Fitch revises upward Qatar's outlook to 'stable ... - Gulf Times

Call for Qatar-worldair connectivity

IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac has again urged all concerned to ensure that air connectivity be maintained between Qatar and rest of the world. “Because we are interested in the freedom of aviation, we want connectivity be maintained between Qatar and the rest of the world. The situation in the GCC region you are referring to, is a big political issue. Because IATA is not a political organisation, we cannot commen t on it,” de Juniac told Gulf Times in an interview. Business Page 1

In brief

GULF TIMES

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QATAR

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WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10841

June 6, 2018Ramadan 21, 1439 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Commercial Bank seestwofold over-subscriptionto $500mn 5-year bond

BUSINESSBUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1

Prayer times

Fasting times

And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and con-stricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those who believe not. (Qur’an 6:125)

Fajr....3.14 Zuhr....11.32 Asr....2.56 Maghrib.....6.25 Isha.....7.55

RAMADAN THOUGHT

Iftar today .................... ........6.25pmImsak tomorrow............... 3.04am

Cecchinato stuns Djokovic in epic match to reach semis

QATAR | Offi cial

Amir sends messageto Tajikistan presidentHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has sent a written message to Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon pertaining to the bilateral relations and ways to enhance them. Qatar’s ambassador to Tajikistan Ali bin Mubarak al-Muhannadi handed over the message during a meeting with Tajikistan Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Aslov.

QATAR | Cables

Amir congratulatesQueen of DenmarkHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani sent yesterday cables of congratulations to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark on her country’s National Day.

QATAR | Progress

PM visits Lusail Tram,Doha Metro projectsHE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thai paid an inspection visit to the Lusail Tram and Doha Metro projects. Page 2

QATAR | Media

beIN reaches pact with UAE operatorsQatar’s beIN Media Group has confirmed that it has reached agreements with Emirati telecom operators Du and Etisalat that will enable viewers in the UAE to watch all 64 matches of 2018 FIFA World Cup live on beIN Sports channels. Page 5 Beginning of a new

phase in Qatar: PMQatar has begun a new phase un-

der the directives of His High-ness the Amir Sheikh Tamim

bin Hamad al-Thani after the country was subjected to a blockade a year ago, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday said.

“Qatar needs at this stage all who live on its land, both citizens and resi-dents, to build its economy and protect its security. It needs their diligence and creativity,” he said.

In the fi rst tweet on his personal ac-count, the premier said: “A year ago, a new phase started under the directives of His Highness the Amir, in which Qatar needs all who live on its land to build its economy and protect its se-curity, and it needs their diligence and creativity. All those who work in the public and private sector, both citizens and residents, responded to the call of duty, they worked hard and diligently, and we are now reaping the fruits of our work together.”

Amir chairs SC meeting

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani chaired the second meeting of the board of directors of Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) for 2018. The meeting, held yesterday evening at Al Bahr Palace, was attended by His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani; His Highness Personal Representative of the Amir Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, Vice Chairman of the board; and board member HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani. The meeting reviewed the latest developments of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 projects. A presentation was made on the overall achievements and operational plans for the country’s major projects related to the tournament, such as Hamad International Airport and Qatar Rail.

Qatar Airways chief takes over as IATA board chairmanBy Pratap JohnChief Business Reporter

Qatar Airways Group Chief Ex-ecutive Akbar al-Baker has as-sumed his duties as chairman

of the IATA Board of Governors (BoG) for a one-year term, which is eff ective from the conclusion of the 74th IATA Annual General Meeting here yester-day.

Al-Baker is the 77th chair of the IATA BoG and the fi rst CEO from Qa-tar Airways to hold the position. He has served on the BoG since 2012.

He succeeds Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines.

Following his taking over the new responsibility at the helm of IATA, the global trade body some 290 airlines, al-Baker, said: “I am delighted to be here in Sydney and honoured to be leading the

IATA Board of Governors as chairman for the year ahead. To be nominated to such a prestigious leadership position in the industry is a great honour, made all the more pertinent in the diffi cult circumstances in which Qatar Airways currently operates.

“I look forward to continuing my work in the coming year for our great aviation industry, connecting safely the peoples of the world, a sector which will only continue to grow in the years ahead, and one in which I am most proud to work and represent one of the world leading airlines.”

Later, addressing a packed press conference at the International Con-vention Centre in Sydney, the venue of the 74th IATA AGM and the World Air Transport Summit, al-Baker said the global trade body would have to col-lectively face challenges facing the key aviation industry. To Page 6 Akbar al-Baker with members of the IATA Board of Governors.

Fitch revisesupward Qatar’soutlook to ‘stable’

By Santhosh V PerumalBusiness Reporter

Fitch, an international credit rat-ing agency, has revised upward Qatar’s outlook to “stable” from

“negative” and affi rmed its long term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) at ‘AA-’.

Finding that domestically, support for His Highness the Amir (Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani) and the government appears to have strength-ened, Fitch said the attempts by the quartet to force companies or countries to pick sides in the dispute have not gained much traction.

Qatar has successfully managed the fallout from last year’s rupture of trade, fi nancial and diplomatic relations with the quartet consisting of the UAE, Sau-di Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, it said in a report.

Public sector liquidity injections have stabilised the banking sector and stemmed the outfl ow of non-resident funding, it said, adding the fi scal defi cit has narrowed sharply and “we expect it to turn into a surplus in 2019.”

The economy has reconfi gured its

supply chains and continues to grow at a robust pace. There has been no es-calation of measures against Qatar, ac-cording to Fitch.

Around $10bn in non-resident funding has flowed back into the banking system since November 2017, after falling by $30bn in June-Octo-ber 2017, mainly on withdrawals of deposits by Saudi Arabia and UAE-based clients.

A return of non-resident funding has allowed the public sector to pare back its liquidity assistance to the banking sector by $10bn in January-April 2018, from cumulative injections of $40bn in June-December, consisting mainly of placements by the Qatar Central Bank (QCB), the Ministry of Finance, and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), it said.

“We estimate that sovereign net for-eign assets (reserves plus other gov-ernment assets less external debt) were $236bn (141% of GDP) in 2017, down from $250bn in 2016 but still far above most ‘AA’ and ‘A’ peers,” Fitch said, adding the decline is driven by a reduc-tion in QCB reserves to $15bn in 2017, down from $32bn in 2016.To Page 6

Qatar has overcome problems related to the blockade Fiscal deficit has shrunk, surplus expected in 2019 Banks compensated for deposits outflow Local banks’ profits enough to cover future challenges Imports volume returns to pre-blockade levels

Qatar awaiting Frenchresponse on Saudi ‘fears’Qatar has not received any of-

fi cial notifi cation from Wash-ington on a proposed US-GCC

summit in September, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdul-rahman al-Thani has said.

He said the US administration is working on holding the summit at Camp David.

Regarding the Russian S-400 mis-sile deal, he said the purchase of any military equipment is a sovereign de-cision that has nothing to do with Sau-di Arabia or any other country.

Sheikh Mohamed said Doha was waiting for Paris’ response to a news-paper report on Saudi fears of the mis-sile deal.

He said he did not believe the Saudi threat, which was reported in a letter to France, was ‘dangerous’. But he ac-cused Riyadh of using the ‘letter’ to try to provoke a “disturbance” in a region shaken by a year-old row between Qa-tar and other regional powers.

The French newspaper Le Figaro said earlier this month that US and British leaders had received a letter from Saudi King Salman, similar to the one sent to French President Emmanuel Ma-

cron, threatening to use military force against Qatar, if Doha got the Russian air defense system.

“There’s no legitimate grievance behind this letter [from Saudi King Salman to French President Macron] and of threatening Qatar. It’s violating

international law, it’s violating all the international norms and, most impor-tantly, it’s violating the GCC charter, which says the countries of the GCC should not launch any kind of attack against each other.”

HE the Minister said tension in this region is increasing and unfortunately, it’s increasing because of the impulsive behaviour of the blockading states.

“All our friends and allies play a role in preventing any further escalation in the region because they understand that the region cannot aff ord further escalation ... and the US is a strong ally for Qatar and for the other GCC mem-bers.”

Asked about whether there’s any hope to end the crisis, the foreign min-ister said: “Qatar remains open to any possibility of dialogue which is based on respect of international law, which is based on respecting the sovereignty of each and every country, based on the respect and independence of every country.

“They cannot impose demands on a sovereign country. If they have any concerns, any grievances, they have to sit at a dialogue table and discuss those concerns.” — Al Jazeera

End blockade now: FM

Qatar is stronger than it was before the blockade and it is time to end the unfortunate chapter in the history of the Gulf, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has said.He said it is also time to abandon the illusion of victory and give priority to security interests of the Middle East.In an article published in New York Times, HE the Deputy Prime Minister said: “The past year Qatar has been subjected to a reckless and ill-considered blockade imposed by four countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt. Page 6

QATAR

Gulf Times Wednesday, June 6, 20182

PM reviews Lusail Tram project workHE the Prime Minister and

Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin

Khalifa al-Thani yesterday vis-ited the Lusail Tram network to review its work progress and also that of the Doha Metro project.

HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, diplo-mats, Qatar Rail senior manage-ment, and a number of engineers working on the project were also present.

The Prime Minister had a short journey on Lusail Tram, from the depot to Lusail Station. The visit marked the fi rst offi cial testing of the Lusail Tram and coincided with the fi rst anniversary of the

blockade against Qatar.On the occasion, HE al-Sulaiti

said: “Qatar Rail has achieved great progress in implement-ing the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram projects, the key transport infrastructure projects to realise Qatar National Vision 2030. The progress would not have been possible without the wise lead-ership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and the close supervision of HE the Prime Minister and In-terior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and their continuous support, especially since the blockade started.

“Over the past year, Qatar Rail

persevered to face all the chal-lenges it faced with no impact on the delivery of its projects. We are very proud of the progress achieved thus far and we look forward to more and more great achievements in the upcoming period.”

Qatar Rail managing direc-tor and CEO Abdulla Abdulaziz al-Subaie reiterated that the projects have witnessed signifi -cant progress over the last year. “We have devoted all eff orts to overcome the challenges. We also focused on developing al-ternatives at multiple levels, to ensure that our projects progress according to the schedule and plan.

“We were also keen on fi nding suitable alternatives for our sup-pliers and manufacturers from other countries; as a result, we are relocating some manufac-turing activities to Qatar in co-operation with local companies, which have shown tremendous support in the process.”

Lusail Tram travels at a speed of 60km per hour. In all, 28 trains consisting of fi ve carriages split in two – one for families and the other for general commuters.

The family carriages have 24 seats, 16 are fi xed and eight fold-able. For the regular carriages, there are 40 seats, 32 fi xed and eight foldable, giving a total 64 seats. Each carriage has a space

Qatar Rail makes remarkable progress during blockadeOver the past one year of the

blockade, Qatar Rail achieved its best rate of progress ever,

it was announced yesterday. By the end of May, the Doha Metro project’s progress stood at 85%, while in May last year it was 59%.

Qatar Rail was able to achieve around 26% progress in one year, the highest progress rate achieved since the incep-tion of the railway projects in 2013.

As of now, 100% of the construc-tion and civil works on the Doha Metro project have been completed, the MEP works progress stands at 69%, and ar-chitectural works at 46%.

This year, Qatar Rail’s workforce has reached 85,000, an increase of 35,000 workers from the previous year. The total man hours on the project exceed-ed 450mn at an accident frequency rate of 0.021, one the lowest in any

mega project across the world. Below is a summary of the mile-

stones achieved across Qatar Rail’s projects.

August 2017: Relocated the Building Automation & Control System centre from Dubai to Doha at one of the Doha Metro project sites.

On August 19, Qatar Rail received the fi rst batch of the Doha Metro trains, two months ahead of schedule at the Hamad Port, after a 21-day sea journey from Japan’s Kobe Port. As many as 39 out of a total of 75 trains have been re-ceived in readiness for the fi rst phase of operations in 2020.

October 2017: The opening of reg-istration to occupy commercial spaces available at the Red Line stations of the Doha Metro project from Al Wakrah to Al Qassar. With over 10,700sqm of retail space across 37 stations, Qatar

Rail will be the fi rst in Qatar to provide business access to rail commuters and

neighbourhood customers.November 2017: Doha Metro project

received the ITA Awards 2017 for “Ma-jor Project of the Year” in the more than 500mn Euros category.

December 2017: A joint venture partnership of the French company Keolis and infrastructure asset man-agement specialist, the RATP, was named as the operator of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram.

January 2018: Another milestone with the completion of the manufacture of the fi rst, out of 28, trains for the Lu-sail Tram project. The Factory Accept-ance Test took place at Alstom Factory in the French City of La Rochelle.

February 2018: Qatar Rail launched the inaugural workshop of a series dedicated to security measures taken ahead of the operational phase of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram projects, as well as eff ective and rapid emergen-cy response.

March 2018: Received the fi rst train for the Lusail Tram at Hamad Port.

April 2018: Qatar Rail took part in Cityscape Qatar Conference and Ex-hibition 2018, and signed major agree-ments, such as the fi rst ever naming rights agreement with Qatar Insurance Company, with QNB for the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram tickets, with Ooredoo to provide Lusail Tram users with com-munication services, and a contract with Marafeq Qatar to provide district cooling services for the Lusail Tram project.

Also in April 2018: Msheireb Sta-tion (interchange station between the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram networks) received the sustainability award from the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development for having achieved a Global Sustainability Assessment Sys-tem 5 star-rating for provisional design and build.

HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, Qatar Rail managing director and CEO Abdulla Abdulaziz al-Subaie and other dignitaries during the Lusail Tram ride.

for wheelchair users and there are screens on exterior walls giv-ing details about the journey as well as entertainment.

External screens are also fi tted

to the front, back and sides of the trains allowing waiting passen-gers to see the next destination. The Lusail Tram design concept is focused on the sea represent-

ing dhow pearl fi shing and bring-ing in the calm, cool, elegant and tranquil elements to the design. The Lusail Tram project progress currently stands at 77%.

One of the trams in Lusail.

QATAR3Gulf Times

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

OFFICIAL

Amir issues instruments of ratification

Amir appoints ambassadors

Amir issues decrees

Qatar condemns Afghan blasts

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued the following instruments of ratification yesterday:1. An instrument of ratification approving a draft air transport agreement between the governments of Qatar and Belgium, signed in Brussels on 6/3/2018.2. An instrument of ratification approving a draft air services agreement between the governments of Qatar and Panama, signed in Doha on 10/4/2018.3. An instrument of ratification endorsing a memorandum of understanding on holding a political dialogue on issues of mutual concern between the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs of Qatar and the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs and International Co-operation of Italy, signed in Doha on 2/8/2017.4. An instrument of ratification approving a draft industrial co-operation agreement between the governments of Qatar and Morocco, signed in Marrakech on 27/12/2013.5. An instrument of ratification approving a draft agreement between the governments of Qatar and Morocco on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion with regard to income taxes and the protocol thereto, signed in Marrakech on 27/12/2013.6. An instrument of ratification approving a draft memorandum of understanding between the governments of Qatar and Morocco on the mutual recognition of certificates in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, signed in Rabat on 11/3/2014.7. An instrument of ratification approving a draft memorandum of understanding for co-operation in the field of social development between the governments of Qatar and Morocco, signed in Rabat on 11/3/2014.8. An instrument of ratification approving a draft memorandum of understanding for co-operation in the field of farming between the governments of Qatar and Morocco, signed in Rabat on 12/3/2018.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued yesterday Amiri Decision No 47 of 2018 appointing Saud Abdullah Zaid al-Mahmoud as ambassador to Canada. His Highness the Amir also issued Amiri Decision No 46 of 2018 appointing Saad Abdullah Saad al-Mahmoud al-Shareef as ambassador to Australia.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued the following decrees yesterday: 1. Decree No 33 of 2018, ratifying the agreement between the governments of Qatar and Singapore on encouraging and protecting mutual investments, signed in Singapore on October 17, 2017. 2. Decree No 34 of 2018, ratifying a memorandum of understanding on co-operation between the Ministry of Justice’s Legal and Judicial Studies Centre in Qatar and Singapore Academy of Law, signed in Singapore on October 17, 2017.

Qatar has strongly condemned the two explosions that targeted a gathering of religious scholars and a police station in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, killing and injuring several people. In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry reiterated Qatar’s firm stance rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of motives and reasons.

Al-Mahmoud calls for bridge between parliament and youth

There must be a bridge be-tween parliament and youth to provide all in-

formation to them in order to achieve the values that everyone desires, HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud said yesterday.

Delivering a speech at the closing session of the two-day International Forum on Devel-opment of Parliamentarism held in the Russian capital Moscow, HE al-Mahmoud stressed the importance of the forum in ad-dressing the issue of youth pol-icy, and said that the future be-longs to the youth.

HE al-Mahmoud said that the forum was very useful, adding that legislative support for the global economy is an important thing, as is the role of parlia-ments in security and stability, and both are fundamental ele-ments, since security, stabil-ity and peace cannot be isolated from development.

Al-Mahmoud pointed out that the forum also touched on other important topics such as technology and information technology, which has become an integral part of the march of this world towards development.

On Monday, delivering a speech at the opening session of the forum, HE al-Mahmoud said violations, massacres and frantic genocide campaigns being wit-nessed in most parts of the world today are an inevitable result of disrespect to international hu-manitarian law and internation-al human rights law.

He said that Qatar had recent-ly acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Politi-cal Rights and to the Interna-tional Covenant on Economic,

Social and Cultural Rights and had been a party to the human rights conventions on children and women, torture, racial dis-crimination and persons with disabilities.

This is based on Qatar’s be-lief that accession to more con-ventions in the areas of inter-national humanitarian law and human rights and adherence to them helps to bring peace, pro-vides commonalities between the disputants, and cultivates mutual trust between them, thus creating the ground for reaching peace agreements and promoting the rules of good neighbourliness, HE al-Mah-moud said.

HE al-Mahmoud stressed that any measures to combat ter-rorism must comply with the rules of international law, hu-man rights law and international humanitarian law, pointing out that Qatar believes that coun-ter-terrorism claims that are not based on the rule of law and are not subject to international

supervision lead to chaos and violation of all civil and political rights of individuals.

He said that attacks by some regimes in a number of countries on the rights of citizens and the confi scation of their freedoms under the pretext of fi ghting ter-rorism that one sees today are the result of a lack of respect for international charters and hu-man rights principles by these countries.

Leading these countries that do not respect the international conventions is the Israeli Zi-onist entity, which has not yet responded to any UN resolu-tion since its inception in 1948, but continues to commit crime and kill the Palestinian people, who have been demanding their rights guaranteed by all the laws and resolutions of international legitimacy.

HE the Speaker of the Adviso-ry Council noted that the issue of development of parliamentarism occupied an important place in the political debate of the pub-lic opinion, and was highlighted as well in the international me-dia due to the great role played by parliaments in representing people.

He pointed out that in this era, which is witnessing an in-formation revolution and ex-panded spaces of knowledge and communication, parliaments as community institutions rep-resenting diff erent sectors of peoples should play an active role in linking governments and their peoples on the one hand and linking regional and inter-national parliamentary systems on the other.

HE al-Mahmoud said that parliaments have a more urgent responsibility to protect people, in light of the impact globalisa-tion is having in all aspects of life. In order to achieve that role, he said parliaments must mod-

ernise their communications approach and provide better training in their fi eld of protect-ing the rights of their people.

He also noted that the role of parliamentarians becomes more relevant every day, as the number of refugees increases as a result of the current con-flicts. Such developments also increase calls on parliaments to engage with the situation, he added.

He said that parliaments now have even bigger roles as it has become evident that the United Nations has become unable to maintain peace and security.

The Advisory Council Speaker also stressed that parliamentar-ians must encourage inter-reli-gions dialogues. He noted that Qatar hosts many such events to encourage inter-cultural dia-logues.

QNAMoscow

HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud addressing the International Forum onDevelopment of Parliamentarism in Moscow.

HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud meeting parliamentarians in Moscow on Monday.

QATAR


Qatar’s ability to achieve progress highlighted

Minister calls for eff orts to cut plastic pollution

HE the Minister of Munic-ipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah

al-Rumaihi has called for eff orts to meet the challenge of plastic pollution in everyday life.

That was outlined in the Min-ister’s speech on the occasion of the World Environment Day, which is marked on 5th June each year. This year’s theme is ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.

He noted that the theme of this year aims to raise awareness about the dangers of single-use plastic bags and need for other safer alternatives for health and the environment.

The Minister said there is an urgent need to draw attention to the extent of the devastating risks posed by plastic materials to ma-rine pollution and the direct threat to the environment and marine organisms, which have adverse ef-fects on human health.

He said Qatar, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, pays great attention to the protection of the environ-ment that eff ectively translated into Qatar National Vision 2030, the fourth pillar of which focuses on environmental development and environmental conservation for future generations.

Al-Rumaihi pointed out that Qatar’s participation in the cele-bration of this occasion is aimed at raising awareness among the public about the importance of the environment and the need to work hard to reduce the factors and eff ects of pollution.

In a related development, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) celebrated the World Environ-ment Day, yesterday, through a number of activities and events to raise awareness of the impor-tance of preserving the environ-ment.

President of Kahramaa Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari said on this

occasion that Kahramaa’s cel-ebration of World Environment Day 2018 comes within the

framework of the corporation’s keenness to achieve Qatar Na-tional Vision 2030, the fourth

pillar of which is devoted to en-vironmental development and conservation of the environment

for future generations.Al-Kuwari added that Kah-

ramaa attaches great importance to the environment and reducing harmful emissions, noting to the success of National Programme for Conservation and Energy Ef-fi ciency (Tarsheed) which man-aged to rationalise the reduction of carbon emissions by about 10.2mn tonnes since the launch of the programme in 2012 until the end of 2017.

He pointed out that Kahramaa is keen to consolidate and spread a culture of sustainability among all segments of society.

Health, Safety and Environ-ment Department at Kahramaa has launched an awareness-rais-ing competition on overcoming plastic pollution, which is the theme of this year’s World Envi-ronment Day, aimed at increas-ing the awareness of Kahramaa employees to change daily habits to reduce plastic pollution, which is one of the most dangerous pol-lutants that have a great impact on the environment and society.

This year’s World Environ-ment Day theme is “Beat Plas-tic Pollution”. Kahramaa has succeeded in implementing the recycling programme for paper waste to preserve the environ-ment (about 37.5 tonnes of pa-per in 2017), in addition to the programme of assessment and monitoring of electromagnetic emissions of the electricity net-work to ensure that there is no negative impact of these emis-sions on the environment and health of individuals.

Kahramaa also transformed the system of environmental permits from a paper system into an electronic system because of its positive eff ects on the envi-ronment as well as the speed and accuracy of services.

Kahramaa has taken meas-ures to ensure the safe disposal of hazardous wastes of the cor-poration through the conclusion of a hazardous waste treatment contract with the Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant at Me-saieed.

QNADoha

Foreign ministry issues travel advisory for citizens

The Consular Aff airs Department at the Ministry of Foreign

Aff airs has issued a number of guidelines and advice to Qatari nationals wishing to travel abroad.

The department stressed the need to ensure the valid-ity of passports and identity cards in case of travel (not less than 6 months), ob-taining visas and entry visas from countries requiring prior visas, compliance with host country’s regulations and laws, travel require-ments and international aviation regulations and non-carrying of prohibited materials.

The Consular Aff airs De-partment advised citizens not to purchase air tickets from the airlines of the siege countries via the Internet, and to keep offi cial docu-ments such as passports, air tickets and valuables in safe places, and not to pledge a passport or ID card to any party in any way.

If the non-Qatari serv-ants and non-Qatari es-corts are accompanying the citizens, the sponsor must inquire about the visas and procedures followed in this regard, the department said.

It urged the citizens trav-elling abroad not to carry gold jewellery and valua-bles, not to mix or deal with

nationals of some countries that have opposing posi-tions to Qatar, and to pay attention to children in crowded places and mar-kets.

The department stressed that security services of the host country should not be allowed to inspect their place of residence with-out permission from the competent authority, and stressed the need to ensure the offi cial status of persons “requesting you to show your personal identity” and to keep the numbers of Qa-tar’s embassy in the host country for reference when necessary.

The department noted that the passport number and personal identifi cation number should be kept in mind when informing the mission in the event of loss of the documents, and ad-vised that the head of the family should not carry large sums of money during travel (and rather distribute it among accompanying fam-ily members), and stressed the need to keep the money exchange receipt.

When arriving at the airport of the country of destination, the Qatari pas-sengers must inform the customs offi cer of the cash he or she is carrying (if it exceeds 10,000 euros or US $10,000) before being asked to declare, in order to avoid confi scation of the excess amount of money, the de-

partment said.The department urged

citizens to avoid suspicious places and gatherings, and not to approach or handle strange objects. The citizens have also been advised not to wear face cover, such as niqab, in countries that pro-hibit it, warning that in the event of any problem, Qatari citizens should inform the nearest embassy or consu-late of Qatar and notify of-fi cials of the problem.

The department ex-plained that in the case of investigation of the Qatari traveller in any case, he or she must immediately in-form the embassy or con-sulate of Qatar. They should communicate with the em-bassy to receive advice in the event of a terrorist act and confi rm registration on the website of the Minis-try of Foreign Aff airs before travelling.

The Department of Con-sular Aff airs advised Qa-tari travellers to the United States to ensure that all related legal issues in the United States of America are terminated, such as pay-ing traffi c violations and attending US courts, and making sure that electronic devices are free of any sub-jects that are contrary to US laws or suspected of being held accountable by the US authorities.

In the case of travelling companions (servants, nan-nies or driver), the passports

should not be kept with the sponsor, the department said, adding that the spon-sor should take into account that the number of working hours are (8) hours per day, as well as the holidays and weekends.

The department also ad-vised citizens to open a bank account for the servants to transfer receivables, and in case of paying in cash proof of receipt must be taken.

The sponsor must also secure adequate housing, and in case they abscond, the citizen must inform the nearest Qatari diplomatic mission.

The Department of Con-sular Aff airs at the Minis-try of Foreign Aff airs urged citizens to see the website of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs www.mofa.gov.qa to know the countries that exempt passport holders (of all types) from obtaining visas or require prior visas through embassies or visas at the country’s ports upon arrival.

The Department said that the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs can be contacted via the following phone num-bers from inside and outside Qatar: 401111-40111000-40111104.

QNADoha

A seminar organised by the Ministry of Cul-ture and Sports af-

fi rmed that Qatar has the human values and the knowl-edge balance which make it capable of achieving the desired progress and ren-aissance, and to provide the world with a successful civi-lisational model.

The seminar, held on Mon-day night, was attended by HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali, HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mo-hamed bin Saleh al-Sada, HE the President of Qatar Sports Club Sheikh Jassim bin Ha-mad bin Nasser al-Thani and a number of offi cials at the Min-istry of Culture.

Addressing the seminar, Director-General of Wijdan Cultural Centre Dr Jassim Sultan shed light on the con-ditions of progress, stressing that the achievement of ren-aissance is a choice that is not impossible but requires will and determination.

He noted that the condi-tions for achieving renais-sance exist in the human be-ing, and that Islam has a huge heritage and a basis for hu-man progress.

Children during a programme organised by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to raise awareness about plastic pollution.

5Gulf TimesWednesday, June 6, 2018

QATAR

‘Diplomatic initiative on Gulf crisis will depend on siege countries’QNADoha

The success of a dip-lomatic initiative to convene a meeting in

September to bring together the parties of the Gulf crisis will depend on the siege countries, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Aff airs’ offi cial spokesperson HE Lulwah al-Khater said.

She was responding to journalists on the sidelines of a seminar held by Qatar University on Monday night under the title ‘A Year of Blockade: Current Situation and Future Aspirations’.

“With regard to the recent moves of the sisterly State of

Kuwait, there is a movement in the direction of holding a meeting that brings together offi cials in the Gulf in Sep-tember, but whether it will take place or not depends on the siege countries, whose behaviour in the past period was unfortunately unpre-dictable,” HE al-Khater said.

The Ministry of Foreign Aff airs’ offi cial spokesper-son announced that though Qatar has overcome the economic repercussions of the siege, it is in the proc-ess of fi ling a complaint at the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Dis-crimination in Geneva on the social damage caused to the families due to the siege.

“We will not waive the

rights of Qatari citizens. There is more than a path

to claim these rights, in-cluding going to the inter-national private law offi ces in relation to individual rights, and moving towards the World Trade Organisa-tion,” she said.

HE al-Khater reiter-ated that Qatar has fully overcome the economic consequences of the siege through the diversifi cation of sources of supply, which would continue even if the crisis is resolved, as they are more sustainable.

On the political implica-tions of the Gulf crisis, she expressed Qatar’s concern about the dangerous re-percussions of the crisis on

regional security, noting that the GCC system had been seen as the most stable amidst the crucial situation in the Arab world.

She explained there are countries that will fail and there are wars and problems in more than one place.

“The GCC system was the hope of restoring sta-bility, but it is experiencing a state of instability, which exacerbates the regional situation further.” HE al-Khater stressed that the Gulf crisis contributed to deepening the crises in the region, saying: “We believe that regional security is deteriorating, but we have great hope to stop this dete-rioration.”

Emirati telecom operators Du, Etisalatrenew partnership with Qatar’s beIN

Qatar’s beIN Media Group has confi rmed that it has reached

agreements with Emirati tel-ecom operators Du and Etis-alat that will enable viewers in the UAE to watch all 64 matches of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup live on beIN Sports channels.

The World Cup begins on June 14 and continues until July 15.

In a press release, beIN Media Group said Du (Emir-ates Integrated Telecommu-nications Company) has an-nounced the launch of four beIN Sports Max channels for the World Cup. beIN ex-clusively holds the rights to the FIFA World Cup in the Mena region, and Du and beIN have reached an agree-

ment to off er Du custom-ers live, and in full HD, 64 matches across four beIN Sports Max channels.

beIN Media Group ex-plained that the contract be-tween beIN with Du expired on May 31. beIN granted Du 24 hours to complete the necessary procedures for re-newing the contract. As soon as beIN announced cutting the service to Du, the latter moved quickly to renew the contract with beIN Group and completed the necessary procedures for the renewal.

Tom Keaveny, managing director of beIN Mena, said: “We are thrilled to extend our long-term relationship with Du to provide view-ers with access to the beIN FIFA World Cup. Viewers

will have access to all 64 matches across four dedi-cated channels, bringing the best action in the world straight to their TVs, mo-biles and tablets. This two-year deal kicks off a hugely exciting period for sports fans around the world and we’re delighted to be at the centre of the action.”

Fahad al-Hassawi, deputy CEO - Telco services, Emir-ates Integrated Telecommu-nications Company, added: “We are delighted to off er this incredible event to our valued customers and add life to life by screening all 64 football matches across our dedicated beIN Sports channels.”

beIN channels resumed regular broadcasting following

the signing of the agreement.Meanwhile, beIN Media

Group also confi rmed that it has reached an agreement with Etisalat to broadcast the FIFA World Cup on the eLife platform. The new two-year agreement with Etisalat grants eLife the rights to rebroadcast all four beIN Sports Max HD chan-nels, as well as the beIN 4K channel, to its entire IPTV customer in the UAE.

Keaveny stressed that they were “thrilled to extend the long-term relation-ship with Etisalat to provide viewers with access to the beIN FIFA World Cup”.

beIN is also off ering, for the fi rst time in the UAE, ac-cess to the FIFA World Cup in ultra-high defi nition.

QATAR


Sheikh Turki bin Faisal al-Thani invited Al Sawari Holding and Al Faisal International for Investment employees and special guests to join him for Suhoor at Shangri-La Hotel to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. The Suhoor, which has become a yearly corporate event, serves as an opportunity for all subsidiary companies to share their accomplishments and future goals and plays an important role in strengthening relations between employees. Sheikh Turki highlighted that the event is also a moment to celebrate Al Sawari’s third anniversary. He highlighted the challenges the company has overcome with the blockade and praised the eff orts and accomplishments of the staff over the past year.

Sheikh Turki hosts SuhoorQatar Airways chief takes over as IATA board chairman

From Page 1

Some of the challenges are human traff icking, making airlines more secure during turbulent times in the global political scene, fighting terrorism, and regional conflicts, higher oil price that put a lot of pressure on the industry and private airports that levy excessive charges on airlines. Also, we will have to finds ways to reduce costs and make sure the airlines maintain the upward trend in their performance.”Al-Baker was named Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive in 1997. In this position, al-Baker has spearheaded the growth of Qatar Airways from a small regional carrier into a major global. He was president of the 70th AGM which was held in Doha in 2014.IATA’s director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said, “I want to thank Goh Choon Phong for his strong support and leadership over the past year. He has led major changes in IATA’s governance that will enable the association to work even more closely with its members. Under his leadership the industry approved a major modernisation of our settlement systems, and made excellent progress on transformative initiatives such as New Distribution Capability and ONE Order. “Choon Phong’s insights were particularly helpful as we contended with the PEDs ban and growing infrastructure capacity shortfalls in key regions, while also working with governments to prepare for the arrival of the historic CORSIA programme to help airlines manage their future emissions growth.” “I am confident that Akbar will be a strong voice on behalf of the Business of Freedom in the face of growing challenges including creeping re-regulation and a movement away from open borders and toward trade protectionism and restrictions on the free movement of people.”

End blockade now,prioritise unity: FMQatar is stronger than it

was before the block-ade and it is time to

end the unfortunate chapter in the history of the Gulf, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Af-fairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has said.

He said it is also time to abandon the illusion of vic-tory and give priority to se-curity interests of the Middle East.

In an article published in New York Times, HE the Deputy Prime Minister said: “The past year Qatar has been subjected to a reckless and ill-considered blockade imposed by four countries: Saudi Ara-bia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. These nations felt threatened by Qatar’s independent foreign policy and in response, they have closed our borders and barred fl ights to our country.”

HE the Minister said the blockading countries may have expected to bring Qatar to its knees. “If that was their intention, their eff ort has clearly backfi red.”

He said today, Qatar is stronger than it was a year ago. “Within 24 hours of the imposition of the blockade, we quickly established new sources and alternative, more sustainable supply routes for basic goods, like food and medicine. In the weeks and months that followed, we signed new, long-term con-tracts for economic coopera-tion, at the same time accel-erating plans to diversify our economy by diminishing our reliance on our hydrocarbon resources.”

Qatar’s success has been endorsed by world institu-tions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “Last October, months into the blockade, the IMF reported that Qatar’s economy was the fastest growing in the Gulf,” he noted.

HE the Deputy Prime Min-ister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs said: “The blockade of Qatar, now widely viewed as instigated under false pre-tenses, has undermined the Middle East’s stability. By now it should be clear that there can be no “winners” in this dispute. It is, therefore, time for the blockading na-tions to abandon their delu-sions of victory, prioritise the security interests of the en-tire Middle East and end the blockade.

“Qatar believes that the Gulf states need to establish a new framework for advancing peace and security. Histori-cally, the Gulf Cooperation Council has played a stabil-ising role in Gulf aff airs. But the GCC was never meant to serve as a regional court, an advocacy group or a policy making body.”

HE the Minister said the is-sues confronting the nations of the Arabian Peninsula re-quire a broader platform for dialogue and negotiation. “Qatar’s government believes that a new regional pact, un-

encumbered by the recent rift, could bring back the pos-itive leadership and author-ity that once existed and that this would help our region to address the economic and po-litical challenges we face.”

He said Qatar believes that the current GCC stale-mate, in particular, highlights the urgent need for such an agreement. “We hope that wisdom will prevail and that our neighbours will join us in creating a new mechanism to promote our collective secu-rity interests and advance the cause of peace. By restoring Gulf unity and establishing a new framework for confl ict resolution, we can make our region, and the world, more stable and secure.”

HE the minister said for more than 15 years the Middle East has been a region of tur-moil and instability. “Tran-snational terrorism, waves of displaced populations and seemingly intractable wars present global threats that aff ect countries far from the region. In Qatar, we believe that the crises in the Mid-dle East are interconnected and require comprehensive solutions, and that peace and stability will be restored only when the region’s coun-tries agree to work together to reach consensus on key challenges, including the destabilising infl uence of

sectarianism, rising youth unemployment and our com-mon need to diversify our en-ergy-dependent economies.”

He said at a time when Arab allies should be united in fac-ing the atrocity of the mass killings in Syria, the escalat-ing war in Yemen, and the re-building of state institutions in Libya and Iraq, some re-gional players have chosen to pursue petty grievances and selfi sh ambitions that “un-dermine our unity”.

“Meanwhile, the Mid-dle East remains in turmoil. The government of President Bashar al-Assad has consoli-dated power in Syria, shifting the regional and geopolitical landscape; besieged Palestin-ians in Gaza have risen up in protest, focusing new atten-tion on the need for a workable peace plan between the Pal-estinians and the Israelis; and Yemen is entering its third year of war, with tens of thousands already dead and no end in sight. These issues are impor-tant to the people of the Ara-bian Peninsula, and all of them cry out for a united Arab voice.”

HE the Minister said Qa-tar believes that the stakes are too high, and the time too limited, to focus on dif-ferences between and among the Arab states. “The ad-ministration in Washing-ton clearly shares this view. My counterpart, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has stressed the importance of Gulf unity. President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to see the Gulf dispute resolved. All agree it is time for this sorry chapter in Gulf history to come to an end,” he added.

Qatar outlook revised upward to ‘stable’From Page 1

Estimating other government external assets at around $270bn in 2017, little changed from 2016 and mainly in the QIA, it said strong asset market returns are estimated to have off set much of the impact on QIA external as-sets from repatriating liquidity into Qatar’s domestic banks.

Fitch said the government fi s-cal defi cit narrowed to 2.8% of GDP in 2017 from 6.3% of GDP in 2016, including the estimated investment income on the QIA, as falling spending off set weak-ness in hydrocarbon revenue (which refl ects price movements with a lag).

“We expect the government budget to be balanced in 2018 and to post a surplus of 2.9% of GDP in 2019 as higher oil prices seep through to public fi nances, excise tax and value added tax are implemented in 2019 and growth in current spending is restrained,” it said, expecting capital spending to bounce back in 2018 and plateau at QR100bn per year in 2018 and 2019.

It also said a $10 per barrel in-crease in oil prices could lead to an improvement in the fi scal bal-ance of around 4% of GDP (gross domestic product).

The sovereign infrastructure spending is likely to moderate af-ter 2020, even if the government adds some new projects to the pipeline in order to sustain non-oil economic activity, it said.

“This should help off set the fi scal eff ect of additional capi-tal spending by Qatar Petrole-um in 2020-2022 related to the planned 20% expansion of liq-uefi ed natural gas exports from the North Field,” it said.

The government faces less pressure to increase public sec-tor employment and maintain social benefi ts than many of its regional peers, given the small number and high level of wealth of Qatari citizens.

Highlighting that real GDP expanded by 1.6% in 2017, it said, “we expect a pick-up to 2.3% in 2018.” The non-hydrocarbon GDP grew by 4.2%, down from 5.2% in 2016.

Imports have recovered to their pre-June 2017 levels, re-fl ecting the establishment of new shipping routes through Oman and India to Qatar’s re-cently-opened Hamad port.

“The government’s narrow tax base means revenues depend far more on hydrocarbons than on the rest of the economy, but steady economic performance

will allow the government to press on with fi scal reforms and reduce the need to support the private sector,” Fitch said.

The country’s large banking sector relies heavily on non-resident funding and has con-centrated exposures to a weak domestic realty sector, which had been facing falling prices and overcapacity even before the economic boycott.

The QCB real estate price in-dex was down 9.3% year-on-year as of March 2018, having picked up slightly since January. The consumer price index sub-index for housing expenditure was down 4.5% in April, refl ect-ing falling rents.

“Nevertheless, for now, bank-ing sector profi tability is suffi -cient to absorb foreseeable pres-sure on funding costs and asset quality, and capitalisation levels remain adequate,” it said.

Qatar’s government will have little need to seek new interna-tional fi nancing after a $12bn global bond issue in April 2018, which will cover its net fi nancing requirement for 2018-2019.

“Despite the issuance, we ex-pect the debt ratio to be broadly stable in 2018, as the govern-ment will reduce overdrafts to regular levels,” Fitch said.

Qatar stronger than a year ago Siege instigated under false pretenses Give priority to security of Middle East Qatar favours new framework for

advancing peace and security in region

Ministry off icials host students studying abroadThe Ministry of Foreign Aff airs has organized the first induction meeting for students studying abroad, with the aim of strengthening social ties and introducing them to ministry off icials.In his speech during the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs, Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, said after the siege, Qatar has proved that it is a strong country thanks to the steadfastness of its people, the wisdom of its leader and the strength of its economy.He urged the students to persevere and strive to contribute to the development of the country, stressing importance given to them to continue studying and join work later.

He called on the Ministry’s Human Resources Department to organize the meeting twice a year to listen to the students and introduce them to the ministry off icials.The meeting was attended by a number of directors of departments of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs.Head of training and management development Iman Mohamed Sulaiman al-Hail said that this meeting is the first of its kind for students who are studying inside and outside the country.Its aim was to further bridge cooperation and communication with them and ensure their participation in religious and national holidays and events, she said. — QNA

QATAR


Air purifi er maker sounds microplastics warningBlueair air purifi ers, avail-

able at all Jumbo Elec-tronics showrooms, Spark

Lifestyle Electronics and select hypermarkets in Qatar, can re-move airborne microplastics, according to a statement issued yesterday.

Blueair is a world-leader in air purifi cation solutions for home and professional use.

Research published by the Fernando Pessoa University in Portugal shows that every day we breathe in up to 130 tiny plastic particles.

Due to their small size, micro-plastics once inhaled, travel into the deep lung where they may induce

lesions in the respiratory system.“Microplastic particles pen-

etrate the deep lung tissue and cannot be removed, or “digest-ed”, by the human immune sys-tems” explains Kevin Luo, PhD in Particle Deposition in the Human Respiratory System, and senior air fi ltration expert with Blueair.

“The smallest particles can also pass into the bloodstream and cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, induce cancer, and aff ect the human im-mune and nervous system.

“Children are particularly at risk, since they breathe more rapidly than adults, taking in more air in relation to their body

weights. This makes them more vulnerable to microplastic pol-lution.

“Children are also more at risk as their respiratory systems are still developing – and small chil-dren often spend time playing on the fl oor, where microplastics settle in the form of dust” said Luo.

Microplastics in the indoor air result from the fragmentation through friction, heat or light of plastic objects found in homes.

These include paint, toys, fur-niture and other plastic objects as well as personal care items like cosmetics, toothpaste and scrubs.

Another source of microplas-tics found in the air is that of plastic fi bres released from syn-thetic clothing and textiles used in home furnishings.

Airborne microplastics may also carry other toxic pollutants found in the air, from bacteria to traffi c emissions, into the blood-stream from the lungs.

“Airborne microplastics can be removed by an air purifi er tested for 0.1 um removal rate. Owing to its unique HEPASilent fi ltration technology, all Blueair air purifi er will remove at least 99.97% of airborne microplastics down to 0.1um in size,” added the state-ment from Jumbo Electronics. The Blueair product range.

QNB marks World Environment Day with recycling initiative

QNB has launched a new recycling initiative and invited staff to make envi-

ronmental pledges to “reduce, re-use and recycle” to hang on large printed trees at the head offi ce and its Al-Mathaf building entrances.

The initiative, which marks World Environment Day, aims to engage staff and raise general awareness about the importance to live sustainably and reduce im-pact on the environment.

World Environment Day takes place every June 5.

The recycling initiative has been launched in partnership with Elite Paper Recycling, a local Qatari company.

Elite Paper Recycling will collect QNB’s paper and cardboard waste to recycle into quality raw material used to supply the corrugated car-ton packaging industry.

The initiative is part of the Group’s comprehensive sustain-ability programme aiming at

maximising the shared value the bank generates for its business and stakeholders now and for the long term, QNB has said in a statement.

QNB Group said it aims to ad-dress a number of sustainabil-ity issues, which it has identifi ed based on a detailed review of national and international sus-tainable development initiatives, guidelines and standards.

The Group has aligned its sus-tainability goals with the objec-tives of Qatar National Vision 2030, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Qatar Stock Exchange guidance on sustainable initiatives.

“Protecting and supporting the environment is a key pillar of the bank’s Corporate Social Respon-sibility programme. QNB Group continues to support environ-mental initiatives in Qatar and throughout the markets in which it operates,” the statement notes.QNB and Elite Paper Recycling off icials shake hands over the recycling initiative.

MEC inspections note 64 violations in May

Inspection campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Econ-omy and Commerce (MEC)

in May to ensure the compliance of suppliers (retail outlets) with Law No 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection resulted in the detec-tion of 64 violations, it was an-nounced yesterday.

The penalties included ad-ministrative closures and fi nes ranging between QR5,000 and QR30,000 in line with the appli-cable consumer protection laws, the MEC said in a statement.

The violations included fail-ing to issue invoices in Arabic, failing to display prices, offer-ing promotions without ob-taining the necessary approval, failing to clearly specify data related to the displayed prod-uct, failing to comply with the mandatory bulletin of vegeta-bles and fruits prices, and dis-playing products that do not conform with approved and de-clared standards.

The inspection campaigns come within the framework of

the MEC’s eff orts to monitor markets and commercial ac-tivities in a bid to crack down on price manipulation and to pro-tect consumer rights, the state-ment notes.

The ministry has stressed that it will not tolerate any vio-lations of the Consumer Pro-tection Law and its regulations, and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on violations.

It will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who will, in turn, take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.

The MEC has urged all con-sumers to report violations to the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud department through the call centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twit-ter: MEC_QATAR, Instagram: MEC_QATAR and the ministry’s app on iPhone and Android de-vices: MEC_QATAR

QATAR9Gulf Times


Mercedes - Benz G-Class model of 2017 recalledThe Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in collaboration with Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, has announced the recall of Mercedes-Benz G-Class model of 2017 because the mounting clips for protective strips on the sidewalls do not meet factory specification.The MEC said that it will co-ordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will communicate with

customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out. The MEC has urged all customers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department through the following channels: Call centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar, MEC mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar

Vodafone opens retail stores in Tawar Mall and Al MansouraVodafone Qatar has opened

two new retail stores in Tawar Mall and Al Mansoura area,

taking its nationwide retail footprint to a total of 31 outlets.

In line with the global retail store concept, the new stores refl ect Vo-dafone’s world-class look and feel, and off er customers a vibrant and delightful retail ambience besides the ease and simplicity that is in line with any other store Vodafone cus-tomers will visit across the world.

Vodafone Qatar chief operating of-fi cer Diego Camberos said, “Wher-ever they are, we are committed to off er our customers world class levels of service and care that they expect from a global brand like Vodafone.

“Our global store concept is fl ex-ible, allowing us to adapt it to the needs of the local market, and have

plans to further deliver an excep-tional experience to all our custom-ers with the best of human and dig-ital interactions like live chat on the MyVodafone App.”

With a clear and simple setting, Vodafone’s stores at Tawar Mall and Al Mansoura area boasts some unique features such as an accessory panel, featuring the latest mobile and tablet accessories.

Vodafone’s Red customers will get served in their exclusive area and the elderly will also enjoy a more comfortable service with the spe-cially-designed consultation area that is low in height. For customers that require a simple service such as the purchase of recharge cards or bill payment, the dedicated express check-out points ensure quicker service. Vodafone Qatar off icials and other dignitaries during the opening of a retail store at Tawar Mall.

QNL plans several events for children this monthQatar National Library (QNL)

has planned a number of events for children this

month, it was announced yesterday. All members can benefi t from a

couple of events today that will in-troduce QNL’s wide range of col-lections, including a hands-on ac-tivity on how to use the catalog to help users familiarise themselves on how to do their own searching effi ciently.

On June 9, young Arabic readers will hear the story of one of Proph-et Muhammad’s companions, a

hero embodied with the virtues of strength, courage, patience, and the love of God and His Messenger.

Attendees can also take part in arts and crafts activities related to the companions of the Prophet, (peace be upon him). A Little Ac-tors workshop is scheduled for June 20, where they will be in-troduced to the world of theatre through role-playing activities.

Also on June 9, the Wonders of Science event will encourage par-ticipants to check out the exten-sive collection of scientifi c books

in the library’s young adults’ col-lection and share what they learn. On June 22, ‘Mechanics: A STEM Activity for Teens’ will explore the scientifi c principles of cams and cranks, with the opportunity to build working models.

“The summer holiday is an excellent time for school-aged children to explore new areas of learning outside the classroom, and our events are designed to give them a fun, educational, hands-on experience in a creative and wel-coming environment,” said Abeer

al-Kuwari, director, research and learning services at QNL.

After Eid al-Fitr, QNL will off er an interactive workshop on envi-ronmental sustainability in Islam, which will address questions about sustainability, its importance, and how it fi ts with Islamic teachings.

On June 28, Dr Ayman Elyyan continues the QNL’s lecture series with ‘The New Media and Pub-lic Interaction with the News’, in which he will present the results of a study on the infl uences that control readers during their inter-

action with the news press. Both events will be in Arabic.

Aspiring writers and university students are invited on June 23 to attend an interactive creative writ-ing workshop. The hands-on event will explore the basics of creative writing and off er tips on the diff er-ent elements of writing a book.

On June 25 and 26, education special-ist Salah al-Yafei will present a lecture for parents on developing positive rela-tionships with young adults, infl uenc-ing their behaviour, and helping them develop positive long-term values.

Oman Air’s inaugural fl ight to Istanbul fl agged off

Oman Air has commenced its new dai-ly fl ight from Muscat to the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The inaugural fl ight on June 1, WY 163 departed Muscat International Airport at 8.10pm after a cake-cutting ceremony at Oman Air’s exclusive First and Business Class check-in lounge.

The Oman Air delegation was led by chief commercial offi cer Paul Starrs.

The new route will be operated by a Boe-ing 737-800 with a fl ight time of fi ve hours and 25 minutes. Flight WY163 will depart Muscat International Airport’s new pas-senger terminal daily at 8.10pm, arriving at Istanbul Ataturk International Airport at 12.25am. The return fl ight, WY164, will de-part Istanbul each day at 1.25am, arriving in Muscat at 7.25am.

The new route between Oman and Turkey “will strengthen the existing vibrant bilater-al relations between the two brotherly coun-tries”, the airline has said in a statement.

“With the opening of this route, Oman Air’s guests will be able to explore one of the world’s most thriving cities. Intertwining both ancient and modern cultures, the larg-est city in Turkey, Istanbul is the heart of the country’s economic, cultural and historical roots, with much to off er Oman Air guests travelling to this beautiful destination,” the statement adds.

Oman Air is currently undergoing a fl eet and network expansion programme, which will see the airline operate up to 66 aircraft to 60 destinations by 2022.

QATAR/RAMADAN


The virtues of the last 10 days of RamadanThe last 10 days of Ramadan are

blessed by Allah with unique virtues. Among such virtues

is that Laylat Al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) is among them. About this Night, Allah, The Most Exalted, Says (what means): “Ha, Meem. By the clear Book. Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter - [Every] matter [proceeding] from Us. Indeed, We were to send [a messenger]. As mercy from your Lord. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” [Qur’an 44:1-6]

Allah sent down the Qur’an on this Night which He, The Most Exalted, described as blessed. It was reported from a group of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) – including Ibn ‘Abbaas, Qataadah, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr, ‘Ikrimah, Mujaahid and others , may Allah be pleased with them - that the night on which the Qur’an was sent down was Laylat Al-Qadr.

The phrase (which means): “On that night is made distinct every precise matter,” indicates that on this night the destiny of all creatures for the coming year is decreed. On that night it is writ-ten who will live, who will die, who will be saved, who will be doomed, who will be destined for Paradise, who will be destined for Hell, who will be granted honour, who will be humiliated, where drought and famine will occur, and everything else that Allah Wills in that year.

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “You may see a man furnishing his home or ploughing his fi eld, and he is one of those who are going to die,” i.e., it has been decreed on Laylat Al-Qadr that he is one of those who are going to die (in the com-ing year). And it was said that on this night, the destiny of people is shown to the angels.

The meaning of “Qadr” is veneration or honour, i.e. it is a night that is vener-ated because of its special characteris-tics, and because the one who stays up during this night becomes a person of honor. And it was said that Qadr means constriction, in the sense that the knowledge of precisely when this night is, is hidden. Al-Khaleel ibn Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “It was called Laylat Al-Qadr because the earth is constricted by the great numbers of angels on that night, and Qadr means constriction.”

It was also said that Qadr means Qadar (decree), i.e., that on this night the decrees for the coming year are ordained, as Allah Says (what means): “On that night is made distinct every precise matter.” [Qur’an 44:4]and be-

cause the decrees of Allah are decided and written down on this night.

So Allah has called it Laylat Al-Qadr, because of its great value and high sta-tus with Allah, and because so many sins are forgiven and so many faults are concealed during this night. For it is the night of forgiveness, as it was reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Whoever stays up during Laylat Al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of earning the reward of Allah, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Allah has given this night special characteristics which make it unique, such as:

1. It is the night on which the Qur’an was sent down, as we have stated above. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Al-lah be pleased with him, said: “Al-lah sent down the Qur’an at one time from Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooth (the Pre-served Tablet in the Seventh Heaven) to Bayt Al-‘Izzah (House of Pride) in the fi rst Heaven, then it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu àlaihi wa sallam, in stages according to events over 23 years.” [Ibn Katheer]

2. Allah described it as being bet-ter than a thousand months, as He Says (what means): “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.” [Qur’an 97:3]

3. Allah described it as being blessed, as He Says (what means): “In-

deed, We sent it down during a blessed night.” [Qur’an 44: 3]

4. On this night, the angels and the Spirit [Jibreel (Angel Gabriel)] de-scend, “i.e., many angels descend on this night because it is so blessed, and the angels come down when the bless-ings and mercy of Allah come down, just as they come down when the Qur’an is recited, and they surround the circles of Thikr (gatherings where Allah is mentioned), and they spread their wings for the one who sincerely seeks knowledge, out of respect for him.” [Ibn Katheer]

Jibreel is specifi cally mentioned as a sign of respect for him.

5. This night is described as peace, i.e., it is safe, for the devils cannot do any evil or cause any harm on this night, as Mujaahid, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “On this night, many people are saved from punish-ment because of what they do to wor-ship Allah, The Most Exalted.”

6. Allah Says (what means):“On that night is made distinct every pre-cise matter.” [Qur’an 44:4], the aff airs of that year are dispatched from the Preserved Tablet to the angels who record the decrees: who will live, who will die, what provision people will be given, what will happen until the end of that year, every matter of ordain-ments is decreed, and it cannot be al-tered or changed. [Ibn Katheer]

All of this is already known to Allah before it is even written down, but He makes known to the angels what is to happen, and commands them to do whatever they are enjoined to do.

7. Allah revealed a Chapter con-cerning this night which will be recited until the Day of Resurrection, in which He mentions the honor and great val-ue of this night. This is the Chapter in which Almighty Allah Says (what means): “Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And

what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” [Qur’an 97:1-5]

The verse (which means): “And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree?” [Qur’an 97:2] serves to draw attention to the importance and great signifi cance of this night.

The verse (which means): “The Night of Decree is better than a thou-sand months.” Means that worship during it is better than worship during a thousand months (which means over 83 years). This is a great virtue, the value of which no one can fully under-stand except The Lord of the Worlds, The Most Exalted.

Laylat Al-Qadr is in the last 10 days of Ramadan, as stated in the narration of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Seek Laylat Al-Qadr in the last ten days of Ram-adan.” [Muslim]

It is more likely to be one of the odd-numbered nights, because of the narration of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, had said: “Seek Laylat Al-Qadr in the odd-numbered nights of the last 10 nights.” [Al-Bukhari]

We should seek it especially in the odd-numbered nights, i.e., on the 21st, the 23rd, the 25th, the 27th and the 29th. It was also reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu àlaihi wa sal-lam, said: “Seek it in the last 10 nights, on the odd-numbered nights.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It is most likely to be on the night of the 27th. This is according to the saying

of the Prophet, sallallaahu àlaihi wa sallam: “Laylat Al-Qadr is the night of the 27th.” [Ahmad and Abu Daawood] The view that it is the night of the 27th is the opinion of most of the Compan-ions, may Allah be pleased with them, and the majority of scholars. Ubayy ibn Ka’b, may Allah be pleased with him, used to assert, without saying “Insha Allah - God willing” that: “…it was the night of the 27th. Zurr ibn Hubaysh, may Allah be pleased with him, said to Ubayy, may Allah be pleased with him: ‘I said: What makes you say that, O Abu’l-Munthir (i.e. Ubay)?’ He, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘By the signs of which the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, told us: that the sun rises that morning with no visible rays.’” [Muslim]

The fact that it is more likely the night of the 27th –Allah knows best – does not mean that this is always the case. It could be any of the other odd-numbered nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan. Some of the scholars ruled that it is more likely that it moves and does not come on a specifi c night each year.

Allah has concealed this night so that His slaves will strive to seek it, and will strive hard in worship, just as He has concealed the blessed hour of Friday.

Therefore, we should strive hard during the days and nights of these 10 days, seeking Laylat Al-Qadr and fol-lowing the example of our Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and we should strive in supplication and seek-ing to draw close to Allah Almighty.

Article source: http://www.is-lamweb.net/emainpage/

Zakat al-Fitr amount set at QR15QNADoha

The Zakat Fund of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has urged the public to pay

Zakat al-Fitr on time, pointing out that it is a duty (required) of every Muslim, whether male or female, minor or adult as long as he/she has the means to do so.

The fund has set (equivalent of) QR15 as Zakat al-Fitr for this 1439AH Ramadan season and that it should be given before the Eid al-Fitr prayer.

According to Islamic tradition (Sunnah), Ibn ‘Umar said that the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) made Zakat al-Fitr compulsory on every slave, freeman, male, female, young and old among the Muslims: one Saa of dried dates or one Saa of barley.

The head of the household may pay the required amount for the other members.

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree said: The main purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to provide the poor so they can cel-ebrate the festival of breaking the fast (Eid al-Fitr) along with the rest of the Muslims.

Every Muslim is required to pay Zakat al-Fitr at the conclusion of the month of Ramadan as a token of thankfulness to Allah for having enabled him or her to observe the obligatory fast.

Its purpose is to purify those who fast from any indecent act or speech and to help the poor and needy.

The Zakat Fund administration has announced that it receives Za-kat al-Fitr through its offices and collection points throughout the country for the benefit of the public, calling on all Muslims to expedite this obligation so that the fund can distribute them to the needy in time.

QBG concludes second Alutrujah Qur’an contestThe Qur’anic Botanic

Garden (QBG), a member of Qatar

Foundation (QF), has con-cluded the fi nal round of its Alutrujah Holy Qur’an competition.

Held in collabora-tion with Education City mosque, the competi-tion encourages students and community members under 12 years to memo-rise the Qur’an, and high-lights the Qur’anic verses and stories that focus on botanical terms.

The fi nal round of the competition was super-vised by a committee from the Ministry of Endow-ments and Islamic Aff airs.

The competition attracted more than 1,600 participants, representing 34 na-tionalities from coun-tries across the region, East Asia, Africa, Eu-rope, Canada and the US, highlighting the harmony and unique

More than 1,600 participants took part in the Alutrujah Qur’an competition.

diversity found in Qatar. Throughout the compe-

tition, students and their families were also invited to visit the Al-Andalus Gardens exhibition, or-ganised by the QBG at the College of Islamic Stud-ies at Hamad in Khalifa University in Education City. The exhibition is an

expression of the peaceful co-existence among dif-ferent cultures, showing respect for the environ-ment and historical herit-age through the display of achievements of a stage in the past, Al-Andalus, which constitutes a sci-entifi c and cultural mile-stone and a refl ection of

one of the most fertile pe-riods of history.

QBG aims to encour-age social engagement and strengthen cultural and conservation awareness in Qatar, supporting QF’s commitment to promot-ing environmental sustain-ability within the wider community.

NBK Automobiles celebrates Garangao

Nasser Bin Kha-led (NBK) Au-tomobiles has

celebrated Garangao at the Mercedes-Benz showroom in Doha. The initiative refl ects “its commitment to the lo-cal community and sup-porting national herit-age”, NBK Automobiles – the authorised general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar – has said in a statement. Children gathered at the show-

room on Salwa Road with their parents along with employees of NBK Auto-mobiles, who distributed more than 100 Garangao packs containing puz-zles, colouring books and colouring pencils among the children. NBK Au-tomobiles’ celebration of Garangao is part of the company’s activities marking national and local occasions, includ-ing Qatar National Day, National Sport Day and

other festivities. “The company is always keen to share with the people of Qatar their national and traditional events and considers this as a core value,” the state-ment notes. Garangao is a special Qatari tradi-tion for children and is celebrated on the 14th of Ramadan. It is a time when children dress up in traditional gowns and visit neighbours to collect nuts and sweets.

REGION/ARAB WORLD

11Gulf Times Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Iran steps up pressure with plan to boost uranium enrichmentAFPTehran

Iran said yesterday it has launched a plan to boost uranium enrichment capac-

ity with new centrifuges, rais-ing the pressure on European diplomats scrambling to rescue the crumbling nuclear deal after Washington pulled out.

“If conditions allow, may-be tomorrow night at Natanz (plant), we can announce the opening of the centre for pro-duction of new centrifuges,” said Vice-President Ali Ak-bar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, according to conservative news agency Fars.

“What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement,” he said, specify-ing this was just the start of the production process and “does not mean that we will start as-sembling the centrifuges”. The International Atomic Energy Agency confi rmed it had re-ceived a letter from Iran, which

Salehi said was submitted on Monday and outlined Tehran’s plans.

Under the 2015 nuclear agreement that Iran signed with world powers, it has the right to build and test certain centrifug-es, though detailed restrictions exist for the fi rst 10 years on the types and quantities of the ma-chines.

Salehi also emphasised that these moves “do not mean the negotiations (with Europe) have failed.”

European governments have been trying to salvage the nu-clear deal ever since the United States announced its withdraw-al last month and said it would reimpose sanctions on foreign companies working in the Is-lamic republic by November.

The remaining parties — Britain, France, Germany, Chi-na and Russia — have vowed to stay in the accord but many of their companies have already started to wind down Iranian operations.

The European Union said that a fi rst assessment indicated the

new steps announced by Iran did not constitute a violation of the agreement.

“However, at this particu-larly critical juncture, they will not contribute to build confi -dence in the nature of the Ira-

nian nuclear programme,” Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, said.

On Monday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khame-nei warned the Europeans that

“Iran will never tolerate both suff ering from sanctions and nuclear restrictions” and called for preparations to speed up uranium enrichment.

Iran insists its nuclear pro-gramme is for civilian uses only, but opponents in the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia accuse it of seeking to build an atomic bomb.

Israeli Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu reacted swift-ly to Salehi’s announcement, declaring that the Islamic re-public’s aim was “unlimited en-richment of uranium to create an arsenal of nuclear bombs” to destroy his country.

On Sunday, Khamenei re-peated the long-standing view from Iran that Israel is “a ma-lignant cancerous tumour in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated”. Under the 2015 agreement, Iran can only enrich uranium to 3.67%. If it chooses to abandon the deal, it has stated it could “within days” return to enrichment of 20% — still within the limits of civilian use but allowing for a

much quicker jump to military-grade levels of around 90%.

Iran was already seeing lim-ited economic benefi ts from the deal even before the US with-drawal, thanks to the reluctance of international banks to facili-tate trade and a raft of non-nu-clear US sanctions that were not touched by the agreement.

European governments have been scrambling to protect their businesses from renewed US sanctions in order to keep Iran in the deal. But several large fi rms have said it will be impossible to continue operating in Iran except in the unlikely scenario that they win bulletproof exemptions from Washington.

France’s PSA, which manufac-tures Peugeot and Citroen cars, on Monday became the latest to announce its plans to pull out of Iran, where it sold nearly 445,000 cars last year.

French energy giant Total is also preparing its departure from a $4.8bn gas project in Iran, with its CEO saying last week that the chances of a US exemption were “very slim”.

Evidence shows coalition attacks on Raqqa ‘broke law’ReutersBeirut

There is evidence that at-tacks by the US-led coali-tion against Islamic State

in the Syrian city of Raqqa last year broke international law by endangering the lives of civil-ians, human rights group Am-nesty International said yester-day.

During its campaign to recap-ture the group’s Syrian capital, the coalition did not take enough account of civilians or take the precautions necessary to mini-mise harm to them, Amnesty said in a report.

It documented the cases of four families whose experiences it said were emblematic of wider patterns and provided “prima facie evidence that several coa-lition attacks which killed and injured civilians violated inter-national humanitarian law”.

In an e-mail, the coalition said it applies “rigorous standards to our targeting process and takes extraordinary eff orts to protect non-combatants”.

It added that it strikes military objectives in accordance with the laws of armed confl ict and is transparent about its proce-dures.

The campaign to capture Raqqa was waged from June to October last year by the Syr-ian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by coalition war-planes and special forces troops.

Reuters reporters in Raqqa during and after the campaign said that air strikes and fi ghting had caused massive destruction throughout the city, laying waste to entire districts.

The Islamic State had once used the city as the administra-tive centre of its self-declared caliphate, making it a planning centre for attacks by its followers around the world.

During the battle for Raqqa, IS fi ghters made it harder for the coalition off ensive to avoid civil-ian deaths by operating among them and using them as human shields, Amnesty said.

Amnesty said it had inter-viewed 112 civilian residents of Raqqa during fi eld research there

in February, visiting the sites of 42 air, artillery and mortar strikes. It said that in the four cases detailed in its report, air strikes using powerful muni-tions had hit buildings full of civilians who had been staying there for long periods.

It focused on the Aswad fam-ily, which it said lost eight mem-bers in a single air strike, the Hashish family, which it said lost 18 members, the Badran family which it said lost 39 members, and the Fayad family which it said lost 16 members.

“Witnesses reported that there were no fi ghters in the vi-cinity at the time of the attacks.

Such attacks could be either direct attacks on civilians or ci-vilian objects or indiscriminate attacks,” the report said of the four cases studied, adding that such attacks amounted to war crimes.

Amnesty called on the coali-tion and member states to ac-knowledge the scale of devas-tation, make public necessary information for an independent investigation and make repara-tions to victims.

File photo shows an unidentified International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector disconnect the connections between the twin cascades for 20% uranium production at nuclear power plant of Natanz, some 300kms south of Tehran.

A handout picture released by the press off ice of the Amir of Kuwait Diwan yesterday shows the Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah receiving Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki at Al-Seef palace in Kuwait City.

Al-Maliki holds talks with Kuwait Amir UN envoy ‘concerned’ by fate of key Hodeida portAFP Sanaa

The UN envoy for Yemen said yesterday he was “very concerned” over

fi ghting for the rebel-held port of Hodeida, as govern-ment forces close in on the main gateway for aid into the war-torn country.

Martin Griffi ths was speak-ing as he wrapped up a three-day visit aimed at reviving talks between Saudi-backed loyalist forces and Houthi rebels. “Apart from the avoid-able humanitarian conse-quences of such a battle, I am also very concerned about the impact (on) chances of a po-litical settlement of this con-fl ict,” he told reporters in the capital Sanaa.

The envoy, appointed to the post in February, told report-ers at Sanaa airport that his talks had been “positive” but warned of the impact of the Hodeida fi ght on civilians.

“My aim is to restart nego-tiations which have not taken place for a very long time — for too long — and I want that to restart in the very near fu-ture,” he said.

Multiple rounds of United Nations-brokered talks be-tween Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the country’s govern-ment, allied with Saudi Ara-bia, have failed to fi nd a solu-

tion to the Yemen war. Three years of fi ghting have claimed 10,000 lives and pushed the country to the brink of fam-ine.

The battle for Hodeida port, controlled by the Houthis, has killed more than 100 soldiers and insurgents in less than a week, medics and military sources close the government say. The rebels, who have so far refused to withdraw from the port, claim 418 loyalist fi ghters have been killed.

Griffi ths is due to report to the Security Council on June 18 on his peace eff orts.

The UN recognises the cab-inet of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi as the legiti-mate government of Yemen.

The Houthis have regularly accused the international body of bias.

In Yemen, Griffi ths met with Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis’ political council, and representatives of the General People’s Con-gress — a party founded by former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, killed in December.

From 2014, Saleh was al-lied with the Huthis in the fight against the govern-ment, but he shifted alle-giances last year and was killed by the rebels.

Mashat was quoted by rebel news agency Saba as saying that “just as our fin-ger is always on the trigger

to defend the sovereignty, security and unity of our homeland, our other hand is always extended to peace if all parties are committed to it.” Yemeni political sources say the Houthis have put in place a list of conditions in return for their full with-drawal from the Hodeida port.

These include paying mil-itary and civilian employees in areas controlled by the Huthis, reopening the inter-national airport in Sanaa and allowing commercial traf-fic to flow through Yemen’s many ports. “The Huthis have taken a tough stance and have set conditions that would prevent any political solution,” a senior Yemeni government official said.

The UN has warned that any operation aimed at seiz-ing Hodeida itself would disrupt the entry of aid shipments to Yemen, 70% of which flow through the rebel-held port.

The port has been a point of contention in Yemen’s war since Saudi Arabia and its al-lies intervened on behalf of the government in 2015 after the rebels seized Sanaa.

Hodeida is crucial for aid deliveries as Yemen teeters on the brink of famine.

Saudi Arabia says it is an entry point for weapons to the rebels.

Kurds to pull out of Manbij town after dealAFP Beirut

The leading Syrian Kurd-ish militia said yesterday it would withdraw from

Manbij, easing fears of a di-rect clash between Nato allies Washington and Ankara over the strategic northern town.

The Kurds were key players in the fi ght against the Islamic State group, whose last holdout fi ghters have launched a deadly off ensive against pro-regime forces further south.

Manbij is a town that lies just 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border, and where US and French troops belonging to the Western coalition against IS are stationed.

The Kurdish People’s Protec-tion Units (YPG) spearheaded a victorious off ensive in 2016 to rid Manbij of IS and had kept military advisers in the town to train local forces.

“Now, after more than two years of continuous work and with the Manbij Military Coun-cil being self-suffi cient in their training, the YPG has decided to pull its military advisers from Manbij,” it said in a statement.

The YPG forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-Arab alli-ance that has received extensive backing from the US-led coali-tion.

The Pentagon said US troops would remain in the town for now.

“There are no plans to move US forces from Manbij. However, more details of the Manbij roadmap are yet to be hammered out and more de-tails will be announced later,” spokesman Eric Pahon said.

For months, Turkish Presi-dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan

has threatened to march on Manbij, accusing the YPG of being the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is blacklisted in Turkey.

Those threats raised fears of a clash between Turkish and American troops that talks have tried to mollify.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu met in Washington to back a “roadmap” whose rough outlines had been set last month, according to the State Department.

It said the diplomats would coordinate on “security and stability in Manbij,” but gave no details.

Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu, however, has said that after the YPG withdraws, the US and Turkish militaries would begin joint operations in Manbij.

A third phase would involve forming a new administra-tion to run the town within 60 days, it said.

On his return to Turkey, Ca-vusoglu said the same sort of plan could be applied to other Syrian towns.

“We will apply the roadmap for Manbij, and then we will start implementing roadmaps for other cities,” he said.

But the Manbij Military Council, which thanked the YPG on the completion of its training mission, denied any operational changes were in the cards.

“This withdrawal came after the US-Turkish agree-ment. There are no joint pa-trols at this time, or any op-erational changes. We have not received orders on that so far,” the council’s spokesman Sherfan Darwish said. Page 12

Watchdog to hold emergency meeting on chemical attacks

ReutersAmsterdam

Members of the world’s chemical weapons watchdog see an alarm-

ing rise in the use of the banned weapons and will hold an emer-gency meeting this month on the subject, the body said yesterday.

“The international regime prohibiting chemical weapons is under unprecedented threat,” 11 countries wrote in their request for the emergency meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on June 26-27.

“Chemical weapons have been developed, produced and used by state and non-state actors in direct contravention of interna-tional law.”

The British delegation to the OPCW had earlier said it wanted to use the special conference “to call on all states to defend and strengthen the global ban on chemical weapons.”

French diplomats last month said 33 countries would use an emergency plenary session to seek support for a new mecha-nism to enable the OPCW to assign blame for attacks carried out with banned munitions.

The organisation, based in The Hague, currently only de-termines whether such attacks have taken place, not who car-ried them out.

The French proposal, however, looks set to meet resistance from Russia and Iran and might fail to gain the two-thirds of votes needed to pass.

The Chemical Weapons Con-vention has been violated re-peatedly in Syria by the use of sarin, chlorine and sulphur mus-tard gas.

A fact-fi nding mission of the OPCW last month concluded that banned chlorine munitions were likely dropped in an attack on a Syrian neighbourhood in February.

Saudi air defences yesterday intercepted a ballistic missile that targeted the western city of Yanbu after being fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, a Saudi-led military coalition said.The missile fired at the coastal city did not cause any casualties, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in a statement released by the off icial Saudi Press Agency. Houthi rebels have in recent months ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015.

Saudi says new missile intercepted

CONFLICT

Vehicles from the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group patrol the town of Rmelane in Syria’s Hasakeh province, yesterday.

Tunisia shipwreck death toll rises to 55

AFP Kerkennah

The Tunisian navy has re-covered seven more corps-es from a shipwreck of

migrants at the weekend, bring-ing the overall number of dead to 55, the interior ministry said

yesterday. “The search team has succeeded in recovering seven corpses, bringing to 55” the number of bodies found, the ministry said in a statement.

Ministry spokesman Kha-lifa Chibani earlier yesterday said the dead identifi ed so far were “36 Tunisians and 12 foreigners”, referring to migrants from sub-

Saharan Africa. A total of 68 sur-vivors — including 60 Tunisians — have been rescued since search operations began early Sunday off the Mediterranean coast of Tuni-sia’s southern city of Sfax.

Survivors said there were at least 180 people on board when the overloaded fi shing vessel be-gan to sink late Saturday.

REGION/ARAB WORLD

Gulf TimesWednesday, June 6, 201812

Veteran musicians revive golden age of Arab songAFPAmman

A group of musicians are causing a sensation in Jordan, reviving the gold-

en age of Arab song – and not one of them is under the age of 50.

“I would give you anything for the feast,” Beshara Rabadi, 62, sang to an enthusiastic crowd at a concert hall in central Amman, “my angel.”

Many instantly recognised the song of famous Iraqi singer Nazem al-Ghazali, responding with applause and singing the rest of the phrase.

“But you have everything,” Rabadi crooned.

“Should I give you bracelets? I don’t want to tie your hands.”

Founded in 2008, Beit al-Ru-wwad (The House of Pioneers) celebrates the golden era of Arab music represented by Ghazali

and legendary Egyptian diva Oum Kalthoum as well as Jor-dan’s folkloric songs. The musi-cians, some of them in their 80s, wear dark suits, sometimes sun-glasses, as they play a wide range of instruments – oud, ney, ac-cordion and various percussion instruments.

Each Tuesday, they stage a free concert at Amman’s Al Hus-sein Cultural Center.

“Our goal is to preserve classi-cal Jordanian and Arabic music,” said the group’s founder and leader Sakher Hattar, 54, “and provide a comfortable social space that supports original art and artists.”

A buzz spread throughout the audience as the group performed another well-known song about a girl leaving her family home to get married. Women raised their hands while an older man spun a cane above his head and tried out a few dance steps.

“I come every Tuesday,” said

Russayla Bayzidi, 75, sitting in the front row in a white hijab and an elegant electric blue jacket. “I never miss the concert.

“I love these old songs because they take me back to a beautiful time,” she said. “I relax so much when I come to these concerts.”

The group’s fans include peo-ple from across Jordanian soci-ety and the concerts always have a family atmosphere, said Hat-tar, who heads the Arabic music department at Jordan’s National Music Conservatory, where he teaches oud.

He likes to reminisce about how the group was formed.

He had met offi cials at the Culture Ministry to discuss hav-ing veteran musicians perform individually at the annual Jerash Festival, which assembles artists from across the Arab world.

“They were rejected on the basis that they weren’t able to perform,” Hattar said. “That idea hurt and it gave me the idea

of setting up the band,” he add-ed.

He set about gathering a group of musicians in their later years

– including vocalists Mohamed Wahib, 84, Salwa al-Aas, 74, and Fouad Hijazi, 70. “These artists still have a lot to give,” Hattar

said. “They have a really high standard of musicianship.”

Earlier this month, mark-ing 10 years since the group was

founded, King Abdullah II pre-sented Hattar with an award for the band’s role in supporting pioneering musicians.

The group had “brought to-gether pioneers who gave a lot to Jordanian and Arab art,” Wahib said. “I’ve been passionate about music since my childhood,” he added, saying he’d launched his career singing on Radio Ramal-lah in 1958.

A contemporary of greats such as Mohamed Abdel Wahhab and Farid al-Atrash, the octogenar-ian credits Beit al-Ruwwad with giving him the desire to con-tinue.

“The old songs are diff erent from those of today,” Wahib said, “and people who come to see us feel that they are transported into the past.”

The group also hopes to reach a younger audience, sexagenar-ian singer Osama Jabbur said.

“We try to create a link be-tween old and new.”

74-year-old Salwa al-Aas, a Jordanian vocalist of Palestinian origin, performs with the Beit al-Ruwwad ensemble at Amman’s Hussein Cultural Centre.

Jordan king calls for review of tax lawAFPAmman

Jordan’s King Abdullah II called yesterday for a review of a controversial draft tax

law that has sparked a wave of anti-austerity protests and led to the prime minister’s resigna-tion.

For nearly a week the capital and other cities have been hit by angry demonstrations against reforms backed by the Interna-tional Monetary Fund that have brought repeated price hikes.

Hours after premier Hani Mulki stepped down on Mon-day in an eff ort to quell the un-rest, protesters were back in the streets of Amman.

“We are demanding a change to the government’s economic programme, not just a change in prime minister,” said 23-year-old university student Ahmad Abu Ghazzal — one of about 2,000 demonstrators who gath-ered overnight in central Am-man.

“We’re sick of seeing changes in the cabinet — it’s not good enough and it doesn’t have any results,” he said.

In a letter charging new premier Omar al-Razzaz with forming a government, King Abdullah II said it “must carry out a comprehensive review of the tax system” to avoid “un-just taxes that do not achieve justice and balance between the incomes of the poor and the rich”.

Late Monday the king had warned the country was “at a crossroads”, blaming the coun-try’s economic woes on regional instability, the burden of host-ing hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and a lack of in-ternational support.

Protesters on Monday night chanted “we want rights and duties, not tips and handouts!” and “down with the IMF!” as

they gathered under a heavy police presence. Last month, the government proposed a new income tax law, yet to be ap-proved by parliament, aimed at raising taxes on employees by at least 5% and on companies by between 20 and 40%.

It was the latest in a series of austerity measures since Am-man secured a $723mn loan from the IMF in 2016.

Since January, resource-poor Jordan, which suff ers from high unemployment and poverty, has seen repeated price rises including for staples such as bread, as well as extra taxes on basic goods.

Fuel prices have risen fi ve times since the start of the year, while electricity bills have surged by 55% since February.

The measures have sparked

some of the biggest economic protests in fi ve years.

Jordan’s trade union said the king’s call for a review of the tax bill was a “positive” step.

“The council will examine the latest developments and initiatives since Mulki’s res-ignation and the king’s state-ments regarding the draft in-come tax law and the need to open a dialogue about it with trade unions and civil society,” said Ali al-Abous, head of the trade union council.

Jordan, a key US ally, has largely avoided the unrest wit-nessed by other countries in the region since the Arab Spring re-volts broke out in 2011, although protests did fl are late that year after the government cut fuel subsidies.

The latest protests started

last week when unions called for nationwide demonstrations. They have rocked several other cities, including Irbid and Jarash in the north, Zarqa in the east, and the southern city of Maan, which saw deadly riots in the 1980s over rising food prices.

The premier’s departure did not stop people from demon-strating after breaking the holy month’s fast in Amman and other cities.

“When the protests be-gan they weren’t just directed against Mulki as a person, they were against the income tax draft law and the price hikes,” said Bushra Abu Jabbara, a 34-year-old pharmacist.

“We want the government to respond to our demands and withdraw the bill, which hasn’t happened yet,” she added.

A majority of deputies — 78 out of 130 MPs — have said they will vote against the draft legis-lation.

“The income tax draft law is almost certain to be dropped now,” Jordanian political analyst Samih al-Maitah said.

The bill is one of a tranche of measures aimed at slashing Jordan’s public debt from over 90% of GDP to 77% by 2021.

King Abdullah said gas supply cuts due to attacks on an Egyp-tian pipeline to Israel and Jor-dan had cost the kingdom some $5.6bn (4.8bn euros).

He added that the closure of the borders with the kingdom’s main export markets, war-torn Syria and Iraq, and the cost of securing those frontiers, had added to Jordan’s economic woes.

Protesters play music and sing during a protest in Amman, yesterday.

Abadi warns of ‘violations’ in Iraq’s electionReutersBaghdad

Iraq’s prime minister said yester-day there were “dangerous viola-tions” in the May 12 parliamentary

election and banned members of the election commission from travelling, a move that could hinder the delicate process of forming a new government.

The election was won by a bloc led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a long-time adversary of the United States.

Haider al-Abadi told a news con-ference that a report presented to the government recommended a partial manual recount of the vote and the cancellation of results from overseas and displaced voters.

And he said most of the blame for violations lay with Iraq’s Independent High Elections Commission (IHEC).

Abadi said he had initially been in favour of moving forward with the po-

litical process after the election because Iraq had a history of electoral irregulari-ties that were usually worked out.

“In the beginning I said ‘Let’s keep going and let the commission deal with the violations’. There are violations each election, here and there.”

But he said he was alarmed after studying the report’s fi ndings.

“The committee has revealed danger-ous things, honestly. Yes there may have been some violations by candidates but the election commission bears the larg-est share of the responsibility,” he said.

High ranking members of IHEC would now be banned from travel-

ling abroad without his permission, Abadi said. Criminal charges might be brought against some people although he did not name them or say if they be-longed to the commission.

Abadi said the main issue was with the electronic vote counting devices used by IHEC this year, which he said had been used without prior inspection for errors.

An IHEC spokesman declined to comment.

Abadi’s stance raises the prospect of further uncertainty in Iraq at a time when political blocs were starting the complicated process of forming a new government, watched closely by Bagh-dad’s Western allies.

Sadr, whose bloc won the elec-tion, led two violent uprisings against US occupation troops after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, secured a surprise victory in the poll by tapping into resentment with government cor-ruption and Tehran’s deep infl uence in Iraq, its most important Arab ally.

“The committee has revealed dangerous things, honestly. Yes there may have been some violations by candidates but the election commission bears the largest share of the responsibility”

Israeli army says it did not target Gaza medicAFP Jerusalem

The Israeli army yesterday said its troops did not de-liberately shoot a young

Palestinian medical volunteer killed last week in violence on the Gaza border.

Razan al-Najjar, 21, was fatally shot in the chest on Friday near the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis.

The Palestinian Medical Re-lief Society said she was hit “as she was attempting to provide fi rst aid to an injured protester”, adding that three other fi rst re-sponders were also hit by live fi re on the same day. An army state-ment in English said initial fi nd-ings of its inquiry revealed “that a small number of bullets were fi red during the incident, and that no shots were deliberately or directly aimed towards her.”

It did elaborate on how she may have been killed, but said investigations were continu-ing and conclusions would be passed to the Military Advocate General’s department.

Following Najjar’s death, the UN envoy for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, said in a tweet that “Medical workers are #NotATarget!” and that “Israel needs to calibrate its use of force

and Hamas need to prevent inci-dents at the fence.”

Gazans have since March 30 been holding border protests demanding the return of Pales-tinians to land they fl ed or were expelled from during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s crea-tion, now inside the Jewish state.

The demonstrations are ac-companied by smaller clashes as youths hurl stones at Israeli soldiers and attempt to breach the border fence, at times laying explosive devices on the fence or throwing grenades.

At least 125 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfi re on the border since March 30.

No Israelis have been killed.Yesterday there was relatively

muted protest with about 100 demonstrators gathering in the northern Gaza Strip near the Erez border crossing into Israel, AFP correspondents said.

There were minor clashes in Khan Yunis and central Gaza in-volving dozens of protesters.

In Bureij in central Gaza, young men attached fl aming plastic containers to kites hop-ing to set crops alight on the other side of the frontier.

The protests had been called yesterday to coincide with the 51st anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War when Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza.

Bahrain upholds five-year jail term of activist

A Bahraini appeals court yesterday upheld a five-year jail sen-tence in a case against high-profile activist Nabeel Rajab linked to social media, a rights group and family member said. Rajab, a leading figure in 2011 protests against the government, was con-victed of insulting the state, “deliberately disseminating...false or malicious news” and “publicly offending a foreign country”, a reference to Saudi Arabia. The charges are linked to tweets and retweets made via Rajab’s account and critical of the Saudi-led coalition, including Bahrain, fighting in Yemen in support of its beleaguered government since 2015. He also tweeted criticism of the Bahraini government’s treatment of prisoners. Yesterday’s verdict, reported by the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and confirmed to AFP by a family mem-ber of Rajab, can still be appealed at Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, its highest court.

AFRICA13Gulf Times


Caff eine high? Climate-hit Ethiopia shifts coff ee uphillBy Elias Gebreselassie, Reuters Hambela, Ethiopia

Few countries take coff ee as seriously as Ethiopia — and that’s not only because it

prides itself as being the source of the prized Arabica bean.

But rising temperatures and worsening drought linked to cli-mate change are now hitting pro-duction — and fi xing that may require moving many Ethiopian coff ee fi elds uphill, experts say.

Aside from its cultural value, coff ee is Ethiopia’s single largest source of export revenue, worth more than $860mn in the 2016-2017 production year.

But coff ee-growing areas in eastern Ethiopia have seen the average temperature climb 1.3 degrees Celsius over the past three decades, according to the Environment, Climate Change and Coff ee Forest Fo-rum (ECCCFF), an Ethiopian

non-governmental organisation.That has caused stronger

drought and — given that coff ee is a crop sensitive to both mois-ture and temperature — a wors-ening of diseases that affl ict cof-fee berries.

As a result, thousands of hec-tares of coff ee plants are be-ing lost each year in traditional growing areas, which is raising fears about the future of Ethio-pia’s coff ee production.

The country’s government is now encouraging farmers to grow coff ee at higher elevations — up to 3,200m above sea level, about 1,000m above the norm.

That could help mitigate some of the climate change pressures Ethiopia faces, said Birhanu Tse-gaye, who heads extension serv-ices for coff ee, tea and spices for the Ethiopia Coff ee and Tea De-velopment Marketing Authority (ECTDMA), a government body tasked with overseeing the sector.

As temperatures rise, “even

areas not (formerly) suitable for coff ee growing have become suitable, presenting an opportu-nity for the country to cope with climate change,” he said.

Pressures from warming con-ditions have been noticed in oth-er parts of the country too.

Aman Adinew, chief executive of Metad Agricultural Develop-ment, which manages two large plantations in Oromia and SNNP regional states, said changing weather patterns in the country’s south had aff ected exports.

The annual harvest, which normally takes place in Novem-ber and December at his Ham-bela and Gedeb coff ee farms, was delayed by a month because the beans had not ripened, he said.

“Since the coff ee beans were still green by the beginning of 2018 due to a shortage of rain, it led to a delay in coff ee process-ing and export, eff ectively mean-ing breach of contract with our North American, Asian and Eu-

ropean customers,” he said.Around 90% of Ethiopia’s

coff ee-growers are small-scale farmers, and the industry direct-ly and indirectly employs up to 20% of Ethiopia’s 100mn popu-lation, ECTDMA said.

Exports in the 2016-2017 pro-duction year totalled just over 220,000 tonnes, fi gures from the trade ministry show.

Coff ee exports have fl uctuated over the last fi ve years, making it diffi cult to discern any downward trend, Tsegaye told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

But with the country adding tens of thousands of coff ee hec-tares in new growing areas each year, that is off setting many of the losses in traditional areas, he said.

Tsegaye said the government also was working to combat the eff ects of climate change in tra-ditional coff ee growing areas by off ering small-scale farmers training on using shade trees to help hold down temperatures,

and on irrigation and better crop handling after harvest.

He said the authority was also introducing hardier varieties of coff ee, resistant to diseases and weather extremes.

However, Tsegaye admitted that current levels of assistance to traditional small-scale coff ee farmers might not be enough to save the industry in those areas, which is why the coff ee market-ing authority is looking at grow-ing coff ee at higher altitudes.

Tadese Woldemariam, a tech-nical advisor at the Environment, Climate Change and Coff ee For-est Forum, said growing coff ee in areas previously unfamiliar with the crop could work, but it need-ed to be done carefully — and could have side eff ects.

“When traditional coff ee-producing areas disappear, thou-sands of years of coff ee-growing culture disappear,” he said.

“Highland areas of Ethio-pia with little history of coff ee

production can be an alterna-tive only if there are agricultural extension packages that make growing high-quality coff ee sus-tainable,” he said.

He said Ethiopia was racing against time to save its coff ee sector. The areas of the country suitable for coff ee production are shifting higher each year, he said, which means “by the end of the century most coff ee-growing ar-eas, especially those below 1,500 metres above sea level, will no longer be suitable for coff ee pro-duction.”

In places that has already hap-pened, with some traditional coff ee-growing areas, especially in the east, now covered in khat trees. The plant’s leaves, chewed by millions in the Horn of Africa, contain a psychoactive drug that is used as a mild stimulant.

While coff ee is usually har-vested once a year, khat — which is drought-tolerant — can be harvested three times a year.

Woldemariam said 60% of Ethiopia’s traditional coff ee-producing regions might lose the crop in the coming decades if cli-mate change remains unchecked.

He urged quick action to save the crop, though warned shifting production to new areas could aff ect the quality and taste of the coff ee.

The government is looking at how to begin selling to new markets as new coff ee varieties are planted and begin to fi ll the gaps created by what may be the gradual disappearance of some Ethiopian varieties.

‘Harar’ coff ee, a highly sought-after variety from eastern Ethio-pia, is particularly at risk, he said.

ECTDMA “is currently work-ing to create a niche market for Ethiopian coff ee in the world’s most populous nation, China, focusing on young Chinese who hopefully will be regular drinkers of Ethiopian coff ee soon”, Tse-gaye said.

Militants hack 7 to death in MozambiqueAFPMaputo

Suspected extremists hacked seven people to death with machetes yesterday and

torched dozens of homes in north-ern Mozambique, a region that has suff ered a spate of similar attacks, police said.

The area, Cabo Delgado prov-ince which is expected to become the centre of a nascent natural gas industry after several promising discoveries, has seen a number of deadly assaults on both security forces and civilians since October.

“The bandits used machetes to kill the seven persons. We think this group is likely part of the (one) that beheaded 10 (people on) May 27,” police spokesman Inacio Dina told AFP, referring to an attack last month in the same region that was also blamed on militants.

The assailants in a dawn raid yes-terday burnt down 164 houses and destroyed four cars during the as-sault on the village of Naude in the Macomia district, the spokesman said.

Police reinforcements had previ-ously been sent to the region to step up security.

Dina suggested that the group might also have been linked to the nine “insurgents” killed by security forces over the weekend who were

subsequently found to be carrying assault rifl es and Arabic-language documents.

“This group is very fragmented in small groups (and) they try to resist police attacks,” he said.

The May 27 bloodshed occurred in two small villages close to the border with Tanzania and not far from Palma, a small town gearing up to be the country’s new natural gas hub in Cabo Delgado.

Alex Vines, an analyst on Mo-zambique for the London-based Chatham House think-tank, said anticipation of a gas boom had in-creased the sense of inequality in Cabo Delgado.

“A series of recent studies have concluded that this has been one of the drivers for growing youth mili-tancy — particularly among young men,” Vines told AFP.

Two of those killed in the grue-some dawn raid were boys aged 15 and 16.

In October, armed men targeted a police station and military post in the town of Mocimboa da Praia in what was believed to be the fi rst militant attack on the country. Two offi cers died and 14 attackers were killed.

The group, described by locals and offi cials as “Shebaab”, has no known link to the Somali extremist group of the same name.

In the following weeks, at least 300 Muslims, including Tanza-

nians, were arrested and several mosques were forced to close.

The increase in attacks in the north of the country could pose a problem for Mozambique, which holds general elections next year and hopes to cash in on the recently discovered gas reserves.

The vast gas deposits discovered off the shores of Palma could trans-form the impoverished country’s economy.

Experts predict that Mozam-bique could even become the world’s third-largest exporter of liquefi ed natural gas.

But the country’s north has largely been excluded from the eco-nomic growth of the last 20 years, and the region sees itself as a ne-glected outpost, creating fertile ground for radical Shebaab-style ideology.

Vines, the analyst, said that it was vital that the government did not itself fan the fl ames of the vio-lence seen in recent months with a heavy-handed response.

“It’s urgent that the govern-ment...does not overreact to the new armed crisis in Cabo Delga-do,” he said, adding that organised criminal networks had also played a role in the sudden mushrooming of jihadist cells in the country.

Mozambique last month passed an anti-terrorism law that punishes terror activity with prison sentenc-es of more than 40 years.

Zimbabwe opposition demands vote reformBy MacDonald Dzirutwe, Reuters Harare

Zimbabwe’s main opposition yes-terday marched to the independent election agency demanding reforms

it said were vital for a credible vote and accused President Emmerson Mnan-gagwa of using soldiers to campaign for the ruling party in rural areas.

The nation will choose a new president and members of parliament on July 30 in the fi rst election since Robert Mugabe was forced to resign after a de facto army coup.

Mnangagwa’s main challenger is 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The new president hopes that if the election is certifi ed by international ob-servers, it could end years of Zimbabwe’s isolation by foreign lenders.

Thousands of MDC supporters in the party’s red colours marched to the Zim-babwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) offi c-es in downtown Harare, where Chamisa and other leaders handed in a petition with their demands.

It was the fi rst time the opposition had organised a protest since the coup.

Under Mugabe, police routinely banned the marches, saying they threatened na-tional peace and security.

Chamisa told supporters after the march that the ZEC should make public the name of the company printing bal-lot papers, allow an independent audit of the new voter register and ensure equal coverage by public media, among other demands.

He accused Mnangagwa of deploying soldiers in civilian clothes in the country-side to campaign for the ruling ZANU-PF, without providing evidence.

ZANU-PF denied the allegation and the army has previously denied this.

“We are saying please stop causing our soldiers to be in the villages, stop causing our soldiers to be meddling in the civilian affairs of our politics,” said Chamisa, who wore red overalls and a miner’s cap.

“This is an election, why are you de-ploying soldiers against a political party? We are just contesting an election. Mr Mnangagwa be a revolutionary...be a pa-triot, have a free and fair election.”

Anti-riot police watched from a dis-tance and positioned water cannon along the route of the march, but did not use them.

Chamisa said he would lobby regional and African leaders to press for the re-forms and promised similar protests countrywide.

The MDC, whose founding leader Mor-gan Tsvangirai died from cancer in Febru-ary, has formed an alliance with smaller parties in a bid to end the ZANU-PF par-ty’s near four-decade rule.

Supporters of the Zimbabwean opposition alliance parties hold banners and chant slogans as they take part in a demonstration called by the Zimbabwean opposition party Movement for Democratic Change outside the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in Harare yesterday.

Activists march in Nairobi yesterday carrying placards bearing messages to denounce plans by the Kenyan government to mine coal close to the pristine coastal archipelago of Lamu, on World Environmental Day. Kenya is set to build a 981.5 megawatt coal-fired thermal electricity-generating plant in the Manda Bay area, Lamu County, even as costs of renewable energies are falling dramatically and fuelling a push to phase out coal power generation around the world.

Coal protest

Boko suicide bombers kill 9 in NigerBy Boureima Hama, AFPNiamey

Three suicide bombers killed at least nine people in separate attacks in the southeastern Niger city of Diff a near

the border with Nigeria, shattering several months of calm in the troubled region.

The attacks occurred late on Monday in the city, a regional capital that is a fre-quent target of the Boko Haram extrem-ist group, a local offi cial who requested anonymity told AFP. He said “two young women and a man” blew themselves up at three diff erent sites including an Islamic school. “For the moment there are nine dead, as well as wounded,” he said.

Ibrahim Amadou, a resident, said the three detonations were “almost simulta-neous” in Koura, an old district of the city, with one near the Koranic school, one near a mosque and the third by a shop.

People are afraid, “but they aren’t giv-ing in to panic,” Amadou said.

According to accounts on social media, three explosions were heard at around 10pm on Monday.

Another resident, Ari Maman, said he and others were surprised the attacks happened in the heavily secured city of around 600,000.

“We expect attacks across the region, except in the heart of the city,” he told AFP.

Security forces have cordoned off the sites and were carrying out search op-erations throughout the city, a security source said.

The attacks came as Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou arrived in Paris for an offi cial visit Monday.

They also follow several months of calm in the Diff a region which since Feb-ruary 2015 has suff ered numerous attacks by Boko Haram based across the border in northeast Nigeria.

In late April, Niamey announced a military operation against Boko Haram in the region of Lake Chad, which links

Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon.The group has caused the deaths of at

least 20,000 people since it took up arms in 2009 in Nigeria.

Some 2.4mn people have been dis-placed in northern Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, according to the UN ref-ugee agency UNHCR.

Niamey hopes to allow thousands of people to return to the islets of Lake Chad which Boko Haram uses as rear bases for attacks.

In late January, UNHCR launched an appeal for $156mn to help people dis-placed by the Boko Haram campaign of violence.

The confl ict in the Diff a region has caused delays in the construction of a pipeline for exporting Niger’s crude oil to Cameroon via Chad.

Niamey recently said work would begin late this year. In addition to Boko Haram attacks in the southeast, Niger faces re-peated attacks by other Islamist groups in the north and west.

AMERICA


Property losses mount in Hawaii as lava fl ow spreadsBy Terray Sylvester, Reuters Pahoa, Hawaii

A river of lava spewing from the foot of Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano swal-

lowed about three dozen more homes on the Big Island during a weekend of destruction that brought to nearly 120 the number of dwellings devoured since last month, offi cials said on Monday.

Mounting property losses were reported a day after fi ve or six people who initially chose to stay in the newly evacuated Kapoho area after road access was cut off were rescued by helicopter, according to the Hawaii County Civil Defense agency.

All but a few of the estimated 500 inhabitants of Kapoho and adjacent Vacationland develop-ment are now believed to have fl ed their homes, an agency spokesman said.

The area lies near the site of a seaside village buried in lava from a 1960 eruption.

The latest damage came from a large lava fl ow that crept sev-eral miles before severing a key highway junction at Kapoho on Saturday and then obliterating about a half dozen blocks of the subdivision over the weekend, the spokesman said.

One fi nger of the lava poured into a small freshwater lake, boiling away all its water late on Saturday, while another fi nger spilled into Kapoho Bay on Sun-day night, offi cials said.

On Monday, civil defence reported a total of 117 homes and other structures destroyed across the island’s larger lava-stricken region, as the eruption from Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, continued through its 33rd day.

About three dozen of those structures, mostly private homes and vacation rentals, were lost during the weekend in Kapoho.

The rest were consumed weeks earlier in the larger Leilani Es-tates subdivision several miles

to the west, where lava-spout-ing fi ssures in the ground fi rst opened on May 3.

About 2,000 residents have been displaced from Leilani since earlier this month as fountains of lava and high concentrations of toxic sulphur dioxide gas contin-ued unabated.

A mandatory evacuation of much the subdivision was im-posed last week.

Plumes of volcanic ash belched into the air by periodic daily ex-plosions from the crater at Ki-lauea’s summit have posed an additional nuisance and a health concern to nearby communities.

So too have airborne volcanic glass fi bres, called ‘Pele’s hair’, wispy strands carried aloft by the wind from lava fountains and named for the volcano deity of Hawaiian myth.

Seaside residents and boaters also have been warned to avoid noxious clouds of laze — a term combining the words “lava” and “haze” — formed when lava re-acts with seawater to form a mix

of acid fumes, steam and glass-like specks.

Lava fl ows have knocked out telephone and power lines, caus-ing widespread communication outages, and forced the shut-down of a geothermal energy plant that normally provides about a quarter of the island’s electricity.

At the same time, most of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, one of the island’s biggest tour-ist attractions, remains closed indefi nitely due to hazards from ash and volcanic rock ejected from the summit crater, and ac-companying earthquakes that have damaged park facilities.

Kilauea’s current upheaval comes on the heels of an eruption cycle that began in 1983 and had continued nearly nonstop for 35 years, destroying more than 200 homes.

Scientists say they are unsure whether the latest activity is part of the same eruption phase or a new one, and how long it may last.

Ira Mullins of Mountain View watches as lava flows into the Pacific Ocean in the Kapoho area, east of Pahoa, during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii.

‘Jungle’ California primary has Democrats on edgeBy Jocelyne Zablit, AFP Los Angeles

Mainly Democratic California went to the polls yesterday for “jungle” primaries ahead of

November’s crucial midterm elections, with a glut of progressive candidates possibly giving the unexpected upper hand to Republicans in some districts.

Voters in seven other US states are casting ballots on primary day, but the eyes of the nation are looking at the Golden State, the most populous in America — results here could indicate if Democrats have the momentum to re-take control of Congress.

In what is being called a “jungle” pri-mary, all candidates run on one ballot in California, irrespective of party, rather than the more traditional system of party primaries.

Voters registered with a particular party can vote for whoever they want.

The top two vote getters advance to a head-to-head contest in November.

There are about 20 people looking to succeed Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, and more than two dozen look-ing to replace veteran US Senator Di-anne Feinstein.

And in the race for California’s 53 seats in the US House of Representa-tives, the slate of candidates features a plethora of novice Democrats looking to make a statement against Republican President Donald Trump and his anti-immigration, anti-environment poli-cies.

“California is one of the most promi-nent anti-Trump states in the country,” Elaine Kamarck, an expert at the Brook-ings Institution in Washington, told AFP. “There’s every reason to believe that the Democrats should do well this time around.”

But she warned that the “jungle” for-mat has the “potential to create chaos.”

“The worry with so many enthusiastic Democrats running for Congress is that the Democrats will split up the Demo-cratic vote and you’ll end up with one or two Republicans in the top two slots.”

Trump tweeted yesterday morning to drive Republicans to the polls.

“Get the vote out in California to-day for Rep Kevin McCarthy and all of the great GOP candidates for Congress. Keep our country out of the hands of High Tax, High Crime Nancy Pelosi,”

Trump said, referring to the House Democratic minority leader.

In the race for the governor’s man-sion, former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has a strong lead in opinion polls.

Former Los Angeles mayor Anto-nio Villaraigosa, also a Democrat, is in second place, but he could be outrun by Republican businessman John Cox, if other fringe Democratic candidates earn votes.

Some also think Villaraigosa has counted too heavily on the Latino vote, notoriously unpredictable in the pri-maries, and has failed to mobilise wider support.

In the Senate race, Feinstein is lead-ing, followed by Democratic chal-lenger Kevin de Leon, but again, the number of candidates in the race could throw a spanner in the works for the party.

In the House races, Democrats are focusing on seven districts currently in Republican hands, but which voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and could fl ip this year.

But in at least fi ve of them, progres-sive candidates could split the vote, leaving a path for Republicans to make the November runoff .

The Democratic Party “tried to win-now out some of the candidates, but the same excitement and energy that led them to run in the fi rst place makes them unlikely to listen to the national party,” said Louis DeSipio, a profes-sor of political science at University of California, Irvine.

Volunteer Janice MacGurn sets up a polling station sign before opening on primary election day in San Diego yesterday.

Pressure on Sessions as Trump pours on the blame

By Susan Heavey, ReutersWashington

President Donald Trump yesterday lashed out at US Attorney General Jeff

Sessions, directly blaming him for allowing a probe into possi-ble collusion between his presi-dential campaign and Russia to overshadow his presidency for more than a year.

Trump, who has denied any collusion, has repeatedly called out Sessions over the investiga-tion and lamented choosing him to lead the US Department of Justice, and seemed to go further in a post on Twitter yesterday that laid bare his motivation.

Sessions last year removed himself from overseeing the US special counsel’s probe into al-leged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, given his interactions with the Russian ambassador to the Unit-ed States at least twice that year.

The New York Times last week reported that Trump directly asked Sessions to reverse his rec-usal last year.

Trump’s tweet ramped up pressure on Sessions over the probe, which has led to multiple indictments.

Five people have pleaded guilty, including former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and a longtime business partner to Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

“The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn’t tell me he was going to recuse himself...I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined...and Sessions knew better than most that there was No Collu-sion!” Trump wrote.

His post comes as Manafort faces possible time in jail pend-ing trial after US Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Monday said he had attempted to tamper with potential witnesses and called for an urgent hearing in federal court.

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to charges ranging from money-laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent, to bank and tax fraud.

Trump could fi re Sessions but so far has not.

He has also publicly contem-plated fi ring US Deputy Attor-ney General Rod Rosenstein and Mueller.

Such a move would be politi-cally explosive, and any replace-ment to Sessions would have to be confi rmed by the US Senate, which is only narrowly control-led by Trump’s fellow Republi-cans.

Sessions, who left his US Sen-ate seat to lead the Justice De-partment, has also come under pressure from congressional Re-publicans who have pushed for a second special prosecutor to investigate the FBI, a move Ses-sions rejected.

SpaceX delays plans to send tourists around Moon: report

AFPWashington

SpaceX will not send tourists around the Moon this year as previously announced,

and will delay the project until the middle of next year, US media reported on Monday.

“A new timetable for the fl ight — now postponed until at least mid-2019 and likely longer — hasn’t been released” by the Cal-ifornia-based company, said the report in The Wall Street Journal.

The reason for the delay is un-clear.

But it is a “sign that technical and production challenges are disrupting founder Elon Musk’s plans for human exploration of the solar system,” said the report.

“SpaceX also is confronting industry doubts about market demand for its Falcon Heavy rocket,” it said.

The tourists would ride aboard a Dragon capsule, hoisted into space on SpaceX’s most powerful rocket to date, the Falcon Heavy, which made its fi rst test fl ight only four months ago.

SpaceX spokesman James Gleeson said, in an e-mailed statement to AFP, that the com-pany “is still planning to fl y private individuals around the moon and there is growing inter-est from many customers.”

SpaceX has not publicly re-leased any new timeline for the mission, fi rst announced in Feb-ruary 2017.

At the time, Musk said on Twitter the moon tourist mis-sion was slated to happen “late next year,” referring to 2018.

Two private citizens, who have not been named, “have already paid a signifi cant deposit,” Musk added.

The trip would mark the far-thest humans have ever travelled to deep space.

The United States has not sent astronauts to the Moon since Nasa’s Apollo missions of the 1960s and ‘70s.

SpaceX is also planning to send astronauts to the Interna-tional Space Station later this year, marking the fi rst time since the US space shuttle program ended in 2011 that people have blasted to space from US soil.

SpaceX has told Nasa it is tar-geting the fi rst astronaut test fl ight no earlier than December 2018.

Some observers, however, say the schedule could slip to 2019.

“Once operational Crew Dragon missions are under way for Nasa, SpaceX will launch the private mission on a journey to circumnavigate the Moon and return to Earth,” SpaceX said in a statement.

Colorado wildfi re rages onReuters Santa Fe

Hot weather was yesterday expected to stoke an unchecked wildfi re in southern Colorado that forced the

evacuation of hundreds of homes.The blaze, dubbed the 416 Fire, spread

across some 2,400 acres early yesterday near Durango, Colorado, where the tem-perature was expected to reach into the high 80s Farenheit (26C).

The fi re, which began on Friday, was just 10% contained yesterday morning, as about 825 homes remained under evacua-tion, offi cials said.

“In the coming days the fi re is expected to burn actively,” the US Forest Service said in an alert.

“Firefi ghters will continue building de-fensible spaces around homes and struc-tures.”

About 400km to southeast, 1,110 resi-dents of Cimarron, New Mexico were al-lowed back into their homes after showers on Sunday helped quell part of a separate blaze, the Ute Park Fire, which burned 36,000 acres of drought-parched grassland and timber since erupting on Thursday.

Cimarron, a frontier-style town, lies about 225km northeast of Albuquerque, the state’s largest city.

Ute Park is about 16km west of Cima-rron.

By early yesterday, fi re crews had man-aged to carve containment lines around 25% of the blaze, up from zero contain-ment on Sunday morning.

About 75 people from the small nearby community of Ute Park, near the Colo-

rado border, remained under a manda-tory evacuation on Monday, said Judith Dyess, spokeswoman for the multi-agency Southwest Incident Management Team managing the blaze.

The causes of both fi res were unknown and under investigation.

No injuries or property losses were re-ported from either.

“Critical fi re weather and smoky condi-tions are expected to return in the coming days as a high pressure system is building from the south,” fi re offi cials said in an alert regarding the New Mexico fi re.

The nearby Santa Fe National Forest was closed to the public indefi nitely on Friday in a rare measure prompted by the height-ened fi re risk from prolonged drought.

416 Fire burns near Durango, southern Colorado.

ASIA15


Lankan president shuts TV network linked to PM A television network

owned by the family of Sri Lankan Prime Min-

ister Ranil Wickremesinghe was suspended by the island’s telecom regulator yesterday, worsening a power struggle in the fractious ruling coalition.

The closure of Telshan Net-work comes days after the station criticised President Maithripala Sirisena, who promised to end an era of dra-conian restrictions on the country’s media.

Sirisena, who rules in an un-steady coalition with Wick-remesinghe, has specifi c over-sight of the telecom regulator and the decision has aggravated

frictions between the men.The network, owned by

Wickremesinghe’s eldest brother, was shut after the reg-ulator accused its owners

of defaulting on licence fees. The network has denied the

allegations, insisting it has paid its dues.

Wickremesinghe’s allies from

his United National Party – which backed Sirisena to elec-tion victory in 2015 – protested the decision in parliament.

“This is not something that we can accept. We are looking into this,” said Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who said he was kept in the dark about the decision.

The closure is regarded as the fi rst act of censorship of a broadcaster by Sirisena.

In November he blocked Sri Lankans from being able to ac-cess the London-based Lanka E News website after it published an expose alleging graft in his offi ce.

Soon after being elected, Sirisena had lifted the In-ternet censorship and me-dia restrictions used freely by his predecessor, strongman

president Mahinda Rajapakse.Some 17 journalists and me-

dia employees were killed in Sri Lanka during Rajapakse’s re-gime, which also blocked

pro-opposition websites. Sirisena’s commanding posi-

tion has waned as ties with his erstwhile ally have soured. The president has accused Wick-remesinghe’s party of corrup-tion, while the UNP says Sirisena has obstructed reforms.

The gulf between the leaders has widened since their coali-tion was thumped in local elec-tions in February, and hit a new low in April when Sirisena loy-alists unsuccessfully sought to oust Wickremesinghe.

Yesterday, UNP won the se-cret ballot in parliament for the deputy speaker’s position left vacant by the resignation of

Thilanga Sumathipala, a loyalist of President Sirisena.

UNP nominee Ananda Ku-marasiri was elected deputy speaker with 97 for and 53 against in the 225-member assembly while 25 members were absent from the House. Kumarasiris defeated Sudar-shani Fernandopulle, another Sirisena loyalist.

Sumathipala and 15 other Sirisena loyalists had walked out of the government in April after they voted against Wick-remesinghe in a no-trust vote.

The parliamentary compe-tition between Sirisena loyal-ists and the presidents unity government partner UNP fol-lowed last week’s anti-UNP outburst from Sirisena who blamed the UNP for bungling in governance.

AFPColombo

President Maithripala Sirisena, right, and Prime Minister Ranil Wick-remesinghe ... the gulf is widening.

Lanka ministry sounds red alert on rat fever

Sri Lanka’s health ministry has issued a “red alert” on rat fever in several districts

across the island in the aftermath of heavy monsoon rains, which killed 24 people and displaced over 75,000 others, local media reported yesterday.

Health authorities said dis-tricts aff ected by fl oods, were at a risk of many diseases, including rat fever, and urged the public to take safety measures.

The health ministry said those identifi ed in “high risk groups,” such as those working in paddy fi elds or in places where there is stagnant water, should obtain medicines to prevent rat fever.

The ministry further said that those who suff ered from wounds or even minor cuts on their feet, should refrain from working in paddy fi elds or standing in stag-nant water.

Doctors explained that symp-toms of rat fever include fever, headache and body ache. If left untreated, it can aff ect the kid-neys and be fatal.

Following the recent monsoon rains which lashed out across the country, districts such as Putta-lam, Galle, Matara, Kalutara and Ratnapura were severely aff ected.

IANSColombo

Nepal army chief in India visit

Nepal army chief, General Rajendra Chhetri, will be-gin his six-day offi cial visit

to India from today, following an invitation from his Indian coun-terpart, General Bipin Rawat.

Chhetri is slated to visit the Indian Military Academy in De-hradun as well as meet senior Indian military offi cials during his visit.

Such high-level visits between Nepal and India will enhance military co-operation between the two countries and strengthen bilateral co-operation, a Nepal army release said.

A joint military exercise ‘Surya Kiran’, involving around 300 army personnel of In-dia and Nepal, is underway at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, where they are sharing their experiences in counterin-surgency and counterterror operations.

The military exercise began on May 30 and is set to conclude on June 12. It is conducted alterna-tively in India and Nepal every six months.

The Nepal army said that the military exercise will help in-crease defence co-operation.

IANSKathmandu

Vietnam court rejects appeal by bomb plotters

A court in Vietnam has upheld prison sentences against 15 people it said

are guilty of plotting to bomb the country’s largest airport in Ho Chi Minh City last April, state media reported yesterday.

Dang Hoang Thien, the leader of the group, was charged with “terrorism against the people’s adminis-tration” in December last year and given a 16-year prison sentence. His associates were given 18 months’ probation to 14 years in prison.

The group “planted fuel bombs in the car park and at the arrival hall at Tan Son Nhat International Airport” in April last year, the ministry of public security said in January.

The Ho Chi Minh City Peo-ple’s High Court upheld the sentences because Thien and

others failed to provide suf-fi cient evidence proving their innocence, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

It said the group had re-ceived money from the Cal-ifornia-based Provisional Government of Vietnam, led by US citizens Lisa Pham and Dao Minh Quan, to purchase weapons, make petrol bombs, carry out terrorism activities and incite riots and protests against the administration.

In January, Vietnam said it had listed the Provisional Government of Vietnam as a terrorist organisation because it established groups inside the country to “execute acts of terrorism and sabotage, and assassinate offi cials”.

The group is loyal to the now-defunct state of the Re-public of Vietnam, which was once backed by the United States and ruled the southern half of the country until the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

ReutersHanoi

Bangladesh police conduct a drive against narcotics in Dhaka yesterday. More than 100 alleged drug dealers have been killed and thousands detained in Bangladesh in the past fortnight in a Philippines-style narcotics crackdown that has raised concerns about extrajudicial killings.

Hunt for drug dealers

Visa rules for Bangladeshi freedom fi ghters eased

India has eased visa conditions for freedom fi ghters (Mukti-joddhas) from Bangladesh who

fought in the 1971 Liberation War. According to the home min-

istry, Muktijoddhas, who were aged between 13 and 19 years at the time of war, will now be eligi-ble for fi ve-year multiple tourist visas. The relaxation was earlier available only to freedom fi ght-ers who were then 19 and are now aged 65 years and above, but af-ter Dhaka lowered the age limit, New Delhi responded by relaxing the visa norms, offi cials said.

The development comes ahead of the general elections in Bang-ladesh later this year. The Awami League headed by Sheikh Hasina has signed multiple agreements with India, including the his-toric Land boundary agreement, in 2015. There have been regular high-level visits and exchanges between New Delhi and Dhaka and Hasina was hosted by PM Narendra Modi last month.

A home ministry spokesper-son said, “Muktijoddhas (free-dom fi ghters) who were 13 years of age in 1971 will be eligible for the tourist visa. The cut-off date has been fi xed for April 2017.”

A person who was 13 in 1971 will now be 60, while those who were 19 at the time of the Liberation War will now be 65.

IANSDhaka

Myanmar enterprise tries to make trash trendy

With creative fl air the Myanmar-based so-cial enterprise “Chu

Chu” lets little go to waste as its staff turn discarded clothes and rubbish into handy accessories that get snapped up by tourists.

Coff ee sacks are woven into baskets and old tyres are re-fashioned as belts – just some

of the 60 products on off er at the organisation’s shop in Dala, a short ferry ride from the bus-tling downtown of commercial hub Yangon.

“We’re trying to change the way of thinking that recycled things are old and dirty,” explains Canadian volunteer and product developer Debra Martyn.

“We try to make things that are good quality, well-constructed, nicely designed and beautiful – and can be considered useful.”

Myanmar has seen a huge spurt in development over the last few years after emerging from half a century of junta rule in 2011.

But the increase in the avail-ability of consumer goods has also caused waste levels to sky-rocket, clogging city streets, fi elds and alleyways.

Chu Chu, which means “plastic” in Burmese, started in 2013 with just two workers.

Now it employs 45 local

women and their products sell at souvenir shops in Yangon and across the country.

For the moment, most cus-tomers are foreign tourists as Myanmar is still a long way from embracing recycling or recycled products, says managing direc-tor Wendy Neampui.

“They just don’t understand that throwing plastics away is disastrous,” the 66-year-old says.

Even the shop itself is made from reused waste.

Plastic bottles cemented together form the walls and a roof made from old tyres pro-vides insulation and protection during the punishing seasonal changes.

The team suff ers no shortage of raw materials.

Just fi ve minutes away lies the town’s eyesore of a garbage dump, where piles of putrid rubbish spread over a vast ex-panse of land roughly equiva-lent to two football pitches.

AFPDala

Southeast Asia’s plastic ‘addiction’ blights world’s oceans

On her lunch break, Bang-kok offi ce worker Chi-napa Payakha emerges

from a 7-Eleven store with two plastic bags.

One holds a Big Gulp soft drink. The other carries her lunch, with a banana in its own plastic wrapper.

“For offi ce life, plastic bags are necessary,” said Chinapa, 34, whose shopping habits il-lustrate the challenges facing anti-plastic campaigners in Thailand, where plastic bags are handed out in abundance on any visit to a shop or market.

On World Environment Day yesterday, the United Nations calls for the “biggest-ever worldwide cleanup” of plastic pollution, experts are focused on Southeast Asia, home to four of the world’s top marine plastic polluters.

From major cities like Bang-

kok and Jakarta to beach resorts in the Philippines and Vietnam, plastic bags and bottles are the ubiquitous face of pollution in the region.

Globally, some 8mn tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, according to the UN En-vironment Programme.

Five Asian countries – China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam and Thailand – ac-counted for up to 60% of the plastic waste leaking into the ocean, according to a 2015 re-port by the environmental cam-paigner Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Busi-ness and Environment.

The fi ve economies have “generated exploding demand for consumer products”, the re-port said, but lacked the waste management infrastructure to cope with the surge in plastic garbage.

Three years on, a “trash emer-gency” on the Indonesian island

of Bali and the Philippines’ deci-sion to close the tourist island of Boracay showed governments are recognising the impact of plastic waste, said Susan Ruff o, Ocean Conservancy’s managing direc-tor for international initiatives.

“But this is not just a govern-ment responsibility – corpora-tions, civil society and citizens all have a part to play,” she said, adding that engagement was improving.

In Thailand, where 2mn tonnes of plastic waste is pro-duced a year, plastic is an “ad-diction,” said Geoff Baker, an anti-plastic campaigner with Grin Green International.

“Everywhere you go they just throw plastic at you,” said Baker, who caused a stir on social media in April when he covered himself in 700 plastic bags, walked into a 7-Eleven and stared disapprovingly at people buying plastic-wrapped bananas.

The recent death of a pilot whale in Thailand with 80 piec-

es of plastic rubbish in its stom-ach garnered headlines locally, but drew more attention outside the country.

Still, some Bangkok residents say companies are not doing enough to address the problem of plastic pollution.

Watcharapon Prabsangob, a 28-year-old engineer, emerged from a store with a small bag carrying a coff ee drink and straw. He said he tried to refuse the bag but the clerk moved too fast.

He said that businesses should do more to stop custom-ers from taking plastic bags.

CP All, which has over 10,000 7-Eleven stores across the country, said it would launch a campaign to reduce plastic bags in some outlets in the southern province of Satun as part of a green tourism campaign.

It made no mention of the other 76 provinces including Bangkok, where 10mn residents use 80mn plastic bags a day, the capital’s administration says.

The food retailer Tesco Lotus

said it would off er redeemable points to customers who do not take a plastic bag at check out. But the scheme runs out at the end of June.

Months after the military seized power in a 2014 coup, the junta made waste management a priority and set goals for 2021.

They included cutting the use of plastic bags and bottles in government agencies and busi-nesses, and plastic bans in tour-ist destinations. A tax on plastic bags was also mentioned, along with a target to recycle up to 60 percent of plastic by 2021.

Baker said he has “yet to see any real change coming from these promises”.

But a spokesman from the government said it was com-mitted to minimising plastic use. “We have been trying to raise awareness. People are so used to the convenience of plastic that they don’t think about the consequences,” said the spokesman, Weerachon Sukhonpatipak.

Other governments have set ambitious goals too.

Indonesia, ranked second be-hind China in the 2015 study of mismanaged plastic waste from populations living near coastal areas in 192 countries, has pledged $1bn a year to reduce marine plas-tic debris by 70% by 2025.

There have been several at-tempts to impose taxes on plas-tic packaging to help address the waste problem. Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto has opposed the tax measures, say-ing in January it would hurt the local food and drink industry.

In the Philippines, the threat to marine life should be a “wake-up call” for people to cut their use of plastic, said Jonas Leones, a senior offi cial in the environmental department.

In Malaysia, the new housing and local government minister, Zuraida Kamaruddin, said in an interview with the local news website Malaysiakini that she wants to introduce a nationwide ban on plastic bags within a year.

ReutersBangkok

16 Gulf TimesWednesday, June 6, 2018

AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA

Could opposites attract at Trump-Kim summit?AFPSeoul

When Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un sit down in Singapore

next week it will be among the most improbable diplomatic summits in history, with prin-cipals who could not be more different — but who also share some surprising similarities.

Trump was the oldest US president ever to take office when he was sworn in last year, and will turn 72 two days after the meeting. The North Korean leader is still in his mid-30s and remains among the young-est heads of government in the world — but has already been in power for more than six years.

He has overseen a rapid ad-vance in Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabili-ties, bringing the US mainland within the range and sending tensions soaring last year as the two men exchanged per-sonal insults and threats of war – Trump promising “fire and fury”, and Kim describing him as a “mentally deranged US do-tard”.

But recent months have seen an about-turn in their rheto-ric – last-minute summit can-cellations and reinstatements notwithstanding. “I think they are going to get on well,” pre-dicts John Delury, a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul. “The kind of counter-intuitive thing is I think they are going to listen to each other.”

Both Trump and Pyongyang are renowned for incendiary commentary, but Kim has dis-played a marked tendency to listen to his counterparts in his new-found diplomatic role – until earlier this year he had not

left the North since inheriting power from his father. He had a long conversation with Chi-nese President Xi Jinping on a beach in Dalian, and at the first inter-Korean summit in the Demilitarised Zone that divides the peninsula, attentively heard out the South’s President Moon Jae-in as they chatted over tea in the open air for more than half an hour.

Trump too has asked ques-tions and listened carefully to the answers on his trips to China and South Korea, De-lury added. “They are going to get in the room, they are going to ask good questions, open-ended questions. It’s not go-ing to be Trump gets in there and says ‘Give me your nukes or else’, but as Trump says it’s

a relationship, we are building a relationship, we are changing a relationship. And to do that you ask probing questions, you listen, and then you come back. So that’s my optimistic view.”

Trump reached the White House via a career in property development and reality tel-evision, followed by an unprec-edentedly populist presidential campaign that upended the US political establishment.

In contrast, Kim Jong-un was the chosen heir, groomed for years to take his place at the top of Pyongyang’s politi-cal pyramid, and has no need to worry about re-election or to-morrow’s media headlines – or responding to them on Twitter. But the two leaders share some parallels. Both have appointed

trusted family members to key positions.

Dynastic descent from the North’s founder Kim Il-sung is the basis of Kim’s person-al legitimacy – Pyongyang’s propaganda promotes the sim-ilarities between them in looks, mannerisms and even hand-writing.

His sister Kim Yo-jong has emerged as one of his closest aides, acting as his envoy to the Winter Olympics in the South, spending almost the whole of the first Panmunjom summit at his side and accompanying him on his trip to Dalian.

In Washington, Trump’s daughter Ivanka is an assistant to the president and her hus-band Jared Kushner is a close adviser, while his son Donald

Jr was part of his election cam-paign.

The two leaders are also uncompromising in their de-mands for personal loyalty. In the month from February 28

Trump sacked or lost the serv-ices of his White House com-munications director Hope Hicks, chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, national security adviser HR McMaster, Secre-tary of State Rex Tillerson, and veterans affairs secretary David Shulkin.

The latest North Korean changes of personnel emerged at the weekend, with reports that the defence minister and chief of the general staff had been replaced, after Kim ap-pointed a new director of the military’s General Political Bureau described as a “highly trusted” lieutenant.

Kim has shown uncompro-mising ruthlessness – he had his uncle Jang Song-thaek executed for treason in 2013, unmistakably asserting his au-thority over the old generals who surrounded him, and his half-brother Kim Jong-nam

was murdered at Kuala Lumpur airport last year in a killing widely blamed on Pyongyang.

But according to people who have interacted with him, De-lury said, in meetings he is “re-ally well prepared, he knows his brief, he’s got his notes but then he looks up from them, he’s not someone who’s going to just read the riot act and then stare at you blankly.” And as well as nuclear weapons, a long hand clasp could be high on the agenda in Singapore.

Both men have shown a pre-dilection for grasping the palms of their fellow leaders, Trump with the likes of French Presi-dent Emmanuel Macron and, more awkwardly, with British prime minister Theresa May.

In turn, Kim held hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for several minutes at a farewell ceremony at the end of their first summit.

A combination photo of US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.

Singapore to mint medallion

Singapore will strike commemorative medallions to mark the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the city-state next week. The medallions will depict an “aff irmative handshake” between the two leaders, the scheduled date of the summit, and the flags of both countries, the Singapore Mint said in a statement yesterday. At the back are the national flowers of both countries – roses for the US and magnolias for North Korea – and a dove with the words “world peace”. “The medallions not only commemorate this momentous step to world peace, but mark Singapore’s role as a neutral host, and an economic and security gateway between the East and the West,” the mint added. The

medals will be available in three versions: gold, silver, and nickel-plated. Those wanting a piece of world history can pre-order the souvenirs, but the gold version – weighing 15.55gm (half an ounce) – will not come cheap: it is priced at S$1,380 (US$1,035). Price tags for the other two versions are not as hefty: the silver medallion is listed at S$118 and the nickel-plated one at S$36. Only 3,000 gold medallions will be made available, while 15,000 silver versions will be up for grabs. The number of nickel-plated medallions minted will depend on demand, the mint said. Last month, the White House Communications Agency struck a commemorative coin featuring Trump and Kim against a backdrop of the US and North Korean flags.

Singapore wraps resort island of Sentosa into special zone for summit

Singapore yesterday added

its southern resort island of

Sentosa to a special event area

designated for next week’s

summit between US President

Donald Trump and North

Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the

government said. Yesterday, the

wealthy city-state had declared

a central region that is home

to its foreign ministry, the US

embassy and several hotels,

as a special zone from June 10

to 14. In its online gazette, the

government said the amended

zone included Sentosa and

an area of the sea stretching

more than 1km (0.6 mile) off its

southwestern shore. A smaller

area in the centre of the island

that includes the Capella hotel,

which media have mentioned as

a possible venue for Tuesday’s

talks, will see a greater police

presence. The government has

said police would make stricter

checks of people and personal

belongings and items such as

public address systems and

remotely piloted aircraft system

would be prohibited. There has

been no confirmation of the

venue for the summit to discuss

ending the North’s nuclear

weapons programme in return

for diplomatic and economic

incentives, although several

Singapore hotels have figured

as candidates.

A man keeps cool in Liangmahe river in Beijing yesterday. Some industrial plants in China are facing limited power access or rationing due to a supply crunch as more than 30 cities in central and northern parts of the country issued heat alerts.

Cool comfort

Qantas defends listing Taiwan as part of China

Qantas chief Alan Joyce yesterday defended the carrier’s move to list Taiwan as part of China on its websites after Australia’s foreign minister said private firms must be able to conduct business “free from political pressure”. The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration sent a notice to 36 foreign airlines in April, asking them to comply with Beijing’s standards of referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as Chinese territories. Despite Taiwan having been governed separately for around seven decades, with its own government and own military, China considers the democratic island a renegade part of its territory to be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary. In late May, AFP found several foreign airlines were still listing Taiwan as a country, including Qantas. Joyce told reporters at an annual meeting of global airlines in Sydney that “our intention is to meet the requirements”, but there were some technical delays. He defended the Australian carrier’s decision to comply with Beijing’s demands, stressing that “it’s not airlines that define what countries are, it’s governments”. “And at the end of the day, the Australians,

like a lot of countries, have a ‘One China’ policy,” Joyce added. “So we’re not doing anything diff erent than (what) the Australian government is doing in that case and I think that’s the case for a lot of airlines.” Qantas International chief Alison Webster said the carrier had been given an extension to make the changes.“We have some complexity to work through,” she said. “The IT and technology that underpins our websites and the connectivity takes time for us to get to grips with changes that need to be put into the programming stages of that.” Qantas’ decision comes amid souring Australia-China relations. Canberra has introduced a raft of reforms to espionage and foreign interference legislation, with Beijing singled out as a focus of concern. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop yesterday acknowledged that the website was a matter for Qantas, but said: “Private companies should be free to conduct their usual business operations free from political pressure of governments.” Asked about Bishop’s remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: “I don’t know what is implied by that.”

“There is only one China in the world. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau are all part of China,” she said, adding that this was an “objective fact” accepted by the international community. “Therefore China’s request is legitimate. Any business that wants to operate in China should abide by Chinese laws and respect the ‘One China’ principle. This is a basic requirement.” Air Canada is one of the airlines that has made the changes, and its chief executive Calin Rovinescu said the carrier was “not a government” and was “not making any kind of a political statement”. “We do, like so many of the other airlines, take the same view that when we operate into the various jurisdictions, we’ll comply with the requirements of the various jurisdictions,” he added. “As diff icult and sensitive a decision as this is, our view is that we would comply with the Chinese government requirement.” Beijing has in recent months renewed its push to force Western companies to comply with its naming standards – which Washington has labelled “Orwellian” – or risk losing access to China’s huge market.

Wife of Malaysia’s former PM questionedReutersKuala Lumpur

Malaysians who voted scandal-tainted prime minister Najib Razak

out of offi ce last month were treated to the sight of his alleg-edly high-spending wife Ros-mah Mansor submitting herself to questioning at the anti-graft agency headquarters yesterday.

The former fi rst couple were barred from leaving the coun-try following the May 9 election as investigators relaunched a probe into how billions of dol-lars went missing from a state fund founded by Najib.

Whatever awkward questions Rosmah, 66, faced during a three interview with investigators, she showed no sign of being discom-fi ted as she left the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission building. Wearing a bright blue traditional dress, with a red scarf swept over her head, Rosmah stepped lightly into her Mer-cedes and waved to the TV cam-eras, leaving her lawyers to issue a brief statement.

“The MACC offi cers have completed recording a state-ment from our client,” her law-yer K Kumaraendran said after Rosmah left. “The over three-hour long process went well.

Our client will extend fur-ther cooperation as and when sought by the agency,” he add-ed. Given her penchant for su-per-expensive handbags, eyes were inevitably drawn to the red bag on her arm when she arrived at the MACC. It appeared to be a Versace, rather than a Hermes Birkin bag, the model that po-lice found scores of during their searches of properties linked to

Najib and Rosmah last month. The bag was instantly trend-ing on Malaysian social media groups, and some identifi ed it as a Versace Demetra estimated to cost about $2,500.

Malaysians watching the spectacle also spotted the re-semblance of Rosmah’s colour scheme to a Spiderman outfi t, with a meme of the two side-by-side quickly relayed through social media. Rosmah’s opulent lifestyle and shopping sprees have angered Malaysians who have struggled to cope with rising living costs over the past decade.

Many have compared her with Imelda Marcos, who left behind more than 1,200 pairs of shoes when her husband Fer-dinand Marcos was ousted as president of the Philippines in 1986. She was accompanied by her daughter Nooryana Najwa and her son-in-law Daniyar

Nazarbayev, a nephew of the president of Kazakhstan. Najib, 64, has already made a series of statements to anti-graft in-vestigators tracking the money trail from 1Malaysia Develop-ment Berhad (1MDB).

Attention has shifted to Ros-mah after police found hun-dreds of luxury handbags, jew-ellery and cash during raids on apartments linked to the fam-ily. Rosmah gave a statement to anti-graft investigators in connection with a suspicious transfer of about $10.6mn into Najib’s personal bank account that has been traced to the former 1MDB unit SRC Inter-national.

The sum is just a fraction of the billions of dollars allegedly siphoned from 1MDB. He has denied any wrongdoing and was cleared of any off ence in an earlier Malaysian enquiry, but yesterday the attorney-general

who had cleared him was re-placed by the new government’s nominee, Tommy Thomas.

Earlier, some lawyers repre-senting Najib and Rosmah on the SRC case said they had quit. M Puravalen, a lawyer acting for Najib and Rosmah in connection with the SRC investigations, told Reuters he had “ceased acting” for Najib and Rosmah. He said a second lawyer, Yusof Zainal Abideen, had also quit.

News site The Malaysian In-sight reported that Puravalen, Abideen and other members of their legal team had walked out because they failed to reach common ground with Najib on several issues.

Abideen could not be reached immediately reached for com-ment. Najib and Rosmah could also not be reached for com-ment. In raids over the past weeks, police have seized 114mn ringgit ($28.6mn) in cash and more than 400 handbags.

Experts were being brought in to value the jewellery, watch-es and other seized items. Items such as Birkin handbags from Hermes and watches were among the items seized, police said. The police did not say who the bags belonged to.

Birkin bags, favoured by ce-lebrities like Victoria Beckham, can be worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Designer handbags with brand names like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Os-car de la Renta were also seized from Najib’s private residence, along with luxury watches, lo-cal media reports said.

1MDB is also the subject of money-laundering probes in at least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, leaves the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters after giving a statement in Putrajaya, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

China mine blast kills 11, traps 25A truck carrying explosives blew up near the entrance of an iron-ore mine in northeast China yesterday, killing 11 people, injuring nine and leaving another 25 trapped underground, state media reported. Some of the victims stuck inside the mine run by China National Coal Group Co in Liaoning province were able to contact rescuers, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The local government of Benxi, where the blast occurred, has dispatched a rescue team, CCTV added. The workers were drilling a mining shaft when the truck exploded just after 4pm near the entrance to the mine, the broadcaster said. The injured have been rushed to hospital. Deadly mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record.

A gas leak killed at least 18 people working in a coal mine in central Hunan province in May last year. In December 2016, explosions in two separate coal mines in the Inner Mongolia region and in Heilongjiang killed at least 59 people. Earlier that year, 33 miners were killed in a colliery explosion in October in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, and in September at least 18 were killed in a

mine blast in the northwestern Ningxia region. In another incident that captivated the country’s attention, four miners were rescued in January 2016 after they spent 36 days trapped in a collapsed gypsum mine in eastern Shandong province. The incident drew comparisons to a 2010 mining accident in Chile, which saw 33 miners trapped underground for 69 days before their rescue.

BRITAIN/IRELAND17Gulf Times


‘Dangerous building worksturned towerinto death trap’Guardian News and MediaLondon

Grenfell Tower was turned into a “death trap” by “dangerous” refurbish-

ment work carried out by the local authority and tenants manage-ment organisation, the inquiry into the fi re has been told.

On the ninth day of the hearing, Danny Friedman QC, speaking on behalf of the law fi rms represent-ing survivors and the bereaved, said they were watching the in-quiry with “calm rage”.

Cladding fi tted to the outside of Grenfell Tower turned it into a death trap, he said. “The royal borough of Kensington and Chel-sea and the tenants management organisation did this (refurbish-ment) with public funds paid to an array of contractors and sub-con-tractors – none of whom have yet taken any responsibility for what happened.

“Residents and many people told them that this would hap-pen but they were fobbed off and certainly not treated as equals. Seventy-two people died. Those who escaped owed their survival to chance rather than as a result of assessments or contingency plan-ning by the fi re brigade.”

The building works were “ob-viously dangerous, reprehen-sible and contrary to regula-tions”, Friedman said. “The (fi re brigade) failed to realise quickly enough that this was a fi re that could not be fought and required evacuation that could not be de-layed.”

Earlier, lawyers for the Metro-politan police told the inquiry that the scale of the criminal investi-gation into the fi re was “unprec-edented and extremely demand-ing”.

Jeremy Johnson QC, for the force, said: “The criminal inves-tigation is progressing in accord-ance with intended timescales.” He revealed that the building

would stop being considered as a crime scene by July or August.

Stephanie Barwise, counsel for the same group of law fi rms rep-resenting residents, said: “Of the six commonly recognised layers of protection against fi re, namely prevention, detection, evacu-ation, suppression, compart-mentation and the resistance of the structure to fi re, at Grenfell Tower, fi ve of those layers failed. That the structure survived is testament to its original solid concrete, virtually incombustible construction.”

Barwise pointed to many pre-vious examples of cladding fi res around the world. “Since the turn of the century, both internation-ally and in the UK, fi res involving external cladding systems have become almost the archetypal form of mass fi re disaster,” she said.

“This fact put construction and fi re engineering professionals on notice of the imperative to de-velop their risk assessment sys-tems accordingly; and also ought to have informed fi re brigade contingency planning. Industry openly acknowledges that poly-ethylene equates to petrol.”

Turning to the building con-tractors, Barwise said: “Despite their words of condolence to the victims, these corporates have no desire to assist this inquiry, even though their participation could save lives in the immediate future. The inability to produce a basic account of how, if at all, they con-sidered Grenfell Tower complied with the building regulations is itself indicative of a culture of non-compliance.

“The corporates’ silence de-prives the families of the degree of resolution and understanding to which they are entitled, and has only served to increase their pain and uncertainty. It is inhumane to remain silent when so many seek understanding and answers: answers which are within the cor-porates’ gift.”

Visitors look at illustrations by J R R Tolkien during a exhibition entitled Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth at Weston Library, part of the Bodleian Library, in Oxford, west of London. The exhibition that curates a large amount of Tolkien-related materials from around the world opened at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford on June 1.

Tolkien illustrations on display

Govt backs expansionof Heathrow airportAFPLondon

The government yester-day gave the go-ahead to building a third runway

at London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, a long-awaited decision that has stoked dec-ades of division and debate.

“The time for action is now,” Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said after Cabinet ministers approved the move, which will be put to a vote in parliament in the coming weeks.

The expansion project is highly contested, mainly over environmental and noise level concerns for a large, heavily-populated area of west London around Heathrow.

“We’ve considered these is-

sues very carefully,” Grayling told MPs, but added it would bring huge economic benefi ts, particularly as Britain prepared to leave the European Union.

“Despite being the busi-est two-runway airport in the world, Heathrow’s capac-ity constraints means that it is falling behind its global com-petitors, impacting the UK’s economy and global trading opportunities,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Boris John-son, who represents a nearby constituency, has previously opposed the plan, once pledg-ing to lie in front of bulldozers to stop construction.

He was among several MPs in Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party who have strong objections.

However Downing Street said MPs would be expected to

support the project in a House of Commons vote expected by July 11.

The main opposition Labour party took a cautious approach, saying it would assess the envi-ronmental impact and whether the plan supported growth across Britain.

Some individual Labour MPs — and trade unions — have strongly backed the expansion because of the prospect it off ers of new jobs.

The decision to build a third runway is in line with the rec-ommendations of an independ-ent commission, but sparked condemnation from environ-mentalists.

Greenpeace UK executive di-rector John Sauven said it was “like handing out free cigarettes on World Health Day”.

“This airstrip alone will load

the atmosphere with as much extra carbon as some entire countries pump out,” he said.

“It would make Londoners’ air more dangerous to breathe, contributing to an air pollu-tion crisis that’s already cut-ting short thousands of lives. It’s time the UK government took seriously its commitment to protect the environment by building a low-carbon econo-my.”

But the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Brit-ain’s top business lobby, said it was “fantastic” news after nearly half a century of de-liberations. “Expanding our aviation capacity, and creat-ing new flight routes to rapidly growing markets, is mission critical to ensuring Britain can compete on the post-Brexit world stage,” CBI deputy di-

rector-general Josh Hardie said.

“Our aviation capacity is set to run out as early as 2025, so it’s crucial we get spades in the ground as soon as possible.”

Grayling said the govern-ment’s decision was “an impor-tant milestone”.

“As we leave the EU, the UK must remain one of the world’s best-connected and outward-looking countries and a third runway at Heathrow is the best option to deliver this,” he said.

British Airways owner IAG, which has expressed concerns about airport charges at Hea-throw, said it was a “missed opportunity”. Chief executive Willie Walsh has told a parlia-mentary inquiry in February he had “zero” confi dence that Heathrow could deliver the project on time and on budget.

991 deported in yearbefore Windrush rowGuardian News and MediaLondon

Nearly 1,000 suspected il-legal immigrants were deported to Caribbean

countries in the year before the government halted removals to the region in the wake of the Windrush scandal, offi cial fi g-ures reveal.

Nine hundred and ninety-one people were removed to Carib-bean countries on commercial fl ights in the year to March, ac-cording to fi gures provided by the Immigration Minister Caro-line Nokes following a series of parliamentary questions.

Nokes confi rmed in her an-swers that removals to the Carib-bean had been deferred as part of a number of “additional steps in the context of (the government’s) response to the Windrush issues”.

Last month, the Home Secre-tary, Sajid Javid, told MPs that 63 people may have been wrongful-ly deported to Caribbean coun-tries and that the Home Offi ce was investigating.

The data provided reveals that in a two-year period from 2015

to 2017, the government spent £52mn on all deportation fl ights, including £17.7mn on charter fl ights. The costs for the most re-cent 12-month period to March are not available. However, Nokes said no charter fl ights had been operated to the Caribbean in the most recent 12-month pe-riod.

Stephen Doughty, a Labour MP on the home aff airs commit-tee, who uncovered the fi gures, said: “These are yet more shock-ing revelations from the Home Offi ce over the Windrush and wider scandals which expose the costs and realities of the hostile environment policy.

“With nearly 1,000 people removed on fl ights to the Carib-bean in just the last year alone, people will undoubtedly have a strong suspicion that more people have been wrongfully re-moved than the 63 the Home Of-fi ce has admitted.

“Indeed, they admit them-selves in these answers that they have cancelled further remov-als – which I have also had con-fi rmed by offi cials – which sug-gests they know there may have been serious errors.”

Brown seeks toughercontrols on migrationGuardian News and MediaLondon

Former prime minister Gor-don Brown has called for tougher controls of mi-

gration as part of a package of measures designed to address the concerns of Brexit voters and to prevent Britain being perma-nently paralysed by its decision to leave the European Union.

Speaking in London, Brown said the referendum result was a revolt against the political, business and cultural establishment and it was a mistake to dismiss the 52%-48% result as false consciousness.

The former prime minister said ministers should be concen-trating on tackling the main con-cerns of Leave voters rather than focusing on the fi ne point of the Brexit agreement.

“In our long history as a United Kingdom – at times threatened by invasion, sometimes subject to bombardment and for a time laid low by civil war – we have always found the strength from

within ourselves to come togeth-er as one. By seeking and then fi nding common ground we have triumphed over whatever crises we have confronted,” Brown said.

“Yet we are now at serious risk of being permanently paralysed by seemingly irreparable divi-sions – a fractured country di-vided not just over Brexit, but also with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions at odds with Westminster and at what they see as a London-cen-tric view of the world.”

He said there was mismatch between the Westminster debate about thrashing out the details of Brexit and the debate in the rest of the country about what needed to happen to address the dissatisfaction that led to Brexit.

“The public want Westminster to address the core causes of their dissatisfaction – concerns about stagnant wages, left-behind com-munities, migration pressures, sovereignty and the state of the NHS – each of which cannot be dealt with just by fi xing the tech-nical details of what kind of Brexit.

“Dealing with these fi ve criti-cal concerns is the starting point to building national unity and healing a fractured country and we can only move forward as a country by doing so.”

Brown presented a six-point plan for dealing with concerns about migration: no undercut-ting of wages by migrants; regis-tration of jobs to give local people a chance to apply; registration of migrants on arrival in the UK; possible removal of migrants if they failed to fi nd a job within nine months; a ban on employ-ment agencies advertising jobs abroad that had not been adver-tised in the UK; and a bigger fund to help mitigate the impact of migration on local communities.

Leavers, Brown said, had to lis-ten to the legitimate concerns of Remain voters about the loss of access to the UK’s biggest export market, which could drive down wages, hit northern communities hard and deprive the NHS of staff .

But Remainers had to address the concerns of the millions of people feeling left behind, he said. Brown: presents plan for dealing with concerns about migration

Comedian Michael McIntyre was robbed by moped-riding thieves armed with hammers while he waited to pick up his children from school, it has been reported. The windows of the 42-year-old’s black Range Rover were smashed and he was reportedly forced to hand over a watch during the incident. A spokesman for McIntyre did not respond to a request for comment. But the Sun quoted his agent as saying: “Michael was involved in an incident involving armed robbers. He is absolutely fine and helping police with their inquiries.” Scotland Yard said they were called just before 2pm on Monday “to reports of a robbery” in north London.

The three most senior police off icers in England and Wales have expressed concerns that funding cuts and pressure on resources are hampering their ability to tackle serious crime. Appearing before the home aff airs select committee, Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner; Lynne Owens, the director general of the National Crime Agency; and Sara Thornton, the National Police Chiefs’ Council chairwoman, gave examples of how cash shortages were posing a risk to public safety. Dick said it would be “naive” to suggest reductions in police off icers was having no impact on rising crime. She added: “It is having a massive strain on our people and it cannot go on.”

The father of Olympic boxing gold medallist Katie Taylor was injured in a shooting near Dublin yesterday that left another man dead and a third also injured, Irish police and media reports said. Irish police confirmed in a statement that a 30-year-old man “has died following a shooting incident in Bray, Country Wicklow”. “Two other men, aged 35 and 57, who were injured in the incident, have been taken to hospital,” the statement said. A police spokesman said the gunman, who wore a high-visibility jacket, opened fire just as a group of around 15 or 20 people were about to begin a morning session at Bray Boxing Club.

The founders of London’s first women-only private members club are to open a second venue, in Mayfair, following “unprecedented demand”. Debbie Wosskow, who sold travel company Love Home Swap for £39mn, and former Hearst chief Anna Jones launched The AllBright in Fitzrovia in March. Founder members include the entrepreneur Baroness Lane-Fox and actresses Ruth Wilson and Naomie Harris. Men are allowed into the £900-a-year club as guests. Wosskow today revealed that an AllBright Mayfair is set to open in Maddox Street in early 2019 — the first in a series of openings planned across London over the next two years.

Detectives investigating the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter have identified 2,500 people and 14,000 cars in Salisbury at the time. The huge scale of the investigation was revealed yesterday as Scotland Yard said their inquiries remained focused on the home of Skripal, a former Russian intelligence off icer who sought refuge in the UK after a spy swap. Skripal, 66, and Yulia, 33, were found collapsed on a bench near the Maltings shopping centre on March 4. Doctors who treated the couple for exposure to the Russian-made military grade nerve agent Novichok feared they would not survive.

Comedian robbedby moped thieves

Cuts putting public safetyat risk, say police chiefs

Irish boxing champion’sfather injured in shooting

Women-only club set to open second venue

2,500 people identified inSkripal poisoning probe

CRIME WARNINGPEOPLE EVENT LAW AND ORDER

BRITAIN


Search for suspect aswoman, baby stabbedGuardian News and MediaLondon

Police have named a man they suspect of involve-ment in the stabbing of

an 11-month-old baby and a 32-year-old woman in west Lon-don.

Rehan Khan, 25, is being hunt-ed after the attack at a property in Hanworth, Feltham, which left the baby boy in a critical condi-tion. The woman’s injuries are not life-threatening.

Members of the public are ad-vised not to approach Khan, who has links throughout London and its surrounding areas, including Hounslow, Isleworth, Newham, Slough and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Detectives believe Khan knew the woman and baby and are trying to find out if he was staying at the house in Swin-field Close where the attack took place.

“We are looking for someone in relation to the incident and at this stage it doesn’t appear to be

a stranger attack,” a Met spokes-person told local press.

The victims were airlifted to hospital by the air ambulance service after they were found on Monday morning suff ering from knife wounds.

According to reports, about 20 police vehicles came to the area, with pictures showing police dog handlers at the residential prop-erty.

Neighbours were reportedly ordered by the police to stay in-side and lock their doors.

Myrtle Cantwell, 62, who has lived on the estate for 38 years, said: “The air ambulance was hovering and there was lots of police. The police came by and banged on the door where it hap-pened. The lady next door came out and ushered them in. I could see the police vans and the sirens but I stayed indoors.”

She said she did not know the family involved, but had seen the children playing outside. “It is not a nice thing to happen is it?” she said. “You do not expect that sort of thing to happen on your doorstep.”

A large blood smear could be seen on a white wall by the entrance to the terrace house, which was cordoned off , and a police tent had been erected in the back garden as investigators sealed off the crime scene.

Leanne Gidlow, 33, who also lives on the estate, said: “They were quiet and just kept them-selves to themselves. I don’t think they had been living there too long.”

She said it had just been a normal evening when suddenly she could see police. “The next thing there was armed police and they were taking everything up,” she said. “I just think how could anyone do this? When this sort of stuff happens on your door-step - I just turned cold. Then you hear there is a baby involved and it seems to make it all worse somehow.”

Tesco bank servicestemporarily aff ectedGuardian News and MediaLondon

Tesco Bank became the lat-est banking operation to suff er a technical failure

after its 5.6mn customers were temporarily blocked from ac-cessing their accounts online or via mobile phone yesterday.

In a statement, Tesco Bank said: “We apologise to customers who were unable to access online and mobile banking earlier yes-terday. These services are now working as normal and we would like to thank customers for their patience”.

It said services had been una-vailable from 10.30am but an-nounced the problem had been fi xed less than fi ve hours later. It declined to say if the problem was caused by internal hardware issues or a malicious attack.

In 2016, the bank admitted that 40,000 customers had been affected by an online heist when money was stolen from half the number of accounts targeted. At the time, the bank suspended some banking activ-ities to protect customers from

“online criminal activity”.Customers of Tesco Bank were

able to use debit and credit cards as usual, but could not view their accounts online. The bank said: “Customers can access their ac-counts as normal by contacting our customer service centres.”

Tesco Bank, opened in 1997 to sell insurance products, launched into current account banking in 2014. It has £9.2bn in customer deposits and has lent £11.5bn.

The service outage at Tesco came just days after Visa pay-ments failed across the UK and Europe, sparking chaos in shops and transport systems.

A cross-party group of MPs yesterday demanded an expla-nation from Visa about what caused the problem.

Nicky Morgan, the chair of the Treasury select committee, has written to Charlotte Hogg, the chief executive for Europe at Visa, about her handling of the failure and to fi nd out what went wrong on June 1.

On Twitter, exasperated cus-tomers feared they faced an ac-count lockout similar to the IT meltdown that hit TSB.

May mustact to end rail crisis,says CorbynGuardian News and MediaLondon

Jeremy Corbyn has called on the prime minister to inter-vene to stop the ongoing rail

disruption in the north of Eng-land, as MPs launch an inquiry into the chaos on train services across the UK.

The Labour leader said the government should be taking urgent action to help passengers who have faced thousands of cancellations and delays on Go-via Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Northern rail services since a new timetable was introduced two-and-a-half weeks ago.

“The government must take ur-gent action to fi x the travel chaos unleashed on the north of England by Chris Grayling’s failures,” Cor-byn said in a statement yesterday.

“Northern communities al-ready only get a fraction of the transport investment that the south-east receives. The Tories should be working day and night to put this scandal right.

“Their failure to do so shows their disregard for people in the towns and cities in the north. If the transport secretary won’t stop trying to pass the buck, Theresa May must personally intervene to sort out this mess and end the dis-ruption to people’s lives.”

May described the rail disrup-tion as “absolutely unaccepta-ble” at yesterday’s cabinet meet-ing where ministers were briefed by Grayling. “It is important we get to grips with this issue quickly,” she said. “The current

passenger disruption is letting people down.”

The prime minister’s offi cial spokesman said May described the need to fi x the problem as “an absolute priority”, and that those aff ected must be “properly com-pensated”.

She said the new timetable would deliver hundreds more services when properly imple-mented, but that until this could be done there was a need to “ur-gently minimise the disruption”.

The transport select commit-tee said it would launch an inquiry into the rail timetable debacle. The committee chair, Lilian Green-wood, said the MPs would seek “to properly understand why the introduction of the new timetable has gone so badly wrong, what is being done to put it right and the steps needed to prevent this hap-pening again”.

“The secretary of state has said there have been ‘major failures’ – we want to unpick this mess and understand how it can be prevent-ed from occurring in December, when another timetable change is due,” Greenwood said.

Network Rail, GTR and North-ern have all apologised for the chaos, saying they did not have suffi cient time to plan for the in-troduction of the new timetables because of delayed engineering works. They said the disruption had come as part of “the biggest modernisation (of the railways) since the Victorian era”.

Grayling faced furious ques-tions from MPs of all parties on Monday after making a state-ment to the Commons on the

rail crisis. He announced he had commissioned an independ-ent inquiry, led by the Offi ce of Rail and Road chairman, Prof Stephen Glaister, into the time-table fi asco.

He said his offi cials would also launch a review into whether GTR and Northern had breached their contracts, and what sanc-tions they should face.

Speaking in the Commons, Greenwood said Grayling had signed off GTR’s unworkable timetable despite Network Rail’s reservations, and had demanded cuts in spending on planning. Grayling responded that he had followed the advice of the indus-try readiness board.

Mick Cash, the general sec-retary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, called on Gray-ling to meet rail staff , who were being “hung out to dry as human shields for a failed Tory privatisa-tion dogma”. He called for support and protection for union mem-bers, who were being abused by angry passengers, “before we have a major incident on our hands”.

Yesterday morning, major newspapers across the north of England joined together to de-mand that May “get a grip” on the government’s response to the crisis.

The 25 titles, which are owned by various groups and include the Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool Echo and the York-shire Post, called on May to lead an emergency summit in Down-ing Street this week to fi nd a so-lution to the crisis, and urged a review of rail franchising.

Clowning around

Laps of the drill square await the Scots Guards who mucked about at their regimental photo at Buckingham Palace. They tickled heads, held hands in jest and played pranks — causing apparent despair.

Scottish island seeks ArabicteacherAFPEdinburgh

A remote Scottish com-munity that welcomed some of the fi rst Syrian

refugees to Britain is seeking an Arabic school teacher to preserve cultural ties with their war-torn homeland and teach local Scot-tish children a new language.

Refugee children on the Isle of Bute are growing up fluent in English but their parents fear they are not learning enough religious, cultural and language skills relevant to Syria, where they might one day return.

Argyll and Bute Council was one of the fi rst Scottish local authorities to respond to the hu-manitarian crisis in Syria by tak-ing in refugees in 2015.

There were 70 Syrian refugees living on Bute at the last count in October 2017, predominantly children including four babies who were born after their par-ents arrived in the UK.

A council spokesman said: “We can confi rm that we’re recruiting for a teacher of Arabic at Rothesay Academy. Our families brought with them the opportunity for people to hear and learn one of the world’s most widely-used lan-guages, and we’re keen to turn this into an opportunity for our pupils.

“The focus is on equipping our young people with skills that will help them succeed in an increas-ingly globalised world.”

Arabic classes will be off ered as an optional extra in local schools.

A report submitted to the coun-cil in November noted that refu-gees have been off ered cultural and social activities which have helped them to integrate into the community on the island.

However, families said that “the opportunities to participate in cultural activities from their own religion were much less”, and complained that they had to take a ferry to Glasgow around 40 miles away to mark signifi -cant Islamic festivals.

Artist and co-ordinator of the Royal Academy of Arts 250th Summer Exhibition, Grayson Perry, poses for a selfie at the press launch of the exhibition in London yesterday.

Exhibition launch

Council leader backs case against tree protesters, court toldGuardian News and MediaLondon

Tree protesters in Sheffi eld are being taken to court on the orders of the council

leader, a judge has heard.Labour’s Julie Dore, the leader

since 2011, “positively agreed” with legal action against four Sheffi eld residents who were charged after demonstrating against plans to fell up to 17,000 trees, Sheffi eld high court heard.

Paul Brooke, Simon Crump, Benoit Benz Cumpin and Fran Grace could be sent to prison if they are found to have breached an injunction during protests in December and January.

Before the hearing began, the judge, Justice Males, asked the council’s barrister to confi rm that the case was being brought with the blessing of the council leader.

“This is a serious application. The council seeks to commit Sheffi eld citizens to prison for

contempt,” said Males. He not-ed that judges, “like everybody else”, read newspapers and that he had read of a “moratorium” on tree felling, under which the chainsaws had fallen silent since March.

He said: “I would just like to be reassured that this application is brought on the instructions of democratically elected council-lors. Do you have the instructions from the leader of the council to make this application?”

After a short adjournment,

Yaaser Vanderman, the coun-cil’s barrister, said he had been assured that Dore “positively agreed that proceedings should be brought”.

Dore has only rarely spoken out about trees in recent months, and earlier in the year was fi lmed driving away from a BBC re-porter, refusing to answer ques-tions. In May’s council elections in Sheffi eld, Labour lost two seats to each of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, and councillors accepted the tree saga had cost

them votes in leafy areas.If found guilty of the breach,

the four protesters could be jailed or, more likely, could face a large legal bill.

Last year another protester, Calvin Payne, was found to have breached an injunction not to en-ter a “safety zone” around trees earmarked for the chop, and to have incited others on Facebook to follow his lead. He was given a suspended sentence and told to pay the council’s £16,000 legal costs, after the local authority

instructed a prominent QC for a one-day hearing.

Local celebrities including Jarvis Cocker helped crowdfund the legal fees for Payne and an-other protester, who was handed an £11,000 bill for spending 10 minutes in a tree safety zone.

In August the city council obtained an injunction to stop protesters taking direct action against the felling of trees as part of a £2.2bn PFI deal to maintain Sheffi eld’s roads and pavements.

The council says its outsourc-

ing company, Amey, removes trees only if they are “dangerous, dying, diseased, dead, damag-ing or discriminatory” – mean-ing they damage pavements and potentially obstruct disabled residents. But protesters accuse Amey of chopping down healthy trees because they are more cost-ly and diffi cult to maintain than young saplings.

The Environment Minister, Michael Gove, has described the tree-felling programme as “bonkers”.

“They were quiet and just kept themselves to themselves. I don’t think they had been living there too long”

EUROPE19Gulf Times


Italy’s new prime minister has promised to bring radi-cal change to the country,

including more generous welfare and a crackdown on immigra-tion, as the two party bosses who hold the keys to his anti-estab-lishment government nodded their approval.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Con-te addressed the Senate, fl anked by the leaders of two formerly fringe parties that shoved aside mainstream groups at an election in March to form a coalition with little-known law expert Conte as its head.

“The truth is that we have cre-ated a radical change and we’re proud of it,” Conte said in his maiden speech to parliament, delivered in the upper house Senate, before winning a vote of confi dence for his policy pro-gramme.

The government, backed by the 5-Star Movement (M5S), founded nine years ago as a grass-roots protest group, and the right-wing League, won the vote by 171-117 in the 320-seat Senate.

The coalition has a larger ma-jority in the lower house, which is due to vote today.

It will then be fully empow-ered.

Conte, 53, spoke as M5S leader Luigi di Maio and League chief Matteo Salvini sat beside him, nodding their approval as the urbane law professor ticked off all the main elements of a policy agenda the party leaders had fi -nalised days before.

Di Maio is labour and industry minister in Conte’s government and Salvini is interior minister.

Their presence has raised doubts about whether Conte, a political novice, can put his own stamp on the government’s agenda.

In his 72-minute speech, Conte said that priorities would include tackling social hard-ship through the introduction of a universal income – an M5S election promise – and to stem an infl ux of illegal immigrants, a pivotal policy of the League.

During his speech Conte made no mention of Italy’s commit-ment to remaining in the euro-zone, a question that has trou-bled fi nancial markets, but he addressed the subject head-on in his fi nal remarks at the end of the parliamentary debate.

“We have to reiterate it – leav-ing the euro has never been con-sidered and it is not being con-sidered,” he said.

The ruling coalition’s original pick for economy minister, euro-sceptic economist Paolo Savona, was vetoed by Italy’s president because of his critical views on the euro.

He was replaced by a fi gure more reassuring for fi nancial markets.

“The political forces that make up this government have been accused of being populist and anti-system,” Conte said. “If populism means the ruling class listens to the needs of the people ... (and) if anti-system means to aim to introduce a new system, which removes old privileges and encrusted power, well these po-litical forces deserve both these epithets.”

Conte is not affi liated to any party, though he is close to the M5S, which presented him as a potential minister before the March 4 election.

Di Maio and Salvini vetoed each other as prime minister and picked him as a compromise fi g-ure.

Touching on one of the most sensitive issues for markets, Conte said that the eurozone’s fi scal rules should be “aimed at helping citizens” and Italy would negotiate changes to EU govern-ance.

Italian government bonds sold off on his remarks, which con-fi rmed much of the coalition’s budget-busting agenda.

Italy’s 10-year government borrowing costs rose 18 basis points to 2.74% after hitting a one-week low of 2.509% on Monday.

“The speech shows there are no signs that any of their pro-posals will be watered down,” said Antoine Bouvet, an interest-rates strategist with Japanese bank Mizuho.

However, Conte made no ref-erence to one of the most costly of the coalition’s pledges: abol-ishing a 2011 pension reform that raised the retirement age.

In the debate after the speech, former premier Mario Monti said that Italy risked being put under supervision of the Euro-pean Central Bank, the European

Commission, and the Interna-tional Monetary Fund unless the government carefully manages the public accounts.

Italy already has the biggest debt burden of major eurozone nations at about 130% of eco-nomic output.

Economists estimate the coa-lition’s policy agenda would add tens of billions of euros to annual spending.

“We want to reduce the pub-lic debt, but we want to do it by increasing our wealth, not with austerity that, in recent years, has helped to make it grow,” Conte said.

Debt is “fully sustainable to-day”, and key to reducing it was economic growth.

He also referred to the coali-tion’s promise to introduce an overhaul of income tax with just two, much lower rates, but he

gave no details nor a timetable for implementing policies.

Conte stressed that “Europe is our home” and, despite the coa-lition’s plan to improve Russian ties, restated commitments to both the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) and Italy’s alliance with the United States.

On immigration, a major elec-tion issue after an infl ux of hun-dreds of thousands of mostly Af-rican asylum-seekers, the prime minister said that the govern-ment would end “the immigra-tion business”.

“We are not and will never be racists. We want procedures that determine refugee status to be certain and speedy, in order to eff ectively guarantee their (refu-gee) rights,” he said.

League leader Salvini has pledged that Italy will no longer be “Europe’s refugee camp”.

Italy’s new premier vows radical changeReutersRome

Conte addresses senators, with Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (right) and Italy’s Economic Development and Labour Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio (left), during a debate ahead of a confidence vote yesterday at the Italian Senate in Rome.

EU countries struggled yes-terday to break a two-year deadlock over reforming

the bloc’s asylum rules by this month’s deadline, with Bulgaria admitting its eff ort at compro-mise is no “easy task”.

European Union ministers and offi cials met in Luxembourg to debate Bulgaria’s plan aimed at ending an east-west divide over the reforms in time for a June 28-29 summit in Brussels.

“Finding a compromise on this issue won’t be an easy task, but I’m more than convinced we’re on the right track,” Bulgarian Interior Minister Valentin Radev told a press conference after talks ended.

Bulgaria’s role as chair of the six-month rotating EU presiden-cy ends June 30.

Migration Minister Helene Fritzon of Sweden, a major des-tination for migrants, echoed widespread pessimism about prospects of a deal.

“I would say that an agreement seems very diffi cult to reach,” Fritzon said according to Swe-den’s TT news agency.

Fritzon said earlier that right-wing gains in Italy and Slovenia have produced “a harder political climate” for a deal.

In his fi rst speech in offi ce, Ita-ly’s new Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called for the “obligatory” and “automatic” redistribu-tion among EU member states of asylum-seekers being processed in Italy.

The country’s hardline inte-rior minister Matteo Salvini said separately the proposed reforms would condemn Italy and other Mediterranean countries to con-tinue bearing the burden of an unprecedented migration crisis for the 28-nation bloc.

EU leaders in December set an end-of-June deadline for an overhaul of the so-called Dub-

lin rules to create a permanent mechanism to deal with migrants in the event of a new emergency.

Under those rules, the coun-tries where migrants fi rst arrive must process their asylum re-quests.

Italy, Greece and Spain are the main entry points to Europe.

EU co-operation deals with Turkey and Libya, the main transit countries, have helped to slow, at least for now, the fl ow of migrants to Europe since peak arrivals in 2015.

Former communist bloc east-ern countries Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia

have either refused outright or resisted taking in such refugees, citing reasons including threats to social cohesion.

They have done so despite the European Commission, the EU executive, pushing through tem-porary quotas in 2015 as a way to ease the burden on frontline states Italy and Greece.

Some 1.26mn people from war-torn Syria and other coun-tries applied for asylum in EU countries in 2015, the peak of Europe’s worst migration crisis since World War II.

Under an emergency plan, EU member countries agreed to re-locate to other parts of the bloc 160,000 Syrians and other refu-gees from Italy and Greece within two years.

Only 34,690 people have been relocated so far as most migrants made their own way to Germa-ny and other wealthy northern countries amid the chaos.

According to documents seen by AFP, Bulgaria’s plan calls for “alleviating (the) burden from the front-line” states and “curb-ing secondary movements” of asylum-seekers who land in one EU country and travel to another.

Eastern countries place a pri-ority on stopping secondary movements, which caused so much chaos in recent years that some countries in Europe’s pass-port-free Schengen zone even

re-established border checks.In a nod to Rome and Athens,

the Bulgarian proposals call for the compulsory relocation of asylum-seekers, but only as a last resort.

At the outset of any new crisis, fi nancial and other support are supposed to kick in automatically under the plan.

EU capitals like Budapest, which has spearheaded opposi-tion to Muslim and other mi-grants, have stood fi rm against mandatory relocation.

As a further sop to the eastern countries, people will be relo-cated only in exceptional cases and member states will have the “fl exibility” to reduce some of the numbers allotted to them.

Under the proposal, frontline states face increased “responsi-bility” to register arrivals.

Asylum reform “is dead”, Bel-gium’s hardline migration min-ister Theo Francken told Belgian media. “There is not enough ba-sis to pursue the debate.”

Rejecting his remarks, the EU’s migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told the closing press conference that Francken’s comments were “counterproductive”.

Avramopoulos said: “The re-form of the European asylum system is not dead, unless some-one wants to kill it and nobody here would wish to do it.”

EU struggles to break asylum reform deadlockAFPLuxembourg

A migrant tent camp in the village of San Ferdinando, near Gioia Tauro, in the southern Italian region of Calabria.

Mariano Rajoy, a ma-jor fi gure of Spanish politics over the past

14 years, announced yester-day that he will quit as head of the conservative Popular Party (PP) after being ousted as prime minister last week.

“I think the time has come to put a fi nal full stop to this period,” said the 63-year-old, removed from offi ce last week in a no-confi dence vote after former offi cials from his party were convicted in a bribery scandal.

“The PP must keep advanc-ing and building its history at the service of Spaniards under the leadership of another per-son,” he told party members.

Rajoy said that a national executive meeting would take place “soon” to call an emer-gency congress which would “open a new phase for our par-ty” and elect his successor.

He added he would stay on in his post as PP head until the successor is chosen, and gave no date or deadline.

Rajoy’s ousting was a spec-tacular turn of events just two weeks after his minority gov-ernment managed to have its 2018 budget approved despite strong resistance.

His government’s pleas-ure at that achievement was short-lived as a day later on May 24, a court announced it had sentenced former PP of-fi cials, businessmen and their spouses to a total of 351 years in jail for their role in a vast brib-ery scheme known as the Gur-tel case.

It was one corruption scan-dal too many for the PP, which has been hit by a series of graft accusations.

The opposition Socialist party fi led a motion of no-confi dence, which passed on Friday.

Rajoy was removed and re-placed as prime minister by Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez.

Surveys show that support for the PP has been falling sharply since October, when Catalonia’s separatist crisis came to a head.

Even a majority of the par-ty’s voters, 63%, feel that the former premier should step aside, according to a Metro-

scopia poll released yesterday.Political analysts say that the

rapid turn of events caught the PP off guard.

“It is pretty clear that they did not really expect this,” Rog-er Senserrich, a contributor to political analysis website Poli-tikon, told AFP. “No one really has made plans to make a run for it to try to succeed Rajoy. No one has prepared, no one has built the internal coalitions that you need.”

Among those tipped to re-place Rajoy is former defence minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal, currently deputy head of the PP.

Others include former depu-ty prime minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and the presi-dent of the northwestern re-gion of Galicia, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who is close to the oust-ed prime minister.

Whoever takes over will continue to be haunted by graft scandals that will hurt the party’s electability, said Pablo Simon, a political science pro-fessor at Madrid’s Carlos III university.

“The drip of corruption cases still has not ended. The Gurtel ruling was just one of 14 court cases related to corrup-tion involving the PP that are pending,” he told PP.

In his speech, Rajoy de-fended his record, saying that Spain’s economy had largely recovered from the economic crisis that was racking Spain when he came to power in 2011.

Where corruption is con-cerned, he said many graft cases had “aff ected” and “shocked” him.

But he pointed out that none of his government members or the PP itself were found legally responsible in the Gurtel case, even if his party was ordered to pay back money that had been illegally obtained.

Rajoy has criticised Sanchez sharply, saying he had become prime minister without hav-ing won any general elections by teaming up with Catalan separatist and Basque nation-alist lawmakers in order to get support for the no-confi dence vote.

“Someone who was system-atically rejected by Spaniards, when they were asked their opinion in the polls, is gov-erning the country,” he said of Sanchez, who lost both 2015 and 2016 elections.

Ex-PM Rajoy to quit as leader of Spanish conservative partyAFPMadrid

Rajoy is seen on a TV screen during a press conference following a People’s Party (PP) meeting of the national executive committee held in Madrid.

Kyrgyzstan’s former prime minister Sapar Isakov was arrested on

corruption charges yesterday, the national security service said, as political divisions in the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation deepen.

Isakov, 40, was detained after being questioned for a fourth time in relation to his involvement in securing in-vestment into a power plant in the capital Bishkek whilst serving in the administration of then-president Almazbek Atambayev, the GKNB security service said.

Isakov is accused of lobby-ing in the interest of Chinese company TBEA to modernise the vital power plant that later broke down as temperatures plunged in January.

However, many local ana-

lysts have argued that the investigations targeting Isa-kov and other formerly high-ranking Kyrgyz politicians may have more to do with the coun-try’s turbulent domestic poli-tics than the rule of law.

Isakov is widely viewed as a protégé of Atambayev, who was barred by the nation’s constitution from running for re-election last year.

Another former Atambayev ally, Kubanychbek Kulmatov, who served as the capital’s mayor from 2014 to 2016, was also held yesterday in a sepa-rate investigation linked to the power plant investment.

While Atambayev was suc-ceeded by Sooronbai Jeenbe-kov last November in the fi rst peaceful transfer of power be-tween elected presidents since the country of 6mn gained in-dependence from Moscow in 1991, tensions have mounted as Atambayev has pushed to retain infl uence.

Former Kyrgyzstan leader held for graftAFPBishkek

Italy’s anti-mafi a chief has warned that the mafi a is not just an Italian problem but

a “globalising” phenomenon whose infl uence is seeping into several European countries.

“Organised crime is mov-ing abroad, globalising,” said Giuseppe Governale, the head of Italy’s anti-mafi a investigative

unit DIA during a meeting with the foreign press in Rome.

Governale said that although the notorious Sicilian Cosa Nos-tra has “always been present in the United States, Canada and Australia”, the infl uence of the Calabrian mob, known as the ‘Ndrangheta, was “underesti-mated”.

“The ‘Ndrangheta ... is an ex-traordinarily powerful organisa-tion,” warned Governale.

He said that criminal organi-

sations have contacts all over the world in countries where they operate, but insisted ‘Ndrang-heta “tends to replicate abroad the structures it has established in Calabria”.

In Brussels, for example, “they don’t buy just buildings but en-tire neighbourhoods”.

The anti-mafi a unit head add-ed that Cosa Nostra, a notori-ously ruthless criminal organisa-tion responsible for perpetrating deadly attacks in the past, is to-

day “in great organisational dif-fi culty after suff ering substantial blows”.

Most of the mob’s upper ranks have been arrested, with the exception of kingpin Matteo Messina Denaro.

Fugitive Denaro has been on the run since 1993, with police closing in on his closest aides, but Governale said he is no long-er considered the mob’s supreme leader.

He warned however that the

death in prison in November 2017 of Cosa Nostra’s former kingpin, Toto Riina, could prompt the or-ganisation to name a new head.

Governale said Cosa Nostra has been weakened, but “unfor-tunately, the conditions linked to its environment and that allow its development still exist”.

“The mafi a will be defeated by an army of schoolteachers,” he said, referencing a line from the Italian poet and writer Gesualdo Bufalino, who died in 1996.

Italian mafi as are going global, crime chief warnsAFPRome

EUROPE


A member of the German government has accused the new United States

ambassador in Berlin of med-dling in domestic politics and aggravating already tense ties, as left-wing parties called for the staunch ally of Donald Trump to be expelled.

Richard Grenell took up his Berlin posting on May 8 and im-mediately irked Germany when he tweeted the same day that German companies should stop doing business with Iran as Trump quit the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.

He stoked further outrage last weekend with reported com-ments to far-right website Breit-bart of his ambition to “empower

other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders”.

Grenell also raised eyebrows with his plan to host a lunch on June 13 for Austria’s arch-con-servative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, described by the US envoy as a “rock star”.

The ambassador “is interfering in our internal aff airs”, said Peter Beyer, co-ordinator for trans-atlantic cooperation in Angela Merkel’s government, in an in-terview with regional newspaper the Rheinische Post.

“He should pay attention to the fact that we consider his start as ambassador to be diffi cult,” added the conservative politi-cian, who will be present today for a visit by the diplomat to the foreign ministry.

Former chief of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and former European Parliament

president Martin Schulz told na-tional news agency DPA: “What this man is doing is unheard of in international diplomacy. If a German ambassador were to say in Washington that he is there to empower the Democrats, he would have been kicked out im-mediately.”

“I hope that Kurz’s visit will lead Mr Grenell’s tenure as am-bassador in Germany to be short,” he added, playing on the German word for short, kurz.

Schulz had earlier tweeted that the US envoy did not behave like a diplomat but like a “far-right colonial offi cer”.

Amid the row, Germany’s for-eign ministry is seeking clarifi ca-tion from Grenell about his com-ments, with the topic to be raised at a pre-arranged meeting today between the envoy and senior of-fi cial Andreas Michaelis.

“There will certainly be a lot to discuss and that’s why it’s good that the ambassador will be a guest tomorrow of state secretary Michaelis,” said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

However, the opposition far-left Die Linke party chief Sahra Wagenknecht said that Grenell had disqualifi ed himself as am-bassador.

“Someone like US ambassador Richard Grenell, who thinks he can lord over Europe and deter-mine who is governing here, can no longer stay in Germany as a diplomat,” Wagenknecht told Die Welt daily.

“If the government takes the democratic sovereignty of our country seriously, then it shouldn’t just invite Grenell to a chat over coff ee, but expel him immediately,” she added.

The appointment of Grenell,

a hawkish supporter of Trump’s “America First” stance, was long held up by US senators who ob-jected to his allegedly disparaging tweets on female politicians and apparent refusal to take seriously claims of Russian meddling in the US election.

The controversy comes as ties between Germany and the United States are strained after Trump ditched the Iran nuclear deal and imposed punishing tariff s on Eu-ropean aluminium and steel.

Underlining the souring trans-atlantic relationship, Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that Europe can no longer rely on the US to protect it and must “take its destiny into its own hands”.

Politicians in the US too baulked at Grenell’s comments.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy tweeted that the en-voy’s interview with Breitbart

was “awful – ambassadors aren’t supposed to ‘empower’ any po-litical party overseas”.

For Juergen Hardt, foreign pol-icy spokesman of Merkel’s cen-tre-right bloc, Grenell is simply seeking to weaken the EU.

The US wants to prevent “the European Union from further in-tegrating and becoming a strong-er political and economic power”, Hardt told broadcaster hr-Info.

Although Merkel herself be-longs to the conservative camp, commentators said that Grenell was not trying to bolster the chancellor’s party base, but rather its opponents from the far-right.

“It is bad enough if that’s what he is thinking, let alone saying it,” said the daily Berliner Zeitung.

Media outside Germany also weighed in, with Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum

arguing that Grenell clearly in-tended to back “nativist, pro-Russia and anti-pluralist” forces in Europe.

Grenell had certainly fulfi lled his task if he was sent to Germany to destabilise Merkel’s coalition or the Atlantic alliance, she said, “but if those are not his orders ... then a diff erent set of questions has to be asked”.

“Why is the US ambassador in Germany giving an interview to Breitbart? Why is he involving himself in partisan politics? For that matter, why is he an Ameri-can ambassador at all?”

The Financial Times urged Berlin to respond to Grenell’s “undiplomatic behaviour” by holding its line on adhering to the Iran nuclear deal, respond-ing fi rmly to US tariff s as well as stepping up to its defence re-sponsibilities.

Calls growing in Germany for expulsion of US envoyAFPBerlin

Grenell: has been accused of ‘undiplomatic behaviour’.

Ukrainian authorities said yesterday that a bushfi re had broken out in the

exclusion zone around Cherno-byl, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986, but radiation levels remained within safe limits.

“Radiation levels have not risen either inside the exclusion zone or in adjoining areas,” the zone’s administration said in a statement.

Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman wrote on Facebook that “radiation levels are safe. In Kyiv and in Chernobyl itself, in-cluding at the Chernobyl power

station site, they are signifi cant-ly below the acceptable limits. So there’s no need to worry.”

“I stress once more: the situ-ation is fully under control,” he added.

The fi re broken out in dry grass yesterday morning in the area of high radiation less than 10km (six miles) from the power station and later spread over some 10 hectares (25 acres) of woodland, the state emergency service said in statements.

It published photographs of smoke billowing from woodland and fl ames spreading along the ground.

The state nuclear industry regulator said nothing unto-ward had taken place inside the former nuclear power station,

which is not at risk from the fl ames.

More than 130 fi refi ghters were battling the fi re as well as two planes and a helicopter which dumped water on the fi re, the state emergency service said, adding that the wind was not blowing towards Kyiv.

Bushfi res occur regularly in the woods and grassland around the power station.

In 2015 a forest fi re burned for four days.

Chernobyl’s Number Four re-actor, which is about 100km (62 miles) north of Kyiv, exploded in 1986 during testing in the worst such accident ever.

Radioactive fallout from the power station contaminated up to three-quarters of Europe, ac-

cording to some estimates, with Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, all then part of the USSR, the worst-aff ected.

A 30km radius around the

power station is still an exclu-sion zone where people are not allowed to live.

The three other reactors at Chernobyl continued to gener-

ate electricity until the power station fi nally closed in 2000.

A giant protective dome was put in place over the fourth re-actor in 2016.

Fire in Chernobyl zone, but Kyiv says radiation levels within limitsAFPKyiv

This handout picture taken and released by Ukrainian emergency ministry press service shows the wildfire which has broken out at the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power station.

Thousands of Czechs protested across the EU country yesterday

against the communist party as it was poised to play a role in government, albeit an infor-mal one, for the fi rst time since communism fell in 1989.

The communists are expect-ed to throw their tacit support behind populist billionaire An-drej Babis, due to be appointed as prime minister on Wednes-day for a second time after fail-ing to win a confi dence vote in parliament in January.

With 78 seats in the 200-member parliament, Ba-bis’s ANO (YES) party is ex-pected to formally partner with the 15-seat CSSD coalition and rely on the 15-seat KSCM com-munists to make up the rest.

“I read a lot about the com-munist era and I oppose com-munists returning,” high school student Jana Homolkova told AFP on the sidelines of a rally organised by in the heart of Prague by the “Million mo-ments for democracy” NGO.

Protesters noted that Presi-dent Milos Zeman, a former communist who makes no se-cret of his pro-Russia and pro-China views, is due to tap Babis, also an ex-communist, but one who went on to amass a fortune

as a food, chemicals and media tycoon.

“Tomorrow will be a tragic day for Czech democracy,” said Jiri Pospisil, the leader of the right-wing party TOP 09 party in front of some 10,000 pro-

testers in Prague, according to an estimate by AFP.

“Zeman and Babis, this country isn’t yours!”, “Stop the communist criminal ideology!”, and “No more communism!” were just some of messages in

the posters touted by protesters in Prague.

They also waved portraits of the estimated 4,500 victims of the former totalitarian regime before 1989.

Similar rallies were also held in no less than 200 Czech towns and villages.

Babis’s ANO (YES) won last October’s general election campaigning on an anti-cor-ruption ticket, but potential coalitions partners snubbed him over criminal charges for alleged EU subsidy fraud which he has fl atly denied.

Babis has been governing as a caretaker prime minister since the failed confi dence vote in January.

The KSCM communist party has signalled that it will back him in a confi dence vote this time around in exchange for positions in large state-owned enterprises.

It will thus have a key role, albeit informally, in forming the government for the fi rst time since the 1989 “Velvet Revolution” led by Vaclav Havel that peacefully swept away communism in what was then Czechoslovakia.

Czechs protest against communist party’s role in govtAFPPrague

Protesters hold placards during the rally in Prague against Czech Prime Minister Babis.

A painting by a young Vin-cent Van Gogh was sold at an auction in Paris on

Monday night for more than €7mn ($8.2mn), the Artcurial auction house said.

Raccommodeuses de fi lets dans les dunes (Women mending nets in the fi elds) dates from 1882 and was bought by an American collector in a hot bidding battle that boosted the selling price far above the estimated value of be-tween €3mn to €5mn.

“It’s a world record for a Van Gogh landscape, in the Dutch period, sold at auction,” Artcu-rial said. “There are no more than two or three auctions of Van Gogh works in the world each year.”

In France, Monday’s event was the fi rst auction of a painting by the Dutch artist in more than two decades.

Van Gogh painted the work early in his career when he was 29 years old.

“We already fi nd all the char-acteristics of a Vincent paint-ing, especially his treatment of landscape ... a remarkable work,

a milestone in the artist’s career,” said Bruno Jaubert, the associate director of modern art at Artcu-rial.

It was the only landscape Van Gogh did at the time, painted in the countryside near The Hague, Jaubert said.

The former owner was a Euro-pean collector who had lent the work to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam for eight years until 2015.

The last sale at a Paris auc-tion of a Van Gogh painting was in the mid-1990s of his Le Jardin a Auvers (The Garden at Auvers) which went for $10mn.

Van Gogh painting sells for €7mnAFPParis

An Artcurial employee holds up Raccommodeuses de filets dans les dunes (Women Mending Nets in the Dunes) by Vincent Van Gogh during a preview for media earlier this year.

Cartoonist jailed for insulting ErdoganAFPIstanbul

Turkish police have jailed one of the country’s most prominent cartoonists to

serve out a 14-month sentence fi rst handed down last year on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish media reported yesterday.

Nuri Kurtcebe, 69, was de-tained and sent to prison on Monday after a police check found him on a bus travelling in the northwestern Turkish city of Yalova, the private Dogan news agency reported.

His lawyer Erdem Akyuz told the media that the authorities were enforcing the sentence af-ter an appeal was turned down by an upper court.

Kurtcebe was sentenced to a one year, two months and 15 days jail term for several caricatures he drew in 2015.

As is customary in Turkey, he had been allowed to remain free while the appeal was pending.

But once the appeal was re-jected, an arrest warrant was is-sued.

“What’s recognised in all over the world is that artists ex-press their work freely and that politicians, compared to others, are more tolerant to criticism,” Akyuz was quoted as saying by Dogan.

Akyuz also said that it is not clear in the court’s ruling which cartoons or expressions were the source of the charges.

Kurtcebe, whose daily car-toons were published in the Aydinlik newspaper, also drew content for a number of publi-cations, including Hurriyet and opposition Cumhuriyet news-papers, as well as satirical maga-zine Girgir.

Turkey is heading for parlia-mentary and presidential elec-tions on June 24 when Erdogan is seeking a new mandate under the expanded powers of a full ex-ecutive presidency.

Dutch bid to halt the ‘spread’ of EnglishAFPThe Hague

Dutch education offi cials have said that they aim to rein in the spread of

courses taught in English in the country’s universities and slow the fl ood of foreign students.

The move comes amid a grow-ing outcry at the infi ltration of English language courses in Dutch higher education institu-tions, with many warning that Dutch students are being dis-advantaged and the language is under threat.

Even if “the internationalisa-tion of higher education brings added value ... there must always be a place for Dutch students” at the country’s 14 universities, the education ministry insisted.

The report comes after the largest lecturers’ union, known as BON, warned of the looming “linguicide” of the Dutch lan-guage if the trend continues.

Even though about 65% of bachelor’s degrees are taught in Dutch, only about 15% of mas-ter’s degrees are.

And almost one-quarter of students obtaining a master’s are foreigners.

“The clauses in the law per-taining to the choice of language in higher and vocational educa-tion must be revised,” the minis-try said.

Greater accent must be placed on “accessibility to education for Dutch students”.

BON has launched a lawsuit accusing Twente University and the University of Maastricht of killing the Dutch language through the “Anglicisation” of courses as they both off er two master’s degree courses in psy-chology exclusively in English.

US move won’t hit Russiadefence ties: Sitharaman

Chidambaram questioned by ED in Aircel-Maxis case

Tharoor toface trial inSunandadeath probe

AgenciesNew Delhi

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said yester-day that US sanctions on

Russia military exports would not impact long-standing ties between New Delhi and one of its key arms suppliers Moscow.

US President Donald Trump in August signed a law threat-ening sanctions on any country doing business with Russia’s de-fence and intelligence sectors.

The sanctions regime aff ects American allies like India, which has purchased Russian military hardware and expertise for dec-ades.

India, the world’s top defence importer, had been in talks with Russia to buy S-400 long-range

surface-to-air missile systems when the sanctions were an-nounced.

There had been specula-tion last year when the sanc-tions were signed into law that the $6bn weapons deal could be scuttled.

But Sitharaman said the long-running negotiations “have reached the fi nal stage”.

“I like to make it clear here that in all our engagements with the US, we have very clearly ex-plained how India and Russia’s defence co-operation is some-thing which has been going on for a very long time,” she told reporters when asked about the sanctions.

“It is a time tested relation-ship. And India has got quite a lot of defence assets from Russia. Assets, spares, servicing – we

have a continuous relationship with Russia.”

The sanctions “cannot be im-pacting on us on this particular characteristic of India’s Russia defence co-operation”.

The minister’s remarks come days after a top US Congress-men, Republican Mac Thorn-berry, who is chairman of the House Armed Services, said in New Delhi that there was a lot of concern in both the Trump ad-ministration and the Congress regarding the S-400 missile system being acquired by any of American partners, including India.

Thornberry, who was in In-dia last week, said if New Delhi went ahead with the purchase, it would complicate “our ability to work out inter-operability.”

These include Rosoboronex-

port, the state-owned Russian weapons trading company.

The Congressman said the US was making sanctions against Russia “fl exible” for its allies like India to allow them breathing room to continue dealing with Moscow – but only to maintain their legacy equipment and at the same time they must wean them-selves off Russian equipment.

He said a provision in the Na-tional Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), which is awaiting a Senate nod after it was passed by the House on May 24, would al-low the Trump administration to suspend the sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversar-ies Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, passed in August 2017 for Russia’s purported interfer-ence in the 2016 US presidential election process.

But Sitharaman said the US sanctions were not binding on India.

Though Sitharaman didn’t mention about her meeting with Thornberry, a senior Defence Ministry offi cial said the US Congressman was “clearly told” that the “CAATSA was your law” and India won’t abide by it.

The offi cial said Thornberry also shared with the Defence Ministry CAATSA amendments granting partial waiver to coun-tries like India.

“But the language was not ac-ceptable and he (Thornberry) has been asked to modify it.”

India has increasingly turned to the United States and France for arms purchases in recent years, but is still reliant on Rus-sia hardware and expertise to maintain its existing arsenal.

IANSAhmedabad

Gujarat’s former deputy inspector general of po-lice D G Vanzara yester-

day told a court that the Central Bureau of Investigation wanted to arrest then chief minister Narendra Modi and his home minister Amit Shah in the Ishrat Jahan fake shootout case.

Arguing for Vanzara in a dis-charge petition fi led in the CBI court presided over by J K Pan-dya, his lawyer V D Gajjar the CBI intended to arrest Modi and Shah, but “fortunately” it did not happen.

While Modi is now the prime minister, Shah is president of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Vanzara, who is out on bail in the case, had earlier said in the same court that Modi was se-cretly questioned by the case in-

vestigating offi cer when he was the chief minister. The CBI had cleared Shah in 2014 on grounds of “insuffi cient evidence”.

In June 2004, Mumbai-based 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan, her friend Javed alias Pranesh, and Pakistani nationals Zeeshan Johar and Am-zad Ali Rana were killed by a team of Vanzara’s men in a gunbattle on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

Ishrat Jahan and her friends were dubbed terrorists out on a mission to assassinate Modi. However, subsequent CBI in-vestigation concluded that the shootout was fake.

Vanzara’s lawyer yesterday claimed that the charge-sheet against his client was “concoct-ed” and that there was no pros-ecutable evidence against the former police offi cer.

He also said the testimony of witnesses could not be believed as some were earlier among the accused in the case.

‘CBI wanted to arrest Modi in Ishrat case’

IANSNew Delhi

The Enforcement Directo-rate (ED) yesterday ques-tioned former fi nance

minister P Chidambaram for “over fi ve hours” here in the Rs-35bn Aircel-Maxis deal.

Chidambaram appeared at the ED’s offi ce around 11am – within an hour after a Delhi court ex-tended the interim protection to him from arrest till July 10 in connection with the case after directing him to join the probe whenever required.

According to ED sources, Chidambaram was questioned till 1.30pm when he was given a break and was allowed to step out of the ED offi ce to have lunch. The questioning resumed at 3pm and continued till around 6pm.

It was the fi rst time that the the senior Congress leader joined the probe in the case. The ED had issued a fresh summons to him on Monday to appear be-fore the investigating offi cer of the case. The agency recorded his statement under the Preven-tion of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The questioning is part of ED’s investigation in a money laundering case registered in 2017 against Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case.

Earlier, the court had allowed interim protection to Karti Chidambaram till July 10.

The Central Bureau of Investi-gation and the ED are examining how Karti Chidambaram allegedly managed to get a clearance from the Foreign Investment Promo-tion Board (FIPB) in the Aircel-

Maxis deal when his father was the fi nance minister in 2006.

The ED, in September 2017, had seized Rs11.6mn worth of assets of Karti Chidambaram, who is being probed for allegedly receiving kickbacks in lieu of the FIPB clearance.

The former minister later said: “There is no FIR, no off ence al-leged, yet an investigation”.

“Appeared before the ED. The questions were about what is already recorded in the fi le. Hence, answers too were what is recorded in the fi le,” tweeted Chidambaram.

“More than half the time taken up by typing the answers with-out errors, reading the statement and signing it,” he added.

Chidambaram said: “Need to reiterate that there is no FIR, no off ence alleged, yet there is an investigation.”

AgenciesNew Delhi

In a major big setback to Congress MP Shashi Tha-roor, a Delhi court yester-

day accepted the charge-sheet fi led by police in the death of his wife and ordered that he face trial.

The court said there was suffi cient proof against him for abetment to suicide and cru-elty.

The 62-year-old parlia-mentarian from Thiruvanan-thapuram has been asked to appear before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sa-mar Vishal on July 7.

“I have gone through and pe-rused the charge-sheet along with the documents fi led along with it. Cognisance taken on off ence regarding abetment to suicide of late Sunanda Push-kar and for committing cruelty upon her. On the basis of the po-lice report, I take cognisance of abetment of suicide punishable under 306 IPC and cruelty un-der 498A IPC. There exist suffi -cient grounds to proceed against Shashi Tharoor for commission of off ence,” Vishal said.

The case has taken various twists and turns ever since 51-year-old Pushkar died un-der mysterious circumstances in a hotel room in south Delhi on January 17, 2014, days after she alleged that her husband was having an aff air with a Pa-kistani journalist.

According to the charge-sheet, Pushkar killed herself by taking an overdose of anti-depressant pills alprazolam (Alprax), and was driven to taking the extreme step by her husband.

The magistrate also issued notice to the prosecution for a written reply on the applica-tion of Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy, who has been carrying on a cam-paign in the case, for conduct-ing the prosecution.

On May 14, the police charge-sheeted Tharoor under

sections 306 and 498A of the Indian Penal Code, pertain-ing to abetment to suicide and cruelty to wife, which entails a jail term of up to 10 years.

Meanwhile, Tharoor said he found the charges against him preposterous and baseless, the product of a malicious and vin-dictive campaign against him.

“I will continue to vigorous-ly contest these charges and maintain my steadfast convic-tion that ultimately truth will prevail through the judicial system that we are privileged to have in our country,” he said in a statement.

Tharoor said he had fully co-operated with the investi-gating team and continued to maintain that due legal process must be followed in all respects related to the case.

The former minister also urged media to respect his and his family’s right to privacy.

“In the meantime, I would like to request the media to respect my right to privacy as well as that of my family. Given that the matter is subjudice, I will refrain from commenting on the issue further until such time as the next scheduled hearing of the case,” he said.

Tharoor’s lawyer Vikas Pahwa told reporters im-mediately after the court order that no off ence was made out against the Con-gress leader and the prosecu-tion’s case was “absurd and preposterous”.”We shall be asking for a copy of the charge sheet and the documents re-lied upon by the prosecution. After going through them, we shall decide our further course of action. Dr Tharoor will take all legal remedies available to him in law,” Pahwa said.

In April, the special investi-gation team (SIT) probing the case told the Supreme Court that a draft fi nal report had been prepared after conduct-ing “thorough professional and scientifi c investigations” and would be submitted in the trial court after “legal scru-tiny”.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram arrives at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal case, in New Delhi yesterday.

Bengaluru startup launches subsidised electric scooterReutersBengaluru

Bengaluru-based startup Ather Energy opened pre-orders for its fl agship elec-

tric scooters yesterday, hoping to build a beachhead in the world’s largest two-wheeler market that will allow it to launch a mass-market vehicle within two years.

Some 18mn petrol-driven scooters and motorcycles are sold in India annually, clogging

roads in Delhi, Mumbai and Ben-galuru with some of the world’s worst traffi c and highest levels of pollution.

Electric bikes so far have played a tiny role in those sales and Ather is the fi rst major ven-ture to follow US electric car producer Tesla in designing and building its own bike from scratch.

Ather has raised $43mn in funding so far from some of In-dia’s best-known investors, in-cluding the country’s No1 two-

wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp, Walmart partner Flipkart’s founders and hedge fund Tiger Global Management.

It has started building charg-ing points in India’s tech-heavy global outsourcing hub, Ben-galuru, and priced its scooters at more than double the average cost of those currently on the market - even after including an almost 20% subsidy from the government.

The company plans to put 2,000 of the scooters on the

road through August and up to 100,000 over the next two-and-a-half years, while also expanding to nearby Chennai and Pune.

“I think it’s better to go after a segment limited to a city, where the users can be reached in a di-rect way, build a brand around there and then (go) wider and wider,” Chief Executive Offi cer Tarun Mehta told Reuters on the sidelines of the launch.

“We will have a mass-market product in two years after we

break even and build that mass-market credibility.”

Retailing at Rs109,750 ($1,634.52) for the 340 model and Rs124,750 for the more pow-erful 450 version, prices include a subsidy of Rs22,000 under the government’s “FAME” scheme for the promotion of electric ve-hicles.

India was ranked 177 among 180 countries in the World Eco-nomic Forum’s Environmental Performance Index earlier this year and is struggling to counter

the ecological fallout of surging car and scooter ownership.

The power ministry has eased regulations, making it easier for companies to set up charging stations, but to date there have been relatively few takers and no common system of charging.

Both the models come with an independent navigation system, which uses data from an in-built SIM card.

The 340 model can achieve a mileage of 60km on a single

charge, while the more powerful 450 can hit 75km.

Along with the two models, Ather also rolled out a Rs700 monthly plan, Ather One, which includes everything from service requirement, doorstep pickup and delivery, breakdown assist-ance, data charges on the vehi-cle, consumables and all fuel.

Users can also charge the ve-hicle from an ordinary socket at home or at work, with Ather refunding the cost within three months.

Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia lead a bullock cart rally in Bhopal yesterday which they said symbolised people’s pain over the rising fuel prices across the country.

Protest against fuel price rise

INDIA21Gulf Times


Girl ends life after failing to get good NEET rank

Ola driver held for ‘molesting’ woman

Comment taken out ofcontext: Goa church

The Jharkhand government yesterday denied that a woman in Giridih district died due to starvation, though it is yet to come up with a clarification on the second reported starvation death in Chatra district. “Savitri Devi did not die due to starvation. She had been diagnosed with parenchymal haematoma. She had been treated in Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Ranchi. Her brother-in-law Bholaram Mahto used to look after her and give her food,” an off icial said. But villagers said she died on Saturday due to hunger, as she had not eaten for over three days. She, along with her daughter-in-law, would beg while her two sons had left their home state in search of work. The son of another woman in Chatra district has claimed that his mother died due to starvation, but the government is yet to react on his claim.

The Karnataka High Court yesterday asked the state government to provide security to theatres which want to screen Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s Kaala in Tamil and other versions from tomorrow. Justice G Narendar’s interim order came on a petition filed on Monday by the film’s producer Dhanush and director Aishwarya, after pro-Kannada activists opposed the film’s screening to protest the megastar’s recent remarks on the sharing of the Cauvery river water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Dhanush is Rajinikanth’s son-in-law and Aishwarya is his daughter. The state’s Additional Advocate General A G Shivanna told the court that the state government did not ban the film but the distributors and exhibitors had voluntarily decided not to screen to avoid any law and order problem.

Jharkhand denies starvation death

HC orders protection for Kaala in Karnataka

CONTROVERSYJUDICIARY

An 18-year-old girl jumped to death from a building in Hyderabad yesterday allegedly after failing to get a good rank in the NEET exam, police said. Jasleen Kaur jumped from the top of the 10-storey shopping complex in the busy Abids area. A police off icer said the girl allegedly ended her life as she went into depression after not getting the expected rank in National Eligibility-cum-Entrance (NEET) exam. Jasleen reached Mayuri Complex in the commercial hub of Abids around 10.30am. After parking her two-wheeler, she climbed the stairs and reached the top floor. Some people who spotted her raised an alarm to deter her but she jumped. According to the police, the girl sustained head injuries and died on the spot.

TRAGEDY CRIME CRITICISM

Goa Church yesterday tried to tone down the sharp criticism by Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of the political environment in India, with a senior off icial at the Bishop’s House insisting that “one or two statements” made by the top church functionary were taken out of context. “One or two statements of the Bishop have been taken out and I will say taken out of context and made an issue out of.” Ferrao wrote in the pastoral letter that the Indian Constitution was in danger and that that a “new trend” of mono-culturalism, which demands uniformity in what and how one eats, dresses, lives and even worships, was putting human rights at risk. Ferrao, as Archbishop of Goa, is the spiritual and religious leader of Catholics in Goa who account for 26% of the state’s population of 1.5mn.

A driver of ride-sharing firm Ola was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman passenger on June 1, police said yesterday. “The cab driver, V Arun, has been arrested and his car seized on a complaint by the victim. He is in our custody for interrogation,” Bengaluru Additional Commissioner of Police Seemanth Kumar Singh said. The incident occurred when the woman was on way from her home to the airport for an early flight to Mumbai. “The driver veered off from the main road on the pretext of reaching the airport early but drove to a deserted spot where he locked the car and sexually assaulted her,” Singh said. “We have issued a notice to Ola Cabs asking why the police verification of this driver was not done,” Singh added.


INDIA22

Only India canhelp itself incombatingpollution: UNIANSNew Delhi

UN Environment head Erik Solheim believes only In-dia can help itself when it

comes to “Beat Plastic Pollution” – this year’s theme of World’s En-vironment Day that the country is hosting – or to rustle up the fi -nances for this.

With the US working on its way to quit the historic Paris Climate Agreement, Solheim says it’s just the right time for India and China – among the world’s top polluters – to lead the world in the war against climate change and pollution.

“First of all, only India can change India. Indian political leaders and its people can change India,” Solheim said.

“But we can help,” he said, add-ing that despite being in a desper-ate situation to work upon its solid waste management, the world can still learn from India and India can learn from China and vice versa.

India produces over 62mn tonnes of solid waste every year, of which only 43mn tonnes are col-lected, only 12mn tonnes treated and the rest dumped. According to experts, the fi gure is expected to rise to 436mn tonnes by 2050.

“There is a huge issue of waste management in India and every-one can see that; we went from train to Agra from Delhi and we saw. There was plastic all over the rails, that’s a problem,” he said, highlighting the “big need” to manage that.

Speaking of plastic waste alone, approximately 900,000 tonnes of PET – used to make soft drink bottles, furniture, carpet, panel-ling, etc – was produced in India in 2015-16, as reported by the Na-tional Chemical Laboratory.

About 25,000 tonnes of plastic

waste is generated every year in In-dia, of which only 60%, according to Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, is recycled. Delhi with 689.52 tonnes tops the chart of plastic waste followed by Chennai (429.39 tonnes), Mumbai (408.27 tonnes), Bengaluru (313.87 tonnes) and Hyderabad (199.33 tonnes).

Solheim, however, was opti-mistic about India and counts on the initiative taken by the coun-try’s political leaders. According to business analysts, Indian waste management industry has a po-tential of $15bn with promising growth prospects.

“To tackle the situation, you need to see how these problems were resolved in the past. For in-stance, we resolved the biggest global environment problem of 1980s – the hole in the ozone lay-er. At that time also political lead-ers and businesses bought us the solutions,” he said.

Appreciating China for clean-ing its rivers, Solheim highlighted the scope of learning for India. “If China can do that then India can do that in Ganga and other rivers,” he added.

Pointing to the International Solar Alliance, Kochi airport, which is the world’s fi rst solar-

powered airport, and the world’s biggest solar power plant in Tamil Nadu, Solheim believed that the world can learn much from India.

“We can provide the best In-dian practices to the world and can bring best practices from the world to India,” he noted.

Asked about the polluting im-ages of India and China he lauded the two nations for working to-wards solutions.

“India and China, frankly speaking, are in the lead of solving their environment issues, obvi-ously there had been challenges,” he said.

“China has been cleaning its rivers like no other nation in hu-man history. They have reduced pollution in Beijing by 30 to 40%. Similarly in India, the city of Hy-derabad has been declared plastic-free and soon the area around the Taj Mahal will also be,” he said.

Drawing parallels between the issues of India and China – traf-fi c and vehicular pollution – he pointed out how China had built metro rails in 35 cities in the last 10 years and has also emerged as the biggest market for electric vehicles, adding that given the trajectory of its growth, India will catch up very fast.

IANSNew Delhi

The Supreme Court yester-day permitted the central government to go ahead

with reservation in promotions to certain categories of staff in accordance with law but did not stay a Delhi High Court judgment that quashed an offi ce memoran-dum on such reservation.

“It is made clear that the Union of India is not debarred from mak-ing promotions in accordance with law,” a bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Ashok Bhushan said, holding that it would be sub-ject to further orders of the court.

The government had sought an ‘ex parte ad interim’ stay on the high court’s verdict dated August 23, 2017 wherein the offi ce mem-orandum dated August 13, 1997 for reservation in promotions to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled

Tribes was quashed since it did not conform to the conditions stipulated in the top court’s Con-stitution Bench judgment in M Nagaraj case in 2006.

The offi ce memorandum was based on Article 16 (4A) of the Constitution, which says that the state can make provisions for res-ervation in matter of promotions with consequential seniority in favour of the SCs/STs.

Holding that nothing came in the way of the government go-ing ahead with reservation in promotions, the court tagged the government’s plea with another pending matter that would be heard by the Constitution Bench.

Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh placed before the judges an order passed on May 17 by a bench headed by Justice Ku-rian Joseph which said that the government could go ahead with the promotions in all categories.

“It is directed that the pen-

dency of this Special Leave Peti-tion shall not stand in the way of Union of India taking steps for the purpose of promotion from ‘reserved to reserved’ and ‘unre-served to unreserved’ and also in the matter of promotion on mer-it,” said the May 17 order.

The top court’s order yesterday came on the government’s plea that challenged the high court’s August 23 order of last year whereby the latter had restrained the government from granting any reservation in promotion to SCs/STs, in exercise of the power conferred by Article 16(4A) of the Constitution without acquiring quantifi able data indicating inad-equacy of representation of SCs/STs and other relevant factors.

The additional solicitor gen-eral said the order had cleared the deck for the government to go ahead with the promotions which were on hold for the last several years.

Court okays reservation in SC-ST promotions

Water levelsin India’s reservoirs falling: studyIANSNew Delhi

Water levels in India’s major reservoirs are 10% lower than normal

while these are 50% defi cient in Himachal Pradesh, a factsheet by Climate Trends said yesterday.

Putting together the spread of India’s dwindling water tables and acute water distress across the country, the study, compiled from the secondary data, looks at the impact of climate change in shifting rainfall patterns in India, the repeated droughts and water shortage incidents and the eco-nomic impact of water shortage on industries.

Climate Trends, a communica-tions initiative focusing on build-ing public understanding of climate change and clean energy issues, off ers a snapshot of the inter-state and international water disputes that India is facing currently - which off ers a dismal picture of wa-ter shortage in the country.

The report shows that as of mid-May, water levels in major reser-voirs are 10% lower than normal this at time of the year, while the levels were 11% lower in October 2017, at the end of monsoon.

Many states have seen signifi -cant changes in annual rainfall patterns - the year-round rainfall in Chhattisgarh has fallen nearly 10%, while it has increased in coastal Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana.

Extreme rainfall is becoming more common in much of the country leading to fl oods and loss of agriculture.

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Utta-rakhand all saw major reservoirs running dry in early 2018 and drought and severe water short-ages in many parts of these states.

As temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius in most parts of India, studies fi nd by turn of the century much of South Asia will be too hot for people to survive.

“Immediate awareness and ac-tion towards water conservation and its effi cient management is the crucial fi rst step needed to manage water shortages across the board,” Climate Trends director Aarti Khosla said in a statement.

Amit Shah to meet Sena chief todayIANSMumbai

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah will meet Shiv Sena chief Ud-

dhav Thackeray today in a bid to repair the severely strained relations between the two alli-ance partners, party sources said yesterday.

This will be the second sum-mit between Shah and Thack-eray. The fi rst took place exactly a year ago when the BJP chief called on the Sena supremo in June 2017 to seek his support in the Presidential election.

The meeting is offi cially de-scribed as part of an outreach programme by the BJP to mol-lify its allies and build bridges before the 2019 parliamentary battle.

The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been bit-terly targeted by Thackeray and his party in recent times.

The meeting will come a cou-

ple of days after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis exhorted his party workers to work hard for an alliance with the Sena.

Relations between the two partners plummeted to a new low when Shiv Sena ‘hijacked’ Shriniwas Vanga - the son of late BJP MP Chintaman Vanga from Palghar - and gave him the party ticket for the May 28 Palghar Lok Sabha by-election.

A raging BJP inducted former Congress leader Rajendra Gavit, who defeated Vanga.

In a guarded initial reaction, Sena MP and spokesperson San-jay Raut pointed out how the ruling National Democratic Al-liance (NDA) partners were not satisfi ed with the BJP and leaving it one by one.

But he refused to speculate whether the Sena would recon-sider its oft-repeated stance of going solo in all future elections and pointed out that the party did extremely well and showed its strength in Palghar which it contested for the fi rst time ever.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with United Nations environment chief Erik Solheim during a plenary session on the occasion of the ‘World Environment Day’ in New Delhi yesterday.

‘World choking on plastic’

Up to 5tn grocery bags are used

each year and like most plastic

garbage barely any is recycled, the

UN said yesterday as it warned the

world was choking on trash. In a re-

port for International Environment

Day, the UN warned at current levels

the earth could be awash with 12bn

tonnes of plastic trash by the middle

of the century. “Our oceans have

been used as a dumping ground,

choking marine life and transform-

ing some marine areas into a plastic

soup,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN

Environment, in the report released

in New Delhi. “In cities around the

world, plastic waste clogs drains,

causing foods and breeding disease.

Consumed by livestock, it also finds

its way into the food chain.” Most of

this plastic garbage clogging water-

ways and landfill is single-use items

like straws, bags and cutlery. The

report said the 5tn plastic bags con-

sumed each year equalled nearly

10mn plastic bags per minute.

Security off icers try to keep up with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as he takes a cycle ride to the Gomti River Front, a dream project of his tenure which now stands stalled, in Lucknow on Monday. Yadav hit the streets of the state capital on his high-end sports bicycle a day after vacating his sprawling off icial bungalow following the Supreme Court’s orders.

Akhilesh goes biking

23Gulf TimesWednesday, June 6, 2018

LATIN AMERICA

Mexico imposestariff s on US goodsReutersMexico City

Mexico yesterday imposed wide-ranging tariff s on American products,

responding to President Donald Trump’s metals tariff s and taking aim at Republican strongholds ahead of US congressional elec-tions in November.

Mexico’s retaliation further raises trade tensions between the two countries, which have been echoed in dealings between Washington and Ottawa.

Trump last week rattled some of the closest US allies by re-moving an exemption to tariff s on imported steel and alumini-um that his administration had granted to Mexico, Canada and the European Union.

Meanwhile, Trump advisor Larry Kudlow yesterday revived the possibility that the president will seek to replace the trillion dollar North American Trade Agreement (Nafta) with bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico.

Following news of the new Mexican tariff s, which take ef-fect immediately, the peso tum-

bled to its weakest level since February 2017, leading losses among major currencies.

A range of US steel products will be hit by 25% tariff s. Mexico is a net importers of US steel.

Mexico announced its re-sponse to Trump’s move late last week, with a focus on products from congressional districts that Trump’s Republican party is fi ghting to retain in November’s mid-term elections. It did not provide details of tariff levels or a full list of products at the time.

Mexico’s Economy Minister Il-delfonso Guajardo said last week that products were chosen to hit districts with important law-makers who had been warning Trump not to mess with Mexico.

He estimated the US tariff s would aff ect $4bn in trade be-tween the two countries.

Iowa, where incumbent Rep-resentative Rod Blum is seen as vulnerable, is an example of a place Mexico’s reaction could hurt Trump’s party.

Trump’s administration im-posed tariff s of 25% on imported steel and 10% on aluminium in March, citing national security grounds.

Peru minister quits over fuel tax hikesReutersLima

Peruvian Finance Minister David Tuesta has resigned after truck and bus drivers

called off plans for a major pro-test against his fuel tax hikes and the president promised to shift the focus on collecting taxes owed by big companies.

The fi nance minister’s resig-nation marks the biggest setback yet for President Martin Vizcarra since he became president in late March to replace Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former Wall Street investor who stepped down in a graft scandal.

Tuesta’s decision to hike ex-cise taxes on diesel and other fu-els as oil prices climbed on glo-bal markets prompted protests in southern Peru last month and organisers had threatened to stage larger and indefi nite pro-tests starting yesterday.

In a late-night televised ad-dress, Vizcarra said he had ac-cepted Tuesta’s resignation as

part of a shift in tax policy.“The country’s growth will be

obtained on the back of invest-ments and better (tax) collection, not on raising tax rates,” he said.

However, Vizcarra did not say whether his government would reverse the higher fuel taxes.

Instead, he shifted the focus of his tax drive to large companies.

“Large companies have been identifi ed that owe the state the equivalent of more than 1% of GDP, revenues needed for the development of public works and policies that benefi t all Pe-ruvians,” Vizcarra said.

Vizcarra did not name any of the companies but promised to establish an ad-hoc commission to tackle the issue.

Earlier, representatives of truck and bus drivers announced they had agreed to call off plans for an indefi nite strike against the higher fuel taxes after reach-ing a deal with offi cials in Viz-carra’s government.

It was not clear if Tuesta’s res-ignation was part of this deal. The fi nance ministry was not im-

mediately available for comment.In neighbouring Brazil, a re-

cent truckers’ strike over higher diesel prices virtually paralysed the country for nearly two weeks.

Vizcarra did not say who he would appoint to replace Tuesta, but he is widely expected to keep Peru’s decades-old free-market economic model in place through 2021, when his term ends.

Critics warned that Tuesta’s resignation risked sending the message that Vizcarra, formerly the country’s vice president, could be easily swayed.

“Let’s hope the departure isn’t a response to new policy revers-als due to pressure,” Alonso Se-gura, a former fi nance minister during the government of former president Ollanta Humala said on Twitter. “There are decisions that aren’t popular but are necessary.”

Last month, responding to an uproar from fi shermen, coastal residents and environmental-ists, Vizcarra repealed decrees Kuczynski had signed authoris-ing off shore oil exploration by London-based Tullow Oil.

Monarchycan resolveBrazil woes,claims royalAFPRio de Janeiro

Even if many may not take it seriously, Dom Bertrand de Orleans y Branganca is

a very serious man and at 77 the prince in Brazil’s defunct royal line says restoration of the mon-archy could resolve his country’s problems.

“If the monarchy returned it would be a relief. Brazilians would celebrate it as a great national party because people are fed up with the republic,” Dom Bertrand, a great-great grandson of Brazil’s last emperor, Pedro II, said.

These are tough times in Brazil.Whether it’s the worst reces-

sion in the country’s history, the impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff in 2016, the big-gest corruption scandal ever or a just-fi nished truckers’ strike that crippled the economy for more than a week, things are bad and not necessarily getting better.

An election is due this Octo-ber, but could a return to the roy-als fi x the mess instead?

Emperor Pedro II was deposed on November 15, 1889, in a mili-tary takeover, followed by the declaration of a republic.

Since then, the royal family has sunk into obscurity and inter-nal division. On Sunday, though, was the annual gathering in the former capital Rio de Janeiro where the faithful get to see some of their would-be sovereigns.

About 100 people turned out, dressed in their fi nest, to greet the man they called “his highness”.

With pins of the imperial fl ag on their lapels, they waited anxiously to shake the hands of the prince, a tall, thin man in a suit and tie.

Many of the women and girls present had covered their heads — in black for those married and white for the unmarried.

“Hail the empire!” one shouted, waving a large royalist fl ag. “There are a lot of people who are even

calling for a military coup today, because Brazilians feel they’ve run out of options. When politi-cians abandon you, there’s noth-ing left,” said Graciane Pereira, 37.

“I think the Brazilian royal family has fantastic people, you can’t even compare them to the politicians.”

For the faithful, European countries like Norway and Bel-gium, which have retained their monarchies, are the examples Brazil should take. “In reality, Brazil lost its bearings when the monarchy fell. From then on, everything went wrong,” said teacher Uilian Martins, 33.

But Ana Paula Logrado is not convinced. “I think the corruption we have today actually started in those times.” The last time Brazil-ians held a referendum on restora-tion, in 1993, only 10% voted yes.

However, Don Bertrand says a majority would back the move today. Brazilians are “indirectly” natural monarchists, he says, citing the love of naming carni-val “kings” and “queens,” and nicknaming footballing legend Pele “the king.”

“The monarchy has a certain charm that the republic lacks,” Dom Bertrand said.

But the family is deeply divided over who would take the throne.

One presumptive heir would be Dom Bertrand’s eldest brother Luiz, but many consider the much more politically active Bertrand to be the emperor in waiting.

Another great-great grand-son, Dom Joao, says that none of the descendants are automatic choices and that a newly formed parliament should decide. In the meantime, the bluebloods live far from their old luxuries.

Dom Bertrand, like Luiz, lives in Sao Paulo, and survives on dona-tions and the help of half a dozen volunteers. Dom Bertrand says not to worry. “The fruit is ripening. No one can give the timing, but I’m sure I’ll see the restoration of the monarchy with my own eyes.”

A firefighter measures the temperature of the soil at an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano at El Rodeo in Escuintla, Guatemala, yesterday.

Families continue search as volcano death toll risesReutersEl Rodeo, Guatemala

The death toll from a vol-canic eruption in Guate-mala rose to 69 as family

members desperately searched for the missing in makeshift morgues and on streets blan-keted with ash.

Guatemala’s national disaster agency, CONRED, increased the death toll as more bodies were pulled from the debris around the village of El Rodeo, which was hard hit by the eruption.

Just a fraction of the victims have been identifi ed so far.

At a makeshift morgue in the

city of Escuintla, about 30km from the explosion, distraught family members came to search for their relatives among the dead.

Francisco Quiche, a 46-year-old welder, gave a blood sample to try to identify his son’s body, though he already knew his son’s fate.

After evacuating the town of El Rodeo with his family, he re-turned to search for his son and daughter-in-law.

Peering through a hole in the wall of his son’s home, Quiche saw the boy’s body. He fears his daughter-in-law is dead as well.

“We had time to leave but I

am very sorry for the loss of my son and my daughter in law,” he said through tears. “My son was just 22 years old, the same as my daughter-in-law, who was ex-pecting a baby.”

The eruption of Fuego — Spanish for “fi re” — on Sunday was the biggest in more than four decades, forcing the clo-sure of Guatemala’s main in-ternational airport and dump-ing ash on thousands of acres (hectares) of coff ee farms on the volcano’s slopes.

By Monday evening, the vol-cano’s activity was lessening, and is expected to continue to diminish in the coming days, Eddy Sanchez, director of the

seismological, volcanic and meteorological institute Insi-vumeh, told reporters.

The task of retrieving bod-ies was hindered by another eruption and an apparent landslide on the southern slopes of Fuego triggered fresh evacuations.

Later heavy rains forced res-cuers to abandon the search in El Rodeo until the next morn-ing, a spokesman for CONRED said.

Rains are expected to con-tinue to complicate searches in the coming days, Sanchez said.

Elsewhere, the process of mourning had begun.

Local television footage

showed residents of villages walking through the streets, caskets hoisted on their shoul-ders.

Structures and trees at the base of the Fuego volcano were completely coated in brown and gray.

Armed soldiers donning blue masks kept watch at a badly af-fected neighbourhood that had been cordoned off .

UN secretary-general Anto-nio Guterres said he was deeply saddened by the “tragic loss of life and the signifi cant damage caused by the eruption,” and said the UN was ready to assist national rescue and relief ef-forts.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomes Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray at the state department in Washington, US, yesterday.

US Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Brazil and Ecuador at the end of June in an eff ort to strengthen trade and security ties with countries grappling with growing numbers of refugees fleeing Venezuela’s economic crisis, his spokeswoman said. Pence had originally planned to travel to Brazil in May, but postponed the trip because of the intense focus by the White House on upcoming talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The precise dates and cities on the trip were not immediately available. Tensions between the US and Venezuela have intensified since Washington refused to recognise the May 20 re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The United Nations yesterday elected Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces to be president of the General Assembly, only the fourth woman in the UN’s history to hold the post. Espinosa Garces beat out Honduras’ UN ambassador Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake in the race held against a backdrop of divisions in Latin America and globally on foreign policy. Ecuador had the controversial backing of Venezuela for Espinosa Garces, who has been foreign minister since last year and also served as defence minister and UN ambassador in Geneva. Under the UN’s system of regional rotation, it was the turn of Latin America and the Caribbean to hold the presidency.

Nicaragua’s government has urged its opponents to return to the negotiating table, after a night of clashes between police and protesters left five more people dead in the country’s escalating crisis. Residents described scenes of terror in the flashpoint city of Masaya, which saw running battles all weekend pitting residents armed with home-made mortars and slingshots against what they said were paramilitary forces and riot police loyal to President Daniel Ortega. More than 100 people have died in the violence sweeping Nicaragua since protests erupted on April 18 against Ortega, the man who has dominated the country’s politics for four decades.

Colombia’s agricultural federation yesterday said it will back right-wing candidate Ivan Duque in the June 17 presidential election. It is unusual for industry groups in the Andean nation to back candidates. The Colombian Agricultural Society represents members of the coff ee federation, as well as growers of cacao, flowers, potatoes, rice, sugar cane, palm and cotton and producers of beef. Duque will face leftist Gustavo Petro in the contest after the two beat other candidates in the first round last month. “The society considers Duque’s programme is most coherent with the needs of Colombia’s farm and ranching sector,” society president Jorge Bedoya said.

An Argentine court has accepted a land rights claim by an indigenous Mapuche community in the popular southern resort area of Bariloche, court sources said. The government of President Mauricio Macri, which claims ownership of the land currently being used by Argentina’s military, has appealed the ruling. Judge Maria Jose Sarmiento ordered the lands to be transferred within 60 days to the National Institute for Indigenous Aff airs to administer the lands on behalf of the Mapuche community of Trypay Antu. Bariloche is an area of outstanding natural beauty some 1,800kms southeast of Buenos Aires, with skiing, hiking, mountaineering and other outdoor activities.

Pence to visit Brazil to discuss Venezuela crisis

Ecuador minister to headUN General Assembly

Nicaragua govt calls fortalks after new deaths

Colombia farmers backDuque for president

Argentina court hands land to indigenous group

DIPLOMACY APPOINTMENTPROTEST POLITICS LEGAL

PAKISTAN


The drought-like condi-tions prevailing in the country since the start of

the Kharif season two months ago showed early signs of fading yesterday as temperatures rose to the highest level in 10 years in the catchment areas.

The Kharif cropping season starts from April to June and lasts until October to December in diff erent parts of the country.

Rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize and mash are some of the key crops of the season.

The temperatures in Skardu increased suddenly to 32° Cel-sius, the highest in 10 years, resulting in swift snow melting and increased river fl ows.

“It seems the drought-like conditions are disappearing,” a spokesman for the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) said. “We are hopeful to have good water availability for rice crop sowing” that starts in mid-June and continues until August.

Muhammad Khalid Idrees Rana said that 60-70% cotton sowing is now complete and re-maining is in the fi nal stages, which would get a boost due to better water availability.

He added that it would be dif-fi cult to recoup losses suff ered by provinces because of the 60% water shortage since April.

However, the spokesman added, the losses at least might be minimised.

Rana, who is also IRSA regu-lations director, said that it is a major abnormality that tem-peratures had risen so early and so quickly in Skardu.

The temperatures used to go up gradually in the past and nev-er went beyond 30°C in the fi rst week of June.

Based on improved prospects, IRSA called a special meeting to review the water situation in the

backdrop of substantial increase in river infl ows as a result of in-crease in catchments’ tempera-tures and noted that at 32°C, “Skardu attained record tem-perature in fi rst week of June”.

The meeting was informed that river infl ows had stood at 108,000 cusec (water fl ow of cubic foot per second) on May 26 and had more than doubled to 240,000 cusec on Monday (June 4).

Major increases were wit-nessed in the Indus and the Ka-bul rivers.

The river fl ows were, nev-ertheless, still lower than last year’s fl ow of 300,400 cusec.

Therefore, the regulator re-vised the provincial shares and today decided to fulfi l all the indents of the provinces to par-tially make up for the lost op-portunity during sowing.

As such, Punjab’s share was increased from 69,400 cusec to 93,200 cusec as demanded by the provincial irrigation depart-ment.

Likewise, Sindh’s share was also jacked up from 60,000 cusec to 85,000 cusec as asked for by the provincial govern-ment.

The share of Baluchistan was also enhanced from 8,000 cusec to 14,000 cusec as was desired,

while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fl ows were sustained at 3,100 cusec for Chashma Right Bank Canal.

Even after meeting full de-mands of the provinces, IRSa said that it is also starting to store some water in the reser-voirs and was able to build stor-age in last four days to 373,000 acre feet from about 207,000 acre feet.

On May 15, the irrigation au-thorities and weather pundits had reported 52% water short-age in four remaining weeks of sowing season and feared Kharif crops could face “drought-like” situation in the sowing season.

Drought-like conditions disappearing: authorityInternewsIslamabad

Playing in the rain

Children play yesterday during heavy rain, following a heatwave in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s only major left-leaning political party is fi ghting for its electoral

relevance and to preserve the leg-acy of the country’s best-known political dynasty weeks before the country heads to the polls.

In his fi rst election campaign, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the scion of the storied Bhutto family who now heads the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is attempting to re-capture the support his mother,

two-time former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, enjoyed on her return from exile in 2007, before she was assassinated on the cam-paign trail.

Party leaders insist the 29-year-old Bhutto, Oxford-educated like his mother and grandfather – also a former prime minister – brings a fresh new appeal to the party as it at-tempts to revive its waning for-tunes in a general election called for July 25.

“With Bilawal in the frontline of our campaign, we hope to see a huge swathe of young people

join us in our journey to turn back the tide of extremism, mis-governance and anti-democratic trends,” PPP senator Sherry Reh-man told Reuters.

Whether his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, will be an asset or an obstacle in that ef-fort remains a source of keen de-bate in Islamabad.

Some analysts and party insid-ers say that Zardari’s tainted im-age, the result of numerous cor-ruption allegations, could cost the party at the polls, where it will contrast with opposition ri-val Imran Khan’s relentless anti-graft message.

On the other hand, the most likely route back to power could be a post-election alliance with the charismatic Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has seemingly eclipsed the PPP in the past fi ve years, and the former president would be a key fi gure in any such negotiations.

Once the country’s most pop-ular party, the PPP fi nds itself on the brink of political irrelevance at the national level, and ana-lysts believe it is more likely to be Zardari’s ability to cut a deal, rather than his son’s populist rhetoric, that will keep the party afl oat.

“Zardari is looking at him-self as a post-election facilitator rather than a major player in the actual electoral battle,” political

analyst Aamer Ahmed Khan said.Both PPP and PTI offi cials

were cagey when asked about the possibility of an alliance, but did not rule it out.

Zardari spent a total of 11 years in jail on charges of corruption and murder, though he was never convicted of any of the off ences for which he was held and has al-ways maintained his innocence.

He was released in 2004 af-ter an eight-year stretch behind bars, and returned to Pakistan from self-exile three years later alongside Benazir Bhutto in her bid to retake the prime minister’s offi ce and end the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto was killed on the cam-paign trail three months after her return in a suicide attack, the tragic saga adding to the Bhutto family’s status as a Pa-kistani equivalent of America’s Kennedys and India’s Gandhis.

Bhutto’s father Zulfi qar, who founded the PPP, was hanged by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1979 after being deposed in a military coup, while her brother Murtaza was gunned down in the southern city of Karachi in 1996 while she was in offi ce.

Zardari was accused of his murder but cleared by the courts.

In a wave of popular support that was generated by Benazir Bhutto’s return and continued after her assassination, the PPP

swept to power and Zardari found himself wielding considerable power from the president’s of-fi ce.

While all the allegations against him were ultimately dis-missed, and despite overseeing the country’s fi rst transition of power by a civilian government, Zardari retains a tainted reputa-tion, often going by the nickname “Mr Ten Per Cent”.

“I think Asif Zardari has been a victim of massive negative prop-aganda against him,” former PPP senator Farathullah Babar told Reuters. “If any of this was true he would not have spent 11 years in jail without a single convic-tion.”

The run-up to the election has been dominated by allega-tions that the powerful military has been attempting to destabi-lise the ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), pav-ing the way to power for cricket-er-turn-politician Imran Khan’s PTI.

“We are seeing pre-poll elec-tion manipulation where people from all political parties are going and joining one political party,” former PPP senator Babar said.

PML-N insiders say that Na-waz Sharif’s relationship with Pakistan’s powerful generals is in tatters and Sharif himself re-cently alluded to the military pressuring PML-N lawmakers

and pushing them to abandon the party or join the PTI.

The military, which has ruled Pakistan for half its history, has repeatedly denied interfering in modern-day politics.

Imran Khan has denied collud-ing with the generals.

PPP leaders say their cam-paign, fronted by Bilawal Bhutto, will focus on battling extrem-ism and intolerance in a country scarred by more than a decade of militant Islamist violence.

“The PPP is going to forcefully and emphatically distinguish it-self as the party that believes that in the state of Pakistan we must ... not distinguish or discrimi-nate between the adherents of any religion,” senator Aitzaz Ah-san said.

However, while the PPP re-tains signifi cant support in the traditional Bhutto-Zardari fam-

ily stronghold of Sindh province, it appears to have lost ground na-tionally to the PTI.

A Gallup nationwide poll in March put the party on 17%, with the PTI on 24% and the PML-N on 36%.

That suggests the best chance for the opposition parties would indeed be some sort of alliance.

Some in Islamabad believe Zardari has been quietly building ties with the military to that end – a suspicion enhanced in March when the PPP declined an op-portunity to lead the Senate and instead helped elect an army-linked independent as Senate chairman.

“Zardari believes when the time to cobble together a govern-ment arrives they will need ... someone like him,” said Ahmed Khan, the political analyst. “And he will become the kingmaker.”

Heir to Bhutto dynasty seeking party’s revivalBy Saad Sayeed, ReutersIslamabad

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari: Party leaders insist the 29-year-old brings a fresh new appeal to the party.

Analysts believe it is more likely to be Zardari’s ability to cut a deal, rather than his son’s populist rhetoric, that will keep the party afloat.

ECP accepting nominations now

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared June 8 as the last date for submission of nomination papers for the upcoming general elections.The issuing of the papers began yesterday, Express News said.“Returning off icers (RO) have begun issuing the nomination papers,” said the ECP.Nomination papers, filed in accordance with Election Act 2017, will be scrutinised by June 14, while appeals against decisions made by returning off icers can be filled till June 19.

Court moves for ‘Nota’ option in ballotsInternewsLahore

The Lahore High Court has issued notices to the Election Commission of

Pakistan (ECP) and the federal law ministry on a petition chal-lenging unavailability of option “Nota” (none of the above) in the ballot papers for the upcoming general election in the country.

A lawyer fi led the petition, pleading that the option “none of the above” should be included in the ballot papers, as it would enhance the scope of political expression and public confi -dence in the democratic process.

Lawyer’s counsel Sheraz Zaka argued that to include option of Nota in the ballot papers is a fun-damental right of every citizen in consideration of the Article 19-A of the Constitution, which rec-ognised freedom of expression.

He pointed out that coun-tries like India, US, Bangladesh, Spain, Columbia, Russia and Chile provided the Nota option in their electoral system.

He said the addition of op-tion Nota would ensure cred-ibility, enhance accountability and transparency to the electoral process.

A lawyer appearing on behalf of the ECP opposed the petition, pleading that there was no pro-vision in the Election Act 2017, which delineated that the option “none of the above” should also be included.

Justice Shahid Karim directed the ECP counsel to submit a written reply and also issued a notice to the law ministry for June 12.

The judge also appointed former attorney general Salman Aslam Butt amicus curiae (friend of court) to assist the court, observing that the matter is of public importance and would enhance public confi dence in the electoral process.

The private school regula-tor in the federal capital Islamabad has instructed

schools to stop demanding sum-mer vacation fees from parents, clarifying a written order issued by the Islamabad High Court last week.

In a letter yesterday – the last day of school in the capital before summer vacations start – the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) di-rected private educational in-stitutions to withdraw commu-nication, if any, made to parents about depositing summer vaca-tion fee in advance.

The regulator issued the let-ter to schools and parents in an attempt to clear any confusion

over the court’s notices over an advanced collection of summer vacation fees.

Private schools had started sending threatening e-mails and text messages to parents, insist-ing that they must pay the ad-vance summer vacation fee and failure to do so would see the annual results of their children withheld.

On May 18, a single bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, directed Peira to re-strain educational institutes from receiving advanced fees for summer vacations until the next hearing of the court.

The court had further ordered that if parents had already paid the fees, it should be adjusted against the fees for the period af-ter the vacations end.

Consequently, Peira issued a

public notice on national dailies informing the parents about the decision and not to pay any fee to the schools.

A private school association had subsequently fi led an intra-court appeal in the IHC.

Initially court sources had confi rmed to the media that the IHC had granted a stay against the May 18 order.

However, the written order only mentioned the petitioner’s contention and directed to issue pre-admission notices.

“Notice for next week,” the or-der read.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, while hearing a number of ap-peals against various court deci-sions over the advance summer vacation fees issue in Lahore on May 31, had also refused to grant a stay against the IHC decision.

Private schools prevented from taking summer feesInternewsIslamabad

The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has stopped the teachers of

government schools and colleges in the Islamabad Capital Terri-tory (ICT), who have been given election duty, from leaving the city without permission.

The restriction comes to en-sure the smooth holding of the general elections in the ICT, for which most of the polling staff

engaged are from the local public sector educational institutions.

In a communication sent separately to all directors, area education offi cers (AEOs) and principals of educational insti-tutions, FDE director (training and co-ordination) Asif Iqbal Khan said that the directorate is providing support to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the smooth holding of general election on July 25.

“As the teaching staff tend to head outstation during the sum-mer vacation, in order to make

sure their presence well before the polling day, it has been de-cided that the offi cers and offi -cials nominated for election duty shall not leave station without the prior permission of the com-petent authority,” he said.

The director further said it would be the responsibility of the directors concerned, AEOs, and co-ordinators for the FDE Schools Wing, Model Colleges Wing and Colleges Wing to en-sure that the staff are present and available on short notice for election duty.

Teachers may not leave IslamabadInternewsIslamabad

PHILIPPINES25Gulf Times


Aquino seeks dismissal of charges over vaccine purchaseBy Jomar CanlasManila Times

Former President Benigno Aquino has asked the De-partment of Justice (DoJ)

to dismiss the graft complaint fi led against him in connection with the purchase of Dengvaxia.

Aquino attended the prelimi-nary investigation along with former Budget secretary Flor-encio Abad and former Health secretary Janette Garin.

The DoJ panel asked them to attend the preliminary inves-tigation of the criminal com-plaint fi led by Philippine Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) Manuelito Luna and El-igio Mallari of the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc (VPCI).

In his 27-page counter af-fi davit, the former president maintained that no anomaly was committed in the procurement of the dengue vaccines.

Aquino said he cannot be held liable for criminal negligence be-cause there is no valid evidence to prove that the deaths linked to the Dengvaxia were a direct re-sult of the vaccine and there was no anomaly in the government’s P3.5bn vaccination programme.

“The procurement process was above board and within the timelines prescribed by RA 9184, as determined by the DoH re-port. Finally, the dengue vaccine passed all required clinical trials, was found to be safe and eff ec-tive and there were no reported adverse or ill-eff ects at the time of its approval, launch and im-plementation,” Aquino said.

“A fact-fi nding investigation relative to the matter is still on-going, and medical experts have, in fact, categorically declared that to date, there has not been any defi nitive fi nding that the deaths were directly caused by the administration of Dengvaxia vaccine,” he added.

He asked the DoJ prosecution panel to dismiss for lack of merit the graft and technical malver-sation charges fi led against him.

Aquino and his former Cabi-net offi cials were also charged with multiple homicide and physical injuries through neg-ligence under the Revised Penal Code by the families of the vic-tims.

Senior Assistant State Pros-ecutor Rossane Balauag, chair-man of the DoJ panel, set the next hearing for June 22.

In a news conference held af-ter the hearing, Aquino said he ordered the vaccination pro-gramme to address the rise in dengue cases that reached 200,415 in 2015 from only 5,100 cases in 1995.

“Should we not have contin-

ued this? Perhaps that is what we should ask. The threat posed by dengue, should we have sus-pended the programme until af-ter the election period or allow those who can be protected to remain without protection?” he said. Aquino said he needed to respond to the situation.

“There was a point 0.2% risk but the gain was 99.8%,” he said.

He accused the complainants of fi ling a series of cases which could be considered as forum shopping. Aquino is also facing charges before the Commission on Elections and the Offi ce of the Ombudsman.

Aquino chastised government offi cials and his accusers for cre-ating panic and destroying the reputation of the DoH and its immunisation programmes.

“Because of the sensation-alisation, misleading and mis-information, many parents have made the wrong decision of re-fusing vaccine for their school children. The health of our peo-ple are jeopardised because of this and that’s what I’m more concerned of,” he told reporters.

Manila waterway choked with plasticAFPManila

The blanket of trash on a creek that flows be-tween the makeshift

homes of a Manila slum is so dense it appears one could walk across it like a paved street.

However, the thick and fet-id mosaic of plastic bottles, takeaway containers and plas-tic bags is just a porous layer atop the filthy water of Estero de Magdalena.

It is one of the tributaries that run into Manila’s most

important and heavily pollut-ed waterways, the Pasig River.

City officials blame the slum’s residents for using the creek as an open-air dump and have installed massive strainers in the water that keeps the trash from flowing downstream.

“They (residents) are turn-ing the creeks into a trash can,” said Lorenzo Alconera, an official with the city engi-neering department.

“We want to block it at that point so we can easily collect the garbage. We do not want it to flow into the Pasig River,” he added.

Trash that makes it into the river can then be swept out into the South China Sea or be sucked back by tides into the Laguna de Bay, the country’s largest lake.

Plastic pollution is a ma-jor problem in the Philippines, which along with China, Viet-nam and Indonesia is frequent-ly listed among the world’s worst off enders.

The city says it periodically uses heavy equipment to scoop the rubbish from the water and ends up with fi ve to 10 truck loads of waste to haul away.

That is of little consolation to the impoverished families who

live in homes cobbled together from pallets, scraps of wood and corrugated steel stained with rust.

Authorities say the trash-choked creek is a breeding ground for preventable ill-nesses like cholera and typhoid fever.

Beyond concerns over the in-fections that thrive in the wa-terway, residents also have to deal with a constant and una-voidable concern: its stench.

“We cannot properly sleep because of the garbage. Wheth-er it rains or is sunny, there are the smells,” 35-year-old vendor Marlyn Estrada Calderon said.

South Korea off ers $1bn aid for infrastructure boostBy Catherine S ValenteManila Times

South Korea has off ered $1bn in offi cial develop-ment assistance (ODA) to

the Philippines to help boost the Duterte administration’s infra-structure programme, Malaca-nang said yesterday.

In a news conference in South Korea, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said the commitment was made during a bilateral meeting on Monday between President Rodrigo Duterte and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, at the Blue House in Seoul.

“On the economic co-oper-ation aspect, South Korea has doubled its overseas develop-ment assistance for our in-frastructure projects, to sup-port our Build, Build Build programme,” Roque told report-ers.

“In previous years, they pro-vide us $500mn in ODA. And now, it was doubled, South

Korea has now pledged to pro-vide $1bn for our infrastructure projects,” he said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, during the same news briefi ng, said the projects to be funded by the $1bn ODA include the $172.64mn for the new Cebu International Con-tainer Port project, $100mn for the new Dumaguete Airport, $50mn for the project prepara-tion facility of the National Ir-rigation Administration and $41mn for the implementation of electronic receipt, invoices and sales reporting system that will help the government moni-tor all taxes paid by retailers.

“We intend to maximise this amount committed to us,” ac-cording to Dominguez.

He said projects for the re-maining $636.36mn in ODA funds will be identifi ed later.

“I recommended to Deputy Prime Minister Kim the use of unallocated amount to two or three of the fl agship infrastruc-ture projects identifi ed in the Build, Build, Build programme.

We promise to forward to the Korean government as soon as possible a list of fl agship projects for their consideration,” Dominguez added.

He said he had assured Korean offi cials of “our strict monitor-ing of projects to make sure none of the Korean taxpayers’ money is wasted in corruption and that all ODA-supported projects will bring lasting benefi ts to the Fili-pino people.”

The doubling of the amount, Dominguez added, can be at-tributed to South Korea’s “New Southern Policy,” which aims to deepen ties between Seoul and Southeast Asian countries.

“I expressed the gratitude of the Filipino people for the strong support South Korea extends to our economic modernisation. South Korea is fi rmly commit-ted to the Philippines economic emergence. We are ready to take our place as one of Asia’s tiger economies, and we will forever be grateful for the generous partnership extended by the Ko-rean people,” he said.

A recent photo shows children walking along a garbage-filled bay in Manila.

Aquino: seeking dismissal of charges

Philippine Secretary of Trade and Industry Ramon Lopez talks with President Rodrigo Duterte during a South Korea-Philippines business forum in Seoul yesterday.

Team probes death of nine MILF guerrillas in drug raidBy Julmunir I JannaralManila Times/Shariff Aguak

The International Moni-toring Team (IMT) and local peacekeepers

urged stakeholders not to let the death of nine Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) gue-rillas during a Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) anti-drug operation in Matalam, North Cotabato affect the peace process between the front and the government.

The IMT, comprised of mil-itary and police officers from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and civilian uniformed con-flict resolution experts from Japan, Norway and the Euro-pean Union, is now investi-gating the incident over the MILF’s denial of the involve-ment of their members in il-legal drug business.

The transnational peace-

keeping contingent has been observing since 2004 the enforcement of an interim ceasefire pact forged by the government and the MILF some two decades ago.

The Malaysian-led IMT started its inquiry on the inci-dent on Friday based on MILF complaint.

Malaysian Army Major Gen. Dato Haji Mohd Nazir bin Haji Mami, IMT mission head, ap-pealed for sobriety on the MILF and the government to avoid the incident from turn-ing into an irritant that could derail the current common peace initiatives by both sides.

Mami said the IMT will see to it that its probe on the al-leged shootout between the nine MILF members and the police shall be comprehensive.

The MILF had said its slain guerillas were not drug traf-fickers, contrary to claims by the PNP operatives.

On May 26, nine members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of the MILF were killed while three oth-ers, including a woman, were wounded during an anti-drug operation in Barangay Kilada of Matalam.

The dead were Dadting Hassan, Muhamidin Hassan, Konne Hassan, Burrah Salp-ing, Muhalidin Salping, Tiyo Mantik, Orom Mantis, Deng Malungon and Abu.

Authorities said joint an-ti-narcotics and police op-eratives were about to serve search warrants against Has-san and Bai Intan Aban in Sitio Biao, Barangay Kilada when the suspects opened fire trig-gering a firefight.

But Butch Malang, chair-man of the MILF’s ceasefire committee, said there is no truth to allegations that the victims provoked the gun-fight. The government and the

MILF are bound by an interim accord – the July 1997 Agree-ment on General Cessation of Hostilities – to resolve secu-rity issues that may affect ei-ther side.

The joint ceasefire com-mittee, a bloc of senior offic-ers from the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and MILF representatives, enforc-es bilateral security protocols meant to prevent hostilities between state and MILF forces in far-flung areas.

The IMT probe is supported by the Office of the Presi-dential Adviser on the Peace Process and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID).

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, 6ID commander, has directed the 602nd Brigade to help lo-cal officials restore normalcy in Barangay Kilada through multi-sectoral interventions meant to ease the tension caused by the bloodshed.

US ship arrival to enhance securityManila TimesManila

The US Navy’s Millinocket (T-EPF 3) has arrived in the Philippines for its 7th

Fleet’s theater security co-oper-ation (TSC) patrol, amid the on-going dispute in the West Philip-pine Sea (South China Sea).

First Class Chris Krucke, US 7th Fleet Public Aff airs chief, said yes-terday that the Millinocket has ar-rived in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on Monday.

The 7th Fleet team consists of more than 40 service members, including the fl eet’s band and its Anti-Terrorism Security Team Pacifi c (Fastpac) Marines, which

left for Singapore and Malaysia, said Krucke. The fl eet visit was intended for fl ag-level talks, com-munity relations projects and a number of band engagements and receptions aimed at enhanc-ing relationships and partnerships throughout the Indo-Pacifi c re-gion.

Krucke said the 7th Fleet team planned bilateral training with Fastpac and members of the Phil-ippine Marine Corps in Palawan.

Rear Admiral Dodgen, deputy commander of the US 7th Fleet, will be meeting with several gov-ernment and military offi cials, Krucke said.

“Our discussions with the Re-public of the Philippines continue to focus on strengthening our al-

liance through increased interop-erability and capabilities,” Dodgen said in a statement.

“I hope my brief interactions with a variety of community and military leaders…in Puerto Princ-esa will be the beginnings of fruit-ful relationships,” he added.

Capt. Bernie Wang, the fl eet’s plans and theatre security co-operation director, said that its port visits in the Philippines, Sin-gapore and Malaysia have been “positive.” The TCS is the “docu-ment” of a geographic combatant commander, which plans, pri-oritises and proposes allocation of the US Department of Defence resources across the full spectrum of military engagement within an area of operations.


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End of emergingmarkets growthstory? Not yet

Emerging markets (EMs) are still at pains to contain the fi nancial turmoil that has struck them amid the Federal Reserve’s focus on tightening fi nancial conditions.

Rising Treasury bond yields and a resurgent US currency have shaken EMs as investors have reassessed the creditworthiness of nations that loaded up on dollar-denominated debt.

Central banks in developing economies from Argentina to Indonesia have now intervened to defend their currencies, depressing their foreign exchange reserves.

Is it like “emerging markets growth is faltering, end of story”? Not yet.

Optimists argue that most EMs are far less vulnerable than they were in 1997. Foreign currency holdings among EMs and developing economies are projected to be $144bn higher this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Infl ation remains subdued in most economies and overall buff ers are stronger today than fi ve years ago.

EM governments now have stronger buff ers too, which bode better for their assets, according to AllianceBernstein, which manages about $550bn of investments.

Nations from Brazil to India to South Africa have reduced their current account defi cits in the past fi ve years, while

Thailand has turned its shortfall into a surplus of more than 10% of gross domestic product.

Moreover, stable infl ation rates and robust growth continue to make EM assets attractive, especially for funds looking to diversify from

developed markets still off ering yields close to historical lows.

EM policymakers are also reacting better than in the past. Argentina’s move to defend the peso by hiking its key interest rate to 40% and committing to reducing its fi scal defi cit exemplifi es that.

“We don’t think this is a 2013 type of scenario,” Alejo Czerwonko, a strategist at UBS Wealth Management in New York, said in a Bloomberg interview. “We’re thinking of indicators such as current-account positions, much improved from 2013 levels, or real interest rates, a lot higher than they used to be, or foreign-exchange coverage ratios. All these factors taken together are a lot better than in the 2013 taper tantrum.”

The volatility brought about by the Fed’s gradual tightening has underscored emerging markets’ enduring reliance on foreign capital. But the Fed’s infl uence on global fi nancial conditions should not be overstated, despite it being blamed for the “taper tantrum,” says chairman Jerome Powell. The EMs “should not be surprised by our actions if the economy evolves in line with expectations,” he said.

The deeper problems in the EMs stem from the excessive fi nancialisation of the global economy that has occurred since the 1990s. The resultant policy dilemmas – rising inequality, greater volatility, reduced room to manage the real economy – are seen continuing to preoccupy policymakers in the decades ahead.

Sure, Western central banks will no longer be pumping easy money. So, emerging economies must seek investment cash at home.

Without a signifi cant home-grown investor base, supported by futuristic policy initiatives and structural reforms, countries risk a return to the old boom-bust cycles of the 20th century. And part of the challenge will be to rebuild macroeconomic buff ers that have been depleted during years of fi scal and monetary stimulus.

Most EMs are seen far less vulnerable than they were in 1997, or 2013

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CHAIRMANAbdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFFaisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka

Deputy Managing EditorK T Chacko

QNADoha

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah praised

the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who led this phase very effi ciently and capably after the siege imposed on Qatar a year ago.

HE Dr al-Attiyah stressed, in an interview published in the eighth edition of Altalaya magazine, which is the offi cial magazine of the Ministry of Defence and the Qatari Armed Forces, issued monthly by the Directorate of Moral Guidance, that Qatar is certainly better than before.

This unjust siege showed the pride of the people of Qatar and their unlimited solidarity with their political leadership, he said, noting that this wonderful scene gave the government a stronger incentive for further work.

He added that the siege forces were surprised at this level of love and mutual loyalty between the people and their leadership, as they tried to undermine this bond, and the people of Qatar foiled every attempt they made until they realised that this wall is solid.

HE Dr al-Attiyah said that Qatar now has self-suffi ciency in all areas, and the Qatari citizen embarked on a spirit fi lled with the challenge towards more positive initiative and turned the siege into a historic opportunity to serve his country and his people.

He added that thanks to the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who led this phase very effi ciently and capably, Qatar has developed international relations, both with the countries and governments of the world, as well as international organisations and agencies.

Dr al-Attiyah said that what happened to Qatar is unjust and unfair siege, noting that if it was imposed on another country it would have disintegrated, especially as some of them do not have even the lowest level of loyalty and mutual admiration between the ruler and his people.

He pointed out that the Qataris gave the world a lesson in the established relationship that should arise between the people and their political leadership, and all of that is thanks to the wisdom of the Amir.

Regarding the strategic plans, HE al-Attiyah stressed that Qatar has been keen on opening up to others even before the siege, because this is Qatar’s conviction, and it is not part of the response to the siege. Qatar’s leadership, government, and people believe in coexistence, and peace, and are positively open to everyone.

He added that Qatar is a recognised contributor to the maintenance of international peace and security.

He noted that Qatar’s openness and its conviction of human communication, perhaps has been the reason for the envy, yet Qatar continues in this approach because it is a principle and a strategic choice.

HE al-Attiyah pointed out that Qatar is looking for new sea routes, and alternative air routes while continuing

to call for the opening of the routes closed by the siege countries, as the international law in this regard is on Qatar’s side as well as the competent international organisations.

He stressed that the siege will not discourage Qatar from focusing on development plans, especially with regard to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030, adding that the siege countries are saddened by the rapid growth rates achieved by Qatar, as well as by its pioneering roles in the development of brotherly and friendly societies and peoples, so they have carried out the unjust siege, accompanied by various kinds of moral degradation, through the exploitation of sport, art and the abuse of social ties.

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Aff airs declared that all development plans will be completed to the fullest, thus with the united will of the people of Qatar and residents, who have full appreciation and respect.

On co-operation and co-ordination with the European Defence Organisation and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), and whether there are joint projects to be discussed in the future with these entities, he pointed out that Qatar has an open approach to the world, with its various countries and organisations. This policy was in place before the siege, but the country is working to consolidate and further develop it after the siege.

“We have distinguished bilateral

relations and strategic partnerships with many of our allies. We have relations that are evolving day by day with Nato. We have partnerships with the European Union through the European Defence Organisation. And we have also established the fi rst (operational squadron) with the United Kingdom,” he said, adding this is the fi rst squadron to be established in Europe after the Second World War in 1945.

Qatar and the United Kingdom formed this joint Typhoon Squadron to perform the duties of defending the two countries and all defence functions.

It will enter service in Qatar by the end of 2021 and its leadership will rotate between Qatar and the United Kingdom, HE al-Attiyah said.

With regard to Nato and the steps that have been taken in order to achieve a real partnership between the parties, and whether these steps may lead to a request of Qatar to become a full member of this alliance and what level of response the Organisation may give to this Qatari request, if any, he said Qatar has real co-operation with Nato, which is developing day by day.

This co-operation may lead to Qatar hosting one of the Nato units or one of its specialised centres, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs said.

“As for membership, we are a major ally outside Nato, and there is an ambition for full membership if Nato’s partnerships develop. Our vision is clear and Nato appreciates Qatar’s

contributions to combating terrorism and combating its fi nancing, and praises its positive role in maintaining security and the stability of the region. Therefore, it views the State of Qatar as a serious and reliable partner,” he said.

Regarding Qatar’s proposal to establish a regional system for joint security, and how the regional parties received this proposal and is there a mechanism to activate it, especially with such challenges as confl ict of interest and the emergence of ideological confl icts in the region, HE al-Attiyah said this has been the vision of His Highness the Commander-in-Chief since a long time.

It was presented even before the siege, because no one can deny geography, no one can deny the world has changed, and no one can deny that challenges with this change no longer threaten a state alone, but become a common threat.

Therefore, through its political leadership, Qatar has put forward a general framework or conclusion of agreements guaranteeing common regional security and establishing a unifi ed road map for regional security, as this is the shortest way towards establishing peace and security in the region.

On the importance of this agreement and its manifestations, he said the framework is that dialogue, openness and disclosure are the way to resolve diff erences and seek common security interests, not by remote muscle-fl exing and by questioning and betraying others.

This method is no longer useful, he said, pointing out that the search for an external enemy to blame it for all internal failures or make it a porte-manteau to divert attention from the real internal problems – all these have become a transcendent and old theory. “Now the whole world is heading towards common economic interests, strong alliances and the formation of regional power centres.. We can preserve regional security only through adopting this general framework to start development projects for the benefi t of the countries and peoples of the region, and without that it is a waste of time, a waste of the higher interests of peoples and their aspirations and the future of generations to come.”

As for the level of response that this invitation has received, he said unfortunately, to this moment there is no positive response.

Every country in the region has its own agenda.

The siege countries have unfortunately lost their way.

They have long ago identifi ed for themselves presumed enemies, but overnight they did not fi nd other than Qatar as an enemy.

“So for us they lost their way”, he said, adding, “We are still open, and we have the courage to engage in dialogue with everyone without exception, and you can describe this dialogue as (dialogue without fear or barriers), otherwise the peoples of the region will be the victim, and the future of generations will be lost, and the insistence on searching for enemies and hiding behind them to hide internal failures will only bring more destruction and abuse, HE al-Attiyah said.

‘Siege countries surprised by levelof Qataris’ love, loyalty for Amir’

“We are still open, and we have the courage to engage in dialogue with everyone without exception”

COMMENT

Gulf Times Wednesday, June 6, 2018 27

Eating peanuts, chickpeas may lower cholesterol

Dehorning helps save rhinos from poachers

Liberia the latest success story of UN peacekeepersBy Adam Kinzinger and David CicillineWashington

On March 30, peacekeepers from the United Nations lowered their fl ag in Liberia, ending a 15-year mission to

stabilise the country after its vicious civil war. The end of the United Nations Mission in Liberia is one indication of the positive transitions happening in the West African nation and the real potential for a lasting peace.

The brutal history of Liberia’s power struggle is well-known to the world, and it has become a lesson on resilience. For decades, Liberians have been oppressed by brutal warlords and violent factions within the once-democratic government. Following the Cold War, the country became infamous for its child soldiers and wars that left 250,000 dead and millions of people displaced.

In 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa’s first female head of state when she was elected president of Liberia. She was one of three recipients to win the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to further women’s rights and ensure the safety of women.

This past December, the country elected George Weah, a native Liberian and former professional soccer player, as Sirleaf’s successor. The election marked Liberia’s fi rst peaceful and truly democratic transfer of power since 1944 – another sign of its stability and hope for its future.

These powerful transitions were made possible by the presence of United Nations peacekeepers and the scores of UN agencies that helped stabilise and rebuild a failed state. We know this because we were both there in 2013 to see the work of the UN up close, during a time when the future of the United Nations Mission

in Liberia was very much unclear. A month after our visit, the first Ebola death in West Africa was reported, sending Liberia and its neighbouring countries into a three-year tailspin of devastating death tolls, crippling economies and uncertainty for the future.

Through it all, the United Nations stayed in Liberia, where its presence was perhaps needed more than ever. Working against the odds, the “blue helmets” disarmed more than 100,000 combatants, secured 21,000 weapons, and helped more than 26,000 refugees and displaced persons return home.

Working with the United States, the UN trained and professionalised the Liberian National Police, which now stands at 5,000 strong. The work done by the US and the UN, in co-operation with local communities, has allowed Liberia to fl ourish into a country that can stand on its own and, hopefully with time, help other embattled nations follow its example.

In fact, the United Nations achieved similar success in neighbouring countries – just a year earlier in the Ivory Coast and more than a decade before in Sierra Leone, further helping West Africa become a beacon of

development and stability for the rest of the continent.

Some might argue that the stability of these small countries has little bearing on America, separated by an ocean and nearly 4,000 miles. But we know that a stable West Africa is paramount to our goals for national and global health security – preventing safe havens for terrorists and transnational criminals to thrive, and stopping diseases from reaching our shores.

It’s also in our economic interest to see stability in West African nations. Earlier this year, the US Government

Accountability Offi ce issued a report that found it was almost eight times cheaper for the US to support a UN peacekeeping eff ort than doing it alone. Research by the well-respected Rand Corporation came to a similar conclusion. It said that UN peacekeeping operations were “an eff ective means of terminating confl icts, insuring against their reoccurrence, and promoting democracy” and “much more cost-eff ective than using US forces.”

Our military leaders have also expressed strong support for the benefi ts of burden-sharing with the

United Nations. Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama, said UN peacekeepers “help promote stability and help reduce the risks that major US military interventions may be required. ... Therefore, the success of these operations is very much in our national interest.”

Liberia, a country founded by former American slaves in the 1800s and whose US-inspired red, white and blue fl ag now fl ies alone, is ready to resume its walk with democracy and stability. As President Weah said in his New York Times op-ed last month, “enormous tasks” lie ahead “to build a stable and sustainable peace and ensure that (Liberia’s) dire socioeconomic situation does not undermine the hard-fought gains of the past 15 years.” Across the country, gross domestic product per capita, adjusted for purchasing power, was $754 in 2016. In the months and years ahead, Weah’s government will need to attract foreign investment, create jobs, and educate its people if the country is to move forward.

It won’t be easy, but hope and opportunity are the true beacons of freedom and the founding blocks for democracy to fl ourish.

As Americans we believe in the underdogs, and that humble gratitude, hard work and equality will unite them all in our mission for peace. As members of Congress, we are grateful to the United Nations peacekeepers for giving Liberia this opportunity and we wish them continued success as they strive for peace around the world. – Tribune News Service

Adam Kinzinger is a Republican representing Illinois’ 16th District. He serves on the House Foreign Aff airs Committee. David Cicilline is a Democrat representing Rhode Island’s 1st District. He also serves on the House Foreign Aff airs Committee.

Live issues

IANSWashington

Eating a diet that includes peanuts, chickpeas, apples and a little amount of plant sterols may lower cholesterol and

improve blood pressure, new research has found.

The diet is based on the “Portfolio Diet,” which is a plant-based dietary pattern that emphasises a portfolio of four proven cholesterol-lowering foods.

“Previous clinical trials and

observational studies have found strong evidence that a plant-based diet can improve heart health,” said one of the study authors, Hana Kahleova, Director of Clinical Research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC.

“This study demonstrates that certain plant foods are especially eff ective for lowering cholesterol and boosting our overall cardiovascular health,” Kahleova added.

The diet that the researchers found beneficial included 42 grams of nuts (tree nuts or peanuts), 50

grams of plant protein from soy products or dietary pulses (beans, peas, chickpeas, or lentils), 20 grams of viscous soluble fibre from oats, barley, psyllium, eggplant, okra, apples, oranges, or berries and two grams of plant sterols from supplements or plant-sterol enriched products per day.

The fi ndings, published in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, are based on a new meta-analysis, a statistical procedure that integrates the results of several independent studies.

The results suggest that a diet that

includes plant protein, fi bre, nuts and plant sterols improves several markers for cardiovascular disease risk including reductions in cholesterol level and improvements in blood pressure.

Following the dietary pattern reduced LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the “bad” cholesterol by 17%, while also reducing total cholesterol, triglcyerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and C-reactive protein.

It also helped reduce 10-year coronary heart disease risk by 13%, the study said.

Guardian News and MediaDurban

Armed with a dart gun in a helicopter hovering above Somkhanda game reserve in South Africa, the vet Dr Mike

Toft has just shot a powerful cocktail of drugs into the massive white rhino below.

The 2,000kg (315st) bull starts to stagger and sinks slowly to its knees as the drugs take eff ect. Though immobilised, the rhino is conscious. So, once it has been moved into the right position by a team on the ground, foam earmuff s and a blindfold are placed on its head to reduce stress levels.

After marking the ideal cutting point to avoid damaging the living growth plates at the base of the horns, Toft fi res up a chainsaw and slices both of them off .

Those magnifi cent horns, which have helped to protect this species for millions of years, are the reason that more than 7,000 rhinos have been killed in South Africa in the past decade. A persistent human desire for rhino horn – for everything from traditional medicine to hangover cures or status symbols – drives the slaughter of more than 1,000 of the animals each year in the country that has the largest rhino population in the world.

Worldwide, the situation is grave. The northern white rhino became functionally extinct after the death of Sudan, the last male, in March, while the black rhino population is down to about 5,200. The situation for Asian rhinos is equally bleak: there are just 3,200 surviving Indian rhinos, about 76 Sumatran rhinos and 60 Javan rhinos. There are fewer than 30,000 rhinos globally, with Africa’s southern white rhino the most populous species at about 20,000.

These alarming fi gures have driven wildlife managers in several South African reserves to take the drastic step of sawing off hundreds of horns every year, before criminal syndicates can get their hands on them. With the poachers’ prize removed, the risk to the hornless animals is greatly reduced.

Horns at the ranch of the rhino breeder John Hume, who believes the only way to ensure the survival of the species is by farming the animals and legalising the sale of rhino horn globally.

The strategy has produced dramatic results in several reserves. Chris Galliers, chairman of the Game Rangers Association of Africa, analysed 2010-15 poaching statistics from the south-eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal and found that nearly a quarter of rhino deaths were on private reserves. But over the past two

and half years, coinciding with the intensive dehorning eff orts, that has dropped to 5%.

Toft has removed close to 1,800 horns from 900 rhinos in the past three years in KwaZulu-Natal, which has been heavily targeted by poachers. Both Galliers and Toft acknowledge that dehorning is not a permanent or ideal solution to the crisis. “This is not something we want to do. It’s expensive and invasive but we believe it is a necessary evil,” says Galliers, noting that it costs about £580 to safely dehorn a rhino.

The cost is based on the hiring of helicopters and skilled vets. Galliers, also head of the anti-poaching initiative Project Rhino, points out that dehorning must be repeated every 18-24 months as the horns regrow naturally.

Even then, there have been cases

of dehorned animals being shot for their stumps. Toft has developed a method of removing as much horn as possible without causing pain to the rhino or damage to its growth plates. The horn is removed to about three fi nger widths from the base, then the stump is further trimmed around the edges with an angle grinder, enabling the removal of an extra 2kg of horn on a large bull.

The operation is noisy and violent, but there is no blood – and Toft insists it is no more painful than trimming your fi ngernails if done correctly.

Galliers and Toft believe dehorning could help save rhinos under threat elsewhere in Africa and Asia. But the cost means that might only be possible in small and medium-sized reserves.

Dehorning only selected bulls is not an option, as those without horns would be more vulnerable in territory fi ghts. In parks where the entire rhino population is dehorned, all bulls are placed at equal disadvantage. But dehorned rhinos can still fend off lions by using their considerable bulk as a weapon, Toft says.

For trophy hunters, the aim is to acquire both the head and the horns. Many other horned animals are hunted: elephants are slaughtered for their ivory, but Toft does not think detusking is a solution. Tusks are partially hollow and contain sensitive roots and nerves. Although it would be feasible to remove the solid portion, a large volume of tusk would have to remain intact, which could still attract the attention of poachers. Tusks are also essential tools for elephants to strip tree bark or dig up succulent roots and tubers.

For now, dehorning appears to be achieving success as an emergency measure, buying time while the decades-old debate continues about how to end the demand for rhino horn. – Guardian News & Media

Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf greeting female Indian Peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in Monrovia.

The magnificent horn is the reason that more than 7,000 rhinos have been killed in South Africa in the past decade.

WARNINGInshore : Nil

Offshore : Nil

WEATHERInshore : Hot daytime with slight

dust and some clouds at times

WINDInshore : Southeasterly-North-

easterly 05-15 KT Offshrore : Mainly Southeasterly-

Northeasterly 03-12 KT

Visibility : 4-8 KM

Offshore : 1-3 FT

TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Maximum Temperature : 430c

Minimum Temperature : 310c





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QU holds seminar on currentsituation, future aspirationsThe achievements of Qa-

tar during the fi rst year of the illegal blockade were

highlighted and discussed at a seminar hosted by Qatar Uni-versity (QU) in the presence of HE Sheikh Thani bin Hamad al-Thani at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Ho-tel.

The seminar on ‘A Year of Blockade: Current Situation and Future Aspirations’ provided a general overview on the conse-quences of the blockade at the local, regional and international levels. It also gave an academic perspective about the eff ect of the blockade on Qatar and the region in terms of international relations and law.

Sheikh Thani was joined by QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, QU offi cials and college deans. The speakers were Min-istry of Foreign Aff airs spokes-person HE Lulwah al-Khater, QU College of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities and Social Sciences Centre director Dr Nayef bin Nahar and QU Social and Eco-nomic Survey Research Insti-tute’s (Sesri) policy manager Dr Majed Mohamed al-Ansari.

Dr al-Derham said, “Qatar, under its wise leadership, has achieved in one year, what other countries may achieve in sev-

eral years. We have overcome all constraints, earning the re-spect of the world. As per the international indicators, Qatar’s economy is steady. In addition, the country’s huge projects such as the FIFA 2022 World Cup projects, the rail and the infra-structure development projects, are still ongoing and have not been aff ected by the blockade.”

Al-Khater noted that the po-sition of the siege countries about Qatar shows that these countries are not able to absorb Qatar’s steadfastness and suc-cess in overcoming the block-ade’s eff ects. She also noted that the region is radically changing and that the siege countries’ main problem is being unable to articulate a dialogue or a bal-

anced and thoughtful policy, which makes them struggle with their policies towards Qatar and the region as a whole.

“The siege countries are re-viving a distorted form of Arab nationalism through breaking two of its values — the socialist dimension and the Palestinian issue as these countries have re-cently shown a negative position

about the Palestinian issue,” al-Khater added. Dr al-Ansari said, “This crisis is not temporary but a deep one. It will reassess the way adopted by the society be-fore the blockade to deal with a lot of principles and the external environment. In this context, QU and the local institutions made huge interactions about the crisis since the fi rst day. The crisis underlined the vital role of QU as a “house of expertise”.

“A survey recently conducted by Sesri on a sample of 889 in-dividuals has shown that the political awareness in Qatar has increased after the blockade. The percentage of individuals who follow political news has increased to 90%. The major-

ity of the Qatari citizens (62%) believe that Qatar must achieve full independence from regional alliances, which indicates a lack of confi dence in the regional environment, while a huge pro-portion of citizens (86%) agreed that Qatar must search for new alliances with regional powers in the region, which indicates a lack of confi dence in the existing alliances.”

Dr Nahar highlighted the chal-lenges that Qatar should tackle despite its success through the crisis, saying: “Qatar must seek to maintain its presence and achieve a balance of power, whether through a self-force, or through the development of new alliances.”

He stressed the importance of developing alliances, highlight-ing the Qatari-Turkish model. He also noted that it is important to develop relations with other allies in the region, such as Iran and Russia, due to the strategic interests that these countries share with Qatar.

“The Gulf Cooperation Council is only necessary as a service institution that main-tains the permanence of intra-regional transportation and trade. However, as a political system the Council cannot re-main the way it is. It is in the interest of Qatar to add new members to the council such as Iraq, Yemen and other coun-tries,” he added.

Dr Hassan al-Derham addressing the gathering.

Dr Majed Mohamed al-Ansari Dr Nayef bin Nahar HE Lulwah al-Khater

Qatar Post issues stamp to mark Ashghal’s landmark achievement

Qatar Post, in co-op-eration with Ashghal, launched yesterday a

stamp to mark the opening of the ‘5/6 Interchange’, which was formally dedicated to the nation on the eve of Qatar National Day last year. The launch event was held at Ashghal headquarters in the presence of Infrastructure Aff airs director Mohamed Ma-soud al-Marri, Qatar Post chief operating offi cer Hamad Mo-hamed al-Fahida and a number of other senior offi cials from both the organisations.

Al-Marri said Ashghal is an example of adopting innova-tion and implementing the best. “The new postage stamp is very special as it represents the 5/6 Interchange, the dis-tinctive architectural icon and the Qatari landmark that com-bines the country’s past, fu-ture and the original maritime heritage. “The images selected for the new postage stamp in-cluded 5/6 interchange and the arches that symbolise the stability of Qatar and its resil-ience to the challenges,” he ex-plained.

Al-Fahida revealed that in a fi rst for the Middle East, when the new self-adhesive stamp is scanned with the augmented re-ality application Qatar Stamps, a

short fi lm can be seen along with the information of the architec-tural landmark.

“The augmented reality ap-plication is a revolution in the world of stamps,” he added.

Ashghal and Qatar Post off icials at the launch of the stamp yesterday.

The image of the stamp launched yesterday.

28 Gulf TimesWednesday, June 6, 2018

QATAR

Ooredoo pushes forward with 5G network roll-outOoredoo is pushing for-

ward with its 5G net-work roll-out plan

across Qatar less than three weeks since the company an-nounced it was the fi rst opera-tor in the world to launch the 5G network commercially in the 3.5GHz spectrum band.

At a special event held in Katara – the Cultural Village, Ooredoo CEO Waleed al-Sayed announced that Katara is of-fi cially the second live 5G net-work site in Qatar. During the event, Ooredoo demonstrated the speed of the new 5G net-work in the Cultural Village, and the network reached an impressive 2.51 Gbps with an extremely high throughput and low latency.

Al-Sayed said, “We’re push-ing forward with our roll-out plan, making 5G a reality to our customers. Katara, the cultural home of our beloved Qatar, is now offi cially 5G-ready. With the huge investments we’re making in our technology, we aim to enhance our customers’ digital lives, giving them access to life-changing opportunities and allowing them to enjoy the Internet in every way possible.”

Although Ooredoo’s 5G Su-pernet network is not yet ac-cessible by smartphones, due to world-wide manufactur-ing limitations, the company has stated that it is working to rapidly roll-out its state-of-the-art network so that consumers and businesses across Qatar can instantly benefit as soon as compatible

devices are made available.Ooredoo’s 5G network roll-

out will have a hugely positive impact on many sectors in Qa-tar, such as health and educa-tion, and on the entertainment industry. This is due to the rise of Internet of Things applica-tions that need extremely high speeds and will pave the way for a host of smart technolo-

gies like smart cars, VR, AR, and drones to be part of every-day life.

The fi rst stage of Ooredoo’s 5G Supernet deployment will cover an area from The Pearl-Qatar to Hamad International Airport, and the company has stated that they aim to update 100 network stations to 5G within the next three months.

Ooredoo has announced that Katara is officially the second live 5G network site in Qatar.

QM unveils art installationsto mark 1st year of blockadeQatar Museums (QM) has

unveiled two public art installations by British

artist Martin Creed and emerg-ing Qatari ‘ARToonist’ Ghada al-Khater. The artworks mark the fi rst anniversary of the blockade against Qatar, commemorating a historic time of unprecedented national solidarity and the pow-er of hope that brought the peo-ple of Qatar together.

The fi rst piece is Martin Creed’s mutable ‘Everything is Going to be Alright’ installation, which was newly created for the context of the anniversary of Qatar’s blockade, and show-cased on the facade of Al Riwaq Gallery. The bright ‘LEDpiece’ provides a moment of double-take in urban landscapes and acts as a reassuring message for everyone that passes by. Origi-nally executed in 1999 for a tem-porary commission in Hackney,

the artwork is one of the great post-conceptualist pieces of the late 20th century.

The second piece introduces

Qatar to another creative com-mentary by political ‘ARToonist’ Ghada al-Khater who generated tremendous praise for her humor-

ous take on the blockade. ‘A Bless-ing in Disguise’ is Ghada’s Arabic answer to Creed’s ‘Everything is Going to be Alright’. The familiar

proverb formed a signifi cant part of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s his-torical speech on July 21, 2017, in which he addressed the citizens of Qatar for the fi rst time since the start of the blockade. Displayed on the Fire Station’s facade, the sign serves as a simple and gentle reminder “that there is always a silver lining.”

“Since the beginning of the blockade, Qatar has chosen to take the high road, rising above hate and hostility,” said Khalifa al-Obaidly, director of the Fire Station. “The two installations were chosen for their genuine and simple messages of hope and op-timism, refl ecting how the coun-

try and its people have used the unjust blockade as an inspiration to move forward against all odds.”

Spearheaded by QM’s chair-person HE Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Tha-ni, public art is a central focus in QM’s mission to push the boundaries of the traditional museum model and off er cultur-al experiences in public spaces. The two temporary installations join a growing and outstanding collection of paintings and art-works by local and international artists.

Hand-picked for their im-mersive and thought-provoking nature, QM’s public art installa-tions serve as an inspiration for

the next generation of cultural producers.

This is not the fi rst art initia-tive that QM has launched as a commentary on the blockade. Last year’s ‘100 Days of Block-ade’ graffi ti at the Fire Station saw fi ve local and expat artists producing emotive artworks re-fl ecting their personal take on the political situation.

“Creativity and humour shine the brightest during times of cri-sis. We will continue to nurture Qatar’s growing artist commu-nity by providing platforms of self-expression and establishing an organic connection between audiences and art of all kinds,” al-Obaidly added.

British artist Martin Creed’s installation on the facade of Al Riwaq Gallery.

‘A Blessing in Disguise’ neon sign by Qatari ARToonist Ghada al-Khater is seen on the Fire Station’s facade.

Fitch revises upward Qatar's outlook to 'stable ... - Gulf Times

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