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Volume 23 | Number 7490 | 2 RiyalsSunday 8 April 2018 | 22 Rajab I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa

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Emir’s US visit promotes political coordination: Envoy

QNA

DOHA: Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States of America H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani underlined that the visit of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the US will promote the political coordi-nation between the two friendly countries, strengthen bilateral relations at the security and economic levels, and increase cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani said that H H the Emir and US President Donald Trump will discuss Qatar’s announcement during the Qatari-US Strategic Dialogue,

held in Washington recently, on expanding Al Udeid Air Base which is already the largest US military base in the Middle East.

In addition, the Ambassador said that H H the Emir and the US President will discuss the broad economic partnership and ways of promoting it, as well as the conflict in Syria, the Pales-tinian-Israeli peace process and the reconstruction of Iraq, noting that these issues are very important for the State of Qatar and that the US administration takes these issues seriously.

On the Gulf crisis, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani expressed regret over the illegal siege imposed on Qatar since nearly a year and said: “Despite the sincere mediation efforts of

the State of Kuwait and other friendly countries such as the United States, and while we are keen on reaching a solution for the current conflict as soon as possible, the irony is that the siege helped Qatar accelerate the establishment of new partnerships”.

The ambassador added that the United States has been trying

to mediate in the crisis, and Qatar welcomed and supported these efforts since the beginning of the crisis, reiterating Qatar’s com-mitment to resolve the crisis with neighbours through dialogue to lift the illegal siege. He once again welcomed all efforts by the US to reach a quick solution for the crisis.

The Ambassador underlined

that the allegations that Qatar supports terrorism are false and baseless, stressing that the State of Qatar rejected these allega-tions consistently and succeeded to refute them since they lack evidence.

The Ambassador affirmed that the memorandum of under-standing signed between Qatar and the United States

on combating the financing of terrorism, which goes farther than any other GCC country in the field of combating the flow of terrorist financing, is yet another example of the absurdity of the claim that Qatar supports terrorism.

On the upcoming Gulf-US summit in Camp David in May, H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani told QNA that the recent reports indicated that the summit may be delayed until next September. He affirmed Qatar’s openness to the summit which will be hosted by the US President Donald Trump, as well as its openness to negotiations since the beginning of the crisis, noting that Qatar is ready for dialogue once the siege is lifted.

Speaking about the strong military relations between the State of Qatar and the United States, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani said that Qatar plays a key role in global counterter-rorism activities by hosting the headquarters of the US Central Command in Al Udeid Air Base.

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Gulf crisis not on Arab summit agenda: QatarQNA

DOHA: The Arab summit will not discuss the Gulf crisis during its session in mid-April, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

In exclusive statements to Anadolu Agency, H E Lulwah Al Khater said Qatar has received an official invi-tation from Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit to attend the summit in Saudi Arabia on April 15.

Doha has not yet decided on its representation level at the summit, she said.

The spokesperson ruled out that the Gulf crisis will be discussed during the meeting. “Qatar, however, is committed to pursuing dia-logue to resolve the crisis,” she said.

“We have repeatedly reit-erated our commitment to dialogue to resolve the crisis without undermining Qatar’s sovereignty and national interests,” the spokesperson said.

Meetings to prepare for the annual summit are scheduled to start in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Last summer, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain collec-tively severed ties with Qatar, creating one of the biggest crises in inter-Arab relations in recent history.

Al Jazeera had reported on Thursday that Qatar had officially been invited to attend this year’s Arab League summit, set to be held in Riyadh on April 15.

2.7% rise in number of on-arrival visas in FebTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The total number of on-arrival-visas granted to citizens from 90 countries reached 72,110 in February this year, which is an increase of 2.7 percent when compared to January 2108.

The majority of visitors were from India, the UK, the US, France, Lebanon and China according to a press statement released by the Ministry of Interior.

The statistics came in the framework of the services provided by the General Directorate of Passports at the Ministry of Interior to the public.

The increase of the number of tourists indicates the status of Qatar in the world and also reflects the good services being provided by Qatar in terms of security and

stability, economic status which attract tourists.

On the level of services and transactions completed during February 2018 by the General Directorate of Pass-ports, it reached 151,5752 transactions.

The transactions achieved through Airport Passports were the top in terms of the number and reached 105,3883 transactions, followed by transactions carried out through the Unified Services Centers reaching to 268,375, while the third category is the one handled by Expatriates Affairs Department and it reached 76,348 transactions.

The transactions com-pleted by Search and Follow Up Department was 21090 and Elderly People Section achieved 808 transactions

→CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

H H the Emir and US President

Donald Trump will discuss Al

Udeid Air Base expansion, the

broad economic partnership

and ways of promoting it and

regional issues among others.

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42% more residents in Pearl-Qatar registered in 3 years

DOHA: The Pearl-Qatar has seen a sharp rise of 42 percent in the last three years in the number of residents helped by several new projects and continuous invest-ments pumped by its master developer — United Devel-opment Company (UDC). The number of residents in The Pearl-Qatar has jumped from 19,000 in 2015 to 27,000 in 2017.

“The population of Pearl Qatar is around 27,000. So there is lot of potential still there. I see it is as a very positive sign that

we still have a distance to walk. We continue to see villas and towers to get completed, so we are optimistic that this number will continue to grow,” Ibrahim Al Othman, President and Chief Executive Officer of UDC, told The Peninsula.

UDC is working on major developments that will accel-erate the growth and maturity of The Pearl-Qatar in the near term. The company commenced Giardino Villas project in 2017 and it is expected to be com-pleted by 2018.

The construction works for the first phase of Al Mutahidah Towers has been completed,

and the company has already started selling out the apart-ments and retail spaces at the iconic towers. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2019. The Floresta Gardens, a residential and commercial development project, is cur-rently in the design phase.

“We have overcome the dif-ficult time. The last two years, 2016 and 2017, were not not easy. However, we did well, rel-atively speaking. We have our plans, we are going very ambi-tious and we are continuing to develop and add to our reserves in terms of units or plots. We know where we are

heading,”said Al Othman.The new projects will also

attract renowned brands across the globe. UDC is also expected to announce a new island project this month that will span over 300,000 square metres and will accommodate around 6,000 residents. The company also plans to invest around QR5.5bn over the next five years in its various projects.

According to UDC it will be a state-of-the-art new island project and will be an extension of The Pearl-Qatar. It is being designed to have an aquarium-style waterpark, an air-condi-tioned outdoor boardwalk, a

green park and a waterfront retail esplanade that will attract brands to Doha.

The Pearl Qatar is an arti-ficial island spread across nearly 4msqm. Some of the major res-idential and commercial devel-opments in the man-made island include Porto Arabia, Viva Bahriya Towers, Qanat Quartier, Abraj Quartier, Medina Centrale among others.

In addition, there are a lot of commercial establishments, retail space and world-class amenities, including beach resorts, restaurants, showrooms, meeting halls and entertainment facilities and others.

SACHIN KUMAR

THE PENINSULA

Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States of America H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani said that the US has been trying to mediate in the crisis, and Qatar welcomed and supported these efforts since the beginning of the crisis, reiterating Qatar’s commitment to resolve the crisis with neighbours through dialogue to lift the illegal siege.

Minister of Economy and Commerce, H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, with the Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, yesterday inaugurated the exhibition accompanying the Qatar-US Economic Forum in Miami, Florida, in the presence of Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States of America, H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Businessmen Association, and H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber. →SEE ALSO PAGE 2

Qatar-US Economic Forum exhibition opens in Miami

02 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018HOME

Al Rumaihi, Governor of Fars Province of Iran discuss ties

Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi with Esmail Tabadar, Governor of Fars, Islamic Republic of Iran. They discussed enhancing cooperation between the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the Governorate of Fars in areas of mutual interest. The meeting was attended by Mohammad Ali Subhani, Iranian Ambassador to Qatar.

Qatar to attend 51st session of UN’s population and development meetQNA

DOHA: The Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics announced that it will participate in the meetings of the 51st session of UN Commission on Population and Development, which will begin in New York tomorrow and runs for five days under the theme “Sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration.”

Minister of Development Planning and Statistics H E Dr. Saleh Mohamed Salem Al Nabit and Chairman of the Permanent Population Committee, will head the delegation of the State of Qatar to the meetings, which agenda of includes several important issues, including a general discussion on actions to further implement the International Conference on Popu-lation and Development (ICPD) Program of Action at the global, regional and national levels, as well as the theme of the session on “Sustainable Cities,

Human Mobility and International Migration”, which is of great importance to the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council for its relevance to popu-lation dynamics, priorities and opportunities.

The State of Qatar chaired the Commission on Population and Development last year, believing that the Committee played an important role in supporting population and development issues in various coun-tries of the world, and emphasizing the progress achieved by the State of Qatar in various areas of human development, after ranking first in the Arab world and thirty-third globally, according to the latest Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Program (2016). The participation comes in the context of activating international part-nership and cooperation linking the Committee with international institutions and the exchange of inter-national experiences in the area of population work and future strategic planning.

Emir greets President of Sierra LeoneQNA

DOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of congratulations to the Pres-ident of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, on the occasion of his swearing in as president of the country.

Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent similar cables of congratula-tions to the President.

Emir’s visit to US promotes political coordination: Envoy

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

He said that the base is a major operational centre for the US forces and has been the launching point for thousands of missions against terrorists in the region.

As for the demands to move Al Udeid Air Base from Qatar, the Ambassador said that the State of Qatar has stood by the United States in times of adversity and pros-perity in contrast to those who call for transferring the base and sacrificed that partnership at a time when the United States was expecting all the support, and the United States will not forget that.

He affirmed that Al Udeid Air Base will remain in Qatar because of the strong and lasting partnership with the United States, and Qatar’s commitment to fighting ter-rorism, noting: “Instead of moving the base, we are actually expanding it to accom-modate the US forces”.

On the level of economic relations between the State of Qatar and the United States, the Ambassador told QNA that the economic partnership between the two countries is very strong, noting that the Qatari investments in the US labour market are currently providing about one million jobs, while there are more than 120 American companies oper-ating in Qatar.

He added that Qatar is planning to invest $35bn in the US economy till 2020, in addition to $10bn allocated for the US infrastructure.

He expressed the hope that the economic relations between the two countries will continue to grow in the coming years and expand in other sectors including medicine, t e c h n o l o g y a n d infrastructure.

Speaking about current conflicts and unrest in the Middle East, H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani said that the US role will continue to be very important in achieving stability and resolving conflicts in the Middle East.

He added that there are certainly a number of interna-tional players with great interests in the Middle East, but the United States remains the strongest and most influential in the region.

In response to a question about the recent changes in some official positions in the US administration, he said that Qatar has a strong relation with the US President Trump and his administration, and it is fully confident that the United States will chart a wise and smart course with regard to the Middle East policy, stressing that Qatar will com-municate with the United States on all important political issues in the region, and looks forward to establishing close relations with the new officials.

Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani underlined that the State of Qatar has a strong and multi-faceted relationship with all leading institutions in the United States.

2.7% increase in number of on-arrival visasCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

In terms of the number of transactions completed in February by the Unified Centers, Al Rayyan Services Center is at the top which completed 25.7percent of the total of transactions 268375, followed by Al Wakra Services Center which achieved 13.3 percent and Mesaimeer Services Centre 12.4 percent.

The transactions carried out by Expatriates Affairs Department through the MoI website and Metrash 2 reached 208267 transactions during the same month.

The General Directorate of Passports has asked people to cooperate with it and to provide all the requirements, documents to complete their transactions, and use Metrash 2 and the ministry’s website to save time and efforts.

Qatar-US Economic Forum exhibition opens in Miami

Minister of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani yesterday inaugurated the exhibition accompanying Qatar-US Economic Forum in Miami, Florida in the presence of Francis Suarez, Mayor of Miami; H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s Ambassador to the United States; Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Businessmen Association; and H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber. The Minister took a tour of the exhibition. The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar Airways, Qatar Foundation etc, have set up stalls at the exhibition.

03SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018 HOME

DOHA BANK INAUGURATESCHENNAI BRANCHOPERATIONS

Opportunities – Tamil Nadu, India and Qatar’ at Hotel Leela Palace, Chennai in the presence of above Qatari Dignitaries, Board Members of Doha Bank and key personnel from prominent local & international corporate houses who were keen to hear about potential business opportunities between India and Qatar and how Doha Bank can help support these activities from its presence in India (Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai), Qatar and other global locations.

Dr. R. Seetharaman moderated a panel discussion with eminent speakers namelyMr. Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki, Mr. Maqbool Habeeb J Khalfan, Mr. FahmiAl Ghussein, Mr. Shailesh Haribhakti, Dr. Kailash Mishra and Mr. Aashish P Somaiyaa.The speakers shared their views on the positive impact of the new branch on different sectors both in India and Qatar, particularly the financial services, infrastructure, and industries. They also highlighted potential bilateral investment opportunities.

Dr. R. Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank gave the concept note for the event. He gave insight on global economy. “The advanced economies are expected to grow by 2.3% in 2018 and 2.2% in 2019 according to IMF Jan 2018 Outlook”.

The emerging and developing economies expected to grow by 4.9% and 5% in 2018 & 2019 respectively.

Federal Reserve officials have signalled they could pick up the pace of interest-rate increases to cool economic growth after next year. We are also witnessing trade divergence developments in the global space. The Fourth Industrial Revolution combines advanced technologies in innovative ways, dramatically reshaping the way people live, work and relate to one another. Fintech, internet of things, block chain and artificial intelligence are some of the major technological developments.”

Dr. R. Seetharaman highlighted on Qatar economy. He said “IMF Oct 2017 had revised Qatar economy growth to 3.1% in 2018. Qatar will raise LNG production by 30% to 100mtpa within five to seven years after lifting a moratorium on gas development earlier in 2017. Qatar ranked 25th in ‘the Global Competitiveness Report 2017-18’. Qatar 2018 Budget allocations for health, education and transportation reached QR83.5 billion or 41% of total expenditure. The transportation and other infrastructure projects were assigned the largest share in the 2018 budget with allocations of QR42.0 billion, 21% of total expenditure. Sports sector and 2022 FIFA World Cup projects amounted to a total allocation of QR11.2 billion. In terms of food security, Qatar now have many local companies that are supporting the country and it can develop these businesses further and boost its food production to provide both locally and internationally. Qatari market is expected to become self-sufficient in dairy products, as Baladana Dairy, Qatar will fulfil demands of the local market. Qatar has witnessed initiatives such as Single Window System and ‘Own your Factory in Qatar‘.

Dr. R. Seetharaman gave insight on Indian economy and Tamil Nadu economy. He said “India is projected to grow at 7.4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018. India’s ease of doing business has improved to 100 in 2018. The GSDP of Tamil Nadu growth was at 8.03% in 2017-18. The Tamil Nadu government stuck to its target of lowering the fiscal deficit from 4.14% of the GSDP in 2016-17 to 2.82% in 2017-18. Tamil Nadu has a diversified industrial base and has Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with major automobile companies. Apart from industrial activities, the logistics and warehousing industry is an important sector. Japan is a major source of investment for Tamil Nadu. Major investors in Tamil Nadu include Nissan, Hitachi, Toshiba, Yamaha, Komatsu and Mitsubishi. Tamil Nadu is also an important tourism destination”.

Dr. R. Seetharaman highlighted on Qatar – India bilateral relationships. He said “The bilateral trade between Qatar and India during in 2016-17 is above $8bn. Qatar’s major exports to India include Petrochemicals, LNG, fertilizers, Sulphur and Iron Pyrites. Qatar’s major imports from India include accessories, manmade yarn, fabrics, made-ups, cotton yarn, transport equipment & machinery and instruments. An estimated 6000 Qatar-India joint ventures operate in various sectors of the Qatari economy. Various MOUs/ agreements signed between India and Qatar in recent years. Indian corporates look at Qatar as a promising market and are today pursuing collaborations in a number of areas, including infrastructure, information and communication technology, energy and other areas to the mutual benefit of both sides. Tamil Nadu is one of the important FDI investment destination in India and Qatar can look for opportunities in the state. Tamil Nadu has high number of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in various sectors such as plastics and chemicals. Qatar and Tamil Nadu can leverage on above developments. Chennai branch can further enhance synergies between India and Qatar on trade and other bilateral relationships.”

Mr. Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki – Doha Bank Board member and a prominent businessman in Qatar explained various opportunities in healthcare, education and

infrastructure sectors in Qatar. From Indian perspective, Dr. Kailash Mishra, independent director at Doha Bank Assurance Company, explained various government initiatives regarding infrastructure development in the country.

Mr. Maqbool Khalfan, a veteran in Banking sector in Qatar explained how Qatar has transformed in the recent years and various reforms initiated in Qatar driving towards self-sufficiency in the field of industry. Mr. Shailesh Haribhakti the CEO and Managing Partner at Haribhakti Group, explained there are 60 million SMEs and the financing opportunities associated with them.

Mr. Fahmi Al-Ghussein, the CEO of Amwal Qatar, explained that passive investments is the way forward and the recently launched QE Index ETF (QETF) by Doha Bank provided the best opportunity, especially for the NRIs, to capture the growth opportunities in Qatar.

Mr. Aashish Somaiyaa, the CEO of Motilal Oswal AMC talked about the various investment opportunities in India covering both the equity and bond markets. Mr. Sami Al Hawaj, representing QIMC made a presentation explaining various collaboration opportunities in the area of construction & building materials, chemicals, energy & metals, paper, plastics, food and chemicals.

RECEPTION AND FELICITATION CEREMONY

Doha Bank also hosted a grand reception function as part of the Chennai Branch Inauguration on the same evening at Hotel Leela Palace. Doha Bank felicitated all the Qatari and Indian dignitaries followed by a cake cutting ceremony as part of the proceedings. The guests also enjoyed the evening with an Indian cultural show – ‘Dances of India’ followed by an enthralling veena performance by famous veena player,Mr. Rajhesh Vaidhya.

CHENNAI BRANCH INAUGURATION AND RIBBON CUTTINGDoha Bank, one of the largest commercial banks in Qatar, announced the official opening of its Chennai Branch. The Branch Inauguration & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held in the morning of April 4th, 2018 at the Branch. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Board Members including H.E. Sh. Fahad Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman, H.E. Sh. Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director, H.E. Sh. Abdulla Bin Mohamed Bin Jabor Al Thani, Board Member, Mr. Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki, Board Member and Dr. R. Seetharaman, CEO along with the Senior Management Team of Doha Bank. The inauguration ceremony was also attended by several high-profile dignitaries from Qatar including Mr. Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Obaidan, Mr. Hassen Aliakbar Radwani, Mr. Ibrahim Nabina, Mr. Maqbool Habeeb Khalfan, Mr. Solaiman Haidar Al Haidar, Mr. Ahmad Abdul Kareem Al-Jalham and Mr. Yousif Mousa Abuhelaiqa. In addition, the members of Local Advisory Board (LAB) of Doha Bank India - Mr Shailesh Haribhakti, Dr. Kailash Mishra, Mr. Rajmal Parakh and Mr. Sunder George were also present.

Earlier, H.E. Mr. P. Kumaran, Ambassador of India to Qatar had met H.E. Shk. Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director of Doha Bank to convey his best wishes and support on the launch of their new branch in Chennai.

PRESS CONFERENCE

As part of the proceedings, a separate press conference was held, headed by His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Bin Jabor Al Thani – Doha Bank

Managing Director, Dr. R. Seetharaman – Doha Bank CEO, Mr. Frank Hamer – Head of International Banking, Mr. Ahmad Al Hanzab – Head of Administration & Properties and Mr. Manish Mathur – Country Head India and attended by more than 100 representatives from various Press and Media houses both local and national.

His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Bin Jabor Al Thani – Doha Bank Managing Director expressed his gratitude to the hospitality provided by the residents of Chennai. He also added that Doha Bank Chennai Branch will facilitate business and investments between Qatar and India.

Dr. R. Seetharaman, Doha Bank Chief Executive Officer said “Doha Bank was the first Qatari bank to start its operations in India when it started its Mumbai operations in 2015, first Qatari bank in Kochi and we are the first bank from the Gulf to be in Tamil Nadu.”

Dr. Seetharaman further explained various products offered by the India branches. He added “The Chennai Branch will assist the bank’s growing customer base in India with a wide range of services, including Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Treasury, Trade Finance and Foreign Exchange Services along with an array of corporate and SME products such as Term Loans, Working Capital (INR as well as in Permitted Foreign Currencies), Trade Finance Products, Buyers and Suppliers Credit as well as Treasury Products and Hedging Solutions. On the retail and NRI side, the bank offers the entire range of liability products like Savings Account (NRE, NRO, and ordinary), Current Account, Term Deposits (short term and long term), FCNR (B) Deposits, Exchange Earners Foreign Currency Account (EEFC), and PIS Accounts. In addition for NRIs, through our collaborations, we offer Home Loans, Wealth Management, and Estate and Succession Planning Services.”

BILATERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TAMIL NADU, INDIA AND QATAR EVENTThe Branch inauguration was followed by a corporate event ‘Bilateral Business

H.E. Sh. Fahad Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman, H.E. Sh. Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director, H.E. Sh. Abdulla Bin Mohamed Bin JaborAl Thani, Board Member, Mr. Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki, Board Member andDr. R. Seetharaman, CEO along VIP delegation from Qatar during ribbon cutting.

Doha Bank officials along with VIP customers in the garden of Chennai branch. His Excellency Sheikh Fahad Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Doha Bank Chairman, His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director, His ExcellencySheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Bin Jabor Al Thani, Board Member & Mr. Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki, Board Member and Dr. R. Seetharaman, Doha Bank CEO along with VIP dignitaries from Qatar during curtain opening.

H.E. Sh. Fahad Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman, H.E. Sh. Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director, H.E. Sh. Abdulla Bin Mohamed Bin JaborAl Thani, Board Member, and Dr. R. Seetharaman, CEO along with VIP delegation from Qatar during cake cutting.

H.E. Sh. Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director,Dr. R. Seetharaman, CEO, Mr. Frank Hamer, Head of International Banking, Mr. Ahmad Al-Hanzab, Head of Administration & Properties and Mr. Manish Mathur – Country Head India during press conference.

Dr. R. Seetharaman, Mr. Ali Ibrahim Al Malki, Mr. Maqbool Habeeb Khalfan,Mr. Fahmi Al Ghussein, Mr. Shailesh Haribhakti, Dr. Kailash Mishra and Mr. Ashish duringpanel discussion.

Doha Bank officials along with VIP customers during Bilateral Business Opportunities Tamil Nadu, india and Qatar event.

Dr. R. Seetharaman felicitates His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin JaborAl Thani, Doha Bank Managing Director.

Doha Bank officials along with VIP customers during Bilateral Business Opportunities Tamil Nadu, India and Qatar event.

Group photo to all dignitaries during felicitation ceremony.

H.E. Sh. Abdul Rehman Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al Thani, Managing Director addressing the press & media.


HBKU holds workshop on financing energy infrastructureTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The College of Law and Public Policy (CLPP) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University held a two-day workshop on public-private partnership approaches for financing energy infra-structure projects.

Joining with global energy experts, professors and admin-istrators from CLPP, the workshop examined how public-private partnerships can offer opportunities for private sector developers, financiers, and entrepreneurs to unlock new business opportunities in Qatar’s energy sector.

The Founding Dean of CLPP, Professor Clinton W Francis, noted that the college was uniquely situated to bring together experts and practi-tioners in the area of energy law. “The strength of our faculty and programs in priority areas such as international and comparative law, energy, infrastructure, and sustainable development will

provide strong support for the robust realization of the Qatar National Vision 2030. I am pleased that we were able to convene this group to assist Qatar in progressing its national vision,” he said.

The workshop, which was held over two days, was chaired by Dr. Damilola S Olawuyi, asso-ciate professor of energy and environmental law at CLPP. The workshop was taught by experts in international energy law and

policy, including Professor Bassam Fattouh, director, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, University of Oxford, Professor Raphael Heffron, chair in Global Energy Law and Sustainability, University of

Dundee, Professor Yinka Omorogbe, attorney general and minister for justice, Edo State Government of Nigeria and former board secretary and general counsel, Nigerian National Petroleum Corpo-ration, Professor Ibironke Odu-mosu-Ayanu, Associate Pro-fessor, College of Law, Uni-versity of Saskatchewan and Professor Seline Trevisanut, professor and chair of Interna-tional Law and Sustainability, Utrecht University.

In addition to the energy experts, the roundtable discus-sions at the workshop included representatives from Qatar’s legal community who specialise in commercial and energy fields.

Upon the conclusion of the workshop, Professor Francis said that as part of the workshop a new program was developed for CLPP, which will benefit both the College and Qatar. “One important outcome of this workshop is the launch of our International Law and Policy

Research Program (ILPRP). The ILPRP will play a strategic role in enabling information exchange between international academics and the energy industry in Qatar,” he said.

The workshop follows a series of CLPP international events on environment and energy transitions in Qatar, most notably the 2017 Energy Transi-tions Conference, which took place last November, under-scoring HBKU’s commitment to lead and facilitate topics that address energy and environ-mental development in the country, and create a tangible and positive impact on the community.

As part of CLPP’s commitment to tackle multidisciplinary policy challenges facing Qatar and the region, the college continues to host lectures, conferences, and other events to facilitate mutual dialogue between industry and academia that elicit thought-pro-voking debate and promote inno-vative solutions.

The Founding Dean of The College of Law and Public Policy, Professor Clinton W Francis, is joined by professors and administrators from CLPP as well as global energy experts at the HBKU event.

Emiri Naval Forces announces graduation of officersTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Directorate of Moral Guidance at the Ministry of Defence announced the graduation courses of 2017/2018 (officers) for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces in the presence of the Commander of Qatar Emiri Naval Force, Major General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Sulaiti.

Three officers’ courses were completed; the first one is the course of marines No. (3) which lasted for 38 weeks, and among the most important topics were general navigation, naviga-tional devices, and command

and control.The graduation ceremony

was attended by senior officers of the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces.

Also the Qatari Emiri Land Force celebrated graduation ceremony for nine officers.

The course lasted for 23 weeks, and included various subjects, including technical training on the tank (Leopard

2) and all its equipment and the use of modern wireless devices used in training.

The Directorate of Moral Guidance also announced the graduation of the courses of military police number (87-88) and the self-defence course number (1) in the presence of Military Police Commander Staff Major General Mohamed Messhi Al Ahbabi.

The most important topics dealt with were the study of military security, wireless devices, military road move-ments, security and protection of military police figures in peace and operations. The senior officers of the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces and graduates at the ceremony.

Katara to promote Oud as global cultural and musical assetTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The magical rhythms of the Oud, an instrument very special to the Arab music, are resonating through the streets of Katara Cultural Village since the opening of the Second Katara Oud Festival on Thursday.

Through the annual Festival, Katara aims to promote this stringed instrument “as a globally shared cultural asset of the human beings”, said Ismail Zafer Haznedaroglu, a Turkish expert on Oud and a The performers at the Second Katara Oud Festival.

The Qatari Emiri Land Force also celebrated graduation ceremony for nine officers.

member of the organising committee.According to Ismail, there are many theories

about the origin of the Oud, some spiritual and some scientific. The most accepted theory is that the Oud, as a musical instrument has its origin in Central Asia. Some Turkish tribes had been using an instrument called Kopuz which later travelled to the Middle East and gradually transformed itself into the Oud, as it is known today.

Although the instrument originated in Central Asia, it was developed in the Middle East. From the Middle East, it later travelled to Spain through Ziryab, the legendary musician of the Arab and Islamic world.

Oud is considered the “father of guitar” which originated in Spain. Oud first transformed itself to lute and then to guitar.

The difference between Oud and guitar is basi-cally in the tuning system, to put it in layman’s lan-guage, explained Ismail.

Ziryab introduced a fifth string to the instrument. The modern Oud generally has six strings, each in pairs. Some players are now making innovations by adding a seventh string, said Ismail.

“Turkish Oud is more academic. Here in the Middle East Oud is something very special. There is more respect for Oud because people here consider it as their own instrument,” said Ismail.

There are different styles in playing Oud and the Gulf region has a specific and original style of its own. The Festival features renowned Oud players from across the globe. Amal Waqar is one of the youngest performers. Originally from Oman, Waqar was born to an American mother, and is currently based in the US.

With her passion for western music, Waqar says she is trying fusion, with a mix of the Oud and modern western instruments like the Jazz. Such innovations are slowly gaining popularity in the West.

“When I was 16, I found the Oud and started playing myself. Still I am a student of music,” said Waqar, who is currently studying at the Berkeley College of Music. “Although my style is more modern I love the traditional style of playing Oud,” she added. She is using an Oud made by the famous Turkish Oud maker Farooq Turanc, who is also participating in the Katara Festival.

“The Oud I am using is smaller in size. My father brought it for me from Turkey,” said Waqar, who is also a singer.


Let’s move politics away from culture: Al KawariTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Minister of State H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari has said that cultural diplomacy allows for the continual devel-opment of an honest pattern of ongoing dialogue with other cultures in the firm belief in recip-rocated diversity and under-standing.

“Thus, cultural products, including the arts and literature that transcend geographical boundaries, become the main currency for this type of mutually beneficial exchange among soci-eties,” he said in his lecture on ‘cultural diplomacy’ recently delivered at Zagreb University, in Croatia. “These newly accepted products may appear in some cul-tural facilities whose task is to make peoples’ cultures known to other societies.”

He said that he had previ-ously made cultural diplomacy an essential main component of the campaign he had run as the candidate of the State of Qatar for the post of Director-General of Unesco in 2017.

“I gained further knowledge and experience in this kind of diplomacy throughout my dip-lomatic career when I served as ambassador to more than one European, American and Arab country, and it has come to be my ‘daily bread’ so to speak, throughout my work as Minister

of Information and then Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar.”

On education, Al Kawari said that according to Unesco report there are 58 million children who are dropped out of school pri-marily for economic reasons. “One of the most important tasks of cultural diplomacy is to bridge this poverty gap and push for providing education for all and above all. I am, therefore, both pleased and grateful to Qatar, my home country, for having taken education initiatives ranging from the World Summit for Inno-vation in Education (WISE) to the “Education Above All” Project, to the “Educate A Child” initiative which has so far provided edu-cation to more than 10 million children in the most margin-alised, poverty-stricken areas of the world.”

He further said that he was very fortunate as he belonged to

a country that had spared no effort to promote reciprocated cultural exchange, “which is embodied in its openness to the cultures brought about by the successive waves of expatriates settling within its borders, turning it into a colourful and exciting crossroads, a plethora of multi-cultural civilisations.”

“The secret of this openness stems from the constant belief in culture as an essential means of bringing peoples and nations closer together, being a tran-scendent bridge traversed between nations, so to speak.”

He said that celebrating a year of culture (in Qatar) has become a wonderful tradition since 2013. The years of culture succeeded one another with various countries, including, Japan, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, China and Germany whole-heartedly participating and bringing new and exciting ven-

tures and proposals to the table.“The exchange between

nations is based not only on material goods but also on cre-ative industries based on imag-ination and on the ability to gen-erate innovative ideas and new ways of interpreting the world

in its various forms. Therefore, the focus on cultural diplomacy makes these creative industries a true, resounding means of cre-ating valuable exchanges of human knowledge among peoples.”

Dr Al Kawari said: “One

country boycotting the artistic or cultural works of another country for political differences is a dangerous phenomenon which would subject culture to political volatility,” adding, “Let’s move politics away from culture!”

Minister of State H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari delivering a lecture on ‘cultural diplomacy’ recently at Zagreb University, in Croatia.

2022 World Cup initiative for disabled to be launchedTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Best Buddies Global Ambassador Tom Brady will join the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Qatar Museums (QM), and Best Buddies participants in Qatar at the renowned Khalifa International Stadium to officially launch the new partnership between the two organisations on April 15.

This partnership is to incor-porate individuals with intel-lectual and developmental dis-abilities (IDD) in the organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The event – run by the SC’s flagship CSR programme Generation Amazing – will cel-ebrate diversity, inclusion and bring together people with and without disabilities for a day of fun with the 5-time American

Football Super Bowl Champion, Tom Brady.

“Tom Brady has served as an exemplary Global Ambassador for Best Buddies since 2003, and has helped bring an even greater awareness to the infinite abilities people with intellectual and developmental disabilities possess,” said Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Best Buddies Interna-tional. “Tom has proven himself to be a committed advocate for individuals with disabilities, always going above and beyond the call of duty to help promote a world of inclusion and oppor-tunity for this population. Tom’s work in Qatar on behalf of Best Buddies will change lives for the better,” he added.

As part of the new part-nership, the SC has committed

to integrating 20 individuals with IDD in Qatar through the Tamkeen initiative, the SC’s inclusivity initiative, in Qatar’s organisation and hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, helping participants grow their inde-pendence and work alongside others in their community. The partnership with QM included the commitment of integrating 20 individuals into QM’s oper-ations and programmes.

During his visit to Qatar, Tom Brady will be hosted by H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, to some of the country’s most prestigious national gems and historic land-marks which includes the Museum of Islamic Art; a visit to Al Shaqab, an ultramodern equestrian facility; Khalifa

International Stadium and a trip to enjoy the spectacular land-scapes in Qatar’s sealine desert and will conclude by attending the opening ceremony of Qatar National Library. Best Buddies International is the world’s largest organisation dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with IDD.

Best Buddies Global Ambassador Tom Brady seen in this photo.

Katara unveils first forum of traditional clothing designersTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) launched on Friday evening the first cultural forum of traditional clothing designers which included a fashion show at building 15 for traditional clothes and an exhi-bition for the traditional costumes at building 18.

The forum in which 17 female traditional clothing designers and one male took part witnessed a manifold turnout, including dip-lomats from countries of other designers from different coun-tries who also participated with their traditional clothes, in addition to many enthusiasts.

The traditional fashion event is part of the project “My National Costumes Are My identity” launched by Katara to support and introduce the national cos-tumes and revive this old heritage.

“It is our duty to care for our traditional clothes which are part of our identity, because started to vanish among the youth but with efforts of some skillful Qatari designers they started to appear again”, said Fakhriya Al Ansari, a Qatari fashion designer.

It aims to enhance the national identity with all

its cultural, historical and social features through traditional cos-tumes with all its related handi-crafts such as embroidery. On the other hand, participants of other countries had a presence at the forum where they displayed their national costumes and joined in the workshops to exchange expertise with the local designers. Those were from Syria, Turkey, Iran and Morocco displayed their folk designs made especially for women in different occasions.

Hessa Hamid, a Qatari tradi-tional clothing designer and manufacturer said that this forum is an initiative by a group of local designers who are keen

to revive the old tradition clothes which ancestors used to wear and that is by using the same material but with modern designs that fit the young peo-ple’s taste nowadays.

She added that organizing such an event will draw the attention of many people to the traditional Qatari clothes that comes in a new style, and also raises awareness among the new generation on their real identity.

The forum will last until April 13 and show an array of tradi-tional local costumes through daily exhibitions and fashion shows, in addition to lectures on latest designs and workshops.

Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti at the launch of the cultural forum.

“One country boy-cotting the artistic or cultural works of another country for political differences is a dangerous phenom-enon which would subject culture to political volatility.”

Minister of State

H E Dr Hamad bin

Abdulaziz Al Kawari


ISADC stresses importance of developing Arabic language THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The fourth International Schools Arabic Debating Champi-onship ((ISADC), organised by QatarDebate Centre, has begun yesterday with the participation of 50 Arabic-speaking and non-Arabic speaking countries at Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).

ISADC is held under the patronage of H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation.

The opening ceremony was attended by a large number of par-ticipating delegations and officials from several entities. A documentary movie was screened about the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar by some Arab countries. The movie show-cased the importance of holding a dialogue to handle crises.

Dr Hayat Abdullah Maarafi, Exec-utive Director of QatarDebate Center, announced three new ambassadors of QatarDebate Center including Miqdad Ahmad from Sudan, Bader Fuad Al Shatti from Kuwait and Mohammed Al Lakhn Al Marri from Qatar.

Maarafi stressed that awarding such title came in acknowledgement of their full cooperation and efforts made to ensure disseminate debate culture and the Arabic language.

ISADC was launched in 2012 and

as many as 21 countries participated in the 1st edition including one non-Arabic speaking country. 22 coun-tries participated in the 2nd edition 2014 including 4 non-Arabic speaking countries. In the 3rd edition in 2016, 50 countries participated in the ISADC including 30 non-Arabic speaking countries, while in the 4th edition; the ISADC is receiving 50 countries, including 35 non-Arabic speaking countries. Addressing the participating teams, Maarafi stressed the importance of developing the Arabic language, which is deemed to be a special identity that distinguishes its speakers from others.

She also urged that young people

should be educated on other cultures and look for and foster the similar-ities while taking into account and respecting the differences.

As many as eight countries will be participating in the championship for the first time. They include Russia, Kosovo, Spain, Thailand, Serbia, Albania, Poland and Kyrgyzstan, Marri pointed out.

A press conference was also held where some debate coaches from Ukraine, Libya, US and Argentina expressed gratitude to Qatar and QatarDebate Center for their out-standing efforts, stressing the impor-tance of such championship in dis-seminating the Arabic language.

An official speaks during the opening of the fourth ISADC at QNCC yesterday.


Kahramaa to close Industrial area branch on April 19THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar General Elec-tricity and Water Corporation “Kahramaa” has announced that it will close its Industrial Area Service Center perma-nently from April 19.

Customers can visit any of Kahramaa service centres at, Musheireb, Al Khor, Salwa Road, and the main branch at Al Hilal. Kahramaa service centres receive customers Sunday to Thursday from 7.30 am to 2pm. Moreover, customers can also visit Kahramaa off ices at g o v e r n m e n t s e r v i c e complexes.

Kahramaa has asked all customers to avail of the smart services available on Kahramaa website and mobile application to complete all services and

requests without visiting Kahramaa or any service center. It saves effort and time.

Registration via Kahramaa website km.qa or mobile application allows customers to complete all services online. Kahramaa provides services online for customers, contractors & consultants and companies.

K a h r a m a a i n v i t e d customers to update their personal information via the website, mobile application, or call centre 991 to ensure better c o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h Kahramaa, avail of range of services and receive Kahramaa updates and SMS for power outage, monthly electricity, and water consumption rate and bills, and alert in case of exceeding the regular consumption.

HMC sees significant increase in number of patientsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: All hospitals at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have seen a significant increase in number of patients from 2016 to 2017.

All three general hospitals at HMC saw an increased number of outpatient visits with demand for Al Wakrah Hospi-tal’s outpatient services increasing by 25 percent, the Cuban Hospital’s by 31 percent and Al Khor Hospital’s by 18 percent, said Dr Abdulla Al Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer at HMC, in a statement issued yesterday.

Surgeries and surgical pro-cedures performed also increased by more than 15 percent last year, enabling nearly 9,500 more patients to benefit from HMC’s surgical services. To date, more than 221,000 appointments have been provided to patients at the new Medical City Hospitals.

HMC’s role in helping expand Qatar’s healthcare system to better meet patient needs was highlighted as part of the organisation’s World Health Day celebrations. Last

year saw the healthcare pro-vider make significant expan-sions, including the official opening of the new Medical City complex. The opening of three new hospitals, coupled with the expansion of existing services, the addition of new staff, and improved ways of working led to more appointments for

patients, additional hospital beds, and reduced wait times, all resulting in greater access to specialised care.

“The transformation of Qatar’s healthcare system has been substantial and HMC’s con-tribution has included the opening of new facilities and the implementation of performance

and quality improvement measures designed to deliver better care. As our country’s population has grown, so too has the demand for our services and we are at the forefront of providing innovative care. Our clinical teams provide care for more than one and a half million outpatient appointments each

year and we are continuing to expand to meet the needs of our population,” said Dr Al Ansari.

“The new Medical City Hos-pital facilities care for more than a 1,000 patients each day. We are also caring for more outpa-tients across our network of hospitals, with over 17 percent more appointments available to patients today, compared to last year, and this number is con-tinuing to increase. So far this year we have provided

specialised care to an additional 19,000 patients each month at our outpatient clinics, compared to the same period last year,” he added.

Yesterday, HMC’s General Internal Medicine Department kicked off a series of health edu-cation seminars that will be held for non-clinical staff at HMC and members of the public during 2018. Held under the theme ‘Health for All’, the seminars are delivered in a number of lan-guages and include short lec-tures covering the most common community health topics, such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and lifestyle modifications.

The World Health Organi-zation’s (WHO) World Health Day theme of ‘Health for All’ aligns with Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022 theme of ‘Our Health, Our Future’. Qatar maintains a strong commitment to the WHO’s tenet of universal health coverage and continues to invest in the country’s healthcare sector as part of a commitment to providing residents with affordable, quality health services.

HMC made significant expansions last year.

HMC’s role in helping expand Qatar’s healthcare system to better meet patient needs was highlighted as part of the organiaation’s World Health Day celebrations. Last year saw the healthcare provider made significant expansions, including the official opening of the new Medical City complex.

Ooredoo Group awarded Cisco Gold CertificationTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Ooredoo Group has achieved the highest-possible partnership status from Cisco, for Ooredoo’s Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman operations to enable the digital transformation of small- and medium-sized enter-prises.

As a Cisco Gold Certified Partner, Ooredoo Group’s Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman operations will further integrate the deepest level of Cisco solutions across collaboration, enterprise net-working, data centre virtuali-sation, security, and service pro-vider technology.

“Middle East small- and medium-sized enterprises are drivers of economic growth and job creation,” said Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo. “As a Cisco Gold Partner, Ooredoo will enhance our partnership with Cisco to enable organisa-tions in Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman to digitally transform. Our leading network infrastructure combined with Cisco’s advanced networking solutions can reduce complexity, optimise costs, and deliver new digital business models,” he added.

As Cisco Gold Certified Partner, Ooredoo meets the rig-orous standards set by Cisco in

networking competency, service, support, and customer satisfaction. Cisco Gold Certifi-cation provides Ooredoo with access to comprehensive sales, technical, training, and life-cycle services and support available from Cisco, to better serve Ooredoo Business Customers and in response to growing ICT market needs.

“Middle East organisations are early adopters of hybrid IT models to enable business trans-formation and achieve nationwide digital transfor-mation,” added Sheikh Saud. “By

recognising Ooredoo as a Cisco Gold Certified partner, we will be able to better provide the full stack of technology solutions that meet our customers’ business needs, and enhance staff training to accelerate our customers’ digital transfor-mation journeys,” he said.

This is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships, as part of the company’s work to mod-ernise and simplify businesses’ IT infrastructure and enable new levels of Internet access to support their digital transformation.

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar receiving the Gold Certification.

Mannai Auto launches genuine parts campaignTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s exclusive GMC, Cadillac and Subaru dealer, Mannai Auto, is driving a new campaign that encourages motorists to use only genuine parts.

The group, which has after-sales facilities in Doha, Bin Mahmoud, Al Wakrah, Umm Salal, Umm Al Affei and Al Rayyan (Industrial), is high-lighting the importance of using genuine parts for the vehicles, said a statement.

The campaign, which runs till May 7, offers vehicle owners the opportunity to get back QR150 for every QR500 spent on auto parts and labour for 2012 and earlier models.

The offer is valid only for repairs inside Mannai Service Centres. As part of that project, Mannai is offering genuine parts with a one-year manufacturer guarantee.

Majdi AbuAwad, Senior Manager, Parts Division, said: “Having and using genuine parts under warranty gives consid-erable peace of mind and safety to the motorists. Using original parts will last longer, and this will save them the added expense of potential repairs and replacements over the long-term.”

Ivor D’Cunha, Auto Group

Senior General Manager - Oper-ations, said: “Customers will have the added guarantee that they are getting best service from a company such as Mannai. We are a trusted dealer, having won so many customer-related awards for After Sales services.”

The company recently reaped a prestigious Service Award, marking its long and exceptional performance as an exclusive dealer to General Motors.

The 64-year relationship between Mannai Auto and General Motors was underlined by the dealer’s outstanding after-sales performances.

Mannai Aftersales achieved

the first and second places in Q1 2017 in the “Service and Parts Excellence Program” under Parts Manager & Service Manager categories. Besides, Auto Parts also secured the first place for “Retail Parts Consultant” category. For H1 2017, Auto Parts topped the “GM MEO Accessories” and were ranked the best in the Middle East. Mannai was also ranked in the Top 5 GM Middle East Dealers in the 5 years’ service retention Key Per-formance Indicator and GM Middle East Service Satis-faction Survey. For more infor-mation about the campaign contact Mannai on 800 1808.

QF’s initiative to hold event in partnership with office of President of GhanaTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), in partnership with the office of the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is to hold a conference for education stakeholders and change-makers in Africa to share the latest innovations in learning.

The WISE@Accra conference will take place in Ghana’s capital, Accra, on May 9, under the theme ‘Unlocking the World’s Potential: Leading and Innovating for Quality Education in Africa’.

The event will engage prominent leaders, policy-makers, and young people on working towards an improved and con-nected education system. “With almost half of the world’s youth living in Africa,

the entire international community stands to benefit from empowering the leaders and change-makers of tomorrow,” said Stavros Yiannouka, CEO, WISE.

The event will address topics such as quality education, ethical leadership, teacher training, teaching 21st century skills, funding, and partnership account-ability. Regional collaboration to tackle

development challenges will also be discussed.

WISE hosted its biennial summit in Doha in November 2017, which brought together some of the brightest minds in education from all over the world. During his keynote address to the conference, Akufo-Addo, highlighted education as a fundamental pillar to achieve prosperity, ‘The countries that have done well, even without natural resources, are the ones that have invested in education.’

The summit also awarded the winner of the sixth prestigious WISE Prize for Edu-cation to Dr Patrick Awuah, Founder and President of Ashesi University College in Ghana. The university is empowering Gha-naian youth with entrepreneurship, ethics, and leadership skills to build the future of the region.

The WISE@Accra conference will take place in Ghana’s capital, Accra, on May 9, under the theme ‘Unlocking the World’s Potential: Leading and Innovating for Quality Education in Africa’.

08 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018HOME/MIDDLE EAST

Palestinians decry Israeli ‘crimes’ against protestersANATOLIA

RAMALLAH: Palestinian officials and activists have decried Israeli violence against protesters in the Gaza Strip, following the killing of at least seven people during anti-occupation rallies.

Thousands of Palestinians converged on the Gaza Strip’s eastern border with Israel to take part in ongoing protests against the decades-long Israeli occu-pation of Palestinian lands.

At least seven people were killed and scores injured by Israeli gunfire during the demonstra-tions. President Mahmoud Abbas called on the UN, Arab League and the European Union to take an immediate action to stop the

Israeli violence against Palestinians.

“We condemn Israel’s bru-tality and deliberate killing of innocent people who took part in a peaceful march to defend their right to life, liberty and dignity,” he said in a statement.

He called on the UN Security Council to provide international

protection to the “defenseless people in the face of the [Israeli] occupation army, which uses killing and repression to silence the voice of Palestinians”.

Last week, at least 20 Pales-tinians were killed and hundreds injured by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations on Gaza border.

The rallies are part of a six-week demonstration that will cul-minate on May 15, which will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or “Catastrophe”.

Demonstrators demand that Palestinian refugees be granted the “right of return” to their towns and villages in historical Pal-estine, from which they were

driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

US cover Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat accused the United States of defending Israeli violence against the Palestinians. “The U.S is leading an incitement campaign with a view to defending Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians,” Erekat, the sec-retary of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s executive committee, said in a statement.

He described UN ambassador at the UN, Nicky Hailey, as a “clumsy woman who has proved her worth by showing hostility to the Palestinian people and by continuing to violate international law.” “The actions of the current US administration give Israel a

clear cover in order to continue its aggression against the Pales-tinians who were demonstrating peacefully to demand their right to return to their homes,” he said.

Erekat went on to call for an international investigation into Israel’s violence against the Pal-estinians, after Washington blocked a draft UN statement to form a commission of inquiry into the death of Palestinian protesters by Israeli gunfire on Gaza border last week.

Relations between the Pales-tinian Authority and the U.S. have strained since President Donald Trump officially recognized Jeru-salem as the capital of Israel on Dec. 6. The move has triggered world outcry and protests in the

Palestinian territories, with Pal-estinians saying Washington was no longer a peace mediator in talks with Israel. Crimes against humanity PLO member Bassam al-Salhi called for mass Pales-tinian rallies in an effort to draw world attention to the Palestinian issue. “This Palestinian uprising must be used to end the Israeli occupation,” Al Salhi said.

“We should expand and develop the popular movement to end the occupation, establish an independent Palestinian state and ensure the refugees’ right to return,” he said. Prominent Pal-estinian activist Mustafa Barghouti, for his part, accused the Israeli army of violating inter-national law.

Erdogan says France is abetting terrorists REUTERS

ANKARAL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan yesterday accused France of abetting terrorists by “hosting them” at the Elysee Palace, amid a diplo-matic row between the Nato allies over Paris’s support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Relations between Ankara and Paris have been tense in recent weeks, with France one of the most vocal critics of Tur-key’s two-month-old military operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish YPG, which Turkey considers a terrorist organisation. That came to a head on March 30 after

President Emmanuel Macron met a Syrian delegation including the YPG and its political arm, the PYD, and gave assurances of French support to help stabilise northern Syria against IS. Turkey said the pledge amounted to support for terrorism and could make France a “target of Turkey”.

‘Turkish accession to EU will benefit Muslim world’ANATOLIA

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s prospective accession to the European Union will benefit the Muslim world, said a senior official from Turkey’s Ministry of EU Affairs yesterday.

“Turkey will be a bridge between the West and the Muslim world because Turkey

has proved that it is a democracy, it has a constitution based on secularism and on the other hand it is a Muslim majority country,” said Burak Erdenir, the Deputy Permanent Delegate of Turkey’s delegation to the EU.

“Turkey’s membership to the EU will be an antidote to Islam-ophobia,” Erdenir added.

His remarks came at a

three-day conference, hosted by the Center for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul’s Sabahattin Zaim University, with the theme “Contextualizing Islamophobia: Its Impact on Culture and Global Politics.” Erdenir recalled the announcement of the launch of Turkey’s accession talks in 2004. “There were more than 100 jour-nalists from Muslim countries for

the coverage of the news because it is a big issue for the Muslim countries.” Turkey applied for membership in the European Economic Community (a pre-cursor to the EU) in 1987. It became eligible for EU mem-bership in 1997 and accession talks began in 2005.

Erdenir noted that migration has become a dominant issue in

the western European societies. “The role of Turkey is important in that sense,” Erdenir said. “At the end of the day, Turkey would also be a facilitator in under-standing the issues of the migrants and it would contribute to European policy-making process in implementing and solving their issue.” Featuring scholars from Turkey and

abroad, the conference focuses on Islamophobia in culture, society, politics, and interna-tional relations. The conference is intended to spur a discussion of “strategies and policies that need to be adopted and pursued to end or reduce the harmful and detrimental effects of Islamo-phobia,” according to the univer-sity’s website.

A general view of the Shorja market in central Baghdad.

Busy market day

REUTERS

DUBAI: Hackers have attacked networks in a number of coun-tries including data centres in Iran where they left the image of a US flag on screens along with a warning “Don’t mess with our elections”, the Iranian IT ministry said yesterday.

“The attack apparently affected 200,000 router switches across the world in a widespread attack, including 3,500 switches in our country,” the Communication and Infor-mation Technology Ministry said in a statement carried by Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

The statement said the attack, which hit Internet service providers and cut off web access for subscribers, was made possible by a vulnera-bility in routers from Cisco which had earlier issued a warning and provided a patch that some firms had failed to install over the Iranian new year holiday.

Cisco did not immediately respond to requests for

comment.A blog published on

Thursday by Nick Biasini, a threat researcher at Cisco’s Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group, said: “Several incidents in multiple countries, including some specifically tar-geting critical infrastructure, have involved the misuse of the Smart Install protocol...

“As a result, we are taking an active stance, and are urging customers, again, of the ele-vated risk and available reme-diation paths.” Iran’s IT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi posted a picture of a computer screen on Twitter with the image of the US flag and the hackers’ message. He said it was not yet clear who had carried out the attack.

Azari-Jahromi said the attack mainly affected Europe, India and the United States, state television reported.

“Some 55,000 devices were affected in the United States and 14,000 in China, and Iran’s share of affected devices was 2 percent,” Azari-Jahromi was quoted as saying.

Hackers leave US flag after cyber attack on Iran

President Mahmoud Abbas called on the UN, Arab League and the European Union to take an immediate action to stop the Israeli violence against Palestinians.

Military police personnel perform during a graduation ceremony of 78/88 round of Military Police Courses 2018. The Directorate of Moral Guidance announced the graduation of the cadets yesterday,

Graduation ceremony of military police personnel

‘31 Palestinians martyred in Gaza protests’ANATOLIA

PALESTINE: At least 31 Pales-tinians have been martyred and 2,850 others injured by Israeli gunfire in anti-occu-pation rallies on border of the Gaza Strip since last week, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The ministry said 79 injured Palestinians were in a serious condition.

According to the ministry, Israel is still holding the bodies of two martyred Palestinians since last week.

Thousands of Palestinians have been staging demonstra-tions on Gaza Strip’s eastern border with Israel against the decade-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands since last week. The rallies are part of a six-week demonstration that will culminate on May 15, which will mark the 70th anni-versary of Israel’s estab-lishment -- an event Pales-tinians refer to as the “Nakba” or “Catastrophe”. Demon-strators demand that Pales-tinian refugees be granted the “right of return” to their towns and villages in historical Pal-estine, from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

09SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Violence claims more lives in Eastern Ghouta AFP

BEIRUT: Deadly bombardments pounded the last opposition holdout in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta yesterday, after regime troops resumed a military blitz to pressure rebels to withdraw.

Backed up by Russia’s fire-power, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has ousted his armed opponents from nearly all of Ghouta, their last stronghold on the edge of the capital.

The regime has used a com-bination of a fierce military onslaught and two negotiated withdrawals to empty out 95 percent of the enclave, but rebels are still entrenched in its largest town of Douma.

As Moscow pursued talks with Jaish Al Islam, the Islamist faction that holds Douma, bombing subsided and military operations appeared to be on hold for around ten days.

But the negotiations crumbled this week and air strikes resumed on Friday, killing 40 civilians according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another eight civilians were killed yesterday as more bombing raids slammed into the town, the Britain-based Observ-atory said.

It could not confirm whether the strikes were carried out by

Syrian government warplanes or those of its ally, Russia.

Firas Al Doumi, a rescue worker inside the battered town, said military planes and heli-copters were circling overhead.

“The bombing has not stopped. We can’t even count all the wounded,” said Mohammed, a young doctor inside Douma.

“There are some wounded who we couldn’t operate on in time, and they died,” he said.

Six civilians were also killed and dozens more wounded as Douma rebels shelled the capital Damascus yesterday, Syrian state media said.

State television broadcast live footage from a hospital in Damascus, where pools of blood stained the floor and wounded could be heard wailing in pain.

One woman cried over the lifeless body of a young man on a stretcher. Another said she had

been riding in a taxi when the shelling started, and the car crashed head-on into a wall.

Assad is keen to recapture Ghouta to eliminate the oppo-sition from the outskirts of Damascus and end years of rocket fire on the capital.

Abbas, a retired 57-year-old Syrian man, said his neigh-bourhood in the capital’s west

was being hit hard yesterday.“It looks like Douma is the

end of the story, and endings are always hard,” he said.

“I’m waiting for the end of the fighters in Douma so people can live in peace. We’ve been waiting for this for years, whether in Ghouta or in Damascus,” said Abbas.

The regime’s offensive on

Ghouta since February 18 has killed more than 1,600 civilians. It sliced the area into three iso-lated pockets each held by dif-ferent rebel factions.

The first two were evacuated under Russian-brokered deals last month that saw more than 46,000 rebels and civilians bussed to opposition-held Idlib province in the northwest.

Tens of thousands also fled into government-controlled ter-ritory through safe passages opened by Russia and Syrian troops. Moscow stepped in to negotiate a deal for Douma, the third and final pocket where Jaish al-Islam had been angling for a reconciliation agreement that would allow them to stay as a police force. Following a pre-liminary accord announced by Russia on Sunday, nearly 3,000 fighters and civilians were evac-uated from Douma to northern Syria.

But as talks dragged on, Syria and its Russian ally threatened Jaish Al Islam with a renewed military assault if they did not agree to withdraw.

It remains unclear exactly why the talks fell apart this week.

SANA said they faltered when Jaish Al Islam refused to release detainees they were holding in Douma, adding that the military assault would only stop if hostages are released.

Others have pointed to internal rebel divisions over the withdrawal process.

Top Jaish Al Islam political figure Mohammad Alloush on Friday blamed power struggles between the regime’s allies.

“The talks were going well... Their only shared interests is the blood of civilians,” he said.

Smokes rise after Assad regime forces carried out airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta’s Douma town in Damascus, Syria, yesterday.

The regime has used a combination of a fierce military onslaught and two negotiated withdrawals to empty out 95 percent of the enclave, but rebels are still entrenched in its largest town of Douma.

14 militant suspects dead in clash with Mali army during escape attempt REUTERS

BAMAKO: Mali’s army said yesterday it had killed 14 militant suspects who were trying to escape detention in its central region, the latest in a string of killings by the armed forces that have provoked condemnation from rights groups.

The military said in a statement that the suspects had

been arrested in Dioura on April 5 and were killed the following day. “Following an alleged attempt to escape, 14 terrorist suspects were killed on April 6 in Dioura,” the statement said. “The command has taken measures to shed light on this issue,” it said.

The statement is likely to draw the attention of human rights groups which have

accused the security forces of carrying out summary execu-tions in their campaign to secure central Mali, which has been plagued by violent Islamists and ethnic militias.

Amnesty International raised the alarm this week over reports that six people found dead in a mass grave in the central Mopti region in March had been arrested by the military three

days earlier. There has been a spate of killings and kidnappings ahead of a July presidential election which rights groups say are being conducted by the army against suspected sympathisers of militant groups. The gov-ernment has rejected the allega-tions. The violence has raised doubts about whether Mali will be able to hold credible elections in less than three months’ time.

Two Chadian peacekeepers were killed on Thursday and at least 10 others were wounded when a UN camp came under mortar fire in the northern Kidal region, the country’s most vol-atile. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said such acts “only reinforce the commitment of the United Nations to support the people and the Government of Mali in their quest for peace”.

Presidential aide hails tripartite Ankara summitANATOLIA

ANKARA: Turkey’s presidential spokesman described the recently concluded trilateral summit in Ankara as an “important step to clear Syria from all terrorist elements”.

On April 4, Turkey hosted a tripartite summit on Syria. In a joint statement following the summit, leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed to fight separatism in Syria. They also stressed the necessity of strengthening humanitarian

assistance to the country.“Without denying the com-

plexities and challenges of the Syrian war in its current state, the Ankara summit was an important step to clear Syria from all terrorist elements, including Daesh, Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, the PKK, PYD and YPG and facilitate the political process that will give the Syrian people their freedom, peace, sta-bility and dignity — the funda-mental rights that they have been denied for too long already,” Ibrahim Kalin said in his article

for Istanbul-based Daily Sabah.Kalin said the joint statement

emphasised the three countries’ commitment to the “sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-sectarian character of Syria”.

“This is a reference to the structure of a future Syrian gov-ernment as non-sectarian, non-fractional, inclusive, democratic and pluralistic,” he said.

Kalin added that the stance against separatist agendas in the joint statement is an “important outcome and confirms that

Tehran and Moscow share Ankara’s concerns over the PYD and YPG in Syria”.

He said that the terrorist group has not been invited to either the Astana or Geneva talks as a result of Turkey’s firm stance. Kalin said Turkey’s fight against the YPG in Syria was not a distraction from the fight against Daesh, “to the contrary, it complements the fight against terrorism in all its forms”.

Eliminating all terrorist threats from all of Syria “must be the goal of all stakeholders”,

Kalin added. ‘Syria stage for global power games’ In addition, Kalin emphasised that Russia and Iran have to use their lev-erage over the Syrian regime for it to respect the cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered across the country. Kalin said that it is “no secret that the Syrian war has become a stage for global power games in the Middle East” with different views and priorities of the main stakeholders US, France, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia on how to end the war.

Ethiopia’s PM seeks end to violenceREUTERS

ADDIS ABABA: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travelled yesterday to a region where clashes have displaced nearly a million people, his first trip since being sworn in as premier five days ago.

Violence along the border of the country’s Somali and Oromiya provinces first erupted in September last year, with both regions blaming the other for the unrest.

The area has been plagued by sporadic clashes for decades. A referendum held in 2004 to determine the status of disputed settlements failed to ease ten-sions. Since September, officials in Oromiya have repeatedly blamed raids by a paramilitary force from the Somali region as causes of the violence. The Somali region denies those claims and says its residents have been unjustly targeted in attacks.

Yesterday, Abiy arrived in Jijiga - the capital of the Somali

region - in a bid to tackle the problems.

“This has been a tragedy that should never have taken place,” the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation quoted him as saying in a speech. A report said he pledged “to find sustainable solutions within a very short time” and provide support to those displaced.

The ruling EPRDF coalition picked Abiy last month to replace Hailemariam Desalegn, who quit to clear the way for reforms in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation which has been racked by vio-lence for the last three years.

Hundreds have been killed by security forces in Oromiya, the violence triggered by land rights but largely fuelled by a sense of political and economic marginalisation among the young. After taking the oath of office, the former army lieu-tenant colonel struck a concil-iatory tone and addressed the need for ethnic unity.

UN peacekeeper dead in Mali AP

MALI: The United Nations mission in Mali says one Nigerien peacekeeper has been killed in an attack against UN forces in the northern city of Gao.

Friday’s deadly attack was the second in two days by Islamic extremists against UN forces in the West African nation.

The UN says two gunmen opened fire on a UN vehicle in Gao. There was no imme-diate claim of responsibility, though a number of extremist groups are active in the area.

On Thursday, two peace-keepers were killed at a United Nations camp in Aguelhok in the northern Kidal region.

More than 100 United Nations peacekeepers have been killed by “hostile acts” since their deployment to Mali in 2013.

The UN secretary-general has called on Malian author-ities to investigate and bring perpetrators to justice, as per the information provided by official sources.

8 people dead in Syria car bomb attack ANATOLIA

SYRIA: Eight civilians were killed and 20 others injured yesterday when a car bomb exploded near a mosque in Syria’s northern Al Bab city, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the field.

Civil Defence workers rushed to the area to help the injured and douse the fire, reports said.

According to an official, Some of the injured are in critical condition, Ammar Selmo, Head of the Syrian Civil Defence in the city, said fearing the death toll may rise. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Al Bab City was liberated from Daesh terrorist group on February 23, 2017 by the Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army amid Euphrates Shield operation.

The damaged Hekimbasi Salih Efendi Mansion is seen after the Maltese flagged tanker Vitaspirit crashed into it by the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday.

Tanker crashes into historic Istanbul mansion REUTERS

ANKARA: A tanker crashed into a historic mansion on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus yesterday after its steering equipment became locked, broadcaster CNN Turk said.

Towboats and coast guard vessels were sent to the area

after the crash and the “Vitaspirit” tanker, carrying a Maltese flag, was pulled back from the crash site and brought to shore, CNN Turk said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but footage from the crash showed extensive damage to the historic seaside mansion located under the Fatih

Sultan Mehmet bridge, one of the three crossings between Istanbul’s Asian and European sides. The Hekimbasi Salih Efendi Mansion has stood on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait since the 18th century and is used to host weddings and con-certs, according to the mansion’s website.

The new initiatives certainly will play a major role in achieving the government’s direction to develop the private sector and local businesses by enabling the home-grown companies to organise events on a global level.

Secularism is and must remain a principle based on equality and not prohibition. Its vocation is to enable every citizen to freely express his or her faith without fear of being stigmatised.

10 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018VIEWS

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

[email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

[email protected]

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Qatar’s step ahead

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is moving one step ahead with its new plans to attract more visitors to the country by holding business events. QTA’s

initiative of launching Brand Qatar yielded con-siderable mileage in the international arena despite the circumstances the country went through over the last 300 days after the unjust siege imposed on it by some countries. QTA highlighted in a recent report about the facilities and capabilities in Qatar to attract interna-tional exhibitions and conferences in which it succeeded tremendously in the last couple of years.

QTA expects business events as one of the four major sectors that will bring 5.6 million visitors by 2023. The business event sector witnessed a significant growth to reach 30% in 2017 from 2015. The presence in specialised international conferences and exhibitions helped the Authority in a major way to showcase Qatar’s facilities, tourism and logistics capabilities to the world’s leading companies and to enhance Qatar’s position as a leading destination for business events. The Authority also imparted various training programmes – locally as well

as globally – to harness its plans and expertise in the field.

All these are under the effective leadership in accordance with the national strategy for the tourism sector, which was announced in its five-year plan last September. QTA’s last year campaign, Qatar Wel-comes the World, has already drawn great successes in the recent past. New campaigns along with new visa facilitation measures have already started giving results.

I t ’s a remarkable achievement on the part of QTA for organising four major exhi-bitions in cooperation with several local companies, which were held on more than 49,000 sqm, with the participation of more than 980 local and inter-national exhibitors, and 70,000 visitors visited the events during 2017. The growth of the business events sector during the past two

years has contributed to the increase in the number of local companies specialised in the organisation of exhi-bitions and conferences to reach 13 companies in 2017.

It’s a welcome step that QTA has launched the first edition of the comprehensive guide for business event organisers in Qatar, both in paper and electronic formats, which includes information on Qatar, major attractions and tourism activities, a list of specialised companies and local suppliers, as well as various event facilities available in Qatar. The events calendar, which is a comprehensive guide that includes a list of all events and activities held in Qatar, is also available on the Internet in seven languages, including Arabic, English, Italian, French, German, Turkish and Chinese.

The new initiatives certainly will play a major role in achieving the government’s direction to develop the private sector and local businesses by enabling the home-grown companies to organise events on a global level. It will also boost the country’s infrastructure sector, and will develop hospitality and transportation sectors.

Hijab: A very French obsession

An angelic voice emanating from millions of television screens cap-tivated audiences across France on February 4. A contestant on the

popular talent show, The Voice was singing Leonard Cohen’s cult anthem, Hal-lelujah. The spellbinding performance caused all four members of the show’s jury to turn their chairs around in a mark of approval. The young candidate, Mennel Ibtissem, was an instant favourite.

But Mennel was not just another suc-cessful candidate on the show — her pho-togenic face was framed by a headscarf worn turban-style. Also, she sang the second verse of the song in Arabic. This detail was enough to rattle some members of the audience who were not comfortable with the presence of a visibly Muslim woman in a mainstream entertainment programme. Of course, some viewers were not at all bothered by the faith of the can-didate — they only focused on her voice. But others, shaken by Mennel’s “audacity” to appear on the show wearing a hijab, embarked on a demonisation campaign.

They started dissecting her social media presence. They went through her Facebook posts and discovered that a couple of years ago she showed support of conspiracy theories about terror attacks in France. No doubt, she was making some serious assertions in these posts — but nobody bothered to remember that she was only 20 years old when she wrote them. Nobody bothered to think about what other French 20-year-olds put on their private social media pages on a regular basis.

People started calling for her dismissal from the show. The campaign against her swiftly snowballed into a nationwide witch-hunt, and the young singer was eventually forced to announce her decision to leave the singing contest. But what do we know about the ideas of the dozens of other candidates who have par-ticipated in The Voice since 2012? Nothing. Did we dissect their social media profiles the way we did Mennel’s? Of course not. Because in France we do not expect singers to be perfect in every aspect of their lives before they find fame and success. French artists are allowed to make

mistakes in their youth.

As long as they are not Muslim women wearing hijabs. In France, we are not accustomed to seeing hijabi women on prime-time tele-vision. Their presence still causes shock and anxiety. The question of hijab (The hijab is a

headscarf worn by many Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion.) is omni-present in French public discourse, yet hijabi women are very rarely granted opportunities to express themselves in public. Mennel’s expulsion from The Voice is yet another sign that our hijab-obsessed country is not ready to hear the voices of the women who choose to wear it.

Why is a piece of fabric causing such virulent and irrational reactions in France? Why are we not able to accept that hijabi women can be regular members of French society? The hijab controversy in France started in September 1989, when three Muslim school girls were suspended for refusing to remove their headscarves in class in a middle school in Creil, a suburb of Paris.

A month later, the State Council, the highest administrative body in the country, ruled that the girls’ headscarves were com-patible with the “laicite” (secularism) of French public schools. But the controversy did not end there. At the end of that year, Education Minister Lionel Jospin issued a statement declaring that it was educators, and not the state, who had the responsi-bility of accepting or refusing the wearing of the hijab in classes on a case-by-case basis.

After 15 years of recurrent debates about whether hijabs are acceptable or not in French schools — and public life in general — French parliament passed a law in 2004 banning women from attending classes while wearing it. In 2010, France passed another controversial law that banned the wearing of the full-face veil anywhere in public (even though at the time there were only 367 women in the entire country that wore such attire).

Since then, several other controversies about the Muslim headscarf - and Muslim women’s clothes in general — have emerged in France.

The summer of 2016 was marked by an epidemic of “anti-burkini decrees”, with mayors across the country trying to ban Muslim women from wearing swim-suits that cover their bodies completely.

It began with the cancellation of a “burkini” event at a water theme park in Marseilles. Then the Riviera town of Cannes banned the full-body swimsuit on its public beaches. The then Prime Minister Manuel Valls expressed his support for the bans, saying the swimsuit represents what he calls a “provocation” and “an archaic

vision”. Later, photographs have emerged of armed French police confronting a woman on a beach in Nice and forcing her to remove some of her clothing to make her comply with the “burkini ban”. The State Council eventually put an end to these anti-burkini decrees when it ruled that they were a “serious and manifestly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms”.

In France, discussions surrounding the hijab are frequently shaped by the circum-stances of other — fundamentally different — countries. In these discussions, hijabi women in France are compared with their foreign counterparts, even though they are as French as any other citizen of the country. The hijab does not carry a single meaning that can be used in any given context.

How can a piece of clothing carry the same meaning in France as it does in another country where women are offi-cially oppressed by the law? In one context, for some women, the hijab can be a tool of oppression used by men in general and the state in particular to make them comply with the rules imposed on them by society. But in a country like France, where it is not the norm, the hijab can be a tool to make the Muslim identity visible.

Of course, one can legitimately question the origins and patriarchal char-acter of the wearing of the hijab. It is per-fectly acceptable to debate the ways in which femininity is expressed; but French hijabi women — and no one else — should be the ones defining the meaning of the hijab in France. However, they are rarely invited to express their opinion on this subject. The media do not give them the opportunity to join the discussion as full-fledged French women with reason.

But hijabi women are not being removed from the discussion just because they are Muslim.

Mennel Ibtissem was only one victim of a problem that affects the lives of mil-lions of French citizens. Today, the concept of “laicite” is being used by the French state to make expressions of Muslim identity illegal. However, secularism is and must remain a principle based on equality and not prohibition. Its vocation is to enable every citizen to freely express his or her faith without fear of being stigmatised.

The writer is a French journalist, writer and filmmaker.

ROKHAYA DIALLO

AL JAZEERA

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The US administration deliberately condones

the killing of dozens of unarmed Palestinian

civilians who exercise their political right to peacefully

demonstrate for freedom and end the occupation

that has lasted more than 50 years.

Saeb Erekat PLO Secretary-General

The populist across the border

Candidates in Mexico’s upcoming presi-dential election kicked off their cam-

paigns and as if on cue, Pres-ident Donald Trump took to Twitter to trash the country. Among other things, he claimed that Mexico was doing nothing to stop migrants from flowing across its southern border and on to the United States, and was “making a fortune on Nafta.” His accusations were ignorant and false, and though they probably weren’t aimed at Mexican politicians or their voters, they may enhance the already strong possibility that the July 1 ballot will be won by a left-wing populist who is as hostile to free trade and close

US-Mexican relations as is Trump.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has taken a commanding lead in polls over two more-centrist challengers, just happens to be the can-didate who has pushed back most strongly against the abuse Trump has aimed at Mexicans. In his opening speech, López Obrador vowed that “neither Mexico nor its people will be treated like a piñata by any foreign government,” adding that Trump’s “foreign policy . . . and contemptuous attitude toward Mexicans are wrong.”

Of course, if Mexicans choose López Obrador, the main reasons will be domestic. In that domain, the rhetoric of the former Mexico City mayor is similar to that of Trump. López Obrador rails against the “economy of the elite,”

promises to battle entrenched corruption and complains about reforms that have opened Mexico to interna-tional competition. He deftly exploits the failures of the lib-eral-minded outgoing pres-ident, Enrique Peña Nieto, whose reforms have so far failed to deliver the economic growth he promised as his administration has been plagued by scandal. The vio-lence racking parts of the country heightens the public’s appetite for change.

Like Trump, López Obrador seemingly would like to lead his country back to an earlier time - in his case, the statist Mexico of the 1970s. He rivals the US president in his disregard for the North American Free Trade Agreement, of which he says, “The few benefits have come

at an extremely high cost.” He’s opposed to a deal revising the agreement before the election, though that is what the Trump administration is reportedly aiming for.

It nevertheless is starting to look probable that, after a quarter-century of steady improvement, US-Mexican relations will be in the hands of dueling populists who will see political advantage in trashing them.

That, of course, would simply worsen the problems the two demagogues decry, from drug and gun trafficking across the border to illegal immigration. But perhaps Trump would welcome more opportunity to rally his base against supposed Mexican perfidy. If current trends con-tinue, some of his tweets might even come true.

THE WASHINGTON POST

Israel has remained defiant amid criticism of its use of force, saying at least 10 of the 31 people shot dead over the past week are known militants.

11SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018 OPINION

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Is North Korea marchingtowards war or peace?

Palestinian journalist in vest marked ‘press’ shot dead under Israeli fire

ONUR KANAN

ANATOLIA

LOVEDAY MORRIS

THE WASHINGTON POST

“Take but degree away - untune that string / And, hark, what discord follows!” says Ulysses in

Shakespeare’s famous Troilus and Cressida. And this is the strategy that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is fol-lowing today. He has “untuned the strings” and broke the molds by pre-

senting an unexpected invitation to meet with US President Donald Trump a few weeks ago. And the discord started to follow right after.

Once Trump shocked the world by accepting his invitation, other leaders got in line to meet with him. Accordingly, Kim is scheduled to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April and with Trump in May. Feeling left out in regard to the developments in the region, Jap-anese leader Shinzo Abe, one of the hard-liners when it comes to negotiating with North Korea, offered to have a summit with Kim too, which might happen in June, according to Japanese sources.

As the leaders in the region were busy scheduling their meetings with Kim, the world woke up to a new picture where China’s President Xi Jinping was shaking hands with Kim Jong Un.

Later, it turned out that Kim had made a secret two-day visit to Beijing upon Xi’s invitation. Even though not many details were shared with the public regarding this meeting, the message was clear: China will not be a side player as other actors are about to stir up the waters in the region.

Kim left North Korea for the first time in his six-year reign to meet the Chinese

leader just ahead of two other important summits. And this was the first meeting between Kim and any foreign head of state.

While other leaders are busy pon-dering what they can bring to the negoti-ation table and what Kim could offer, Xi has already gained an understanding of the kind of thinking Kim has. Also with this meeting, China has reminded the world of Mao Zedong’s words that China and North Korea are “as close as lips and teeth”. “If the lips are gone,” says a Chinese proverb, “the teeth will be cold.” Now the world knows that China will not let its teeth get cold easily.

When it comes to the Kim-Trump summit, if it ever happens, one of the most significant questions to be asked is: why now? Why did Kim offer an invitation to Trump today? With each nuclear test, it has become known that North Korea has advanced its nuclear program and it is speculated that it is about to develop the technology to hit the west coast of the US. If the speculation is true, he is now confident enough to discuss a deal with a sitting US president, which will be the first in history. And he will be able to prove to his people that he is recognised by world leaders as a legitimate head of North Korea. In that case, would it be realistic for the US to come to this summit, expecting Kim to give up on its nuclear program altogether without asking for anything in return?

Kim told Xi that he was “committed to denuclearisation,” according to Xinhua: “It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearisation on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of the late President Kim Il Sung and te late General Secretary Kim Jong Il.”

What further complicates this equation is John Bolton, Trump’s new national-security adviser, who will play a key role in advising Trump on North Korea. He is notorious for his hawkish policies towards North Korea and Iran. He supports the idea that military strikes should be resorted to against North Korea.

“It is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current; necessity; posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons by striking first,” Bolton wrote in an opinion piece on February 28. He does not believe that the summit between Trump and Kim can be called successful unless both sides agree on a complete and immediate denucleari-sation of North Korea and a regime change in the country. It goes without saying that this is far beyond the current range of options.

As an adviser to Trump on the North Korea summit, Bolton does not believe Kim’s promises, and claims that he is merely trying to buy time with this summit to be able to reach the finish line in the advancement of his nuclear program and hit the US “Question: How do you know that the North Korean regime is lying? Answer: Their lips are moving,” said Bolton on Fox News. Bolton believes that Trump should not leave that negotiation table with any-thing less than a complete and instant denuclearisation agreement.

On the other side of the coin, North Korea does not trust Bolton either, who the North Korean state media had called “a human scum and a bloodsucker” in 2003. Then, North Korea announced that Pyongyang would not continue talks with Bolton, and after that, Bolton did not attend the following meetings.

The Kim-Moon summit in April will provide an insight about Pyongyang’s thinking and a clearer idea on what may transpire at the Kim-Trump summit in May. If, at the April summit, we find a Kim willing to discuss giving up his nuclear arsenal in exchange of rea-sonable demands, then his meeting with Trump might be expected to pave the way for a complete denuclearisation in the long term.

However, if the Trump adminis-tration, with Bolton on board, expects Kim to give up his nuclear program right then and there, then this summit might only lead to a disaster.

Yaser Murtaja had often filmed from the sky, but he never lived to fulfill his dream of flying on an air-

plane though the clouds.The young journalist shot drone

images and video for Ain Media, a small Gaza-based news agency he started five years ago. Just two weeks ago he posted an aerial photo of Gaza City’s port on Facebook, one of his last posts. “I wish that the day would come to take this shot when I’m in the air and not on the ground,” he wrote. “My name is Yaser Murtaja. I’m 30-years-old. I live in Gaza City. I’ve never traveled!”

Murtaja, who was married and had a 2-year-old son, died Saturday after being shot the day before by Israeli forces while covering pro-tests at the edge of the Gaza Strip.

He had tried tirelessly to see beyond blockaded Gaza, including to travel for a training course with Al Jazeera in Doha, but he never managed to leave, friends and family said.

Only a tiny proportions of the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are ever able to get out due to tight travel restriction by Israel - which says such limitations are necessary for security reasons due to the militant group Hamas controlling the area - and only sporadic opening of the Egyptian border. For many young people, the 140-square-mile strip of

territory on the Mediterranean is the only world they know.

Murtaja was laid to rest Saturday in the land he never left; his body carried through the streets of Gaza City draped in a Palestinian flag and the blue-and-white vest marked “PRESS” that he was wearing when he was shot. Murtaja, who friends and family describe as ambitious and always smiling, was one of nine people killed Friday after Israeli troops used live ammunition as tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered to protest at the heavily guarded boundary with Gaza.

Five other journalists were injured by live fire, as well, according to the Palestinian Jour-nalists’ Syndicate. They were clearly identifiable as journalists, the syn-dicate said, raising further questions over Israel’s insistance that its use of snipers on the crowds at the border is carefully targeted.

The Israeli military said it fired live rounds in a “precise measured way” as part of its mission to protect Israeli communities near the fence. It said it does not intentionally target journalists and that the circum-stances in which the journalists were allegedly hit by Israeli fire were “being looked into.”

The Palestinian journalists were at the border covering the latest of the six-week long “March of Return” protests at the border. The majority of the crowds have been peaceful at the mass rallies, which have drawn first-time demonstrators, as well as families, in what appears to be a wide cross section of Palestinians in Gaza. However, crowds of largely young men nearer the fence have thrown rocks and Molotov cocktails.

Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the United States and Israel, has called on residents to attend, as have other factions in Gaza. Israel says Hamas is trying to use the demonstrations as a cover to carry out attacks, and that shooting is a last resort used to protect its border fence, its soldiers and Israeli communities from “violent rioters” and attacks. But the use of live ammuntion against the protesters has been widely criticized by human rights groups, who argue it is illegal.

More than 1,000 people - including nearly 400 on Friday when a 14-year-old boy was also among those killed - have been shot over the past week, according to the

Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.The Israeli military has said

those numbers should be treated with “extreme caution,” but officials have said they cannot confirm whether the numbers are unfeasible compared to the amount of ammuntion that has been used.

After the first day of unrest at the border a week ago, the Israel Defense Force’s official spokesman account tweeted that the military knew where “every bullet landed.” However, that post was later deleted. While the Palestinians’ numbers are difficult to fully verify, accounts of paramedics, medical officials, surgeons, hospital logs and the sheer pace of gunshot injuries coming from the crowd at points during the protests have all pointed to high figures. Most of those injured with live ammunition were shot in the legs, medics say.

The Israeli military had dropped leaflets in the lead up to the protest instructing Palestinians to stay at least 300 meters (328 yards) away from the fence and warning live ammunition would be used.

On Friday thousands of tires were set ablaze, creating a thick black fog that protesters hoped would guard them from the Israeli snipers.

Shady al Assar, 35, who was with Murtaja just before he was shot, said they were around 100 meters from the border at Khan Younes, in the southern Gaza Strip, when he lost sight of his friend in the thick black smoke. Assar said he picked up his camera to photograph an injured person being carried toward him before realizing it was Murtaja.

Murtaja was wearing a helmet and a protective jacket when he was shot, according to multiple jour-nalists that saw him. However, the bullet entered his side, rendering the protective plates on his front and back useless, they said.

“He was kind, gentle and caring, eager to become the best journalist he could be, because his aim was always to document the Palestinian people’s suffering,” said Rori Donaghy, a Middle East consultant and former news editor at the Middle East Eye website, who spent time with Murtaja in Gaza. “It’s really sad.”

Ahmed Murtaja, the slain jour-nalist’s 30-year-old cousin, said the family wants an investigation and

The Kim-Moon summit in April will provide an insight about Pyongyang’s thinking and a clearer idea on what may transpire at the Kim-Trump summit in May. If, at the April summit, we find a Kim willing to discuss giving up his nuclear arsenal in exchange of reasonable demands, then his meeting with Trump might be expected to pave the way for a complete denuclearisation in the long term.

have submitted details to a local human rights group.

Israel has remained defiant amid criticism of its use of force, saying at least 10 of the 31 people shot dead over the past week are known militants. It says that Hamas miltants have used the protests to plant explosives near the border and attempt a shooting attack. Of the other five jour-nalists that the journlists’ syn-dicate said were injured, several were freelancers while one was shooting for the European Press Agency, and another worked for the Hamas-affiliated television channel Al-Aqsa.

As he waited at the graveyard for Murtaja’s body to arrive, Wissam Nassar, a freelance pho-tographer who has worked for The Washington Post and The New York Times, said he had exchanged messages with his friend Thursday night to discuss where they would be going for the next day’s demonstrations. It was the last time they were intouch.

Nassar recalled how he had been photographing young men as they waiting to try and get permission to cross the border with Egypt in Feb-ruary when he saw Murtaja. Judging it was a near impossible fete to leave through Israel, Murtaja instead focussed his energy on the Egyptian border, which sporadically opens, relatives said.

Murtaja made it through the Palestinian side, his passport stamped on the way out. But on arrival at the terminal at the Egyptian side the border had been unexpectedly closed and he was turned back, Nassar said.“He joked that he missed Gaza so much, he came back,” said Nassar.

12 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018ASIA

India & Nepal to boost security, connectivity and trade tiesIANS

NEW DELHI: After months of stress in ties, India and Nepal yesterday agreed to crank-up cooperation in connectivity, trade, agriculture and border security as Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an assurance that New Delhi remains committed to strength-ening the partnership as per Nepal’s priorities.

Seeking to readjust the ties, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, on a three-day visit to India, held wide-ranging talks with Modi, who also assured the visiting leader that India would always back Nepal in its quest for development.

A joint statement issued after the talks said Prime Min-ister Oli stated that his gov-ernment attaches high impor-tance to further strengthening friendly relations with India. He expressed the desire of the Gov-ernment of Nepal to develop bilateral relations in a way so as to benefit from India’s progress and prosperity for economic t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a n d development.

“Prime Minister Modi assured Prime Minister Oli that India remains committed to strengthening its partnership with Nepal as per the priorities of the Government of Nepal,” the statement said.

Oli, who has developed closer ties with China with a known pro-Beijing stance, said he has come to India “with a mission” to take bilateral ties based on “principles of equality and justice” to newer heights but “commensurate with the real-ities of the 21st Century”.

In a joint address to the media with Oli, Modi hailed the Nepal Prime Minister’s “vision for a prosperous Nepal” that is in sync with his vision of “sabka sath, sabka vikas” (development for all).

“India stands ready to expand cooperation with Nepal as per Nepal’s priorities. We believe that enhanced connec-tivity between our countries will boost our economic growth and benefit our citizens.”

Modi hailed successful conduct of polls in Nepal and congratulated both the people of Nepal and the government for entering into “a new era of political history”.

He said the two countries agreed to put on faster tracks all c o n n e c t i v i t y pro je cts , announcing that a new railway line will be built “with India’s financial support” to connect the border city of Raxaul in India to Kathmandu in Nepal.

The objective, according to a joint statement, is to expand “connectivity” between the two neighbours and “enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development”.

Prime Ministers Modi and Oli also recognised the untapped potential of inland waterways between the countries that can contribute in an overall eco-nomic development of the Himalayan region.

Towards that, the statement said, they took a “landmark decision” to develop the inland waterways for the movement of cargo, within the framework of trade and transit arrangements,

providing additional access to sea for Nepal.

This will enable cost effective and efficient movement of cargo and greatly impact the growth of business and economy of Nepal.

The connectivity proposals are significant and come nearly two years after China in March 2016 agreed to construct a stra-tegic railway link with Nepal through Tibet to reduce the Kathmandu’s total dependence on India.

That year China also signed a transit trade treaty with Nepal that completely depends on Indian sea ports for third-country trade. Apart from this, China is also building three highways connecting Nepal and these roads are expected to be ready by 2020.

The Nepal-China agree-ments came at a time when Kathmandu-New Delhi ties started soaring after a border blockade in 2015-16. Many in Kathmandu blamed India for the 135-day blockade from Sep-tember, 2015 to February, 2016 that crippled Nepal’s economy.

China expanding its strategic base in Nepal sparked concerns in India that it was losing its foothold in its immediate backyard despite its “neigh-bourhood first” policy.

But Oli’s April 6-8 visit indi-cated a new India-Nepal bon-homie during which he and Modi announced enhanced security ties, particularly on borders to curb misuse of open boundaries between the two countries.

“We have strong relations when it comes to the aspect of security and are committed towards stopping misuse of our open borders,” said Modi, with Oli by his side.

Oli said his government accorded a priority to friends like India that has helped his landlocked nation in fighting poverty.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds signs Manushi Chhillar as brand ambassadorTHE PENINSULA

MUMBAI: Miss World Manushi Chhillar will now be the face of one of the world’s Big 5 jewellery retailers – Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

The Haryana-born beauty, who brought home the Miss World crown after 17 years, has signed an agreement to be the brand ambassador of Malabar Gold & Diamonds, which has 214 showrooms spread across nine countries.

The 21-year-old Manushi, a medical student, was crowned Miss World 2017 in November, trumping participants from 108 countries. She is the sixth Indian woman to win this coveted crown. Among the many acco-lades and recognitions that fol-lowed the crown, she was elected as the most trending personality of the year 2017.

“Miss Manushi is immensely talented as we all know. First, the world was bowled over by her intelligence in the Miss World contest where she said mother’s job deserved the biggest salary in the world. Then, we all knew she

has a big heart too. She had started her humanitarian works as a student, long before her Miss World crown. Ms Manushi and Malabar Group thus share a common passion for making lives better,” said Malabar Group Chairman M P Ahammed.

“I am a proud Indian; it’s the land of celebration with all the fes-tivals, vibrancy and most impor-tantly, emotions. That is what I took to Miss World! Being associated with Malabar Gold & Diamonds is a great occasion, a relationship which is close to my heart with moments that are special to every Indian. I look forward to a strong association with Malabar Gold & Diamonds” said Manushi.

Manushi brought back the family values to the centre by giving a new meaning to human relationship with her award winning answer to the question of Miss World pageant’s jury: “Which profession deserves the highest salary and why? “I think a mother is of highest respect. I don’t think it’s just about cash but love and respect she gives to someone. She is the biggest inspi-ration in my life. Mother should

get highest respect”. The youth icon’s answer, which made all the mothers in the world proud, went viral and took the social media by storm and Manushi’s followers on networking sites multiplied in millions in no time.

A gifted poet, painter and a trained Kuchipudi dancer, Manushi wants to be a cardiac surgeon and work for the people, after seeing by herself the other side of the world in her native State of Haryana and beyond.

“Malabar Gold & Diamonds has been celebrating the beauty of life through our unique designs and quality products. Joining hands with the Miss World Manushi perfectly blends with this basic philosophy of having customer at the centre of service. The collaboration with is significant as we continue our aggressive expansion at the global level,” Ahammed added.

The new brand ambassador will be the face for the global campaigns and charity move-ments of Malabar Gold & Dia-monds. The Group is planning to expand its presence at the global level, opening 50 more show-rooms this year.

Miss World Manushi Chhillar receiving the agreement from M P Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group, in the presence of Asher O, MD - India Operations, Malabar Group, and K P Narayanan, Corporate Head - PR, in Mumbai.

Rahul attacks Modi over Rafale dealIANS

NEW DELHI: Congress Pres-ident Rahul Gandhi yesterday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over an alleged scam in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France.

Issuing a “Modi Scam Alert!” Gandhi tweeted: “$15bn fighter jet deal re-tendered. Prime Minister’s friends race to tie up strategic partners.

“RAFALE, (Rs) 40,000 crore loss to exchequer was “Sayonara” (bye bye in Japenese) money to French, so Prime Minister could re-tender contract and favour friends.”

Gandhi’s comment came in the wake of a news report which stated that India is looking to buy more than 100 new fighter jets which were eventually expected to cost upwards of Rs 100,000 crore or about $15bn.

His party has been long alleging that the deal of 36 Rafale fighter jets with the French government was finalised by the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Centre at a higher price than the previous deal for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) negotiated by the Congress led-United Progressive Alliance government.

The Congress has been pushing the Centre to reveal the price of the deal, but the Modi government has not relented.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the price cannot be revealed due to national security issue.

Fate of 180 MBBS students at stake as Kerala Governor returns billIANS

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Governor P Sathasivam yesterday returned a bill seeking to regularise the admission proce-dures of 180 third year MBBS students at two self-financing medical colleges in the state.

Sathasivam’s action came two days after the Supreme Court ordered cancellation of admissions of these students as it upheld the appeal by the Medical Council of India against regularisation of these

admissions made in the self-financing Kannur and Karuna medical colleges in 2016-17.

The action came as a shock for both the ruling and opposition parties as they had unanimously passed the bill on Wednesday. The Kerala government was in a hurry to pass this bill, as the ordinance on the admission’s validity ends today but with the Governor returning the bill, the future of these students appears bleak.

Yesterday, state Law Minister A K Balan told the media that the action of Sathasivam should not

be seen in any other manner as he has gone according to the apex court directive. “Now we will speak with the opposition to decide on what can be done to see how best we can save the future of the 180 students,” he said.

In wake of the apex court verdict, both sides had sought to put up a brave face, saying their only concern was the future of the students.

However, the Congress-led opposition in the state came under heavy attack from former Defence Minister A K Antony

who flayed his party colleagues for supporting the bill, as it was only meant to support unscru-pulous managements of these colleges who have flouted every rule in the book and gave admis-sions to these students.

Meanwhile, sources in the government said that as per norms, the state government can send back the bill again to the Governor, who will then, as per convention, have to give his assent to it, but this course appears remote, for the Supreme Court on Thursday had come

down heavily on the state gov-ernment for trying to regularise a wrong with a legislation and warned of strict action if there is any attempt to circumvent the courts directive. Now all eyes are on the apex court, as the case will come up for further hearing early next month.

Meanwhile the parents of these students have decided to file a petition seeking to be impleaded in the case in the Supreme Court to see if they can salvage the admission of their wards.

A fan of Bollywood actor Salman Khan is stopped by police as he and other fans gather outside a jail after Khan was granted bail by a court in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, yesterday.

Jodhpur court grants bail to Salman in poaching caseIANS

JODHPUR: Actor Salman Khan was granted bail by a district and sessions court in Jodhpur yesterday in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in which he was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday.

After spending two nights in Jodhpur Central Jail, he left after completing all legal formalities and headed back to Mumbai in a chartered flight. He cannot leave the country without the court’s permission.

The District and Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi after hearing the arguments of prosecution and defence lawyers, pronounced the order at around 3pm. The discussion lasted for about an hour.

“Arguments were already over in the morning but Judge Joshi reserved the order for post lunch. He has to produce

personal bail bond worth Rs50,000 and produce a Rs25000 surety from two persons each who shall guar-antee that he will agree to all bail conditions,” said a defence counsel. Khan’s sisters “Alvira and Arpita” were present during the hearing.

Salman Khan was sen-tenced to a five-year term on Thursday for killing two black-bucks in 1998 in Kankani village, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, while shooting for the Bollywood film, “Hum Saath Saath hai.” Blackbucks are pro-tected under the wildlife laws.

His co-actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam Kothari and Sonal Bendre, accompanied him during poaching but were acquitted by the sessions court.

This was the actor’s fourth stint in this prison. He has earlier spent a total of 18 days in jail in 1998, 2006 and 2007.

“India stands ready to expand cooperation with Nepal as per Nepal’s priorities. We believe that enhanced connectivity between our countries will boost our economic growth and benefit our citizens,” Indian Prime Minister said.

13SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018 ASIA

Top IS commander dies in AfghanistanAFP

MAZAR-I-SHARIF: A high-ranking IS commander in Afghanistan has been killed in an airstrike, officials said yesterday, as Afghan and US forces dial up attacks on the militant group.

Qari Hekmat was the top commander of IS’s Afghan fran-chise in the northern province of Jowzjan, where the group estab-lished a stronghold after coming under intense pressure in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

Hekmat was killed Friday in an Afghan airstrike in Darzab district, the defence ministry said in a statement, describing him as ‘one of the key figures’ for IS in

northern Afghanistan. He was involved in or responsible for ‘deadly terrorist attacks’ and has been replaced by Mawlawi Habib-ul-Rahman, the ministry added.

Provincial governor Lutfullah Azizi confirmed Hekmat had been killed but said US Forces carried out the airstrike.

US Forces did not immedi-ately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

“Our intelligence sources have identified his body. His death will affect the recruitment of Daesh and disperse IS fighters in Afghanistan’s north,” Azizi said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Afghan and US forces have ramped up airstrikes and ground offensives against IS fighters in Jowzjan in recent months as the group seeks to expand its foothold in the country.

Afghan security forces last

month detained a French woman fighting for IS in the same dis-trict of Jowzjan. It has been reported that French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, have joined IS in the restive province.

In January, Afghan forces caught the group’s ‘head facili-tator of foreign forces’. Two months later, his two successors were killed in a US airstrike, NATO’s Resolute Support mission said previously.

Jowzjan provincial police chief Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani said Hekmat’s death was ‘a big blow’ to IS in the north.

“He was the founder of Daesh in northern Afghanistan

and had recruited fighters,” Jawzjani said. He said Hekmat was killed on Thursday in a joint operation between Afghan and foreign forces.

IS first emerged in Afghan-istan in 2014 as NATO combat troops withdrew from the country and handed over responsibility to Afghan security forces.

Despite being vastly outnum-bered by the Taliban, IS has claimed responsibility for dev-astating attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in the country.

Some Western and Afghan officials believe it has received help from the Haqqani Network, a brutal wing of the Taliban.

Qari Hekmat was the top commander of IS’s Afghan franchise in the northern province of Jowzjan, where the group established a stronghold.

Brief sought about overseas Pakistanis’ internet votingINTERNEWS

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) directed the National Database and Regis-tration Authority (Nadra) to give presentation to parlia-mentarians as well as political parties about the procedure that will enable the overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes in the forthcoming elections through internet.

The Nadra on April 3 gave a presentation to a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, hearing constitutional petitions regarding right of vote to the overseas Pakistanis on the internet voting for overseas Pakistanis for the next general elections.

The CJP yesterday directed that such presen-tation be shared with the rep-resentatives of the people of Pakistan and directed that the said presentation be given on April 12, 2018 at 3:00pm in the auditorium of the apex court.

The court directed that six members each from National Assembly and Senate, nomi-nated by the Speaker/Chairman equally from the treasury and opposition benches as well as two rep-resentatives of all the eighteen political parties represented in Parliament and provincial assemblies should be given presentation by Nadra.

Protest against Air strikePakistani supporters of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam party shout slogans during a demonstration in Quetta against the Afghan airstrike in the northeastern province of Kunduz in Afghanistan.

Kabul accepts offer to renew talks with Taliban: Pakistani PM

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister says Afghan-istan has accepted his offer to revive stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said war is not the solution to the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan.

His remarks yesterday came a day after he visited Kabul and met with the Afghan leadership.

Pakistan has praised Afghanistan President

Ashraf Ghani’s overture to the Taliban in which he offered to recognise the radical religious group as a political party.

The Taliban have not officially responded but have reiterated their demand to talk to the US before holding talks with Kabul.

Pakistan hosted the first direct peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban in 2015 but those talks ended when Kabul announced death of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar.

AP

Russell Crowe’s ‘Gladiator’ armour sells for $96,000 at auctionAP

CANBERRA: The torso armor Russell Crowe wore for his Oscar-winning role in ‘Glad-iator’ eclipsed expectations at a Sydney auction yesterday, selling for AU$125,000 ($96,000).

Sotheby’s Australia had esti-mated the stunt cuirass worn in the 2000 blockbuster would fetch between AU$20,000 and AU$30,000. But much of the movie memorabilia auctioned by the Australia-based New

Zealander as part of his divorce s e t t l e m e n t e x c e e d e d expectations.

A replica Roman chariot from the same movie in which Crowe played the general-turned-gladiator Maximus, thought to be worth up to AU$10,000, was sold for AU$65,000.

A leather boxer’s protector, worn by Crowe when he played heavyweight champion James J Braddock in the 2005 movie ‘Cinderella Man,’ estimated to bring between AU$500 and

AU$600, sold for AU$7,000 after intense bidding.

Sotheby’s was closer to the mark in valuing the maroon Doc Martens boots Crowe wore as the skinhead Hando in the 1992 movie ‘Romper Stomper’. The pair sold for AU$10,000, while Sotheby’s anticipated between AU$10,000 and AU$15,000.

The auction, titled ‘The Art of Divorce,’ took place on the actor’s 54th birthday and the anniversary of his wedding to singer Danielle Spencer in 2003.

A cheerful Crowe made an appearance after singer Alisa Nasteski sang Happy Birthday and the crowd gave him three cheers immediately before Lot 31, a violin by Leandro Bislach, sold for AU$135,000.

The violin, used by Crowe when he played Captain Jack Aubrey in the 2003 movie ‘Master and Commander,’ was the most expensive sale in the early part of the night and was likely to bring the highest price of the auction.

The winning bid was at the

high end of expectations of between AU$110,000 and AU$140,000.

“G’day folks, how’re you doing?” Crowe told the crowd. “Are you having a little bit of fun? It’s exciting, isn’t it? So it’s been a lot of fun putting it together for you.”

Before the auction started, Sotheby’s predicted the 227 eclectic lots, covering movies, guitars, paintings, jewelry, watches and sporting memora-bilia, would bring between AU$2.6m and AU$3.7m.

Honouring the deadKyrgyz national honour guards lay wreath at a monument for those killed during the April 2010 uprising at the Ata-Beyit cemetery, some 20km outside Bishkek, yesterday, during a commemorative ceremony to mark the 8th anniversary of the event.

Pakistani motorcyclist killed by US diplomat’s carAP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police say a car carrying an American diplomat has accidently hit a Pakistani motorcyclist in the capital, Islamabad, killing him on the spot.

Local police official Shafi Ullah said the US diplomat was not arrested as he enjoyed immunity under international law.

The US embassy confirmed yesterday’s road accident and said it was cooperating with

authorities in the investigation. It was not immediately clear whether the diplomat was himself driving the car at the time.

Hundreds of motorists are killed every year in Pakistan mainly because of disregard for traffic rules.

Turnbull remains voters’ preferred

PM amid leadership speculationREUTERS

MELBOURNE: Australian voters want Malcolm Turnbull to remain Prime Minister, according to an opinion poll yesterday, as ques-tions about his leadership gain momentum with his coalition facing possibly the 30th straight loss in a major poll on Monday.

Losing 30 Newspolls, one of the country’s most respected political polls, would be a sym-bolic blow for Turnbull since he used that benchmark to justify ousting former conservative leader Tony Abbott in 2015. The next Newspoll is out on April 8.

Three sitting Australian Prime Ministers have been ousted by their own parties since 2010, dumped by their colleagues almost as soon as their popularity began to wane.

Yesterday, a poll by Fairfax/Ipos in the Australian Financial Review said 62 percent of those surveyed want Turnbull to remain Prime Minister over Labour leader Bill Shorten.

However, Turnbull’s con-servative government continues to lag behind in the two-party preferred vote, 48 to 52.

Turnbull declined to comment on the poll.

Senior Liberal party officials have called for Turnbull to remain leader regardless of Mon-

day’s Newspoll.Former Liberal Prime Min-

ister John Howard this week warned against toppling Turnbull, saying the Liberal heartland would be ‘very angry’ if the party changed leader again.

Turnbull has struggled for months against a tide of long-running scandals.

The second half of 2017 was dominated by a string of poli-tician resignations amid ques-tions about whether they held dual citizenship, a status which is banned for elected officials in Australia.

The start of 2018 was then consumed by then Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s admission that he was expecting a child with a former employee. Joyce stood down in February after media reports he was the subject of an unrelated mis-conduct complaint.

A poll by Fairfax/Ipos in the Australian Financial Review said 62% of those surveyed want Turnbull to remain PM.

Earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude strikes PNGREUTERS

SYDNEY: A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the highlands of Papua New Guinea yesterday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, as the region struggles to recover from a massive 7.5 quake only two months ago.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The quake was 82km southwest of Porgera in Enga province and 47km deep, said the USGS. Earlier European quake monitor EMSC reported it at 6.5 magnitude and only 2km deep, but later scaled it down.

The earthquake happened just two months after a 7.5 quake struck the same high-lands area, killing 125 people and leaving hundreds of thou-sands of people homeless.

February’s quake also damaged mining and power infrastructure and led Exxon-Mobil Corp to shut its $19bn liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, the country’s biggest export earner. Miners Barrick Gold Corp and Ok Tedi Mining also reported damage to infrastructure.

Some of the resource companies in the region, such as Oil Search, are still about eight weeks away from full operations. Oil production at the Gobe field had already returned to normal.

The remote and moun-tainous region is struggling to recover from February’s quake, which caused land-slides that buried homes and cuts roads. The United Nations estimates that some 270,000 people are in need of imme-diate assistance and 43,116 people remain displaced in 44 locations and care centres.

The United Nations pulled out its aid workers just two days before the latest quake due to violence from residents.

14 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018ASIA

Koreas discuss issues ahead of rare summitAP

SEOUL: North and South Korea yesterday held talks over estab-lishing a telephone hotline between their leaders and other communication issues ahead of a rare summit between the rivals later this month.

The closed-door talks between working-level officials at a border village were part of preparatory discussions to set up the April 27 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The meeting, only the third summit between the Koreas since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, could prove to be significant in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program.

A summit between Kim and President Donald Trump is antic-ipated in May.

Before yesterday’s meeting, South Korea didn’t specify what would be discussed other than the hotline between the leaders. The Koreas have agreed not to disclose the contents of their pre-paratory talks until they reach an agreement, Moon’s office said. The Koreas agreed on the date of the summit in a high-level meeting last week.

South Korea, which has shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to set up the talks, said Kim had expressed will-ingness to talk about giving up

nuclear weapons during his upcoming meetings with Moon and Trump. The North has yet to officially confirm such intent or Kim’s interest in meeting Trump.

Kim last month made a sur-prise visit to Beijing and met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a move widely seen as strengthening the North’s position ahead of his talks with Moon and Trump. China, North Korea’s only major ally and main economic lifeline, has been calling for a ‘dual sus-pension’ of North Korean nuclear and missile activities in return for the United States and South Korea suspending their large-scale military exercises.

The Koreas earlier this week held separate working-level dis-cussions on the protocol, security and media coverage issues of the inter-Korean summit.

The countries will hold at least one more meeting on these issues to discuss the summit’s agenda.

Working-level officials need to determine how Kim would

arrive at the southern side of the border village for the summit.

South Korean media have speculated whether Kim, who has a flair for the dramatic, would cross the Military Demar-cation Line that bisects the coun-tries in a symbolic gesture of peace. The Koreas have to also decide how many times Kim and Moon would meet on April 27 and whether parts of the summit would be broadcast on live television.

The rivals agreed to set up a hotline between the offices of Kim and Moon in March when Moon’s envoys visited Kim in Pyongyang.

In a subsequent trip to Wash-ington, Moon’s envoys brokered a meeting between Kim and Trump, who said he would meet the North Korean leader by May.

South Korea says a func-tional hotline between Kim and Moon would help facilitate dia-logue and reduce misunder-standing during times of tension. Moon and Kim plan to hold their first telephone conversation sometime before their face-to-face meeting, according to Moon’s office.

North Korea’s abrupt diplo-matic outreach since the start of the year has brought a temporary lull to tensions sparked by its flurry of nuclear weapons and missile tests last year that resulted in Kim and Trump exchanging crude insults and threats of war.

The meeting could prove to be significant in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program.

Army’s annual selection processThai men register for the Thai Army’s annual selection process by lottery system in the restive southern province of Narathiwat, yesterday.

N Korea calls imprisoned former South Korean President ‘traitor’AP

SEOUL: North Korea yesterday called disgraced former South Korean President Park Geun-hye a ‘traitor’ responsible for ‘extra-large hideous corruption,’ in its first reaction to the sentencing of Park to 24 years in prison on corruption charges.

The insults carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency came a day after the Seoul Central District Court found Park guilty on a variety of

charges, including abusing her power and taking tens and mil-lions of dollars from companies in bribes and through extortion. She had been under arrest since March last year.

The relations between the Koreas were terrible while the conservative Park was in office as she took a hard line after the North accelerated its nuclear weapons and missile tests in 2016.

For years, North Korea’s state media used extremely violent and

sexist language to criticise Park, calling her a ‘murderous demon’ destined to meet ‘a sudden and violent death’. In June last year, North Korea vowed to execute Park and her spy chief, accusing them of planning to assassinate the North’s supreme leadership, an allegation the South’s National Intelligence Service denied.

Millions of South Koreans protested for Park’s ouster before an opposition-controlled par-liament voted to impeach her in December 2016.

Japan activates first marines since WW2 to bolster defences against ChinaREUTERS

TOKYO: Japan yesterday acti-vated its first marine unit since World War Two trained to counter invaders occupying Japanese islands along the edge of the East China Sea that Tokyo fears are vulnerable to attack by China.

In a ceremony held at a mil-itary base near Sasebo on the southwest island of Kyushu, about 1,500 members of the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) wearing camouflage lined up outside amid cold, windy weather.

“Given the increasingly dif-ficult defence and security situ-ation surrounding Japan, defence of our islands has become a critical mandate,” Tomohiro Yamamoto, Vice-Defence Min-ister, said in a speech.

The troops conducted a 20-minute mock public exercise recapturing a remote island from invaders.

The formation of the Japanese marine brigade is controversial because amphibious units can project military force and could,

critics warn, be used to threaten Japan’s neighbours. In its post World War Two constitution Japan renounced the right to wage war.

The brigade is the latest com-ponent of a growing marine force that includes helicopter carriers, amphibious ships, Osprey tilt-rotor troop carriers and amphibious assault vehicles, meant to deter China as it pushes for easier access to the Western Pacific.

China, which dominates the South China Sea, is outpacing Japan in defence spending. In 2018, Beijing which claims a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo, will spend 1.11 trillion yuan ($176.56bn) on its armed forces, more than three times as much as Japan.

The activation of the 2,100 strong ARDB takes Japan a step closer to creating a force similar to a US Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) able to plan and execute operations at sea far from its home base.

“ T h e y ’ v e a l r e a d y

demonstrated the ability to put together an ad hoc MEU. But to have a solid, standing MEU capa-bility requires concerted effort,” Grant Newsham, a research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies.

“If Japan put its mind to it, within a year or year and a half it could have a reasonable capa-bility.” Newsham, who helped train Japan’s first amphibious troops as a US Marine Corps colonel liaison officer assigned to the Ground Self Defence Force (GSDF), said Japan still needs a joint navy-army amphibious headquarters to coordinate oper-ations as well as more amphibious ships to carry troops and equipment.

Japanese military planners are already mulling some of those additions. Its Air Self Defense Force (ASDF) wants to acquire F-35Bs to operate from its Izumo and Ise helicopter carriers, or from islands along the East China Sea, sources said.

The United States last month deployed its F-35Bs for their first at-sea operations aboard the USS

Wasp amphibious assault ship, which is based in Sasebo. The Kyushu port is also home to Japan’s Ise and close to the ARDB’s

base.Separately the GSDF may

acquire small amphibious ships up to a 100 metres long to

transport troops and equipment between islands and from ship to shore, two sources familiar with the discussion said.

Soldiers of Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF)’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, Japan’s first marine unit since the Second World War, take part in a drill at JGSDF’s Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, on the southwest island of Kyushu, Japan, yesterday.

PM Najib doubles down on long-time voter basesBLOOMBERG

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak is doubling down on his traditional vote banks in an election manifesto, pledging that under his government Malaysians would live ‘peacefully and pros-perously’. His Barisan Nasional coalition is pledging to introduce a law for Shariah-compliant property sales, help ethnic Malay farmers resolve their debts, build more affordable housing for the police and military, and ensure the same cost of goods for those living in Borneo as in Peninsular Malaysia. The promises target his key support bases: Muslims and ethnic Malays, civil servants, as well as Sabah and Sarawak states.

“I call on my fellow Malay-sians to evaluate the performance of the Barisan Nasional gov-ernment fairly and thoroughly,” Najib said while releasing the manifesto in Kuala Lumpur

yesterday night. “Barisan Nasional must win, only then can the people live safely and prosper-ously.” The campaign launch comes a day after Najib announced the parliament would be dissolved yesterday.

The Election Commission will announce the date of the election within 10 days of receiving official notice on the dissolution of the legislature, said Chairman Mohd Hashim Abdullah. The vote must be held in the next two months.

His party’s manifesto signals Najib’s confidence in maintaining his strongest position yet since the Barisan Nasional coalition’s six-decade rule was nearly inter-rupted by the 2013 election.

With a focus on ongoing infra-structure projects and expansion of existing handouts to his key support bases, he emphasised the work that’s been done to push economic growth to a three-year high.

The ruling coalition will erase the debts of farmers and small landowners linked to the state plantation company, Federal Land Development Authority, who took

out loans to buy shares of Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd, and allocate 300m ringgit ($77m) in five years to forgive extraor-dinary and extreme debts.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister and president of ruling party National Front, Najib Razak holds up a booklet on his party’s manifesto during its launch for upcoming general elections in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.

Father who allegedly caged son

for 20 years arrested in Japan

TOKYO: A father who allegedly confined his mentally ill son in a small cage for more than two decades was arrested yesterday in western Japan, police and news reports said.

Police arrested 73-year-old Yoshitane Yamasaki on suspicion of imprisoning his son, now aged 42, at their house in the city of Sanda in Hyogo prefecture, a local police spokesman said.

Further details of the case were not available as the investigation is still underway, the spokesman said.

According to local media reports, the son was forced to live inside a wooden cage

-- one metre high and 1.8 metre wide -- built in a pre-fabricated hut next to the main house. The suspect has reportedly admitted the allegations.

“I made my son live in a cage for more than 20 years because he has mental problems and acted up,” the father earlier told city offi-cials, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The father said he fed his son and let him bathe every other day.

The son, whose name has been withheld, is in a stable condition but is suffering from a bent back, NHK said, adding that he was sent to a welfare facility.

AFP

15SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018 EUROPE

Spy case: Russia seeks meeting with British FMAFP

LONDON: Russia’s Ambassador to Britain has requested a meeting with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (pictured) to discuss the fallout from last month’s poisoning of a former spy in the English city of Salisbury, the Russian Embassy said yesterday.

“We believe that it is high time to arrange a meeting between Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko and Foreign Sec-retary Boris Johnson in order to discuss the whole range of bilateral issues, as well as the investigation of the Salisbury incident,” a spokesperson said.

“Unfortunately, the current state of the foreign office inter-action with the embassy is utterly unsatisfactory.”

The spokesperson said Yak-ovenko had sent a “personal

note” to Johnson asking for the meeting.

“We hope that the British side will engage constructively and that such (a) meeting is arranged shortly,” the spokes-person added.

Britain’s Foreign Office said it had received the request and would be “responding in due course”.

Relations between London

and Moscow have plumbed new lows in recent weeks following the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4.

The conditions of the Skripals has continued to improve this week, with the ex-spy no longer in critical con-dition, the hospital treating him said, and his daughter saying Thursday her strength was “growing daily”.

Britain and its Western allies have blamed the attack on Moscow, accusing it of targeting the pair with a Soviet-made mil-itary-grade nerve agent, known as novichok.

Russia has vehemently denied any involvement in the case.

The crisis has led to the biggest wave of tit-for-tat expul-sions of diplomats in recent memory.

A meeting between Johnson and Yakovenko would bring together two of the most vocal players in the crisis.

The ambassador held a 90-minute press conference this week in which he denied Russia had ever produced novichok and suggested Britain may be behind the Skripal poisoning.

And last month he wrote to a UK policeman hospitalised after exposure to the nerve agent used in Salisbury, insisting on Moscow’s innocence and thanking him for his bravery.

Meanwhile, Johnson publicly agreed last month with a British lawmaker’s assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin would exploit the 2018 football World Cup in Russia as Adolf Hitler did the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The charge prompted an angry response from the Kremlin.

Moscow vows firm response to US sanctionsAFP

MOSCOW: Moscow yesterday promised a “tough response” to new US sanctions imposed on seven of Russia’s most influ-ential oligarchs following the diplomatic crisis sparked by the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal.

“We will not let the current attack, or any new anti-Russian attack, go without a tough response,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, after the US sanctions which also target 12 companies owned by the oligarchs, 17 senior Russian officials and a state-owned arms export company.

“Having obtained zero results from the 50 previous rounds of sanctions, Wash-ington continues to employ fear with the refusal to issue American visas, the threatening of Russian businesses with the freezing of companies’ assets and property, while forgetting that the requisitioning of private property and other peo-ple’s money is known as theft,” the ministry added.

Such sanctions place the United States in the category of “enemies of the market economy and honest and free competition” as they “use administrative methods to eliminate competitors in foreign markets”.

Earlier Friday, the United States struck at the heart of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, stoking a diplomatic crisis that some have dubbed a new Cold War.

Those hit include metals

magnate Oleg Deripaska, described by the US as oper-ating for the Russian gov-ernment, as well as Alexei Miller, director of state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Any assets they hold in areas under US jurisdiction could now be frozen.

Russia’s state arms exporter, was also added to the sanctions list.

But the Russian foreign ministry insisted in its statement that “no amount of pressure will make Russia deviate from the path it has chosen”. The measures were taken under a US law passed to punish Russia for its alleged bid to interfere in the 2016 presi-dential election, engage in cyber-warfare and intervene in Ukraine and Syria.

But Friday’s announcement also came as Washington and its allies face a new diplomatic crisis with the Kremlin over the poisoning of Skripal, a former Russian double agent, and his daughter on British soil.

Uproar in Wales over plan to rename Second Severn CrossingAP

LONDON: The decision to rename a major road bridge linking England and Wales after Prince Charles has drawn a royal storm of opposition from anti-monarchists and Welsh nation-alists.

The government announced this week that the Second Severn Crossing is to be rebranded the Prince of Wales Bridge.

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said the change was a fitting tribute to the heir to the throne for his “decades of continued, dedicated service to our nation.”

But the news annoyed some in Wales, who said they weren’t consulted.

Leanne Wood, leader of the

Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, tweeted: “Is this a late April fool joke?”

Graham Smith of anti-mon-archy group Republic accused the government of making “a

unilateral decision that will irritate people in England and Wales for years to come.”

Britain’s Prince Charles inspects the guard of honour as he visits the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, yesterday.

‘Plastic attack’Shoppers leave excess plastics at the entrance to the Delhaize supermarket, during a ‘plastic attack,’ in Brussels, yesterday. People shopping at the supermarket leave all plastic wrapping material of their groceries at the supermarket instead of taking it home with them to emphasise the over-usage of plastic.

Russian Foreign Ministry said: Such sanctions place the US in the category of “enemies of the market economy and honest and free competition” as they “use administrative methods to eliminate competitors in foreign markets”:

London beefs up security as rise in violence worries localsAP

LONDON: British police said they are deploying 300 more officers on the streets of London this weekend to confront a spike in stabbing and shootings that has sparked fears about rising crime.

There have been more than 50 homicides in London in this year, with many of the victims young people caught up in gang-related violence.

The crime wave has drawn criticism of London’s mayor, police tactics and gov-ernment spending cuts.

Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick said violent crime is “a long-term problem which requires con-certed long-term effort.”

But former chief Ian Blair said budget cuts mean there are fewer officers on the beat.

He said yesterday that “if you take 20 percent of the Met’s money away, some-thing gives and the thing that has given is neighbourhood policing.”

According to the reports, the murder rate in London over the past two months exceeded New York City’s for the first time in modern history.

Eight people were mur-dered in London between March 14 and March 20, bring the total for the month up to 22, reported the Sunday Times. New York City had 21.

In February, London had 15 reported murders, com-pared to 11 in New York City.

Kosovo indicts 11 ruling party members for graftREUTERS

PRISTINA: Kosovo authorities said they had indicted 11 people, including a minister and lawmaker from the ruling party, for allegedly handing out state jobs to people based on their political affiliation.

The case is based on wiretaps made in 2011 during an anti-corruption operation by the European Union police and justice mission (EULEX), set up after Kosovo’s 1998-99 inde-pendence war to foster rule of law in former Serbian province.

EU officials said Kosovo’s government, led by former guerrillas, has not done enough to purge ingrained corruption and organised crime, often cited as the main obstacle to foreign investment in the

impoverished Balkan nation of 1.8 million people.

Almost all of the indictees are members of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), including Besim Beqaj, the minister for innovation and entrepreneurship, which is in power since 2007.

Prosecutors said that the defendants could be heard in wiretapped conversations offering party supporters jobs at state-financed agencies, among them the rail network, courts and universities, water, energy and health companies.

“The indictment has to do with the criminal activities of hiring, sharing official positions based on party affiliations and friendly connections,” prose-cutors said in a statement released recently.

Up to 2.7 million people affected by Facebook data scandal: EUAFP

BRUSSELS: Facebook has admitted up to 2.7 million people in the EU may have been caught in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the bloc announced, saying its top data official will demand more answers from the social media giant next week.

The EU justice commissioner Vera Jourova will hold phone talks with Facebook’s chief oper-ating officer Sheryl Sandberg to discuss what the company is doing to address the breach, which it says may have affected 87 million people around the world.

The EU wrote to Facebook last week to ask how many Euro-peans were affected by the

growing scandal over the har-vesting of personal data which was then shared with British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

“Facebook confirmed to us that the data of overall up to 2.7 million people in the EU may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica,” spokesman Christian Wigand said. “We will study the letter (from Facebook) in more detail but it is already clear that this will need further follow-up dis-cussions with Facebook.”

The scandal comes amid growing concern in Europe about the use online companies make of their customers’ per-sonal data and the spread of “fake news” on the web.

There are particular worries about Russian meddling in European elections by spreading disinformation and discord through social media, and Wigand said the EU expected Facebook to address “broader questions on the democratic process”.

Facebook chief Mark Zuck-erberg said on Thursday that around the world as many as 87 million people could be affected by the Cambridge Analytica breach, which has sent the company into turmoil and raised questions about data protection for the entire tech sector.

The data at the centre of the controversy was obtained from a personality quiz app down-loaded by some 300,000 people.

It gathered details about their Facebook friends without their knowledge — permitted by Face-book’s rules at the time.

Reports suggest the data was then used by Cambridge Ana-lytica as part of its work on Donald Trump’s 2016 presi-dential campaign, though the British firm denies this.

Zuckerberg acknowledged the company had not done enough to protect user data, saying it must take a more serious approach after years of being “idealistic” about how the platform is used.

The Italian competition authority Antitrust said on Friday it had opened an inves-tigation into Facebook for “alleged improper commercial

practices” by not adequately informing users about data-gathering.

According to the Italian news agency AGI, just over 214,000 Italians could be affected, based on the 57 Facebook users who installed the personality quiz application.

The EU is preparing to launch tough new data pro-tection rules next month, under which companies could be fined up to four percent of their global turnover for breaches.

On May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation will come into effect, strengthening the protection of EU citizens’ per-sonal details. It will apply to all companies, including those outside of the EU.

16 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018EUROPE

Puigdemont to appeal

for European mediation

BLOOMBERG

BERLIN: Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont will embark on a European campaign to promote independence after being freed from jail by a German court despite an extradition request from Spain.

Puigdemont said he has no plans to return to Spanish soil, where he faces arrest, and insisted the Catalan conflict requires international mediation. He’ll remain on bail in Berlin until a German judge makes a final decision on his extradition.

“My duty is to explain before Europe the political situation in

Catalonia,” he said yesterday. “If both sides aren’t able to

engage in dialogue, I think it’d be necessary for another country or an international organisation to offer a space.”

Puigdemont’s camp was reinvigorated Thursday after the German court declined to con-sider a Spanish judge’s request to have him extradited on rebellion charges. The ruling saps

authority from Madrid’s legal argument and leaves Prime Min-ister Mariano Rajoy casting around for votes in the national parliament, setting back his efforts to finally pass a 2018 budget.

Speaking from Seville where the governing People’s Party is holding a national convention this weekend, Rajoy said he respected the court’s decision but

doubled down on his defence of the Spanish constitution. The premier said he hadn’t spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about Puigdemont.

Meanwhile, his foreign min-ister, Alfonso Dastis, criticised comments from German Justice Minister Katarina Barley to news-paper Sueddeutsche, in which she argued the decision to drop rebellion charges was right. Dastis said the remarks were inappro-priate and politicians should stay out of legal proceedings.

Puigdemont was arrested by German police March 25 as he entered the country from Denmark en route to Belgium, where he’s been based since making an illegal declaration of independence from Spain last year. The German court argued it couldn’t extradite him on charges of high treason — the rough equivalent of Spain’s rebellion charges — since the use of violence wasn’t such to endanger the state.

Separately, the president of

the Catalan regional parliament, Roger Torrent, said yesterday that he would back pro-independence activist Jordi Sanchez — currently in prison in Madrid — to become the next regional president in an effort to avert an election.

Sanchez was proposed earlier this year but had to pull his candidacy after a judge in Madrid ruled he couldn’t leave prison. Sanchez is also supported by Puigdemont, who said courts were trying to block separatists from forming a majority.

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont (centre) with Catalan MPs after holding a press conference, in Berlin, Germany, yesterday.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said he has no plans to return to Spanish soil, where he faces arrest, and insisted the Catalan conflict requires international mediation.

Germany hails bail decision AP

BERLIN: Germany’s justice minister has applauded a court’s decision to free former Catalonian leader Carles Puigdemont on bail, two weeks after his arrest in Germany.

Katarina Barley told daily Sueddeutsche yesterday the judges’ decision was “absolutely right” and what she’d expected.

Spain is seeking Puigdemont’s extradition for rebellion and misuse of public funds in organizing an unauthorised referendum last year on Catalonia’s independence from Spain.

The German court decided the charge of rebellion did not warrant extradition, because the accusation isn’t punishable under German law. Puigdemont can still be extradited on the less serious charge of misuse of funds.

Barley said it was now up to Spain to prove their embezzlement charges against Puigdemont, which she said “won’t be easy.”

Air France cancels flights as strikes continueAFP

PARIS: Air France said yesterday that hundreds of its flights have been cancelled as pilots, cabin crew and ground staff pursued a fifth day of strikes aimed at securing higher pay.

The walkout has affected international and domestic travel, with a quarter of long-haul flights cancelled.

Around a third of medium-haul flights to and from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport have not taken off.

Thirty percent of short-haul flights have been cancelled to and from Paris’s Orly airport and French regions.

Unions say workers deserve to benefit from years of belt-tightening that have brought the carrier back to operating prof-itability, after seeing their wages effectively frozen since year 2011.

Yesterday saw the highest cancellation rate since unions called for the daylong work stoppages in February in pursuit of a six percent pay raise.

Air France management’s offer of a one percent raise this year has been rejected.

Management estimated 34 percent of pilots walked out, 26 percent of crew and 19 percent of ground staff.

Unions have already warned of more strikes to come, with six more days of walkouts planned including two next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The airline has warned that the strikes are costing Air France $30m each day, money the airline should be investing

in buying planes and creating jobs.

The Air France industrial action coincides with rolling strikes by workers at the state rail operator SNCF, as well as protests by students, public servants, energy workers and rubbish collectors.

Although the various pro-tests have different aims, they have created a general atmos-phere of social discontent as President Emmanuel Macron pursues his ambitious reform drive.

A screen displays a series of flight cancellations at the Air France check-in at Bordeaux-Merignac airport, in France, yesterday.

Police block a street near a place where a vehicle drove into a group of people killing three and injuring many in Muenster , Germany, yesterday.

German Ministers in row over law enactmentREUTERS

BERLIN: Tempers are fraying in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new Cabinet before she gathers ministers on Tuesday for a two-day retreat aimed at team-building in the ruling coalition, which took power just last month.

Simmering antipathy between the awkward partners boiled over yesterday in a row over law enforcement, high-lighting the challenge Merkel faces to forge a team spirit in the alliance of her conserva-tives and the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD).

The row broke out after Health Minister Jens Spahn said earlier this week that in working-class areas in Essen, Duisburg or Berlin “there is the impression that the state is no longer willing or able to enforce the law.”

Andrea Nahles, poised to take over as SPD leader this later month, said Spahn should focus on the health portfolio.

“Before Health Minister Spahn insults the home affairs situation in too-clever-by-half interviews ... he should take care of his own job,” she said, noting the conservatives have held interior ministry for 13 years.

Merkel took office last month as chancellor for a fourth, and likely final, term that may prove her most chal-lenging yet as she leads the fragile coalition with her per-sonal standing diminished fol-lowing 2015 refugee crisis.

Her conservatives only turned to the SPD to prolong their ‘grand coalition’ out of desperation after talks on a three-way alliance with two

smaller parties collapsed last November.

But the SPD only agreed to take part in the coalition re-run after a divisive internal debate that ended when party members voted last month to back the alliance.

Now, the pressure is on for both camps to deliver: a clause in their coalition deal that envisages a review of the gov-ernment’s progress after two years gives each the oppor-tunity to leave the alliance then if it is not working for them.

Ahead of Tuesday’s cabinet gathering at Schloss Meseberg country residence, Interior Min-ister Horst Seehofer backed up Spahn, remarking that his dis-cussion about law enforcement “is good for our country”.

Taking aim at Spahn, who has a history of making contro-versial statements, Nahles shot back: “Employees who make big speeches but don’t do their job annoy their colleagues and in real life get into trouble with the boss.”

She pressed Merkel to “get government business up and running” and said she expected a timetable for the next 12 months to come out of the Meseberg meeting.

AP

PARIS: A 25-year-old British snowboarder has suffocated to death after falling head-first into a snowdrift in the French Alps.

The local mountain guide service said yesterday that two witnesses alerted res-cuers after spotting a snow-board sticking out of the snow in an off-piste area near the resort of Meribel. An official with the guide service said the man apparently was trapped for up to half an hour before he was spotted.

The man was in cardiac arrest when the time rescuers arrived, according to the guide service.

The row broke out after the health minister said that in working-class areas in Essen, Duisburg or Berlin “there is the impression that the state is no longer willing or able to enforce the law.”

Three dead as car rams into crowd in GermanyAFP

BERLIN: At least three people died yesterday when a vehicle ploughed into busy cafe and restaurant terraces in the German city of Muenster before the driver shot himself dead.

Images on social media showed smashed and upturned tables and chairs strewn accross the pavement outside an eaterie in the centre of the picturesque medieval city.

At least 20 people were injured, six of them seriously, according to police, while media reports said the driver had been behind the wheel of a delivery van.

A police spokeswoman in the western city, Vanessa Arlt, said that the driver of the vehicle “shot himself”.

“The perpetrator drove into

several cafe and restaurant ter-races in a major square in the centre of Muenster,” Arlt added.

Police spokesman, Andreas Bode, said it was “too soon” to call the incident a deliberate attack.

According to the online edition of the Spiegel magazine, German authorities were “assuming” the incident was an attack, though there was no immediate official confirmation of a motive.

“Terrible news from Muenster,” German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in a tweet, saying local police were providing regular updates.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.”

Images broadcast by German television showed police and firefighting vehicles

clustered around a street in the centre of the city of 300,000 people.

Armed police were deployed and officers urged res-idents to avoid the city centre to allow investigators to get to work.

Germany had long warned of the threat of more violence ahead after several attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, the bloodiest of which was a truck rampage through a Berlin Holiday market in December 2016 that left 12 people dead.

The attacker, Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, hijacked a truck and murdered its Polish driver before killing another 11 people and wounding dozens more by ploughing the heavy vehicle through the festive market in central Berlin.

British man dead after falling head first into snow

Probe on ski-lift brawl under wayAP

BERLIN: Austrian police said they have questioned a group of British teenagers and two Germans over a brawl outside a ski lift that left three people injured.

Police said the incident happened on Thursday morn-ing following a verbal dispute between the skiers over who could get into the Gruenwald-kopfbahn gondola first.

In a statement, Salzburg police said a 51-year-old Ger-man, his 16-year-old son and the group of seven British students aged 15 to 16 began beating each other with fists and ski poles as they exited the lift.

17SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018 AMERICAS

Florida school shooting survivor rejects ‘hero’ labelAFP

MIAMI: A survivor of the Florida school shooting nicknamed “Iron Man” for his efforts to save classmates said he did not want to be labeled a “hero,” as his family announced a lawsuit against authorities.

Anthony Borges, 15, was shot in both legs and the back by Nikolas Cruz, who opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14.

Despite his injuries, the teenager managed to shut a door, preventing the shooter from entering the room where around 20 students were hiding. In doing so, he was shot twice more.

“I don’t know why I survived, but I will tell you that my family and I will dedicate the rest of our lives to seeing that something like this never happens again,” Anthony said in a statement via his lawyer, Alex Arreaza.

Anthony, joined by Arreaza, his father Royer Borges, his grandfather Alfredo and friend Carlos Rodriguez took part in a press conference in Plantation, north of Miami.

He entered in a wheelchair, and still recovering after nine surgeries and seven weeks in hospital, did not want to speak.

“I know I’m being called ‘Iron Man.’ I am not,” he said in the statement. “I am a 15-year-old who was shot five times.

“I’m just a kid who wants to go back to school without being afraid.”

Borges also accused Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and schools superin-tendent Robert Runcie of failing him, as they were unable to prevent Cruz from buying firearms and entering the school despite his erratic behaviour.

“You know he was a problem and you did nothing.”

Marjory Stoneman,Douglas High School shooting victim, Anthony Borges, is wheeled out of a press conference by his grandfather, Alfredo Borges, in Plantation, Florida, yesterday.

First native Hawaiian in Congress dies

Arizona, Texas announce troops deployment to borderAP

AUSTIN: Arizona and Texas announced that they would send 400 National Guard members to the US-Mexico border by next week in response to President Donald Trump’s call for troops to fight drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Arizona Gov Doug Ducey said about 150 Guard members would deploy next week. And the Texas National Guard said it was already sending Guardsmen to the border, with plans to place 250 troops there in the next 72 hours as an “initial surge,” according to a Guard spokesman.

Two helicopters lifted off

Friday night from Austin, the state capital, to head south.

The total so far remains well short of the 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard members that Trump said he wants to send.

New Mexico Gov Susana Martinez’s office said that it had not yet deployed any Guard members. The office of Cali-fornia Gov Jerry Brown did not respond to questions about whether it would deploy troops.

Trump’s proclamation Wednesday directing the use of National Guard troops refers to Title 32, a federal law under which Guard members remain under the command and control of their state’s governor. This

leaves open the possibility that California’s Brown could turn him down.

Defence Secretary James Mattis yesterday approved paying for up to 4,000 National Guard personnel from the Pen-tagon budget through the end of September.

A Defence Department memo said the National Guard personnel will not perform law enforcement functions or “interact with migrants or other persons detained” without Mat-tis’s approval. It said “arming will be limited to circumstances that might require self-defense,” but it did not further define that.

Deployments to the border

under former presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama both occurred under Title 32. Bush sent around 6,000 troops in 2006, and Obama sent 1,200 Guard members in 2010.

Trump’s proclamation blamed “the lawlessness that continues at our southern border.” Trump has suggested he wants to use the military on the border until progress is made on his proposed border wall, which has mostly stalled in Congress.

After plunging at the start of Trump’s presidency, the numbers of migrants appre-hended at the southwest border have started to rise in line with historical trends.

Manafort seeks to repress evidence found by FBIBLOOMBERG

WASHINGTON: Paul Manafort, the indicted former campaign chairman to President Donald Trump, claims the FBI illegally searched a storage unit that held his business and tax records and is asking a judge to throw out all evidence from that search.

Manafort’s lawyers said in a court filing yesterday that an FBI agent improperly obtained access to the unit from a former employee of his political con-sulting firm who still had a key.

Having surveyed the entire contents of the storage locker in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 26, the agent wrote a search warrant, which a judge then signed. The FBI returned the next day to seize boxes of records and a file cabinet, according to the filing in federal court in Washington.

Those records provided evi-dence that led to the indictment of Manafort and his former right-hand man, Rick Gates, Manafort’s lawyers contend. Arguing the former low-level employee of Davis Manafort Partners Inc. lacked the authority to let the agent into the storage unit, the search violated Manafort’s con-stitutional right against

unreasonable searches and sei-zures, they said.

“The search warrant was fundamentally flawed from the outset because the FBI agent knew when he conducted the warrantless search of the storage unit that he had not obtained valid consent to do so,” Mana-fort’s attorneys wrote. “All evi-dence that the government obtained from the FBI’s second search of the premises, and the fruits thereof, should be suppressed.”

A spokesman for Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the Manafort inves-tigation as part of his probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, declined to comment.

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to separate indictments in Washington and Alexandria that

were signed by Mueller. Manafort has filed a civil lawsuit and motions in both of his criminal cases that question Mueller’s legal authority to prosecute him. Those matters are pending.

Manafort is accused in the Washington case of laundering the profits from tens of millions of dollars that he made as a political consultant to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and other politi-cians there, as well as of failing to register in the US as a lobbyist. In Virginia, he’s accused of tax and bank fraud. Gates has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with Mueller.

Beyond improperly entering Manafort’s storage unit the first time, FBI agents seized far more records than they should have for the time period of the crimes they were investigating, his

lawyers argue in Friday’s filing. The filing includes a copy of

both the warrant and the sup-porting affidavit, which has several pages blacked out. According to the affidavit, the former employee of Davis Man-afort Partners was then working for Steam Mountain LLC, another Manafort business. The person isn’t identified in the affidavit.

The former employee told the agent that the unit was rented from Public Storage at 370 Holland Lane for $332 a month. The person, who had moved the files into the locker, signed a written consent for the agent and provided a key. The unit, meas-uring 10 feet by 25 feet, con-tained 21 bankers’ boxes and a five-drawer cabinet, according to the affidavit.

Manafort’s lawyers asked US District Judge Amy Berman

Jackson for a hearing to determine whether the consent to search was “freely and voluntarily given’’ by the former employee.

“The FBI Affidavit provides no indication of the facts and cir-cumstances of the former employee’s purported consent,’’ according to the filing.

The documents in the unit spanned three decades, and included records of Manafort’s investment in a New York film production company and his work as a Republican leader for presi-dential conventions in 1988, 1992 and 1996, according to affidavit.

Agents were looking for records related to work by Man-afort and Gates in Ukraine, as well as documents involving several accounts in Cyprus that prose-cutors later said were used to launder millions of dollars into the US.

Paul Manafort’s lawyers asked US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson for a hearing to determine whether the consent to search was “freely and voluntarily given’’ by the former employee.

AP

HONOLULU: Former Sen Daniel Kahikina Akaka, the first Native Hawaiian elected to Congress who served for more than three decades, died yesterday. He was 93.

Akaka died in Honolulu after being hospitalised for several months, said Jon Yoshimura, the senator’s former communications director.

The Democrat served 14 years in the US House before he was appointed to replace Sen Spark Matsunaga, who died of cancer in spring 1990. Akaka won election that fall for the rest of Matsunaga’s term, and voters sent him back for consecutive terms until 2012, when he chose not to seek re-election.

His legislative style was described as low-key, a char-acterization he embraced.

Akaka developed a repu-tation as a congenial legis-lator who made many friends while making few waves in pressing the interests of the 50th state.

“Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka embodied the aloha spirit,” Sen Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said in a statement.

“He dedicated his life to serving the people of Hawaii as an educator, and in the US Army, state government, the US House, and the US Senate.

In Congress, Senator Akaka’s care, empathy, and collegiality served as an example for us all.”

In 1996, Akaka sponsored federal legislation that ulti-mately resulted in Medals of Honor — the Army’s highest honour for bravery — for 22 Asian-American soldiers who fought during WWII.

Chile raises alert over volcano eruption threatAFP

CHILLÁN: A column of white smoke and a string of tremors at the Nevados de Chillan have prompted offi-cials to raise the level of alert ahead of a possible eruption at one of the most active volcanoes in Chile.

Surrounded by dense forest and rivers, this volcanic complex is located some 550km south of Santiago in the Bio Bio region of the Chilean Andes.

Since 2015, the alert level has remained at yellow — the second lowest of four levels — but since December, several eruptions of ash have sug-gested increased activity, prompting officials to raise the alert by one level, to orange.

Yesterday, teams of police and experts from the state-run National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) deployed to the site saw a huge column of white smoke rising from one of the craters.

Sernageomin also detected an unusual flow of lava in the crater which could spill over at any time, and data from 10 monitoring stations registered some 4,000 tremors and around 800 explosions.

Given the likelihood of “a major explosive, eruptive event like we’ve seen in recent months,” the decision was taken to raise the alert level to orange, just below the highest level, said Alvaro Amigo, head of Sernageomin’s volcanic surveillance network.

14 dead in Canada hockey bus crashAFP

NIPAWIN: Hockey-mad Canada was in mourning yesterday after a bus carrying a junior ice hockey team collided with a semi-trai ler truck in Saskatchewan province, killing 14 people.

In a country where love of the sport is almost a religion, the crash sparked an outpouring of grief among players and fans, while national political leaders and the head of the NHL expressed their sympathies.

“We can now confirm 14 people have died as a result of this collision,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement, which did not say how many of the victims were players or coaches of the Hum-boldt Broncos team, which hails from a town of 6,000 people.

Of 29 people on the team bus, including the driver, 15 were taken to hospital with injuries.

Tom Straschnitzki told CBC News that his son, Ryan, is one of them.

“He remembers he was in the middle of the bus and then he remembers waking up when the paramedics took him off the bus,” said Straschnitzki, whose son suffered a severe back injury.

The young man told his father that at first he thought the truck had “’T-boned (the bus) right in the middle,’ but he said, ‘no, it was in the front of the bus.’”

RCMP said three of the injured were in critical condition.

The team comprises 24 players, all from Canada, with the youngest aged 16 and the oldest 21.

The crash happened at about 5:00pm (2300 GMT) on Friday at Highway 35 about 28km north of the town of Tisdale, a trading center in an overwhelmingly agricultural region of the

western province. The team was heading north

for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game against the Nipawin Hawks.

Police gave no indication of the cause, but early yesterday special police investigators were still at the scene, roughly 150km east of Prince Albert City.

The flat prairie around the

crash site is covered with snow, traces of which can be seen on the plowed roads.

Canadian media said the col-lision occurred near the junction with another highway.

The Saskatchewan league is a feeder system for higher levels of hockey, with many graduating to play at US and Canadian col-leges and major junior league

level, while some go on to the professional National Hockey League (NHL).

Similar leagues operate throughout the country, their buses a regular feature of the vast country’s highways.

Victims’ families, friends, and supporters of the team gathered at a Nipawin church for infor-mation and support.

Community members leave notes and flowers at a memorial for the Humboldt Broncos team leading into the Edgar Peterson Arena, in Humboldt Saskatchewan, Canada, yesterday.

Anti-violence protest

18 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018AMERICAS

Lula agrees to comply with arrest orderAP

SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO: Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told thou-sands of supporters yesterday that he would turn himself in to police, but also maintained his innocence and argued his corruption conviction was simply a way for enemies to make sure he doesn’t run — and possibly win — re-election in October.

The public comments were da Silva’s first since the Supreme Federal Tribunal, the country’s top court, ruled against his petition on Thursday to remain free while he continued to appeal his conviction. That ruling set in motion a series of events that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

Judge Sergio Moro, who oversees many of the so-called “Car Wash” cases, ordered an arrest warrant for da Silva, giving him until 5pm on Friday to present himself to police in Curitiba, about 417km southwest of Sao Bernardo do Campo, and begin serving his 12-year sentence.

Da Silva, who Brazilians simply call “Lula,” did no such thing. Instead, he hunkered down with supporters in the same metallurgical union that was the spiritual birthplace of his improbable rise to power in one of the world’s most unequal

countries.“The police and ‘Car Wash’

investigators lied. The prose-cutors lied,” said da Silva, as a few thousand supporters cheered.

“I don’t forgive them for giving society the idea that I am a thief,” he continued.

Still, da Silva said he would turn himself in “to go there and face them eye to eye. The more days they leave me (in jail), the more Lulas will be born in this country.”

Da Silva did not say where or when he would turn himself in. Party leaders have suggested it would be later Saturday.

Police have made clear they do not want to take da Silva with force at the union, a confron-tation that could turn violent.

“The intention is not to force compliance at any cost, but rather follow the order the best way possible, with tranquility and without a media show,” president of federal police Luis Antonio Boudens said in a

statement late Friday.While da Silva spoke, some

people cried while others chanted “Free Lula!”

When he finished speaking, a sea of supporters carried him on their shoulders back into the building.

Mauricio Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said that by not complying with the order on Friday da Silva “wanted to demonstrate strength and popularity, showing that he is a political leader capable of gath-ering a crowd in his support.”

Choosing the metal workers union to take refuge, and not the Workers’ Party headquarters, was also significant, said Santoro.

“It shows that he wants to emphasise his trajectory as leader of a social movement, rather than his role as leader of a party marked by allegations of corruption,” he said.

Last year, Moro convicted da Silva of trading favours with a construction company in exchange for the promise of a beachfront apartment. That con-viction was upheld by an appeals court in January.

The former president has always denied wrongdoing in that case and in several other corruption cases that have yet to be tried.

However it happens, the jailing of da Silva will mark a colossal fall from grace for a man

who rose to power against steep odds.

Born in the hardscrabble northeast, da Silva rose through the ranks of the union in the country’s industrial south. In 1980, during the military dicta-torship, he was arrested in Sao Bernardo do Campo for organ-izing strikes. He would spend more than a month in jail.

After running for president several times, in 2002 da Silva finally won. He governed from 2003 to 2010, leaving office an international celebrity and with approval ratings in the high 80s.

Former US President Barack Obama once called da Silva the “most popular politician on Earth.”

Like so much in a nation that has become deeply polarised, that da Silva would soon be behind bars was being

interpreted differently by sup-porters and detractors.

“They are fostering hatred with this arrest,” said Elena Quintella, a school teacher who cried as she held vigil at the union. “By arresting him the other side is saying they don’t want to talk to the left.”

It’s time he goes to jail, said Edson Soares, a retiree at a shopping mall near the union building.

“This has always been Lula: a crook and a radical who doesn’t respect the law,” he said.

Workers’ Party leaders insist that da Silva, 72, will still be the party’s candidate in October. Technically, being jailed does not keep him off the ballot.

In August, however, the coun-try’s top electoral court makes final decisions about candidacies. It is expected to deny da Silva’s

candidacy under Brazil’s “clean slate” law, which disqualifies people who have had criminal convictions upheld. Da Silva could appeal such a decision, though doing so from jail would be more complicated.

The former leader is the latest of many high-profile people to be ensnared in possibly the largest corruption scandal in Latin American history. Over the last four years, Brazilians have seen near weekly police opera-tions and arrests of the elite, like former Odebrecht CEO Marcelo Odebrecht.

Investigators uncovered a major scheme in which con-struction companies essentially formed a cartel that doled out inflated contracts from state oil company Petrobras, paying bil-lions in kickbacks to politicians and businessmen.

Former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves to supporters after attending a mass in memory of his late wife Marisa Leticia, at the metalworkers’ union building, in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in Metropolitan Sao Paulo, yesterday.

The police and ‘Car Wash’ investigators lied. The prosecutors lied. “I don’t forgive them for giving society the idea that I am a thief: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Former Peruvian leader suffers from lung tumorREUTERS

LIMA: Peru’s former leader Alberto Fujimori, who was pardoned for corruption and human rights abuse and freed from jail in December, ruled out a return to politics yesterday evening and said doctors had discovered a tumor in his lungs.

Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000, also said in a statement to a local television channel that the fighting between his daughter Keiko and son Kenji for control of Peru’s largest opposition party “is temporary.”

“A small tumor in one of the lungs has been detected... I must be under observation every four months,” said Fujimori in front of a Lima hospital.

Fujimori, 79, was pardoned by former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski less than halfway through a 25-year sen-tence for corruption and human rights abuse late last year.

Just before, Kuczynski had survived an impeachment vote

in Congress thanks to the support of dissident legislators from the Popular Force party of former presidential can-didate Keiko Fujimori, including brother Kenji.

Kuczynski, plagued by accusations of corruption and allegations of vote buying in Congress, resigned in March and Vice-President Martin Viz-carra took power.

Since being released from prison, Fujimori has com-mented on the state of politics in Peru on Twitter. But he ruled out a comeback, telling the America Television channel on Friday, “I have already retired from politics.”

Fujimori, who suffers from hypertension and has had a cancerous tongue lesion, said he does not feel comfortable with the struggle between his children over the control of the Popular Force party, which is currently divided in Congress.

“At the moment there are certain discrepancies but in the end this will be clarified,” he said.

Two US soldiers dead in Apache helicopter crashAFP

WASHINGTON: Two US soldiers with an airborne combat brigade died when their Apache helicopter crashed during a routine training mission at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the army reported yesterday.

The incident involving an AH-64E Apache helicopter occurred late Friday, said a statement from the army’s 101st Airborne Division. The crash is under investigation.

The names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of family members, the army said. There were no other casualties.

“This is a day of sadness for Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne,” Brigadier General Todd Royar, acting senior commander of the 101st Airborne and of Fort Campbell, said in a statement.

Students of the National Autonomous University of Honduras taking part in a march to protest against violence, in Tegucigalpa, yesterday. According to the Violence Observatory of Casa Alianza, more than 12,000 youngsters have died violently in Honduras in the last 20 years.

Kansas MPs move to break school budget impasseAP

TOPEKA: Top Kansas Repub-lican lawmakers moved yesterday to break their impasse over how much to increase spending on the state’s public schools, feeling growing pressure to pass a plan that would satisfy a court mandate.

The state House approved a bill that would phase in a $534m increase in education funding over five years. The 63-56 vote sent the measure to the Senate, with GOP leaders planning a quick up-or-down vote to determine whether the measure goes to Republican Gov Jeff Colyer, who has endorsed it.

Colyer and some members of the GOP-controlled Legis-lature have worried that a frus-trated Kansas Supreme Court would take the unprecedented step of preventing the state from distributing dollars through a flawed education funding

system, effectively closing schools statewide.

“I want to be a part of the solution,” said Rep Tori Arn-berger, a conservative Great Bend Republican. “It’s time to be problem solvers.”

Legislators expected a close vote in the Senate. It previously passed a plan to phase in a $274m funding increase in over five years, and its GOP leaders argued that a significantly larger boost in spending would force lawmakers to raise taxes within two years.

The new plan is close to one

already approved by the House, with the same amount of new dollars, though previously the estimate was lower, roughly $520m. The new plan adds policy initiatives proposed by the Senate in its plan, including funding to allow all high school students to take the ACT college-entrance exam or its vocational equivalent.

Negotiators for the House and the Senate had several rounds of talks yesterday to resolve their differences but made little progress on the core issue of how much spending should increase.

Colyer argued in a statement that the new plan could be sus-tained without increasing taxes.

“The time to act is now,” Colyer said. “Kansas students, teachers, and families need to know their schools will remain open and be funded adequately and equitably.”

The Kansas Supreme Court

declared in October that the state’s current funding of more than $4bn a year is insufficient for lawmakers to fulfilltheir duty under the state constitution to finance a suitable education for every child.

The high court gave Repub-lican Attorney General Derek Schmidt until April 30 to report on how the Legislature responded. Schmidt sent a letter Friday to legislative leaders in both parties, expressing “pro-found concern” that no school funding bill had passed.

The latest proposal drew criticism on both the left and right.

Democrats argued that it would not increase spending enough to satisfy the court. The justices did not provide a specific funding target but hinted that it could be $650m more a year.

“We are getting graded at the end of it,” said Democratic Rep Brandon Whipple, of Wichita.

US Senator urges fair elections in Venezuela

Republican Gov Jeff Colyer said: Kansas students, teachers, and families need to know their schools will remain open and be funded adequately and equitably.

AP

CARACAS: An influential US Senator said he pressed for fair elec-tions and the release of a jailed American during his private meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Sen Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said that he urged Maduro to uphold democratic rights ahead of Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election. But he doubts any changes will be forth-coming. His four-day trip made at Venezuela’s invitation included a visit with Joshua Holt, who has been jailed in Caracas for nearly two years on what the US considers trumped-up weapons charges.

Durbin, the author of a recent Senate resolution condemning Maduro’s use of food as a “tool of political coercion,” said he took time to walk through parts of Caracas, seeing the downtrodden faces of residents struggling to feed themselves. He also talked with doctors not able to get enough medicine to treat patients.

“I was heartbroken by what I saw and heard, particularly regarding the collapse of the country’s ability to feed and medi-cally care for its people and children,” he said in an interview Sat-urday at the conclusion of his trip.

The government has yet to comment on what was discussed during Durbin’s visit, or that of Rep Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas who met with Maduro earlier in the week during a privately-funded trip that wasn’t organised by the State Department.


PAQ organises life achievement award & ‘Mushaira’THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Pakistan Association Qatar (PAQ) recently organised an event to present the ‘life achievement awards’ to three prominent personalities. The event was followed by the Urdu poetry symposium at Sapphire Plaza Hotel Doha.

The event consisted of two sessions; one was the award cer-emony and the other was a poetry session. The program was presided over by the renowned Urdu poet Farhat Abbas Shah. Welfare Attaché Pakistan Embassy Hafiz Junaid Sial and PAQ patron Tajjamul Aftab Cheema were the Chief guests, Mohammad Sabih Bukhari, Director Satco group and Chaudary Mohammad Ajmal Pakistani Community leader were the Guests of Honour. The

Program was commenced by invoking Holy verses from the Holy Quran by Qari Saif ur Rahman.

Chairman PAQ Syed Faheem Uddin welcomed guests and audiences. Shaukat Ali Naz, Murad Ali and Tahir Jamil intro-duced the winners, Sabeeh Bukhari, Farhat Abbas and Chaudhary Ajmal respectively. Chief Guest Hafiz Junaid sial pre-sented the awards and shields to the winners in the presence of Qatar’s prominent personalities Idress Anwar, Abdul Hai, Habibun Nabi and Riaz Bakali. In this event PAQ Annual mag-azine and monthly Newsletter were also launched.

The Chief Guest Junaid Sial congratulated PAQ team for organising a very enlightening and a successful program and assured all possible help from the

Embassy. He said that transfer of Urdu culture to the new gener-ation is highly recommended. He also congratulated the winners of ‘life achievement awards’.

Sabeeh Bukhari said, “I am proud of receiving life achievement award for pro-motion of Art, Culture, Urdu lan-guage and other services, inter-nationally by Pakistan Associ-ation Qatar PAQ, an organisation to promote Urdu and youth activities an array of activities at social cultural nature. Urdu without doubts, is a language without borders”. Ajmal Chaudhary showed his gratitude for recognition of his community services, Chaudhary dedicated his award to the PWF founding members Idress Anwar and Riaz Bakali.

The second session was of Poetry symposium ‘Mushaira’.

Seven poets from outside Qatar and Nine local poets pre-sented their poetic couplets, Guest poets were: Farhat Abbas Shah, Raseeda Maheen, Tauqeer Ahmed Shareefi, Dr saeed Iqbal Saadi, Mumtaz Rashid Lahori,

Zaheer Mushtaq, Syed Zia Hussain while local poets were; Shafeeq Akhtar, Shaukat Ali Naz, Faheem Uddin, Ijaz Haidar, Ash-faque Deshmukh, Mansoor Azami, Asif Shafi, Tahir Jamil and Shahid Naz. Syed Farhat Abbas

presented his classic Ghazals, which were received with applause.

Farhat Abbas expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing activities of PAQ under the lead-ership of Syed Faheem Uddin.

Sri Lankan community to celebrate ‘Sinhala’ and ‘Bak Maha Ulela’THE PENINSULA

DOHA: The Sri Lankan community in Qatar will cele-brate the ‘Sinhala’ and Tamil New Year 2018 (Bak Maha Ulela) at Al Sadd Sports Club on April 13 from 6:30am to 5:30pm.

Sri Lankan Ambassador ASP Liyanage will be the Chief Guest. The program is being organised by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in collaboration with Sri Lanka Coordinating Committee Qatar.

The organising committee has lined up many traditional and sports events for the par-ticipation of community members.

Many Sri Lankan Associa-tions and Old Boy’s Associations

(OBA’s) namely Sri Lanka Quantity Surveyors Qatar, St Sylvester’s College Kandy OBA Qatar, Sri Lankan Sports Club Doha, Sri Lankan Friends Club, Ethera Api Qatar, Old Anan-dians in Qatar, Lanka Lions Doha, St Anthony’s College Kandy OBA Qatar, Sri Lanka Majilis Qatar, National Diploma in Technology Alumini Associ-ation Qatar, Federation of Sri Lankan Muslims Association - Qatar and other community members are supporting the celebrations by conducting all the events that have been lined up.

Popular artists Nandana Hettiarachchi and Shiromika Fernando are being flown in by Sri Lankan Airlines for

the celebrations. Independent Television Network (ITN) Sri Lanka sponsored by Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) will cover the event and telecast same in Sri Lanka at a later date.

The Silver sponsors of the program are Bank of Ceylon, Vodafone, Readymix Qatar, Trico International and Al Bateel Securicor with Sri Lankan Airlines as the Airline sponsor, Lankadeepa Middle East the media sponsor and Radio RanLanka the broad-casting sponsor. For more infor-mation contact Ranjith Gurus-inghe 66580392/50409246, Vidya Sri Shanthikumara 77512657 or Kanchu Wijesooriya (66752332)

IIS kindergarten classes beginTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: New academic year for the kindergarten children of Ideal Indian School began yesterday.

The young children who were initially reluctant to leave their parents’ sides took their

classroom seats to begin their first full day of their classes.

About 250 kindergarten stu-dents reported to classrooms.

Teachers had a tough time on the first day to deal with the crying children and also their parents.

The classrooms were filled with lots of fun, music, dancing, and colouring in order to make the first day enjoyable so the children relax and enjoy their time. Many kids were excited to come to school with new uniform, books and bags.

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTERCROSSWORD NOVO Pearl Qatar

MALL

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

Hurricane Heist (2D/Action) 10:00, 11:00am, 12:00noon, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00pm & 12:00midnight Acts of Violence 10:00am, 12:00noon, 1:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00, 11:00pm & 12:00midnight I Kill Giants (2D) 10:00am, 12:10, 2:20, 4:30, 6:40 & 8:50pm Red Sparrow (2D) 10:00am, 3:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Tomb Raider (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:30 & 3:00pm A Quiet Place (2D) 5:30, 7:20, 9:10 & 11:00pm Black Water (2D) 12:45, 5:45 & 10:45pm Status Update (2D) 11:00am, 4:00 & 9:00pm Ready Player One (2D/Action) 1:15, 6:15 & 11:15pm Etlouly Barra (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm Talq Sena3y (2D/Arabic) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnight Ready Player One (3D/IMAX) 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm

Sudani From Nigeria (2D/Malayalam) 11:30am, 2:30 & 9:30pm Blackmail(Hindi) 11:30am, 5:00 & 11:15pm I Kill Giants 7:30pm Chal Mohan Ranga (Telugu) 2:30pm Peter Rabbit (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:15, 6:00 & 7:30pmStatus Update (2D/Comedy) 5:00pm Acts of Violence (2D/Action) 7:00 & 11:30pm Baaghi 2(Hindi) 7:30 & 11:30pm A Quiet Place (2D/Horror) 10:00pm Black Water (2D/Action) 9:30pm

ROYAL PLAZA

Chal Mohan Ranga (Telugu) 2:15 & 11:15pm Sudani From Nigeria (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 4:45, 7:00 & 11:15pm Peter Rabbit (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:15, 6:00 & 7:30pmI Kill Giants 5:00 & 9:00pm A Quiet Place (2D/Horror) 9:30pm Acts of Violence (2D/Action) 7:15pm Black Water (2D/Action) 9:15pm Baaghi 2 (Hindi) 2:15 & 11:00pm

Peter Rabbit (2D/Animation) 2:00 & 3:45pmI Kill Giants 5:30pmReady Player One (2D/Action) 2:30 & 9:00pmBaghi 2 (Hindi) 4:30 & 11:30pm Black Water (2D/Action) 7:00pmActs of Violence (2D/Action) 7:30 & 9:15pm Sudani From Nigeria (2D/Malayalam) 9:00 & 11:00pm Blackmail (Hindi) 9:00pm Status Update (2D/Comedy) 9:30pmA Quiet Place (2D/Horror) 11:30pm

Chal Mohan Ranga (Telugu) 6:15pm Sudani From Nigeria (Malayalam) 6:30, 8:45, 9:00, 11:00 & 11:30pm Blackmail (Hindi) 6:30pm Rangastalam(Telugu) 6:30pm Baghi 2 (Hindi) 9:45pm

Blackmail (Hindi) 10:30am, 3:45, 6:00, 9:00 & 11:30pmBaaghi 2 (Hindi) 11:15am, 4:00 & 8:45pmPeter Rabbit (Animation) 12:00noon, 2:00 & 4:00pm Sudani From Nigeria (Malayalam) 1:15, 6:30 & 11:45pm A Quiet Place (Horror) 2:00, 6:45 & 11:30pm Chal Mohan Ranga 8:45pm

Ross Lynch stars as Kyle Moore, a teenager who after being uprooted by his parents’ separation and unable to fit into his new hometown, stumbles upon a magical app that causes his social media updates to come true.

FLIK MirqabA Quiet Place 12:35, 7:00, 8:55, 10:50pm & 12:45amActs of Violence 2:20, 4:20, 6:20, 8:20, 9:30, 10:20, 11:30pm & 12:20am I Kill Giants 11:20am & 4:50pm Pacific Rim: Uprising 3:45pm Black Water 1:30, 8:30 & 10:45pm My Perfect You 11:20am, 7:35 & 10:50pm Peter Rabbit 10:30am, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:35, 4:30, 5:35, 6:30 & 7:35pm Ready One Player 10:50am, 1:55, 3:25, 5:00, 8:25, 9:35pm & 12:35am 3D 6:30pm Red Sparrow 10:25pm Sudani From Nigeria 10:20am, 1:00, 3:40, 6:20, 9:00 & 11:40pm Tomb Raider 11:10am, 2:30, 6:05, 8:05 & 11:30pm

STATUS UPDATE

20 SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2018MORNING BREAK

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 01 AM

05. 19 AM

11. 36 AM

03. 05 PM

05.55 PM

07. 25 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 08:30 – 23:30 LOW TIDE 07:00 – 15:00

Partly cloudy with chance of rain at places

may be thundery at times and slight dust

to blowing dust at times.

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum 24oC 32oC

Qatar’s healthcare getting more women hands DOHA: Healthcare is a growing career interest among young Qatari women as many of them are taking the lead in the country’s health system.

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation — a specialty health care organisation for children, young people and women, has several Qatari women in different clinical roles such as nurses, allied health professionals, physicians, doctors and researchers.

The Peninsula spoke with two out-standing professionals, Dr Aisha Ahmad Yousuf, Director of Repro-ductive Medicine; and Maha Al Ghanem, Clinical Nurse, Obstetrics, Diagnostic Department.

Women’s care at Sidra Medicine is divided into obstetrics and gynecology. It offers all related services except for oncology.

Dr. Aisha was inspired by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser’s vision for QF and was one of the first cohort of Qatari female physicians to join Sidra Medicine. She was also among the first batch of students graduated from the Weil Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). She later went to the Uni-versity of Michigan Hospital and completed her specialisation in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She then went to University of Toronto, St.Michael’s Hospital, and completed a sub-speciality fellowship pro-gramme. Dr Aisha is now a specialist in minimally invasive gynecology surgery as well as in robotic surgery in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Sidra.

“I had the privilege of meeting Sheikha Moza, at my high school for a special event that was hosted for high achievers. I was inspired by her vision for QF and Education City and that set me on the path to join WCM-Q. My family and I were so proud that I was in the first batch of students at WCM-Q and I am equally grateful for their support that enabled me to build my career so far.”

“After graduation Sidra Medicine sponsored me to complete my spe-cialty and sub-specialty programmes. The thing with specialty programmes – it can take years as you develop your experience and hone your skills. I was

away for eight years in the US and in Canada and was happy to be back to Qatar and join Sidra Medicine,” she said.

“I consider myself as an example of H H vision for Qatar — particularly for Education City. I see my journey from student to an employee coming full circle as I graduated from an Edu-cation City university, and then back to working at Sidra Medicine, a QF entity. And I know there are many more like me. It really gives me pride to see many other amazing examples of Qatari women leading in different areas,” she added.

Dr Aisha’s keenness in women’s healthcare and serving the community has been a long time interest. “I was always interested in women’s health specifically related to reproductive health. This applies to whether she is young, a teenager or undergoing hor-monal or menstrual changes and after menopause. I also believe, women in this part of the world connect to other females easily and I personally think I can harness my passion to do a lot to help deliver great care to women,” she said.

Dr Aisha also sees a growing interest among young Qatari women in the healthcare field as well as parents encouraging their daughters to pursue medicine.

“It is very encouraging to see more females entering into the field of med-icine, it is definitely a growing career choice and I hope more women con-tinue to join the industry. We are very lucky to have the opportunities available to us here in Qatar. With two medical schools in the country – the opportunities have widened as it takes

away the challenges for having to travel abroad to study medicine. We now have access to international pro-grams here in the country.”

Family support plays a major part in one’s achievements, and it was not an exception for Dr Aisha. “One of the key things to being successful in any profession is family support. Going to a medical school and travelling abroad for studies wouldn’t have happened without the support of my parents,” she said.

In addition, having examples of women in healthcare in Qatar, is another motivating factor for young women. “We have many examples of women in leading roles in healthcare beginning with H E Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari, the Minister of Public Health, all way across other healthcare entities such as Hamad Medical Cor-poration; Primary Health Care Cor-poration and as well as at Sidra Med-icine,” she said.

Similar to Dr Aisha, another dynamic Qatari female healthcare professional at Sidra Medicine is Maha Al Ghanem. She works as a Clinical Nurse, in the Obstetrics, Diagnostic Department.

With an older sister as a medical doctor, healthcare was not far from Maha’s mind as a career of choice. She initially studied human nutrition and then joined the University of Calgary in Qatar. She too was sponsored by Sidra Medicine under its national development program, dedicated to encouraging more Qataris to join the healthcare sector. Maha was one of the first nurses to join Sidra Medicine.

“I have been part of Sidra

Medicine since the beginning. I joined as a fresh graduate and got the chance to take part in many of the founda-tional elements like setting up the clinical environment and developing guidelines. My journey with Sidra Medicine has been a great learning experience,” said Maha.

“Because I was joining a green-field hospital, I wouldn’t have been able to have the same opportunity at any other hospital,” she added.

Recently Maha has taken charge as an assistant clinical nursing manager at the women’s clinic. Maha is a mother of two young children and she got married while studying at the University of Calgary in Qatar. “I am very grateful for having good family support. Both my parents and in laws have backed me all the way to pursue my career in healthcare,” she said.

While many Qatari girls, see nursing as a challenging profession, Maha says the benefits and the oppor-tunities are vast and encourage more Qatari girls to consider pursuing it as a career.

“Nursing is a noble profession and its image in our society should change. I hope this will encourage more Qatari women to take up nursing as a pro-fession. We have a very unique oppor-tunity to provide care and services for our people in an environment that is caring, innovative and allows one to learn life and career skills every step of the way. The support that Sidra Medicine provides for its nationals is very comprehensive — both as a sponsored student and once you join the organization. Your journey of edu-cation and development continues,” she said.

Maha Al Ghanem (left) and Dr Aisha Ahmad Yousuf. PICS: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

FAZEENA SALEEM

THE PENINSULA

African scientists encouraged to become next EinsteinAP

RWANDA: South African geneticist, Vinet Coetzee, held up a malaria-diagnosing scanner that she said can be developed for use in Africa’s rural areas without the need for blood samples or lab tests.

“This can be rapid, affordable and non-invasive,” she said. “It can reduce health ine-quality and bring us one step closer to a world free of malaria.” The prototype was among the research projects highlighted at the Next Einstein Forum conference last month in Rwanda to encourage the development of young scientists across Africa. Organizers called it the largest-ever gathering of scien-tists on the continent.

“We can go from a dark continent to a bright continent,” said Nigerian chemistry pro-fessor Peter Ngene, who described how he plans to use nanotechnology to store solar energy efficiently in hydrogen batteries.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the current chair of the African Union, opened the gathering by linking scientific progress to Africa’s development at large.

“Knowledge economies are prosperous economies,” he said. “Today, more than ever before, adequate math and science proficiency is a prerequisite for a nation to attain high-income status and the gains in health and well-being that go along with it.” The president added: “For too long, Africa has allowed itself to be left behind.” As the continent catches up it cannot afford to leave out women and girls, Kagame said, urging Africans not to accept the global gender gap in science as inevitable.

The Next Einstein Forum began in 2013 to help the continent move forward and now sponsors 19 African science fellows, along with an Africa Science Week at schools in 30 coun-tries. At the conference the forum launched Scientific African, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal to publicize new research. The forum is an offshoot of the African Institute for Math-ematical Sciences, which provides full schol-arships for students to earn masters’ degrees in mathematics at centers in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, S Africa and Tanzania.

IANS

NEW YORK: If you are in the habit of using wipes for your infants, beware. They are likely to trigger childhood food allergies that may impact kids’ quality of life, researchers have warned.

The study showed a mix of

environmental and genetic factors that must co-exist to trigger the allergies in children.

It includes genetics that alters skin absorbency, use of infant cleansing wipes that leave soap on the skin, skin exposure to allergens in dust and skin exposure to food from those providing infant care.

“This is a recipe for developing a food allergy,” said lead author Joan Cook-Mills, Professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in the US.

However, the good news is factors leading to a food allergy can be modified in the home envi-ronment, Cook-Mills said.

Exposing infants to wipes may trigger food allergy

This file picture show the skeletons of two Jurassic age (161-145 million years) dinosaurs, a Diplodocus (back) and an Allosaurus (front) at the Drouot auction house in Paris.

Ancient giant

Old Italian violin fetches staggering amount at Sydney auctionAP

CANBERRA: A 128-year-old Italian violin that Russell Crowe learned to play in a few months before he starred in the 19th century war drama “Master and Commander” stole the show among movie memorabilia on offer at the Oscar-winning actor’s auction yesterday.

The rare instrument by Leandro Bislach sold for AU$135,000, the highest price for movie-related offerings among 227 lots up for sale in Sydney as part of the Australia-based New Zealander’s divorce settlement.

More surprisingly, a costume that Crowe wore in the same 2003 movie wasn’t far behind, raking in

AU$115,000.While the violin was close to the

top of Sotheby Australia’s valuation, the winning bid for character Captain Jack Aubrey’s dress uniform exceeded the auctioneer’s hopes by AU$80,000.

The violin’s price was only exceeded by a painting from Crowe’s extensive collection by Australian artist Brett Whiteley, “Moreton Bay

Fig and Palms,” which sold for AU$190,000. The auction, titled “The Art of Divorce,” took place on the actor’s 54th birthday and the anni-versary of his wedding to singer Dan-ielle Spencer in 2003.

Crowe tweeted after the five-hour auction that he had earned AU$3.7m, with potential sales worth AU$350,000 still under negotiation.

IANS

LONDON: Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help astronomers predict the probability of life on other planets, according to a new study.

Using artificial neural networks (ANNs) researchers from Britain’s Plymouth University classified planets into five types, based on whether they are most like the present-day Earth, the early Earth, Mars, Venus or Saturn’s moon Titan, esti-mating a probability of life in each case.

All five of these objects are rocky bodies known to have atmospheres and are among the most potentially habitable objects in the Solar System.

“We’re currently interested in these ANNs for prioritising exploration for a hypothetical, intelligent, interstellar space-craft scanning an exoplanet system at range,” said Christopher Bishop from the varsity. “We’re also looking at the use of large area, deployable, planar Fresnel antennas to get data back to Earth from an interstellar probe at large distances. This would be needed if the technology is used in robotic spacecraft in the future,” Bishop added.

ANNs are systems that attempt to replicate the way the human brain learns.

AI to help in search for alien life

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