amir inaugurates al janoub stadium - thepeninsulaqatar.com · fifa futsal world cup, the fifa...

20
Volume 24 | Number 7894 | 2 Riyals Friday 17 May 2019 | 12 Ramadan 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa Take a photo of any Ooredoo Ramadan poster and get a gift this weekend! Use the Ooredoo app to take the photo… BUSINESS | 14 ‘World Cup projects not affected by the siege’: QC B Ramadan Timing Today's Iftar: 6:15pm Tomorrow's Imsak: 03:13am Qatar Airways celebrates sponsorship of FIFA Women’s World Cup in France THE PENINSULA DOHA Qatar Airways, the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, unveiled stunning new TVC campaign celebrating the most exciting moment yet to come in women’s team sports: the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, taking place from June 7 – July 7 in cities throughout France. The innovative new film fea- tures a mother telling her daughter a wonderful bedtime story. It is a flight of imagination, in which she describes an amazing new land where women’s football reigns, where players rule and fans from many nations gather to cheer. The film features one of the most famous faces from the world of football, Brazilian football superstar Neymar, celebrating with fellow football fans. By the film’s end, we realise that mother and daughter are in fact onboard a Qatar Airways aircraft flying to the very desti- nation she has been describing: a magical land, where the story of women’s football comes alive. Their relationship is a genuine anchor for the emotion and optimism surrounding the biggest moment yet in women’s team sports: the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. The look and feel is fantasy-like, and the story is epic and expressive, highlighting the dreams of both players and fans alike. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Women’s football is bigger than ever before, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ is the place where the hopes and dreams of many fans and supporters come true. It is truly a wonderful celebration of the women’s game. Our new campaign expresses the excitement of the many fans all over the world who will be watching the tournament as well as the tens of thousands who will travel to France to cheer for their national team in person. As an airline, we believe in the power of sports to unite people, and we look forward to bringing fans together in France this summer to take part in the most exciting event yet in women’s sports.” Qatar Airways Senior Vice- President, Marketing and Cor- porate Communications, Salam Al Shawa, said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 is set to be one of the most thrilling events on the global sports calendar this summer. We are tremendously proud to be the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, and we look forward to celebrating the spirit of the game this summer in France.” 24 qualifying teams will compete in nine cities throughout France this summer, including Paris, which will host the opening match, as well as Reims, Valenciennes, Le Havre, Rennes, Grenoble, Montpellier, Nice and Lyon, which will host the semi-finals and final match. In May 2017, the award-winning airline announced its ground- breaking sponsorship deal with FIFA, which saw it become the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022. The agreement also sees Qatar Airways become the Official Airline Partner of the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions of the FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM. Qatar assigns economic zones on shores under its sovereignty QNA/DOHA The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, who is also Chair of the ministry’s Committee on the Law of the Sea, issued a statement on the State of Qatar’s assigning of its economic zones on its shores and the shores of islands in the Arabian Gulf under its sovereignty, which included an exclusive economic zone on its shores and the shores in the Arabian Gulf under its sovereignty. Exclusive economic zones of the State of Qatar are measured from the baseline of its regional sea in the main shores and the shores of islands that belong to it, and extends 200 nautical miles or to the borders of the territorial waters of the neighboring countries in accordance to bilateral agreements signed between those countries. The State of Qatar exercise full sovereign rights over the natural resources found in its exclusive economic zones in terms of exploration, use, management, and development of these resources and maintaining them. Qatar also has full sovereignty over the zone for conducting scientific research, establishing marine facilities, man-made islands, and taking the nec- essary measures to protect the marine environment. Foreign ships are not allowed to fish in the exclusive economic zone mentioned in the declaration unless they obtain a licence from the designated Qatari authorities. Foreign ships that want to conduct scientific research or hydrographic surveys in the area must inform the designated Qatari authorities before carrying out those activ- ities. The rights practiced by Qatar in its exclusive economic zone will not have any implications on the freedom of navigation in inter- national waters that are carried out by other countries, in line with international law. The declaration was made in the context of Qatar’s commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, particularly articles 74 and 75. I am proud of Doha Metro, one of the most important infrastructure projects of our country, which I took tonight to attend the final of Amir Cup football between Al Sadd and Al Duhail. I wish success to the two teams, while remem- bering the late engineer Zaha Hadid, who innovated the design of this spec- tacular stadium, which named today as Al Janoub Stadium. Kyrgios disqualified after swearing and throwing chair SPORT | 17 Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani last night inau- gurated the brand new Al Janoub Stadium where more than 36,000 fans witnessed a thrilling Amir Cup final between Al Duhail and Al Sadd. With FIFA President Gianni Infantino joining scores of foreign dignitaries, Ministers and retired football stars at the opening ceremony, the Amir walked into the new 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium — a fully air- conditioned venue — to rap- turous cheer from fans of the two sides. A few minutes earlier the Amir along with a large number Thrilling Amir Cup final adds to the splendour as Al Duhail end season with a win of citizens and residents travelled on Doha Metro before embarking on a bus to reach the venue. A brief yet bright opening ceremony replete with music and a laser show launched the pro- ceedings. Later fireworks lit up the night sky over Al Janoub Stadium. A short video detailing Qatar’s pearling history was also played on the new ground’s two big screens. Ghanim Al Muftah, often dubbed the Qatari “miracle child” for having overcome the physical limits imposed by rare Caudal Regression Syndrome which impaired the development of his lower spine, delivered a speech to loud cheer from the packed stadium. This is the second 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium to be unveiled by Qatar in 24 months. Two summers ago, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) opened the iconic Khalifa International Stadium with a similar spectacular opening ceremony. Built from scratch, the ground-breaking ceremony of Al Janoub Stadium took place in 2014. In just five years, the 40,000-seater venue - designed by late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid - has now joined the list of stadiums completed by Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After the World Cup, the capacity of the new stadium will be reduced to 20,000 and the same number of seats will be given to countries keen to develop the game in Asia. The new stadium has reportedly come at a cost of $575m. Scores of former football stars also joined in the celebra- tions last night including Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Ronald de Boer and Ruud Gullit. Qatar’s track and field star Mutaz Barshim was also in the stands to watch what turned out to be an enthralling encounter between the country’s top two teams. Spanish football hero Fernando Hierro, Youri Djorkaeff, Sabri Lamouchi, Nasser Hamdan and former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon were also present on the occasion. “It’s a marvelous stadium. It’s a grand football venue with a lot of uniqueness. It is different. I like it,” Cafu, who lifted the 2002 FIFA World Cup for Brazil, said yesterday. “I am sure Qatar are progressing nicely. They have done fantastic job. Qatar is doing all the right things to stage a great World Cup. They are ready to welcome the world,” the 48-year-old added. “As for the national team, Qatar will play at the Copa America next month. It will be good for the players. It is a big tournament and Qatar have the opportunity to learn a lot as they build a strong squad,” he said. P2 Sports 18,19 & 20 Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday crowned Al Duhail club, winners of H H the Amir Football Cup, aſter they beat Al Sadd 4-1 in the final match held at Al Janoub Stadium. H H the Amir honoured the players of Al Duhail Sports Club with the Cup and presented them with gold medals and presented Al Sadd players with silver medals. H H the Amir along with a large number of citizens and residents travelled on Doha Metro to the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah for the match.

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Page 1: Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium - thepeninsulaqatar.com · FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM. Qatar assigns economic zones on shores

Volume 24 | Number 7894 | 2 RiyalsFriday 17 May 2019 | 12 Ramadan 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

Take a photo of any Ooredoo Ramadan poster and get a gift this weekend!Use the Ooredoo app to take the photo…

BUSINESS | 14

‘World Cup projects not

affected by the siege’: QC

B

Ramadan TimingToday's Iftar: 6:15pm

Tomorrow's Imsak: 03:13am

Qatar Airways celebrates sponsorship of FIFA Women’s World Cup in FranceTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Airways, the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, unveiled stunning new TVC campaign celebrating the most exciting moment yet to come in women’s team sports: the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, taking place from June 7 – July 7 in cities throughout France.

The innovative new film fea-tures a mother telling her daughter a wonderful bedtime story. It is a flight of imagination, in which she describes an amazing new land where women’s football reigns, where players rule and fans from many nations gather to cheer. The film features one of the most famous faces from the world of football, Brazilian football superstar Neymar, celebrating with fellow football fans.

By the film’s end, we realise that mother and daughter are in fact onboard a Qatar Airways aircraft flying to the very desti-nation she has been describing:

a magical land, where the story of women’s football comes alive. Their relationship is a genuine anchor for the emotion and optimism surrounding the biggest moment yet in women’s team sports: the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. The look and feel is fantasy-like, and the story is epic and expressive, highlighting the dreams of both players and fans alike.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Women’s football is bigger than

ever before, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ is the place where the hopes and dreams of many fans and supporters come true. It is truly a wonderful celebration of the women’s game. Our new campaign expresses the excitement of the many fans all over the world who will be watching the tournament as well as the tens of thousands who will travel to France to cheer for their national team in person. As an airline, we believe in the power of sports to unite people, and we look forward to bringing fans together in France this summer to take part in the most exciting event yet in women’s sports.”

Qatar Airways Senior Vice- President, Marketing and Cor-porate Communications, Salam Al Shawa, said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 is set to be one of the most thrilling events on the global sports calendar this summer. We are tremendously proud to be the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, and we look

forward to celebrating the spirit of the game this summer in France.”

24 qualifying teams will compete in nine cities throughout France this summer, including Paris, which will host the opening match, as well as Reims, Valenciennes, Le Havre, Rennes, Grenoble, Montpellier, Nice and Lyon, which will host the semi-finals and final match. In May 2017, the award-winning airline announced its ground-breaking sponsorship deal with FIFA, which saw it become the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022. The agreement also sees Qatar Airways become the Official Airline Partner of the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions of the FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM.

Qatar assigns economic zones on shores under its sovereigntyQNA/DOHA

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, who is also Chair of the ministry’s Committee on the Law of the Sea, issued a statement on the State of Qatar’s assigning of its economic zones on its shores and the shores of islands in the Arabian Gulf under its sovereignty, which included an exclusive economic zone on its shores and the shores in the Arabian Gulf under its sovereignty.

Exclusive economic zones of the State of Qatar are measured from the baseline of its regional sea in the main shores and the shores of islands that belong to it, and extends 200 nautical miles or to the borders of the territorial waters of the neighboring countries in accordance to bilateral agreements signed between those countries. The State of Qatar exercise full sovereign rights over the natural resources found in its exclusive economic zones in terms of exploration, use, management, and development of these resources and maintaining them. Qatar also has full sovereignty over the zone for conducting scientific research, establishing marine facilities, man-made islands, and taking the nec-essary measures to protect the marine environment.

Foreign ships are not allowed to fish in the exclusive economic zone mentioned in the declaration unless they obtain a licence from the designated Qatari authorities. Foreign ships that want to conduct scientific research or hydrographic surveys in the area must inform the designated Qatari authorities before carrying out those activ-ities. The rights practiced by Qatar in its exclusive economic zone will not have any implications on the freedom of navigation in inter-national waters that are carried out by other countries, in line with international law. The declaration was made in the context of Qatar’s commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, particularly articles 74 and 75.

I am proud of Doha Metro, one of the most important infrastructure projects

of our country, which I took tonight to attend the final of Amir Cup football

between Al Sadd and Al Duhail. I wish success to the two teams, while remem-

bering the late engineer Zaha Hadid, who innovated the design of this spec-

tacular stadium, which named today as Al Janoub Stadium.

Kyrgios disqualified after swearing and throwing chair

SPORT | 17

Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani last night inau-gurated the brand new Al Janoub Stadium where more than 36,000 fans witnessed a thrilling Amir Cup final between Al Duhail and Al Sadd.

With FIFA President Gianni

Infantino joining scores of foreign dignitaries, Ministers and retired football stars at the opening ceremony, the Amir walked into the new 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium — a fully air-conditioned venue — to rap-turous cheer from fans of the two sides.

A few minutes earlier the Amir along with a large number

Thrilling Amir Cup final adds to the splendour as Al Duhail end season with a win

of citizens and residents travelled on Doha Metro before embarking on a bus to reach the venue.

A brief yet bright opening ceremony replete with music and a laser show launched the pro-ceedings. Later fireworks lit up the night sky over Al Janoub Stadium.

A short video detailing Qatar’s pearling history was also played on the new ground’s two big screens. Ghanim Al Muftah, often dubbed the Qatari “miracle child” for having overcome the physical limits imposed by rare Caudal Regression Syndrome which impaired the development of his lower spine, delivered a speech to loud cheer from the packed stadium.

This is the second 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium to be unveiled by Qatar in 24 months. Two summers ago, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) opened the iconic Khalifa International Stadium with a similar spectacular opening ceremony.

Built from scratch, the ground-breaking ceremony of Al Janoub Stadium took place in 2014. In just five years, the 40,000-seater venue - designed by late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid - has now joined the list of stadiums completed by Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

After the World Cup, the capacity of the new stadium will

be reduced to 20,000 and the same number of seats will be given to countries keen to develop the game in Asia. The new stadium has reportedly come at a cost of $575m.

Scores of former football stars also joined in the celebra-tions last night including Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Ronald de Boer and Ruud Gullit. Qatar’s track and field star Mutaz Barshim was also in the stands to watch what turned out to be an enthralling encounter between the country’s top two teams. Spanish football hero Fernando Hierro, Youri Djorkaeff, Sabri Lamouchi, Nasser Hamdan and former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon were also present on the occasion.

“It’s a marvelous stadium. It’s a grand football venue with a lot of uniqueness. It is different. I like it,” Cafu, who lifted the 2002 FIFA World Cup for Brazil, said yesterday. “I am sure Qatar are progressing nicely. They have done fantastic job. Qatar is doing all the right things to stage a great World Cup. They are ready to welcome the world,” the 48-year-old added.

“As for the national team, Qatar will play at the Copa America next month. It will be good for the players. It is a big tournament and Qatar have the opportunity to learn a lot as they build a strong squad,” he said.

�P2�Sports 18,19 & 20

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday crowned Al Duhail club, winners of H H the Amir Football Cup, after they beat Al Sadd 4-1 in the final match held at Al Janoub Stadium. H H the Amir honoured the players of Al Duhail Sports Club with the Cup and presented them with gold medals and presented Al Sadd players with silver medals. H H the Amir along with a large number of citizens and residents travelled on Doha Metro to the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah for the match.

Page 2: Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium - thepeninsulaqatar.com · FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM. Qatar assigns economic zones on shores

02 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019HOME

Amir congratulates King of NorwayDOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin

Hamad Al Thani and Deputy Amir

H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al

Thani sent yesterday cables of con-

gratulations to King Harald V of

Norway on the occasion of his coun-

try’s Constitution Day. Prime Minister

and Interior Minister H E Sheikh

Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al

Thani sent a cable of congratula-

tions to the Prime Minister of the

Kingdom of Norway, Erna Solberg,

on the occasion of her country’s

Constitution Day. QNA

Amir issues law on maritime areas and decrees to ratify MoUQNA DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued yesterday Law No. (12) of 2019 on the maritime zones of the State of Qatar. The law is effective starting from its date of publi-cation in the official gazette.

H H the Amir issued yes-terday Decree No. 22 of 2019 rat-ifying a memorandum of under-standing (MoU) to cooperate in

the energy field between the Ministry of Energy and Industry in the State of Qatar and Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Bul-garia signed in Sofia on March 8, 2018, annexed to this decree and shall have the powers of a law in line with Article 68 of the constitution.

H H the Amir also issued Decree No. 23 of 2019 to ratify an MoU to cooperate in the edu-cation field between the Ministry of Education and Higher

Education in the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Singapore signed in Doha on March 6 2016, annexed to this decree and shall have the powers of a law in line with Article 68 of the constitution.

H H the Amir issued Decree No. 24 of 2019 to ratify an agreement on encouraging and protecting mutual investments between the governments of the State of Qatar and the Republic

of Paraguay signed in Doha on February 11 2018, annexed to this decree and shall have the powers of a law in line with Article 68 of the constitution.

H H the Amir issued Decree No. 25 of 2019 to ratify an agreement on encouraging and protecting mutual investments between the governments of the State of Qatar and the Togolese Republic signed in Doha on April 30, 2018, annexed to this decree and shall have the powers of a

law in line with Article 68 of the constitution. H H the Amir issued Decree No. 26 of 2019 to ratify an MoU between Qatar Media Corporation and Turkish Radio and Television Corporation signed in Doha on November 15, 2017, annexed to this decree and shall have the powers of law in line with Article 68 of the con-stitution. The decrees are effective starting from their date of issue and are to be published in the official gazette.

Amir issues instruments of ratificationQNA DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued yesterday an instrument of ratification approving a draft air services agreement between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda signed in Doha on November 15, 2018.

H H the Amir issued an instrument of ratification approving a draft mem-orandum of understanding for coop-eration in the field of education, higher

education and scientific research between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Republic of Moldova signed in Doha on December 17, 2018.

H H the Amir issued an instrument of ratification approving a draft mem-orandum of understanding for coop-eration in the fields of youth and sports between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Paraguay signed in Asuncion on October 3, 2018.

H H the Amir issued an instrument of ratification approving the ratifi-cation of an agreement on economic,

trade and technical cooperation between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe signed in Doha on 7/5/2018.

H H the Amir issued an instrument of ratification approving a draft mem-orandum of understanding for bilateral cooperation to establish the joint ministerial committee for eco-nomic, commercial and technical cooperation between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Ecuador, signed in Quito on October 1, 2018.

Palestinian Prime Minister praises support of QatarQNA RAMALLAH

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh praised the efforts of the State of Qatar in supporting citizens in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Prime Minister reit-erated his thanks for the Qatari support provided to the Palestinian government in the form of grants and loans.

During a meeting Wednesday evening

in his office in Ramallah with Chairman of the Qatari Committee for the Recon-struction of Gaza Ambassador Mohammed Al Emadi, Shtayyeh expressed appreci-ation for Qatar’s efforts to support people in the Gaza Strip which is witnessing dire humanitarian conditions and needs all possible assistance.

The government is trying to provide everything possible help to alleviate the suffering of the people there, along with the reconciliation’s efforts, he added.

Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium

FROM PAGE 1Gullit, who guided Nether-

lands to 1988 Euro title, said: “I think they have made a statement there. I think they have done a great job. And now we have this new stadium - I think it looks wonderful. Again, a sign to the world what Qataris can do.”

De Boer, 49, was just as amazed as the other invited guests.

“When we just arrived, I saw the stadium beauty from outside. From inside what I like it is a proper football stadium,” De Boer, who won more than a 60 caps for the Netherlands, said in an interview yesterday.

“Of course you can’t compare the old stadiums from the time I played here.

The old Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah stadiums were not bad. But this is what you need since we are heading to 2022. Every time I come here, I am surprised. I was here eight months ago. I am sure they will achieve a lot.

It is hard work but I am sure they will pull it off. Qatar team is pro-gressing well.

“There’s still 2-3 years to go before the World Cup so they have time to improve their players further. I am sure they are on the right track,” the retired Dutch star added.

Brazil’s retired World Cup

star Carlos said: “It feels great to be here. There’s a great atmos-phere. This stadium looks amazing. Like always, Qatar have done an amazing job building this stadium. Everything looks top class.”

Hierro, who played for Al Gharafa before retiring, said yes-terday: “The atmosphere is great

for football. It is the second opening of a 2022 World Cup venue and the stadium is amazing. All the stadiums for the World Cup which are coming up are stadiums of the future - dif-ferent stadiums, different atmos-phere. I am a hundred percent sure that this is going to be a great World Cup.”

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday crowned Al Duhail club, winners of H H the Amir Football Cup, after they beat Al Sadd 4-1 in the final match held at Al Janoub Stadium. H H the Amir honoured the players of Al Duhail Sports Club with the Cup and presented them with gold medals and presented Al Sadd players with silver medals. H H the Amir along with a large number of citizens and residents travelled on Doha Metro to the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.

Page 3: Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium - thepeninsulaqatar.com · FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM. Qatar assigns economic zones on shores

03FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 HOME

Awareness reduces complications in heart patients during RamadanFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

People with heart problems developing complications while fasting has reduced due to awareness and proper medical guidance provided by the Hamad Medical Corporation’s heart Hospital.

People with heart problems should take extra precautions while fasting during Ramadan, and consult their cardiologists in order to avoid complications, said Dr Nora Al Jefairi, Consultant, electrophysiologist and cardiol-ogist at the Heart Hospital.

“Patients have awareness. Many patients approach us before fasting and we advise according to their health condition partic-ularly in determining the proper timing and dosage of medica-tions. This has a big impact and we don’t see patients coming to complications due to fasting,” she said speaking to media persons yesterday.

Fasting has no negative

impact on patients with stable heart conditions who have no recurrent symptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.

“In fact, fasting could be ben-eficial for them. Lower food intake; abstaining from smoking, which will relieve the system of tobacco’s harmful effects; and the stress-reduced atmosphere asso-ciated with the Holy Month of Ramadan; will reduce heart disease risk in general, and also have a positive impact on people with heart conditions,” said Al Jefairi.

“People with heart problems are advised to eat in small por-tions, and to avoid fatty and salty foods, as well as large quantities of beverages (which could lead to shortness of breath). Smaller food portions trigger favorable hormonal and metabolic changes which will increase the pro-duction of good cholesterol and decrease bad cholesterol. The outcome of these factors will be best if patients manage to reduce weight as a result,” she added.

It is also advisable for people to consume four smaller meals instead of two large meals in Ramadan and to maintain physical exercise, even by taking a short walk.

However, fasting could adversely affect patients with heart conditions that require con-stant professional observation. Such conditions such as heart patients who experience recurrent chest pain, patients with heart failure who experience fatigue or lack of energy and shortness of breath, as they need frequent dosages of diuretic med-ications, patients where the heart’s aortic valve is narrowed (stenosis) or inflamed, heart patients who are on blood thinners or anticoagulants, patients on malignant arrhythmia medications

People with heart conditions are advised to seek urgent pro-fessional medical advice or dial 999 for HMC’s Ambulance Service if they experience any difficulties or emergencies.

Prime Minister meets WEF President

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with the President of World Economic Forum, Borge Brende. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Forum, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.

Al Najada Hotel offers charms of Qatari heritage to guestsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

In Qatar’s fast expanding capital, residents and travellers can discover the charms of Qatari heritage at Al Najada Hotel. As a new addition to the collection of hotels in Souq Waqif, Al Najada offers new heights of Arabian hospitality to hotel and apartment guests.

Centrally located on a her-itage site between Grand Hamad street and the hustle and bustle of Souq Waqif and the Gold Souq, the new hotel is inspired by Qatari homes and hospitality, showcasing a mix of Arabic flair and European elegance.

The hotel’s design gracefully blends traditional architecture and facades with modern Arabic

design and a contemporary colour palate. This is comple-mented by crafted tile work in vibrant yellows and blues, cre-ating a sophisticated yet lively ambience throughout the property.

The open and expansive guest rooms and suites have been designed to feel elegant yet relaxed with plush interiors and classic hues. Private balconies open over the piazza with views of the city, with guests staying on the upper floors of the hotel able to enjoy vistas of the West Bay skyline.

With 151 guest rooms and suites, Al Najada Hotel places an emphasis on privacy with a variety of accommodation including the luxurious Al Najada Suite, split-level Duplex Suites

and exclusive rooms and suites that are perfect for large families. In addition, neighbouring Al Najada Hotel Apartments, part of Souq Al Najada, offers a home away from home for long-stay business travellers and families.

The restaurants at Al Najada Hotel are more than places to simply eat and drink, they are places to discover new flavours and revisit old favourites.

Al Baraha is a light, bright restaurant lit by the Qatari sun-shine streaming through the windows which overlook the spacious outdoor terrace and across the piazza to Souq Al Najada. Al Baraha Restaurant offers a sumptuous daily breakfast buffet, while for dinner guests choose from an array of

international and Arabic speci-alities including Middle Eastern mezzah, freshly prepared salads and local desserts.

Other distinctive features include live cooking stations, a barbeque for dinner and Friday Brunch.

Missan, a dessert-only res-taurant, is a unique gastronomic experience - an experimental journey created by the hotel’s talented pastry team to stimulate the senses.

For those who want to entertain friends and family, Canela Café is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy a mid-morning coffee, small bites and an array of sweet treats.

The hotel is also home to the impressive Al Najada Ballroom, opening onto a

tranquil courtyard. Designed to stylishly host

weddings, social occasions and

corporate meetings for up to 400 guests, it is the venue of choice in downtown Doha.

A night view of Al Najada Hotel.

Mada Center celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness DayQNA DOHA

Mada Assistive Technology Center of the Ministry of Transport and Communications yesterday launched an awareness campaign to mark the Global Accessibility Awareness Day to raise awareness of the community and strategic partners of the Center and enhance accessi-bility in various sectors.

The week-long campaign includes a number of activities

and events, and several training workshops for ICT-related stakeholders, and a specialised workshop on digital access tools and features according to the global standards adopted by Mada’s staff.

The campaign launched a social awareness campaign on “not to use the mouse for one hour” when surfing the Internet or using a computer to rec-ognize the importance of digital access to people with functional limitations.

The campaign also

presented various instructions on using the keyboard instead of the mouse as a mean of digital access.

This awareness campaign comes within the framework of the implementation of the Center’s 2019-2021 strategy to make education and culture accessible to all through ICT access.

The Center is working to improve the ICT ecosystem to integrate persons with disabil-ities and older persons into the digital community.

Chance of scattered light rain between tomorrow and TuesdayTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Qatar Meteorology Department has forecast cloudy weather is expected from tomorrow until Tuesday with a chance of scattered rain mostly light in intensity.

The prevailing wind during this period will be northeasterly to southeasterly ranging in speed

between 5 to 15 kt with gusts reaching 25 kt inshore in some areas may cause rising dust and a visibility drop below 3km or less at times In addition, wave height expected to rise to 7 Ft at times during thundery rain.

Maximum temperatures expected to range between 33°C to 40°C during daytime across the country and minimums between 25°C to 30°C.

It’s worth mentioning that chance of rain is usually rare during this time of year according to climate records in the country.

The Qatar Meteorology Department also urged all people to be cautious, check weather forecast before going to sea as well as to follow latest updates through it’s official social media accounts.

Municipality Ministry organises tours under safe shopping campaignTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment organised a field tour in its awareness campaign entitled ‘safe shopping’ to train participants on the correct behaviours of shopping and food safety.

The campaign, which was organised by the Department of Public Relations in cooperation with the Municipality of Al Rayyan and Al Aziziyah Youth Center, witnessed huge turnout. It aims to promote awareness of food safety by informing the public about the important rules and bases to be acquired when

purchasing any food product.Nouf Bakhamis, Head of the

Awareness Division of the Department of Public Relations and Communication at the Min-istry, stressed that the ‘safe shopping’ campaign, which is

implemented in cooperation with various youth centres and schools, helps train participants in the best ways to shop, ensure the safety of food items and their conformity to health specifica-tions before purchasing them, in addition to the best food trans-portation and storage methods to maintain their quality and safety.

She pointed out the cam-paign targets all segments of the society, adding that several events have been organized in cooperation with Qatari Center of Social Cultural for the Deaf, and Doha Youth Center to achieve community partnership for all segments of society.The participants at the campaign.

The campaign aims to promote awareness of food safety by informing the public about the important rules and bases to be acquired when purchasing any food product.

Qatar’s pavilion at Beijing Expo hosts ‘Desert Rose’ book signing ceremonyQNA BEIJING

The pavilion of the State of Qatar at the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition (Expo 2019) hosted, in Beijing yesterday, a reading and signing ceremony for the story of ‘Desert Rose’ by writer and artist Lina Al Aali.

The ceremony was attended by a number of senior officials of Expo 2019 and the commis-sioners and heads of the pavilions of participating countries.

Artist Lina Alali said in a statement that the story of “Desert Rose” stems from the desert environment and is linked to the educational values of the child, pointing out that she was inspired by the idea of the story.

The story, she said, was

translated to the Chinese lan-guage with the support of Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the People’s Republic of China ultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri, and Deputy Commissioner-General of Qatar pavilion at Beijing Exhibition Dr Fayqa Ashkanani, and with the active contribution of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Beijing, adding she is seeking to spread the culture of the desert rose not only in Chinese and Arabic, but in all languages in order to reach a large number of children around the world.

The pavilion of the State of Qatar at the Beijing Expo 2019 opened its doors to the public on April 29 and will run until October 7.

A quarter of a million visitors of various nationalities and ages have visited the Pavilion since

its opening 18 days ago.Qatar’s pavilion is among the

largest pavilions participating in the expo. It is also the largest foreign pavilion in the fair. Built on a total area of 2100 square meters, it was designed by Qatari engineer Fatima Fawzi, and it is deeply connected to the Qatari community.

The Qatari pavilion at the Beijing Expo 2019 presents Qatar’s experience in gardening, agriculture, agricultural solu-tions and green development, highlights Qatar’s development and urbanization experience, introduces the world to the culture and history of Qatar, presents the Qatar National Vision 2030, as well as highlights Qatar’s preparations for hosting the horticultural exhibition in 2021, and its preparations to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

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04 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Smoke billows following an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition warplanes in the Yemeni capital Sana’a, yesterday.

Saudi-led warplanes pound Houthis after pipeline attackAFP SANA’A

Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Yemeni rebel targets including in the capital yesterday following insurgent drone strikes on a key oil pipeline that Riyadh said were ordered by its arch-rival Tehran.

The new bombardment came after the UN envoy, who has been spearheading efforts to end more than four years of conflict in the Arab world’s poorest country, warned Yemen still faced the threat of plunging into all-out war. The Saudi deputy defence minister said that Tuesday’s attack by Yemeni rebels on a major pipeline in his country was “tightening the noose” around peace efforts.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling the Huthi rebels since March 2015, con-firmed that its warplanes were carrying out multiple strikes across rebel-held territory in Yemen. “We have begun to launch air strikes targeting sites operated by the Houthi militia, including in Sanaa,” a coalition official, who declined to be iden-tified, said.

The coalition said it had hit

“a number of legitimate military targets” that the rebels used to store munitions.

The rebels’ Al Masirah tele-vision said the coalition carried out at least 19 strikes, 11 of them in the capital.

A strike on one Sanaa neigh-bourhood killed six people and wounded 10, Dr Mokhtar Mohammed of the capital’s Republic Hospital said.

Aid group Doctors Without Borders said that at least four people were killed and 48 injured in Sana’a in “several airstrikes” by the Saudi-led coalition.

A correspondent saw one residential building that had been reduced to rubble by an air strike. Residents were using their bare hands in a desperate search for survivors.

“God is greatest,” they shouted as they pulled out a child.

“Death to America, death to Israel,” they chanted, unsure whether the youngster was alive or dead.

The rebels said their attack on the Saudi pipeline was a response to “crimes” committed by Riyadh during its bloody air war in Yemen, which has been criticised repeatedly by the United Nations and human rights groups.

The drone strikes further raised tensions in the region after the mysterious sabotage of several oil tankers and the US deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf over alleged threats from Iran. The speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly said the risk of a war breaking out in the region was high.

“Chances are high, and things are not going the way we hoped for,” Marzuk al-Ghanem told reporters following a closed-door meeting.

“The situation in the region is not reassuring and calls for preparing for all possibilities.”

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defence minister, Khalid bin Salman, charged the pipeline attack was carried out on Iranian orders. “The attack by the

Iranian-backed Huthi militias against the two Aramco pumping stations proves that these militias are merely a tool that Iran’s regime uses to implement its expansionist agenda in the region,” the prince said on Twitter.

“The terrorist acts, ordered by the regime in Tehran, and carried out by the Huthis, are tightening the noose around the ongoing political efforts.”

The Saudi state minister for

foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, charged that the Huthis were “sacrificing the need of the Yemeni people for the benefit of Iran”.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen when Pres-ident Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last refuge in Yemen’s second city Aden after sweeping through most of the rest of the country.

A grinding war of attrition

has set in with third city Taez and the vital Red Sea aid port of Hodeida turned into battlegrounds.

In December, UN mediators brokered hard-won truce deals for both cities during talks in Sweden but the hoped for momentum for talks on a com-prehensive peace has failed to materialise. Three women were killed in clashes Wednesday in Hodeida, a doctor at Al Thawra hospital said.

Iranian missiles on small boats spotted in Gulf: USAFP WASHINGTON

A US official said yesterday that Iranian missiles loaded on small boats in the Persian Gulf were among the “threats” that have triggered a beefed-up military deployment in the region.

“The missiles on civilian boats are a concern,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

The person was confirming

reports in The New York Times saying that Washington reacted to aerial photos from US intelli-gence agencies showing tradi-tional boats carrying Iranian missiles in the Gulf, one of the world’s most strategic waterways.

The fully-assembled mis-siles were loaded on the boats by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which the US has designated a “foreign terrorist organization,” the newspaper reported.

“What the military and the intelligence are concerned about is the intent,” the US official said.

The Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on Tehran for the past 10 days, reinforcing its military presence in the Gulf region to ward off what it warned were Iranian threats to US assets and allies there, without providing any evi-dence of the danger.

The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Majid

Takht-Ravanchi, did not deny the shipment of the missiles in an interview with National Public Radio.

“We have to prepare our-selves,” he said. “I am not in a position to talk about military preparedness in Iran. But what I can tell you is that all these alle-gations are part of fake allega-tions which are being directed against Iran to prepare some-thing like a conflict or something like a war.”

Sudan protesters vow to press on after talks suspendedAFP KHARTOUM

Sudanese protesters voiced regret yesterday at an army decision to suspend crucial talks on installing civilian rule but vowed to press on with a sit-in despite being targeted in fresh violence.

Army generals and protest leaders had been expected to come to an agreement on Wednesday over the make-up of a new body to govern Sudan for three years. The issue is the thorniest to have come up in ongoing talks on reinstating civilian rule after the generals took over following the ouster of longtime autocratic president Omar Al Bashir last month.

But in the early hours of yes-terday, the chief of Sudan’s ruling military council, General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, announced the talks had been suspended for 72 hours as security in Khartoum had dete-riorated. He demanded that protesters dismantle roadblocks in Khartoum, open bridges and railway lines connecting the

capital and “stop provoking security forces”.

The Alliance for Freedom and Change, the group leading the protest movement and nego-tiating the transfer of power with the army rulers, called the move “regrettable”. “It ignores the developments achieved in nego-tiations so far... and the fact that

Wednesday’s meeting was to finalise the agreement, which would have stopped the escala-tions such as roadblocks.”

The protest movement vowed to press on with the sit-in and called on its supporters to launch rallies heading to the protest camp after breaking the Ramadan fast.

Two killed in Dubai plane crash

AFP DUBAI

The pilot and co-pilot of a small plane were killed in a crash yesterday, causing delays at Dubai airport, the emirate’s government media office said.

“An accident involving a small plane with four pas-sengers occurred resulting in the death of the pilot and his assistant,” it said in a statement.

The small Diamond Air-craft, owned by US tech giant Honeywell, crashed due to a technical malfunction, it said.

“All operations at the Dubai airport are running smoothly after a slight delay and diversion of some flights as a precautionary measure to ensure security,” it added. Dubai’s international airport is one of the world’s busiest avi-ation hubs.

Israel army ends probe into death of disabled Palestinian protesterAGENCIES JERUSALEM

The Israeli army has ended its investigation into the death of Ibrahim Nayef Abu Thurayeh, a 29-year-old disabled Palestinian killed in 2017 near the Gaza-Israel buffer zone, Haaretz reported late on Wednesday.

When he was killed, Abu Thurayeh — who lost both legs to an Israeli airstrike in 2008 -- had been taking part in a protest against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise

Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Haaretz quoted an Israeli

military spokesman as saying that the army’s criminal investi-gation division had “questioned soldiers and commanders who witnessed the incident and examined video footage… but found no evidence that Abu Thuraya was killed by direct Israeli army fire”.

“The investigation found that after Palestinian protesters hurled makeshift grenades, pipe bombs, firebombs and rocks at I s r a e l i s o l d i e r s , t h e

forces initially responded with riot dispersal measures,” the spokesman said. He added: “In a small number of cases, live fire was directed at the lower portion of the bodies of the main rioters.”

But according to a medical report cited by the Associated Press, the young man died of a brain hemorrhage after having sustained a gunshot injury to the head.

Following the incident, the UN called on Israel to launch an “independent and impartial” investigation into the wheel-

chair-bound amputee’s death.Meanwhile, anti-settlement

watchdog Peace Now said yes-terday that Israel had built nearly 20,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank in the past decade under Benjamin Netan-yahu’s premiership, .It said that 19,346 settler homes were built between 2009, the year that Netanyahu became prime min-ister for a second time, and the end of 2018.

About 630,000 Israeli set-tlers live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in tense proximity

to three million Palestinians. But the report does not include Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the mainly Palestinian sector of the city.

The entry of US President Donald Trump into the Oval Office led to a sudden increase in Israeli spending on settle-ments in the occupied West Bank, new data shows.

Figures provided by Israeli government show that spending on roads, schools and public buildings increased by 39% more than a third in 2017.

AFP TOKYO

Iran’s foreign minister said yesterday there is “no possibility” of negotiations with the United States to reduce spiralling tensions, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.

“No, there is no possibility for negotiations,” the news agency cited Mohammad Javad Zarif as telling reporters in Tokyo, where he is meeting with Japanese officials. Kyodo said the comment was in response to a question on whether he would be open to bilateral talks with Washington aimed at easing tensions.

It did not immediately carry additional comments from Zarif, but public broadcaster NHK also quoted the foreign minister as describing US pressure on Iran as an “act of suicide”.

Zarif also reportedly dismissed US President Donald Trump’s assertion in a tweet that Iran would soon seek negotiations.

“I don’t know why President Trump is confident, but it’s totally wrong,” NHK quoted Zarif as saying.

The quotes on NHK were published in Japanese, and it was not immediately clear whether they were translated from English or Farsi.

The top Iranian diplomat, who met with Japan’s Prime Min-ister Shinzo Abe yesterday, earlier accused Washington of an “unacceptable” escalation in tensions, and said Tehran was showing “maximum restraint”.

Washington withdrew a year ago from a nuclear deal with Tehran and re-imposed sanctions, prompting a deterioration in relations. But the crisis has deepened in recent week, with the US deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bomber to the Gulf over alleged threats from Iran.

No possibility of talks with US, says Iran’s Zarif

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right), shaking hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo, yesterday.

Rocket strike on Syria refugee camp kills 10 civilians

REUTERS/ GENEVA

At least 10 civilians were killed and 30 wounded in Syria by a rocket strike on the Neirab camp for Palestinian refugees close to the city of Aleppo on Tuesday night, the United Nations said in a statement yesterday.

“As families gathered to break their fasts for the Ramadan Iftar meal, several rockets hit the densely popu-lated Neirab camp for Palestine refugees in Aleppo,” the statement from the UN human-itarian aid agency UNRWA said.

“Among those killed were four children, the youngest just six years old. A number of the injured remain in critical condition.”

Sudanese protesters are gathered during a sit-in outside military headquarters after clashing with security forces in Khartoum, yesterday.

Aid group Doctors Without Borders said that at least four people were killed and 48 injured in Sana’a in “several airstrikes” by the Saudi-led coalition.

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05FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 ISLAM

Our Children in Ramadan Raami returned home after deco-

rating the street with his friends and playing with firecrackers to

celebrate the advent of the month of Ramadan.

As soon as he returned, he went to his room as he was very tired and fell asleep. He woke up when his father called him to have Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal), “Raami, get up! Today is the first day of Ramadan. Happy Ramadan! Don’t you want to fast?”

Raami replied determinedly, “I do.”His fathers said, “Then get up to have

Suhoor.”Raami got up and sat at the table,

rubbing his eyes with sleep. Then he remembered that he would be fasting the following day, and started eating as much food as possible so that he would not feel hungry while fasting. He started eating without mentioning the name of Allah (saying Bismillaah) and began wolfing down everything in sight.

After this, he grabbed the water and took many gulps fearing that he might feel thirsty while fasting. When he finished eating, he went to bed to sleep once more. His father kept call-ing him to pray Fajr (dawn prayer), but in vain.

Raami thought it would be best to sleep as much as he could during the day to avoid feeling hungry while fast-ing. Thus, he woke up when the Maghrib (sunset) prayer was due. When he got up, he rushed to the dining room and started eating greedily without mentioning the name of Allah (saying Bismillaah). He did not even praise Allah (say Alham-dulillaah) when he finished eating. After this, he sat down to watch comedy shows and children’s programs on television.

How does your child feel when he is fasting?

Some children, if not most of them, feel afraid of fasting as they will be deprived of food, drink and candies for a long time. Thus, they fear that they will not be able to perform the fast.

Some other children are determined and observe fasting throughout the month of Ramadan from an early age. The difference between those children and the other ones lies in their upbringing.

How have we trained our children for the month of Ramadan?

The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to let their children fast and prevent them from food, but at the same time they used to

give them toys to play with to help them forget their hunger and thirst. This indi-cates the profound understanding of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.

This is what we should do with our children. Our children should feel that the month of Ramadan is a month that they love. We should instill these feel-ings in their hearts from an early age so that they are established when they grow up.

Many parents complain that their children break their fast or smoke in the month of Ramadan, unfortunately such cases do exist in our Muslim society, but they are the outcome of the par-ents’ negligence in instilling the values of loving the month of Ramadan in the children’s hearts.

The month of Ramadan is a great educational incubator for our children as the communal atmosphere of faith instills many values in our children’s hearts. The Taraaweeh Prayer: A great indicator

Some children love mosques and like to stay in them. You can see them

during the Taraaweeh prayers with the grown-up people and they might even complete the prayer until the end. Such children might even attend the Tahajjud (voluntary night prayers) and perform I‘tikaaf (staying in seclusion).

Unfortunately, the majority of the children just pray the ‘Ishaa’ prayer with their parents, then start playing with firecrackers outside the mosque. The third party does not pray the ‘Ishaa’ prayer at all, but they keep watching comedy shows and television pro-grams as they imitate their parents and their families.

Such children are victims of the dis-tractions propagated by the devils from humankind and the people of falsehood. Indeed, the month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to instill faith in the hearts of children. We should not let our chil-dren miss this chance.

The phenomenon of fasting without praying

Unfortunately, this phenomenon is widespread among the adults, not just the children.

However, children should not be

reproached or given the impression that their fast will not be accepted. For instance, the father whose son observes fasts, but does not pray, should tell him, “If you observe prayer while fasting, Allah The Almighty would love you more” or “ You are a good boy! You have observed fast since the begin-ning of this month and if you observe

the prayers too, you will be the best one in the sight of Allah”.

These statements are encourag-ing and do not discourage the child’s enthusiasm towards fasting, on the contrary, they drive him to obey Allah The Almighty with love and commitment.

www.islamweb.net

A group of chosen Fatwas (religious rulings) given by scholars about the

fasting of our beloved children.

Q: When should a child start fasting? At which age does it become obligatory for him to fast?

A: A child is commanded to pray when he is seven years old, and should be lightly beaten for leaving it when he is ten years old, and it becomes obligatory for him when he attains puberty. Puberty is marked by the discharge of semen accompanied by sex-ual arousal, the growth of the coarse hair round the pubic area, wet dreams which lead to the discharge of semen, or reaching fifteen years of age. The same applies to the female, in addition to a fourth condi-tion, that is, menstruation.

The basic rule in this goes back to the narration

of Ahmad and Abu Daawood on the authority of ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb from his father from his grandfather that he said that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ̀ alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), said: “Command your children to pray when they are seven years old, beat them for leav-ing it when they are ten years old, and separate their beds.”

It was narrated by Ahmad on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, from the Messenger of Allah, sallal-laahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), that he said: “The pen (of writing deeds) is lifted from three (types of per-sons): from the sleeping person until he wakes, from the child until he attains puberty and from the one afflicted by insanity until he becomes sane.”

The same was narrated by him on the authority of ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. It

was also narrated by Abu Daa-wood and At-Tirmithi who said that it is Hasan (good).

Q: Should the child who has reached the age of discernment be commanded to fast? Would he be fulfilling the duty of fast-ing if he attains puberty during the day of fasting?

A: When boys and girls become seven years old and more, they should be com-manded to fast, in order to get accustomed to it, and it is incumbent on their parents to command them to do so, just as they command them to pray. When they attain puberty, fast-ing becomes obligatory for them. If they attain puberty during the day, this day would suffice them for the obligatory duty. If a boy is supposed to have completed fifteen years of age at noon time and he is fasting on that day, this would suffice him for the obligatory

duty; and the first part of the day would be counted a supere-rogatory deed for him, and the latter part an obligatory duty for him, if he has not attained puberty by the growth of the coarse hair around the private parts, i.e. pubic hair, or the dis-charge of semen.

The same applies to the girl, except that there is a fourth condition by which she attains puberty, that is, menstruation.

Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Ibn Baaz: Tuhfat Al-Ikhwaan, p.160

It is stated by scholars that the guardian should com-mand the children under his guardianship to fast, in order to train them in fasting and for them to get accustomed to it, so that the fundamentals of Islam would be imprinted in their souls and become innate within them. However, if it is difficult or harmful for them, they should not be obliged to do it. Here, let me bring to mind a very important issue done by some parents, that is,

to prevent their children from fasting, contrary to the conduct of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, under the claim that they do so out of mercy and fear for them. In fact, mercy towards children is to command them to abide by the rites of Islam, accustom them to such rites, and raise them upon that. Without doubt, this denotes a sound upbring-ing and perfect care.

It was proven that the Mes-senger of Allah, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), said: “The man is a guardian in his family, and responsible for those under his guardianship.” It is due on the guardians regarding those put by Allah The Almighty under their guardianship, of the family and children, to fear Allah The Almighty concerning them, and enjoin upon them what they are commanded to enjoin, of the rites of Islam.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-‘Uthaymeen: Kitaab Ad-Da‘wah: 1:145-146.

SHIBLI NUMANI & SULAIMAN NADWI

If one tries to find out the causes of human misfortunes and failures, in the final analysis one will dis-cover that a human being is a bundle of various needs and a

captive of many wants. No spiritual and physical action of his is free from need and want. Morality, which to some extent is concerned with spirituality, when analyzed, is also seen to be based on some kind of need. Therefore all human misfortunes and failures are simply the result of need or want. If a person frees himself of all needs then he becomes an angelic (angel like) being instead of a human being.

No doubt the needs and wants of human beings are vast and endless, but it is worth pondering what and how much are his real needs. He has in his heart a stockpile of desires, a collection of wishes and self-made needs, but he has to ask himself questions whether it is possible for him to live without fancy clothes, luxury houses, decadent foods and extravagant cars. Will he not be able to live if he is devoid of wealth, pomp and glory? There have been people who have given up all their comforts and yet have survived. Prophet Abraham and Adam, peace be upon them, are held up as examples of God’s most devoted servants who gave up their kingship, and acquired an exulted spiritual life.

After negating and denying oneself the self-made needs, perhaps the vast assembly of so-called wants will shrink and be confined to a couple of real basic needs, such as food and drink, without which it is not possible to be alive. The physical and spiritual survival of the body depends only on the life-breath which itself is dependent on a few morsels of food and a few sips of water. The truth is that from that point onward any excess in food and drink is merely

a desire for excessive pleasure and fun. On this account, if a dividing line is to be drawn separating a human being from an angel, this food and drink will be found to distinguish the two and to be the root of all the differences and dis-tinctions between them. If all human crimes and sins are listed and if the basic reasons of greed, avarice, destruction and murder are sought, the ultimate link will be found in the excessive desire for

pleasures and for these two things, namely food and drink.

In order to combat materialistic evils, all the religions of world have made it a primary condition of fasting from food and drinks to various extent. The real object is that a human being might gradually decrease the multi-plicity of his needs and by continuous efforts of trying to free himself of excessive desire for power and want of

food. All sins and crimes are the end results of these desires. If these desires and wants are lost, then surely he will be able to see a glimpse of the Angelic world in this human world.

However, as long as a human being is alive it is impossible for him to avoid food completely, so all religions have specified only a certain limited periods for abstaining from food. During this period, a human being should avoid all

wants which can possibly be avoided and thus try to attain the status of an angelic being for that short while at least. Because the duty of an angel is the obe-dience and worship of Allah, a human being should also regard this to be as far as possible the object and duty of his own life for that period.

The holy Quran has unveiled all these secrets and truths by one single word ‘Taqwa’ (self-restraint), and because the purpose of fasting was common to all religions, the Holy Quran has mentioned them also.

Fasting is prescribed to you as It was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint,.. (Quran 2:183)

The object and purpose of fasting is self-restraint (Taqwa), i.e. to keep one’s desires under control and to keep oneself safe from emotional turmoil. From this it is evident that fasting has been made compulsory to work as a spiritual treatment. Pro-ceeding further, the Holy Quran has elucidated further the purpose of fasting in Islam:

Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the pre-scribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (Quran 2:185)

Excerpted from “Worship in Islam” Translation by Rizwan Uddin Ahmad and Muhammad Aslam of Worship in Siratun Nabi compiled by Syed Sulaiman Nadwi and Shibli Numani.

To become Angel-like in Ramadan

Rulings on fasting Children

The object and purpose of fasting is self-restraint (Taqwa), i.e. to keep one’s desires under control and to keep oneself safe from emotional turmoil. From this it is evident that fasting has been made compulsory to work as a spiritual treatment.

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06 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019ASIA

JeM militants among 8 dead in Kashmir clashesAFP/IANS SRINAGAR

Two separate gun battles between rebels and government forces in restive Kashmir yesterday left eight dead including six suspected rebels, police said.

A firefight broke out before dawn when government forces besieged a residential area in the city of Pulwama after being told about the presence of anti-India insurgents. Police said that mil-itants fired at the soldiers and a young man, in whose house the militants were hiding, was killed in the crossfire.

“After the security forces retaliated, three terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter and their bodies retrieved,” a police statement said, referring to the suspected rebels.

The slain militants belonged to Jaishe-e-Mohammad (JeM)militant group, two of whom were locals while the other was a Pakistani citizen, the statement added.

The dead civilian’s brother was also wounded during the gun battle. Soldiers surrounded

an orchard in neighbouring Shopian district where a group of rebels were hiding, sparking another fierce gun battle that lasted hours and ended with the deaths of three militants.

“All the three terrorists found in the orchard were killed in the encounter,” regional inspector general of police Swayam Prakash Pani said.

Pani said both the shootouts were a result of deliberate “counter-terrorist operations”.

Yet another gun battle broke out in the forests of frontier Kupwara area near the heavily militarised Line of Control that divides the disputed region between India and Pakistan, a police officer said. No casualties were reported in that incident.

Rebel groups have for decades fought against Indian soldiers deployed in the part of Kashmir controlled by New

Delhi, seeking the Himalayan territory’s merger with Pakistan or outright independence.

The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.

At least 83 rebels have been killed in armed clashes with Indian forces so far this year.

Last year was the deadliest in a decade when around 600 were killed including soldiers, rebels and civilians.

New Delhi regularly blames Pakistan for helping the rebels, an allegation denied by Islamabad, which says it only provides moral and diplomatic

support to a Kashmiri struggle for right to self-determination.

Meanwhile, authorities imposed curfew and called out the Army yesterday after sus-pected cow vigilantes killed a civilian in Jammu and Kash-mir’s Bhaderwah town in Doda district, triggering group clashes.

Nayeem Shah was reportedly transporting bovine animals in his vehicle when a group of cow vigilantes allegedly attacked and killed him early yesterday morning. Shah’s body was recovered by the police in the

Nalthi Pul area.The Army was called out to

assist the civil administration maintain calm in the town. Officials said the curfew will remain in force till further orders. Police are investigating the matter while the authorities have appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony.

Giving details of the incident, a local who was accompanying Shah when they were attacked, said the assailants fired at them when they were moving in the wee hours of Thursday morning with their livestock.

Police intervene during armed clashes with militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, yesterday.

Gandhi killer a ‘patriot’ comment sparks outrage in IndiaAFP NEW DELHI

An Indian election candidate for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, already accused of involvement in a deadly bomb attack, sparked outrage yesterday by saying the killer of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi was a “patriot”.

The comments by firebrand monk Pragya Singh Thakur came as the country heads into the final round of its marathon

election on May 19.Thakur set off her latest

political firestorm by telling jour-nalists that Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse “was, is, and will remain a patriot”.

“People who call him a ter-rorist should search their soul. They will get the answers this election,” she added.

Gandhi was slain in 1948 by Godse, a Hindu fanatic angered by what he saw as Gandhi’s pan-dering to Muslims and by the partition of India after inde-

pendence in 1947.Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya

Janata Party astounded many observers last month when it named Thakur as its parlia-mentary candidate in the Madhya Pradesh state capital of Bhopal.

Critics accused the right wing party of using Thakur to polarise voters along religious lines.

Thakur was arrested shortly after a 2008 bomb blast near a mosque in Melegaon, Mahar-ashtra state, that killed six people

and injured 100.Thakur was released on bail

in 2017 but still faces a criminal prosecution.

Indian law allows candidates facing court cases to run in an election until a conviction.

The opposition Congress party, which Gandhi once led, condemned the remarks, with spokesman Randeep Singh Sur-jewala saying that Thakur had “insulted the entire country”.

“The BJP’s violent face has been revealed. Once again, the

people from BJP are attacking the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi,” he added.

A BJP spokesman said the party did not agree with Thakur’s comments and would ask her to publicly apologise, media reports said.

Modi is seeking a second term as prime minister in the election but faces a tough chal-lenge from Congress. The seventh and final round of voting is on Sunday and results will be announced four days later.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre) is garlanded by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on his arrival during his election campaign in Kolkata, yesterday.

Oppn moves EC over early end of Bengal campaignIANS NEW DELHI

A delegation of opposition parties yesterday met the Election Commission and urged it to reconsider its decision to end the campaigning early in West Bengal in the wake of violence during BJP President Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The delegation, led by Con-gress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi and comprising the Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh and the Telugu Desam Party’s K. Rama Mohan Rao, also sought action against those responsible for the violence during the roadshow.

“We urge that the Com-mission re-considers its decision and penalize the one who propagated the violence and violated its electoral laws in such a blatant manner. Pun-ishing those who are innocent by taking such an arbitrary decision will result in a gro-tesque precedent being set,” the delegation said in its memo-randum submitted to the commission.

Later, talking to reporters, Singhvi said they didn’t receive any satisfactory answer from the electoral body.

“The violence has been done by the people of the BJP and we have not got a satis-factory answer from the Election Commission. We reserve our options...,” he said.

He said the non-BJP and non-NDA parties have alleged that breaking the statue of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and the “riots” during the roadshow was the direct responsibility of the BJP.

The Congress leader said without any quasi-judicial pro-cedure, the Election Com-mission had cut short cam-paigning in West Bengal.

Modi promises to rebuild Vidyasagar statue IANS MAU, UTTAR PRADESH

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday promised a “grand statue” of 19th century reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar at the same spot where his bust was vandalized in Kolkata.

A bust of Vidyasagar had been vandalised during the violence that took place during BJP Pres-ident Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress have been blaming each other for the incident.

Addressing a rally in Mau dis-trict, the Prime Minister said” “We saw hooliganism by Trinamool Congress workers again during Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata.

They vandalised Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s statue. Such people should face strong action.” Acknowledging the fact that Vid-yasagar has immense emotional value for the people of Bengal, he said: “We will install the statue made of ‘panch dhatu’ (five metals) at the same place where the earlier status was installed. We are com-mitted to Vidyasagar’s vision.”

The Election Commission said it was “deeply anguished at the vandalism done to the statue” of an icon who, “besides his many other achievements as a philos-opher, academic educator, writer and philanthropist, worked all his life in the cause of widow remar-riage which was unthought and unheard of in the ultraconserv-ative society in those days”.

Sri Lanka Army denies colluding with anti-Muslim riotersAFP COLOMBO

Sri Lanka’s Army yesterday denied allegations that its troops colluded with anti-Muslim mobs and failed to contain widespread riots that killed one man in a backlash against the Easter terror attacks.

Army Chief Mahesh Senan-ayake said CCTV footage of troops allegedly signalling a mob to attack a home in the latest wave of rioting did not show his soldiers committing any wrongdoing.

“We looked at footage from three cameras and found that there was no conniving of troops with the rioters,” Senanayake told reporters in Colombo.

“If there was any, I would not hesitate to take action.” He said the mobs included a lot of young men who were drunk. However, he did not say where the

controversial CCTV footage came from. He added that soldiers had initially been outnumbered against hundreds of men armed with sticks and petrol bombs who attacked Muslim-owned busi-nesses, homes and mosques.

The military has stepped up its presence in the worst affected North-Western Province to prevent a repeat of the violence, Senanayake said.

Some 5,500 additional police have also been deployed in the province. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the gov-ernment decided not to impose further night curfews on Thursday because there had been no reports of violence around the country in the past 24 hours.

“We are continuing search operations to arrest those respon-sible for the riots,” he added.

Police said they had detained at least 112 suspects by Wednesday evening and more

arrests were being carried out to ensure there was no repetition of the riots.

Colombo-based ambassadors of European nations expressed concern over the communal vio-lence and urged the authorities to ensure that all communities were protected.

“We welcome the arrests made in connection with the vio-lence, and call on the government to ensure that the rule of law is upheld and that the law is applied equally to all instigators and per-petrators of communal violence,” a joint statement by the diplomats said.

Sri Lanka’s Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake speaking during a news conference in Colombo, yesterday.

Bofors case: CBI withdraws plea seeking further probeIANS NEW DELHI

The Central Bureau of Investi-gation yesterday withdrew its application seeking further probe into the Rs640m Bofors payoff case from a Delhi court.

The CBI had moved the application in February 2018 seeking further investigation in the case. The agency told the court that it would later decide the future course of action, but for now, it wanted to withdraw the application. It argued that since for conducting the inves-tigation, permission of the court is not required by the agency, it intends to withdraw its application.

Two Indian climbers die on Nepal peak, one missingREUTERS KATHMANDU

Two Indian climbers died near the summit of Mount Kanchen-junga in Nepal and a Chilean mountaineer was missing on the world’s third highest mountain, their hiking company said yesterday.

Kanchenjunga is popular with climbers who visit Nepal for the spring climbing season which ends this month.

The Indian climbers were identified as Biplab Baidya, 48, and 46-year-old Kuntal Kanrar, who died overnight at an altitude of about 8,000 metres (26,246 feet).

Pasang Sherpa of the Peak Promotion hiking company said Baidya, who climbed the 8,586 metre (28,169 feet) Kanchenjunga main summit on Wednesday, died due to altitude sickness on the way down. Kanrar died while trying to climb the peak, he said.

Both were from the eastern Indian city of Kolkata.

Sherpa said they lost contact with Chilean Rodrigo Vivanco, who was descending after scaling the same peak on Wednesday afternoon, at an altitude of about 8,400 metres (27,559 feet).

“He was without a guide as he was climbing alpine style and reported that he was low on batteries,” Sherpa said, adding that Vivanco was not using oxygen.

Climbers say Kanchen-junga is a difficult mountain to conquer because of its remote location and is prone to avalanches.

Police said six suspected rebels, a civilian and a policeman were killed during the clashes at three different places.

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07FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 ASIA

Pakistan urges US and Iran to exercise restraint INTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Pakistan has asked the United States and Iran to show restraint and resolve their issues through negotiations.

Commenting on the US-Iran tension at his weekly news briefing in Islamabad yesterday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said the recent develop-ments in the Persian Gulf were disturbing.

He said the US decision to deploy aircraft carrier and bombers has added to the tension and the existing pre-carious security situation in the Middle East.

The spokesperson warned that any miscalculated move can transmute into a largescale conflict.

Speaking about the human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, the spokesperson said the people in the valley were under siege f a c i n g i n j u s t i c e a n d harassment.

The spokesperson said Pakistan was ready to hold dia-logue with India on all issues including the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.

The spokesperson said the UAE government has decided to release 572 Pakistani pris-oners languishing in their jails. He said the Pakistani diplo-matic mission in the UAE is in touch with the authorities in order to expedite their release and deportation.

Responding to a question, the spokesperson said they expect to hear good news regarding release of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi jails very soon.

To another question, Dr Faisal said that Foreign Min-ister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is scheduled to pay a two day visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from May 21 to participate in the Security Cooperation Organization meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers.

He said the meeting will provide an opportunity to Pakistan to highlight its interest in the regional peace and sta-bility. He said the Prime Min-ister is expected to participate in the SCO Heads of State Meeting being held on 13th and 14th of next month in Bishkek.

When asked about the return of Afghan refugees, Dr Faisal admitted that the pace of repatriation had slowed down due to various reasons. He, however, said Pakistan was engaged with Afghanistan to ensure dignified and voluntary return of the refugees.

Over 500 test positive for HIV in Pakistani districtAP RATODERO, PAKISTAN

Nothing seemed unusual to Rehmat Bibi, the mother of 10-year-old Ali Raza, when the boy came down with a fever at their home in the dusty, largely neglected district of Larkana in southern Pakistan.

Bibi took her son to a local doctor, who prescribed para-cetamol syrup for Raza and told her there was no need to worry. But she panicked after being alerted that several children who initially came down with a fever had tested positive for HIV in nearby villages.

Alarmed, Bibi took Raza to a hospital where medical tests confirmed the boy was among about 500 people, mostly children, who authorities say tested positive for the virus, which can lead to AIDS. A local physician who has AIDS has since been arrested and is being investigated for possibly inten-tionally infecting patients.

“We were in great pain the day we heard about our son testing HIV positive,” she said yesterday. Sikandar Memon, head of the AIDS Control Pro-gramme in Sindh province, said officials have screened 13,800 people from Larkana and 410

children and 100 adults tested positive for HIV. Nationwide, Pakistan’s Health Ministry has registered over 23,000 HIV cases. Pakistani health officials have said HIV is usually spread in the country by using unsteri-lised syringes. Authorities say the HIV outbreak in Larkana was

apparently started when local physician Muzaffar Ghangharo, who has AIDS, infected patients in early April. Ghangharo was arrested earlier this month after Raza and others tested positive for the virus. Police are still trying to determine whether Ghangharo knowingly spread

the disease to others.Larkana is the home district

of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a bomb and gun attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in 2007. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also served as prime minister in the 1970s.

A local paediatrician alleged to have been responsible for the HIV outbreak, Dr Muzaffar Ghangharo, is seen behind the bars as a police personnel looks on at a local police station in Ratodero in the district of Larkana, Pakistan.

Pakistan airspace restriction extended to May 30 REUTERS ISLAMABAD

Pakistan has extended airspace restrictions until the end of May, a civil aviation official said yesterday, forcing foreign carriers to take costly detours since the country’s standoff with rival India.

Pakistan closed its airspace in February after both the

countries carried out aerial bombing missions on each other’s soil and their warplanes also fought a dogfight over Kashmir. Partial operations at Pakistani airports resumed after the crisis eased, but foreign carriers using Indian airspace could not fly over Pakistan. The restrictions mainly affected flights from Europe to Southeast Asia.

“The airspace will be

restricted until May 30 and then we will reassess,” Mustafa Baig, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, said.

He did not give a reason for the extension. Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor and the airspace restrictions impact hundreds of commercial and cargo flights each day, adding flight time for passengers and fuel costs for airlines.

China formally arrests Canadian ex-diplomat, businessmanAFP BEIJING

China said yesterday it had formally arrested two Cana-dians who have been detained for months on national security grounds, in a case that has inflamed tensions between Ottawa and Beijing.

Ottawa denounced the move and demanded the pair’s prompt release.

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig is “suspected of col-lecting state secrets and intelli-gence,” while businessman Michael Spavor is suspected of “stealing and illegally offering state secrets” abroad, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing.

Lu said the two were arrested “recently”, but did not

provide a date, and added that he had no information about where they were being held.

At a news conference in Paris, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the arrests “unacceptable” and vowed to “stand up” for Kovrig and Spavor, saying they have been “arbitrarily detained.” Canada’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said it “strongly condemns” the arrests, and reiterated its demand “that China immediately release Mr Kovrig and Mr Spavor.” Though no link has been officially made, the detention of the two is thought to be in retaliation for Canada’s December 1 detention on a US extradition request of Meng Wanzhou, a top executive with Chinese telecom giant Huawei who is

accused of violating Iran sanc-tions. The men were first accused of activities that “endanger China’s security” - a phrase often used by Beijing when alleging espionage.

Days after Meng’s extra-dition was announced, China said it suspected Kovrig, who works for the International Crisis Group think tank, of spying and stealing state secrets, and alleged that Spavor - who organised trips to North Korea - had provided him with intelligence.

Spying charges could expose them to tough prison sentences.

No details of the men’s detention or health conditions were provided due to Canadian privacy laws, but officials said they would press for further

access to both detainees.Foreign Ministry Spokesman

Lu said “Chinese judicial author-ities are handling the cases

according to law”, and that Spavor and Kovrig’s “legitimate rights and interests are fully guaranteed”.

People holding placards calling for China to release Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, in Vancouver, Canada.

Firefighters work at the site where a building collapsed, in Shanghai, China, yesterday. At least seven people died in the accident.

Security forces kill 9 militants in Quetta raidREUTERS QUETTA

Pakistani security forces killed nine Islamic State (IS) militants during an hours-long raid near Quetta in the southwest of the country, officials said yesterday.

Four members of the security forces were wounded in the operation, which started early yesterday morning in a mountainous area called Qabu Koh-e-Mehran in the Mastung district, 29 miles (47 km) from Quetta city.

“Nine bodies (of Islamic State militants) have been brought to hospital from Mastung,” Waseem Baig, a spokesman for Civil Hospital Quetta, said.

“We acted on intelligence reports of a Daesh hideout,” a senior official of the Counter Terrorism Department of Balo-chistan police told Reuters, requesting anonymity for security reasons, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

“A sizable cache of arms and ammunition including rocket launchers, several suicide vests were also been recovered during the raid.”

Former Australian PM Bob Hawke dead at 89AFP SYDNEY

Australia’s longest-serving Labor prime minister Bob Hawke died yesterday, aged 89.

“Today we lost Bob Hawke, a great Australian - many would say the greatest Australian of the post-war era,” his second wife Blanche d’Alpuget said in a statement. “He died peacefully at home.” The son of a preacher, Hawke led his country during the 1980s, a period during which he seduced the nation with his everyman appeal while beginning deregulation of the economy, including floating the dollar. From negotiating with Frank Sinatra to ensure the crooner’s 1974 Sydney concerts went ahead to shedding tears over bloodshed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Hawke was a huge presence on Australia’s political landscape.

Never voted out by the public, which forgave him his faults, he won four elections on the run beginning in 1983, and only left office following a party room coup. To many he was a

quintessential Australian “lar-rikin” - a beloved rogue.

His death comes days before Australians go to the polls.

The Labor party posted a tribute on Twitter to one of their most fondly-remembered char-acters. “Vale Bob. We will remember him. In solidarity, forever. May he rest in peace.” “When you would go out cam-paigning with Bob you were... absolutely mobbed,” recalled Hawke cabinet member Susan Ryan. “He was extremely popular with the women voters. They really, really liked to get near him and to touch him and to get him to sign the autographs and so forth. “And the men liked him too because he was a sportsman and he had been a very effective trade union leader. So he was certainly Mr. Popularity.”

When Australia won the America’s Cup yacht race in 1983, a jubilant Hawke sporting a white blazer printed with the words ‘Australia’, memorably said: “Any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum.”

Manila recalls envoy over Canada trash rowAFP/MANILA

The Philippines has recalled its ambassador to Canada, Manila’s Foreign Minister said yesterday, in an escalation of a festering diplomatic row over tonnes of trash dumped in the Southeast Asian nation.

Ties have been deterio-rating since a Canadian company sent around 100 shipping containers that included rotting rubbish wrongly labelled as recyclables to Philippine ports in 2013 and 2014.

Manila set a May 15 deadline for Canada to take the rotting trash back, after Pres-ident Rodrigo Duterte berated Ottawa over the issue last month. Canada has since said it is working to arrange for the containers’ return, but has not given a timeframe.

In a statement, Ottawa said it is “disappointed” by the recall, but “remains committed to finalizing these arrangements for the return of the waste to Canada.”

Malaysia police arrest suspected IS militantsAFP/KUALA LUMPUR

Three militants inspired by the Islamic State group have been arrested in Malaysia, accused of planning attacks on non-Muslim places of worship in the country and neighbouring Indonesia, police said yesterday. The

suspects are thought to have links to a wider IS-inspired cell, some of whose members were detained last week in Malaysia.

Malaysia and Indonesia, both Muslim-majority countries, are on high alert amid fears that fol-lowers of the jihadists are plotting attacks after the group’s defeat

in the Middle East. An Indonesian, Nuruddin Alele, was detained Tuesday outside Kuala Lumpur following a tip-off, Malaysian national police chief Abdul Hamid Bador said. The 34-year-old man had been exposed to IS idealogy while serving a five-year jail term in Indonesia.

Foreign Office says the US decision to deploy aircraft carrier and bombers has added to the tension and the existing precarious security situation in the Middle East.

Seven dead in Shanghai building collapse

Page 8: Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium - thepeninsulaqatar.com · FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM. Qatar assigns economic zones on shores

Al Rayyan Stadium is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019 and will have a capacity of 40,000 fans. Although this project is an international endeavor, one crucial element of the stadium — its 40,000 seats - will be produced by local company Coastal Qatar. This boost to Qatar’s economy is just one small part of the long-term legacy being created here.

08 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019VIEWS

Architectural masterpiece.. Al Rayyan Stadium tells the story of Qatar

Al Rayyan Stadium, one of the key venues that will host matches of 2022 FIFA World Cup, is named after one of

the old Qatari cities. Built on the site of Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, the new Al Rayyan Stadium incorporates symbols of Qatari culture into its spectacular undulating facade. The facilities sur-rounding the venue, which will host up to 40,000 fans at 2022 FIFA World Cup matches, will also mirror the country, with sand dune-shaped

structures recalling the wonderful desert nature of an important part of the country.

Al Rayyan Project Manager at Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Abdulla Al Fehani said that Al Rayyan Stadium reflects symbols of Qatari culture into its spec-tacular undu-lating facade. The facilities surrounding the venue will also mirror the country, with sand dune-shaped structures

recalling the beautifully wild lands to the west.

In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Fehani said that Al Rayyan’s location on the edge of the desert has shaped a resourceful city that does not tolerate waste. Therefore, from its very con-ception, Al Rayyan Stadium project has had sustainability at its core, backed by the commitment of the SC to green building.

He added that seating capacity of the stadium, which will be up to 40,000 fans, will be reduced to 20,000 in the post-tournament as the other 20,000 will be donated to football development projects abroad in coordination with the FIFA, adding the smaller post-tournament arena will enable Al Rayyan to maintain the intimate, neighborly character it is famous for.

Al Fehani pointed out that the design of Al Rayyan Stadium tells the story of Qatar. Its most striking feature is a glowing facade, made from patterns that characterize dif-ferent aspects of the country: the importance of family, the beauty of the desert, the native flora and fauna, as well as local and international trade.

A seventh shape, a shield, brings together all the others, representing the strength and unity that is

particularly relevant to the proud desert town of Al Rayyan.

He added these patterns are like the geometric shapes often found in Islamic architecture and their impressive intricacy reflects the exquisite handicrafts produced in Qatar.

“If fans can take their eyes off the spectacular sight of Al Rayyan Stadium itself, they will see that other parts of the district echo the desert motif, including dune-shaped hospi-tality areas and merchandise stalls. Nightfall will bring another dimension to the scene as several nearby buildings light up with a soft glow, welcoming visitors from far and wide.”

Al Rayyan Project Manager said Al Rayyan Stadium will offer a special opportunity for the fans who want to tour stadium facilities during the game or between the two rounds of the matches or even before the match, without the need to buy a new ticket as these facilities will be available in the building and in the surrounding area around the stadium, to which much importance was given during the design phase so that it forms the real legacy after the end of the World Cup.

Al Rayyan Project Manager at Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Abdulla Al Fehani pointed out that Al Rayyan Stadium project has had sustainability at its core, backed by the commitment of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy to green building, adding many of the materials from the deconstructed Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium that once occupied this site will be used throughout the stadium complex, and some will even find a place in public art installations. “Over 80% of the construction materials are being reused or recycled. Trees that once surrounded the old venue have been retained for future replanting, mini-mizing damage to the natural environment.”

He said that energy and water efficiency measures are put into place in the 450,000m2 stadium, and further reductions in the stadium’s carbon footprint will come especially that the surrounding area will have walking and biking trails. Al Rayyan precinct will have conveniently located bike lanes and walking paths, as well as 150,000m2 of new green space featuring native, low water con-sumption plants for the community to enjoy.

With capacity being reduced to 20,000 in legacy mode and those additional seats being sent to nations in need of sporting infrastructure, he said the precinct surrounding the stadium will also include a range of facilities which will cater to the needs of the people of Al Rayyan.

Al Rayyan Project Manager added locals will also be keen to expe-rience the many other sporting facil-ities that are springing up as part of this stadium complex.

Cricket pitches, football training pitches, an aquatics center, tennis courts, a skate park, and an athletics track are just some of the facilities that the community can look forward

to using in coming years. Al Rayyan Stadium will play a leading role in ful-filling the key Qatar National Vision 2030 objective of promoting healthy lifestyles in Qatar, Al Fehani pointed out.

He added that Al Rayyan will also offer places for those who want to take it a little easier, ideal for warm days on the fringes of the desert. Beautifully landscaped parks, cafes, fountains, walkways, and spas will take their place alongside the stadium.

Al Rayyan Stadium is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019 and will have a capacity of 40,000 fans. Although this project is an inter-national endeavor, one crucial element of the stadium — its 40,000 seats - will be produced by local company Coastal Qatar. This boost to Qatar’s economy is just one small part of the long-term legacy being created here.

According to the Al Rayyan Project Manager, the work is underway in the project and is going according to the schedule. Its design phase began in 2014, followed by the destruction of the old stadium in 2015, and the main excavation of the stadium and then construction work in 2016.

At the end of 2017, construction at Al Rayyan Stadium reached a major milestone following the completion of more than five million man-hours without a ‘Lost Time Accident’.

Al Fehani added that the work hours in Al Rayyan Stadium project reached about 25 million man-hours, considering the different numbers of workers in the project, as 4,700 people currently work at Al Rayyan Stadium. This number is expected to exceed 5,000 workers during the coming period when the final stage of the construction and finishes is reached.

Al Rayyan Project Manager stressed that the project’s work plan considers the preservation of workers’ rights and security and safety standards according to the local standards of the Ministry of Labor as well as international standards. The most important of these is that it required contractors to provide workers’ accommodation close to the playground to ensure safety and easy movement of workers to the project.

QNA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We should hold up equality and respect,

abandon pride and prejudice, deepen

our knowledge about differences between

our own and other civilisations, and

promote harmonious dialogue and coexistence

between civilisations.

Xi Jinping China’s President

More than 1,000 volunteers from various countries were part of the event, which was organised and managed to perfection, with all the state machineries coming together to make it a grand success.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

[email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

[email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI

[email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

A marvelous beginning

Hosting the Amir Cup final at the new Al Wakrah Stadium yesterday was a great moment for sports in general and Qatar in

particular as it is an astonishing achievement to get the 40,000-seater venue, which will be hosting many Qatar 2022 World Cup matches, ready in record time and open it for one of the most important football matches in the country in front of a sell-out crowd deserves a loud applause for all those who worked behind the scenes to get the stadium ready as per international standards and also for the leadership for providing the right guidance and support to finish the project even after some unwanted actions from some of the neighbours.

More than 1,000 volunteers from various coun-tries were part of the event, which was organised and managed to perfection, with all the state machineries coming together to make it a grand success. One of the Doha Metro lines, which facil-

itates transport to the station, was opened much ahead of the schedule and was a big help for thousands of fans to reach the stadium as Mowasalat had arranged many shuttle buses to ferry spectators from the Al Wakrah station to the stadium.

Doha Metro had also extended the train timings so that the fans could reach back home using the metro.

This is the second stadium after the Khalifa International Stadium to be ready for the Qatar 2022. Work are pro-gressing at a fast pace in the other six stadiums and they are expected to be ready much ahead of schedule.

Al Wakrah Stadium, designed by celebrated Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, has a capacity of 40,000 seats and is just 23km from Doha city centre. The futuristic stadium will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage during Qatar 2022. The design is inspired by the sails of traditional dhow boats; in tribute to Al Wak-rah’s seafaring past.

The first match to be played on the turf, which was laid in world record time, between football giants Al Duhail and Al Sadd provided the right atmosphere for a historic night. Al Duhail fought back from a goal’s deficit to win the match 4-1 for their second successive Amir Cup trophy.

Al Rayyan Project Manager added locals will also be keen to experience the many other sporting facilities that are springing up as part of this stadium complex. Cricket pitches, football training pitches, an aquatics center, tennis courts, a skate park, and an athletics track are just some of the facilities that the community can look forward to using in coming years.

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09FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 OPINION

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Al Muraikhi: Protection of human rights tops Qatar’s prioritiesQNA

The State of Qatar has reiterated its continued cooperation with all United Nations human rights mechanisms, in particular the Human Rights Council, to achieve the objectives of

the promotion and protection of human rights.This came in a speech delivered on Wednesday

by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi before the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the “Third Periodic Report of the State of Qatar”.

“In the State of Qatar, we greatly value the important role played by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the Working Group to help countries to improve and enhance their commitments on the bases of the inter-national human rights law,” he said, stressing Qatar’s support for and full cooperation with the UPR as well as other international and regional mechanisms towards the strengthening and protection of human rights.

Al Muraikhi pointed that the State of Qatar views the interactive dialogue as an exchange process that enhances understanding between itself and the Work-ing Group. “ No doubt that working with this group and the other treaty bodies is certainly a path to strengthen human rights and to attain the desired objectives,” he said. adding that the State of Qatar considers the UPR process as important opportunity to improve its internal practices and advance them in the field of human rights.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi indicated that the State of Qatar is very keen on holding a comprehensive and constructive discussion around the report. “ We have an extended delegation that has come to Geneva to engage in this discussion. This delegation represents a number of government authorities and circles, all concerned with the protection and strengthening of human rights in its wholistic indivisible concept,” he said.

His Excellency stressed that the size, level and for-mation of the delegation and the efforts that the State has put in to prepare the report underline the serious-ness of Qatar in implementing its commitments under the UPR mechanism.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sul-tan bin Saad Al Muraikhi affirmed that the issue of promoting and protecting human rights is at the top of the priorities of the State of Qatar and constitutes the cornerstone of its comprehensive reform policy.

He pointed out that this was underlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030, the first national devel-opment strategy (2011-2016) and the second strategy (2018-2022).

He also pointed to the keenness of the State of Qatar to implement the commitments from the discussion of its first report, stressing that the Council of Min-isters issued at its ordinary meeting No. (33) held on 24/11/2010 its decision on the continuity of the Com-mittee which prepared the first report of the State to prepare the following reports and as a mechanism to follow up the recommendations.

His Excellency added that the report presented is the result of a broad consultative process, coordina-tion, cooperation and expanded partnership between governmental and non-governmental bodies and with all groups and segments of society, and in accordance with the guiding principles, and the report included an introduction in the first part, while the second part included the follow-up methodology and the report-ing process.

Al Muraikhi pointed out that the third part of the report, which represents the main part, dealt with the efforts undertaken by the State to implement the recommendations it accepted, which were classified according to thematic topics including adherence to international treaties, enactment of legislation, strength-ening international cooperation, measures, strategies and policies for the promotion and protection of human rights, training and capacity-building and awareness-raising, and the report concludes with a section on challenges and future visions.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that since the adoption of the second report, the State’s efforts to promote and protect human rights, which have been discussed in detail in the third part of the report, have continued, stressing that the most impor-tant developments following the adoption of the second report, including Qatar’s accession to the International Covenants on Human Rights (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by Decree No. 40 of 2018, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) by Decree No. 41 of 2018. The State of Qatar is therefore part of seven of the nine core human rights treaties.

He added that in recent years, the State of Qatar has carried out significant legislative reforms, the most important of which is the legal framework regulating the rights of migrant workers, who plays a pivotal role in the development of the country, and Qatar appreci-ates the contributions of expatriate workers.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi further stressed that the strengthen-ing and protection of the rights of the expatriate work force is a strategic choice for the State of Qatar, point-ing to a number of legislations that have been enacted in this respect, such as law No 1 of 2015 amending

some of the provisions of the Labor Law No 14 of 2004 on the wages protection system (WPS); Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry and the exit of expatriates, which has abolished the “Kafala” (sponsorship) system; Law No 15 of 2017 on domestic workers in a manner that is in line with the terms of International Labor organization’s (ILO) convention 189 on decent work for domestic workers; the establishment of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, accord-ing to the Qatari Cabinet decision No 15 of 2017; Law No 13 of 2017 on the labor dispute settlement commit-tee and Law No 17 of 2018 on the establishment of a fund to support and provide welfare for expatriates.

Al Muraikhi also pointed to Law No 13 of 2018 on the abolishing of the exit permit; Minister of Administrative development, Labor and Social Affairs’ decision No 21 of 2019 on the measure of election of the representa-tives of the workers in the committees that are set up in various enterprises; signing 38 bilateral agreements with countries sending workers; signing, in October 2017, a technical cooperation agreement with the ILO covering the period 2018-2020 and including advise and counselling by the ILO on the implementation of labor laws according to international labor standards

and the establishment of “Aman House” for workers who have sustained injuries, have been handicapped or have incurable diseases.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs added that a number of human rights-related legislations have been enacted, such as Law No 10 of 2018 on per-manent residency, Law No 11 of 2018 or regulating asylum and Law No 16 of 2018 on non-Qataris own-ership of properties.

Concerning the empowerment of women, H E Al Muraikhi stressed that the State of Qatar has contin-ued formulating plans and strategies to strengthen and to support the role of women in all fields, point-ing that four women have joined the Shura Council, which reflects the Qatari leadership’s keenness on strengthening the contribution of women in the all spheres, especially the legislative, and on promoting women’s participation politically according to arti-cle 34 of the Qatari constitution, which provides for equality between all citizens in rights and in duties. He further noted the appointment of the first female spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The State has also continued its efforts to strengthen and protect the rights of the child and persons with disability in addition to the protection of the right to health and the right to education,” he said pointing to the organization of the National Campaign on the right to education during the period (October 2018- April 2019), within the framework of the campaign organ-ised by UNESCO on the same topic.

His Excellency said: “Under the Qatar National Vision 2030, which underlines the keenness of the State of Qatar to seriously participate in the interna-tional cooperation, the State accorded attention to bilateral as well as multilateral cooperation and to work with the friendly countries and international organ-izations.” This has been attested to by acceding more than 328 Arab, regional and international organiza-tions working in the field of social, economic, cultural, educational and scientific activities.

He added that the State was keen on extending its voluntary contribution to some 100 funds and pro-grammes of the UN, pointing that the State of Qatar has announced, on the sideline of the Doha Forum 2018, that it will support the UN organizations with the sum of USD 500 million, to be distributed as fol-lows: USD 28 million for UNDP; USD 8 million annually during (2019-2023) for UNHCR; USD million annually for UNICEF; USD 15 million annually for the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) of UN Security Council and USD 16 million annually for two years for UNRWA in addition to the USD 50 million contribution made

during the ministerial meeting in Rome 2018. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin

Saad Al Marikhi said that Qatar has continued to sup-port the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as it has contributed three million dollars over three years (2016, 2017 and 2018) in addition to the contribution that was made in 2017.

His Excellency continued by saying that the State of Qatar has also signed agreements with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Children’s Fund in order to have offices for those organizations opened in the State of Qatar.

In the framework of international cooperation in the humanitarian field, the charity and civil society organizations and other civil society organizations in Qatar are a major pillar of development cooperation, particularly in vital fields such as health and education, adding the number of cooperation and partnership agreements between Qatar Charity, UN, humanitarian organizations, and international and regional donors have reached 93 agreements. The Qatar Red Crescent society provides services through 18 offices of which 25 countries benefited in 2017, he said.

His Excellency said the preparation of the report and its review come under exceptional circumstances as the State of Qatar has been subjected to unilateral coercive measures and unjust blockade by some coun-tries of the region since June 5, 2017. The consequences of that were grave and continuing violations of human rights, in particular to the right to free movement, the right to residency and private property, to the right to work, the right to education, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to health, the right to freedom of belief, the right to development and other social violations in the form of separation of families, the most egregious violations.

He pointed out that the Office of the High Com-missioner for Human Rights sent a technical mission to the State of Qatar in November 2017, to find out the ‘impact of the Gulf crisis on human rights’. The report of the technical mission reached the conclu-sions that all violations were committed and that the measures taken by the four states against Qatar were wide ranging and targeted individuals on the basis of their nationality or their belonging to Qatar, and there-fore those were considered discriminative measures and disproportionate. Also, in an important conclu-sion from the report described these measures as they constitute “key elements of the definition of unilateral coercive action as defined by the Advisory Commit-tee of the Human Rights Council” and that “most of these measures have far-reaching implications for the enjoyment of human rights”, he said.

H E the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs explained that the State of Qatar has formed a committee to demand compensation on the basis of the effects of the imposed blockade, as a central committee that will receive the complaints of the blockade victims to study and deter-mine the best way to deal with each case. However, Qatar continued to protect and promote human rights and ensure that the rights of citizens and residents have not been affected.

He stressed that within the framework of the State of Qatar’s keenness to protect its rights, the State has resorted to international mechanisms to ensure the accountability of the blockade countries for viola-tions of human rights, where the State filed an case before the International Court of Justice against one of the blockade countries on the implementation of the terms of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Court issued its ruling on interim measures on July 23, 2018, which called for the reunification of Qatari families separated by the measures taken by that country, in addition to allowing the opportunity for Qatari students affected to continue their education or obtain their education records if they wish to complete their studies in other countries, and allowing Qataris affected by arbitrary procedures to access the judicial organs of that State.

His Excellency added that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is currently con-sidering two complaints submitted by the State of Qatar against two blockade states concerning violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination committed under the blockade and coercive measures imposed on the State of Qatar.

He said that despite the many developments that Qatar has witnessed in protecting and promoting human rights at the legislative, institutional and awareness levels, there are temporary challenges such as the unprecedented increase in population in Qatar in recent years, which reached more than 100%, the legislative

and institutional development and the modernity of dealing with international human rights mechanisms.

He stressed that despite these chal-lenges, the State of Qatar has spared no effort to promote and protect human rights. It has achieved remarkable results in a short period of time, and it looks forward to further achieve-ments in this field. Qatar will continue to work as an active partner in the inter-national community to enhance these achievements through the exchange of experiences and to learn from interna-tional best practices, looking forward to an extensive, constructive and use-ful dialogue with the working group to achieve the desired objectives, he said.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs concluded by stressing Qatar’s continued cooperation with all United Nations human rights instruments, particularly the Human Rights Council, to achieve the goals of the promotion and protection of human rights.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Al Muraikhi pointed that the State of Qatar views the interactive dialogue as an exchange process that enhances understanding between itself and the Working Group. “ No doubt that working with this group and the other treaty bodies is certainly a path to strengthen human rights and to attain the desired objectives.

He stressed that despite these challenges, the State of Qatar has spared no effort to promote and protect human rights. It has achieved remarkable results in a short period of time, and it looks forward to further achievements in this field.

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10 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019EUROPE

$100m global cybercrime gang bustedAFP THE HAGUE

US and European police said yesterday they have smashed a huge international cybercrime network that used Russian malware to steal $100m (¤89 m) from tens of thousands of victims worldwide.

Prosecutions have been launched in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and the United States over the scam, while five Rus-sians charged in the US remain on the run, the EU police agency Europol said.

The “organised crime network behind $100m in malware attacks” targeted “more than 41,000 victims, primarily businesses and their financial institutions,” Europol said.

Police in Germany and Bul-garia were also involved.

The cyber gang used GozNym malware to infect victims’ computers, steal their online banking login details and then siphon money from their accounts.

The stolen money was then laundered in US and other accounts.

Scott Brady, the US Attorney General for the western district of Pennsylvania where the US indictment was unsealed, said the operation was an “unprece-dented” international effort.

“Unsuspecting European and American victims thought they were clicking on a simple invoice, but were instead giving hackers access to their most sen-sitive information,” Brady added.

The alleged leader of the GozNym criminal network, Alex-ander Konovolov, 35, of Tbilisi, who goes by the online name “NoNe”, was arrested in the former Soviet state of Georgia, the US Department of Justice said.

His alleged technical assistant Marat Kazandjian, 31, aka “phant0m,” was also arrested in Georgia.

Konovolov recruited hackers who advertised their services on “Russian-speaking online criminal forums”, and eventually controlled the malware-infected computers of more than 41,000 victims, Europol said.

The five Russians charged in the US included the alleged

developer of the malware, iden-tified as Vladimir Gorin, but they cannot be extradited because Russia does not send suspects abroad.

Gorin “oversaw its creation, development, management and leasing to other cyber criminals” including the Georgian alleged leader of the group, Europol said.

One of the Russians, Viktor

Eremenko, was arrested in Sri Lanka at the request of US authorities in 2017 but “through the intervention of the Russian government” was freed on bail, after which he fled to Russia.

Bulgarian Krasimir Nikolov was arrested and extradited to the United States in 2016 and has already pleaded guilty to the charges in the indictment, the

DOJ said. Ukrainian police meanwhile arrested Gennady Kapkanov, 36, also known as “firestarter”, on suspicion of hosting a so-called “Avalanche” network that provided services to more than 200 cybercriminals including the Georgians.

He allegedly fired an assault rifle through the door of his apartment at police, the DOJ said.

Suspects of cybercrime are seen on the screen at the news conference to announce action against a transnational organised cybercrime at the Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, yesterday.

Anti-riot police detain activists protesting against a plan to build an Orthodox cathedral at a construction site in a park in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

Russia suspends cathedral project amid clashesAFP SOCHI

Plans for a new cathedral in Russia have been suspended after several days of clashes between police and protesters, the local mayor said yesterday just hours after President Vladimir Putin said opponents of the project should be heard.

Thousands of people in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg pro-tested this week against Orthodox Church plans to recreate a pre-Soviet cathedral in a popular central park.

“Today, we have suspended work,” Alexandre Vyssokinski said, according to the TASS news agency.

The authorities will canvass

local opinion so as to determine the project’s future, he added.

Earlier yesterday, Putin said that “if people are against it, that opinion must be respected.” He also suggested - as promised by Vyssokinski - that there should be “a survey, and the minority should concede to the majority.”

Putin’s comments were unusual in that over almost two decades in power, the President has brooked little dissent, over-seeing crackdowns on public protest and the opposition.

“Steps need to be taken from both sides to resolve this issue from the point of view of people who live there,” he said.

Dozens of people have been arrested over the clashes at the c o n s t r u c t i o n s i t e i n

Yekaterinburg, some 1,000 miles (1,700 kilometres) east of Moscow.

Local authorities have backed the project, and the oligarch head of one of Russia’s largest copper producers has also offered financial support.

“Usually, people ask for a cathedral to be built,” Putin said.

“Cathedrals should unite, not divide people,” he added.

The row has exposed tensions over the growing authority of the Orthodox Church in Russia.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier decried “provocations” and “false information” in relation to the cathedral, praising the actions of law enforcement in the dispute.

Fugitive Basque separatist leader arrestedAFP MADRID

Josu Ternera, one of the most influential leaders of former Basque separatist group ETA, was arrested in France yesterday after more than 16 years on the run, Spain’s Interior Ministry said.

Jose Antonio Urrutikoetxea Bengoetxea, who used the alias Josu Ternera and was once ETA’s supreme chief, was detained “in the early hours of the morning today in Sallanches in the French Alps,” the ministry said.

“He was a hugely important person in ETA,” said Florencio Dominguez, head of the Memorial Centre for Victims of Terrorism in Spain’s Basque Country and author of a book on Ternera.

After becoming one of the

group’s leaders in the late 1970s, Ternera then took the top spot.

Thought to be the instigator of ETA’s bloody strategy of com-bining car bomb and shooting attacks in the 1980s, he was also one of the proponents of trying to reach a peace deal later on.

Then in May 2018, while still on the run after avoiding arrest, he recorded the “final decla-ration” announcing the sepa-ratist group had completely dissolved.

According to Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Mar-laska, he is wanted in France and Spain.

The Madrid-based National Court, which deals with terror cases, is preparing to ask for his extradition to Spain.

- Arrested at hospital - Created in 1959 at the height of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship,

ETA waged a relentless cam-paign of killings and kidnappings in its fight for an independent Basque homeland in northern Spain and southwest France, leaving at least 853 dead.

Weakened by the arrest of its leaders, ETA announced a permanent ceasefire in 2011 and began formally surrendering its arms in 2017.

Then last year in May, it for-mally dissolved.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the arrest of Ternera, saying “Franco-Spanish cooperation has once again demonstrated its effectiveness.” Sallanches Mayor Georges Morand told AFP that Ternera, who is believed to be seriously ill with cancer, had been arrested “in the carpark of the Sallanches hospital where he was going for treatment.”

Josu Ternera (centre), is escorted by police as he leaves the law court of Bonneville, France, yesterday.

Boris Johnson says will stand as PM; May agrees on exit dateAFP LONDON

Britain’s Boris Johnson confirmed yesterday he will seek to become prime minister when Theresa May quits, reports said, as she promised to set out a departure timetable early next month.

“Of course I’m going to go for it,” the former Foreign Minister, ex-Mayor of London and leading Brexit campaigner told a business event in Manchester, northwest England, the BBC and Sky News reported.

The decision comes as little surprise as Johnson,

one of Britain’s most identifiable politicians known simply as “Boris”, has long been known to covet the top job.

But it effectively fires the starting gun on a race that already has more than a dozen runners and riders -- even though there is no official vacancy.

May has promised to step down once the first stage of Brit-ain’s exit from the European Union is secured, but this has been put in doubt by repeated Brexit delays.

At a meeting of senior members of her Conservative party on Thursday, May resisted

growing demands to set out a detailed plan for her departure right now.

But Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs, said May would do this after a parlia-mentary vote in the week beginning June 3 on legislation to approve her EU divorce deal.

“We have agreed that she and I will meet following the second reading (first vote) of the bill to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party,” he said.

Many of May’s ministers and senior lawmakers are already

making moves for the leadership, holding photo opportunities and giving wide-ranging speeches that go well beyond their official briefs.

Johnson, who botched his chance to run against May when she took office after the 2016 ref-erendum, has long been assumed to be a candidate but has recently kept out the limelight.

Known abroad for his gaffes and accused of misleading voters over Brexit, he is nonetheless loved by many ordinary members of the ruling Conserv-ative party, who will have a say in their new leader.

J o h n s o n q u i t a s

foreign minister last year over the government’s Brexit strategy and has been an outspoken critic of the divorce deal May struck with Brussels last November.

The deal has been rejected three times by the House of Commons, forcing May to delay Brexit twice.

She announced this week she would put it to MPs for a fourth time in early June, in the form of a vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

May hopes the bill could be passed by July, allowing Britain to leave the EU at the end of that month, and is expected to step down at that point.

Merkel dispels speculation about future EU jobAP BERLIN

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has squelched a new bout of speculation that she might seek a top European job after standing down as Germany’s leader, insisting yesterday that she won’t take another political post - “no matter where it is.”

Merkel last year gave up the leadership of her centre-right party and said she wouldn’t seek a fifth term as chancellor. She said then that she doesn’t want another political job after she leaves office.

Nonetheless, periodic spec-ulation has flared about the possibility of Merkel seeking a top European Union job. Last month, outgoing EU Com-mission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he “simply cannot imagine that Angela Merkel will disappear without trace” and that “she would be highly qual-ified” for a European position.

The latest flurry of guessing was prompted by Merkel herself. In an interview with the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung published Thursday, a week before elections to the European Parliament that are expected to strengthen populist parties at the expense of the center, the 64-year-old said that “many people are con-cerned about Europe, including myself.”

That, she added, gives her “even greater feeling of respon-sibility to take care, together with others, of the fate of this Europe.”

At a news conference later yesterday, Merkel said what she meant is that “it is right for me as German chancellor to strengthen, rather than not, my efforts to ensure a good, func-tioning Europe in view of the situations we have and in view of the polarization.” She said the pledge she made last year stands, “namely that I am not available for any other political office, no matter where it is, including in Europe.”

Former Belgian king faces fines if refuses DNA testAFP BRUSSELS

The former King Albert II of the Belgians has been ordered by a court to submit to a DNA test or face daily fines of 5,000 euros ($5,600) lawyers said yesterday.

The order was the latest twist in a Belgian’s sculptor pursuit to prove that she is the former monarch’s daughter.

“I believe that the king will submit to this test, since he has the guarantee that it will remain confidential,” Albert’s lawyer, Guy Hiernaux, told AFP.

Another lawyer, Alain Ber-enboom, cautioned that the final decision remains with the monarch.

The court-ordered fine was a major development in a long battle between Albert II and Delphine Boel, who launched proceedings before a top Brussels court in 2013 to have Albert’s paternity recognised.

Boel claims she was born in 1968 after a long affair between her mother, Sibylle de Selys Longchamps and the then crown prince Albert, married since 1959 to Paola Ruffo di Calabria.

The 81-year-old former monarch, who reigned from 1993 until 2013, has always refused to acknowledge that he could be her father.

Last October, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Boel and ordered Albert II to submit to a genetic sample in order to finally decide the matter.

Europol said the organised crime network behind $100m in malware attacks targeted more than 41,000 victims, primarily businesses and their financial institutions.

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11FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 EUROPE / AMERICAS

Trump immigration plan would overhaul green card systemAP WASHINGTON

Setting aside some of his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration, President Donald Trump said yesterday that he wanted to recruit “top talent” to the nation as he unveiled his latest efforts to reform residency laws after years of setbacks and stalemates.

“We discriminate against genius,” Trump said of current policies, which he contended excessively favour family based immigration. “We discriminate against brilliance. We won’t anymore once we get this passed.” The latest effort, spearheaded by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, focuses on beefing up border security and rethinking the nation’s green card system so that it would favour people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country.

The proposed shift to a more merit-based system prioritising

high-skilled workers would mark a dramatic departure from the nation’s largely family based approach, which officials said gives roughly 66% of green cards to those with family ties and 12% based on skills.

The President’s plan, unveiled in a Rose Garden ceremony, has yet to be embraced by his own party — let alone Democrats

— and faces dubious prospects in a divided Congress. The show of magnanimity comes as Trump seeks to put a softer facade on the signature campaign issue from his first campaign as he eyes his 2020 reelection.

“Our plan is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker,” Trump said, adding that it con-trasts with what he called Demo-crats’ support of “chaos.” Efforts to overhaul the immigration system have gone nowhere for three decades amid deep partisan divisions. Prospects for an agreement seem especially bleak as the 2020 elections near, though the plan could give Trump and the GOP a proposal to rally behind, even as Democrats signalled their opposition.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump’s emphasis on merit-based immigration is “conde-scending” because families have merit, too. The plan does not address what to do about the mil-lions of immigrants already living in the country illegally, including

hundreds of thousands of young “Dreamers” brought to the US as children — a top priority for Dem-ocrats. Nor does it reduce overall rates of immigration, as many conservative Republicans would like to see.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said “Dreamer” immigrants were not included in Trump’s new plan because past proposals involving them have failed. Under the new plan, the US

would award the same number of green cards as it now does. But far more would go to exceptional stu-dents, professionals and people with high-level and vocational degrees. Factors such as age, English language ability and employment offers would also be considered. The diversity visa lottery, which offers green cards to citizens of countries with his-torically low rates of immigration to the US would be eliminated.

As part of the plan, officials want to shore up ports of entry to ensure all vehicles and people are screened and to create a self-sus-taining fund, paid for with increased fees, to modernise ports of entry. The plan also calls for building border wall in targeted locations and continues a push for an overhaul to the US asylum system, with the goal of processing fewer applications and removing people who don’t qualify faster.

Cabinet members and Senators look on as US President Donald Trump announces a new immigration proposal, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Trump says he hopes US not going to war with IranREUTERS WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said yesterday he hoped the United States was not heading to war with Iran as he met with Swit-zerland President Ueli Maurer, whose nation has served as a diplomatic conduit between the two countries.

Asked by reporters Wash-ington was going to war with Tehran, Trump responded, “Hope not” as he greeted Maurer at the White House.

Tensions have escalated in recent days with increasing con-cerns about a potential US-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United States pulled some dip-lomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad following weekend attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf.

Switzerland, a neutral country, has historically been a liaison between the United States and Iran, which have no diplomatic relations.

A White House statement said the two leaders discussed “a range of international issues, including the crises in the Middle East and in Venezuela.”

“President Trump expressed his gratitude for Switzerland’s

role in facilitating international mediation and diplomatic rela-tions on behalf of the United States,” the statement said.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed US officials, reported late on Wednesday that Trump preferred a diplomatic route with Iran and direct talks with its leaders but worried that some of his advisers were pushing war.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that there is no friction between Trump and his advisers and he w e l c o m e s d i f f e r e n t viewpoints.

“He’s the one the American people elected. He’s going to take in the information and the guidance from all of his national security team and he then will make a decision on what he thinks is the best and safest thing for the American people,” she said.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday welcomed what she called Trump’s lack of “appetite” for military conflict with Tehran. She also warned the Trump administration against taking military action in Iran without authorisation from Congress.

The proposed shift to a more merit-based system prioritising high-skilled workers would mark a dramatic departure from the nation’s largely family based approach, which officials said gives roughly 66% of green cards to those with family ties and 12% based on skills.

The world still has not done anything: Khashoggi’s fianceeREUTERS WASHINGTON

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist murdered at a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey last year, said yesterday she could not believe that no one has yet faced serious consequences for the crime.

“I cannot understand that the world still has not done anything about this,” Cengiz told a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee, speaking in Turkish through an interpreter. “I still cannot make human sense of it. I still cannot understand. I still feel that I’ll wake up,” she said in emotional testimony to a hearing on international press freedom and the dangers of reporting on human rights.

Cengiz was the last person to see Khashoggi, a US resident and columnist for the Washington Post, before he went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain papers for their upcoming marriage.

He never left the building.“We still don’t know why he

was killed. We don’t know where his corpse is,” Cengiz said. She called for sanctions to punish Saudi Arabia and for Washington to push for the freedom of political prisoners held in the kingdom.

US authorities have concluded

that responsibility for Khashoggi’s death went to the highest levels of the Saudi government. Riyadh denies the crown prince was involved. Cengiz said she came to Washington hoping to help provoke a stronger reaction to her fiance’s death. She said President Donald Trump invited her to the White House months earlier, but that she had not come then because she was not confident about his response.

“I think we choose between two things...,” Cengiz told the sub-committee. “We can either go on as if nothing has happened... or we

can act, we can leave aside all interests, international interests and politics, and focus on the values for a better life.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, Trump has resisted imposing conse-quences such as strong sanctions. Calling the United States “a for-tress” protecting freedom of thought and human rights, Cengiz appealed for justice.

“I think it is a test for the United States and I believe it is a test that it can and should pass,” she said.

Hatice Cengiz testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, yesterday.

New York Mayor becomes 24th Democrat in White House fieldREUTERS NEW YORK

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio entered the crowded 2020 presidential race yesterday, arguing that his record of progressive accom-plishments in the country’s biggest city positioned him as the perfect foil to President Donald Trump.

De Blasio, 58, launched his candidacy with the central cam-paign message, “Working People First,” becoming the 24th Democrat seeking to take on Trump in the election next year.

In a video released yes-terday, de Blasio returned to the theme of income inequality that had animated his first mayoral campaign in 2013, when he emerged as a leading voice for the burgeoning left wing that has since reshaped his party.

“People in every part of this country feel stuck or even like they’re going backwards,” he said in the video. “But the rich got richer.” The mayor, who is barred from seeking a third four-year term in 2021, has struggled to build a national profile, eclipsed in the national consciousness by progressive US Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who are now his rivals for the presidency.

Russia presents UN measure to rein in chemical weapons watchdogAFP UNITED NATIONS

Russia yesterday presented a draft resolution to the Security Council accusing the UN’s chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, of politicisation just weeks before a new probe begins of chemical attacks in Syria.

The draft text states that the Council — where Russia holds veto power — is the only inter-national body that can impose measures on countries that violate the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The proposed resolution is backed by China, diplomats said.

The Organisation for the Pro-hibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) agreed in June to set up a mechanism that would identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks, a move strongly opposed

by Russia and Syria. The pro-posed resolution notes “with concern the continuing politici-sation of the work of the OPCW and growing deviation from the established practice of taking consensus-based decisions.” It calls on state parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention to “cooperate with each other and seek to restore the spirit of con-sensus in the OPCW,” which sug-gests Russia’s view must be taken into account.

OPCW chief Fernando Arias said on Tuesday that the new investigation of chemical attacks in Syria would begin in the coming weeks. Western countries are calling on the team to start work on identifying the culprits behind a deadly attack in the Syrian town of Douma in April 2018.

The OPCW said in a report

that chlorine was likely used in the attack that killed more than 40 people, but Russia and Syria have rejected those findings.

The report did not apportion blame as it was not in the watch-dog’s mandate at the time.

The West pushed through the new blaming powers after OPCW reports confirmed chemical weapons use in Syria, as well as a nerve agent attack on Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury in March 2018.

The United States, Britain and France launched a one-off missile strike on Syria in April last year in response to the use of chemical weapons in Douma. In 2015, Russia and the United States created the OPCW-UN joint investigative mechanism (JIM) to identify those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.

Trudeau calls Chinese arrests of two Canadians ‘unacceptable’AFP PARIS

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday called the arrest of two Canadians in China “unacceptable” and vowed to stand up to Beijing over the detentions.

“We will consistently and always stand up for Canadians, particularly these Canadians who have been arbitrarily detained,” he told a news conference in Paris after China said it had for-mally arrested the pair on national security grounds.

“What we are always focused on is doing things that will help Canadians (who are) being detained. That will not change,” Trudeau said, when asked if he planned to talk to President Xi Jinping over the issue.

Former diplomat Michael

Kovrig is “suspected of collecting state secrets and intelligence” while businessman Michael Spavor is suspected of “stealing

and illegally offering state secrets” abroad, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said yesterday.

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) bids farewell to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he leaves the Elysee Presidential Palace following their meeting in Paris, yesterday.

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Son of Bolsonaro rejects money laundering claimsAFP RIO DE JANEIRO

The eldest son of Brazilian Pres-ident Jair Bolsonaro has denied accusations he laundered money through real estate deals, months after the eruption of a suspicious payments scandal involving him that tarnished his father’s anti-corruption credentials.

Flavio Bolsonaro, a federal senator, allegedly made more than 3m ($790,000) buying and selling 19 apartments and commercial

locations in Rio de Janeiro — a profit that could indicate money laundering, Veja magazine reported Wednesday citing doc-uments from the Rio state prose-cutor’s office. In one of the trans-actions — all of which took place between 2010 and 2017 — the sale price of a Copacabana apartment was 292 percent more than what Flavio paid for it 15 months earlier.

Flavio, 38, hit back on Twitter late Wednesday, saying the reported values were “absolutely false and not even close to the real

values.” “I have always declared my assets to the tax authorities and everything is compatible with my earnings,” he said, describing himself as a victim of “illegal leaks.” “My past is clean and I have never committed any irregularity in my entire life.” The prosecutor’s office included the allegations in a document requesting judicial permission to access the bank and tax records of more than 90 people, including Flavio, as part of an investigation into suspicious payments.

Earthquake of 5.7 magnitude shakes buildings in El Salvador and NicaraguaREUTERS SAN SALVADOR

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast off Central America shook buildings in El Salvador and Nicaragua’s capital Managua yesterday, prompting people to evacuate, but there were no initial reports of major damage.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck some 39km west-southwest of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua, at a depth of 71km.

Jorge Melendez, director of civil protection in El Salvador, said there were only scattered reports of minor damage. “There is no major damage,” he said.

The epicentre was near to where the land borders of El Sal-vador, Honduras and Nicaragua are at their closest point, and

some buildings in Honduras were also evacuated, authorities said. Authorities in El Salvador

had earlier measured the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 6.2.

Workers standing outside a building after an earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua, yesterday.

Cuba, Canada FMs meet on Venezuela crisisREUTERS HAVANA

Canada’s Foreign Minister met with her Cuban counterpart in Havana yesterday to discuss the political crisis in Cuba’s longtime ally Venezuela and other issues after the island’s Communist government said it was willing to help mediate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached out to Cuba two weeks ago on behalf of the Lima Group, a bloc of mostly Latin American countries seeking a peaceful resolution to the Venezuelan standoff.

A top Cuban diplomat said subsequently in an interview with Bloomberg that Havana was willing to help, but that leftist ally President Nicolas Maduro would have to be at the table.

The Venezuelan opposition has rejected that possibility in the past, accusing Maduro of using talks as a distraction as he consolidated his power. Moreover, the opposition and United States both accuse Cuba of propping up Maduro. But as the crisis has dragged on, and a short-lived uprising against Maduro failed earlier this month, the opposition’s stance may have

softened. “Cuba has a long history of playing a constructive role in settling conflict in which it has a stake — in Angola, Central America, and Colombia,” said William LeoGrande, a pro-fessor of government at

American University.“Cuba won’t abandon its ally

and won’t agree to any solution that the Maduro government opposes, but it may encourage Maduro to be more flexible at the bargaining table,” he added.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland’s Havana visit comes as talks are underway in Norway between Venezuela’s government and “democratic” opponents, according to a gov-ernment envoy.

Pro-Maduro protesters evicted from Venezuela Embassy in USAFP WASHINGTON

US police yesterday evicted the last of a group of protesters who have been occupying the Vene-zuelan Embassy in Washington in support of President Nicolas Maduro, ending weeks-long standoff.

“The liberation of our embassy came about thanks to the struggle of the Venezuelan diaspora,” said Carlos Vecchio, envoy for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president earlier this year in a power play against Maduro.

“With sacrifice they held the grounds against all adversity,” said Vecchio on Twitter.

Various police and fire-fighting vehicles were seen inside the grounds of the diplomatic mission in the US capital, which was taken over last month by a number of left-wing and pacifist activists protesting Guaido’s bid to push Maduro out.

The most high-profile of the groups behind the occupation, CODEPINK, denounced what it

called the “illegal entry and arrest at DC Venezuela Embassy.” It promised to “keep fighting to protect the Embassy from illegal takeover by Guaido forces.” Guaido has been recognised as leader of the crisis-stricken country by some 50 states, including the United States.

“At this moment the author-ities are checking the building to ensure its security before taking it over,” Vecchio said.

A group of Venezuelans had gathered outside the cordoned-off Embassy building and were chanting slogans such as “Viva Venezuela.”

For more than a month, an unclear number of Americans belonging to a group calling itself the Embassy Protection Col-lective had been living in the Embassy, with the consent of the Maduro government.

The American squatters, whose numbers dwindled to just four people this week after police warned they would enter the building by force, aimed to block the entry of the Guaido dele-gation to the Embassy.

People demonstrate during a strike organised by the National Students Union (UNE) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Students and teachers from hundreds of universities and colleges across Brazil began a nationwide demonstration on Wednesday in ‘defence of education’ following a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.

Students, teachers protest against Brazil govt

Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland (left), speaking during a meeting with Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in Havana, yesterday.

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Friday 17 May 2019

PAGE | 15 PAGE | 15Boeing crashes

leave $450m bill for European

insurers

Goldman to buy United Capital for $750m

‘World Cup projects not affected by the siege’: QC THE PENINSULA DOHA

The opening of the Al Wakrah Stadium, which is one of the venues for the upcoming Fifa World Cup 2022 three years before the global event, high-lights Qatar is moving steadily towards hosting the world’s biggest sporting event in the best possible manner, Qatar Chamber (QC) Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani has said yesterday.

In a press statement, he added that all World Cup projects being implemented in the country were not affected by the embargo imposed on the State two years ago, and added that the projects were going as planned without any delay.

The inauguration of Al Wakrah Stadium as the second stadium to be completed for the World Cup after the Khalifa International Stadium is a reflection of the success of Qatar’s economic plans, and the country moving in the right direction towards achieving its goals in hosting the World Cup, he added.

He also said the Qatari private sector is proud to par-ticipate in the World Cup projects as part of the direc-tives of the Amir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the efforts made by the Qatari government, which pro-vided all facilities for Qatari companies to actively partic-ipate in the World Cup projects.

QC’s Director-General Saleh bin Hamad Al Sharqi, also said: “The opening of Al Wakrah Stadium in a record time and ahead of the start of the Fifa World Cup 2022 as the first stadium to be fully con-structed to host the tour-nament is considered a great achievement and proof of the readiness of the country and its preparation for the World Cup”.

Al Sharqi also stressed unequivocally that the unjust

blockade imposed on Qatar did not affect in any way the major projects implemented by the State, noting that the opening of the World Cup stadium comes a few days after the opening of the Doha Metro’s Red Line South, which was also opened ahead of schedule.

He also pointed out that the efforts exerted to implement the mega projects in the country in record time and in accordance with inter-national standards and sustain-ability, comes with the support and guidance of the wise lead-ership of the country, which spare no effort to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030.

QC’s Director-General, Saleh bin Hamad Al Sharqi

Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber (QC)

MOCI and QFIU sign deal to enhance cooperationTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) signed yes-terday a memorandum of understanding with the Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU) to enhance cooperation in terms of operational issues relating to combating money

laundering crimes and ter-rorism financing.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry was represented by Salem bin Salim Al Mannai, Director of Corporate Affairs, while the Qatar Financial Infor-mation Unit was represented by its head Sheikh Ahmed bin Eid Al Thani.

The signing of the MoU

comes within the framework of coordinating and joining national efforts, and reflects all parties’ keenness to achieve the desired objectives and their con-tinued commitment to enhancing joint cooperation in the field of information exchange and combating money laun-dering and terrorism financing crimes.

Salem bin Salim Al Mannai (right), Director of Corporate Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Eid Al Thani, Head of Qatar Financial Information Unit, at the MoU signing ceremony in Doha, yesterday.

Brent oil hovers around $72 on Mideast tensionsREUTERS LONDON

Oil prices rose yesterday for a third day running as fears of supply disruption amid heightened tensions in the Middle East overshadowed swelling US crude inventories.

Brent crude futures were up 35 cents at $72.12 a barrel by 1025 GMT, heading for the biggest weekly rise in six weeks. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 46 cents at $62.48.

Oil was drawing support from the risk of conflict in the Middle East, with helicopters car-rying US staff from the US embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday out of apparent concern over perceived threats from Iran.

“Brent looks poised to breach the upper bound of its recent $70-$73 a barrel price range as bullish headlines from the (Mideast) Gulf continue wor-rying investors,” Citi said in a note. A rise in US crude oil inven-tories to their highest since 2017 helped to cap prices, though gov-ernment data pointed to a smaller increase than previous industry data, with falling gasoline stocks also providing some price support.

Also keeping prices in check is uncertainty about whether Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and other producers will continue supply cuts that have boosted prices more than 30 percent so far this year.

Opec said on Tuesday that world demand for its oil would be higher than expected this year. Despite continuing trade tensions between the United States and China, which have weighed on the demand outlook, the oil market is marked by tight supply.

“There is... more supply at risk to a new US war in the Middle East than demand at risk to the continuation of the trade war with China,” Petromatrix analyst Olivier Jakob said in a note. An end this month to US waivers that allowed some coun-tries to buy Iranian oil after the reimposition of US sanctions has prompted Tehran to relax restrictions on its nuclear pro-gramme and threaten action that could breach a 2015 nuclear deal.

An attack on four oil tankers in the Gulf on Sunday, for which no one has claimed responsi-bility, and Saudi Arabia’s announcement that armed drones hit two of its oil pumping stations have compounded supply-side fears.

QSE’s benchmark index closes at 9,871.87 pointsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Stock Exchange’s (QSE) benchmark index lost 155.30 points, or 1.55 percent, last week when the bourse closed yesterday at 9,871.87 points.

Trading value during last week increased by 70.87 percent to reach QR1.92bn compared to QR1.12bn at the end of the pre-vious week.

Trading volume increased by 100.83 percent to reach 88.57 million shares, as against 44.10 million shares, while the number of transactions rose by 86.16 percent, to reach 44,906 trans-actions as compared to 24,122 transactions.

Market cap fell by 1.62 percent to reach QR549.65bn as

compared to QR558.73bn at the end of previous week, reports QNA.

Industries sector led traded value last week with 32.58 percent of the total traded value. Banking and Financial Services sector accounted for 29.58 percent. Consumer Goods and Services sector accounted for 16.89 percent and Real Estate sector accounted 12.51 percent.

Industries sector led traded volume last week with 36.95 percent of the total traded volume. Real Estate sector accounted for 25.09 percent. Banking and Financial Services sector accounted for 21.04 percent and Telecoms sector accounted for 7.27 percent.

Industries sector led traded number of transactions last week

with 33.1 percent of the total number of transactions. Banking and Financial Services sector accounted for 24.09 percent. Real Estate sector accounted for 23.14 percent and Consumer Goods and Services sector accounted for 7.80 percent.

From the 46 listed com-panies, seven ended last week higher while 35 fell and four unchanged.

Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Company led trading value during last week accounted for 15.83 percent of the total traded value. QNB accounted for 14.68 percent and Qatar Fuel accounted for 14.53 percent.

When compared on daily basis, the QSE index gained 7.61 points, or 0.08 percent, com-

pared to Wednesday’s closing.The volume of shares traded

decreased to 16. 41 million from 24.74 million on Wednesday and the value of shares decreased to QR388.47m from QR706.49m on Wednesday.

From the 49 companies listed on QSE, shares of 45 saw trading today. From these, 23 companies gained, 19 closed lower and remained three com-panies unchanged.

Indices of four sectors ended in green zone and three ended in red zone today. QSE Total Return Index increased 0.08 percent to 18,165.08 points and QSE Al Rayan Islamic Index gained 0.03 percent to 3,886.64 points. QSE All Share Index increased 0.15 percent to 2,966.94 points.

EU fines banks $1.2bn over foreign exchangeBLOOMBERG BRUSSELS

Citigroup Inc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and JPMorgan Chase & Co are among five banks that agreed to pay European Union fines totaling €1.07bn ($1.2bn) for colluding on foreign-exchange trading strategies.

Citigroup was hit hardest with a €310.8m penalty, followed by fines of €249.2m and €228.8m for RBS and JPMorgan, the European Commission said in a statement yesterday. Barclays Plc was fined €210.3m and

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc must pay nearly €70m as part of the settlement with the EU’s antitrust regulator.

Traders ran two cartels on online chatrooms, swapping sen-sitive information and trading plans that allowed them to make informed decisions to buy or sell currencies, the regulator said. Many of them knew each other, calling one chatroom on the Bloomberg terminal the ‘Essex Express n’ the Jimmy’ because all of the traders but one met on a commuter train from Essex to London. Other names for rooms

were the ‘Three Way Banana Split’ and ‘Semi Grumpy Old Men.’

‘Foreign exchange spot trading activities are one of the largest markets in the world, worth billions of euros every day,’ EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (pictured) said. ‘These cartel decisions send a clear message that the com-mission will not tolerate collusive behavior in any sector of the financial markets.’

While relatively large, the cartel fines are lower than a €1.3bn penalty for banks for rigging Euribor rates and below

a record €3.8bn penalty for col-lusion between truckmakers.

targeted by an EU probe into a suspected cartel for trading of US dollar supra-sovereign, sov-ereign and agency bonds via online chatrooms between 2009 and 2015.

Page 15: Amir inaugurates Al Janoub Stadium - thepeninsulaqatar.com · FIFA Futsal World Cup, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World CupTM. Qatar assigns economic zones on shores

15FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 BUSINESS

Boeing crashes leave $450m bill for European insurersBLOOMBERG LONDON

Europe’s biggest insurers are on the hook for as much as $450m from a pair of airline crashes involving Boeing Co 737 Max planes.

Munich Re reckons it could pay €150m ($168m), an estimate that Chief Financial Officer Christoph Jurecka (pictured) called ‘very conservative.’ Swiss Re expects to pay up to $135m, while Hannover Re says it will pay out as much as $56m. Allianz SE and Zurich Insurance Group AG may have to part with a combined $91m.

For now, the insurers’ losses are on paper only. It will be months, if not years, before payouts are made, with Bloomberg Intelligence estimating the bill for settling passengers’ claims from the 737 Max crashes

in Ethiopia and Indonesia at more than $1bn. Investigators in mul-tiple countries are looking at why the same model crashed twice within five months. The outcome of those probes will affect how much the insurers pay.

Among some of the world’s other major insurers, American International Group Inc., Chubb Ltd. and Berkshire Hathaway Spe-cialty Insurance Co. declined to comment.

The twin disasters involving the 737 Max, the latest variant of the world’s most widely flown jet-liner, are unusual because the air-craft itself is being investigated as the possible culprit. That has put the spotlight on Boeing’s insurance cover.

Its policies cover several potential liabilities. For example, Boeing has an airline-manufac-turer’s liability policy that pays out more for each day the planes stay

on the ground, according to two people familiar with the matter. Sixty-five days have passed since March 11 when China’s aviation regulator banned flights of 737 Max planes within its territory. Authorities around the world fol-lowed China’s lead within days.

The manufacturer’s liability policy is capped at $500m, according to the people familiar with the matter. It was arranged by a panel of insurers; one of those, Allianz SE, said Tuesday that it expects to pay $56m for losses related to Boeing. Some of the $500m risk was passed on to reinsurers, which insure risks taken by other insurers.

Boeing doesn’t comment on its insurance cover, spokesman Charles Bickers said, adding, “we have been in constant contact with our customers and our focus remains on supporting them during this difficult time.

We continue to work with airline customers and regulators to safely return the Max to service.”

Swiss Re is among those that covered the manufacturer’s lia-bility policy and it is one of several insurers of Ethiopian Airlines. Ethiopian has an airline all-risk policy capped at $330m, according to one of the people. That policy will pay the $55m Ethiopian needs to replace its crashed plane, leaving it with $275m to compensate the pas-sengers’ families.

Pakistani rupee touches all-time low against dollarAFP /KARACHI

Pakistan’s rupee dropped to an all-time low of 146.5 to the dollar yes-terday, days after Islamabad announced it had reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a fresh bailout for its troubled economy.

The IMF is seeking a market-determined exchange rate for the rupee as part of conditions for the $6bn deal and as Pakistan struggles with a looming balance of pay-ments crisis and low foreign reserves.

“It was expected any time after the IMF deal, and happened today,” Saad Hashemy, chief economist at the Topline Securities,

Goldman to buy United Capital for $750mBLOOMBERG NEW YORK

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. agreed to buy wealth manager United Capital for $750m, one of the investment bank’s biggest purchases of recent years.

The deal is expected to be completed in the third quarter, Goldman said yesterday in a statement. United Capital has about $25bn in assets under management, 220 financial advisers and 22,000 clients, according to the statement.

Goldman Sachs’s new man-agement team, led by Chief Executive Officer David Solomon (pictured), has made building out fee-based busi-nesses a high priority and pointed to the mass-affluent

market as a source of growth.The United Capital purchase

will help the investment bank expand its Ayco business, which offers financial planning to exec-utives at corporate clients. With Ayco, Goldman Sachs “currently serves 60 of the Fortune 100

companies, but only 200 of the top 1,000,” analysts at Bank of America Corp wrote in a research note last week, high-lighting the growth opportunity available to Goldman in that space.

The investment bank’s push to include more stable, recurring, fee-based revenue is a shift from years past when its trading division often posted windfalls that drove up quarterly profits. The volatile results made it harder for analysts to consist-ently project the firm’s earnings, turning off some investors.

By creating more repeatable revenue, Solomon and his team are hoping it becomes easier for shareholders to anticipate Gold-man’s growth trajectory, boosting the company’s value.

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De De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 9:00pmUgly Dolls (2D/Adventure) 3:00pmA Dog’s Journey (2D/Comedy) 3:00pm Mr Local (2D/Tamil) 8:30pmStudent Of The Year 2 (2D/Hindi) 11:15pm The Convent (2D/Horror) 11:30pmMonster (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm

De De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 8:30pmMonster (2D/Tamil) 2:30pm Ugly Dolls (2D/Adventure) 3:00pmA Dog’s Journey (2D/Comedy) 8:30pm The Convent (2D/Horror) 9:00pmAvengers: Endgame (2D/Action) 10:30pmMr Local (2D/Tamil) 11:00pmUyare (2D/Malayalam) 11:00pm

Avengers: Endgame (Action) 2D 4:50, 6:05, 6:30, 6:55, 8:10, 9:25, 9:50, 10:20 & 11:30pm 3D 4:00, 5:40, 7:20, 9:00 & 10:40pmDe De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 4:20, 7:10, 9:30, 10:00pm & 0:30amLizzie 4:10, 5:35, 7:00 & 11:35pmThe Convent (2D/Horror) 7;40, 8;45, 10:30pm & 0:30amUgly Dolls (2D/Adventure) 3:40, 4:40 & 6:35pm.

MALL

LANDMARK

FLIK Mirqab Mall

De De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 12:15, 3:00, 8:45 & 11:30pmMaharshi (2D/Telugu) 2:45 & 11:15pm Mr Local (2D/Tamil) 12:00noon & 8:30pmUgly Dolls (2D/Adventure) 11:15am, 3:30 & 10:00pmA Dog’s Journey (2D/Comedy) 1:15, 7:45pm & 12:00

AL KHOR

ROXY

ASIAN TOWN

Avengers: Endgame (2D/Action) 1:30, 3:00, 2:00, 7:30, 11:00 & 11:55pm; De De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 2:00, 6:30, 9:15, & 11:55pm; Maharshi (2D/Telugu) 7:00 & 10:30pm; Monster (2D/Tamil) 2:00, 7:00, 9:50pm & 0:10am Student of The Year 2 (Hindi) 2:00pm, The Convent (2D/Horror) 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 & 11:30pm Ugly Dolls (2D/Adventure) 1:30, 3:30 & 7:00pm

Ayogya (Tamil) 10:30pm; Uyare (Malayalam) 8:00pmMr Local (2D/Tamil) 7:30, 10:30 & 11:00pmMonster (2D/Tamil) 7:45pm l00 (Tamil) 11:00pmDe De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 8:00pm

De De Pyaar De (2D/Hindi) 8:30pmUyare(2D/Malayalam) 2:30pm Monster (2D/Tamil) 2:30pm Ugly Dolls (2D/Adventure) 3:00pm A Dog’s Journey (2D/Comedy) 9:00pmThe Convent (2D/Horror) 9:00pmLizzie (2D/Biography) 11:00pm Mr Local (2D/Tamil) 11:00pm Avengers: Endgame (2D/Action) 11:00pm

ROYAL PLAZA

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16 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019SPORT

Lopez to rescue as Bucks down Raptors in openerAFP LOS ANGELES

Brook Lopez scored 29 points as the Milwaukee Bucks staged a late rally to defeat the Toronto Raptors 108-100 in the opening game of their NBA Eastern Conference finals clash on Wednesday.

Lopez helped spark a run of 10 unanswered points in the final three minutes as the Bucks fought back from 100-98 down to claim a crucial victory in front of their home fans at the Fiserv Forum.

Two free throws from Kawhi Leonard had nudged Toronto into a 100-98 lead as the clock wound down on a pulsating opening instalment of the best-of-seven series.

But a Lopez dunk gave the Bucks a 101-100 lead and then a

three-pointer from the towering 31-year-old took Milwaukee four points clear.

Two free throws apiece from Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton completed the scoring as the Bucks pulled away to win.

“It was a complete team effort,” said Lopez, who finished with 11 rebounds and two assists.

“We’d been playing with good energy the whole game but shots weren’t going down for us. So we knew we just had to keep

grinding, which is what we’ve been doing all season long,” Lopez added.

“We’ve learned never to hang our heads, never give up, and we haven’t all season. They hit us, but we stuck with it and stuck together as a team.”

Lopez was backed by 24 points from Giannis Antetok-ounmpo, who also hauled down 14 rebounds with six assists.

Khris Middleton had 11 points with 11 rebounds while Malcolm Brogdon delivered a vital 15 points from the bench.

Bucks coach Mike Buden-holzer praised the overall con-tribution of the team but singled out Lopez for special praise.

“Big game from Brook on both ends of the court,” Buden-holzer said.

“In the first half we were struggling but Brook was able to

manufacture a couple of things.“And several times in the

fourth quarter he was out there making big-time plays -- blocks, rebounds, contests. Certainly in a big moment, that was a great Brook Lopez tonight.”

The Raptors meanwhile will take positives from the form of Kawhi Leonard, who once again looked poised to single-handedly drag Toronto over the line.

Leonard finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and two assists while point guard Kyle Lowry was similarly impressive with 30 points and eight rebounds.

Pascal Siakam added 15 points while Marc Gasol delivered another impressive defensive display with 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Game two in the series takes place today.

NBA Result Result of NBA Eastern

Conference finals playoff

game on Wednesday (best

of seven):

Toronto Raptors 100 Milwaukee Bucks 108 (Milwaukee lead series 1-0)

Karlsson at the double as Sharks bite Blues in NHLAP LOS ANGELES,

Erik Karlsson scored 5:23 into overtime after the officials missed a hand pass by Timo Meier, and the San Jose Sharks rallied to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference final.

Meier used his right hand to knock a loose puck toward the front of the net. Gustav Nyquist then passed it over to Karlsson, who beat Jordan Bin-nington for his second goal of the game.

Binnington and the Blues complained immediately about Meier’s pass. The officials huddled while Karlsson and the Sharks celebrated, but the play wasn’t reviewable and the goal stood.

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in St. Louis.

The Blues led 4-3 before Logan Couture tied it with 61 seconds left in regulation. Joe Thornton scored twice for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 28 saves.

David Perron had two goals for St. Louis, and Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen also scored. Colton Parayko had three assists, and Jordan Bin-nington made 27 stops.

The Blues trailed 2-0 after one and 3-1 in the second before rallying.

Tarasenko, who faced crit-icism after a lackluster per-formance in Game 1, started the comeback with his first goal in six games at 4:05 of the second. Perron tied it by beating Jones on the stick side with a wrist

shot from the left dot with 3:57 left in the period.

St. Louis went on a power play after Brent Burns took down Oskar Sundqvist late in the period. Perron scored his second goal of the series a minute later, giving the Blues the lead with their first power-play goal in 19 chances with the man advantage.

It was Perron’s first mul-tigoal playoff performance in 73 games.

After an early Blues push, the Sharks grabbed control in the first.

Blues defenseman Vince Dunn departed with 8:35 left in the first after getting hit in the face by a Brenden Dillon shot, forcing St. Louis to mix and match five defensemen.

San Jose then jumped in front when Karlsson intercepted a Joel Edmundson clearing attempt and beat Binnington with a wrist shot through traffic at 13:37.

Thornton made it 2-0 with 3:02 left in the first, scoring on a backhander after Robert Bor-tuzzo blocked a Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot.

Steen got the Blues on the board at 1:18 of the second, but Thornton answered 18 seconds later with his second goal of the game, giving him his first multigoal playoff game over 176 games in a 22-year career.

NHL ResultsResults from the NHL games

on Wednesday

San Jose 5 St. Louis 4

Canada top France at hockey worlds; Sweden rout AustriaAP SLOVAKIA

Anthony Mantha scored twice to lift Canada to a 5-2 victory over France at the hockey world championship yesterday.

Mantha opened the scoring on a 5-on-3 power play with a slap shot in the opening period and added his second for a 4-2 lead in the final frame. Mantha now has a team-high five goals and four assists from four games.

Canada moved to the second place in Group A in Kosice with nine points, three behind leading Germany and one ahead of the United States in third.

After starting with a loss to Finland, the Canadians have bounced back with three straight wins. They still have to face Germany, Denmark and the United States in their remaining preliminary-round games.

Darnell Nurse, Anthony Cirelli and Mark Stone also had a goal apiece. Damien Fleury and Anthony Rech scored for France.

In Group B, Gabriel Landeskog scored just 69 seconds into his first game at the tournament to kickstart Sweden’s 9-1 rout of Austria.

Landeskog, who also had two assists, only arrived in Bra-tislava on Thursday morning to join the two-time defending champion after his Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the NHL playoffs.

William Nylander had a goal and an assist to join Russ-sia’s Nikita Kucherov atop the scoring chart with 10 points from three goals and seven assists. With nine points from four games, the Swedes trail undefeated Russia and Swit-zerland in Group B by three points. Finland plays Denmark in Group A later Thursday while the Czech Republic faces Latvia in Group B.

Meanwhile, Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell has signed a $34.8m, six-year con-tract that will run through the 2024-25 season.

The deal with an average value of $5.8m per year was announced yesterday, a week before Lindell’s 25th birthday. The 6-foot-3 Finn was a restricted free agent.

Lindell had a plus-14 rating and a team-high 161 blocked shots during the season for the Stars, who made it to the second round of the Western Con-ference playoffs before a Game 7 loss at St. Louis.

San Jose Sharks right wing Joonas Donskoi (27) leaps as he screens St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) while defenceman Colton Parayko (55) defends during the third period in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center.

Arsenal criticises selection of Baku as Europa League hostAP LONDON

The choice of Azerbaijan capital Baku to host the Europa League final has caused “unacceptable” and “extreme” travel problems for Arsenal fans, the English club said yesterday.

Arsenal and Chelsea have been given just 6,000 tickets each by UEFA for the May 29 game, in a stadium with a capacity of 68,700.

Even those tickets may not sell out, Arsenal said, because of the difficulty of getting to Azerbaijan.

“Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are,” the club said.

“We have 45,000 season ticket holders and for so many fans to miss out due to UEFA selecting a final venue with such limited transport provision is quite simply not right.”

There are relatively few flights to Baku from Western Europe, though more are being operated for the final, and prices are far above usual levels.

“We have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their con-cerns,” Arsenal said.

“On behalf of our fans, we

would like to understand the cri-teria by which venues are selected for finals, and also how supporter requirements are taken into account as part of this. Moving forward we would urge UEFA to ensure that supporter logistics and requirements are a key part of any future decisions for final venues as what has hap-pened this season is unac-ceptable, and cannot be repeated.”

Arsenal’s then-chief exec-utive, Ivan Gazidis, was on the UEFA executive committee when Baku was chosen as Europa League host in Sep-tember 2017.

Azerbaijan Sports Minister Azad Rahimov defended Baku on Wednesday as a deserving host.

“This is Europe and any city has a chance to host such kind of an event,” he said. “That’s really good that the people can travel, to know each other better. I believe that next time when we will host such an event, never such a question will appear, because I believe that everybody getting acquainted with our beautiful city, with our hospi-tality, will be happy to be back again.”

This is Arsenal’s first European final in 13 years, and the London club seeks to win its

first continental trophy since the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup.

Baku also bid to host this season’s Champions League final, but missed out to Madrid.

Arsenal has previously raised concerns about its Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s ability to enter Azerbaijan for the game, given long-running political tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Rahimov said on Wednesday that Mkhitaryan could play in Azerbaijan.

“We at all times put the sport as something very separate from these political issues and of course the same issue is again with Mkhitaryan,” Rahimov said.

“He receives all the guar-antees from the government about the security, visa support, everything.”

Arsenal coach Unai Emery has said: “I don’t know what the problem is between the two countries but we are going to do all we can to have Mkhitaryan there. This issue is not sporting. It is not in my hands. I don’t understand what the solution is.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region of Azerbaijan which has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994.

Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi waves after receiving the Creu de Sant Jordi award from Catalan regional president Quim Torra (back left) during a ceremony at the International Convention Centre (CCIB) in Barcelona yesterday.

China to host 2023 Asian Cup after Korea withdraws bid

Messi gets Creu de Sant Jordi award

AFP SEOUL

South Korea have abandoned their bid to stage football’s Asian Cup in 2023, authorities said, leaving the sole other bidders China with a free run to become hosts.

The Korea Football Associ-ation (KFA) said in a statement it had pulled out to “strategi-cally focus” on a joint bid with North Korea to host the Women’s World Cup in the same year.

The KFA announced the joint bid in March, but diplo-matic contacts between Pyongyang and Seoul have since dwindled with North Korea-US nuclear talks deadlocked.

Seoul’s Asian Cup with-drawal means that China should on June 4 be con-firmed by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) as hosts of the nations champi-onship finals for the second time.

Brook Lopez (11) of the Milwaukee Bucks blocks a shot attempt by Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Play-offs at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Wednesday.

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Rivals wary of India’s attack: KumarREUTERS NEW DELHI

Batting has traditionally been India’s strength but their World Cup rivals will also be wary of their all-surface pace attack, swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has said.

The 29-year-old is a key member of the twice world champions’ three-pronged pace attack, which also includes Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

Kumar’s ability to move the ball offsets his lack of pace and like any other swing bowler, he is looking forward to making the most of the English conditions that encourage his craft.

“I agree that pitches in England in the last few years have been flat, but teams will be wary of India’s bowling unit since we can be potent both at the start and at the death,” he told the Times of India.

“It will all boil down to how we execute the plans on the

given day.” A fitter Shami has emerged as a strike bowler while Bumrah is currently the top ranked ODI bowler famed for his yorkers and death-overs mastery.

Pundits believe skipper Virat Kohli is blessed to have at his disposal arguably the best ever Indian pace attack but Kumar is keener to talk about their versatility.

“I don’t want to comment on whether we are the best or not because our performance in the field is what will define our attack,” said the bowler from Meerut, a north Indian town known for its sports goods industry.

“Our performances over the last few years speak for us. The Indian bowling attack has grown from strength to strength.

“Today we can say that our pace attack can make an impact on any surface.”

Kumar pointed to his own improvement as a bowler since playing his first World Cup four years ago.

“There has definitely been an improvement in my bowling in terms of pace and variations like the slower ball and knuckle-ball.

“To add to that, I have improved fitness-wise.”

The 1983 and 2011 cham-pions begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on June 5.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (left) celebrates with team-mate Suresh Raina, in this file photo.

All-rounder Imad proud of Pakistan’s performance in England ODI series AFP LONDON

All-rounder Imad Wasim (pictured) believes Pakistan have gained much from their one-day international series against World Cup hosts England despite having yet to win a match.

England head into today’s fourth ODI in Nottingham 2-0 up with two to play after a no result washout at The Oval was followed by 12-run and six-wicket wins at Southampton and Bristol respectively. Pakistan, however, have made England work hard for those wins, with all four completed innings in the series so far topping 350 runs.

“If you take some positives, we have played really well in both games,” Imad said yesterday.

“Credit to England. They have batted really well, it’s fine

margins,” added Imad, who insisted the tourists’ morale was still intact despite their recent losses.

“I think the team is con-fident. We’re going to put up a good fight again. Yes, they (England) are (tough to bowl at), that’s why they are the number one (ODI) team in the world.

“But we take pride in our bowling as well and we have some plans, hopefully we can execute them next time.”

Kyrgios disqualified after swearing and throwing chairAFP ROME

Nick Kyrgios (pictured) was disqualified from the Italian Open yesterday after throwing a chair across court in a foul-mouthed tantrum before storming off during his match against Norwegian Casper Ruud.

The 24-year-old, always not far from controversy, had made headlines earlier in the day after criticising rivals including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in an interview.

“Very eventful day to say to the least. Emotions got the better of me and I just wanted to say that the atmosphere was crazy out there today, just super unfortunate that it had to end in a default,” Kyrgios later wrote on Instagram.

“Sorry Roma, see you again, maybe.”

His astonishing outburst came in his second round tie against 76th-ranked qualifier Ruud who had won the first set 6-3.

Kyrgios won the second set 7-6 (7/5) to level, but was furious after sending a forehand wide to hand a break back to Ruud early in the third set.

The 24-year-old turned and berated the crowd for walking during the point before slamming his racquet to the floor amid a string of swear words.

Kyrgios told a spectator: “You’re not supposed to walk across the court as I’m serving, do you understand that?”

Kyrgios then received a code violation for unsports-manlike conduct and a game penalty, with the umpire calling the tournament referee courtside.

“I’m giving 100 percent. I don’t want to play when this shit is going on,” Kyrgios was heard saying.

His then kicked a water bottle, before throwing a chair across court, packing his bag, shouting.

The Australian later posted “Hahahahaha” on Twitter along with crying with laughter emojis alongside a clip of Ruud celebrating going through 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 2-1 to the third round.

Kyrgios had earlier whipped up a storm over comments made about Djokovic and Nadal in an interview with NCR Tennis Podcast.

“I just feel like he’s got a sick obsession with wanting

to be liked,” he said of world number one Djokovic.

“He just wants to be (Roger) Federer. I feel he wants to be liked so much that I just can’t stand him. This cel-ebration thing is so cringeworthy.

“He’s unbelievable, a champion of the sport, one of the greatest we will ever see. I think he will get the Grand Slam count and overtake Federer.

“No matter how many Grand Slams he wins, he will never be the greatest to me. I’ve played him twice and I’m sorry but if you cannot beat me, you cannot be the greatest of all time.

“For me, Federer will always be the greatest of all time. What Rafa has done has been pretty scary too. But Novak just riles me the wrong way. He always says what he thinks he needs to say rather than his actual opinion.”

He also said Nadal, who had lambasted the Australian as “disrespectful” after losing to him in Mexico earlier this year, was a bad loser.

“He’s just my polar opposite, like literally my polar opposite. And he’s super salty,” said Kyrgios.

“When he wins, it’s fine. He won’t say anything bad, he’ll credit the opponent - ‘he competed well today, he’s a great player,’ but then as soon as I beat him, it’s just like ‘he has no respect for me, my fans and no respect for the game’ - and I’m just like ‘what are you talking about?’”

Kyrgios has a long and chequered history when it comes to discipline.

In 2015, in one of his more notorious outbursts, he was fined for making a sexually disparaging remark in Canada about the girlfriend of three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka.

Federer fights back to reach Rome quartersAGENCIES ROME

Roger Federer successfully fled danger once more on clay yesterday, saving two match points against Borna Coric to advance 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) and reach the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

Coric had two match points at 6/4 in the tie-break, including one on his serve, but the 22-year-old Croatian dumped a forehand approach into the net on his first try, and Federer escaped the next point with a service winner. The Swiss moved on when Coric couldn’t handle a backhand volley.

“The first set was really dif-ficult, for me at least. I really struggled to see the ball. There was a lot of shade on the court… and he did well, he’s a very steady player. I couldn’t chase the lines very well so I couldn’t hit any winners, but I really tried to play in a way where I was not going to just lose it. I gave him a chance to win, and he didn’t so I took it at the end,” Federer said.

Federer also saved two match points last week against Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals. Federer, however, then

lost two match points against Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals.

“It was very tight. I got very lucky again today already like in Madrid. It’s nice to get lucky I guess sometimes. I’ve lost a lot of heartbreakers throughout the years so it’s nice to win these and

the atmosphere was fantastic. People were going crazy. It’s exactly how you want the atmos-phere to be,” Federer said.

Coric had won two of their past three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and the Rolex Shanghai Masters. But Federer gained a 3-2 advantage in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series in February by winning their Dubai semi-final in straight sets. Their third-round matchup yesterday, Federer’s second match of the day, was their first meeting on clay.

The Croatian played aggres-sively against the 28-time Masters 1000 champion, employing the same game plan that led to success against Federer last year. But the Swiss found his way into the match, breaking Coric in the 10th game to take the second set and squeaking by in the tie-break as the home fans celebrated the match – and another chance to see Federer in Rome.

The 37-year-old made his first appearance in the Eternal City since 12 May 2016 earlier yesterday when he beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round. Rain washed out all play that was scheduled for Wednesday, and Federer, along with others, had to win two matches in one day to make the quarter-finals.

Coric, however, was one of four players who reached the third round before the deluge. He beat Brit Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Tuesday evening.

But Federer had recent expe-rience in double duty, having

won two matches in one day last August at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, and he did it again in Rome.

The Swiss will next face #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas or Italian Fabio Fognini.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Naomi Osaka won twice yesterday to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals, retaining the world number one ranking ahead of the start of the French Open next week.

She eased into the last eight in Rome with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Mihaela Buzarnescu.

Osaka beat the 29th-ranked Romanian in 78 minutes after earlier beating Slovak Dominika Cibulkova by the same scoreline in one hour and 42 minutes in the second round, as players doubled up after the previous day was washed out.

At the start of the day, the 21-year-old had needed to make the quarter-finals to ensure Romanian Simona Halep could not swipe the number one ranking and with it top seeding in the French Open.

But Osaka’s top spot was guaranteed when reigning Roland Garros champion Halep fell to Czech Marketa Von-drousova 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round.

Osaka next meets Madrid champion and sixth seed Kiki Bertens for a place in the final four.

Osaka, who broke through by winning the US Open last year and Australian Open this year, did not survive the second round in her two previous appearances in Rome.

Men’s Second RoundNovak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 6-1, 6-3

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA x16) 6-3, 6-3

Casper Ruud (NOR) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 2-1 -- defaulted

Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG x7) bt David Goffin (BEL) 6-4, 6-2

Diego Schwartzman (ARG) bt Albert Ramos Vinolas (ESP) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1

Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Marin Cilic (CRO x9) 6-2, 6-3

Kei Nishikori (JPN x6) bt Taylor Fritz (USA) 6-2, 6-4

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x8) bt Jannik Sinner (ITA) 6-3, 6-2

Fabio Fognini (ITA x10) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3

Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt João Sousa (POR) 6-4, 6-3

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x5) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Jérémy Chardy (FRA) 6-0, 6-1

Third RoundJuan Martín Del Potro (ARG x7) bt Casper Ruud (NOR) 6-4, 6-4

Diego Schwartzman (ARG) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-3, 6-4

Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt Borna Coric (CRO x13) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x11) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x14) 6-1, 6-0

Women’s Second RoundNaomi Osaka (JPN x1) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 6-3, 6-3

Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROM) bt Julia Goerges (GER x16) 6-4, 3-6, 4-4 -- retired

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 6-3, 3-0 -- retired

Kiki Bertens (NED x6) bt Amanda Anisimova (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Simona Halep (ROM x3) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3

Daria Kasatkina (RUS) bt Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x7) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-1

Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Danielle Collins (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Madison Keys (USA x13) 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1

Maria Sakkari (GRE) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST x14) 6-3, 6-2

Petra Kvitova (CZE x2) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-0, 6-1

ITALIAN OPEN RESULTS

Switzerland’s Roger Federer in action during his third round match against Croatia’s Borna Coric, yesterday.

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18 FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019SPORT

FIFA President Gianni Infantino attending the Amir Cup final match.Former Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit (centre), Qatar’s World Champion in High Jump Mutaz Barshim and Cameroonian

footballer Samuel Eto’o (right) during the Amir Cup final.

Former Brazilian footballer Roberto Carlos (left) and Argentine footballer Pablo Zabaleta (centre) attend the Amir Cup final.

Al Duhail’s Yousef Alarabi scores a goal during the Amir Cup final against Al Sadd at the Al Janoub Stadium, yesterday.

Al Duhail’s Ali Afif celebrates their first goal with team-mates during the Amir Cup final against Al Sadd at the Al Janoub Stadium, yesterday.

Al Duhail’s Edmilson Junior celebrates scoring their second goal during the Amir Cup final against Al Sadd at the Al Janoub Stadium, yesterday.

Former Spain footballer Fernando Hierro attends the Amir Cup final match.

Former Brazilian footballer Cafu carries a kid during the Generation Amazing initiative on the sidelines of the Amir Cup final.

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19FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019 SPORT

Spectacular inauguration of new Al Janoub Stadium The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani inaugurated Qatar’s latest 2022 FIFA World Cup venue - Al Janoub Stadium - formerly known as Al Wakrah Stadium as fans relished the historic day at the 40,000-capacity venue, which hosted the Amir Cup final last night.Al Duhail won the final 4-1, beating arch-rivals Al Sadd to retain the prestigious trophy at the venue designed by late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. The $575m venue plunged into darkness for the pre-match show and performers assembled around a giant illuminated inflatable pearl on the centre of the manicured pitch.A video describing the Gulf nation’s history as a pearling station played on the ground’s two big screens.The pearl then slowly transformed into a representation of the Amir Cup trophy before a 150-strong marching band serenaded the stadium. Former Dutch international Ruud Gullit, who attended the ground’s maiden game, called it “a beautiful stadium”.“You go on the pitch and you want to play,” said the former captain of the Netherlands side that won the European Championship in 1988. “The design is fantastic, and of course there’s the air conditioning.”

LEFT: The Amir Cup trophy on display ahead of the final yesterday. TOP: A band performs during the inauguration ceremony of Al Janoub Stadium. BOTTOM RIGHT: A portrait of Zaha Hadid, the stadium designer, is seen. BOTTOM: Children perform during the ceremony.

A general view of the Al Janoub Stadium during the opening ceremony, yesterday. BELOW: Fans before the final.PICTURES: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

A glimpse of yesterday’s opening ceremony.

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SPORTFriday 17 May 2019

PAGE | 16 PAGE | 17Messi receives

the Creu de Sant Jordi

award

Federer fights back to reach Rome quarter-finals

Al Duhail retain Amir Cup titleRIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Football giants Al Duhail rallied from a goal down to stun former champions Al Sadd to retain the Amir Cup title with an impressive 4-1 victory at Al Janoub Stadium, last night.

After conceding a goal to Al Sadd in just the seventh minute, Al Duhail fired four goals to com-plete a resounding win in the presence of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Belgian-Brazilian winger Edmilson Jr emerged as Al Duhail hero with twin strikes (58 and 81) to supplement goals by team-mates Ali Hassan Yahya (16) and substitute Youseff El Arabi (62).

The only goal for Al Sadd was scored in the 7th minute by rising star Akram Afif, brother of Al Duhail’s Yahya.

It was Al Duhail’s second suc-cessive Amir Cup title win, denying Al Sadd their 17th trophy overall.

A powerful performance by Al Duhail also denied Barcelona legend Xavi a winning farewell from professional football.

In just the third minute, Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah hoodwinked a couple of defenders - following a cross from Xavi - but his shot from inside the box slipped past the far post. Hassan Al Haydos, stationed close to the far post, hesitated for a second and the ball flew past his stretched right leg.

In the 7th minute of what was the final game of the season, Al Sadd opened the scoring with a field goal that left Al Duhail fans stunned.

Playing the final match of his illustrious career, Xavi found Al Haydos on the right flank with a short cross. Al Haydos powered a shot towards Gabi in the box and the Atletico Madrid star

backheeled the ball towards Afif, the QFA Player of the Year. Afif without wasting any time aimed for the top of the net. The ball zipped past the outstretched hand of Al Duhail goalkeeper Lecoumet Amin.

It was Afif’s 28th goal of the season and the young Qatari cel-ebrated in trademark style much to the delight of thousands of Al Sadd fans.

Four minutes later, Baghdad curled in a powerful shot from the edge of the box but keeper Amin blocked the move by punching the ball away.

Two minutes later, Yahya curled in a superbly taken free-kick but Al Sadd ‘keeper Saad Al Sheeb picked the flight of the ball

early to kill the move. Seconds later, Yahya fired a shot from an acute angle but the ball was pushed for a corner.

In the 16th minute, Yahya pro-duced the Al Duhail equaliser with a bit of fortunate deflection. Yahya charged into the Al Sadd box but fumbled with the ball that ended up landing at the feet of Almoez Ali stationed nearby.

Ali returned the ball to Yahya who drilled a shot towards the goal with his left foot. The ball deflected off the chest of 2018 Asian Player of the Year Abdulkarim Hassan and crashed into the Al Sadd net.

Two minutes later, Edmilson Jr almost scored for Al Duhail but his shot was was parried away by

‘keeper Al Sheeb. Seconds later, Al Sadd defender Pedro Miguel fired a swinging shot that nar-rowly missed the crossbar with Al Duhail ‘keeper Amin beaten by the flight of the ball.

In the 24th minute, Al Sadd’s Korean import Wooyoung Jung fired a long-range bullet that was punched away by Al Duhail keeper.

Seconds later Al Duhail star Ali was shown the red card for his second yellow of the match. Ali produced a reckless tackle on Bounedjah who fell to the ground writhing in pain in the 25th minute.

Ali, Qatar team’s Asian Cup hero, walked off dejected as Al Duhail players continued to

question the call of referee Abdul-rahman Ibrahim Al Jassim.

In the 35th minute, Al Sadd star Afif was shown the yellow card for ignoring a linesman call. Referee Al Jassim, despite pleas from Afif, showed the young striker the yellow card.

Just before the start of the second half, Al Duhail called in ace striker El Arabi in place out-of-form Assim Madibo.

In the 50th minute, Al Sadd’s pocket dynamo Afif weaved his way through to the Al Duhail box and then found unmarked Al Haydos close to the goal. Al Haydos produced a deflection with a header but with little pace though he had an easy target to net the goal.

In the 55th minute, referee Al Jassim showed a red card to Tarik Salman of Al Sadd for bringing down Edmilson Jr just a outside the box. Edmilson misfired with his direct freekick as Al Sadd breathed a sigh of relief. Seconds later Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Fer-reira benched Al Haydos and brought in Hamed Ismail.

A minute before the one-hour mark, El Arabi found Edmilson with a neat cross right in the middle the Al Sadd box. Despite being shadowed by Hassan, Edmilson drilled a shot into the net with a left-footed drive. It was the seventh goal for the Brazilian in the season.

Three minutes later, the Edmildon-El Arabi duo powered Al Duhail to a 3-1 lead. Edmilson found French-born El Arabi with a deflected cross and the Moroccan star used his chest to deflect the ball into the net from close range. It was the half-fit striker’s 28th goal of the season.

In the 81st minute, Edmilson drilled a long-range shot from just outside the Al Sadd box sending the ball into the net for his side’s fourth goal of the night.

We have won this amazing game of football. I give credit to each and every player and coaching staff for this victory. We created opportunities to score and we did it in style. We played positive football. It was a team effort: Al Duhail captain Mohamed Moosa

We gave our best performance of the tournament in the final. The match was great. They also played well but we stuck to our guns and dominated the match. We were united on the pitch. We hope we can play even better when the next season starts: Al Duhail’s Ali Afif

Al Duhail's players celebrate with the Amir Cup after defeating Al Sadd in the final. PICTURES: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

Al Duhail’s Edmilson Jr (left) in action against Al Sadd’s Abdulkarim Hassan during Amir Cup final, last night. RIGHT: Al Duhail captain Mohamed Moosa kisses the Amir Cup trophy.