Volume 23 | Number 7813 | 2 RiyalsMonday 25 February 2019 | 20 Jumada II 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 07

Rins sets pace on second day of Qatar Test

Qatar needs to get ready for

wave of digital disruption

B

Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project launched

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Upon the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the name of the Amir of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, was given to a corridor road project launched yesterday.

Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project was launched by Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, in the presence of H H Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah,

Representative of H H the Amir of Kuwait, in a grand ceremony at the Sheraton Hotel.

A number of Their Excel-lencies ministers, members of the Kuwaiti delegation, diplo-matic representatives, senior officials as well as representa-tives from the project contractors were also present at the ceremony.

The launching of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor coincides with the celebrations of Kuwait’s National Day and also meant to recognise Kuwait’s support and strong bonds of solidarity and brotherhood between Qatar and Kuwait.

The diplomatic relationship between the two countries is growing stronger under the guidance of the countries’ two leaders Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

In the ceremony, children wearing dresses having repre-sentation of both Qatari and Kuwaiti flags presented col-ourful stage performance to express Qatar’s love with Kuwait.

Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor is

the first in Qatar to be called the ‘Corridor’ instead of a road due to its great importance and

specifications of its unique con-struction. The Corridor will be completed in 2021 and will have

a length of 25km and a total works of 37km.

The road will have the first Cable-Stayed Bridge in Qatar as well as the largest intersection, longest bridge, deepest and longest bi-directional tunnel.

On this occasion, Minister of Municipality and Environment,

H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie expressed his happiness at the launch of ‘Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor’ project in Qatar, which he said, “expresses our gratitude to the State of Kuwait for its unwavering brotherly stand with the people of Qatar.” �P2, 3

Under the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, launching the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project in the presence of H H Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the Representative of H H the Amir of Kuwait, at Sheraton Hotel yesterday.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Personal Representative of H H the Amir, with H H Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Representative of the Amir of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who was in Doha to attend the launch ceremony of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor, and the accompanying delegation. H H Sheikh Nasser conveyed the greetings of H H the Amir of Kuwait to H H the Amir, expressing thanks for naming the Corridor road project after His Highness.

Project to produce 200 tonnes of organic compost to start soonMOHAMMAD SHOEB THE PENINSULA

A project with an installed capacity to produce of over 200 tonnes of organic compost monthly from organic wastes is set to begin operations within the second quarter (Q2) of this year, said a top official of the project, which is the first-of-its-kind in Qatar.

Using the innovative Aus-tralian technology, the company, Agrico, will convert organic waste from commercial estab-lishments such as hypermarkets, hotels, restaurants and others.

“The compost will be used in agriculture as soil conditioner which will reduce water con-sumption between 60 and 65 percent. It will also reduce the use of chemical fertilizer by about 70 percent,” the Chairman of Agrico, Nasser Ahmed Al Khalaf told The Peninsula.

Khalaf added: “The organic

compost will also help reduce the cost of production and making the Qatari agriculture produce more competitive and better in quality.”

A formal memorandum of understanding (MoU), aiming to enhance cooperation, was signed yesterday by Al Khalaf, and Daniel Mitroussidis, Man-aging Partner of ITSA, an Aus-tralian firm providing innovative solutions. Mitroussidis signed the MoU on behalf of Peter Wadewitz, Managing Director of BiobiN Technologies, which is an affiliate of Peats Soil and Garden Supplies.

The ceremony, held on the sidelines of a meeting with the vis-iting members of the Australian trade delegation, was witnessed by Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari, First Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of QC and Australian Ambassador to Qatar Axel Wabenhorst.

The first phase of Agrico’s project, with an initial investment of about QR20m, will be located in Al Khor city, but expected to be expanded eventually depending on the availability of raw material and market demand.

“We are looking forward to meet the domestic demand as well as export the surplus output to some neighbouring countries such as Oman, Kuwait, Iran and others,” said Al Khalaf adding that the company is already negotiating with the stakeholder such as hypermarkets, catering companies, malls and other entities dealing with food and vegetables and other organic materials.

“Disposing waste costs money, but we will be collecting free of charge. This is a very new system to convert organic waste into compost. Not many coun-tries in the world have this tech-nology. It is going to be the first in Qatar,” said Al Khalaf. �P4

New authority formed to speed up court rulingsQNA DOHA

The Supreme Judicial Council updated their procedures for speeding up rulings and to limit red tape in court. The Council established a new authority in the framework of Law No. 3 of 2019.

The new authority will be chaired by one of the judges of the court of appeals, aided by a number of judges. It will also have a suitable number of police officers and per-sonnel. Only the judge has the authority to settle any disputes.

The law states that gov-ernment entities must present the documents required by the judge within a week, and that a certain case cannot be adjourned more than once for the same reason, with no adjournment lasting more than two weeks. The council also updated a new mechanism on experts related to technology.

The quorum for magistrate courts of first instances increased

to not more that QR500,000, compared to QR30,000 in the previous version of the law. As for courts of first instance with a full bench, the quorum was lifted also to QR500,000 compared to QR100,000 in the previous version of the law.

The Supreme Judicial Council is currently working on the adoption of an electronic link for the implementation of sentences, by linking the new department with the concerned government bodies to implement the civil judgments.

The link is expected to be established with the Department of Real Estate Registration will be associated with the Ministry of Justice to implement the verdicts regarding real estate, Qatar Central Bank to implement verdicts related to sums deposited in banks, in addition to ministries such as the Ministry of Finance and the Min-istry of Municipality and Envi-ronment as well as others.

Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor is the first in Qatar to be called the ‘Corridor’ instead of a road due to its great importance and specifications of its unique construction. The Corridor will be completed in 2021 and will have a length of 25km and a total works of 37km.

Amir and Representative of Kuwait Amir hold talks

Joint Peninsula Shield drills beginwith Qatari participationQNA DAMMAM

The joint Dir Al Jazeera (Peninsula Shield) exercise (10) kicked off here, with the partic-ipation of Qatari forces along with GCC countries forces represented by land, sea and air forces.

The two-weeks exercise aims to enhance joint cooper-ation and exchange of expertise among the GCC forces to raise the level of training for all the joint armed forces.

It is also a great advanced exercise because of its great role in benefiting from the con-tinuous accumulation of expertise and enhancing mil-itary and security readiness in different circumstances, in order to maintain security and stability in the Gulf region and the world. �P4

We congratulate the Government and the people of Kuwait on the occasion of Kuwait National Day. And due to special place of Amir of Kuwait in Qatar, His Highness the Amir issued directive to name Corridor Road Project after Amir of Kuwait (Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor), which will be one of the main roads in Qatar.

Best congratulations to the State of Kuwait leadership and people on the occasion of Kuwait's 58th National Day. May this occasion keep coming with security and prosperity.

02 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019HOME

Ministers hail naming of Corridor project after Kuwait Amir

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani with H H Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Representative of Amir of the State of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah at the launch ceremony of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor.

Amir meets Representative of Kuwait Amir QNA DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met yesterday at the Amiri Diwan with H H Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Representative of Amir of the State of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al

Jaber Al Sabah at the launch ceremony of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor and the accompanying delegation.

At the outset to the meeting, Sheikh Nasser conveyed the greetings of the Amir of Kuwait to H H the Amir, expressing thanks for naming the corridor road project after the Amir of

Kuwait. Sheikh Nasser also con-veyed the wishes of the Amir of Kuwait of good health and hap-piness to H H the Amir and for continued progress and pros-perity for the Qatari people.

H H the Amir conveyed his greetings of the Amir of the State of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah to

Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, wishing him good health and further progress and prosperity to the Kuwaiti people. The meeting reviewed bilateral relations.

Afterwards, H H the Amir held a luncheon banquet in honour of the Representative of the Amir of the State of Kuwait

and the accompanying delegation.

The meeting and the banquet was attended by H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Personal Representative of H H the Amir, and Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

On the occasion of the launch of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor road project yesterday, Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie naming ‘Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor’ after the Amir of Kuwait is a token of appreci-ation for Kuwait’s consistent support of Qatar both politically and economically.

The Minister expressed his happiness at the launch of ‘Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor’ project in

Qatar, which he said: “Expresses our gratitude to Kuwait for its unwavering brotherly stand with the people of Qatar.”

The Minister further said that this was the least that Qatar could do to honour this bond. Regarding road’s significance, the Minister highlighted that the Corridor was a vital artery of Qatar’s road network enhancing north-south connectivity and providing access to more than 25 residential areas.

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti said that the launch of the Corridor was a gesture to

celebrate Kuwait’s 58th National Day and 28th liberation anni-versary on February 25th and ‘share the festivities with our brothers in Kuwait’.

“Like every year we celebrate with our bothers in Kuwait these two great occasions, hoping to intensify affection and broth-erhood between the two sisterly countries,” the Minister added.

The Minister said that the new Corridor included several multi-level interchanges, which would significantly relieve traffic on Doha Expressway, provide smooth traffic flow between

south and north of Doha as well as reduce the travel time by up to 70 percent. “It will also provide a direct connection to Hamad International Airport as well as a link to approximately 15 major expressways and ring roads to serve many economic, com-mercial, health and education facilities across Doha,” the Min-ister added.

President of The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’, Dr Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, also expressed his pride of the launch of the new Corridor project as a consolidation of the

brotherly relations between the people of Qatar and Kuwait and the loyalty to the people and the Amir of the State of Kuwait.

He explained that Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor was the first road in the country called the corridor because of its strategic impor-tance and specifications of its unique construction on pointing out that the road would serve as a “Doha traffic relief” where it would reduce traffic congestion on 22 February Street through finding a parallel alternative road, with a vehicle capacity of nearly the double.

The President of the Public Works Authority explained that the Corridor project was launched in 2018, included four contracts, which would upgrade E-Ring Road, F-Ring Road, Mesaimeer Road, Al Bustan Street South and Al Bustan Street North and is expected to be complete by 2021.

He added that Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor would facilitate access to five of the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums namely Ras Bu Abboud, Al Thumama, Al Wakrah, Khalifa International and Qatar Foundation Stadiums.

Greetings were conveyed to H H the Amir from the Amir of Kuwait, expressing thanks for naming the Corridor road project after the Amir of Kuwait.

03MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 HOME

Rwanda President meets

Attorney-General

KIGALI: The President of Rwanda,

Paul Kagame, met yesterday with

H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, Attor-

ney-General and the United Nations

Advocate for the Prevention of Cor-

ruption, who is currently visiting

Rwanda. They discussed a number

of joint anti-corruption cooperation

projects to strengthen the interna-

tional effort to consolidate the rule

of law in the African continent. Also,

the A-G met with Rwandan Foreign

Minister, Richard Sezibera, where

they discussed the prospects for

joint action in the fight against cor-

ruption and the rule of law. QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

Qatar and Sudan

hold military talks

KHARTOUM: Qatar and Sudan

held military talks session yester-

day dealt with the aspects of joint

cooperation between the two

countries in the defense and mil-

itary fields. Holding a number of

training courses and joint military

exercises in both countries were

also discussed during the talks ses-

sion. During the session of talks,

the Qatari side was led by Chair-

man of the Colleges and Institutes

Authority Major General Hamad bin

Ahmed Al Nuaimi. QNA

DOHA: Minister of State for For-

eign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al

Muraikhi received yesterday copies

of the credentials of non-resident

Ambassador of the Slovak Republic

to the State of Qatar, Igor Hajdusek.

The Minister of State for Foreign

Affairs wished the Ambassador suc-

cess in his mission, assuring him

of all support to promote bilateral

relations between the two friendly

countries to closer cooperation in all

fields. The presentation of the cop-

ies of credentials was attended by a

number of officials at the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs. QNA

Copy of credentials of

Slovak envoy received

Corridor project to facilitate access to most stadiumsIRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor will facilitate access to most of the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums including Ras Bu Abboud, Al Thumama, Al Wakra, Khalifa International and Qatar Foun-dation Stadiums.

Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor which was launched by Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, in the presence of H H Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Representative of the Amir of the State of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, yesterday includes the first Cable-Stayed Bridge in Qatar with a length of 1,200 metres.

The Corridor will also be the home to the longest flyover in the country, which spans 2.6 km extending from Al Bustan Street to Bu Erayyen Street and crossing over Al Waab Street and Rasheeda Street.

Sixty-five kilometre of pedestrian and cycle paths along with 1.5 million square metre of landscaping will also be delivered as part of the

project’s scope of works, these details were shared by Ashghal yesterday. The project will be completed in 2021.

The Sabah Al Ahmad Cor-ridor will also include the largest Interchange in Qatar. The impressively complex Umm Lekhba (Landmark) Inter-change has nine bridges pro-viding a free traffic flow in all directions highlighting its sig-nificance as a key access point on Doha Expressway for local residential areas and malls.

The project consists of the recently-opened Al Rayyan Road, which is the longest and deepest bi-directional tunnel in Qatar. It sits 25 metres below ground level and extends for 2.1km connecting Bu Erayyen Street and Lebday Street.

The newly-launched Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor will extend for approximately 25km from Hamad International Airport to Umm Lekhba Interchange (known as Landmark Inter-change) on Doha Expressway.

Its scope includes the upgrade of seven main roads namely, E Ring, F Ring, Mesaimeer, Al Bustan, Bu

Erayyen, Lebday and sections of Al Markhiya Street.

In addition, Ashghal will enhance 12km of local and peripheral roads intersecting with the Corridor. The total road works of the project is approx-imately 37km.

Once completed in 2021, the Corridor will significantly con-tribute to the relief of traffic congestion on Doha Expressway in particular, 22 February Street.

Commuters travelling from Hamad International Airport will be able to reach Umm Lekhba Intersection in approx-imately 18 minutes compared to the current 50 minutes via Doha Expressway and 22 Feb-ruary Street reducing traffic time by 70 percent.

The new Corridor will also form a vital link between the north and the south of Doha through Al Watiyyat Inter-change, at F Ring Road, which will constitute a key point to accommodate traffic to both Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor and Doha Expressway.

The current road layout holds up to three lanes in each direction, which will be upgraded to between four and five lanes in each direction. This expansion will accom-modate approximately 20,000 vehicles per hour in both direc-tions on the Corridor while Doha Expressway currently accommodates 12,000 vehicles per hour, which will signifi-cantly improve traffic move-ments in the surrounding areas.

The project will convert all roundabouts to more efficient and safer signalised junctions as well as build and upgrade 17 interchanges.

These interchanges will deliver 32 bridges and 12 vehicular underpasses to enhance connectivity and provide smooth traffic move-ments in addition to 12 pedes-trian bridges.

The Corridor also provides easy access to some of Doha Metro stations such as the Eco-nomic Zone, Al Waab and Old Rayyan.

The Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor includes the first Cable-Stayed Bridge in Qatar with a length of 1,200 metres and the longest flyover in the country, which spans 2.6km extending from Al Bustan Street to Bu Erayyen Street and crossing over Al Waab Street and Rasheeda Street.

Once completed in 2021, the Corridor will significantly contribute to the relief of traffic congestion on Doha Expressway in particular, 22 February Street.

Qatar and Somalia review bilateral relations

Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, H E Yousef bin Mohammed Al Othman Fakhro, met yesterday with Minister of Women and Human Rights Development in the Federal Republic of Somalia, Deqa Yasin Hagi, and the accompanying delegation currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the two sides and means of supporting and developing them.

04 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019HOME

Ooredoo displays Aerial Taxi at MWC19THE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo, one of the world’s leading ICT providers, is demon-strating how 5G can revolutionise transport, with the world’s first 5G-enabled Self-Driving 5G connected Aerial Taxi landing at its booth at Mobile World Congress 2019 (MWC19).

MWC19 is beginning in Bar-celona from today under the theme of “Intelligent Connectivity” and is expected to attract some 107,000 professionals from over 200 countries and territories.

The aerial taxi, which is on display at Ooredoo’s booth – com-plete with a Virtual Reality expe-rience that simulates flying over Qatar’s capital Doha – is just one example of how 5G is poised to help bring about a complete trans-formation of society.

The self-driving 5G connected Aerial Taxi is not the only futur-istic service on show that will lev-erage the superior speed and low latency of 5G. Ooredoo is also offering live demonstrations of how the technology can enable innovative services including child location monitoring, stadium security using drones, and intel-ligent connected apps to assist vis-itors at mega events such as the upcoming football tournament in Qatar in 2022.

Over the past year, Ooredoo launched the world’s first com-mercial 5G network in Qatar, and trialled the first international 5G call in the Arab World. Now, Ooredoo has more than 100 live 5G sites in Qatar, has done 5G tests and trials in Indonesia, Kuwait and Maldives, and has set up a 5G Technology Centre Myanmar.

Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo, said: “We took an early global lead in 5G tech-nology when we were the world’s first communications company to launch commercially-ready 5G in 2018. In this year’s Mobile World Congress, we’re anticipating great interest in our 5G demos,

particularly the self-driving 5G connected Aerial Taxi at our pavilion, where users can sit inside the taxi and experience the thrill of flying over Doha in Virtual Reality. We’re proud to showcase Qatar’s leadership in 5G and Smart City applications, and show a world of future-oriented services, which fits perfectly with MWC19’s theme of ‘Intell igent Connectivity’.”

Ooredoo is preparing 1,200 network stations to be 5G-ready, spreading the benefits of the tech-nology nationwide in Qatar.

Visit the Ooredoo pavilion in Hall 2H60 at MWC19 at Fira Gran Via, Fira Montjuïc and La Farga L’Hospitalet, Barcelona.

The Aerial Taxi at Ooredoo pavilion.

Qatar begins survey for 2019 World Competitiveness RankingQNA DOHA

The Planning and Statistics Authority has begun a survey on competitiveness in cooperation with International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland, which will run during February and March this year.

The survey will assess the views of corporate executives and executives on the various systems and aspects of the business envi-ronment that affect Qatar’s ranking and global competi-tiveness, which will be reflected

in the 2019 World Competi-tiveness Ranking, due for release in June. The rankings measure the strengths and weaknesses of the Qatari economy according to eco-nomic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure. The results are then compared to the other countries found in the rankings.

Chairman of the Planning and Statistics Authority Dr Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabet said the World Competitiveness Ranking supports decision makers in iden-tifying areas for business improvement and thus Qatar’s competitiveness, as well as

providing important information to potential investors and those interested from the public.

Qatar had ranked 14th out of 63 countries in the 2018 World Competitiveness Rankings com-pared to 17 in the previous year (2017), which indicates the strength of the Qatari economy and the feasibility of the ongoing reforms in this area. IMD prepares these rankings annually, evaluates and analyzes how the countries participating in the report manage their overall economic efficiency and gives an indication of macr-oeconomic competitiveness or sub-sectors in each country.

Sidra Medicine to host Qatar’s first Perinatal Mental Health symposiumTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Sidra Medicine is hosting Qatar’s first Perinatal Mental Health symposium on March 2, 2019.

The symposium is a joint col-laboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH); Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Primary Healthcare Corpo-ration (PHCC). It will serve as a platform to contribute to the development of a perinatal model of care sensitive to the social, cultural and geographical needs of Qatar.

Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) refers to the emotional and psychological wellbeing of parents during the period of con-ception to 12 months after a baby is born.

The conference is being hosted in line with Qatar’s Mental Health Strategy 2018-2022, and Mental Health and Wellbeing 5 year Action Plan, which have rec-ognized Perinatal Mental Health as a key work stream.

Participants and attendees will have an opportunity to learn from international and local speakers. The symposium will also provide a forum for com-munity input regarding the development of perinatal mental health services in Qatar.

Dr Felice Watt (pictured), Division Chief of Perinatal Mental Health at Sidra Medicine and Conference Chair said:

“Approximately one in ten women experience significant depression and/ or anxiety during pregnancy and/or in the first year of their baby’s life. Good perinatal mental health enables and empowers parents to observe and respond to their babies needs so that they can form secure emotional bonds, develop cog-nitively, and to learn to regulate and soothe emotions. We are pleased to bring this important topic to the fore – for discussion and engagement with our partners and the community.”

The symposium is open to health care providers interested in the mental health and well-being of pregnant and post-partum women, their infants and families, and to community members who may have expe-rienced, or supported those experiencing challenges to their emotional wellbeing during this period.

Dr Felice Watt

Registration for militaryofficers opens todayQNA DOHA

The Unified Standing Committee for the Selection of Candidates for Military Officers (USCSCMO) yesterday announced the opening of registration for high school graduates from today. The regis-tration will be open for one month, to give enough time for completing paperwork and other prerequisites for applying to the

preferred college and selecting the future career and education path.

This came during an intro-ductory workshop held by the committee today with the aca-demic advisors in the public and private secondary schools.

The workshop aims at intro-ducing the mechanisms and con-ditions of registration, for high school graduates of the current and past school years, on the committee’s website.

Qatar attends Arab-European Summit

QNA SHARM EL SHEIKH

The State of Qatar participated in the first Arab-European summit held yesterday in Sharm El Sheikh with a dele-gation chaired by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the Arab League Ambassador Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al Sahlawi.

Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari, First Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Chamber; and Dr Axel Wabenhorst, Australian Ambassador to Qatar; witnessing the MoU singing ceremony between Nasser Ahmed Al Khalaf, Chairman of Agrico, and Daniel Metroseides, on behalf of Peter Wadewitz, Managing Director of BiobiN Technologies, in Doha, yesterday.

Agrico and BiobiN Technologies sign agreement

Students and teachers showcase creative work at ‘Haweyati’ expoQNA DOHA

Students and teachers presented today their work in a visual arts exhibition organised by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education entitled “Haweyati” (my identity).

Assistant Undersecretary for education affairs at the Ministry Fawziya Al Khater stressed on the importance of the picture, and the impact it has in shaping the minds of young people. She praised the works presented in today’s exhi-bition, and added that organising such events reflects the ministry’s interest in teaching the visual arts subject.

Responding to a question by Qatar News Agency (QNA) on cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and Qatar Museums, Al Khater said that the two sides have been working together for a long time. Their cooperation included hosting workshops based on the ministry’s curric-ulums, as well as many other extracurricular activities.

She then noted that students in grades 12 and 13 will have elective subjects that will include a variety of arts subjects that they can delve into.

FROM PAGE 1

The exercise includes the training of command centers, where commanders are trained to manage military operations and use / simulators to deal with the virtual reality of military operations and field training with live ammunition.

Joint Peninsula Shield drills begin with Qatari participation

05MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 HOME

06 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019HOME

Over 70 firms, 700

doctors to take part

in three-day QMEDSIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

Qatar International Medical Devices & Healthcare Exhibition and Conference ‘QMED’ will be launched from March 25-27, 2019 at Qatar National and Convention Center (QNCC).

The three-day event, which is the premium medical and healthcare exhibition in Qatar, will host more than 70 local and international companies, and over 700 doctors, healthcare professionals and medical experts.

The event will provide a spe-cialised and integrated platform to boost the communication among the local, regional and international players and high-light the latest trends and newest developments in and for the Qatari healthcare sector.

It will take place on a total area of 5,000 square meters, and is planned to organise three con-ferences and workshops, where more than 700 doctors are expected to attend these confer-ences and workshops, and also

to be part of the latest innova-tions, technologies, services and solutions.

“QMED attracts a number of VIP’s and leading names in the Qatari healthcare sector which emphasizes on its foremost role as an ideal communicative platform to enhance the com-munication among those con-cerned with healthcare in

Qatar,” said Khalifa Al Mohannadi, Manager of Sogha Exhibitions & Conferences while addressing a press conference yesterday.

He also said” “The event is also widely welcomed by experts, suppliers and those spe-cialized in health sector worldwide who are attending to discuss the latest developments, visions and trends prevailing in healthcare market as well as highlighting the latest technical innovations and best practices which aim at developing the level of healthcare services.”

He stated that the second edition of ‘QMED’ has been able to attract a distinctive number of participants worldwide such as the United States, United Kingdom, China, Turkey and Poland. Omar Hussain Alfardan, President & CEO of Alfardan Group, said: “This is Alfardan Medical with Northwestern Medicine’s (AMNM) first partic-ipation as a strategic partner in QMed, alongside PHCC and HMC. Our presence as AMNM at the exhibition is highly crucial as we discuss our medical services for the first time with

the public.” “Our main ambition today is

to enhance Qatar’s medical system and reach global standards in healthcare. We look forward to deliver the most advanced healthcare by lever-aging our strengths in this venture, Northwestern Medicine, and their expertise in medical services, combined with the Alfardan Group’s renowned capacity for service excellence”, Omar Hussain Alfardan added.

QMED is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Public Health and supported by

the Qatar Tourism Authority, Qatar Diabetes Association, and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce.

The major sponsors of the Exhibition are Alfardan Medical with Northwestern Medicine’s (AMNM) and Ooredoo, who are the Main Strategic Sponsors, Nufar Hos-pital and Sharq Medical Supply as a Diamond Sponsors, and Qatar Free Zone Authority, Qatara Red Crescent as Silver Sponsors, along with Boom Waste Treatment as Bronze Sponsor.

QIB participates in 13th Qatar University Career FairTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), partic-ipated at the 13th edition of Qatar University (QU) Career Fair, which was held last week at QU.

The annual career fair is organized by QU Career Center as part of the University’s efforts to enrich and diversify the experience of its students and graduates and connect them with the world of business.

QIB’s participation in the

annual QU career fair reflects its strategy of cooperation with the educational institutions in the country and attracting local talents to work in the Bank.

The career fair provides an opportunity for the Bank’s Human Capital team to meet with students and alumni for four days and introduce them to Islamic banking activities and the promising jobs the Bank offers.

Commenting on the par-ticipation, Khalefa Al Mesalam, QIB’s Head of

Human Capital Group, said: “QIB’s long-term strategy focuses on investment in local human resources. For many years, the Bank has been attracting graduates and young Qatari talents for jobs in its various business units, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.”

“QIB is committed to invest in local talents, and it has suc-ceeded to achieve its goals over the past few years.

The Bank managed to recruit a large number of Qataris, especially university

graduates. We will continue to pursue this strategy and to develop the skills of our Qatari employees through constant training and professional development.”

“By participating in such events, it creates an opportunity to introduce the Bank, banking activities, and professional advice to students, which serves the objectives of the banking sector and our goal of building a national workforce capable of leading the Bank’s business today and in the future,” he added. A QIB human capital team member at the QU Career Fair.

The event will provide a specialised and integrated platform to boost the communication among the local, regional and international players and highlight the latest trends and newest developments in and for the Qatari healthcare sector.

FROM LEFT: Souhaila Abdulrhim, QMED Manager; Ali Naddaf, Business Development Manager, Boom Waste Treatment; Dr Rehan Siddiquee, Director of Psychiatry at Naufar Hospital; Fayad Al Khatib, Chief Development Officer, Al Fardan Group; Hammad Jassem Al Hammar, Vice -Chair of Healthcare Communications Committee, Ministry of Public Health; Manar Al Muraikhi, Director of Communication, Ooredoo Qatar; Samer Basha, General Manager, Sharq Medical Supply and Fahad Zainal from Qatar Free Zone Authority, at a press conference held at the Four Seasons Hotel, yesterday. PIC: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH/THE PENINSULA

Hublot unveils classic models at DJWETHE PENINSULA DOHA

Hublot, renowned international, watches brand, unveiled its latest offerings for 2019 at the annual Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, a varied collection ranging from new Big Bang models to timeless and artistic Classic Fusions.

The star of the latest unveiled novelties is without a doubt the all new Big Bang Unico 45 mm.

Unveiled in Geneva last month concurrently with the SIHH, the brand whose mission statement is “The Art of Fusion” stakes a claim to another watch-world first: the first timepieces ever adorned with ultra-rare, baguette-cut Paraíba Tour-maline stones.

Paraiba Tourmaline was dis-covered in 1989 in the Brazilian state of Paraíba from which it takes its name, and achieves its

distinctive, irridescent turquoise hue from its combination (or fusion, if you will) of gold, man-ganese, and copper.

Its extreme rarity makes the Paraíba even more coveted and expensive than other precious stones such as diamonds, emeralds, and rubies: a single Paraíba stone is mined, on average, for every 10,000 diamonds.

The rarity of the stones are matched only by the difficulty of applying the baguette cut to them. Baguette cutting requires stones of perfectly uniform color, a restriction that necessi-tated five times more raw material than usual for the initial stone selection.

Even after each of the selected stones was baguette-cut, only 70 percent of this much smaller pool could be set into cases, with the other 30 percent rejected due to breakage or inconsistent quality or color.

David Tedeschi, Regional Director Middle East and Africa at Hublot, during Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition held a DECC.PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

Dr Shashi Tharoor, member of Indian Parliament and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Parliament on External Affairs, addressing a community gathering at Birla Public School Doha, on Saturday. Also seen is Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran (second left, sitting). PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

Look into realities around you, Tharoor tells students

Dr Shashi Tharoor said that all information is available on Internet from where the students can download the answers. “It is not what you learn but how you learn and how you make use of your learning is important and that will bring in all the difference in the learning process.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Dr Shashi Tharoor, an Indian parliamentarian and writer has advised the students to look into the realities around them and study both theory and the prac-tical aspects of a subject as both are inevitable.

“Learning – both the theo-retical and practical aspects – is necessary and important as they bring out the best in the learning process. This can help the learners with wholesome learning and benefit in the long run,” said Tharoor while addressing students at Birla Public School (BPS) during his short visit to Doha on Saturday.

The event was attended by Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran, BPS chairman Lukose Chacko, Founder President Dr Mohan Thomas, Board Member C Rappai and a large number of dignitaries and guasts.

Shashi Tharoor said that all information is available on internet from where the students can download the answers. “It is not what you learn but how you learn and how you make use of your learning is important and that will bring in all the dif-ference in the learning process,” said Tharoor.

He said that while in today’s world of information technology, what one needs is a well-formed mind rather than a well-filled mind capable of dealing with unfamiliar issues, facts and figures.

Speaking on unity of India in diversity, Tharoor said: I believe in unity of India, not in uni-formity. Unity is the idea of believing in your own principles as well as disagreeing with others’ ideologies. But, at the same time, it allows everyone to

lead a cordial and hearty rela-tionship irrespective of colour, caste, creed, costumes or cuisine.

India is founded on the very idea of plurality.”

An author, politician, and former international civil servant, Shashi Tharoor straddles several worlds of expe-rience, according to his official website. Currently a second-term Lok Sabha MP representing the Thiruvananthapuram con-stituency and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Com-mittee on External Affairs, he has previously served as Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India.

During his nearly three-decade long prior career at the United Nations, he served as a peacekeeper, refugee worker,

and administrator at the highest levels, serving as Under-Sec-retary General during Kofi Annan’s leadership of the organ-isation. Dr. Tharoor is also an award-winning author of works of both fiction as well as non-fiction, with his sixteenth book due for release in November 2016.

Born in London in 1956, Dr. Tharoor was educated in India and the United States, com-pleting a PhD in 1978 at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. While there, he received the Robert B. Stewart Prize for Best Student and also helped found and served as the first Editor of the Fletcher Forum of International Affairs, a journal now in its 39th year.

07MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 HOME

SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Your Health First held its first ‘Harvest Day’ event to celebrate bringing in a large crop of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Qatar under the Khayr Qatarna initiative, which boosts self-sufficiency and encourages healthy eating.

Dignitaries from Qatar Foun-dation, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Min-istry of Municipality and Envi-ronment, ExxonMobil Qatar, and Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd were at the Harvest Day event at Amna bint Wahab Pre-paratory School for Girls to see students bringing in a bumper crop of tomatoes.

Harvests at nine other schools participating in Khayr Qatarna yielded plentiful crops of fruit and vegetables including strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, col-oured peppers, red cabbage and green beans. All the crops have been granted the status of ‘Premium Products’ — an indi-cation of their freshness and quality — by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.

All of the produce has been grown in large-scale climate-controlled greenhouses installed at the schools by Your Health First as part of the Khayr Qatarna initiative, which was launched in 2018 to help make a positive contribution to Qatar’s self-suf-ficiency. The initiative also teaches students valuable lessons about healthy eating, agriculture, environmental awareness, and sustainability issues.

Students are also learning about key business operations, such as logistics, commerce and economics, helping the younger generation gain the knowledge required to achieve the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030. Harvest Day will now be held

every year to celebrate the bringing in of the crop.

Your Health First, which is the flagship public health campaign of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), initially installed large-scale greenhouses at three sec-ondary schools as part of Khayr Qatarna’s pilot programme.

Khayr Qatarna has proven such a success that the project was expanded and there are now a total of 10 greenhouses in oper-ation at 10 schools. Khayr Qatarna itself grew out of Your Health First’s extremely popular Project Greenhouse initiative, which saw smaller greenhouses installed at over 130 elementary schools all over Qatar.

The fruit and vegetables grown in the greenhouses are distributed with Khayr Qatarna branding to the community through local supermarkets and also among the school students’ families and their communities. All proceeds from sales are

reinvested in the project to allow for further expansion.

Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Min-istry of Education and Higher Education, stressed that the ini-tiative of Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First embodies the effective partnership between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and state institutions.

Dr Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, Assistant Undersecretary for Agri-culture Affairs & Fisheries Resources, said: “We are pleased to participate in the first Harvest Day of Khayr Qatarna in Qatari schools, which is a confirmation of the seriousness of the work of this project and its importance.”

Buthaina Ali Al Nuaimi, Pres-ident, Pre-University Education, QF, said: “It is wonderful to see how much the Khayr Qatarna ini-tiative has grown since it was launched last year. Food security

is a key priority for Qatar, and we at Qatar Foundation are delighted to support this programme — along with other key local entities — and its aim of educating young people about the importance of self-sufficiency and healthy eating. Ultimately, this is a collective investment in a sustainable future for Qatar.”

“We are pleased to support our partner Your Health First’s Harvest Day — an exciting and fun event, which provides our youth with priceless learning experiences and promotes healthy eating,” said Alistair Routledge, President and General Manager for ExxonMobil Qatar.

Andrew H Kershaw, Pres-ident and General Manager of Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd, said: “Oxy is honoured to support Khayr Qatarna and the wider Sahtak Awalan campaign. Not only are we encouraging our communities to eat healthier, but we are also providing our

children with valuable lessons about agriculture and the envi-ronment and we are supporting Qatar toward sustainability.”

Nadya Mohd Sultan Larem, Principal at Amna bint Wahab Preparatory School for Girls said: “The Project Greenhouse initi-ative and its expansion into schools across Qatar

has contributed to familiarizing students with the values of food self-sufficiency and inde-pendence in food production.”

Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, said: “Harvest Day is a remarkable moment, marking the culmination of a great deal of hard work and effort by all involved in growing the crops.

FROM LEFT: Andrew H Kershaw, President and General Manager of Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd; Dominic Genetti, Vice-President and Joint Manager at ExxonMobil Qatar and Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q.

Your Health First reaps fruit of labour on ‘Harvest Day’

Nadia Sultan Laram (right), Principal of Amna bint Wahab Preparatory for Girls School, honouring Fawziya Al Khater, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs, during Harvest Day celebration at the School, yesterday. RIGHT: Dr Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani (left), Assistant Undersecretary for Agriculture Affairs & Fisheries Resources; Saleh AlMana (centre), Vice-President and Director of Public and Government Affairs at ExxonMobil Qatar; and Abdullatif Al Naemi, National Development Manager at ExxonMobil Qatar. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

EAA inspirational youth delegates gather for 23rd Session of Youth AssemblyTHE PENINSULA DOHA

As part of its commitment to provide global engagement to new generation and to be the change agents, Education Above All (EAA) Foundation delegation comprised of 12 students took part in the 23rd Session of the Youth Assembly, which was held from February 15 to 17, 2019 in New York City.

Sponsored by Qatar Financial Center (QFC), EAA youth delegation were able to showcase their capabilities to the global audience under the theme, ‘Empowering Youth for Global Development’.

Throughout history, young people have played crucial roles in leading national and global movements that changed the world, despite the numerous challenges that they face, such as age discrimination, underrep-resentation, lack of resources and unemployment.

This conference addressed these gaps and worked towards fostering the inclusion of youth across all social and regional groups in tackling and solving global challenges.

All delegates voiced their

opinions and experiences during the conference. Their concerns and policy insights were shared with relevant stakeholders within the spheres of youth and global development, further expanding the voices of youth in the interna-tional dialogue. On this occasion, Dana Al Mohannadi, student from Al Khor International School, said: “I am very privileged to have the opportunity to participate in the 23rd session of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations as a Youth Delegate.

It was a truly transformative experience.” She added: “I

would like to thank EAA and QFC for providing this incredibly rich experience that helped me grow professionally in several ways.

The knowledge, connections, and inspiration that come from attending events like this could not be more valuable.”

The 23rd Session of The Youth Assembly continued FAF’s legacy of youth empowerment by once again serving as a platform to strengthen and mobilise youth with the skills and opportunities needed to be agents of impactful change.

The EAA Youth delegation to the Youth Assembly.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Luxury German Watches brand, A. Lange & Sohne, unveiled its latest novelties at the annual Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition.

The German brand is regarded as one of the world’s best high-end watch manufac-turers. This year, two of the brand’s most recently intro-duced complications were given new dials, and while the new salmon dial on the Dato-graph Perpetual Tourbillon attracted a lot of interest, it was the new black dial on the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds that really turned heads among the brand’s more purist, chronometry-focused fans.

Originally launched in 2016 with a platinum case, then in red gold, both with white dials, the new version of the Jumping Seconds has a black dial that delivers a more pure aesthetic. It is intended to give the watch a more scientific-instrument

look, in keeping with its his-toric inspiration and original purpose.

The white gold watch is designed in the classic regu-lator style, in which the largest of the subdials is traditionally reserved for the minutes.

Here, however, it is used for the jumping seconds hand, which emphasizes the technical focus of the watch: to-the-second setting and perfect accuracy.

The jumping seconds hand showcases the deadbeat seconds, a function originally designed to make it easier for naval and astronomical navi-gators to count intervals of time

to the nearest second. Doctors also used it to measure heart rate.

The movement is fitted with a remontoire, which regulates the torque of the mainspring by delivering identical, one-second bursts of energy to the escapement.

In this watch, the spring of the remontoire is what acti-vates the jumping seconds hand, thus maintaining a highly accurate rate.

A zero-reset function makes this pay off in practical terms: pull out the crown and the seconds hand jumps to the zero position until you push it back in.

A. Lange and Sohne products on display during Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition held a DECC. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

A. Lange & Sohne unveils latest novelties at 2019 DJWE

PHCC extends outreach campaigns to schools through Screen for Life programTHE PENINSULA DOHA

With a strong vision and determi-nation, Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has received tremendous response over the years in its pursuit to spread awareness among people on the timely screening of breast & bowel cancer through their program, Screen for Life.

In taking the bandwagon further, Screen for Life has extended its initiatives to schools in enhancing and raising

awareness on the importance of early detection of breast and bowel cancer in Qatar.

The Screen for Life team recently conducted lectures at Qatar Secondary School, and Al

Quds School, for teachers and parents to educate them on the benefits of the timely screening of cancer, and on preventive ways to deal with the same, and on the different stages of cancer.

The Program also arranged for a screening day at Doha College, where mammogram screening was offered onboard the Mobile Screening Unit which is con-venient for ladies at their work-place. On this initiative, Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha, (pictured) Manager of Screening Programs at PHCC, said: “At PHCC, it has been our

prime objective to reach out to a larger audience and help make Qatar one of the healthiest coun-tries in the world. In continuation to all our endeavors, this time we extended our facility to schools and colleges because we believe that these institutions are the real change agents of the society and have the potential to transform the health scenario of Qatar.”

“Our association with the leading schools in this regard has been extremely fruitful. Parents as well as teachers associated with these institutes received the

program with great enthusiasm and positive approach. In the future as well, we hope that such associations come forward in driving change and help us achieve our mission sooner.”

PHCC has endeavored to make sure the Breast and Bowel Cancer Screening awareness is spread in Qatar and has succeeded to hold many events and initiatives around this program through lec-tures to private and public sector, mall activations, mobile unit for mammogram screening activation etc.

In taking the bandwagon further, Screen for Life has extended its initiatives to schools in enhancing and raising awareness on the importance of early detection of breast and bowel cancer in Qatar.

08 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019HOME

250 healthcare professionals complete patient-centred care trainingTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Nearly 250 clinicians at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have completed a Compas-sionate Human Interactions workshop designed to reinforce patient-centred care principles and practices.

Patient-centred care is defined as providing care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient prefer-ences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.

The four-day workshop, which was organised by HMC’s Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement (CPESE), was held in partnership with Planetree, the US-based global leader in person-centred care. The training is part of Plane-tree’s Person-Centred Care designation; the only program of its kind, the designation for-mally recognises an organisa-tion’s ability to deliver excel-lence in person-centred care and is designed to connect healthcare professionals with the voices and perspectives of their patients and their families.

Five units from across HMC were selected to pioneer the patient-centred care phi-losophy, with staff from the Ambulatory Care Center, Com-municable Disease Center, Enaya Specialized Care Center, Home Health Care Service, and the Private Nursing Service participating. Staff from HMC’s CPESE and Nesma’ak teams

also completed the workshop. Dr Susan Frampton, Plan-

etree International President, said the Compassionate Human

Interactions workshop is an interactive curriculum that has been delivered around the world. She said a key focus of the training is helping healthcare staff learn concrete ways to express compassion so that patients and families feel not only cared for, but also cared about.

“Person-centred care is based on the premise that quality care is not only the right care delivered at the right time, but also care delivered with attitudes of compassion,” said Dr Frampton.

“So many trainings for healthcare professionals focus on building the skills necessary to carry out specific tasks. Plan-etree’s Compassionate Human Interactions workshop focuses on how these tasks should be carried out – with attitudes of caring and compassion – and showcases practical strategies

for doing so,” added Dr Frampton.

According to Nasser Al Naimi, Deputy Chief of Quality, Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement, and Director of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute (HHQI), the training is being provided to healthcare staff as part of ongoing efforts to enhance HMC’s ability to provide a positive patient expe-rience while strengthening its existing culture of empathy and compassion.

“Twenty Certified Facili-tators will conduct Compas-sionate Human Interactions training for other HMC staff. There will be another batch of Compassionate Human Inter-actions training in the future to cover other HMC facilities, all aimed at ensuring the best pos-sible patient experience,” said Al Naimi.

Clinicians pose for a group photo during the patient-centred care workshop.

Marathon contest at QNL promotes creative writingTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Aspiring authors attended a 72-hour-long writing contest at Qatar National Library, held in collaboration with Tomoh for Voluntary Work Management, a non-profit init iative promoting volunteerism among youth in Qatar.

Established local authors shared tips with attendees on how best to bring one’s ideas to the page.

At the workshop, partici-pants drafted a total of six man-uscripts. A judging panel com-prising senior local authors announced the winning group of Ayesha Ayet Hajjaj, Mohammed Shabrawi, Abdul Jabbar Fares and Iman Al Azzabi, whose manuscript, Shaa’a Bainahum (Spreading Rumors), fully met the compe-tition’s criteria. The manuscript highlighted the opportunities and challenges created by social media and the internet, and ways to best use these technologies.

The winning group will receive support from fellow

authors and Lusail Publishing and Distribution, a local pub-lishing house, in order to turn their winning manuscript into a published book.

“Today we took our first steps to become future writers, and I am delighted that we were announced as the winners of this competition. This event gave us a chance to show our creativity and meet

some of the best authors from Qatar,” said Abdul Jabbar Fares, a member of the winning team.

“The Library provided the best venue for the competition. The participants received great support from both the Library and the Tomoh team.

We are looking forward to publishing the manuscript and producing great writers in the

future,” said Wala Ahmed, con-sultant to the winning team.

The other five manuscripts produced during the three-day creative writing practice included: From Seed to Bloom, Qatari Heritage: A Concourse of Modernity and Authenticity, Giving a Hand, How to Cope With Psycho-logical Stress, and Four Entre-preneurial Minds.

A view of a workshop on creative writing in progress.

HBKU’s College of Islamic Studies explores Muslim identity and autonomyTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) hosted a series of talks by prominent academics from international institutions in February. The lectures focused on issues pertinent to Muslim identity and Islamic political thought.

Challenges raised by the diversity of religious and cul-tural identities in Western soci-eties were explored by Dr Mona Siddiqui, professor of Islamic and interreligious studies at the University of Edinburgh, in her talk, Exploring Religion in Europe: The Limits of Law and Pluralism on February 13.

Dr Siddiqui contended that while pluralism is often regarded as a positive devel-opment, it can present unique challenges for secular commu-nities. The lecture explored how religious communities, while diverse, are often accused of demanding legal exception-alism, which requires Muslims to challenge the oversimplified view of Shariah law on which this is based.

Shari’a and Sovereignty in Christian-Muslim Debates was a key theological debate tackled by Dr Joshua Ralston (pictured), lecturer in Muslim-Christian relations at the University of Edinburgh, on February 14. Dr Ralston examined the rela-tionship between Shariah and political sovereignty, a debate which is the subject of frequent critique by Christian theologians and secular theorists. The lecture provided a broader framework to explore the question beyond the confines of

fierce secularism or state-centric Sharia.

Commenting on the lectures, Dr Joseph Lumbard, who leads the Distinguished Lecturer Series at CIS, said: “CIS’s over-arching interests lie in exploring and better understanding topics that affect Muslims and their communities at large. The Dis-tinguished Lecturer Series was initiated to encourage scholars from all around the world to engage, consider, and present their thoughts within the college, which continues to position itself as a focal point for contem-porary Islamic studies, and as a nurturer of modern Islamic discourse.”

Continuing on the theme of identity and Muslim autonomy, Dr Salman Sayyid, renowned scholar and author of Recalling the Caliphate, was invited by the CIS Student Council to shed light on constructing a Muslim identity in a postcolonial world, in his talk on February 19. Dr Sayyid discussed the themes explored in his book, which investigates the obstacles that inhibit Muslim demands for autonomy in a postcolonial world and the larger decolonial project that revolves around Critical Muslim Studies.

Galfar Toastmasters Club holds 10th annual speech contestTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Galfar Toastmasters Club (GTM) conducted its Tenth Annual Speech Contest at the Oryx Rotana on Saturday. The enthusiastic members of the club, comprised entirely of Galfar Al Misnad staff, competed for the Club’s top honours with full enthusiasm.

The winners of the evening in each category were: TM John Henry in the International Speech contest, TM Abhijit Sinha in the Humourous Speech contest, TM Mohamed Imran in the Table Topic contest, and TM Muhammad Hashir in the Eval-uation contest. These winners, along with the second place holders of each category will now proceed to compete in the Area contest.

In 2009, Galfar Al Misnad, an engineering conglomerate, instituted its own Corporate Toastmasters Club as a proactive initiative to develop leadership and communication skills among staff members. The club began with 23 charter members and since then, more than 150 employees have ben-efited from the program.

Within three years of its existence, members of GTM started participating in area contests, and by 2016, they were participating in division level contests. GTM has ensured its representation right up to the district level in the speech contest.

“There has been a marked improvement and progress in how our staff members conduct themselves in their professional and personal lives ever since

they started participating in the Toastmasters program; which is not just beneficial to them, but to the company, the

country, as well as all those who associate with us,” said Satish G Pillai, Executive Director of Galfar Al Misnad,

who spoke at the event.As an extra feather in its cap

during its tenth year of existence, GTM recently

achieved 10/10 Distinguished Club Performance (DCP) points in the current term, 2018-19, and now has the distinction of being a “President’s Distin-guished Club.”

This is the highest recog-nition possible for any Toast-masters’ Club, and makes it the first club in Area 03 of the newly formed District 116 to achieve this feat, and the second club in Division A.

“This is a particularly proud moment for our club as we were able to achieve this feat within 6 months, thanks to the untiring efforts of our members and the support of Area Director TM Anil Prakash,” said Navaneetha Shetty, the current President of Galfar Toast-masters’ Club (GTM) and head of Galfar Al Misnad’s QHSE Department.

The Galfar Toastmasters Club members pose for a group photo.

The four-day workshop, which was organised by HMC’s Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement (CPESE), was held in partnership with Planetree, the US-based global leader in person-centered care. The training is part of Planetree’s Person-Centered Care designation; the only program of its kind, the designation formally recognises an organisation’s ability to deliver excellence in person-centered care.

Dukkan, the first specialised Umm Ali kiosk to open in DohaTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Torch Hospitality has announced that it will open the first specialised Umm Ali kiosk in the city at the beginning of March.

The kiosk will be located next to The Torch Doha, just below its entrance. The approximately 30 square-metres shop will offer traditional Umm Ali for dine in or take away along with a wide variety of selected toppings. Home-made, freshly baked maamoul will be available, on daily batches, as well as a care-fully-crafted menu of Arabic des-serts and drinks.

Umm Ali, a sweet, decadent delicacy, originally deriving from Egypt, is already a best seller at The Torch Doha, ordered daily and in large numbers through catering orders. The sweet dessert will be available in two sizes, individual portion and half

kilo, along with diverse toppings according to the guest’s preference.

Wael Al Sharif, General Manager of Al Aziziyah Boutique Hotel in charge of group Food & Beverage stated, “We are very happy and honored to open the first specialised Umm Ali Kiosk in the city. Dukkan was greatly anticipated and we are certain that guests will enjoy the new concept and their favourite des-serts in a fresh and relaxing environment.”

09MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Iran successfully fires missile from submarineREUTERS DUBAI

Iran successfully tested a cruise missile yesterday during naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s state media reported, at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. Tehran has in the past threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route at the mouth of the Gulf, in retaliation for any hostile U.S. action, including attempts to halt Iranian oil exports through sanctions.

In August, Washington said Iran had test-fired a short-range anti-ship missile in the strait during naval drills it believed were intended as a warning following President Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

“On the third day of the... exercises, a Ghadir-class Iranian navy submarine suc-cessfully launched a cruise missile,” the official news agency Irna reported.

Iran’s other submarines, the Tareq and the new domes-tically built Fateh (Conqueror) have the same anti-ship capa-bility, Irna quoted a military statement as saying. More than 100 vessels were taking part in the ongoing three-day war games in a vast area stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, state media reported. Trump pulled out of an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme last May and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

Thousands of Gazaprotesters call on Abbas to quitAFP GAZA CITY

Thousands of protesters in the Gaza Strip yesterday called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resign after attempts to pressure his rival Hamas with financial cuts in the impoverished enclave.

“Leave!” yelled crowds made up mainly of supporters of Hamas and Mohammed Dahlan, an Abbas rival expelled from the president’s Fatah party and who now lives in exile.

They called on the Palestinian Authority to pay the full salaries of public sector employees in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas. Abbas, 83, has over the course of recent months reduced salaries in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters demanded increased electricity supplies to the enclave, where residents receive power in around eight-

hour intervals.They also demonstrated

against Israel’s more than decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel says the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas, with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, from obtaining

Palestinian demonstrators attend a protest in Gaza City yesterday, demanding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to step down.

weapons or materials that could be used to make them.

Hamas, who won the Pales-tinain elections in 2006, seized control of Gaza in 2007 in a near civil war with Abbas’s Fatah.

Multiple reconciliation attempts aimed at restoring the West Bank-based Palestinian

Authority to power in Gaza have failed.

Separately in the occupied West Bank yesterday, around 2,500 people demonstrated in support of Abbas in the city of Hebron.

Abbas was in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh to attend a European

Union-Arab League summit.He met with Egyptian Pres-

ident Abdel Fattah Al Sisi while there, according to official Pal-estinian news agency Wafa.

Abbas’s term was meant to expire in 2009, but he has remained in office in the absence of elections.

Israel arrests senior cleric after Jerusalem holy site unrestREUTERS JERUSALEM

Israeli police in Jerusalem arrested yesterday a senior Muslim cleric attached to the sacred compound in the Old City, two days after he re-opened a mosque sealed by Israel during a Palestinian uprising in 2003.

Sheikh Abdel-Azeem Salhab, who sits on the religious council appointed by Jordan to oversee the Islamic sites at the

compound, personally reopened the gate leading into the Bab Al Rahmeh mosque on Friday, and hundreds of Muslims went inside to pray for the first time in years.

It followed days of tension between Israeli police and the Muslim religious authorities over access to a corner of the 35-acre sacred compound known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as The Noble Sanctuary. In the build up to Friday prayers police arrested 60 people they

suspected would incite violence, and boosted the security presence in the Old City. But the day passed without serious incident. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Salhab and another person were arrested yesterday morning, two days after the incident, for breaching an order, and that they were being held for questioning.

Salhab’s lawyer said that Israeli police had banned him from accessing the compound

for seven days, but there was no immediate comment from the police on whether they had issued such an order.

Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, denounced the arrests “in the strongest terms” and demanded their immediate release.

Jordan’s minister in charge of the Waqf and Islamic affairs, Abdul Nasser Moussa Abu Al Basal, called it “an unacceptable and dangerous escalation that

impacts Jordan’s role as a care-taker of Jerusalem’s holy sites.”

Because of the religious sen-sitivities over the site the king of Jordan retains a role in ensuring the upkeep of the Muslim holy places in the city and Jordan appoints the Waqf Council which oversees compound.

Israel captured East Jeru-salem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

Nigeria votes for second day in scattered areasAP KANO

Nigeria faced a second day of voting in scattered areas yesterday in a presidential election seen as too close to call, while the death toll from vote-related violence mounted in Africa’s largest democracy.

The electoral commission said it was happy that voting was generally peaceful, but it mourned the killing of one of its workers by a stray bullet. At least 39 people have died in extremist and other attacks, said analysis unit SBM Intelli-gence, citing informants and media reports.

The election worker was killed after completing work in Rivers state in the restive

south, with electoral chairman Mahmood Yakubu telling reporters: “May her soul rest in peace.” He didn’t give an overall death toll, saying he was focused on election workers, who faced “intimi-dation, abduction, hostage-taking and violence.”

In one case, he made an urgent phone call to secure the release of workers and even police taken hostage in Rivers state, he said. All were unharmed. Voting continued in parts of Abia, Bayelsa, Benue, Plateau, Zamfara and Sokoto states after the process was extended because of various issues.

“Nigerians have demon-strated extraordinary resil-ience and abiding faith in the electoral process,” Yakubu

said. The national vote com-pilation center opened in the capital, Abuja with at least one state among Nigeria’s 36 already on the way after completing its vote count.

A formal declaration of the presidential winner would come “in the not-too-distant future,” the chairman said. Meanwhile, observers warned of potential thuggery as local officials raced to compile votes across the country. More than 72 million people had been eligible to vote in Africa’s most pop-ulous country and largest economy. The election was held a week late after the electoral commission cited several logistical challenges, including bad weather.

President Muhammadu

Buhari, a former military ruler who unseated the incumbent in the 2015

election, seeks a second term against more than 70 candidates.

People listen to news on their mobile phones as Nigerians await the results of the Presidential election, in Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday.

Protesters gather to rally against the Algerian president’s bid for a fifth term in office, at the Place de la Republique in Paris, yesterday.

Mine left by IS leaves over 20 dead in SyriaAP DAMASCUS

A land mine left by the Islamic State (IS) group struck a van packed with workers in eastern Syria, killing more than 20 of them, Syria’s state news agency said yesterday. The agency earlier reported that 24 people were killed.Sana said the explosion in the morning near the central town of Salamiyeh was caused by explosives left behind by the militants when they controlled the area. A mine exploded in a nearby area earlier this month, killing seven people.

Sana said the workers hit by Sunday’s blast were on their way to pick desert truffles.

IS has been driven out of virtually all the territory it once held in Syria and neighboring Iraq, but the extremists left behind countless bombs and booby traps, and large areas have yet to be cleared.

IS fighters are now cornered by US-backed Syrian forces in a small area near the Iraqi border.

An estimated 300 IS militants are besieged in the village of Baghouz, hemmed in by the Euphrates River and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia spearheading the fight against IS following an intense push since September. Thou-sands of civilians have fled the area held by the extremists in recent weeks.

The presence of so many civilians - and possibly senior members of the militant group - in Baghouz has surprised the SDF and slowed down the expected announcement of the extremist group’s terri-torial defeat.

Also yesterday, a Syrian Kurdish official denied that the SDF had handed overs scores of Iraqi IS fighters to neighboring Iraq.

People take tothe streets inAlgiers againAFP/ALGIERS

Hundreds of people demonstrated yesterday in the Algerian capital against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term, as state radio journalists complained about a blackout imposed on coverage. Police sprayed tear gas, brought in a water cannon and rounded up several people as shopkeepers pulled down their shutters. Turnout was much lower than on Friday when tens of thousands took to the streets including in Algiers, where demonstrations are strictly banned.

State media has been silent on the protests and national radio journalists complained that they were being prevented from reporting on the opposition to Bouteflika. In an unsigned letter to management they slammed the “decision by the hierarchy to ignore” the rallies and deplored the skewing of coverage in favour of the incumbent.

On Saturday, a top editor at the national radio Meriem Abdou said that she had quit in protest over the restrictions being placed on journalists.

Security forces arrested more than 40 people after Fri-day’s protest, which saw police fire tear gas to block a march on the presidential palace, prompting demonstrators to respond with stone-throwing.

Yesterday’s rally came in response to a call by opposition group Mouwatana.

It began when a group of 50 people gathered at the Place Audin in the centre of Algiers.

Security forces, deployed from the early hours of the morning and backed by a police helicopter, evacuated the central square, prompting the demon-strators to head elsewhere.

Joined by hundreds of others they rallied along Didouche Mourad, a main shopping street which was closed to traffic and blocked by police, chanting “Algeria, free and democratic”.

US-PKK links to be revealed soon: Turkish ministerANATOLIA TRABZON, TURKEY

Turkey will reveal links between the US and PKK/PYD terrorist group in the coming days, the coun-try’s interior minister said. Suleyman Soylu said that he will announce to the public about what kind of relations the US generals and the PKK/PYD had. Soylu added that recently captured PKK members shared information about their links to the U.S. as well as some European countries.

The Turkish minister’s remarks came during a meeting with mukhtars in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Trabzon. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — rec-ognized as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US, and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG/PYD is the group’s Syrian branch. Turkey has repeatedly objected to US support for the terrorist PKK/PYD as a “reliable ally” in Syria, which has included supplying arms and equipment.

The protesters, made up mainly of supporters of Hamas and Mohammed Dahlan, expelled from the president’s Fatah party, called on Mahmoud Abbas to resign after attempts to pressure his rival Hamas with financial cuts in the impoverished enclave.

Iran frees French national arrested for illegal entryAFP TEHRAN

Iran has released a French citizen arrested for entering the country illegally, official news agency Irna reported yesterday.

“A French national who had been arrested for unauthorised entry into Iran has been released in recent days as the legal pro-ceedings took their course and other charges were dropped,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. Irna did not give the French national’s name or gender.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday that Paris was in touch with Tehran to improve the conditions of a woman arrested in October on the Gulf island of Kish for unauthorised entry and allegedly signing an illegal mining contract.

Nelly Erin-Cambevelle, a 59-year-old businesswoman from Martinique, had been on the island as part of her import-export business, according to Le Drian. “She went to Kish island, not far from Dubai, which is considered to be Iranian territory.

The Muslim world by far does not lead in vaccine hesitancy. In 2015, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine carried out surveys in 69 countries which showed that, in fact, Europe has the highest levels of vaccination refusals in the world.

BLOOMBERG

10 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019VIEWS

Vaccine hesitancy is not a ‘Muslim problem’

Hostility towards vaccination programmes is often por-trayed as a problem that predominately afflicts

Muslim-majority societies. Vaccine hesitancy is, however, a major public health issue in Europe and recent research shows it is driven by the same anti-establishment sentiment that led to a surge in support for pop-ulist political movements.

Safe and easily administered vac-cines have vastly reduced the preva-lence of once-common and devas-tating diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that they prevent 2 to 3 million deaths each year.

However, a further 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if vaccine coverage was increased.

Historically, the biggest obstacle to increasing coverage was limited access to vaccines in low-income countries. In the past two decades, global health actors, such as the WHO and the Gates Foundation, have spent billions of dollars improving vaccine supply to previously under-served populations.

Now, the major obstacle to raising immunisation rates has become related to demand.

The Muslim world is frequently characterised as the epi-centre of vaccine hesi-tancy. This view is informed by several high-profile inci-dents related to polio erad-ication efforts, most notably a boycott in northern Nigeria in 2003 and sporadic attacks on vaccinators in the Fed-erally Admin-

istered Tribal Areas of Pakistan over the past decade.

In the West, perhaps predictably, these episodes have been explained in terms that evoke Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations thesis.

New York Times journalist Donald McNeil, for example, caricatured polio eradication efforts in Pakistan as “a holy war - … radical Islam versus those it considers Crusaders … Western science versus Eastern faith”.

However, not all “radical” Muslims are hostile to polio vaccination cam-paigns, let alone all Muslims. The

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group allowed polio vaccinators to operate in areas of Syria under their control, and the Afghan Taliban has been at times supportive of eradication initiatives.

Hostility and suspicion towards polio campaigns in northern Nigeria and north-west Pakistan must be understood in the context of broader political conflicts between margin-alised groups - Muslims and Pashtuns respectively - and the federal state and their Western allies.

It is unsurprising that vaccination campaigns, which are funded, organised and undertaken by actors associated with antagonistic postco-lonial states and “the West”, are inter-preted by marginalised communities as projects to exert control and are therefore met with hostility.

For example, polio prevalence in Pakistan correlated with the frequency of US drone attacks between 2004 and 2011. Militants suspected that polio vaccination campaigns were a smoke-screen for intelligence-gathering operations, and were therefore reluctant to grant them access to areas under their control.

The pattern breaks down after 2011, when it was revealed that the CIA used a fake vaccination campaign in an attempt to acquire DNA from Osama bin Laden’s relatives. This resulted in a violent boycott in Waziristan, north-west Pakistan.

Apart from these two cases, the Muslim world by far does not lead in vaccine hesitancy. In 2015, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine carried out surveys in 69 countries which showed that, in fact, Europe has the highest levels of vaccination refusals in the world.

Polio, which is passed on through the faeces of infected people, is no longer a public health issue in Europe. To understand vaccine hesitancy in high-income countries, it is instructive to look at an airborne disease like measles.

In the past few years, coverage has fallen due to unsubstantiated concerns that the Measles, Mumps, Rubella

vaccine causes autism. Concurrently, measles has boomed in Europe: from 5,273 cases in 2016, to 23,927 cases in 2017, to 82,596 cases last year - the highest number this century.

Moreover, there is a clear link between increased vaccine hesitancy and the rise of anti-establishment movements that have disturbed the dominance of centre-left and centre-right political parties.

Western European countries with the highest prevalence of measles are Greece, France, and Italy. SYRIZA won power in Greece in 2015, in 2017 Marine Le Pen came in second in the French presidential elections, and the Five Star Movement and the League have governed Italy since last year.

In Italy, the Five Star Movement are vocal critics of the MMR vaccine and, in August, the newly-elected Italian upper house passed legislation to remove a law that made it compulsory for children to be vaccinated before enrolling in state schools. Similarly, in Greece, the SYRIZA-led government have threatened to revoke a law that makes vaccinations obligatory for children. In France, Le Pen’s party the Rassemblement National, have raised questions about vaccine safety.

A study recently published in the European Journal of Public Health shows that countries in which anti-establishment parties - ie, those not in centre-left or centre-right groupings - received a high proportion of the vote in the 2014 European Parliament elec-tions also tended to have a large per-centage of people who didn’t think that vaccines were important in 2015.

Populist political movements do not share an ideology. They can be right-wing (Rassemblement National), left-wing (SYRIZA), or reject the right-left division altogether (Five Star Movement). What unites them is their willingness to take advantage of wide-spread antagonism towards “the establishment”, a pejorative term that usually encompasses the political elite (traditional politicians and parties), economic elite (bankers, big business and the rich), and media elite (main-stream media companies).

JONATHAN KENNEDY AL JAZEERA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If there is to be a safe zone along our border then it must

be under our control. Because that is my

border.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish President

Trump shifts course, makes the right call on Syria

Ever since President Donald Trump abruptly announced the withdrawal of US forces from Syria in December, his

top aides, military commanders, congressional leaders and US allies have scrambled to reverse or modify a decision that portended disastrous consequences. It appears they finally made headway. Administration officials said Friday that some 400 US troops will remain in the country, compared with about 2,000 now, split between a northern area along the Turkish border and a southern base near Jordan.

It’s not clear whether that modest deployment will be enough to protect US interests, which include preventing conflict between US-allied forces in Syria and Turkey, ensuring that Islamic State militants in the region do not regroup, and avoiding a strategic windfall for Iran

and Russia. But it is a positive step that, with luck, will temper a major strategic blunder by Trump.

The president announced the abandonment of Syria abruptly and without consulting advisers or allies. He never offered a cogent explanation, merely repeating empty slogans about bringing US troops home from “endless wars” and refusing to become “the Policeman of the Middle East.” Until late this week, he appeared deaf to the senior military officials, Republican senators and European leaders who warned he was badly misreading the situation in Syria and the stakes for the United States.

In reality, the US mission there, unlike those in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a nearly unqualified success. Having learned the lessons of those earlier wars, American commanders established a light footprint in northeastern Syria and forged an alliance with Kurdish-led

local forces. US personnel armed and trained those fighters, and backed them with airpower as they liberated territory from the Islamic State. This campaign incurred seven US combat deaths in four years and left the allies in control of a large and strategic swath of territory. For the first time, Washington had meaningful leverage in bargaining over Syria’s future.

Having dissuaded Trump, for now, against throwing those gains away, US commanders and diplomats can now return to pursuing the goals they had previously set, which include ensuring that the thousands of remaining extremist fighters in Syria do not regroup and seeking an acceptable settlement of the Syrian civil war. That will necessarily involve curtailing Iran’s presence in the country, including its attempt to entrench fighters and advanced missiles threatening Israel.

The number of ship repairs at N-KOM has increased by 25 percent in the first half of 2018 at the world-class Erhama bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard compared to the same period last year.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI

osman@pen.com.qa

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Boost to shipping sector

Qatar is set to buy new LNG vessels to transport the increased output of gas. The increase in output augurs well for Qatar shipping sector as more

ships will be required to transport LNG. The announcement to buy more vessels comes after Qatar unveiled its plans to increase its LNG production.

Minister of State for Energy Affairs and the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, H E Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, said last week that Qatar will be acquiring a sub-stantial number of LNG vessels to transport the increased output of gas. It may require up to 60 additional ships which will be depending on various factors.

“It should be between 50 and 60 vessels that we will require to transport the expanded output of LNG which will increase from 77 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 110mtpa by 2024. It will be very substantial number, but things will become clear with time,” said H E Al Kaabi in response to a question at a press conference held on the sidelines of the launch of TAWTEEN programme.

Qatar has announced plans, last year, to increase LNG output from 77 million tonnes per annum (mtpa)

to 110mtpa by 2024. Currently, Nakilat, a

Qatari-owned shipping and maritime company, is pro-viding the critical transpor-tation link in Qatar’s LNG supply chain. The company’s LNG shipping fleet is the largest in the world, com-prising of 65 LNG vessels.

In addition to its core shipping activities, Nakilat operates the ship repair and construction facilities at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Laffan Industrial City via two stra-tegic joint ventures: Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) and Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ).

The number of ship repairs at N-KOM has increased by 25 percent in the

first half of 2018 at the world-class Erhama bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard compared to the same period last year.

Established in 2007, N-KOM is a joint venture between Qatar’s premier gas shipper Nakilat and leading offshore rig constructor and ship repairer Keppel Off-shore & Marine.

As of September last year, N-KOM has completed over 850 marine and offshore projects since its inception. The shipyard continues to experience strong interest for its repair services from ship-owners. Company’s expertise in LNG carrier repairs has attracted 18 vessels for routine docking and membrane repairs in the first half of the year.

Widely known as experts in handling gas carriers and a variety of other vessels, N-KOM continues to win new and repeat clientele with its track record of safe, quality and timely deliveries. Qatar’s shipbuilding and repair sector will strengthen further in future, as the country consolidates its position in global LNG sector.

A girl receives polio vaccine drops at a government dispensary in Karachi.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who held multiple summits with North Korea’s Kim last year, told Trump on Tuesday his country was willing to open economic engagement with the North as a “concession” if it will hasten Pyongyang’s denuclearisation.

11MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 OPINION

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Tech companies scope out Africasurveillance sector

S Korean firms in Vietnam dream of return to N Korea

SOPHIE PONS AFP

JU-MIN PARK REUTERS

At a security exhibition in Morocco tech companies pushed to convince African officials that their state-of-

the-art surveillance tools are the key to stability and development.

The ASEC Expo in Rabat, billed by organisers as the first of its kind on the continent, last week brought together

firms from across the world looking to conquer new markets in a region marked by rapid urbanisation and economic growth.

And while Europe has slapped restrictions on an industry eyed with suspicion by many due to civil liberty concerns, African countries with lax legislation make tempting partners. Chinese communications giant Huawei had a large presence at the event, hyping the success of networks already installed in the capitals of Kenya, Cam-eroon, Mali and the Ivory Coast.

“When a crime has been com-mitted, thanks to the cameras, we work magic,” said Ghanian security minister Albert Kan-Dapaah in a pro-motional clip for the company.

“My command centre is the envy of many of my colleagues.”

Huawei has already equipped more than 700 cities in 100 countries, including more than 25 in Africa, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

But the firm is in the spotlight over concerns it could give Beijing a backdoor into sensitive

communications and infrastructure, with the United States and Australia to ban its equipment from their future 5G networks. Just a dozen companies run the booming global video surveillance market, a $30 billion industry as of 2017 which research firm Stratistics MRC has forecasted will have double digit growth over the next few years.

A representative of South Korea’s Hanwha Group said the African market was “very strong... because there is a lot of opportunity for us to supply our products”.

“We had a lot of sales last year and this year,” particularly in Egypt and South Africa, Yoonboom Choi said.

The new high-tech command centres of “safe cities” are capable of instantly detecting anything from eve-ryday crimes and accidents to natural disasters and civil unrest -- and to trigger quick responses.

With big data and artificial intelli-gence, crowds are no longer anon-ymous. Facial recognition algorithms coupled with troves of readily available data online can pinpoint the identity of anyone who passes by a surveillance feed.

Vehicles can be identified by their number plates, and ultra-high tech software can even detect human emo-tions and predict behaviour.

“We can establish anyone’s identity without knowing him -- his first and last name, academic back-ground... his family, what he prefers, where he travels,” Huawei regional representative Chakib Achour said.

These data sets are useful to police pursuing criminals and to companies looking for potential customers, advo-cates say. But the risk of mass surveil-lance has sparked concerns among civil liberties advocates. Authoritarian regimes across Africa are frequently accused of violating rights to stamp out opposition.

In its annual report for 2019 Human Rights Watch singled out Egypt for using counterterrorism measures and security concerns “as a

guise to crush all forms of dissent”. Fears over surveillance spurred

the European Union in 2018 into enacting a strict new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Europe now has restrictions on “technology that could be developed in the Middle East or Africa”, said Francois Levy, regional director of Brazilian software company Digifort.

Morocco, which organised the exhibition, says it needs a strong security policy to fight terrorism and has shown a strong interest in the far-reaching technologies.

“Citizen security has always been the focal point” of Morocco’s city planning and “underlies the great project of urban renewal that we con-tinue to lead”, said head of Rabat city council Mohamed Sadiki during a visit to the expo. Marrakesh is working on an app that would allow citizens and tourists alike to “place emergency calls” and send in tips, boasts regional security official Moulay El Hafid Zimirly in a Huawei-sponsored clip.

In its commercial material, Huawei openly pushes the “example” set by China, “where all police stations have their own video surveillance unit”. The company offers authorities the chance to tap into troves of images taken in taxis, airports, and stadiums, as well as images taken by ordinary citizens with their mobile phones.

In its 2019 global report Human Rights Watch detailed how the Chinese government at home increas-ingly uses mass surveillance to “tighten control over society”, including through the widespread col-lection of biometric details including DNA and voice samples.

“All of these systems are being deployed without effective privacy protections in law or in practice, and often people are unaware that their data is being gathered, or how it is used or stored,” the report said.

For Africa, adopting the tech-nology on offer would open up a major pool of data -- but also questions.

In early 2016, Choi Dong-jin and some 120 other South Korean business owners reluctantly shut-tered factories at a jointly run

North Korean industrial park after Seoul ordered the facility closed fol-lowing a long-range rocket test by Pyongyang.

In search of cheap labour, Choi moved his garment manufacturing business to Vietnam, joining around a quarter of the factory owners from the giant Kaesong Industrial Complex who relocated to Vietnam and neigh-bouring Cambodia.

Three years on, Choi and other manufacturers operating in Vietnam say they are struggling to break even due to higher transportation and labour costs and weaker sales.

They hope the upcoming second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi will lead to an easing of sanc-tions on North Korea and a revival of the Kaesong facility.

“We were abandoned, then given false hopes, but nothing really changed,” Choi, president of garment maker DMF, told Reuters at his Hanoi office.

So far, warming ties between South and North Korea, and last year’s historic first summit between Kim and Trump in Singapore had yet to bear fruit, Choi said.

“I hope to see a real change from this summit.”

The Trump administration has previously said there would be no easing of sanctions until North Korea completely relinquishes its nuclear arsenal.

But a week before his second summit with Kim, Trump signalled a possible softening of stance, saying he would love to be able to take sanc-tions off if there is meaningful progress on denuclearisation.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who held multiple summits with North Korea’s Kim last year, told Trump on Tuesday his country was willing to open economic engagement with the North as a “concession” if it will hasten Pyongyang’s denuclearisation.

Kaesong is among the top projects North and South Korea are expected to discuss, along with rail links and a mountain tourist centre.

A group of former Kaesong factory owners said they considered coming to Vietnam during the second Trump-Kim summit to campaign for resumption of the Kaesong park. They decided against it because summit host Vietnam is sensitive to political demonstrations or protests, they said.

Communist Vietnam, which like North Korea fought a war against the United States and retains tight con-trols over its people and economy, has

been touted as a potential role model for Pyongyang to follow.

A series of reforms undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s paved the way for Vietnam re-enter the global market and become one the region’s fastest growing economies.

At his Kaesong factory, Choi employed about 600 North Koreans to produce jeans and golf trousers for South Korean companies including Samsung Group’s fashion affiliate. He paid them a monthly wage of around $200, includign overtime pay.

After the closure, Choi set up a new garment-making joint venture near Hanoi with a Vietnamese partner. There, local workers received holiday bonuses and insurance coverage on top of around $300 a month.

After losing some buyers since the Kaesong closure, sales are down by around half and Choi said his company has posted losses for two years in a row.

“I am fighting a life and death battle here trying not to make any more losses, so my business stays afloat until the days that Kaesong reopens and I can go back.”

At its height, Kaesong employed 55,000 North Korean workers in South Korean-owned factories, turning out everything from toys to textiles and electronics for markets in the South. The plant generated as much as $100 million a year in much-needed hard currency for isolated North Korea.

About 14 percent of the companies operating at Kaesong have gone out of business since the shutdown, according to an April 2018 survey by the Korea Federation of small and medium-size enterprises. Nearly all of the former Kaesong factory owners wish to return to North Korea, the survey showed.

Many South Korean manufac-turers struggling with high labour costs and slowing growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy say North Korea’s much cheaper workers and untapped resources represent an unmissable opportunity.

However, some of the largest South Korean conglomerates lost out heavily in the North when the pre-vious round of inter-Korean reconcil-iation in the early 2000s ended. They now have massive manufacturing operations in Vietnam and appear less interested in ditching the Southeast Asian nation for North Korea.

The ASEC Expo in Rabat, billed by organisers as the first of its kind on the continent, last week brought together firms from across the world looking to conquer new markets in a region marked by rapid urbanisation and economic growth.

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which makes smartphones and home appliances in Vietnam, accounts for about 23 percent the country’s total exports, according to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. South Korea is the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam.

“Sanctions on North Korea are still in place and we are not even in a position to review a possibility in North Korea until there is an assurance of fairly low political risks,” a senior official at a large South Korean conglomerate said, asking neither he nor his company be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Two officials at other South Korean conglomerates, who also asked for anonymity, said despite the government’s drive for eco-nomic cooperation with the North, they are not seriously considering cross-border business yet.

Samsung declined to comment for this story.

But some smaller business owners say for them, North Korea is a matter of survival.

Lee Jong-duk moved his lin-gerie manufacturing business to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam three years ago after he was forced out of Kaesong. Now, sales are only 60-70 percent of what he used to make in the North due to smaller output in Vietnam and fewer clients, and wages are 30 percent higher.

“It’s not just the money. We speak the same language with North Koreans and it was much easier to train them,” Lee said. “Having been in Vietnam for three years now, I can say there is no place like Kaesong.”

A file picture of a North Korean employee working in a factory of a South Korean company at the Joint Industrial Park in Kaesong industrial zone, a few miles inside North Korea from the heavily fortified border.

12 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019ASIA

Assam’s toxic hooch deaths jump to 156AFP GUWAHATI

At least 58 more workers have died in northeastern India after drinking toxic liquor, police said yesterday, taking the death toll from the latest mass alcohol poisoning to 156.

The deaths in Assam state came less than two weeks after tainted liquor killed around 100 people in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. At least 200 others were still receiving treatment in hospitals across Assam.

“A total of 85 people have died in Golaghat district due to consumption (of toxic alcohol),” Dhiren Hazarika, deputy com-missioner of the worst affected region, said.

“Another 100 are under-going treatment... The rush of new patients has (only) slowed down today afternoon,” he added.

Samir Sinha, Assam’s prin-cipal health secretary, said 71 deaths had been confirmed in neighbouring Jorhat district by afternoon. “131 people, including 13 critical patients, are under-going treatment at hospitals in Jorhat,” he said.

“What is happening is also a kind of fear psychosis. Many locals, even if they took (illegal alcohol) four or five days back, are worried and reporting (for check-ups) at the local medical facilities,” he added.

Sinha said that additional teams of medical personnel and supplies had been rushed to the affected districts. Police said people started falling sick after consuming a batch of illegally

produced liquor late on Thursday. The victims, who include many women, worked at local tea estates in the region.

Doctors said those rushed to hospital in critical condition were suffering from severe vomiting, extreme chest pain and breathlessness.

“A total of ten people have been arrested. We have sent the samples of the liquor... to a forensic laboratory. The report is awaited,” Mukesh Agarwala, additional director general of state police, said.

Assam Chief Minister Sar-bananda Sonowal has ordered an inquiry into the deaths.

Apart from the arrests, two excise department officials were suspended for failing to take adequate precautions over the sale of the alcohol. Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma vowed those responsible for the tainted liquor would be brought to justice.

Hundreds of mainly poor people die each year in India from tainted liquor, which nor-mally costs just a few US cents a bottle.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel check the bags of scooterists during restrictions after Kashmiri separatists called for shutdown to protest the arrest of their leaders in Srinagar, yesterday.

Three JeM militants shot dead in Kulgam gunfightIANS SRINAGAR

A senior police officer, an Army soldier and three militants were killed yesterday in a gunfight between security forces and holed up militants in Jammu and Kash-mir’s Kulgam district.

State’s Governor Satya Pal Malik has expressed grief over the death of senior police officer in this gunfight.

Police sources said Deputy Superintendent of Police Aman Thakur was killed after being shot in the head in Turigam village. “The officer sustained a bullet injury in his head during the encounter. He was shifted to a local hospital were doctors declared him dead,” a police officer said.

“Three militants hiding in the village have been killed and searches are now on at the site. Firing exchanges have stopped,” he added.

Three soldiers, including two Majors, were injured and have been shifted to a hospital. Civilians, who poured out of their homes in a bid to disrupt the anti-militancy oper-ations, clashed with the security forces near the gunfight site. The security forces used tear smoke to disperse the protesters. Some civilians sustained injuries in the clashes.

Reports said all three slain militants belonged to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) outfit, which claimed responsi-bility for the February 14 suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers.

The Army’s Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police started a cordon and search oper-ation in Turigam after being tipped off about the presence of militants there.

“As the security forces tightened the cordon, militants fired at them, triggering an encounter which has now ended,” an officer said.

AP SRINAGAR

Shops and businesses shut down to protest a sweeping and ongoing crackdown in Kashmir against activists.

Police and paramilitary sol-diers patrolled streets in Sri-nagar, the region’s main city, and enforced a security lockdown in its downtown area in antici-pation of protests and clashes.

Carrying automatic rifles and wearing riot gear, soldiers and police erected iron barricades and laid razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighborhoods.

The crackdown began on Friday night. Police are mainly targeting Kashmir’s largest political-religious group, Jama’at-e-Islami. The group espouses the right to self-deter-mination for the Himalayan region, which is divided between

India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety.

Indian authorities have so far arrested at least 400 Kashmiri leaders and activists, escalating fears among already wary resi-dents that a sweeping crackdown could touch off renewed anti-India protests and clashes. They’ve been lodged in police stations and jails across Kashmir. Among those arrested were Jama’at-e-Islami head Abdul Hamid Fayaz and Mohammed Yasin Malik, an influential pro-independence leader who heads the Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front.

Yesterday’s strike was called by the Joint Resistance Lead-ership, or JRL, which comprises three top Kashmiri leaders, including Malik. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, another JRL member, denounced the arrests and said like in the past, India’s crackdown would fail as “people

won’t give up their struggle for freedom.”

“India is already at war with Kashmiris. Now they’re warmon-gering with Pakistan. We again warn authorities to de-escalate and talk as no force can push us into submission,” Farooq said. “There’s a going to be serious ram-ification, a reaction to this (crackdown). It’ll force more youngsters to armed militancy.”

The crackdown comes amid high tensions between India and Pakistan following the Feb. 14 suicide car bombing of a para-military convoy by a local Kashmiri militant. Forty Indian soldiers died in the attack.

India quickly blamed the attack on Pakistan and promised a “jaw-breaking response.” Pakistan warned India against linking it to the attack without an investigation, and offered a dialogue to resolve all issues, including Kashmir.

Kashmir shuts down to protest arrests

Members of the public and families of the Armed Forces watch aircraft during the final day of Aero India 2019 airshow at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, yesterday.

Arunachal Pradesh

backtracks on

PRC after violence

IANS ITANAGAR

The Arunachal Pradesh government ye froze its decision on the controversial permanent residence certificate (PRC) that triggered widespread violence for a third day, leading to the torching of the Deputy Chief Minister’s house.

A worried Chief Minister Pema Khandu convened an all-party meeting on Sunday night to discuss the prevailing situation which Home Minster Kumar Waii described as “ v e r y t e n s e a n d uncontrollable”.

The Arunachal Pradesh government climbed down in the face of the violent protests and declared that it will not implement the report granting PRC to six communities living along the Assam-Arunachal border.

Chief Secretary Satya Gopal said in a statement: “Consid-ering the present situation in respect of the matter pertaining to grant of PRC to non-Aru-nachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe residents of Namsai and Changlang districts, the gov-ernment has decided that no further action shall be taken in respect of grant of PRC.”

The Home Minster added: “The situation is very tense and uncontrollable. The state is taking all steps to calm the situation.”

Yesterday, a mob set fire to the house of Deputy Chief Min-ister Chowna Mein. Security forces resorted to blank firing as the the unruly protesters defied curfew and marched towards the Chief Minister’s residence.

It was not clear if anyone was injured in Sunday’s firing.

India-built houses handed over to Sri Lanka workersIANS/COLOMBO

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday handed over 155 houses built under an Indian project to people in the island nation’s tea-producing region populated by “Indian Tamils”. Present on the occasion here was Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The houses were built under the Indian Housing Project for people at the Bridwell Estate in Bogawantalawa at Hatton. Wick-remesinghe thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development support extended to Sri Lanka, where a dragging ethnic insurgency ended in May 2009 as the military crushed the Tamil Tigers. Sandhu congratulated the owners of the newly built houses.

The deaths in Assam state came less than two weeks after tainted liquor killed around 100 people in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. At least 200 others were still receiving treatment in hospitals across Assam.

Air show concludes on a high noteIANS BENGALURU

Its curtains for the biennial Aero India 2019 air show after spec-tacular flying display by fighters, helicopters and jet trainers delighted around a lakh visitors at the IAF Yelahanka base, here yesterday.

Asia’s premier air show, however, was a bit low key this time and marred by a fire on Sat-urday in the air base parking lot that gutted about 300 cars.

An IAF pilot died ahead of the event as two Surya Kiran Hawk jets collided in the air on Tuesday and crashed near the air base while rehearsing for the flying display. Though the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) did not participate in the flying display on the first three days due to the mishap, seven of its Hawk air-craft roared in the blue sky on Saturday and treated the visitors with its dare devilry and dazzling

formations. Much to the delight of visitors, they participated in the event on Sunday too.

“Surya Kirans received thun-derous applause from the people. We are proud of their return,” said Bengaluru IAF Training Command Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief R.K. Bhadauria. Besides French fighter Rafale, F-16 of the US-based Lockheed, homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and IAF’s Sukhoi-30, Jaguar and transport aircraft were among the 53 aircraft that participated in the static and flying display at the show.

“An estimated 4 lakh people visited the air show, with 3 lakh footfall on the first four days since Wednesday against 5.4 lakh in the previous edition in February 2017,” Defence Pro-duction Joint Secretary Amit Sahai said at the valedictory function on the fifth and con-cluding day. Karnataka

Governor Vajubhai Vala, state Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhasker, state-run aerospace major HAL Chairman and Man-aging Director R. Madhavan and were present on the occasion.

“This Aero India was special being a runway to new oppor-tunities, as the tagline said. This edition grew over the years and had a special theme each day this year,” Bhadauria said at the grand finale.

As many as 403 exhibitors, including 165 foreign firms took part in the expo, showcasing their technologies and products, while global aerospace majors flew in their aircraft for static and flying display on the tarmac facing the runway. “In all, 54 countries took part in the expo, while 44 foreign delegations were present for the inaugural event on February 20. About 500 B2B meetings were held and 50 agreements were signed at the expo,” Sahai said.

AAP’s statehood movement plan readyIANS/NEW DELHI

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) yesterday prepared a road map for mass movement for full statehood to Delhi, starting on March 1. During the movement, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will go on an indefinite hunger strike and run the government from the venue of fast. Briefing the media about the plan for initial 10 days, AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said the party will divide the city into 560 zones for the purpose. Three committees have been set up at central, Assembly and zonal levels. The venue for the fast is yet to be decided, Rai said, adding the party is evaluating three-four locations, including the Ramlila Ground, Kejriwal’s residence and Jantar Mantar.

India lowers tax on new home sales ahead of general electionREUTERS/ MUMBAI

India yesterday announced a cut in the goods and services tax charged on sales of residential properties under construction as the government looks to stimulate the economy by driving up consumption. The Goods and Services Tax Council, comprising state and federal finance ministers, announced that the new rate will be 5 percent, down from 12 percent, on all new housing projects except those that are classified as affordable housing, according to a statement from the finance ministry. The council also decided to slash the tax rate on affordable housing projects to 1 percent from 8 percent, the statement said after a meeting in New Delhi yesterday. “This will give boost to housing for all,” Finance Ministr Arun Jaitley said in a Twitter post. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been seeking to stimulate the economy as he faces a general election by May. Concerns about low farm incomes and weak jobs growth have under-mined his standing with voters. Last month, the government announced a change in national sales tax rules that would exempt about two million small businesses from payment of tax. The residential sector in some parts of the country has been in a torpor following the failure of some property developers. In and around the capital New Delhi, for example, there are many half-completed properties. Home buyers put deposits down on many of the apartments only to see the devel-opers fail or, in some cases, commit fraud.

13MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 ASIA

Pakistan sets up crisis management cellINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

The Foreign Office of Pakistan set up a crisis management cell in view of the heightened tensions with India in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident.

An official at the FO spokes-man’s office confirmed that the cell had been set up to follow the fast developing situation.

Tensions between Pakistan and India have sharply spiked since last week’s attack on Central Reserve Police Force in Indian-Occupied Kashmir in which 44 security personnel were killed.

Hostile statements by Indian leaders and provocative reporting by Indian media have added to the already tense environment.

Besides the war hysteria, India has initiated non-kinetic punitive measures against Pakistan and removed the Most Favoured Nation trade tag for Pakistan and lobbied to retain Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list.

The National Security Com-mittee in its recent meeting

authorised the armed forces to respond to any Indian misad-venture. Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa also visited Line of Control to review the preparedness and morale of troops.

The situation has concerned the international community and

United States President Donald Trump has characterised it as “very dangerous”. The US and other influential countries are reportedly trying behind the scenes to defuse the situation.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has,

meanwhile, initiated regional outreach to sensitise South Asian Association for Regional Coop-eration (Saarc) countries about the seriousness of the situation. The foreign minister spoke to his Sri Lankan and Nepalese coun-terparts emphasising Pakistan’s desire for peace in the region.

Speaking to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana on security situation in the region, Qureshi said: “Pakistan is a responsible country which desires peace and stability in the region. Peace is a precursor for socio-economic benefits and prosperity”.

Marapana said that his country staunchly supported peace in the region and stressed that maintaining stability in South Asia should be a priority for all countries. Talking to Nepalese FM Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Qureshi urged him to play his role as the chair of the Saarc. The Nepalese foreign min-ister said that peace and security of the region was a primary responsibility of all. Nepal as a member of Saarc and friend of Pakistan firmly believed that peace was in the interest of eve-ryone, he added.

Musharraf says half of Imran’s Cabinet are ‘his people’INTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Chief of the All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf sees “political envi-ronment” in Pakistan “favourable” for his return though he has no immediate plan to come back to the moth-erland.

Speaking at a news con-ference in Dubai (the UAE) , the former president while responding to a question said several members in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan were his people, but it would be “unusual” to expect and ask the government “to plead” his case before the courts.

“In my opinion, political environment is good and favourable. Half of the (present) ministers are mine. (The) law minister and the (incumbent) attorney general were my lawyers,” responded a visibly frail Musharraf, telling the reporter that he was expecting this question.

“Pakistan is my country. My roots are there. My relatives and friends are there. I will definitely go there,” the APML chief said. But immediately, he said, he could not “jump like fools” and would do it under a strategy.

Gen Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in Dubai, also hit out at the country’s two major political parties — the

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — and termed both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari as “plunderers”.

He particularly attacked Zardari and alleged that he had been involved in a number of cases of “murder and extortion”.

He alleged that the former president had forcefully acquired some 40 houses around Bilawal House in Karachi at a very low price. He advised the media to work against both Zardari and Sharif who, according to him, had “destroyed the country”.

During the news conference, Musharraf introduced his party’s chairman Hidayatullah Kheshgi who he said would reorganise the APML. He said there were talks about his illness and the people had started saying that the APML had finished. He said his health condition was improving and he was also busy with a South African trainer at a gym on a regular basis.

According to Musharraf, who had ruled the country for nearly nine years after throwing out the elected government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in a military coup as then Chief of the Army Staff in 1999, said that the main purpose of his party was “to keep Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif out of pol-itics”. He said: “The APML will do whatever possible to keep both of them out of politics.”

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi yesterday warned India to expel any thoughts of pressuring Pakistan with its war-mongering tactics.

Addressing the media fol-lowing a consultative meeting held at the Foreign Office in view of the worsening situation in Indian-administered Kashmir after the Pulwama attack, the foreign minister reiterated that Pakistan is a peaceful country but it will not be pressured by India’s aggressive designs.

“Pakistan is a peaceful country. But (I have a) clear message for India: if you think

we can be pressured, then stop thinking this,” he said, adding, “Pakistan’s military, political leadership, and the entire nation stand united with Kash-miris and their struggle.” Qureshi said the youth of occupied Kashmir will not be subdued. “Pakistan is taking steps to ease the tensions. I urge the Indian leadership to exercise restraint and to ends its irresponsible attitude,” Qureshi said. He also called on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) government to stop fuelling hatred for the purpose of furthering its agenda ahead of the elections.

‘Expel any thoughts of pressuring Pakistan’

Nearly 11,000 civilian casualties across Afghanistan in 2018: UNANATOLIA KABUL

The UN yesterday said it has documented nearly 11,000 civilian casualties across Afghanistan in 2018, the highest ever figure in the war-torn nation.

A total of 10,993 civilian cas-ualties, including 3,804 deaths and 7,189 injured, were reported across the country in 2018, said the report released by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghan-istan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office.

Among the dead were 927 children, the highest recorded number of boys and girls killed in the conflicts during a single year. The figure represented a five percent increase in overall civilian casualties and an 11 percent increase in civilian deaths compared to 2017, it

added. Thus the conflicts in Afghanistan claimed the highest

number of civilians last year than any time since records

have been kept. The UN called for the urgent need to seize opportunities for peace in the country as the figure in the report was a clear indicator of intensification of violence.

The report blamed the Taliban and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) for 67 percent of the last year’s civilian casualties.

This is the UN’s tenth annual report documenting the plight of civilians in the Afghan con-flict — more than 32,000 civilians killed and around 60,000 injured in a decade.

Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, urged all parties to take imme-diate and additional concrete steps to stop a further escalation in the number of civilians harmed and lives destroyed.

“The conflict in Afghanistan

continues to kill far too many civilians and has caused long-lasting suffering, both physical and psychological, to countless others,” said UN High Commis-sioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

For the first time since 2009 when it began systematically documenting civilian casualty figures, UNAMA recorded more than 1,000 civilian casualties from aerial operations.

Of these, UNAMA attributed responsibility to international military forces for 632 civilian casualties (393 deaths and 239 injured), and to the Afghan Air Force for 304 civilian casualties (118 deaths and 186 injured).

With the shockwaves of a looming hasty US withdrawal echoing all over, Afghanistan saw a bloody start to 2019 with over 1700 war-related casu-alties in January alone.

Suspected Bangladesh plane hijacker shot deadAFP CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH

Bangladesh commandos stormed a passenger jet in the country’s southeast yesterday and shot dead an armed man who allegedly tried to hijack the Dubai-bound flight, an army official said.

The suspect, described by officials as a 25-year-old Bang-ladeshi man, was shot as special forces rushed the plane after it landed safely in Chittagong.

The 148 passengers and crew on-board the Bangladesh Biman flight BG147 were all rescued unharmed, officials said.

But the suspected hijacker was injured and died shortly after being arrested, army spokesman Major General Motiur Rahman told reporters.

“He is a Bangladeshi. We found a pistol from him and nothing else,” Rahman said.

All the passengers aboard were evacuated after the airport was sealed of by Army, Navy and elite police. Air Vice Marshall Mofid, who goes by one name,

said he then kept the accused man busy talking on the phone while special forces units pre-pared for the dramatic raid.

“He demanded to speak to our Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina),” Mofid said.

“He claimed he had a pistol, but we are not sure yet whether it is an actual gun or a fake.” The country’s civil aviation chief, Nayeem Hasan, earlier said the suspect had claimed to have a bomb aboard the flight.

“From the talks and dialogue we have with him, it seems he is psychologically deranged,” Hasan said after the man was arrested. Another army spokesman, Abdullah Ibne Zaid, said the would-be hijacker allegedly claimed to have a gun

and a bomb strapped to his chest.

“The army’s special forces conducted the operation and the armed man has been neu-tralised. The situation at (Chit-tagong’s) Shah Amanat Interna-tional Airport is very much under control of the Bangladesh Army,” he said. An investigation would be carried out to determine whether security lapses had occurred, he added.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 165 million, has grappled with homegrown extremism, with Islamist outfits murdering atheist bloggers and progressive activists in recent years. In a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group in 2016, militants killed 22 people

including 18 foreigners at an upmarket cafe in Dhaka popular with Westerners. That attack

prompted a swift crackdown by Prime Minister Hasina, with hundreds of suspected militants

and their sympathisers arrested or killed in raids across the country.

The suspect, described by officials as a 25-year-old Bangladeshi man, was shot as special forces rushed the plane after it landed safely in Chittagong. The 148 passengers and crew on-board the Bangladesh Biman flight BG147 were all rescued unharmed, officials said.

Bangladeshi security personnel stand guard near the hijacked Dubai-bound Bangladesh Biman plane at the tarmac after an emergency landing at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, yesterday.

Pakistan Senate meets today INTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

The Senate of Pakistan meets today for the 287th session and the opening day is the private members day with 36-item orders of the day, including a crucial bill to amend the law pertaining to the exit control list

(ECL). The bill says that a person whose name is ordered to be placed on the ECL should be informed within 24 hours and those who are placed on the ECL should be able to file a review of the decision within 15 days and if there is no decision on the review in the given time, then

the name should be considered removed from the list.

Moreover, the piece of pro-posed legislation also says that the interior secretary should not have the authority to place names on the ECL and that the authority to place names of persons on the list should be with the federal cabinet.

Richard Bennett, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan human rights unit, holds up a copy of ‘UN 2018 Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan’ at a press conference in Kabul, yesterday.

Bangladesh PMinaugurates workon underwater tunnelANATOLIA DHAKA

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday inaugurated the boring work of a much-awaited underwater tunnel in the southern Chattogram district, state-run news agency reported.

According to Sangbad Sangstha news agency, the total length of the proposed tunnel will be around 9km, including 3.4km of the tunnel under the Karnaphuli River.

“I want to build Bangladesh in such a way so that the whole world looks at it (country) with surprise … this is my expec-tation, nothing else,” the agency quoted Hasina as saying.

The four-lane tunnel is being built at a cost of $1.176bn to turn Chattogram into “One City Two Towns”. When it is operational, the tunnel is expected to cut short the road distance between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, as well as easing the traffic on the highway linking Chattogram with the capital Dhaka. This will be the first underwater tunnel in Bangladesh. Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping had jointly laid its foundation stone on October 14, 2017.

14 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019ASIA

REUTERS HANOI

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Vietnam for a summit with US President Donald Trump was shrouded in mystery until a green train with yellow horizontal stripes was spotted crossing the Yalu river into China on Saturday evening.

Kim, his father and grand-father, North Korea’s three leaders in succession since

World War Two, have all loved trains, but no one knew how Kim intended to make the journey to Hanoi for his second summit with Trump, on Wednesday and Thursday, until the train rumbled over the border bridge.

It is not clear if Kim will travel all the way to Vietnam by rail — it will take him some two and a half days to do so — and it is possible he could stop on

the way and fly.If he does choose to stay on

the tracks, he will be travelling in style. His train resembles the armoured ones his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, used over the years.

It has 21 carriages equipped with all-white conference rooms, dining cars and sleeping quarters. Some carriages are decked out with pink leather chairs, big-screen televisions

and ivory-coloured curtains hanging in the windows, North Korean state media has shown.

The train also has satellite phone connections so Kim can keep abreast of developments and issue orders, according to state television.

It also has a carriage loaded with his Mercedes Benz vehicle, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported.

“His private train for sure

has a luxurious interior and good-quality facilities, but it also can travel safely in China, with pretty good rail tracks there,” said Ahn Byung-min, a senior analyst at South Korea’s gov-ernment-funded Korea Transport Institute.

The train can reach speeds of up to 80kph on China’s network, compared with a maximum of about 45kph on North Korea’s tracks, Ahn said.

While Kim is taking the train to make peace this time, he has in the past used the same train to prepare for war. In 2016, state media showed him arriving back in Pyongyang in triumph, to a red-carpet celebration at Pyongyang station, from a sat-ellite launching station in Sohae, after the successful testing of a long-range rocket that the United States said was an inter-continental ballistic missile.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departing Pyongyang Station for the second North Korea-US summit meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam.

N Korea warns US sceptics as Kim heads for summitREUTERS HANOI

North Korea warned President Donald Trump yesterday not to listen to US critics who were disrupting efforts to improve ties, as its leader, Kim Jong Un, made his way across China by train to a second summit with Trump in Vietnam.

The two leaders will meet in Hanoi on Wednesday and Thursday, eight months after their historic summit in Sin-gapore, the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, where they pledged to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

But their vaguely worded agreement has produced few results and US Democratic sen-ators and US security officials have warned Trump against cutting a deal that would do little to curb North Korea’s nuclear

ambitions. The North’s KCNA state news agency said such opposition was aimed at derailing the talks.

“If the present US adminis-tration reads others’ faces, lending an ear to others, it may face the shattered dream of the improvement of the relations with the DPRK and world peace and miss the rare historic oppor-tunity,” the news agency said in a commentary, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The Trump administration has pressed the North to give up its nuclear weapons programme,

which, combined with its missile capabilities, pose a threat to the United States, before it can expect any concessions.

But in recent days Trump has signalled a possible softening, saying he would love to be able to remove sanctions if there is meaningful progress on denuclearisation.

Trump also said he was in no rush and had no pressing schedule for North Korea’s denu-clearisation, hinting at a more gradual, reciprocal approach, long favoured by Pyongyang.

The North also wants security guarantees and a formal end of the 1950-1953 Korean

War, which ended in a truce, not a treaty. Trump said yesterday that he and Kim expect to make further progress at this week’s summit and again held out the promise that denuclearisation

would help North Korea develop its economy. “Chairman Kim realises, perhaps better than anyone else, that without nuclear weapons, his country could fast become one of the great

economic powers anywhere in the World. Because of its location and people (and him), it has more potential for rapid growth than any other nation!” Trump said in a tweet.

Kim’s peace train offers luxury en route to summit with Trump

Emperor urges Japan to be ‘open to the outside’AFP TOKYO

Japan’s Emperor Akihito urged his country to be open to the outside world at a ceremony marking 30 years of his reign yesterday, ahead of his abdication later this year.

Akihito will abdicate from the Chrysanthemum Throne on April 30, making way for Crown Prince Naruhito to replace him the fol-lowing day.

“Our country has cultivated its own culture as an island nation,” he said at the ceremony in Tokyo. “As the world has been globalised, I think we are now required to be

more open to the outside, establish our own position with wisdom and build relations with other countries sincerely,” he said. Akihito also described his difficulties defining his role as emperor in the post-war era, and said he hoped his suc-cessors would think carefully about their symbolic status.

“Since I was enthroned as emperor, I have spent time pon-dering how I am supposed to be as a symbol,” the 85-year-old emperor said, describing the process as “endlessly long”.

The status of the emperor is sensitive in Japan given its 20th-century history of war waged in the

name of Akihito’s father Hirohito, who died in 1989. Akihito has keenly embraced the more modern role as a symbol of the state —imposed after World War II ended.

He also expanded his role by actively travelling across Japan, particularly to meet with victims of natural disasters and visit sites that had been affected by World War II. His son Crown Prince Naruhito has indicated he plans to follow in his father’s footsteps. Marking his 59th birthday, Naruhito pledged last week to maintain the royal household’s close ties to the public and “fulfil my duty as a symbol of the state.”

21 dead in bus accident at China’s largest silver mineAP BEIJING

A total of 21 people have been killed and 29 injured in a bus accident blamed on faulty brakes at China’s largest silver mine in the country’s north, the Emer-gency Management Ministry said yesterday.

Meanwhile, five fishermen were missing after their boat col-lided with a cargo ship almost

ten-times its size on Saturday afternoon in the sea off the eastern province of Zhejiang.

A search was underway and further investigations into both incidents are ongoing.

Saturday morning’s accident at the mine operated by the Yinman Mining Co. in the sprawling Inner Mongolia region occurred when a bus carrying 50 miners to the underground oper-ation crashed into the side of the

tunnel. The mine also produces lead and zinc.

A working team from the ministry was sent to “guide and assist” in the rescue and inves-tigation at the accident site.

Executives of the company have been placed under travel restrictions while the investi-gation is underway, the ministry said. Yinman is a subsidiary of Inner Mongolia Xingye Mining Co., Ltd. listed on China’s

Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and produces around 201 tons of silver annually, according to state media. China is the world’s third-largest producer of silver, producing 2,500 tonnes of the metal in 2017, a little more than twice what the US produces.

Photos posted online showed what appeared to be the scene where the bus rammed head-on into an outcropping in the narrow tunnel.

China aims to ‘optimise’ spread of controversial Confucius InstitutesREUTERS BEIJING

China plans to “optimise” the spread of its controversial Confucius Institutes, the government said, institutions to promote Chinese language and culture that have been criticised by some for spreading Communist Party influence.

In 2004, China began setting up the gov-ernment-run bodies, whose stated mission is to satisfy soaring global demand to learn Chinese. But they have drawn criticism, espe-cially in the United States, for being little more than a propaganda arm of the ruling Communist Party, assertions denied by both the institutes and the government.

The Confucius Institute will remain a key government policy, a document on modern-ising China’s education system issued late on Saturday by the party’s Central Committee and the cabinet showed.

“Optimise the regional distribution of the Confucius Institute, strengthen its abilities and building, and fully raise its educational standards,” they said, released by the official Xinhua news agency late on Saturday. “Strengthen work on the teaching of Chinese internationally,” they added, without giving details.

Such broad statements are typically fol-lowed weeks or even months later by more detailed policy documents that focus on implementation. Some US legislators,

including Florida Senator Macro Rubio, have been critical of the more than 100 Confucius Institutes hosted at universities across the United States, calling them a vehicle of Chinese influence on international higher education. Some major US colleges, including Pennsylvania State University and the Uni-versity of Chicago, have cut ties with the institute after professors complained its pro-grammes were Chinese propaganda wrapped in culture and language education.

The document added that China would improve educational opportunities for stu-dents from countries in the Belt and Road initiative, speeding up the grooming of inter-national talent and helping foreign students return home to better job prospects.

“If the present US administration reads others’ faces, lending an ear to others, it may face the shattered dream of the improvement of the relations with the DPRK and world peace and miss the rare historic opportunity,” KCNA state news agency said.

China tells foreign envoys its efforts in Xinjiang should be applaudedREUTERS BEIJING

China’s counter-terror and de-radicalisation efforts in its far western region of Xinjiang should be applauded for creating a new method of tackling the problem, a senior diplomat told foreign envoys last week.

China is stepping up its dip-lomatic outreach over contro-versial camps in the heavily Muslim region, inviting more foreign diplomats to visit as it seeks to head off criticism from Muslim-majority nations and at the United Nations.

The government says the camps are re-education and training facilities, and have been highly successful in stopping attacks previously blamed on Islamist militants and separatists, but rights groups say they are internment camps.

Chinese officials briefed dip-lomats from more than 80 coun-tries and international

organisations in Beijing on Friday about Xinjiang, the foreign min-istry said on Sunday, confirming a Reuters report.

Xinjiang Deputy Governor Erkin Tuniyaz and Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui explained Xinjiang’s “devel-opment achievements” and their “preventive counter-terrorism and de-extremism work” to the gathering, the ministry said.

“Xinjiang’s counter-terrorism and de-extremism efforts have created a new way to solve the symptoms and root cause of the difficult global issue of counter-terrorism, and are worthy of praise,” the statement para-phrased Zhang as saying.

“China will continue to make its due contribution towards the global fight against terrorism.” The diplomats said China’s explanation had helped them understand Xinjiang, that what China was doing there was important for the rest of the world in combating terror.

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko leave from a stage as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks on, during a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Emperor Akihito’s enthronement at the National Theatre in Tokyo, yesterday.

15MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 EUROPE

May promises Brexit deal vote by March 12REUTERS SHARM EL-SHEIKH

British Prime Minister Theresa May promised yesterday to offer lawmakers a vote on her Brexit deal by March 12, the latest delay in her attempt to win approval for a plan to ensure Britain’s orderly departure from the European Union.

As the United Kingdom’s lab-yrinthine Brexit crisis goes down to the wire, May is making a last-ditch effort to get changes to the divorce package but lawmakers may try on Wednesday to grab control of Brexit in a series of parliamentary votes.

After the British parliament voted 432-202 against her deal in January, the worst defeat in modern British history, May promised to seek changes that would allow lawmakers to ratify the agreement and thus avoid a potentially disorderly exit.

On her way to Egypt for an EU-Arab League summit, May said further meetings in Brussels on securing changes to the deal ruled out a so-called meaningful vote in parliament this week.

Instead, the new ‘high noon’ for Brexit, May and the British parliament will be on March 12, just 17 days before Britain is due to leave on March 29.

“We won’t bring a mean-ingful vote to parliament this week but we will ensure that happens by the 12th of March,” May told reporters on board her plane. “It is still within our grasp to leave the European Union with

a deal on the 29th of March and that is what we are working to do.”

In Sharm El-Sheikh, May will try to win the backing of the EU’s leaders to secure the changes and ease increasing frustration in Europe over the political impasse in Britain over a deal that was agreed with London in November.

The EU has ruled out reo-pening the Withdrawal Agreement, though both sides are looking at a possible legal addendum to reassure law-makers who worry the Irish border backstop could keep Britain trapped in the EU’s orbit for years to come.

“We have been having pos-itive talks with the European Union ... As you know I was in Brussels last week, ministers were in Brussels last week, my team will be back in Brussels again this coming week. They will be returning to Brussels on Tuesday,” May said.

“I think what’s important that we are still in that process of

working with the EU, looking at the ways in which we can resolve the challenge that parliament raised.”

With the clock ticking down to March 29, Britain is in the deepest political crisis in half a century as it grapples with how, or even whether, to exit the European project it joined in 1973.

Both Britain’s major parties fractured last week, losing law-makers who cast their former parties as broken remnants of a political system that was in meltdown.

Some lawmakers will seek to grab control of Brexit in a series of votes in the British par-liament on February 27, though such attempts have previously been defeated as May sought more time to get a deal.

Before she set off for Egypt, three members of her cabinet publicly split with government policy and said they would side with rebels and opposition parties to stop a no-deal Brexit.

“What we have seen around the cabinet table, in the party and in the country at large is strong views on the issue of Europe. That is not a surprise to anybody,” May said.

“We have around the cabinet table, a collective not just responsibility but desire, to actually ensure that we leave the European Union with a deal,” she added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the International Congress Centre ahead of first joint European Union and Arab League summit, at the Egyptian Red Sea Resort, in Sharm El Sheikh, yesterday.

Germany fails to deport 27,000 rejected asylum seekers in 2018REUTERS BERLIN

Germany failed to deport 27,000 rejected asylum seekers last year, nearly half of the total 57,000 cases, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (pictured) said yesterday, adding that the government would step up efforts to get those migrants out of the country.

Seehofer, a member of the Bavarian sister party of Chan-cellor Angela Merkel’s

conservatives, is one of the sharpest critics of her decision in 2015 to open Germany’s borders to more than 1 million refugees.

Merkel has repeatedly defended the decision she took at the height of the European refugee crisis, but has said she would prevent any repeat and focus on the root causes of migration.

Seehofer said that the 27,000 rejected asylum seekers could not be deported because they had no travel documents or

police could not find them. Some resisted deportation at the airport, he added.

The government plans to restrict the rights of failed asylum seekers who lied about their identify or who are deemed a security threat, by establishing a new form of “preparatory detention” before deportation, Seehofer said.

Those migrants would have to report regularly to police and they could face further restric-tions such as having to wear a locator device, the minister said. The Cabinet is expected to pass the law before the holidays.

Nearly every second company in Germany hired a refugee under a vocational job training contract in 2018, up from only every third company in 2016, a survey by the Economy Min-istry and the DIHK Chamber of Industry and Commerce showed.

After nine years of uninter-rupted growth, Germany’s economy is struggling with labour shortages in many business sectors, and firms are reporting record job vacancies of 1.5 million.

Italian Prime Minister says govt will survive even after EU electionsBLOOMBERG ROME

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte vowed the country’s frac-tious governing coalition won’t collapse after European elec-tions in May and repeated that corrective budget measures such as a wealth tax aren’t needed amid the worsening economic outlook.

Conte, in an interview with daily Corriere della Sera, took issue with comments by Fitch Ratings that tension between coalition partners — the populist Five Star Movement and right-wing League — was contributing to investor uncertainty and could lead to an early vote.

“The government will survive, even after the European elections,” the premier said in the interview published yes-terday. “Frankly, this political instability I really don’t see.”

The 54-year-old Conte spends much of his time medi-ating policy disputes between his two deputy premiers: Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, head of the League.

They have clashed on issues ranging from immigration to the TAV high-speed rail link between Turin and Lyon, France.

Salvini’s popularity has soared since Italy’s national election in March, raising the possibility he might be tempted to cash in his gains, bring down the government and form a new one as its leader.

Conte conceded that the European election outcome might reverse the results of Italy’s 2018 vote, in which Five Star gained more parliamentary seats than Salvini’s League.

“It could happen that the political forces in the governing majority get a consensus pro-portionately different than the election a year ago,” Conte said in the Corriere interview. “But even if that happens, it wouldn’t impact this government’s experience.”

The latest indication of popular support for the coalition partners will come in yesterday’s regional elections in Sardinia.

Salvini spent much of the past week campaigning there, siding with shepherds and farmers who blocked roads and poured milk into the streets to demand higher prices for their produce.

“We’ll win in Sardinia today, but it won’t change anything for the government, we’re going forward for five years,” Salvini was quoted as saying by news agency Ansa.

It is still within our grasp to leave the European Union with a deal on the 29th of March and that is what we are working to do: Theresa May

‘Labour moving closer to back new Brexit referendum’REUTERS LONDON

Britain’s opposition Labour Party is moving closer to supporting a second Brexit referendum and could do so as soon as this week, several of its senior lawmakers said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has so far stuck to Labour policy to keep the option of a second referendum “on the table” if May’s government fails to secure a deal with Brussels that can break an impasse in

parliament, preferring a new election or his own proposed deal.

Asked whether this would be the week Labour comes out in support of a second referendum, the party’s deputy leader Tom Watson said: “It might be ... We are getting closer to that point.”

“We are heading in that direction but there is still more play in the day’s ahead,” he said.

Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell made similar comments in an interview, while the party’s trade

spokesman Barry Gardiner said the idea of a second vote would become more important as a “safety net” as Britain edged closer to leaving without a deal.

Any public vote could not include May’s deal as one of the options however as it was “not credible”, he said.

McDonnell said he had met with two Labour lawmakers, Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, who have proposed May’s deal be put to the public in another refer-endum but he did not think enough Labour lawmakers

would want to vote for it as it stands because it would involve backing May’s Brexit agreement.

“We’re working with them to see can we have a redraft of that amendment which people could vote for. I think there’s a high possibility we could.”

“There’s increasingly large numbers of people who will consider now moving towards a public vote situation to block a no deal, and to block a bad deal, that Theresa May’s deal is — that will be the vote of this coming week.”

Breakdance grooveDancer “Lil Zoo” from the Red Bull BC One All Star team competes during the breakdance contest, “Paris Battle Pro”, at La Seine Musicale, in Paris, yesterday.

Strong winds fan forest fires on French islandAFP AJACCIO

Firefighters battled a series of forest fires yesterday on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica that were being driven by strong winds across hard-to-access mountain ranges, author-ities said.

One of the biggest blazes began overnight in Calenzana, a village near the northern coastal city of Calvi, burning nearly

1,300 hectares by yesterday afternoon.

“There’s a lot of wind so we’re focusing on trying to keep it from spreading,” the govern-ment’s regional official Gerard Gavory said.

Planes were dumping fire retardants on the area, and so far no homes or farms had been destroyed, Gavory said. “Despite repeated warnings by the authorities, stubble burnings that got out of control, along with the

very strong winds, started the fires.” We had 20 break out yes-terday and eight today.”

But while Calenzana Mayor Pierre Guidonia also denounced a “cowardly and criminal act,” state prosecutor Caroline Tharot said investigations into the cause of the fires were still underway.

Around 170 people were fighting blazes in northern Corsica yesterday afternoon, often on rocky terrain where fire trucks could not reach.

In the southern part of the island the biggest fire was at Tolla to the east of Ajaccio, with around 80 hectares burned, Colonel Christophe Magny of the regional fire service said.

In nearby fire Sampolo some 50 acres had burned, Magny added.

Corsica was largely spared by forest fires last year, following a series of fierce blazes during an exceptionally dry in the year 2017.

One dead, 4 rescued inavalanche inAustria forestAP BERLIN

An avalanche hit a forest in Austria near the German border, killing one skier, Austrian police said. Four others were rescued from the snow but emergency workers kept up the search for others who may have been buried alive.

The avalanche hit an off-piste forest in Reutte near the German border. Most roads leading to the site were blocked by Saturday afternoon’s ava-lanche and from a previous avalanche Thursday night, making rescue efforts more complicated.

“Of the four people who were rescued alive, one person is injured,” said police spokesman Michael Eder. He said all five were out on back-country skiing tours when they were hit by the avalanche. He didn’t have any details about their identities or nationalities.

“We are continuing our search for others who may have been buried, but it’s getting dark now and will become more difficult to find anybody,” Eder added.

Four helicopters were taking emergency staff to the site and around 60 firefighters and mountain police with search dogs were on the scene.

16 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019EUROPE

BLOOMBERG MADRID

Maybe it’s something in the gazpacho or paella, as Spain just surpassed Italy to become the world’s healthiest country.

That’s according to the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which ranks 169 economies according to factors that contribute to overall health. Spain placed sixth in the previous gauge, published in 2017.

Four additional European nations were among the top 10 in 2019: Iceland (third place),

Switzerland (fifth), Sweden (sixth) and Norway (ninth). Japan was the healthiest Asian nation, jumping three places from the 2017 survey into fourth and replacing Singapore, which dropped to eighth. Australia and Israel rounded out the top 10 at seventh and 10th place.

The index grades nations based on variables including life expectancy while imposing pen-alties on risks such as tobacco use and obesity. It also takes into consideration environmental factors including access to clean water and sanitation.

Spain has the highest life

expectancy at birth among European Union nations, and trails only Japan and Swit-zerland globally, United Nations data show. Spain by 2040 is forecast to have the highest lifespan, at almost 86 years, fol-lowed by Japan, Singapore and Switzerland, according to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

‘Primary care is essentially provided by public providers, specialised family doctors and staff nurses, who provide pre-ventive services to children, women and elderly patients, and

acute and chronic care,’ according to the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 2018 review of Spain, noting a decline the past decade in cardiovascular dis-eases and deaths from cancer.

Researchers said eating habits may provide clues to health levels enjoyed by Spain and Italy, as a “Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, had a lower rate of major cardiovas-cular events than those assigned to a reduced-fat diet,” according to a study led by the University of Navarra Medical School.

Meanwhile in North America, Canada’s 16th-place ranking far surpassed the US and Mexico, both of which dropped slightly to 35th and 53rd. Life expectancy in the US has been trending lower due to deaths from drug over-doses and suicides.

Cuba placed five spots above the US, making it the only nation not classified as ‘high income’ by the World Bank to be ranked that high. One reason for the island nation’s success may be its emphasis on preventative care over the US focus on diagnosing and treating illness, the American Bar Association Health Law

Section said in a report last year.South Korea improved seven

spots to 17th while China, home to 1.4 billion people, rose three places to 52nd. Life expectancy in China is on track to surpass the US by 2040, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Sub-Saharan economies accounted for 27 of the 30 unhealthiest nations in the ranking. Mauritius was the healthiest in Sub-Sahara, placing 74th globally as it had the lowest death rate by communicable diseases in a region still marred by infectious mortality.

Spain tops Italy as world’s healthiest nation while US slips

REUTERS CHISINAU

Moldovans voted in an election yesterday that is likely to produce a hung parliament, splitting the eastern European country between pro-Western and pro-Russian forces at a time when its relations with the European Union have soured.

The current government wants closer EU integration and warns of catastrophe if the country falls back into Russia’s sphere of influence.

But corruption scandals and worries over the health of its democracy have tarnished the country’s image and weakened the appeal of the pro-Western political class.

Opinion polls suggest the opposition Socialist party, which favours closer ties to Moscow, will win most seats but fall short of a majority. The ruling pro-Western Democratic Party trails in second and an opposition bloc called ACUM, campaigning to fight entrenched corruption, is third.

“I voted with little hope that

the new parliament will care about the real concerns of the country,” said Elizaveta Vitiuc, a 40-year-old primary school teacher. “I, like many, want change, so that young people do not leave Moldova, so that they see the future in their own country, and not in a foreign country where more than 700,000 of my fellow citizens are now living.”

The campaign has been dogged by controversy.

In the last few days alone, ACUM’s leaders claimed they were being poisoned on the orders of the authorities, which the Democratic Party swiftly dis-missed as a “strange accusation”.

Russia’s Interior Ministry announced an investigation into Democratic Party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc, accusing him of involvement in organised crime, prompting Plahotniuc’s party to accuse Moscow of election meddling.

Igor Dodon, the Moldovan president and former Socialist party leader, has told his sup-porters to be ready for mass pro-tests if the Democratic Party tried to cling on to power.

“Moldova has the potential for development, it’s only nec-essary that the authorities are not be corrupt, that they should think about the people, and not only about their own pockets,” said Alexandra Ciorescu, a 72-year-

old pensioner.The EU forged a deal on

closer trade and political ties with the ex-Soviet republic in 2014 but it has become increas-ingly critical of Chisinau’s track record on reforms.

One of Europe’s poorest countries, which is squeezed between Ukraine and EU member state Romania, Moldova plunged into crisis in 2014-2015 after $1bn was pilfered from three banks.

The EU froze aid after a court struck down the victory in the Chisinau mayoral race of one of ACUM’s leaders, Andrei Nastase, on a technicality last year. The European Parliament declared it “a state captured by

oligarchic interests”.On the other hand, Plahot-

niuc’s party has trumpeted the achievements of its government under Prime Minister Pavel Filip.

I believe in the future of Moldova,” said Filip after casting his vote. “We are ready to con-tinue reforms and all social pro-grams, the implementation of which will change the lives of Moldovan citizens for the better.”

Dodon said in January he was prepared to call snap elec-tions if Sunday’s vote proved inconclusive. “I also understand that Moldova’s image has lost quite a lot over the past few years. Any political crisis will once again damage the image of the Republic of Moldova.”

Moldovan President Igor Dodon casts his vote at a polling station, in Chisinau, yesterday.

AFP MOSCOW

Several thousand Russians took part in a march in memory of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov yesterday, four years after he was gunned down in Moscow.

Ordinary Muscovites and prominent opposition figures, including politician Alexei Navalny, marched through the centre of the city.

Many carried Russian flags, portraits of Nemtsov and anti-Kremlin banners. Some chanted slogans against President Vladimir Putin.

Six thousand people took part, police said in a statement on the Interior Ministry website.

Pro-opposition monitors estimated the turnout at 10,000.

“It’s about the future of the country that Putin is taking away

from the people,” opposition pol-itician Ilya Yashin said.

He said a growing number of young people were taking part in opposition marches.

Ivan, a 55-year-old driver who refused to give his last name, said he went along to remember Nemtsov who “was a clean person with democratic principles”. “He was killed because the authorities had enough of him.”

In Saint Petersburg, around 800 people gathered to mark the anniversary outside the Finland train station.

“Nemtsov, one of the most vocal Putin critics, was gunned down shortly before midnight on February 27, 2015, walking across a bridge a short distance from the Kremlin.

In 2017, a court found a former security force officer

from Chechnya guilty of mur-dering Nemtsov and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Four other men were found guilty of

involvement in the killing. But Nemtsov’s family and

allies insist the authorities have failed to bring the masterminds

to justice. Many point the finger of blame at Chechnya’s Moscow-backed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov— and the Kremlin itself.

Igor Dodon, the Moldovan president and former Socialist party leader, has told his supporters to be ready for mass protests if the Democratic Party tried to cling on to power.

Russians honour slain oppn leader

Opposition supporters march in memory of murdered Kremlin critic, Boris Nemtsov, in Moscow, yesterday.

Spanish right-wing parties on track to win snap votes: PollREUTERS MADRID

Spanish right-wing parties PP, Ciudadanos and Vox could together hold a parliamentary majority in a snap election on April 28, one opinion poll showed.

It was the first such outcome in a major poll since Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the early

election a week ago after Catalan independence parties joined opposition parties in defeating his 2019 budget bill.

The three right-wing parties will win 169-179 seats in the election in the 350-seat legis-lature, according to a Sigma Dos poll published by newspaper El Mundo.

Sanchez’s Socialist Party will win the biggest share of seats, 110-114, according to the poll,

short of a majority.The conservative People’s

Party will get 71-75 seats, while the centre-right Ciudadanos will take 54-58. The far-right party Vox will win 44-46 seats, according to the poll.

The anti-immigration Vox is a newcomer on the Spanish political scene and pollsters had understimated its score in a regional election in Andalusia in December, where it won 12

seats out of 109.Memories of the dictatorship

of Francisco Franco, who died in 1975, meant Spain had long resisted the growing popularity of far-right party in much of Europe.

Opinion polls have over recent weeks have differed over which parties would have enough seats to form a coalition.

All polls see Sanchez’s

Socialists leading and getting more seats than in the previous vote in 2016.

But even a potential coalition between Socialists and Ciu-dadanos, which has so far said it does not want that at a national level, would leave both parties with up to 172 seats, short of a majority.

The poll was conducted through 1,200 interviews from February 19 to 22.

American citizen dead in Russia car accidentAP ST PETERSBURG

An American citizen has been killed when a car ran up on the sidewalk along the main thor-oughfare in the Russian city of St Petersburg.

One other person was killed and three were injured in the accident early yesterday on Nevsky Prospekt.

The driver was detained by police and a criminal case has been opened against him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the reports said.

A St Petersburg news site, Fontanka.ru, identified the victim as Todd Crowell and said he had moved from the state of Georgia to St. Petersburg several years ago.

An Investigative Committee official said he could not comment on the matter.

A Facebook page for a Todd Crowell that lists his residence as St. Petersburg says he was from Tybee Island, Georgia.

In November last year, Two teenagers died after a stolen car slammed into a tree in St. Petersburg, then caught fire.

The crash happened just after 3am at 38th Avenue N and 49th Street N Police said the stolen Mazda Miata was west-bound “at a high rate of speed” on 38th when the driver lost control.

Thousands protest in Romania against judicial reformsREUTERS BUCHAREST

Thousands of Romanians protested across the country after the government passed an emergency decree that critics said chipped away at prose-cutors’ independence in one of the EU’s most corrupt states.

The decree, approved without public debate, is the latest in a slew of legislative and personnel changes by the ruling Social Democrats since they took power more than two years ago that have raised con-cerns over rule of law.

The European Commission, US State Department and thou-sands of magistrates have warned the changes threaten judicial independence.

In an unprecedented protest, prosecutors have said they will only work on emer-gency cases from Monday for three to seven days. Many judges will follow suit. Magis-trates declined an invitation to meet Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to discuss the decree.

In Bucharest, an estimated 7,000 people protested outside government headquarters. Thousands more rallied in cities across the country.

The decree changes the way chief prosecutors are appointed and removes most oversight of a prosecuting unit that investi-gates magistrates, something critics said was created to intimidate.

Moldova holds parliamentary elections

17MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 AMERICAS

Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard members check damages following protests at the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge, in Urena, Venezuela, yesterday.

‘US needs broader approach to border security’AP EL PASO

Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said yesterday after visiting the US-Mexico border that the government needs a broader, more effective approach to border control. He suggested the Pentagon might contribute with its expertise in surveillance and monitoring.

“How do we get out of treating the symptoms and get at the root of the issue,” Shanahan said in an interview while flying back to Washington.

Considering how the military could reinforce efforts to block drug smuggling and other illegal activity comes as the Pentagon weighs diverting billions of dollars for President Donald Trump’s border wall.

Shanahan said he was not volunteering the Pentagon to take over any part of border control, which is the responsi-bility of the Department of Homeland Security. But he said his visit led him to question whether there should be a “wholesale redesign” of the way border control is done by the federal government.

Shanahan said the Pentagon

is willing to continue supporting the DHS but wants to see a longer-term solution.

“I don’t want to just add resources and not fix the problem,” he said.

The Pentagon, for example, has agreed to temporarily provide active-duty troops to operate Border Patrol vehicles whose cameras can surveil wide areas along the border.

Shanahan said this will free up the Border Patrol to do other important aspects of their mission, adding this is a function that could be developed more fully with the benefit of decades of US military experience with ground and aerial reconnais-sance and surveillance around the world.

In addition to speaking with

Border Patrol agents and other leaders during his visit, Shanahan flew in a V-22 Osprey aircraft along dozens of miles of border west of El Paso, including two areas where DHS is proposing to replace vehicle barriers with 18-foot and 30-foot border walls.

Shanahan and the Joint Chiefs Chairman, Gen Joseph Dunford, visited a border site called Monument Site 3 where a stretch of 18-foot border wall stands atop a huge landfill. They also got an up-close look at Border Patrol vehicles used for surveillance. Vehicle-mounted surveillance cameras can see as far as eight miles away.

During the visit, Shanahan tried his hand at firing a couple of Border Patrol weapons, including one that fires plastic bullets.

The two border control sites farther west are on a list of high-priority projects DHS submitted to Shanahan on Friday to support its request for money to pay for construction of roads, replacement of vehicle barriers and dilapidated pedestrian fencing, and installation of lighting.

The pedestrian fencing would include detection systems that could alert border patrol

agents when someone is attempting to damage or break through the fencing. The money would come from the Pentagon’s drug interdiction programs.

One such project proposed by DHS, dubbed “El Paso Project 1,” includes segments of border west of El Paso, in Luna and Dona Ana counties, New Mexico. This is among areas DHS cites as known drug smuggling corridors

used by Mexican cartels.These projects are separate

from, but related to, those which Shanahan is expected to pay for by diverting money that Con-gress appropriated for military construction projects. This could total as much as $3.6bn, although Shanahan has not yet deter-mined that the diversion is justified.

His visit was meant to help

him decide whether to approve such spending.

DHS has yet to provide the details that Shanahan says he needs before making his decision on the repurposing of military construction funds.

He has said he is likely to provide the full $3.6bn the White House is expecting, plus $2.5bn from the drug interdiction programme

Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said his visit led him to question whether there should be a “wholesale redesign” of the way border control is done by the federal government.

Cargo jet with three on-board crashes near Houston airportREUTERS NEW YORK

A Boeing 767 cargo jetliner with three people on-board crashed into a bay near Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport yesterday, police and officials said.

Atlas Air Flight 3591 was en route to Houston from Miami when radar and radio contact with the plane was lost about 48km southeast of the airport, the Federal Aviation Adminis-tration said in a statement.

Authorities told media they did not believe there were any survivors.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be in charge of the investigation, the statement said, and FAA

investigators were on their way to the crash site.

In a Facebook post, the Chambers County Sheriff’s office said the plane had been located in Jack’s Pocket, at the north end of Trinity Bay near the city of Anahuac.

Ed Gonzalez, the sheriff of neighbouring Harris County, which includes Houston, said on Twitter his office was sending personnel to help with the rescue efforts.

Boeing said on Twitter it was aware of reports of an accident involving a 767 in Texas and was gathering information.

Atlas Air said there were three people on board the aircraft. “Those people and their family members are our top priority at this time,” it said in a statement.

Trump announces ‘one of biggest’ July 4 eventsAFP WASHINGTON

After giving up his idea for a huge military parade in Wash-ington, President Donald Trump announced a July 4 “Salute to America” that he predicted would be “one of the biggest gatherings” in the city’s history.

“HOLD THE DATE” Trump said in one of a series of tweets early yesterday.

He said the event would be held at the Lincoln Memorial on the west end of the National Mall and would feature a “major fire-works display, entertainment and an address by your favourite President, me!”

After witnessing the

grandeur of the Bastille Day parade in Paris in 2017 in the company of President Emmanuel Macron, Trump had pressed for an equally impressive Veterans Day parade in Washington, with marching troops, convoys of armoured vehicles and roaring overflights by squadrons of elite fighter jets.

But his military advisers reportedly pushed back, partic-ularly after an estimate surfaced that the event could cost tax-payers as much as $92m.

In retreating from his plan last August, Trump wrote on Twitter: “Maybe we will do some-thing next year in DC when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!”

Acting Secretary of Defence, Patrick Shanahan (centre), fires a modified painted ball gun during a tour of the US-Mexico border at Santa Teresa Station in Sunland Park, yesterday.

Pompeo dismisses Putin’s missile threat as ‘bluster’AFP WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured) dismissed yesterday a threat by Russian leader Vladimir Putin to deploy new missiles against Western capitals as “bluster” designed to divide Washington and its allies.

In a speech last week, Putin warned the US against deploying any new missiles in Europe after the collapse of a key Cold War-era treaty, saying Russia would respond by deploying weapons targeting “decision-making centres.”

But in an interview with CNN, Pompeo said Putin’s com-ments amounted to an empty

threat and the Russian leader was trying to divert attention away from Moscow’s violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

“The Russians violated that treaty... Now it’s time to figure out how to move forward and come up with something the Russians will actually live by,” said Pompeo.

“His bluster is aimed at trying to convince the world, to drive a wedge between the United states and Europe when eve-ryone is fully on board.

“The Europeans were fully supportive of our decision, and

we’ll move forward together in ensuring the security of the United States’ people.”

The US announced earlier this month it was withdrawing from the INF treaty, saying Russia had been in breach of the agreement for several years by deploying a new missile system. Russia, which insists the system complies with the INF, said it would pull out too.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has said several times in recent weeks that the alliance would not deploy any new land-based nuclear weapons in response to the Russian missiles.

Two dead in Venezuela aid standoffREUTERS CUCUTA

At least two people were killed and trucks loaded with foreign aid were set ablaze after Vene-zuelan President Nicolas Maduro deployed troops and armoured vehicles to turn back humani-tarian assistance at border crossings with Colombia and Brazil.

Maduro said he was breaking diplomatic relations with Colombia and ordered its diplo-matic staff to leave Venezuela within 24 hours because of its government’s assistance to opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Guaido, who most Western nations recognise as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, gave a personal send-off on Saturday to a convoy carrying US aid departing from the Colombian city of Cucuta. The opposition said the foreign humanitarian assistance is

desperately needed to tackle widespread food and medicine shortages in Venezuela.

But Maduro denies his oil-rich nation has any need of aid and accuses Guaido of being a coup-mongering puppet for US President Donald Trump.

Washington warned on Friday that it could impose tough new sanctions on Venezuela if Maduro blocked the aid shipments.

“What do the Venezuelan people think of Donald Trump’s threats? Get your hands off Ven-ezuela Donald Trump. Yankee go home,” Maduro told a rally of red-shirted, flag-waving sup-porters in the capital, Caracas. “He is sending us rotten food, thank you!”

In the Venezuelan border towns of San Antonio and Urena, troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at opposition supporters, including lawmakers, walking towards the frontier waving

Venezuelan flags and chanting “freedom.”

People in Urena barricaded streets with burning tires, set a bus alight and hurled stones at troops to demand that Maduro allow aid into a country ravaged by an economic meltdown that has halved the size of the economy in five years.

“They started shooting at close range as if we were crim-inals,” said shopkeeper Vladimir Gomez, 27, wearing a white shirt stained with blood. “I couldn’t avoid the (rubber) bullets and they hit me in the face and my back. We have to fight.”

Colombia’s government had said that aid trucks would be unloaded at the border and their cargo transported by “human chains” that formed on the road that leads toward Venezuela. However, Venezuelan security forces halted the convoys with a barrage of teargas.

Democrat vows lawsuit for Mueller report if not releasedAP WASHINGTON

A top House Democrat threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena docu-ments and take the Trump administration to court if necessary if the full report on the Russia investigation is not made public.

Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff said that his committee will be watching Attorney-General William Barr to see if he

were “to try to bury any part of this report.” He warns there will be intense scrutiny and pressure on Barr to fully release the report.

“We will take it to court if necessary,” Schiff said.

“If he were to try to withhold, to try to bury any part of this report, that will be his legacy and it will be a tarnished legacy. So I think there’ll be immense pressure not only on the department, but on the attorney general to be forthcoming.”

Death confirmed as tornado hits Mississippi city

AP COLUMBUS

Officials in eastern Mississippi said at least one person has died after a weekend tornado struck the community.

The mayor’s office in Columbus, Mississippi, con-firmed the death yesterday in a statement on Facebook, citing information from Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant.

The statement said 41-year-old Ashley Glynell Pounds of Tupelo was with three other people in a building that col-lapsed in the storm on Saturday evening. It said that Pounds was taken to a hospital and died in surgery. The statement gave no information on the condition of the others in the building.

The tornado smashed into a commercial district in the small Mississippi city, shattering businesses as severe storms raked the South on a weekend of drenching rains and a rising flood threat.

The tornado that shattered businesses the east Mississippi city was confirmed on radar, said meteorologist Anna Wol-verton with the National Weather Service in Jackson, adding that experts would be headed to the city of about 23,000 people to gauge the tor-nado’s intensity.

Elsewhere around the South, homes, highways, and bridges have been flooded or put out of commission by the heavy rains. News outlets report that water rescues have been performed in some Middle Tennessee counties. Flash flood warnings and watches remained in place throughout the South.

18 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019CLASSIFIEDS

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SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The 1980s Show by Kuwaiti artistes in Doha became a huge hit among Qatari citizens.

The success of this spectacular show was evident from the fact that over 2,000 tickets were sold out within few hours.

The two-day cultural activity depicting the TV serials aired in Kuwait during 1980s was staged at Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) to celebrate Kuwait National Day. Some additional works were added to give the show a special Qatari touch.

“We came from Kuwait upon the invitation of ambassador of Qatar to Kuwait to perform in the show,” Mohamad Baqir, Maestro Orchestra at the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Cultural Centre of Kuwait told The Peninsula.

He said that about 75 musi-cians and artistes took part in the 1980s Show. “The show was based on the television serials aired during 1980s in Kuwait, the era called the golden age of Kuwait TVs,” said Baqir adding that the show was staged like operetta with live musical con-certs. He said that this year more Qatari-Kuwait activities are being held in both countries to celebrate Kuwait National Day.

“The show was organised by Al Rayyan for Media and Mar-keting Company in collaboration with Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Cul-tural Centre to celebrate the National Day of Kuwait,” said Aisha Bughanim, Director of Marketing of the Company.

She said that the show was great hit among Qatari citizens as over 2,000 tickets for the show were sold out withing few hours showing strong cultural ties between the people of both countries.

“The citizens were very exited for the shows which were held first time in Qatar,” said Bughanim hinting that the similar shows for same levels to be organised in near future.

The Kuwait artistes partici-pated in the shows include Ahmad Hamza; Usama Al Bayati; Badar Kamal; Ahmad Al Sani; Shadi Afifi; Tariq Kamal; Khalid Nuri; Mohamad Al Zanki; Ahmad Shawqi; Midhat Ali.

The Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Cultural Centre is a multidisci-plinary public space striving to entertain, educate and inspire the people of Kuwait. It offers a range of events – in music, theatre, film, workshops and spoken word – for every gener-ation and sector of society, according to information shared on the center’s website.

It adds that the Center

provides a space for dialogue to share and showcase skills and knowledge, giving younger voices a forum in which to speak. The cultural centre is a platform for educational and cultural exchange; moreover, it functions as an influential entertainment and culture powerhouse and productive space for the region.

19MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019 HOME

KUWAIT

SIDI MOHAMED

THE PENINSULA

Qatar organasied several activities in a run-up to Kuwait’s 58th National Day which

will be celebrated today. Resi-dents and expatriates partici-pated in these events with full fervour.

A number of events were organised in Souq Waqif and many other places. Over 4,000 people attended the 1980s Show, held at Qatar National Con-vention Center (QNCC), which showed golden age of most important cultural activities. The 1980s show included clips of films and plays produced in Kuwait in 1980s.

The show is a journey to the common culture between the two countries and what brought both countries closer to each other.

The two-day event was organised under the slogan ‘Kuwait and Qatar One Nation’.

The huge Qatari presence and their interaction reflected the depth and rapprochement of the Qatari-Kuwaiti culture and the place of Kuwait in the hearts of Qataris.

The Show was held for the first time outside Al Kuwait, and citizens from both countries not only share the language and history but also the culture, said the producer of the Show. The show, that included 55 pieces of music and video, was two-hour long and 80 musicians and singers participated in it.

“We are grateful to the State of Qatar for its participation in the national celebrations of the State of Kuwait, whether in Doha or in Kuwait, which includes a number of great and distin-guished events,” said Hafeez Mohammed Al Ajmi, Ambassador

of Kuwait to Qatar.Speaking to media on the

occasion of the 58th National Day, Al Ajmi said that this Qatari participation reflects the cohesion of the people of the Gulf and emphasizes the cohesion among the people of the Gulf.

“The people of Kuwait con-sider Qatar as their second home.

We have seen the State of Qatar as the top tourist desti-nation for the Kuwaiti tourists. Kuwait has a great place in the hearts of Qataris as it is close to

them geographically and cul-turally. Kuwait has become one of the most important markets in the region due to diversity,” Ambassador said.

On Qatar and Kuwait rela-tions, Al Ajmi said the Kuwait’s relationship with the people of Qatar dates back to before six-teenth century. Along with strong relations between the two gov-ernments, the bond between the citizens is also strong.

The Ambassador also men-tioned that there is a great coop-eration between the two coun-tries in the field of education and military fields, in addition to the participation of various depart-ments of the Qatari military forces in the joint exercises held in Kuwait. “Similarly, the Kuwaiti Armed Forces are participating in exercises held in Qatar.”

About the volume of trade exchange, the Ambassador said that the bilateral investments

exceeded $7bn in both the public and private sectors in both coun-tries. “The two countries have witnessed strong growth in trade exchange. The two chambers agreed to establish a joint business council to promote cooperation between private sectors in both countries.”

“In the end of 2018, the volume of trade with Qatar grew by QR2.8bn (about $770m) and the number of Kuwaiti com-panies operating in Qatar increased by 34 percent in 2018 compared to 2017,” he said.

The Ambassador also said that “Many Kuwaitis are studying here in Qatar in various univer-sities, and we are proud of them and encourage our sons and daughters from both countries to study in the other country,” he said.

Kuwaiti citizen Abdullah al Dawsari who attended the 1980s Show said that the Qatari

Kuwait has a great place in the hearts of Qataris

audience encouraged us for this show. The show was amazing and we intended to organize it at Qatar to celebrate together this occasion because we are one people nation.

“Thanks to Qatar they open to us their homes and their hearts and we felt as if we were in Kuwait,” al Dawsari added.

For his part, another Kuwaiti citizens said that “the Kuwaiti community in Qatar is very happy as they are celebrating the 58th National Day and 28th Liberation Day Anniversary without the need to go to Kuwait.

“Qataris share with us our happiness and has organised many cultural activities in Qatar in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti com-munity enjoyed these shows very much and we were keen to visit Souq Waqif to attend these music and cultural shows,” he added.

Commenting on the 1980s Show, he said that the partici-pation in the event was huge and organisers were surprised by the big success of show and all tickets were sold quickly.

In the midst of an atmosphere of music and culture, the cele-bration “Qatar and Kuwiat One nation” began on February 21-26 in Souq Waqif coinciding with the 58th National Day and 28th Lib-eration Day Anniversary. Singers from Qatar and Kuwait gave spec-tacular performances that enthralled hundreds of visitors from different nationalities.

1980s Show proves a big hit

Souq Waqif hosted a number of cultural activities to cel-ebrate Kuwait National Day

under a theme of ‘Qatar-Kuwait One Nation’.

The event is being organised by Private Engineering Office as a Kuwaiti- Qatari cultural festival featuring folklore heritage of two countries. The cultural festival which began on February 21 and will conclude tomorrow (Feb-ruary 26).

Musical bands paraded in Souq Waqif playing cultural musics of Gulf countries on Friday and Saturday.

A number of artistes from Kuwait and Qatar including famous singers and musicians performed in the shows held at

the open theater of Souq Waqif.Huge number of people

including men, women and children enjoyed the shows. They were very exited to see their favorites artistes from Kuwait and Qatar performing togather.

The artistes picked up the most popular songs in GCC spe-cially those of Qatar and Kuwait. The musicians used traditional musical instruments like Oud, Qanun and kamancheh. A visitor who was enjoying the show at Souq Waqif said that it was a memorable experience to witness this spectacular show that gave a glimpse of strong bonds between brotherly countries.

“I came with my family

including children to celebrate the National Day of our brotherly country Kuwait,” Abu Ahmad, a visitor told The Peninsula. He said that Souq Waqif has been turned into festive mood because of the events being held to cele-brate Kuwait National Day.

“The celebrations bring closer to the people of two coun-tries. We celebrate Kuwait National Day like Qatar National Day,” said Abu Ahmad.

Some non-Arab expatriates were also there to enjoy the cel-ebrations at Souq Waqif. “I wish to understand the Arabic song, it is very beautiful melody but I can not understand,” said Abdurraof Rahimullah, another visitor lauding the Arabic musics.

‘Qatar-Kuwait One Nation’ celebrates Kuwait National Day at Souq Waqif

Hafeez Mohammed Al Ajmi, Ambassador of Kuwait to Qatar.

Abdullah al Dawsari

Mohamad Baqir

The 1980s Show included 55 musical and video presentations in which 80 musicians and singers participated at QNCC.

Kuwaiti cultural show at Souq Waqif

20 MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 45 AM

06. 01 AM

11. 47 AM

03. 06 PM

05. 35 PM

07. 05 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 08:08 – 22:33 LOW TIDE 03:22 –15:58

Misty to foggy at some places by early

morning becomes moderate temperature

daytime with some clouds, cold by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum16oC 26oC

Turkish pavilion at DJWE lures visitors with exciting designsAROOSA KHALID THE PENINSULA

Along many international and local brands of jewellery, artistic jewellery brands from Turkey are attracting visitors at Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE).

The visitors who are looking for unusual jewellery designs find some unique, eye-catching pieces of jew-ellery at the pavilion of Turkey which is hosting around a dozen stalls.

One of the Turkish brands, Robi Diamond, has introduced some highly exciting and truly exclusive designs. Some of these pieces are unique and have left visitors highly impressed by their artistic value.

The jewellery pieces displayed at Robi Diamond booth are well crafted and sophisticated, and boast of the highest precision levels. Some of them are attracting the attention of the vis-itors purely for their design.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Gurkan Ozhanoglu, owner and designer of the Robi Diamond, said: “I am super excited. It is my second

visit to Qatar and the huge response which I am receiving is overwhelming.

I have created two exclusive designs.”He is impressed with nature and

it reflects in his designs. Showing a gold necklace with many flowers and tiny sparrows painted in different colours, he said that it was the only piece in the world. “We have brought this piece specially to Qatar for this exhibition.”

“I am inspired from nature forms. Flower Bird Collection is my latest one. It is a mix of semi-precious

gemstones like turquoise, yellow citrine, moonstone, mother of pearls, amethyst and coral as well as enamel. It is a beautiful aesthetic collection.”

A Turkish brand, Amber Alex, is also there with highly-valuable amber prayer beads. Aleksas Mazukna, director of the company, said: “We are producing amber for more than 20 years. The main supply of high-quality amber comes from the Baltic countries in Northern Europe.”

Amber Alex, a Turkish brand, is displayed at the exhibition.

Gurkan Ozhanoglu, owner and designer of the Robi Diamond, displays the items during the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition at DECC yesterday.PICS: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

QM’s ‘Marchitecture’ returns with 20 events

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Museums (QM) has announced the return of ‘Marchitecture’ – a nationwide cultural showcase, which gives Culture Pass members exclusive access to some of Qatar’s iconic buildings and cultural sites.

The annual month-long event will offer public insight into the evolution of the country’s architecture, from his-toric sites to modern marvels, during the month of March.

The ‘Marchitecture’ initiative has been specially designed to give members of QM’s Culture Pass pro-gramme exclusive access to cultural experiences in a wide variety of loca-tions. This year, over 20 events have been organised as part of ‘Marchi-tecture’ for Culture Pass members to enjoy.

Many private and public sector organisations have pledged their support for the programme, including Qatar Foundation, Qatar University, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Msheireb Properties, l DAF, DGVE Limited, Atlas Bookstore and Sheraton Doha.

‘Marchitecture’ will give partici-pants an opportunity to gain access to unique building, enjoy talks by renowned architects and take part in private tours.

Culture Pass members will have the options of touring many iconic sites

and building in Qatar, including Al Zubarah Heritage; the new Msheireb development and its museums; the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Pavillion; Fire Station; the Min-aretein building (Education City Mosque), the ‘2015’ building (Qatar Foundation Headquarters) and Qatar National Library at Education City; the Museum of Islamic Art; Burj Doha; and Qatar University.

Making an inaugural appearance in ‘Marchitecture’, tours at Qatar Post, Sheraton Hotel Doha and Freiha Village Tour will also be available.

A series of public talks planned for the month of March include ‘The Past, Present, Future of Al-Zubarah’ planned as the opening talk, and

‘Transformation of National Museum of Qatar’.

Commenting on the development of ‘Marchitecture’, Qatar Museums’ Acting CEO, Ahmad Al Namla, said: “Under the guidance of our Chair-person, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, ‘Marchi-tecture’ has become a testament to our ongoing commitment to enhancing and enriching the lives of all those who live in and visit the country. As part of the popular Culture Pass membership scheme, ‘Marchitecture’ has become an excellent example of the types of initiatives Qatar Museums develops for all those who live in and visit Qatar.” Sheikha Nouf Mubarak Saif Al Thani, Head of Partnerships at Qatar

Museums, said: “Marchitecture was one of our most successful initiatives last year and was well received by audiences who wished to explore the rich architectural offerings in our country. We are very excited that this year’s edition will include the National Museum of Qatar — the latest addition to Qatar’s growing arts and culture scene.”

Machaille Al Naimi, President of Community Development, said: “Pre-serving and promoting Qatar’s cultural heritage is a key element of our com-munity development focus, not only because it allows us to explore and cherish our past, but because our her-itage has meaning and relevance for our lives and our society today.”

This file picture shows the members of QM’s Culture Pass programme touring the Qatar National Library at Education City as part of the initiative titled ‘Marchitecture’.

The annual month-long event will offer public insight into the evolution of the country’s architecture, from historic sites to modern marvels, during the month of March.

QPO to celebrate 10-year anniversary of inaugural concertTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), will present a special 10-year anniversary concert tomorrow at Al Mayassa Theatre, Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).

The concert is being held in celebration of the orchestra’s gala inaugural concert in October 2008, where talented musi-cians from 30 different countries came together to perform internationally-acclaimed symphonies.

The world-renowned Conductor of Honor for the concert, Dmitrij Kitajenko – who has led prestigious orchestras around the world — will conduct the same music as featured in the inaugural concert 10 years ago, including works such as Maurice Ravel’s Bolero and Marcel Kha-lifé’s Arabian Concerto.

Featured international guest artists will include Moslem Rahal on nay; Kenan Adnawi on oud; Feras Charestan on qanun; Mohamad Osman on bouzouq; and George Oro on tabla. During the intermission, stu-dents from QF member Qatar Music Academy will join Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra musicians under Louise Bour-geois’ giant spider sculpture, Maman, at QNCC. Kurt Meister, Executive Director, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra has grown into a world-class orchestra over the last 10 years, connecting Arabic and Western cul-tures through music.”

Tech connection boosts NY vertical farmersAFP KEARNY, UNITED STATES

Workers at Bowery Farming’s ware-house near New York have swapped out a farmer’s hoe for a computer tablet that takes real-time readings of light and water conditions.

Launched in 2015, Bowery is part of the fast-growing vertical farming movement, which employs technology in a controlled, man-made setting to grow fresh vegetables indoors all year long.

Champions of the practice see ver-tical farming as a key tool to meet the world’s food needs at a time when the population is rising and the climate is changing.

The company’s chief executive and co-founder, Irving Fain, said his com-pany’s Kearny, New Jersey site uses fewer resources than traditional farms

and does not employ pesticides. “I have been a big believer my entire life in tech-nology as being able to solve not only hard problems, but also important problems,” said Fain, who previously ran a company that provides data analysis for big companies on their loyalty programs.

Bowery employs more pro-grammers than agricultural scientists. The company says its use of algorithms enables it to be 100 times more pro-ductive per area compared with a tra-ditional farm and to use 95 percent less water. Vertical farming has long been practiced in Japan and some other places but it did not take off in the United States until recent technological leaps made it viable. A key component has been LED bulbs, which have enabled indoor farmers to drastically cut electricity costs. But Bowery is also making heavy use of robotics and artificial intelligence

to keep prices under control.The combination of these newer

tools “is how we really rethink what agriculture will look like in the next century and beyond,” Fain said.

The company has also benefited from more than $120 million in funding from tech titans including Google Ven-tures and Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi.

The Silicon Valley connection has also boosted San Francisco-based Plenty, another prominent vertical farming company, which has garnered more than $200m from Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, Softbank and others. US-based Crop One and Emirates Flight Catering have launched a $40 million joint venture to build a giant ver-tical farming facility in Dubai.

The world’s biggest vertical farm is in Newark, New Jersey and operated by AeroFarms. The company, founded in

2004 and considered a pioneer in the sector, remains privately-held and does not disclose financial data. But the company says it is now profitable after a series of fumbles.

David Chang, founder of the noodle restaurant brand Momofuku, is an investor. AeroFarms exclusively uses company-made technology that has now made its way to China, the Middle East and Europe, said its co-founder Marc Oshima.

In a warehouse that was once a steel mill with 40-foot ceilings, the company is growing kale and arugula leaves set in rows of 12 metal racks each. The roots are suspended in the air as they are intermittently irrigated while the leaves bask under LED lights. AeroFarms experiments regularly with lighting and nutrients with an eye towards finding the optimal recipe for each plant and developing the best algorithm.