right-wing lawmakers in Lyon who alleged last week that city authorities had assisted Macron, who campaigned several times there.

One of his earliest political backers was long-time Lyon mayor Gerard Collomb who was named interior minister after Macron’s election victory in May 2017.

The complaint alleges that “public resources (human, material and financial) under the control of the city and the Lyon area” were “unduly diverted and put at the dis-posal” of Macron.

The investigation comes following allegations in the French media that Macron was able to mount campaign events at knock-down prices thanks to friends and contacts, giving him an unfair advantage over his rivals.

“There is nothing new in these allegations,” an aide to Collomb said last week, adding that the complaint had been pushed by opposition Repub-licans lawmakers for several weeks.

“City authorities have given detailed responses on several occasions.” France has strict campaign financing rules which limit spending for the presidential election at €22.5m.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged over illegal financing for his successful 2007 cam-paign which allegedly involved an elaborate system of false billing.

The investigation of the Macron campaign is expected to focus on a major reception organised at Lyon’s city hall on June 2, 2016, two months after Macron launched his own political party and was pre-paring his presidential campaign.

France hands over war crime suspect to BosniaREUTERS

SARAJEVO: An ex-Bosnian Serb soldier suspected of taking part in an operation in which 57 Muslim Bosniaks were burned alive in the country’s 1992-95 war appeared in court yesterday after being extradited from France, the Bosnian pros-ecutor’s office said.

Radomir Susnjar, 63, also known as Lalco, is charged also with robbery and illegal detention of civilians near the eastern town of Visegrad in 1992, the office said.

The group of 57 Bosniak Muslims are alleged to have been seized in the village of Koritnik and were later burned alive in a house that was set ablaze with an accelerant and explosives.

Heathrow expansion sends message about ‘Global Britain’

Germany to deport ‘bodyguard’ of Bin Laden to TunisiaAFP

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: A Tunisian man who allegedly served as a ‘bodyguard’ to Osama bin Laden was detained in Germany yesterday and is to be deported, officials said.

The 41-year-old, identified as Sami A., has lived in Germany for about two decades, but outrage over his presence has grown in recent months as the mood hardens towards rejected asylum seekers.

Sami A. had previously suc-cessfully argued against his deportation, saying he risked being tortured in his homeland.

But Germany’s Federal Office for Migration reversed that decision yesterday, following a public outcry over the case and an intervention from Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. “Finally, he’s going to be deported!” head-lined the best-selling daily Bild, which broke the news.

A spokesman for Bochum city hall in western Germany confirmed that Sami A. was being held pending deportation. The Tunisian, who arrived in Germany in 1997, was taken into custody when he reported for his daily visit to a Bochum police station. Considered a security threat over his suspected ties to Islamist groups, Sami A. has for years had to report to police but was never charged with an offence. He has always denied being the former bodyguard of

late Al Qaeda leader bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Judges in a 2015 terror case in Muenster, however, said they believed Sami A. underwent mil-itary training at an Al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan in 1999 and 2000 and belonged to bin Laden’s team of guards.

German authorities first rejected Sami A.’s asylum request in 2007 but prosecutors’ efforts to expel him were repeatedly blocked by courts citing the danger of torture in Tunisia.

An unrelated court ruling last month involving another Tunisian man — accused over a 2015 attack on Tunis’ Bardo museum — helped pave the way for Sami A.’s expulsion.

In that instance, German judges found that the accused did not face the threat of the death penalty as Tunis has had a mor-atorium on implementing capital punishment since 1991.

Germany’s hardline interior minister seized on the precedent to say he hoped Sami A. would be next, calling on migration officers to make the case “a priority”.

The Bild newspaper has led a vocal campaign against Sami A.’s presence in Germany, with revelations that he collects nearly €1,200 a month in welfare sparking particular outrage.

Sami A. has a wife and children who are German citizens.

After months of negotiations with Germany, which France also wants at the centre of the force, the so-called European Intervention Initiative aims to bring together a coalition of willing militaries ready to react to crises near Europe’s borders without Nato or the United States.

REUTERS

LONDON: Prime Minister Theresa May believes that expanding London’s Heathrow Airport sends a message about Britain’s global ambitions, her spokesman said yesterday before a vote in parliament on an expansion plan.

“The PM has set out on a number of occasions why she believes that expanding Heathrow is the right decision for Britain and that she believes it sends out an important message about global Britain and making the most of the opportunities which lie ahead of us,” the spokesman told reporters.

British lawmakers will vote on whether to build a new runway, potentially paving the way for the airport’s expansion after decades of delays and policy U-turns. The government is expected to win the vote, although the result could be close as the issue has split law-makers regardless of their party lines, with some opposed to the extra noise and air pollution it will bring to London.

12 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018AMERICAS

Immigrants should be turned away at border, says TrumpREUTERS

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump reiterated frus-tration at laws granting due process to illegal immigrants yesterday and said people should be turned away at the border, as expectations faded for a speedy fix in the US Congress to the border crisis.

Heavily criticised for a policy that led to more than 2,000 children being separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border, Trump defended his “zero tolerance” immigration policy, as government agencies struggle to address its ramifications.

“Hiring many thousands of judges, and going through a long and complicated legal process, is not the way to go - will always be disfunctional (sic),” Trump said in a tweet.

“People must simply be stopped at the Border and told they cannot come into the US ille-gally. Children brought back to their country.” Trump expressed a similar view on Sunday, saying in a tweet that “We cannot allow all of these people to invade our

Country” and they should be sent home with no judges or court cases.

Democrats have accused Trump of wanting to circumvent the US Constitution’s guarantee of due process for those accused of crimes.

Trump faced a global outcry, including criticism from some in his own Republican Party, this month over migrant children who were separated from their parents because of the administration’s two-month old policy of seeking to detain and prosecute everyone

caught entering the country illegally.

The president caved on Wednesday, issuing an executive order that ended the separations. But the zero tolerance policy remains in place, raising ques-tions about where to house fam-ilies detained at the border and how to process them speedily. Despite his order, the government has yet to reunite more than 2,000 children with their parents.

Rather than hire more judges to adjudicate the cases of illegal immigrants and clear a backlog, Trump wants fewer border-crossers to ease the burden on the court system.

Guatemalan children, some as young as five, are being held in a dozen shelters in the north-eastern United States while their parents have already been deported, Guatemalan consulate official Pedro Tzunun in New York said.

“If you’re sending a parent home, why are you keeping the children?” said Jazmin Carrillo, spokeswoman for the consulate. “We don’t understand how this can be possible.”

The border crisis has inten-sified Democrats’ anger with Trump and deepened a partisan divide on Capitol Hill. Repub-licans control Congress but are not united around a single immi-gration measure and a divide between moderates and conserv-atives has dampened prospects for a compromise.

Republican Representative Mark Meadows, a leader of a con-servative faction among House

of Representatives Republicans, said he expected that an immi-gration bill to be offered for a potential vote in the House on Tuesday, the second attempt in two weeks, would fail.

On Thursday the House rejected a measure favoured by conservatives that would have halted the practice of splitting up families and addressed a range of other immigration issues.

Speaking to Fox News,

Meadows said that even if the measure failed, he expected follow-up legislation aimed pri-marily at preventing children from being separated from their parents at the border.

Tensions over the policy have boiled over. The owner of the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Vir-ginia, told White House press sec-retary Sarah Sanders on Friday night to leave the establishment due to Trump’s policies.

People participate in a prayer vigil in front of Casa Padre, a former Walmart which is now a centre for unaccompanied immigrant children in Brownsville, Texas, yesterday.

Heavily criticised for a policy that led to more than 2,000 children being separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border, Trump defended his “zero tolerance” immigration policy, as government agencies struggle to address its ramifications.

US Supreme Court turns away ‘Making a Murderer’ case appealREUTERS

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court yesterday refused to hear a Wisconsin man’s challenge to his conviction in a 2005 murder in which he said police coerced him into confessing, a case featured in a Netflix documentary series called “Making a Murderer.”

The justices turned away Brendan Dassey’s appeal of a lower court ruling upholding his conviction for murder, physical assault and mutilation of a corpse in the death of a freelance photographer named Teresa

Halbach. Dassey, 16 years old at the time of the murder and now 28, told police officers who inter-rogated him four times in 48 hours that he had helped his uncle, Steven Avery, abuse and kill Halbach. Dassey’s lawyers have said he has “significant intellectual and social limita-tions” and was coerced into con-fessing in violation of his consti-tutional rights.

Dassey and Avery were con-victed of the murder in separate trials. Avery is now 55. Both men are in prison in Wisconsin.

Dassey’s attorney, Laura Nirider, said she would continue

to fight to free her client.“Brendan was a 16 year old

with intellectual and social dis-abilities when he confessed to a crime he did not commit,” she said in a statement. “The video of Brendan’s interrogation shows a confused boy who was manip-ulated by experienced police officers into accepting their story of how the murder of Teresa Halbach happened.” Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel was pleased with Monday’s decision.

“We hope the family and friends of Halbach can find comfort in knowing this ordeal

has finally come to a close,” Schimel said in a statement.

A 10-part Netflix docu-mentary called into question the conduct of law enforcement offi-cials in Manitowoc County, drawing attention to the case and the broader issue of the rights of criminal defendants.

The victim’s charred remains were found in an incineration pit at Avery’s home and scrap yard about 80 miles (130km) north of Milwaukee. Dassey and his uncle were convicted of the 2005 murder in separate trials. Both were given sentences of life in prison.

A federal magistrate judge in 2016 found that the confession had been coerced. A three-judge panel of the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals ini-tially upheld the judge’s ruling, but in a rehearing requested by state prosecutors the 7th Circuit ruled against Dassey.

Dassey’s lawyers have said that during interrogation he fre-quently gave incorrect answers, suggesting he was not involved in the murder. They cited exchanges in which Dassey gave correct answers only when fed the answers by the police officers.

Tourists take pictures as they stand on the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires, yesterday, during a 24-hour general strike called by Argentina’s unions in protest of the government’s deal with the International Monetary Fund.

Californian firefighter shot deadAP

CALIFORNIA: A resident of a retirement home in Southern California opened fire on fire-fighters responding to a report of an explosion in the building, killing a veteran fire captain and wounding a second firefighter and another person, officials said.

The shooting happened after firefighters responded to a 3:49am alarm at the 11-storey retirement facility in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, and found some windows blown out, activated sprinklers, the smell of gas and a fire that they extin-guished, authorities said.

Firefighters were searching the building when shots were

fired at 4:08am and the two fire-fighters were hit, Long Beach Fire Chief Michael DuRee said.

Fire Capt. Dave Rosa, who had worked for the department for 17 years, died at a hospital yesterday morning, DuRee said. He is survived by wife and two children, the chief said.

The other firefighter who was shot was not immediately identified and was hospitalised in stable condition. A third person was also struck by gunfire during the “chaos” yes-terday morning and was in critical condition and under-going surgery, said Police Chief Robert Luna. No further details were provided about that person. Luna said a “person of interest” - who police believe is

a resident at the facility - was detained at the scene and was being questioned by investi-gators. A weapon was recovered at the scene, he said.

“There is a big puzzle to put together,” Luna said of the investigation.

Investigators were looking into whether the shooter inten-tionally lured first responders to the scene to ambush them, Luna said.

Police also called for bomb squad investigators after they discovered “a couple of devices they deemed to be suspicious” and they were still examining those items Monday morning.

The residential tower near downtown Long Beach has 100 apartments.

Court accepts Texas voting maps in blow to DemocratsAP

WASHINGTON: A divided Supreme Court kept Texas’ voting maps largely intact yesterday, dealing an election-year blow to Democrats by reversing earlier findings that intentional racial discrimi-nation continues to stain several statehouse and congres-sional districts.

The 5-4 decision comes nine months after Democrats had celebrated lower court rulings that invalidated parts of Texas’ electoral maps and a revised voter ID law. But the voter ID law was also restored in April, and Texas Republicans now have another key victory in long-running battles over voting rights in a state with a b o o m i n g H i s p a n i c population.

“Our legislative maps are legal. Democrats lost their redistricting & Voter ID claims,” Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. The decision also dampened Democrats’ case that Texas should once again

need federal approval before changing voting laws, a requirement the Supreme Court eliminated in 2013 when it gutted the heart of the federal Voting Rights Act.

In August, a federal court in San Antonio agreed with Dem-ocrats and voting rights groups that current electoral districts in Texas were tainted by earlier and intentionally discrimi-natory map lines first approved by the GOP-controlled Legis-lature in 2011.

But Justice Samuel Alito said for the court’s conservative majority that the lower court made a mistake by striking down two congressional and seven state house districts. The high court struck down one safe Democratic House district in Fort Worth because the state relied too heavily on race when it increased the district’s Latino population. The lower court ignored evidence showing that the legislature adopted dis-tricting plans in 2013 primarily to try to end the litigation over the districts, Alito said.

Nicaragua to resume talks AFP

MANAGUA: The Nicaraguan government and the opposition, which is demanding the resig-nation of President Daniel Ortega, were set to resume talks yesterday after a weekend of deadly violence.

The Catholic Church, which is mediating the talks, called on delegates from the government

and from the opposition alliance to renew negotiations at 10am.

On the agenda was a pro-posal to organise new elections for March 2019, rather than at the end of 2021 as scheduled.

“We need a roadmap, a point of reference,” said Car-dinal Leopoldo Brenes, the arch-bishop of Managua, who is helping table the talks. “On the question of democratisation, if

we are talking about elections... the President must let us know if he agrees,” he said. The pro-posal was passed on by the church on June 7 but Ortega, a 72-year-old former guerilla leader who is on his third con-secutive term in office since coming to power in 2007, asked for time to consider it. Since then, he has made no public announcement on the issue.

Mexican leftist’s adviser seeks to calm nerves REUTERS

MEXICO CITY: Leading pres-idential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador would seek to increase investor confidence in Mexico to strengthen the peso and could hold auctions of oil rights, a top adviser said yesterday, striking a moderate tone days before the election.

Leftist Lopez Obrador is leading ahead of Sunday’s vote and Alfonso Romo, his top business adviser, said Lopez Obrador government will do everything it can - short of intervention - to help the peso. Romo, Lopez Obrador’s nominee for chief of staff, said his government would seek to strengthen the rule of law and create business conditions that would give investors confi-dence in order to support the Mexican currency.

Tropical Storm Daniel weakensAP

MEXICO CITY: Tropical Storm Daniel began to weaken yesterday - still far off Mexico’s western coast yesterday and projected to move farther out to sea.

The US National Hur-ricane Centre said Daniel had maximum sustained winds of 40mph yesterday morning and it was centered about 575 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja Cali-fornia Peninsula. The storm was moving northwest at 9 mph. It was forecast to begin taking a more westward path and head out into the Pacific before dissipating later around midweek.

Stranded on the road

Royal visit

BUSINESSTuesday 26 June 2018

PAGE | 15PAGE | 14Doha Bank showcases

Qatar’s economic resilience in Geneva

EU tells banks to speed up ‘inadequate’ Brexit preparations

THE PENINSULA

Brent to average at $70/bbl in 2018: BofAMLTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: As Opec announced an oil output increase yesterday of 1m b/d to cap further price gains, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) retained its view that Brent will average at $70 in 2018. “Our Brent crude oil price forecast for 2018 remains at $70/bbl, $4 lower that the forward”, BofAML said yesterday.

A group of 24 Opec and non-Opec oil producing countries representing over half of total global oil supplies met in Vienna to discuss the state of the oil market and determine whether additional barrels were needed

to balance it over the coming months. Yesterday, Opec expressed an intention to boost output to reach 100 percent compliance with its target output. Based on May production data, this entails an increase of roughly 700 kb/d. Additionally, representatives from several member countries cited an aggregate Opec/non-Opec increase of 1 mb/d, which would likely mean a 300kb/d increase from Russia, though final details for non-Opec production are scheduled to be released on Sat-urday. This aggregate increase differs somewhat from our expectation last week of 1.2mn

b/d, but importantly Opec is opting to put more oil in the market in second half of 2018.

“As for 2019, we retain our $90/bbl Q2 target as we see a tight balance throughout next year too. Plus we see the Trump administration taking advantage of any dip in oil prices to put additional pressure on Tehran, likely reducing downside risks to oil prices in the absence of a full blown trade war. Near-term, the agreement will also likely flatten Brent term structure of crude oil a bit and, in doing so, could also force a slightly nar-rower Brent-WTI spread in 3Q18,” BofAML analysts said in

a note sent to The Peninsula.The BofAML noted that

reaching consensus has not been easy, as both Iran and Venezuela were initially opposed to an output hike. Also, the effects of renewed US sanctions on Iranian output are still unknown, weighing down on Opec+ nego-tiations. Meanwhile, trade war effects are also hard to incor-porate into demand projections, although we estimate a demand drop of 44,000 b/d for every 1percent drop in global trade. In any case, Opec+ faces three major challenges ahead: (1) many members are increasingly unable to meet their own supply targets,

(2) spare capacity is quickly dwindling due to a lack of new investment, and (3) the global oil market will likely continue to experience a deficit under most scenarios.

Meanwhile, Brent crude oil fell by more than 1 percent yes-terday as investors prepared for the extra 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in output to hit the markets after Opec and its partners agreed to raise production.

Despite the increase, which is intended to stop the gap between global supply and demand from becoming too wide, analysts said global oil markets would likely remain

relatively tight this year, Reuters reported.

Brent crude futures fell $1.16 to $74.39 a barrel by 1126 GMT, while US light crude was up 16 cents at $68.74 a barrel, sup-ported in part by a Canadian supply outage.

Prices initially jumped after an Opec deal to increase output was announced late last week, as it was not seen boosting supply by as much as some had expected.

Opec and non-Opec partners including Russia have since 2017 cut output by 1.8 million bpd to tighten the market and prop up prices.

Britain’s Prince William (centre) and Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah (left) visit the Fab Lab at King Hussein business Park in Amman.

Qatar attends OFID Vienna meeting

DOHA:- The State of Qatar has participated in the 39th meeting of Ministerial Council of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), held recently in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The Qatari delegation to the meeting was headed by Qatar’s Ambassador to Austria Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani.

Qatar, one of the largest contributors to OFID, affirmed its commitment to continue supporting the Fund’s activities and thereby enhance its role in the service of development in all coun-tries of the world, especially the less developed.

The OPEC Fund for Inter-national Development (OFID) is an intergovernmental finance institution estab-lished by the Member States of Opec in 1976 as a channel of aid to the developing countries.

OFID works in cooper-ation with developing country partners and the international donor com-munity to stimulate economic growth and alleviate poverty in all disadvantaged regions of the world.

At its meeting in Vienna, the Ministerial Council, which comprises the finance min-isters of Opec member States, reviewed the OFID’s lending policies as well as its role in achieving sustainable devel-opment, eradicating poverty and reducing the spread of epidemics in developing countries.

The meeting also appointed a new Director-General to the fund.

Harley to shift production out of US to avoid EU’s tariffsBLOOMBERG

NEW YORK: President Donald Trump’s trade war with the European Union is undermining Harley-Davidson Inc., a manufacturer he embraced soon after taking office, by costing the company as much as $100m a year and spurring a shift in motorcycle production out of the US.

The EU’s tariffs retaliating against Trump’s steel and aluminum levies will cost Harley about $2,200 per bike shipped to Europe, according to yesterday’s filing. Passing that on to dealers or customers

would cause an “immediate and lasting detrimental impact” on the company’s business in its second-largest market, so it’ll bear the brunt of the expense.

W h i l e T r u m p h a s repeatedly claimed that the US can win trade wars, victims are starting to pile up at home and abroad. Daimler AG warned last week that escalating tension between the U.S. and China will impair earnings its Alabama SUV plant and lower profit this year. Harley tied its higher costs to a sequence started by Trump, who praised the company as a model American manufacturer during a February 2017 meeting

at the White House.“A company that is as

connected to America, and Americana, as Harley is probably going to be laying off US workers in favor of foreign workers and going to be losing money as a result of this,” James Hardiman, an equity research analyst with Wedbush Securities, said by phone from New York. “There’s a lot of irony here, to put it mildly.” Harley didn’t specify which international plants will boost output for EU markets. The c o m p a n y o p e r a t e s manufacturing facilities in Brazil, India and Australia, and is beginning production in Thailand this year.

“We are currently assessing the potential impact on our US facilities,” Michael Pflughoeft, a company spokesman, said in an email. “We are hopeful the US and EU governments will continue to work together to reach an agreement on trade issues and rescind these tariffs.” Harley estimated facing $30m to $45m in costs linked to the tariffs for the remainder of 2018. Analysts project the company will earn about $591m this year on $5bn of revenue.

Harley estimated that ramping up output in international plants for the EU may take at least nine to 18 months. While the company

said it’s committed to making motorcycles in the U.S., it suggested it has no other choice but to move production from its home market. The company sold almost 40,000 bikes in Europe last year, and the continent’s share of total deliveries was the highest since 2011.

“Increasing international production to alleviate the EU tariff burden is not the company’s preference, but represents the only sustainable option to make its motorcycles accessible to customers in the EU and maintain a viable business in Europe,” the company said in the filing.

New investment curbs not specific to China: Steven MnuchinREUTERS

WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said yesterday that forthcoming investment restrictions from the department will not be specific to China but would apply “to all countries that are trying to steal our technology.”

In a Twitter message, Mnuchin said stories on investment restrictions from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal “are false, fake news.”

A government official told Reuters on Sunday night that the Treasury was drafting curbs that would block firms with at least 25 percent Chinese own-ership from buying U S com-panies with “industrially signif-icant technology.”

Mnuchin’s tweet came

amid a difference of opinion among top Trump adminis-tration officials on how aggressive an approach should be taken in challenging China’s trade practices. The adminis-tration is still debating some aspects of the new investment restrictions that are set to be announced on Friday, a gov-ernment official said.

The disagreements were also about US tariffs on $34bn worth of Chinese goods that are scheduled to go into effect on July 6, which China said would trigger retaliation involving its imports of American soybeans and motor vehicles.

Mnuchin has been on the more moderate side of the debate, along with White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who is recovering from a heart attack.

Qatar’s gross domestic product (GDP) is set to grow 2.6 percent this year. Qatar will raise LNG production by 30 percent to 100mtpa within five to seven years.

14 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018BUSINESS

8,936.78 -68.56 PTS0.76%

QSE FTSE100 DOW BRENT7,509.84 −172.43 PTS2.24%

24,252.80 −328.09PTS1.33% Dow & Brent before going to press

$68.00 -0.58

MarketWatchDoha Bank showcases Qatar’s economic resilience in GenevaTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Doha Bank CEO, Dr R Seetharaman (pictured), partic-ipated in the commencement ceremonies of EU Business School in Geneva, Switzerland and Munich, Germany, recently and showcased Qatar’s sustain-ability one year after the blockade, and also highlighted Qatar’s economic resilience and strong macroeconomic funda-mentals that helped weather the impact of the unjust siege.

He also did a workshop on June 14, 2018 in Geneva for EU Business School Students. In the workshop, Dr Seetharaman gave insight on Qatar economy and Banking System.

He said: “According to recent IMF Outlook, Qatar’s gross domestic product (GDP) is set to grow 2.6 percent this year. Qatar will raise LNG production by 30 percent to 100mtpa within five to seven years after lifting a mor-atorium on gas development earlier in 2017.

Qatar is ranked 25th in ‘the Global Competitiveness Report 2017-18’. According to IMF, Qatar’s banking system needs no further support from the central bank and sovereign wealth fund as the decline in non-resident

liabilities of lenders have sub-sided. A robust regulatory framework and effective super-vision have helped ensure the resilience of the financial system, the IMF said the QCB is further strengthening its financial sector surveillance to detect in a timely fashion emerging pressures, including those related to liquidity, real estate sector, the impact of US monetary policy normalisation and the on-going Gulf crisis.

Qatar lending growth is close to 3 percent in first quarter 2018. The country’s foreign exchange reserves with the Qatar Central Bank remained broadly stable at around $39.8bn in April 2018, which is more than six months

of its import cover.”Seetharaman highlighted on

various reforms brought by Qatar after the blockade.

“Qatar’s reserves are more than twice of its GDP and in terms of financial stability Qatar is strong, stable and functional. In response to the economic blockade Qatar has emerged strong and has brought various reforms to transform itself into a self-reliant economy. A new law for Public Private Partnership (PPP) businesses in Qatar will provide comfort to the private sector and foreign investors. In February 2017, Qatar issued a new law on arbitration (the Arbi-tration Law), inspired by the UNCITRAL Model Law (the Model Law), an international template for law on arbitration. In terms of food security,

Qatar now have many local companies that are supporting the country and it can develop these businesses further and boost its food production to provide both locally and inter-nationally. In 2017 Qatar has waived entry visa requirements for citizens of 80 countries. In September 2017 Qatar inaugu-rated Hamad port which will provide “a golden opportunity” for the private sector and Qatari

businessmen to activate their business and promote the import and export of various commod-ities. Qatari market is expected to become self-sufficient in dairy products, as Bandana will fulfil demands of the local market. Qatar has witnessed initiatives such as Single Window System and “Own your Factory in Qatar”.

Qatar’s landmark residency plan is a welcoming social and economic reform. Qatar 2018 Budget allocations for health, education and transportation reached QR83.5bn or 41 percent of total expenditure.

The transportation and other infrastructure projects were assigned the largest share in the 2018 budget with allocations of QR42bn, 21 percent of total expenditure. Sports sector and 2022 FIFA World Cup projects amounted to a total allocation of QR11.2 bn. Qatar raised $12bn in a bond issue in April 2018, the largest placement by an emerging market sovereign this year.

We’ve changed, says Uber in court battle to keep London licenceREUTERS

LONDON: Uber accepted it had made mistakes but said it had changed as it went to court yesterday to overturn a decision stripping it of its licence in London after it was ruled unfit to run a taxi service in its most important European market.

Regulator Transport for London (TfL) shocked the Silicon Valley firm last Sep-tember by refusing to renew its licence, citing failings in its approach to reporting serious criminal offences and to back-ground checks on drivers.

Uber, backed by Goldman Sachs and BlackRock among others and valued at over $70bn, has faced protests, bans

and restrictions around the world as it challenges tradi-tional taxi operators and angers some unions.

Its chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, who took charge the month before TfL’s decision, has pledged to “make things right” in London, and the court case is a test of how far Uber can demonstrate it has changed.

While the appeal process is ongoing, Uber can continue to operate in the city.

The firm has introduced several new initiatives in London since losing its licence, including 24/7 telephone support and the proactive reporting of serious incidents to the city’s police. It has also changed senior management.

QATAR STOCK EXCHANGE

QE Index 8,936.78 0.76 %

QE Total Return Index 15,745.62 0.76 %

QE Al Rayan Islamic Index - Price 2,188.10 0.33 %

QE Al Rayan Islamic Index 3,550.24 0.33 %

QE All Share Index 2,599.45 0.84 %

QE All Share Banks &

Financial Services 3,138.83 0.98 %

QE All Share Industrials 2,841.90 1.11 %

QE All Share Transportation 1,887.52 1.11 %

QE All Share Real Estate 1,558.45 2.26 %

QE All Share Insurance 3,083.63 0.80 %

QE All Share Telecoms 1,008.54 2.37 %

QE All Share Consumer

Goods & Services 6,084.83 1.25 %

QE INDICES SUMMARY QE MARKET SUMMARY COMPARISON WORLD STOCK INDICES

GOLD AND SILVER

25-06-2018Index 8,936.78

Change 68.56

% 0.76

YTD% 4.85

Volume 6,646,605

Value (QAR) 219,306,129.27

Trades 3,447

Up 23 | Down 16 | Unchanged 0024-06-2018Index 9,005.34

Change 82.82

% 0.93

YTD% 5.65

Volume 4,572,012

Value (QAR) 156,491,285.87

Trades 1,554

EXCHANGE RATE

GOLD QR149.0702 per grammeSILVER QR1.9330 per gramme

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

All Ordinaries 6274.6 65.7 1.06 6256.5 5834

Cac 40 Index/D 5402.19 11.56 0.21 5657.44 5038.12

Dj Indu Average 24700.21 -287.26 -1.15 26616.71 21197.08

Hang Seng Inde/D 29696.17 228.02 0.77 33484.08 29129.26

Iseq Overall/D 7105.24 41.48 0.59 7257.41 6410.26

Kse 100 Inx/D 43002.83 -680.01 -1.56 47144.12 40169.62

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

Currency Buying SellingUS$ QR 3.6305 QR 3.6500

UK QR 4.8059 QR 4.8730

Euro QR 4.2318 QR 4.2917

CA$ QR 2.7157 QR 2.7692

Swiss Fr QR 3.6651 QR 3.7172

Yen QR 0.03294 QR 0.03358

Aus$ QR 2.6808 QR 2.7346

Ind Re QR 0.0530 QR 0.0540

Pak Re QR 0.0296 QR 0.0304

Peso QR 0.0676 QR 0.0689

SL Re QR 0.0227 QR 0.0232

Taka QR 0.0425 QR 0.0437

Nep Re QR 0.0331 QR 0.0338

SA Rand QR 0.2666 QR 0.2722

With a full-blown trade war looming amid President Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on up to $450bn in Chinese imports, his administration has fixed on Beijing’s signature effort to deploy state support to close a technology gap in 10 key sectors.

15TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018 BUSINESS

Beijing softens ‘Made in China 2025’ policyREUTERS

BEIJING: Beijing has begun downplaying ‘Made in China 2025’, the state-backed indus-trial policy that has provoked alarm in the West and is core to Washington’s complaints about the country’s technological ambitions, diplomatic and Chinese state media sources said.

With a full-blown trade war looming amid US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on up to $450bn in Chinese imports, his adminis-tration has fixed on Beijing’s sig-nature effort to deploy state support to close a technology gap in 10 key sectors.

Beijing is increasingly mindful that its rollout of the ambitious plan has triggered US backlash.

The Trump administration is considering rules that would bar companies with at least 25 percent Chinese ownership from

buying US firms with “industrially significant technology,” a US gov-ernment official said on Sunday.

A senior western diplomat told Reuters that in meetings Chinese officials have recently begun downplaying Made in China 2025. The officials have

stressed that the aspects that have raised the most ire abroad were simply proposals by Chinese academics.

And state news agency Xinhua, which made more than 140 mentions of Made in China 2025 in Chinese language news items in the first five months of the year, has not done so since June 5, a search of a public database found.

The diplomat said some Chinese officials have gone so far as to suggest it was a mistake for the government to have pushed the plan so forcefully and pub-licly because it had increased pressure on China.

“China is apparently starting to adjust to the blowback caused by the heavy propaganda,” said the diplomat, who declined to be identified because of the sensi-tivity of the matter.

“They won’t stop doing it,” the diplomat said, referring to Made in China 2025. “The way they talk about it is changing.”

China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.

Three state media journalists told Reuters they had been instructed not to use the term Made in China 2025. Two others said they received no such instructions.

As President Xi Jinping’s China has taken a more muscular stance on the global stage, to the discomfort of many in the west, some academics and many net-izens have urged a more modest approach. China’s nationalistic Global Times tabloid struck a reserved tone in an editorial pub-lished late on Sunday, saying China had become “overcon-fident” about its technological advancements.

“Prudence is needed in boosting citizens’ confidence. Otherwise, negative effects may be exerted, be it domestically or abroad,” the paper said. China still refers to itself as a

“developing country” even though it is the world’s second-largest economy, and has long held to former leader Deng Xiaoping’s oft-quoted maxim: “Hide your strength, bide your time.”

Under Made in China 2025, unveiled by China’s State Council in 2015, China wants to catch up with rivals in sectors including robotics, aerospace, clean-energy cars and advanced basic materials.

The strategy is at the core of China’s efforts to move up the value chain and achieve Xi’s vision of turning the country into a global superpower by 2050.

But it has provoked the more hawkish members of Trump’s team, including US Trade Repre-sentative Robert Lighthizer and trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro, author of the book “Death by China.” Trump’s initial list of tariffs on $50bn in Chinese goods, which will begin taking effect on July 6, specifically

targets items related to Made in China 2025.

Foreign business groups have criticised the program as large-scale import substitution.

Under the plan, Beijing wants Chinese suppliers to capture 70 percent of market share by 2025 for “basic core components and important basic materials” in strategic industries.

Other targets endorsed by senior Chinese officials include ensuring 40 percent of smart-phone chips are domestically made by 2025.

Xi gave a May 28 speech on innovation that reflected the key ideas of Made in China 2025 without mentioning it by name.

“Practice repeatedly tells us, key core technology cannot be demanded, bought or begged,” he said. “Only by firmly grasping key core technology in our hands can we fundamentally guarantee national economic security, national defence and other security.”

EU tells banks to speed up ‘inadequate’ Brexit preparationsREUTERSLONDON: Banks have failed to make enough progress in their Brexit preparations and should not expect “miracle” public intervention to help them, the European Union’s banking watchdog said yesterday.

While Britain and the EU have agreed in principle on a transition deal lasting from Brexit next March to the end of 2020, it is part of a broader divorce settlement that has yet to be formally adopted.

Banks’ preparations for the

potential departure of Britain from the EU without a ratified withdrawal agreement are “inadequate”, the European Banking Authority (EBA) said in a statement on Brexit.

“This should be a wake up call. Time is running out, in some cases it has run out, and don’t assume there will be a transition period,” said Piers Haben (pic-tured), EBA director of banking markets, innovation and consumers.

Banks in Britain are sub-mitting applications for licences

to set up or expand operations in the EU to ensure continuity of service after March. UK branches of banks from the EU need per-mission to continue serving cus-tomers in the United Kingdom.

“Big banks can’t assume they can put off the full application process,” Haben said.

The EBA said banks must have enough staff at new opera-tions to manage risks from the first day after Britain’s with-drawal on March 29, 2019, and financial stability must not be put at risk because lenders want to

avoid costs. The EBA - itself relo-cating from London to Paris by March due to Brexit - said prep-arations by banks must advance more rapidly in a number of areas without further delay. Separately, the European Central Bank (ECB) said banks must submit “com-plete and high quality” licence applications for euro zone hubs by the end of this month to ensure there is no disruption in business with EU customers after Brexit Day.

“For banks that fail to meet the Q2 2018 target date, or fail to

submit high-quality applications, the ECB cannot guarantee that the authorisation process will be completed by the end of March 2019,” the ECB said in an update on its Brexit policy yesterday. The Bank of England (BoE), which has said banks can rely on the tran-sition deal being in place by March to avoid hasty relocation decisions, had no comment on the EBA’s statement.

It has said branches of EU banks in London can assume they won’t need new UK authorisation until the transition period ends.

BREAK TIMEVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

LANDMARK

ROXY

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

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

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

ROYAL PLAZA

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

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

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

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

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

Tik Tik Tik is a Indian Tamil-language sci-fi adventure thriller directed by Shakti Sounder Rajan. There is space station with a nuclear missile that can destroy the rogue asteroid.

FLIK Mirqab

TIK TIK TIK

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

16 TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018MORNING BREAK

HIGH TIDE 02:15 – 16:45 LOW TIDE 09:15 – 23:30

Hot daytime with slight dust at places.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 31oC 46oC

FAJRSHOROOK

03. 16 AM

04. 45 AM

11. 37 AM

02. 59 PM

06. 30 PM

08. 00 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS ROTA conference sheds light on sustainable education AMNA PERVAIZ RAO THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The three-day ROTA P a r t n e r s A d v o c a c y Conference, which aims to achieve sustainable education for children, opened yesterday at the Students Center of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

Aligning to its mission to extend assistance into Asia, Education Above All (EAA) Foundation’s programme, Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), organised this conference.

Reflecting on ROTA’s mission, the Partners Advocacy Conference is an opportunity to promote sus-tainable education through intellectual debates which will help in creating practical and academic discussions, exchanging ideas, and achieving a unified advocacy path with international partners towards sustainable education for children.

In order to reach out to as many regions as possible, ROTA has been trying with m a n y r e n o w n e d organisations.

Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director of ROTA Programme, said during the conference: “The world is getting younger and expectations for human rights respect and dignity are

rising. Technology and glo-balisation made societies more connected than ever, but intolerance and conflict remain widespread. Prospects for sustainable equitable and inclusive development are vast, but challenges are sharp and complex.”

“The world is changing – education adapt itself and must also change. That’s the core objective of hosting this summit and we are sure that ROTA Partners Advocacy Con-ference would be able to bring to life the burning issues that the society is facing and would derive at workable solutions

that can be attained by getting together,” added Essa.

During the first day of the conference, partners shed light on subjects such as the global advocacy landscape on education and the need to achieve the goals of sus-tainable development.

Juliette Touma, Unicef Regional Office Represent-ative, said:”We have worked at Unicef for many years with a number of Qatari active institutions, including Edu-cation Above All Foundation. The aim of this partnership is to jointly reduce the number of out-of-school children and

ensure they receive quality education. A remarkable change was made at this level -taking the efforts exerted to support the Syrian refugee children into consideration - however much more work is still waiting, and we hope our partnership with Education Above All Foundation and the rest of the partners will lead to further progress.”

Dr Khuloud Al Khatib, Representative of the Geneva Institute for Human Rights, said: “Today’s meeting is of great importance as it sets a common roadmap for sus-tainable education among all

concerned parties.”“When talking about edu-

cation, we mean planting the roots for building strong bridges for our societies as the collapse of any nation is caused by the absence of edu-cation.” This conference intends to walk with partners on the road of transformative education by focusing on a consultative, participatory approach to more strategically identify, anchor and jointly plan to provide access to quality education.

The participants during the ROTA Partners Advocacy Conference.

AFP

SYDNEY: Feral cats kill more than one million reptiles every day in Australia, a new study showed yesterday, with the staggering slaughter threatening many species.

Cats have wiped out entire populations of some animals in Australia since being introduced by Euro-peans settlers two centuries ago, with efforts to cull or sterilise them so far failing to slow their march.

The new findings are based on more than 10,000 cat dietary samples con-tributed by environmental scientists across the country.

In total, around 650 million lizards and snakes fall victim to feral and pet cats annually, they found.

“On average each feral cat kills 225 reptiles per year,” said lead researcher John Woinarski, from Charles Darwin University, adding that feral cats consume more reptiles in Australia than in the United States or Europe.

“Some cats eat staggering numbers of reptiles. We found many examples of single cats bingeing on lizards, with a record of 40 individual lizards in a single cat stomach.”

The study showed cats were killing 250 different types of reptile — including great desert skinks, bearded dragons and geckos. Of these, 11 are threatened species.

Feral cats in Australia number in the millions, and are also considered the main culprit behind the country’s high rate of mammal extinction. Research by the same team last year showed cats were killing more than one million birds in Australia each day, including threatened species like the spotted quail thrush, the squatter pigeon, and the night parrot. While there is an undeniable impact, Aus-tralia’s Threatened species Commissioner Sally Box said it was hard to pinpoint exactly how badly cats were affecting reptiles.

Australian feral cats kill a million reptiles a day: Study

AFP

Washington: Studies carried out on lab rats have shown promise for a new kind of insulin pill that may be able to help millions of people with diabetes avoid daily injections, researchers said yesterday.

Much more work is needed before the pill, designed by researchers at Harvard Uni-versity, can be tested in people or possibly be made available on a wide scale.

Until now, the main chal-lenge in developing an insulin pill has been finding a way to preserve the insulin protein once it encounters stomach acid. The experimental pill described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci-ences carries insulin in a liquid, enclosed in a coating that resists acid breakdown in the stomach.

The polymer coating dis-solves when it reaches the alkaline environment of the small intestine, allowing liquid carrying insulin to be released.

“Once ingested, insulin must navigate a challenging obstacle course before it can be effectively absorbed into the

bloodstream,” said senior author Samir Mitragotri, pro-fessor of bioengineering at Harvard. “Our approach is like a Swiss Army knife, where one pill has tools for addressing each of the obstacles that are encountered.”

The new pill is “easy to manufacture, and can be stored for up to two months at room t e m p e r a t u r e w i t h o u t degrading,” the study said.

Researchers did not say how long it might take before human trials can take place, but it will likely be years.

More animal studies are needed, along with more research on any potential toxic effects of long-term use.

Some 40 million people worldwide have type 1 diabetes, a condition that requires daily injections with insulin, which their bodies cannot produce on their own. According to Mark Prausnitz, chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, the hunt for an oral insulin delivery system has been con-sidered the “holy grail” in dia-betes research.

Lab rat studies show promise for insulin pill

The Conference is an opportunity to promote sustainable education through intellectual debates, which will help in creating practical and academic discussions, exchanging ideas, and achieving a unified advocacy path with international partners towards sustainable education for children.

Generation Amazing ambassadors attend FIFA World Cup in RussiaTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Eight of the 2022 FIFA World Cup construction workers have attended the World Cup in Russia as ambassadors of the Gener-ation Amazing programme.

For those Generation Amazing ambassadors attending the opening week of the World Cup in Moscow, the focus was on learning from the unique experience to pass their knowledge on to others in Doha and their home countries.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) said that the workers, from India, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, were selected

based on their outstanding contributions to the pro-gramme, as well as their journey from participants to coaches over two years with Generation Amazing in Qatar. They have now become an inspiration to others after their five-day trip to Russia.

In addition to attending the opening match of the tournament, the group also benefitted from leadership workshops with 2010 FIFA World Cup winner and SC ambassador, Xavi Hernandez, who conducted a football s e s s i o n f o r l o c a l schoolchildren.

Xavi said: “We have workers here from Qatar, but the programme also helps

people in their home coun-tries. As the name suggests, I think this programme is spec-tacular, so I am proud to have shared this experience with this group. To be at a World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I too am learning a lot every day from all those taking part in this fantastic project.”

Generation Amazing will

also take 16 youth ambas-sadors from Qatar, India, the Philippines, Nepal, and Pakistan to attend matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

This initiative follows on from similar Generation Amazing visits to South Africa in 2010, where 25 youth ambassadors traveled, and Brazil in 2014, where 22 youth ambassadors were involved.

The Generation Amazing ambassadors at a stadium watching one of the World Cup matches in Russia.

AFP

B A N G K O K : Bol lywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor was honoured for her final role at India’s movie awards in Bangkok, winning the best actress prize at the colourful celebration of dance, music and film just months after her shock death.

India’s biggest stars descended on the Thai capital late on Sunday for a riotous evening filled with glamour and stunning dance routines at the International Indian film Acad-emy’s (IIFA) annual awards cer-emony, dubbed Bollywood’s Oscars. But two of the most prestigious prizes were awarded in the absence of their winners. Irfan Khan, known internationally for his roles in blockbusters “Life of Pi” and “Slumdog Millionaire”, scooped the prize for best actor in a leading role but did not attend the ceremony after revealing earlier this month that he had a rare tumour.

The 51-year-old Indian actor, who was in the 2016 film “Inferno” alongside Tom Hanks, is one of Bollywood’s most glo-bally-recognised exports, with a stellar career at home and in Hollywood. He bagged the

award for his role in “Hindi Medium”, a film highly critical of the class divide in India in which he plays the role of a father trying to get his daughter into a prestigious school.

Sridevi, who died in Feb-ruary aged just 54, received the award for best actress in a leading role for her final film, “Mom”, a thriller in which she seeks to avenge the gang-rape of her stepdaughter.

One of the biggest names in

Hindi cinema, Sridevi drowned in her bathtub at a hotel in Dubai, where she was attending a wedding. Thousands of heart-broken fans lined the streets of Mumbai as a condolence service was held.

The IIFA always holds its awards ceremony outside of India to demonstrate Bolly-wood’s international appeal.

It will be broadcast worldwide on television on July 29.

Bollywood star wins posthumous prize

Bollywood film producer Boney Kapoor (left) receives the award on behalf of his late wife and actress Sridevi for her contribution to Indian cinema from Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor (right) while Arjun Kapoor (second left) and Amar Singh (second right) look on during the IIFA Awards of the 19th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) festival at the Siam Niramit Theatre in Bangkok.