New regulations for real estate brokers will help build trust with investors

MINISTER of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari opened the 8th edition of Cityscape Qatar 2019 – the only real estate exhibition and conference of its kind in the

Gulf state – at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on Tuesday.“Cityscape Qatar 2019 will be remembered as a breakthrough event — coinciding with the

recently released real estate foreign ownership law. The freehold and leasehold laws aim at creating a positive transformation in the real estate sector and supporting economic growth in Qatar,” Kuwari said. “With the regulation of real estate brokerage, new standards have been put in place to provide a suitable environment that will enhance the qualification of brokers by offer-ing them special services, controlling speculations, and establishing a proper platform for the sector,” he added. (TNN) PAGE 11

SATYENDRA PATHAK DOHA

HAMAD International Air-port (HIA) is going to be big-ger and better.

HIA on Tuesday revealed plans for its second phase of expansion to further enhance the airport’s capacity to more than 60 million passengers annually before an interna-tional audience of real estate investors at the Cityscape Qatar exhibition in Doha on Tuesday.

Qatar Airways (QA) Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker said a spectacular 10,000 sqm indoor tropical garden in a central concourse as well as a 268 sqm water feature will be the focal point of the second phase of expan-sion of HIA to be completed much before the start of 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The tropical garden will dominate a new central con-course linking the current D and E concourses and serve as a focal point for all travellers.

The second phase of ex-pansion consists of phase A and B.

Phase A of the current ex-pansion will comprise a cen-

tral concourse linking con-courses D and E.

Construction on phase A will commence early next year and will increase the airport’s capacity to more than 53 mil-lion passengers annually by 2022, Baker said.

Unveiling plans for expan-sion of Al Mourjan lounge as part of phase A, Baker said HIA will expand the world-class Al Mourjan lounge up to 9,000 sqm with dramatic views looking towards the tropical garden.

The lounge will include additional spas, gymnasiums, restaurants and business cen-tres as well as other passenger facilities.

“The new Al Mourjan lounge will complement rath-er than replace the existing lounge,” Baker said.

All expansion projects as part of phase A will be com-pleted in the first quarter of 2022, he said.

The D and E concourses in turn will be expanded af-ter 2022 in phase B to further raise the airport’s capacity to more than 60 million passen-gers per year, he said.

Expanded HIA to handle 60 mn fliers a year

CATHERINE W GICHUKIDOHA

A new cruise passenger ter-minal was inaugurated at Doha Port on Tuesday as over 3,000 passengers disem-barked from megaship Mein Schiff 5, ushering in Qatar’s fourth and largest cruise tourism season.

German luxury cruise lin-er Mein Schiff 5 arrived with 2,354 passengers and 996

crew members.The visitors were wel-

comed with ardha dance and traditional foods and displays.

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) Secretary- General and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Ak-bar al Baker cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the pas-senger terminal.

Spread over 6,000 square metres, the new facility will act as a temporary terminal

for the next two seasons until the completion of Doha Port’s expansion plan due in 2022.

Mein Schiff 5 is the first of 74 ships expected this sea-son, a 66 percent increase in the number of ships’ arrival in the 2018/19 cruise season (44 ships).

In a statement, Minister of Transport and Communi-cations, HE Jassim bin Saif al Sulaiti said the opening of the new temporary terminal in Doha Port will support the country’s strategy to develop cruise tourism.

New passenger terminal at Doha Port opens2019-20 cruise season kicks off with arrival

of 3,350 visitors aboard Mein Schiff 5 French court orders ASO to honour beIN contract (PG 16 )

QIMC unveils flagship Corniche Park Towers (PG 12 )

QNATOKYO

THE Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani participated in the enthronement cer-emony of HM Emperor Naruhito of Japan, which took place at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday. A number of heads of state and government as well as senior of-ficials of Japan and of other nations, and representatives of international organisa-tions participated in the ceremony. Later, the Amir attended the dinner banquet hosted by HM Emperor Naruhito in honour of the guests participating in His Majesty’s enthronement ceremony.

Amir attends Japanese emperor’s enthronement

ceremony in Tokyo

CITYSCAPE QATAR OPENS

MINISTRY of Foreign Af-fairs Spokesperson HE

Lulwah al Khater has said Qatar supports positive re-forms witnessed by Ethiopia. This came as Khater wit-nessed the opening of the TV Reporter Workshop, the first of a series of media develop-ment initiatives sponsored by MoFA. “We hope that cooperation in the field of media development will be a positive step that will push forward the relations between our two friendly countries,” Khater said. (TNN)

Qatar supports reforms in Ethiopia: Khater

I congratulate His Majesty the Emperor of Japan Naruhito and the Japanese people on his inauguration. I am delighted to share this happy event with our friends in Japan.

THE old airport in Qatar will be reopened for passenger flight operations for four weeks during the FIFA World Cup

2022. The Doha International Airport (DIA), which is also known as the old airport, was replaced as the country’s principal airport by the Hamad International Airport (HIA) in 2014. Now, almost all of Qatar’s passenger flight operations are run out of HIA, with DIA serving as an auxiliary airport mostly for military, royal or chartered flight operations. How-ever, with the World Cup expected to bring in fans in mas-sive numbers, the services of DIA are necessary, QA Vice-President for Strategy and Customer Satisfaction Sujata Suri said. “The old airport is very much being used,” Suri said at a conference held as part of the Cityscape Qatar real estate exhibition that began in Doha on Tuesday. —RAHUL PREETH PAGE 13

Old airport to be reopened for passenger flights during WC

QATAR Airways (QA) will take a record delivery of over 40 aircraft in 2020, the highest ever by any airlines in the

world in a year. “Up to now we were getting around 35 aircraft a year. Next year, we are earmarked to receive the delivery of more than 40 aircraft, which is the highest in the history of Qatar Airways in a year. I don’t think there is any airline in the world that takes delivery of even 35 aircraft in a year,” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker said on Tuesday. —SATYENDRA PATHAK PAGE 12

Qatar Airways to take delivery of record 40 aircraft in 2020

Indoor tropical garden to be focal point of second phase of HIA expansion

Continued on page 20

Continued on page 12

QNB starts financing subscription to Baladna IPO shares (PG 14 )

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QITCOM 2019

Organised by Strategic Sponsors

OOREDOO, Qatar’s leading telecommunications operator, today announced an exciting upgrade programme for its network, in line with the sig-nificant growth that our beloved Qatar has wit-nessed lately in various fields and to ensure offer-

ing the most advanced services to all residents, including future 5G use cases, in partnership with global mobile giant Ericsson.

The telecommunications leader announced it is work-ing with industry giant Ericsson to upgrade existing network. The upgrade, which is being rolled out over a period of several weeks, will bring new levels of innova-tion to healthcare, education and industry as a key driver behind the ambitious 5G expansion plans, with Ericsson being chosen as a partner thanks to its long-established position as market leader and technology pioneer.

Ooredoo will leverage Ericsson’s industry-leading Ericsson Radio System, 5G New Radio solutions and its 10 Gbps microwave network to fully digitally transform and modernise its existing mobile network in order to ensure it is fully prepared to introduce the latest technol-ogies in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and ahead of 2022’s events.

5G has been much anticipated in Qatar and across the world, given its potential to change the way internet us-ers experience connectivity. A 5G network has the capac-ity to allow 10,000 times the volume of traffic compared to LTE, and provides peak capacity of 10 Gbps. Ooredoo has already showcased a number of exciting use cases to give the public an insight into just how much the 5G network will change lives: it demonstrated autonomous vehicles by piloting the world’s first 5G-enabled aerial taxi drone; it trialled on-the-go WiFi in moving vehicles; remote medical treatment was shown to be possible with haptic gloves, scanners and joysticks; the latest VR and AR experiences were showcased; 5G-enabled security for mega-events has been displayed at mega-events; and many more.

Ooredoo is the first operator in the world to launch 5G services and the recent Emir Cup was an ideal opportuni-ty for Ooredoo to showcase some of the most exciting 5G developments and demonstrate how 5G will revolution-ise healthcare and sports enjoyment. Its ground-break-ing Virtual Stadium and the 5G Connected Ambulance were both put to the test; the Virtual Stadium allowed fans to experience a completely new way of enjoying sports - combining Virtual Reality with user engagement and interaction and the 5G network - while the 5G Con-nected Ambulance allowed attendees a glimpse into the

near future where the best medical professionals, located anywhere around the world, will be able to diagnose and treat patients here in Qatar using 5G technology.

The telecommunications leader is demonstrating its commitment to its own corporate social responsibility strategy and the aims of Qatar Vision 2030 - sustainabil-ity, economic growth and environmental management – with the roll-out of its 5G network; despite the phenom-enal capabilities of the new 5G network, the technology currently being deployed provides vastly superior 5G per-formance with the smallest site footprint and the lowest possible energy consumption.

Speaking of the network upgrade, Yousuf Abdulla al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We’re delighted to be working with such a major inter-national powerhouse to ensure Qatar is at the forefront of technological advancement, in line with our corporate strategy which aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030. We have long been pioneers in the development of a full commercial 5G network, laying the foundations for a bold and ambitious future, and we are excited to see its rapid progression in partnership with Ericsson. This upgrade represents a major expansion of our 5G network in Qa-tar as we work towards 5G becoming mainstream in the country.”

Al Kubaisi added: “By investing in high-speed and low-latency 5G technology, we will be able to meet the growing data traffic demands and deliver the high-quality network required to offer the very best Smart City ser-vices for Qatar. Our partnership with Ericsson will help us develop Qatar beyond all current expectations; it will enable its Smart Cities, its Internet of Things capabilities and its potential to host immersive mega-events. 5G-ena-bled services will have an enormous impact on our every-day lives; they will be instrumental in developing the kind of Smart Cities in which we want to live, in transforming society and industry and in enhancing people’s digital lives. We are beyond excited to see how the future of Qa-tar unfolds, and we are proud to be working with Ericsson to make 5G dreams a reality.”

A comprehensive communication plan has ensured customers have been made aware of the network upgrade, in case any temporary interruptions to normal service are encountered. Technical staff have assured customers any disruption is expected to be minor and short-lived, with the post-upgrade benefits far outweighing any minor in-convenience in the short term, and customers are encour-aged to contact Ooredoo with any queries about service provision while the upgrade is underway.

03Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ooredoo Announces Major Upgrade of Network

We’re delighted to be working with such a major international powerhouse

to ensure Qatar is at the forefront of technological advancement, in line with our corporate strategy which aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030. We have long been pioneers in the development of a full commercial 5G network, laying the foundations for a bold and ambitious future, and we are excited to see its rapid progression in partnership with Ericsson. This upgrade represents a major expansion of our 5G network in Qatar as we work towards 5G becoming mainstream in the country.”— Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi

Most Important Network Upgrade in Recent Years to Revolutionise

Connectivity and Ensure 5G Future Use Cases

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, COO Ooredoo Qatar

04 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Contact US: Qatar Tribune I EDITORIAL I Phone: 40002222 I ADMINISTRATION & MARKETING I Phone: 40002155, 40002122, Fax: 40002235 P.O. Box: 23493, Doha.

THE two-day meeting of the Qatar-Tunisia Cooperation Commit-tee in higher education began in Tunis on Tuesday.UNDERSECRETARY of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh al Nuaimi is heading Qatar’s delegation at the meeting. The meeting will discuss prospects of cooperation in the fields of higher education and scientific research and the ways to support them, including activating the first executive program of the cooperation agreement in the field of higher education, scientific research and technology for the years 2017-2020, encouraging cooperation between Qatari and Tunisian universities, and discussing the equivalence of scientific certificates and exchange of students, professors and lecturers, experts, and researchers, as well as other topics on the agenda.

Qatar, Tunisia discuss cooperation in higher education, scientific research

THE fourth meeting of the joint committee of experts and representatives of the ministries of justice and interior of the Arab states on Tuesday began at the headquarters of the Arab League to discuss the criminalisation of ransom payment.QATAR is represented in the two-day meeting by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammed Khalid al Hajri from the Ministry of Interior.THE meeting will discuss the report of the Legal Affairs Sector in the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Justice, the measures taken to implement the recommenda-tions of the third meeting of the Committee and the relevant resolutions of the Council of Arab Ministers of Justice.THE meeting will also discuss the observations of the Arab countries and the discussions of the participating experts on the issue of criminalising ransom payment.

Qatar takes part Arab ministries of justiceand interior expert committee meeting

AILYN AGONIA DOHA

A stunning collection of more than 100 pieces of gems and jewels from the royal In-dian courts and beyond was unveiled at the opening of a new exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) on Tuesday.

Titled ‘Set in Stone: Gems and Jewels From Royal Indian Courts’, the exhibition is being held in celebration of the 2019 Qatar-India Year of Culture and features pieces from across Qatar Museums’ (QM) collec-tions, including many masterpieces that have never been displayed before. Among the treasures on display are splendid array of jewellery, jewelled objects, works on pa-per and photography divided into four sec-tions.

The Precious Stones section reveals the cultural and economic importance of stones in India, tracing their history, sourcing and

trade in the early modern period while Court & Ceremony explores the role that gems and jewellery played within a courtly context in the outward projection of wealth and status.

Another section Beyond the Court dem-onstrates the personal, private and devo-tional uses of crafted jewels whereas Qatar

Connection, Pearls for Gold recounts the long cultural and commercial exchanges be-tween India and Qatar, as seen through the traditions of pearls and gold, and explores how this lineage has influenced local Qatari jewellery fashion.

“We are delighted to celebrate the open-

ing of this extraordinary exhibition, devel-oped as part of the Qatar-India Year of Cul-ture. It allows us to present examples of the most spectacular pieces in the Museum of Islamic Art, along with important artworks and objects from other Qatar Museums’ collections”, said MIA Director Dr Julia

Gonnella. The highlights of the exhibition include

Indian-cut diamonds from the famed mines of Golconda, in the Deccan (southern India) and MIA’s jewelled falcon showing the 17th century Mughal craftsmanship. Another im-portant part of the collection is the necklace from Varanasi: composed of 17 diamonds suspended with gold-collared emeralds sur-mounted by baroque pearls, this necklace showcases the continued opulence of 19th century Maharajas.

The exhibition finishes with a display case featuring a necklace gifted to MIA by the Father Amir His Highness Sheikh Ham-ad bin Khalifa alThani, which, according to MIA is an excellent example of the contin-ued appreciation in Qatar for fine quality Indian jewellery and the enduring links be-tween the two countries.

The exhibition is open until January 18, 2020.

Majestic display of gems, jewels from royal Indian courts at MIA

News in brief

QNA WASHINGTON

QATAR and the US have signed a twinning agreement between the cities of Doha and Charleston in South Carolina to strengthen the Qatari-US strategic partnership in all fields and enhance relations between the Qatari and Amer-ican peoples.

The agreement was signed by Ambassador of Qatar to the US HE Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al Thani and Charles-ton Mayor John Tecklenburg.

The agreement aims to strengthen mutual coopera-tion, explore opportunities for future partnership be-tween the two sides, includ-ing trade and culture co-operation, and discuss the possibility of hosting a trade delegation representing the city of Charleston to visit Doha and to see the invest-ment opportunities offered by the city.

In a speech at the sign-ing ceremony, Ambassador Sheikh Meshal said the agree-

ment reflects the desire of both sides to enhance under-standing and coexistence be-tween the Qatari and Ameri-can peoples at all levels.

He stressed that the rela-tions between Qatar and the US are strong and not limited to the military and security aspects, but extend to the de-

velopment of bilateral trade and investment, as well as educational and cultural co-operation.

The envoy noted that in addition to six universities, Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the Mid-dle East and more than 650 American companies which

choose Doha as a destination for their investments.

Sheikh Meshal under-scored Qatar’s commitment to invest $45 billion in the US economy by 2020 in key sec-tors such as infrastructure, technology and real estate, adding that the investments have contributed to the crea-

tion of thousands of jobs across the country.

He said, “Qatar’s decision to sign the twinning agree-ment with Charleston stems from the conviction that the cities of Doha and Charleston have many things in common that will contribute to the promotion of economic and cultural cooperation, to en-able their citizens to live in an environment that leads to in-novation, entrepreneurship, tolerance and intercultural dialogue.”

The ambassador added that Doha seeks to follow the example of Charleston, one of the most important American tourist cities, in establishing itself as a global tourist des-tination in the future by at-tracting five million tourists by 2023 and seven million by 2030.

He said in the last two decades, Qatar has embarked on sponsoring a number of exchange programmes aimed at promoting understanding between peoples of different cultures, religions and races.

A trade delegation from Charleston will visit Doha and see the investment opportunities offered by the city

Doha, US city of Charleston sign agreement to bolster partnership

Ambassador of Qatar to the United States HE Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al Thani and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg sign an agreement in Washington recently.

Focus on ways to improve cancer care at HMC meetTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

THE Breast Cancer Clinic and the Gynecological Department at Hamad Medical Corpora-tion’s (HMC) National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) recently held the Second Breast and Oncology Cancer Conference as part of the Breast and Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month.

The conference, which was attended by over 400 lo-cal, regional and international healthcare professionals, fo-cused on improving the qual-ity of cancer care for patients with breast and gynaecologi-cal cancers and highlighted advances in imaging methods, new treatments and tech-niques, and quality improve-ments in patient care.

Dr Salha Bujassoum, senior consultant at NCCCR, director of the Breast Cancer Programme at HMC and chair of the Conference Organising Committee, said the annual conference is significant be-cause it encourages collabora-tion between the breast and gynaecological teams at HMC.

She said it is also an im-portant platform for local and international physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals from related dis-ciplines to engage in meaning-ful dialogue.

“Cancer is a disease that can be incredibly challeng-ing for those affected, which includes family members. It presents a burden for our country as the incidence rates are increasing – 86 percent of the population in Qatar knows

someone who has had can-cer, such as a friend or family member. For this reason, the opportunity to discuss how we may be able to collectively improve cancer care services in Qatar is vital to the devel-opment of better services and improving the health of the population,” said Dr. Bujas-soum.

She said improvements in care for breast cancer patients were highlighted through-out the conference, includ-

ing many new breast imaging tools that have been intro-duced to enhance the ability to diagnose early-stage breast cancer.

“Advances in imaging methods, including ultra-sound, core biopsies, clini-cal breast examinations and breast tomosynthesis – an ad-vanced type of mammogram that can offer better cancer detection resulting in the need for fewer biopsies – were dis-cussed as part of the confer-

ence. Many of the techniques we use today have been used for the last decade and many emerging techniques are at various stages of research and development,” Dr Bujassoum said.

Dr Hind El Malik, senior consultant, Medical Oncolo-gist at NCCCR and co-Chair of the Conference Organising Committee, said the confer-ence is a testament to HMC’s commitment to providing the best possible care to cancer patients in Qatar.

“Over the years HMC, as the main provider of special-ist healthcare in Qatar, has led the provision of cancer services and has made sig-nificant advances in identify-ing, diagnosing and treating this disease. HMC’s commit-ment to continue improving cancer services includes the provision of high-quality care, continuous support, motiva-tional education and ongoing awareness activities designed to highlight the importance of early detection,” said Dr El Malik.

Hundreds of healthcare workers and thousands of

members of the public at-tended various activities held across Qatar as part of the or-ganisation’s annual activities to raise awareness of breast and gynecological cancers.

As part of public aware-ness events held at Katara Cultural Village recently in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, members of the public had the oppor-tunity to speak with medical professionals and learn about breast and gynaecological cancers. These activities were supported by Katara and Ne-bras Power.

Nebras Power Chief Exec-utive Officer Khalid Jolo said his organisation was proud to be part of the initiative.

“Nebras Power is at the forefront of bolstering note-worthy causes and supporting local community initiatives. Our contribution to HMC’s Breast Cancer Awareness ac-tivities is emblematic of our steadfast commitment to fos-tering awareness and provid-ing education on the signifi-cance of early detection and prevention for women of all ages,” he said.

Lekhwiya Force deputy commander receives French Legion of Honour

QNAPARIS

LEKHWIYA Force Deputy Command-er Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed al Thani was granted the French Order of the Legion of Honour with the rank of Knight, in recognition of his outstanding service throughout his career.

Director-General of the French National Gendarmerie Lt. Col. Rich-ard Lizurey presented Lekhwiya Force Deputy Commander with the Order of Legion of Honour during his visit to the headquarters of the General Directorate of the French National Gendarmerie in the suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux near the French capital Paris.

The Director-General of the French National Gendarmerie commended the Lekhwiya Force Deputy Commander’s career march, thanking him for his keenness and encouragement for the fruitful and continuous cooperation be-tween the two forces in various fields, such as training, visits, joint exercises and the participation of officers of the French National Gendarmerie in cover-ing major events hosted by Doha.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR Airways has congratu-lated the latest seven graduates of its internationally-recognised Aircraft Mechanic Apprentice-ship Programme during an official graduation ceremony at Doha International Airport (DIA).

Managed by the award-win-ning airline’s technical depart-ment, a total of 18 apprentice mechanics and engineers have now successfully completed the programme in 2019, with a fur-ther 40 trainees set to graduate in 2021.

The programme offers graduates with the appropriate certificate of recognition the opportunity to build upon their existing academic and techni-cal skills, whilst gaining direct experience of Qatar Airways culture and procedures.

Qatar Airways Group Chief

Executive, Akbar al Baker, said: “We look forward to having our new graduates, who are vital for the future growth plans of Qatar Airways join our highly trained technical department.

“Having a strong and ca-pable technical team creates a foundation for us to keep our aircraft flying and its passen-gers travelling, and I would like to congratulate the latest round

of candidates for successfully completing the Aircraft Me-chanic Apprenticeship Pro-gramme.”

“These new graduates will play a pivotal role in maintain-

ing the safety and efficiency of Qatar Airways’ fleet and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of the next group of programme graduates in 2021.”

Qatar Airways Mainte-nance Training (QAMT) is in-ternationally recognised for its exceptional training standards and service quality and has been awarded Maintenance Training Organisation (MTO) approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Qatar Civil Aviation Au-thority.

QAMT’s facilities include 10 classrooms equipped with newly-installed Airbus Compe-tence Training (ACT) and Boe-ing Desk Top Simulation (DTS) training media, which provide engineering students with a training experience utilising access to virtual aircraft. Candi-dates also experience first-hand training with real aircraft.

Qatar Airways celebrates seven graduates of aircraft mechanic apprenticeship programme

Qatar Airways, HIA & Qatar Duty Free team up to host 2019 Trinity Forum

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE world’s most influential airport commercial revenues conference will be held in Qatar for the first time on October 30-31 at the St. Regis Doha.

Under the patronage of Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim Saif Ahmed al Sulaiti, Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport (HIA), and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) have teamed up to host the 2019 Trinity Forum.

The Trinity Forum is an annual event organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, Airports Council International (ACI), and ACI Asia-Pacific. This year’s edition in Doha marks the first time the conference will be hosted in Qatar and co-hosted by an airline carrier.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar al Baker, will be a keynote speaker at the event, alongside Engr. Badr Mohammed al Meer, Chief Op-erating Officer at HIA. They will be joined by other leaders in the aviation and retail industries, who will explore how airports, concessionaires, and brands can work together for the ben-efit of the travelling consumer.

Akbar al Baker, said: “I am delighted to welcome hundreds of industry peers to this year’s Trinity Forum in Doha. It is the shared objective of Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport, and Qatar Duty Free to provide our passengers with an award-winning shopping and dining experience. We proudly work with brands in the true ‘trinity’ model of airport, re-tailer, and supplier to create a world-class shopping experi-ence to travelling customers.”

Founder and Chairman at The Moodie Davitt Report, Martin Moodie, said: “It is a

thrill and honour to bring the event that I founded in 2003 and which has become such a pivotal element of the airport commercial revenues calen-dar, to Qatar for the first time. Hamad International Airport is one of the world’s great air-ports, and Qatar Airways is one of modern aviation’s most ex-traordinary success stories. We are proud to partner with such outstanding organisations and with Qatar Duty Free, which so epitomises our industry’s drive for retail and consumer service excellence.

“We’re also proud and excited to be bringing guests from all over the world to this extraordinary country, where they will enjoy amazing Arabi-an hospitality, culture and com-merce in a unique and compel-ling setting. Together with our kind hosts, we can promise an unforgettable experience.”

The Qatar Airways Group offers passengers unrivalled, award-winning services throughout their journey.

HIA was ranked as the fourth-best airport in the world at the 2019 Skytrax World Air-port Awards, while QDF was named ‘Airport Retail Opera-tion of the Year’ at the 2019 DF-NI-Frontier EMEA Awards.

Together, HIA and QDF curate memorable luxury and retail experiences for travellers. This year alone they unveiled the first Qatar Airways Bou-tique at HIA, opened the Pen-haligon’s Made to Measure pop up boutique as an airport world-exclusive, and complemented HIA’s two Harrods boutiques by launching the Harrods Tea Room – a first for an airport. It also staged the largest airport podium for Puig brands Paco Rabanne and Carolina Herrera, called Pacomarket/Carolina Hotel.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR Airways (QA) showed its support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with an all-female crew of 15 operating flight QR95 from Doha to Zu-rich recently.

Two female pilots and an all-female cabin crew of 13 staffed the service onboard an Airbus A350-900, one of the most technologically-ad-vanced aircraft in the Qatar Airways fleet.

Passengers received a special on-board announce-ment from the captain, along with Qatar Airways ‘Think Pink’ wristbands and limited edition pink BRICs amenity kits during the service to the Swiss city.

Qatar Airways’ Chief Executive Officer Akbar al Baker said, “We are proud to see our all-female crew highlight the importance of

Breast Cancer Awareness on board flight QR95 from Doha to Zurich.

“Awareness and educa-tion is everything in the fight against cancer, and Qatar Airways is committed to re-inforcing the message of ear-ly detection and promotion

of a healthy lifestyle to help eradicate this devastating disease.”

Flight QR95 is the latest in a series of ‘Think Pink’ Breast Cancer Awareness Month events and activities organised by airline in association with Qatar Cancer Society (QCS)

throughout October.Earlier this month, Qatar

Airways joined forces with Hamad International Airport (HIA), Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) to organise activities for staff, including pink givea-ways and a series of QCS lec-

tures at HIA. Free mammogram screen-

ings by qualified medical staff were also made available for all eligible employees. The airline’s annual Charity Ba-zaar fundraising event also returned to a variety of Qatar Airways locations.

QA backs breast cancer drive with all-female crew from Doha to ZurichPassengers received Qatar Airways ‘Think Pink’ wristbands and pink BRICs amenity kits during the flight

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA, QATAR

OOREDOO, the region’s lead-ing enabler of digital business innovation, held an event for business customers to explore its Data Centre and cloud ser-vices and the solutions offered by its many international part-ners.

The event held at Sheraton Hotel’s Majlis Conference Hall brought together a number of Ooredoo’s esteemed partners to showcase the many busi-ness solutions Ooredoo offers with them.

Attendees were welcomed to the event then an industry expert from IDC, the lead-ing research company, took to the stage to offer a market overview and industry insights

into current trends, customer challenges and service provid-ers’ strategy. Following this introductory session, Ooredoo presented its Data Centre and cloud capabilities.

Israel Esteban Marti, exec-utive director of Technology at beIN Media Group and Liaqat

Mirza Ali, head of Infrastruc-ture in Muntajat also joined Ooredoo on stage. Both strate-gic customers already benefit from Ooredoo’s Data Centre and cloud services and pre-sented how Ooredoo Business supports their organisations through the implementation

of sophisticated solutions. Ooredoo also utilised the

event to introduce two key new services – ‘Azure Stack’, a hybrid cloud application modernisation platform from Ooredoo Qatar Data Cen-tre in partnership with Mi-crosoft, and Ooredoo Cloud Backup before Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser al

Thani, chief business officer, Ooredoo Qatar, closed the morning’s proceedings with a keynote speech and busi-ness customers moved onto exploring the many booths at the event.

Ooredoo partners Micro-soft, Dell Technologies, Atos,

Oracle, Dimension Data, Smart Management IT So-lutions and Red Hat hosted booths, showcasing business solutions provided to custom-ers in partnership with Oore-doo and via the Qatar Data Centre.

Yousuf Abdullah al Kubai-

si, chief operating officer at Ooredoo, said: “We were de-lighted to welcome so many of our business customers to our recent Data Centre and cloud services event. With so many businesses in Qatar increas-ingly reliant on cloud-based services, in pursuit of digi-talisation goals, it’s vital we as a business respond to this and provide practical, logi-cal solutions for their needs. We’re proud to boast a stable of renowned international partners with whom we work to offer these solutions, and this event offered the ideal opportunity for our business customers to see exactly how we and our partners work to-gether to provide innovative digital, cloud-based solutions for their needs.”

Ooredoo showcases Data Centre, cloud services for customers

Nation 05Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Qatar Airways named Gulfstream G700 launch customerTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

GULFSTREAM Aerospace Corp has formally announced Qatar Airways as the launch customer for Gulfstream’s re-cently introduced flagship, the Gulfstream G700TM for its charter service, Qatar Execu-tive. The new aircraft brings an unprecedented combina-tion of performance, technol-ogy and cabin size to Qatar Executive’s fleet.

“Qatar Executive dem-onstrated their confidence in Gulfstream when they com-mitted as international launch

customer for the G500, which is in service with them now alongside the G650ER,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulf-stream. “We are grateful they have chosen to continue grow-ing their Gulfstream fleet with our new flagship G700 and look forward to their custom-ers traveling in the utmost comfort on the largest busi-ness jet in the industry.”

Qatar Executive’s latest agreement with Gulfstream is for the purchase of 10 G700 aircraft in addition to their recently announced orders of additional all-new Gulfstream G500TM and high-perform-

ing G650ERTM aircraft.Eleven Gulfstream aircraft

are currently in service with Qatar Executive, including six

G650ERs and five G500s. The executive charter service is the world’s largest commercial op-erator of the G650ER and the

first commercial charter op-erator of the G500.

“We are excited to be the launch customer of the G700, the largest business jet in the industry, and are looking for-ward to the aircraft joining our fleet,” said Akbar al Baker, Group CEO of Qatar Airways. “Qatar Executive’s customers have extremely high stand-ards, and this aircraft will help us meet their requirements by delivering unrivalled perfor-mance that complements our excellence in customer ser-vice.”

Gulfstream introduced the G700 today as the industry’s

new flagship. It boasts busi-ness aviation’s largest cabin and can fly farther, faster than any other competitor in the business-jet industry. Pow-ered by two Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, the G700 can fly 7,500 nautical miles/13,890 kilometers at Mach 0.85 or 6,400 nm/11,853 km at Mach 0.90. It features the Gulf-stream Symmetry Flight Deck-TM with active control sides-ticks and the most extensive use of touchscreen technology in the industry.

The G700 cabin is also un-paralleled, offering an extra-large ultragalley with lounge

or crew compartment, up to five living areas and a large, bespoke master bedroom with en suite master bath.

The aircraft also features an all-new, Gulfstream-devel-oped revolutionary lighting system that truly mimics cir-cadian rhythms. Along with 20 panoramic windows and the Gulfstream cabin envi-ronment of 100 percent fresh air, low cabin altitude and whisper-quiet sound levels, the G700 promotes in-flight wellness and greatly reduces the physical impact of trave-ling halfway around the world nonstop.

Graduates of the aircraft mechanic apprenticeship programme with QA officials in Doha recently.

Qatar Airways all-female crew pink flight to Zurich are seen in the picture. The 15 crew members including captains recently participated in the airline’s campaign for breast cancer awareness.

‘With so many businesses in Qatar increasingly reliant on cloud-based services, in pursuit of digitalisation goals, it’s vital we as a busi-ness respond to this and provide practical, logical solutions for their needs’

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR Cancer Society (QCS), represented by its Chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabor al Thani, participated in the World Cancer Leaders’ Sum-mit organised by Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in Nur-Sultan (Asta-na) 1, Kazakhstan recently.

Around 350 global influ-encers and leaders in cancer control and public health from across governments, UN agencies, academia, non-profit organisations and pri-vate sectors discussed ways in which cancer detection, treat-ment and care contribute to the achievement of Universal

Health Coverage (UHC).Reducing the number of

premature deaths caused by

cancer and to achieve the UHC vision of ‘Health for All’ requires addressing in-

equities in access to cancer services.

With ‘Cancer and Uni-

versal Health Coverage’ as a topic, the 2019 edition of the World Cancer Leaders’ Sum-

mit focused on expanding access to quality preventive care, early detection, treat-

ment and care for cancer.The experts shared per-

spectives on the relationship between strong, sustainable and ‘people centred’ health systems and the effective pre-vention and control of NCDs, promoting access to cancer services, and priority setting as part of the progressive re-alisation of UHC.

Sheikh Dr Khalid said, “Our participation in this summit came within the framework of our member-ship of the UICC, which is one of the largest international institutions dedicated to de-velop programmes and future plans through participation in all internal and external events for cancer control.”

Nation06 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

QSTP-based tech company aims to make Qatar a driving force in digital economy

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE healthy competition among tech-focused compa-nies based at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) is helping drive innovation in Qatar forward, according to the CEO of an international network service provider that aims to place the nation at the forefront of the digital connec-tivity market.

Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has been based at QSTP, part of Qatar Foundation Re-search, Development and Innovation and the region’s primary hub of technology in-novation and entrepreneur-ship, for almost 10 years. Dur-ing this time, it has developed

a network spanning more than 40,000km – equivalent to the circumference of the earth – and capable of serving two bil-lion users worldwide.

It’s one of the many com-mercial enterprises – from established international tech firms to nationally, and re-gionally-founded technology companies and rising startups – that, at QSTP, are develop-ing and delivering the products and services that have helped establish Qatar as the regional leader of scientific and technol-ogy innovation, tech-based en-trepreneurship and high-tech businesses.

Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of GBI, said the presence of so several technology change-makers in a single location is

helping push back the bounda-ries of tech innovation in Qa-tar. “QSTP is a true hub for innovation within Qatar, and we’re surrounded by world-leading businesses.”

“The smartest and most innovative people in Qatar are right at our doorstep, provid-

ing a great space for collabora-tion as well as competition. It’s this competition that drives us to push our business forward and support the new, innova-tive ideas being developed at QSTP.”

GBI is a global cloud, con-nectivity and content enabler,

owning and operating a smart, fully-managed service network of multi-layer terrestrial and sub-sea cables that connect East and West via the Middle East. It owns the infrastructure of cables and designs products that carry digital information, and provides the smart man-

agement tools that allow their systems to ensure this infor-mation is delivered in the fast-est, most reliable manner.

In 2008, GBI recognised that Qatar’s location made it ideal for establishing a hub for linking systems from the East and the West. “GBI offers an

innovative way for globally-present companies to connect their international locations and users worldwide with each other or with the Cloud, to serve future technical and management needs. We op-erate in an industry that has been defined by physical ca-bles, whether in the sea or on land, but to GBI the future will be defined by software,” said Oztelcan.

“In 10 years, we will have a greater depth of network in-frastructure in the Gulf, but also across key destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa. This will allow us to be present in even more key financial and communications hubs across the globe. We will be playing a mission-critical role in the digi-tal economy in Qatar, the Mid-dle East and across the world, alongside hosting the most popular content providers here in Qatar,” he concluded.

Gulf Bridge CEO says competitive spirit is fuelling the country’s innovation sector

Gulf Bridge International has been based at QSTP, part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation and the region’s pri-mary hub of technology innovation and entrepreneurship, for almost 10 years.

Over 950 students participate ininaugural Birla Fest 2019 at BPS

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

BIRLA Public School (BPS) Doha recently organised the inaugural Birla Fest 2019, which saw over 950 students engaging in 136 events in vari-ous categories.

The central theme of the

talent search programme was ‘Inara - promoting individuali-ty and celebrating uniqueness’.

At the opening ceremony, chief guest A P Manikantan, president of the Indian Cul-tural Centre, delivered an en-lightening speech on the im-portance of participation over the pride of winning.

Chairman of the school Lu-kose K Chacko supported the chief guest with his own take on failure and its contribution to success. Principal A P Shar-ma also attended the event.

The event concluded with an enchanting classical dance performed by the middle-school students.

NIS primary students pay visit to QNLTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

IT was an awe-inspiring day for the Grade 6 students of Noble International School (NIS), from the moment they entered the Education City and headed towards Qatar Na-tional Library (QNL).

The students were aston-ished to see the infrastructure, technology and the vast collec-tion of books at QNL.

During the visit, the stu-dents got a quick understand-ing of how the library works, method to borrow books, dif-ferent genres and sections of books available, and most importantly, the manner in which a country can exhibit its heritage by the establishment of such an edifice.

Librarian at the children’s section, Asma, guided the stu-dents during the tour.

The interactive learning multi-purpose room, self-bor-rowing and returning systems,

kiosks and gigantic Smart TVs were a fascination for the chil-dren. One attraction which caught the students’ attention was the largest and the most expensive world map and at-

las maintained vigilantly at the QNL.

The library is open to the public on all Thursdays, while on the remaining days it is accessible through prior

appointment. The students returned to school hoping to visit the library again with their parents so that they can begin a membership in the future.

The students were astonished to see the infrastructure, technology and the vast collection of books at QNL.

President of the Indian Cultural Centre A P Manikantan was the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the event.

HBKU lecture to explore changingapproaches to crescent sightingTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

CHANGES in the approach to crescent sighting will be the basis of the next public lecture at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Islamic Studies (CIS).

Delivered by Sheikh Sal-man bin Jabor al Thani, president of the Qatar Astro-nomical Center, the lecture titled ‘Crescent from the Per-spective of Astronomy, Sha-ria and Modern Science’ will look at how modern science and technology have influ-enced the traditional practice

of crescent sighting. In doing so, the event will also consid-er changes in the perception

of this sensitive subject from the standpoint of Sunnah and Shari’a.

The public lecture will take place at the Auditorium (Min-aretein) in Education City on October 30 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. The event will be held in Arabic, while provid-ing simultaneous translation.

Speaking ahead of the lec-ture, Dr Mohamed El Gam-mal, associate professor of Comparative Fiqh at CIS, said, “We’re looking forward to hosting such an esteemed astronomer to discuss the topic, which is an emotive is-sue for Qataris and the wider

region. There can be no doubt that scientific and technologi-cal advances have changed how societies perceive the practice of crescent sighting. Our public lecture will not only cast light on the ‘how’ but also the ‘why.’ There are few better qualified than Sheikh Salman bin Jabor al Thani to offer a unique perspective on this topic.”

The College of Islamic Studies regularly hosts pub-lic lectures and conferences to promote a deeper under-standing of the various as-pects of Islam among the wider community.

Sheikh Salman bin Jabor al Thani.

Meet and greet with Barshimat Mall of Qatar on ThursdayTHE Mall of Qatar (MoQ) is providing visitors a chance to meet the nation’s favourite athlete and celebrate his win at the IAAF World Ath-letics Championships Doha 2019, on its iconic Oasis stage on October 24 at 7pm.

Mutaz Essa Barshim, Qatar’s champion high jumper, won the gold medal at the cham-pionships after clearing the 2.37 metres with his signature agility, ease and technique.

“We invite all visitors and sports fans to come and meet the nation’s champion, Mutaz Barshim, take some photos and celebrate his gold medal, here at the nation’s mall. Doing our part in honouring this national hero, we have put together a series of great activities to celebrate this occasion for the entire family. Meeting this hero will be an exciting one,” said Khaled Sam Hosn, Mall of Qatar’s CEO.

Barshim holds the national and Asian re-cords in high jump. He won a gold medal at

the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London and at the Doha Worlds 2019 with the world record. (TNN)

QCS takes part in World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Kazakhstan

QCS Chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabor al Thani attended in the event which saw the participation of around 350 global influencers and leaders in cancer control and public health.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

AS many as 2,500 low-income Asian expatriates have regis-tered for the 17th Asian Medical Camp to be held at Thumama Health Centre from 7am to 3pm on October 25 (Friday).

The registered low-income labourers from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be offered free medi-cal check-up, counselling, medi-cines and follow-up treatment arrangements at the camp to be organised jointly by the Centre for Indian Community (CIC) and Indian Doctors’ Club (IDC).

The camp is held annually under the patronage of the Min-istry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation.

Speaking at a press confer-ence held at the Rotana Oryx Hotel on Tuesday, the organ-isers said the camp would be inaugurated by the Ambassa-

dor of India to Qatar HE P Ku-maran at 9.30am on Friday in the presence of Dr Mohammad al Hajri, director of Emergency Preparedness and Response Department, representing the Minister of Public Health and Dr Yousef al Maslamani, medi-cal director, Hamad General Hospital; Nasser al Obaidan, executive director MD office PHCC; Dr Samia al Abdullah,

executive director of the Opera-tions Department at the PHCC; Dr Hanadi al Hail, director Al Thumama Health Centre; Dr Amina Ibrahim Fakhroo, assis-tant director, Thumama Health Centre; Fatima al Kuwari, exec-utive director, Marketing, Oore-doo; and Manar al Muraikhi, di-rector PR Brand and Corporate Communications, Ooredoo.

President of Indian Com-

munity Benevolent Forum (ICBF) PN Baburajan, Presi-dent of Indian Cultural Centre Manikantan AP, President of Indian Doctors Club Dr Joyal Jacob Mathew and Centre for Indian Community President KC Abdul Latheef will also be present.

The Asian Medical Camp has been organised in Qatar for the last 16 years targeting low-income Asian expatriates.

The main objective of the camp, as stated by the organ-isers, is to impart right health education to labourers, who are vulnerable to some life-threat-ening diseases due to many reasons like mental stress, lack of health awareness, adequate rest, proper health care and a disorderly lifestyle.

Abdul Latheef KC said that registration cards have already been issued to the 2,500 regis-tered Asian workers.

Besides, lab tests for blood pressure and random sugar

will be available on the spot for all visitors. Dr Biju Gafoor said that the doctors attending the patients at the camp will work in four shifts throughout the camp. More than 100 doctors and hundreds of para-medical staff will attend to the registered workers.

Services to be offered at the camp include clinical tests for blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol; oral and breast cancer screening; eye test; glau-coma, ultrasound, ECG audiol-ogy tests as well as consultation and counseling. Free medicines will be distributed for common diseases, as per prescriptions of doctors across all major spe-cialisations.

Volunteers of Centre for Indian Community (CIC) will offer their services to ensure a hassle-free camp for all par-ticipants. In addition, health awareness lectures will also be organised on the sidelines of the camp.

2,500 Asian workers register for 17th Asian Medical Camp

Msheireb Properties donates electronic devices to QCTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

QATAR Charity (QC) has received in-kind donations from Msheireb Proper-ties for the ‘Digital Inclu-sion’ campaign, which was launched by the Communi-cations Regulatory Author-ity (CRA), in cooperation with Qatar Charity and Mall of Qatar recently.

The electronic devices, which were received by Jas-sim al Emadi, director of the Local Development Depart-ment at Qatar Charity, in-cluded desktop computers, laptops, office accessories, printers and phones.

Emadi thanked Msheir-eb Properties for its contri-bution to the humanitarian work, affirming Qatar Char-ity’s keenness to collaborate with all, including institu-tions and individuals, with-in the country to achieve the noble humanitarian goals.

He added that the dona-tion came in support of the ‘Digital Inclusion’ campaign to contribute to the target groups’ technical capability development and support Qatar Charity’s projects for low-income workers. Qatar Charity recycles and do-nates the items to those tar-geted by the campaign.

Emadi said the ‘Digital Inclusion’ campaign would continue with Qatar Char-ity’s branches receiving do-nations until the end of this month.

He also urged institu-tions, companies and indi-

viduals to contribute to such a charitable and humanitar-ian campaign.

“We always strive to participate in such good initiatives as part of our cor-porate social responsibility strategy in compliance with the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030 to contribute to the sustainable development of the coun-try,” said Maryam al Jassim, Public Relations manager at Msheireb Properties.

“Our contribution to this campaign consists of than 100 different electronic de-vices,” she said, praising the efforts of Qatar Charity in serving communities.

She also noted that Msheireb Properties would take part in such future ini-tiatives of by Qatar Charity.

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has launched ‘Digital Inclu-sion’ campaign in coopera-tion with Qatar Charity (QC) and in partnership with the Mall of Qatar.

The campaign was aimed at receiving dona-tions of either used or new electronic devices to redis-tribute them to students, or-phans, workers and widows in order to improve their technical knowledge and capabilities.

The in-kind donations of electronic devices such as computers, laptops, smart phones and tablets were col-lected at a booth in the mall, which also included activi-ties for children such as col-ouring and handcrafts.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE Brookings Doha Center held a panel discussion recent-ly on the heightened tensions between the US and Iran in the aftermath of the unilateral withdrawal of the US from the Iran nuclear deal, and the sub-sequent intensification of eco-nomic sanctions against Iran by the US.

The panel was moderated by Ali Fathollah-Nejad, visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.

The panelists included Su-zanne Maloney, deputy director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution; Abbas Maleki, vice-president of Sharif University for Cultural and International Affairs; and Omar Ayasrah, a Jordanian journalist and writer.

The discussion started with introductory comments by each of the panelists.

Suzanne Maloney provided an overview of the history of

the relationship between Iran and the US. She said that the sanctions on Iran are effective and “have very little blowback on the US or the global econo-my.”

She added, “From Wash-ington’s perspective, we can continue this policy indefinite-ly. Iran’s decisions will deter-mine where this crisis will go.”

Abbas Maleki alluded to misperception and ignorance on both sides which could affect

policy making. He said, “The US uses coercive diplomacy even when talking about nego-tiations”, adding that “Iranians have been given no reason to believe that they could receive significant sanctions relief in return for concessions.”

He added, “Both countries believe that the status quo is the best situation because the United States enables access to Arab countries and because Iran can reach proxy forces like

Hezbollah and other actors.”Omar Ayasrah highlighted

Iran’s ability to accomplish a geo-strategic breakthrough by sustaining itself despite 40 years of sanctions.

He said, “We often over-look the ‘Israel factor’ when we discuss US-Iran tensions. Israel is a key player in this. The withdrawal from the nu-clear deal is not only in the in-terest of the US, but also in the interest of Israel.”

Ayasrah also noted the ab-sence of a unified Arab frame-work in dealing with Iran. “GCC members are divided in their approach towards Iran. The Saudi position aims to di-minish Iran’s regional proxies and is even willing to go to war whereas other GCC members like Oman and Qatar are more pragmatic and their approach is closer to mediation and de-escalation.”

The sanctions have led to limiting of Iran’s oil exports while Europe has failed to de-liver on its promises to provide Iran with economic relief.

In the recent months, a risky game of brinkmanship in the Gulf pits Iran against the United States and its allies and there has been a great deal of uncertainty about the future of the Iran nuclear deal.

In addition, there are con-cerns that Iran will fast-track its nuclear programme, or that current geopolitical skirmishes could result in a full-scale mili-tary confrontation.

Experts concerned about impact of US-Iran tension on Gulf region

The panel was moderated by Ali Fathollah-Nejad, visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.

‘In the recent months, a risky game of brinkmanship in the Gulf pits Iran against the United States and its allies’

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE representation mission of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) in Afghanistan has launched Phase 2 of a project to back education in remote areas. Materials and supplies were provided to establish nine schools in educationally underserved areas of the prov-inces of Ghor and Oruzgan.

At a total cost of $324,000, the project is implemented jointly by QRCS and the Af-ghan Welfare Society for the benefit of 1,800 students.

Under the project, QRCS provided 70 tents to be used as classrooms, 900 double

desks, 17,000 copies of cur-riculum books for basic edu-cation, 1,800 school bags and sets, 500 teaching aids and nine containers to be used as storages and offices.

Despite the recent im-provements in Afghanistan’s education system, it remains among the worst in the world, due to many challenges such as limited access to education, with 3 million school-age chil-dren, mostly female.

There are gaps in the num-ber of schools, infrastructure and water and sanitation ser-vices. Hundreds of schools remain destroyed or closed in insecure areas, leaving hun-dreds of thousands of stu-

dents uneducated.The project complements

the government efforts to meet the demand for educa-

tion and create a learning en-vironment. It is inspired by

the belief that education is key to development and stability.

Farida Abdulsamad, a 5th-grade student from the village of Sheikh Al-Manad, Ghor province, said, “I am very happy. For five years now, I have not received education at all. This project will enable me to continue to pursue my education”.

Abdulmo’men al Qur-ban, head of Municipality, said this aid would meet the basic needs of the area and make a big difference by providing education oppor-tunities for girls.

He thanked QRCS for be-ing the first humanitarian organisation reaching out to this remote area to offer edu-cational aid.

QRCS project to support 1,800 students in remote Afghan areas

Nation 07Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Sulaiti leads Qatar’s team to Tbilisi Belt and Road Forum, meets Georgia PMQNA TBILISI

PRIME Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia met with Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim bin Saif al Sulaiti in Tbilisi on Tuesday as the minister led Qatar’s delegation to Georgia to participate in the Tbilisi Belt and Road Forum (Silk Road).

The meeting reviewed bi-lateral relations between the two countries in the fields of transportation, mobility and communications, and the means of enhancing them, in addition to discussing a num-ber of topics of mutual inter-est.

The minister delivered an invitation from Prime Min-

ister and Minister of Inte-rior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani to Georgia’s PM to attend the Qatar IT Conference and Exhi-bition ( QITCOM 2019), which will run in Doha from October 29 to November 1.

The Tbilisi Belt and Road Forum was inaugurated on Tuesday by Georgia Prime Minister of Giorgi Gakharia under the theme ‘Partnership for Global Impact’.

The forum saw attendance of over 2,000 participants from 60 countries, including heads of states, ministers, dip-lomats and representatives of international and business or-ganisations.

In his opening speech, Gakharia stressed the impor-

tance of the new Silk Road in modern economic integration

and globalisation.Georgia was one of the

first countries applauding the China-proposed Belt and

Road Initiative (BRI) to create new trade corridors between

Europe and Asia and improve existing ones, he said.

The registered low-income labourers from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bang-ladesh and Sri Lanka will be offered free medical check-up, counsel-ling, medicines and follow-up treatment arrangements at the camp.

The electronic devices, which were received by Jassim al Emadi, director of the Local Development Department at Qatar Charity, included desktop computers, laptops, office accesso-ries, printers and phones.

The project, with a total cost of $324,000, is implemented jointly by QRCS and the Afghan Welfare Society for the benefit of 1,800 students.

SO who persuaded President Don-ald Trump to reverse his plan to host next year’s Group of 7 summit at one of his properties?

According to The New York Times and the Washington Post, it was criticism from fellow Republicans that caused Trump to change course after act-ing White House Chief of Staff Mick Mul-vaney announced that the June 2020 G-7 summit would be held at the Trump Na-tional Doral Miami resort.

The Post story, citing “several aides and allies” of the president, said that “Trump changed his mind in response to pressure and frustration from his own party.”

You can almost hear Trump shout-ing “Fake News!” And, sure enough, he is sticking to his own improbable explana-tion for his flip-flop: The Democrats and the media made him do it!

When he announced on Saturday night that he was changing his mind, Trump tweeted that he was responding to “Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility.” On Monday he doubled down on this explanation, tweeting: “Doral in Miami would have been the best place to hold the G-7, and free, but too much heat from the Do Nothing Radical Left Demo-crats & their Partner, the Fake News Me-dia!”

(During a Cabinet meeting later, he also took aim at the “phony Emoluments Clause,” an apparent reference to a pro-vision in the Constitution that prohibits federal officials from accepting “any pre-sent, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever” from any “king, prince or foreign state” without congressional authorisation. A different constitutional provision prohibits the president from receiving payments of any kind from the federal or state governments.)

“The Democrats made me do it” is an odd explanation coming from Trump. Since when has he allowed Democrats and the “Fake News” media to dictate his actions? Why couldn’t he acknowledge the obvious fact that he was taking heat from members of his own party?

It may seem a small thing, but Trump’s incredible explanation of why he changed his mind about the G-7 venue is a reminder that he has a richly deserved reputation for not telling the truth.

Whether the subject is why he caved on the G-7 or whether he asked his former White House counsel to arrange the fir-ing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller III (Trump denied the claim), lots of people

simply won’t believe him.That cavernous credibility gap could

prove a problem as the president and his defenders argue in the House impeach-ment inquiry that he’s telling the truth about his now famous July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. That’s the call in which, af-ter noting that “we do a lot for Ukraine,” Trump suggested that the Ukrainians investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

According to a “fact sheet” released by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, the call was part of a “shakedown” by Trump designed to involve a foreign government in the 2020

presidential election for Trump’s benefit.Trump insists that the conversation

was “perfect” and that he was motivated by an apolitical desire to root out corrup-tion. He also denied that he was floating a quid pro quo according to which Ukraine would investigate Biden in exchange for a release of US military aid. (Mulvaney un-dermined that defence with his “Get Over It” press briefing.)

Trump’s benign characterisation of the Zelenskiy call would be a hard sell in any case. It’s especially likely to encounter skepticism because of Trump’s history of stretching the truth, often to the breaking point, in matters large and small.

IF it’s true that “a riot,” as the Rev. Mar-tin Luther King Jr. once said, “is the lan-guage of the unheard,” then a lot of people

around the world are becoming fluent in that particular dialect.

Hong Kong, with its epic showdown be-tween street demonstrators and police over demands for more democracy, has grabbed most of the world’s attention. But there also have been violent demonstrations in Barce-lona, Spain, over sentences of up to 13 years handed down by the Spanish Supreme Court to leaders of the Catalan separatist move-ment whose criminal act was to oversee a non-binding referendum.

Elsewhere, economics and corruption have been the driving force, as in Haiti, Ecua-dor and Chile in the Americas. In the Middle East, violent demonstrations have occurred in Lebanon and Iraq over corruption and failed government services. In Indonesia, a new law that weakened an anti-corruption commis-sion led thousands of people into the streets for violent clashes with police.

The world, it seems, is channeling How-ard Beale, the network television news an-chor in Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 Academy Award-winning movie “Network,” who, as he’s being forced out of his job over dwin-dling ratings, gave voice to the unvoiced by bellowing, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Interestingly, most of the global protests began with seemingly minor friction points — a subway fare hike in Chile, a fuel-subsidy cut in Ecuador, a new law in Indonesia — that

ignited deeper anger and frustration over pov-erty and corruption, or led the citizenry to de-mand more democracy and self-governance.

Is this a tipping point? Probably not. But it is a sharp warning to political elites around the world about what happens when govern-ments fail to address, or worsen, deep poverty and social divisions.

Income inequality is a massive problem, with the US having the worst of it. Accord-ing to the research group Inequality.org, “the top 1% in the United States holds 42.5% of national wealth, a far greater share” than in other member countries of the Organiza-tion for Economic Cooperation and Devel-opment. “In no other industrial nation does the richest 1% own more than 28% of their country’s wealth.”

But that doesn’t mean such disparity isn’t global. People with more than $1 million in investments control 45% of the world’s wealth, the group says. Conversely, those with less than $10,000 make up 64% of the world population but account for less than 2% of global wealth. And as governments are perceived to be serving the interests of the haves over those of the have-nots, or of undercutting the public interest for their own enrichment, protests are inevitable.

The demonstrations not only are the “lan-guage of the unheard,” they are the predict-able results of broken systems of governance. And the first steps toward chaos.

The question is, will governments heed the messages of abject frustration delivered by banners, rocks and firebombs?

Will Govts Heed The Language Of The Unheard?

Street riots from Hong Kong to Chile and Ecuador to Iraq are linked by a common thread: Growing inequality

between haves and have-nots and frustration of the people

(Tribune News Service)

Make It Harder For The FBI To Snoop On Americans’ Conversations With Foreigners

(Tribune News Service)

Opinion

Disney Delivers a Truly Bizarre Sleeping Beauty Sequel

THE first Maleficent film, released in 2014, offered a storytelling twist on the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty. Like

many a live-action remake from the studio (think Alice in Wonderland or Dumbo), it viewed its animated forebear as a jumping-off point, turning the cold-blooded villain-ess Maleficent (played by Angelina Jolie) into a misunderstood anti-hero; she was rewritten as a vengeful but eventually pro-tective godmother to the lethargic princess she curses. Still, Maleficent had the kind of definitive fairy-tale ending required of a Sleeping Beauty adaptation: The princess (Elle Fanning) awakens, the bad guys are disposed of, and everyone gets to live hap-pily ever after.

So what is the purpose of the forthcom-ing sequel? Maleficent: Mistress of Evil likely exists because of the previous film’s box-office success, but as a result, the new movie is tasked with the job of inventing a second chapter for a story that’s already

finished. As with the exceedingly strange 2016 Snow White sequel The Huntsman: Winter’s War, the return of Maleficent is a bizarre exercise, a meditation on the geopolitics of a storybook world where an awkward family dinner leads to a po-tential fairy genocide. It’s not a film that quite rises to the level of “good,” but it is transfixing—a dizzying hodgepodge of ide-as powered by the welcome return of Jolie to the big screen.

Since appearing in Maleficent five years ago, Jolie has retreated behind the camera, directing three movies (the last of them a genuinely exceptional effort) and mostly ignoring the limelight. That gives her return in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil some real heft. It’s delightful to have her back in a leading role; though Jolie’s stardom has often been defined by the tabloid dramas that surround her, she’s an actor who can turn the thinnest scripts into something compelling (think Salt or Wanted). Whenever she’s present in Mis-tress of Evil, boasting jutting cheekbones and fang-like pearly whites, it’s impossible

to look away.Unfortunately, Jolie isn’t a constant

presence in this new film, since there are so many pressing matters to attend to in the neighboring kingdoms of the Moors (the fairy realm governed by Ma-leficent and Princess Aurora) and Ul-stead, a militaristic land that’s the home of Phillip (Harris Dickinson), Aurora’s

Prince Charming. As Aurora and Phil-lip plan their wedding, the much-feared Maleficent is invited to Ulstead to meet his parents and broker diplomatic rela-tions. The only problem is that Phillip’s mother, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), is a snooty human supremacist who sees Maleficent and her magical subjects as a plague to be eradicated.

If this all sounds complicated, well, I’m not even describing half of the manic side-plots that populate the script, cred-ited to Linda Woolverton, Noah Harpster, and Micah Fitzerman-Blue. There are liv-ing mushrooms, a goblin-like mad scien-tist named Lickspittle (Warwick Davis) who’s working on weapons of death, and a group of horn-sporting, self-dubbed “dark fey” warriors who resemble Malefi-cent and live in a giant cocoon. Would it be too much to compare the two leaders of this warrior community, played by Chi-wetel Ejiofor and Ed Skrein, to Martin Lu-ther King Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively? Probably, but that’s the comparison the film is trying to set up.

All of these competing elements lead to conflict as Ingrith tries to simultaneously drive a wedge between her son and future daughter-in-law and wipe out Maleficent and her fairy populace. At one point, it’s suggested that Ingrith’s hatred is driven by an extreme flower allergy, which seems an odd justification for a set piece in which Ingrith locks adorable forest creatures in a church and tries to gas them to death. This is a movie chock-full of heady image-ry that it can’t get a handle on, and so the allegories at work don’t quite connect.

The first act of Mistress of Evil is lots of fun—essentially a magical Meet the Par-ents. The second act is filled with action sequences that take place in near-total darkness, likely a cost-saving visual-effects measure that robs whole scenes of their tension. But the film’s final showdown, a pitched war in which Jolie and Pfeiffer lock horns on the battlefield, is a blast. Mistress of Evil never manages to justify the return of all these characters, but in delving deep-er into its fantasy world, it at least avoids the cardinal sin of being forgettable.

DAVID SIMSTRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

It’s not a film that quite rises to the level of “good,” but it is transfixing, powered by the welcome return of Jolie to the big screen

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THE OPINION AND ANALYSIS PAGES ARE THE AUTHORS’ OWN. QATAR TRIBUNE BEARS NO RESPONSIBILITY.

Trump’s Latest Whopper: Dems’ ‘Phony Emoluments’

Made Him Cave On G-7

MICHAEL MCGOUGH TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

President Trump’s narrative that he had to change his mind over holding the next G-7 Summit at his property has no basis and falls in a pattern of lies

ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 3, 2006

HAMAD BIN SUHAIM AL THANI CHAIRMANADEL ALI BIN ALI MANAGING DIRECTORDR HASSAN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WHEN Congress reauthorised a controver-sial programme last year that allows the government to scoop up the emails and

video chats of foreigners abroad with possible connections to terrorism, it included provi-sions to safeguard the privacy of Americans on the other end of those communications.

But a recently declassified opinion from the special court that oversees intelligence ac-tivities suggests that the FBI didn’t take that mandate seriously enough. Congress needs to ensure that the bureau is following the law.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the government to collect the elec-tronic communications of foreigners living abroad. The programme has been described by members of Congress, including former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), as a valuable counterterrorism tool.

But in today’s electronically intercon-nected world, monitoring the communica-tions of foreign “targets” inevitably collects

some communications involving Americans.To protect privacy rights, the current

version of the law requires that government agencies keep records of how often they “query” (or search) the huge database of in-tercepted communications for information about “US persons” — citizens and lawful permanent residents.

But in an opinion made public last week, Judge James Boasberg of the Foreign Intel-ligence Surveillance Court determined a year ago that the FBI hadn’t fully adhered to the privacy safeguards. For example, he cited several instances in which the FBI searched for information about large groups of US persons without satisfying the requirement that the search be “reasonably likely to return foreign-intelligence information or evidence of crime.” Some of the searches involved us-ing search terms apparently associated with people who worked for the FBI — presum-ably, an attempt to use foreign-intelligence information for personnel review.

08 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

DPABEIRUT

PROTESTERS in Lebanon in-sisted on taking to the streets for a sixth day on Tuesday, even after the government approved an unprecedented package of economic reforms.

Defiant protesters declared a general strike, sending a clear signal that they reject the measures Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s government agreed upon on Monday.

Among the reforms are a 50-per-cent reduction in the salaries of former and current lawmakers and ministers, the abolishment of the Ministry of Information and a num-ber of other state institutions, and the establishment of an anti-corruption panel. Hari-ri vowed that no new taxes would be imposed.

Huge crowds have gath-ered in recent days in cen-tral Beirut, while banks and schools have been closed and major roads blocked by burn-ing tyres.

However, the number of protesters did decrease on

Tuesday, and security forces were seen opening major streets in some areas.

The education minister said all schools and universi-ties would re-open Wednesday, but this decision has angered some protesters who called on schools to remain shut.

The Bank Association said branches would remain closed on Wednesday.

The demonstrators ac-cuse the country’s political class of mismanagement, wast-ing public funds and rampant corruption. They have called on the government to resign.

The protests were sparked on Thursday by a proposal to introduce fees for users of messaging apps such as What-sApp, with the aim of shoring up the state’s coffers.

Lebanon is under pressure from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to take austerity measures in return for financial support.

The country has one of the biggest public debt ratios in the world, equivalent to about 150 per cent of gross domestic product.

Lebanese protesters defiant in face of reform promises

AFPSOCHI

RUSSIA and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to ensure Kurdish forces withdraw from areas close to Syria’s border with Turkey and to launch joint patrols, in a deal hailed as “historic” by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

After marathon talks in Russia’s southern city of Sochi, Erdogan and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced the deal just hours ahead of a dead-line for Turkey to restart its as-sault on Syria’s Kurds.

The agreement will see Turkey preserve control of an area 32 kilometres (20 miles) deep into Syria seized during the operation.

From noon (0900 GMT)

on Wednesday, Russian mili-tary police and Syrian border guards will “facilitate the re-moval” of Kurdish fighters and their weapons from within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of the entire border.

This withdrawal must be finalised within 150 hours, ac-cording to a text of the agree-ment released after the talks.

Russian and Turkish forc-es will then begin joint patrols along the Turkish-controlled zone.

Putin said the decisions were “very important, if not crucial, to allowing us to re-solve the acute situation on the Syrian-Turkish border.” Erdogan had earlier threat-ened to resume Ankara’s mili-tary offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria if they did not

withdraw as agreed under a US-brokered deal.

The deadline for their withdrawal had been set to expire by 1900 GMT on Tues-day. A Kurdish official told AFP they had “fully complied” ahead of the deadline.

The deal cements Russia and Turkey’s roles as the main foreign players in Syria’s con-flict, with Moscow’s position strengthened after US Presi-dent Donald Trump announced this month he would be with-drawing American forces from the north of the country.

The announcement cleared the way for Turkey to launch its cross-border offensive on October 9 against the Kurdish YPG militia, viewed by Ankara as “terrorists” linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’

Party (PKK).The assault sparked West-

ern outrage and accusations of betrayal from the Kurds, whose frontline fighters were crucial in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Russia is a crucial ally of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and has demanded that Turkey respect the country’s territorial integrity.

As the US troops began to withdraw last week, Russian forces moved in to support the Syrian army, whose help against Turkey was requested by the Kurds.

Erdogan said last week he was not bothered by the Damascus regime’s return as what mattered to Ankara was pushing back the Kurdish fighters from the safe zone.

Russia, Turkey reach ‘historic’ deal on Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a joint press conference following their talks in the Black sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday. (AFP)

S Korea’s Moon ups defence spending, urges North to talk

AFPSEOU

SOUTH Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would increase military spending and urged the North to return to dialogue in a budget speech on Tuesday that could infuri-ate Pyongyang with nuclear talks gridlocked.

Contact between North and South Korea stalled af-ter the collapse of a February summit between North Ko-rean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi.

South Korea will increase defence spending by seven

percent to more than 50 tril-lion won ($42 billion) next year, Moon told parliament, emphasising that “strong de-fence” was crucial for “self-determination”.

“We will strengthen the core defence system by boost-ing assets such as next-gener-ation submarines and surveil-lance satellites.”

The announcement came after North Korea tested what it said was a submarine-launched ballistic missile that marked a “new phase” in its capabilities -- the most pro-vocative in a series of weap-ons tests it resumed after an 18-month hiatus.

News in brief

Netanyahu suffers defeat in failing to form Israeli govtAFP

JERUSALEM

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ben-jamin Netanyahu has suffered a serious defeat in his bid to stay on as premier by failing to form a new coalition govern-ment, but his opponent faced similar difficulties on Tuesday.

Ex-military chief Benny Gantz is now expected to be given the chance to try to ne-gotiate a coalition by Presi-dent Reuven Rivlin, but a deadlock following polls held on September 17 remains and yet another election cannot be ruled out.

It would be Israel’s third election within a year after Ne-tanyahu also failed to form a

coalition after April polls.Netanyahu’s decision to

inform Rivlin on Monday night that he has been unable to form a government by no means signalled the end of his tenure as Israel’s longest-serv-ing prime minister.

He remains premier as long as no new government is formed, and a number of sce-narios exist that could see him retain his post even as he faces the possibility of corruption charges in the weeks ahead.

One of the few things clear in Israel’s post-electoral mo-rass was that Netanyahu, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Monday, was not giving up.

But his announcement was a landmark moment in Israeli

politics since Netanyahu has been given the president’s

mandate to form a government after every election since 2009.

When announcing his decision with a social media video, Netanyahu sought to blame Gantz since the ex-military chief has refused to negotiate on the premier’s

preferred terms.One of Netanyahu’s closest

allies, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, argued Tuesday that the prime minister had been “obstructed” in negotiations.

“Disagreements don’t pre-vent negotiations,” he told Israel’s army radio.“To the contrary, one comes to nego-tiations when one begins with disagreements. Therefore, if Benny Gantz offers Netanyahu to sit down with him one-on-one, I’m confident that Netan-yahu will sit with him.”

Israeli public television re-porters caught up with Gantz outside his home after a work-out on Tuesday morning.

“We’re always optimis-tic, it’s a way of life,” he said.

BEIJING: Social media app TikTok has taken down accounts that were posting propaganda videos for the Islamic State group, a company employee said on Tuesday, in the latest scandal to hit the popular platform. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, claimed some 500 million users glob-ally last year, making it one of the most popular social apps. An employee at TikTok told AFP that about 10 accounts were removed for posting the videos. “Only one of those videos even had views that reached into double digits before being taken down.” The videos featured corpses being paraded through streets and Islamic State fighters with guns, according to the Wall Street Journal. (AFP)

Social media app TikTok removes Islamic State propaganda videosGOMA: Health ministers in 10 central African countries have held talks on boosting data sharing and cross-border surveillance in the fight against Ebola, the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Tuesday. Health Minister Eteni Longondo and counterparts from the nine countries bordering the DRC met on Monday to swap views on “developing a framework for cross-border collaboration,” the health ministry said. The strategy aims at ensuring “timely sharing of critical information for rapid response and control of the epidemic... (and) strengthening cross-border health surveillance.” The DRC’s latest Ebola epidemic has killed 2,171 people since August 2018, according to official figures. (AFP)

Central African countries in talks on boosting anti-Ebola fight

AFPTOKYO

JAPAN’S Emperor Naruhito completed his ascension to the Chrysanthemum throne on Tuesday in a ceremony steeped in the traditions and grandeur of a monarchy that claims 2,000 years of history.

The rituals cemented a transition that began with his father’s abdication earlier this

year, and drew royalty and political leaders from around the world.

A public parade for the event was postponed after a deadly typhoon, but the gov-ernment went ahead with the granting of pardons for more than half a million people convicted of minor offences including traffic violations.

The main event took place in the Imperial Palace’s Pine

Room, where royal attend-ants drew back purple cur-tains hanging from two heavi-ly adorned structures housing the imperial thrones, reveal-ing the emperor and empress standing inside.

“I hereby declare my en-thronement at home and abroad,” Naruhito said, dressed in a voluminous draped robe topped with a copper overcoat.

Empress Masako, a Har-vard-educated former diplo-mat, stood silently before her throne in a similar, smaller structure, wearing a multi-layered kimono and a highly

stylised hairpiece.Naruhito pledged to “pray

for the happiness of Japanese people and world peace” and “fulfil my duty as the symbol of Japan and of the unity of the people of Japan.” In the even-ing, he hosted around 400 of the assembled royalty and dignitaries to a sumptuous banquet at the palace where traditional Japanese court music was played and the guests were allowed to have closer views of the throne.

Standing before him, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised the people of Japan would “respect your highness

the emperor as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people.” He then raised his hands three times, shouting “Banzai!” or “Long live the emperor!”

The solemn ceremony was conducted almost entirely in silence, with royal family members gliding wordlessly into the room and standing throughout. Only the sounds of a gong and drum signalled the stages of the ritual, with a low, loud beat indicating to guests representing around 180 countries and institutions that it was time to stand and hear the proclamation.

Japan’s emperor completes enthronement in ancient ceremony

Emperor Naruhito (left) and Empress Masako during the ceremony where emperor officially proclaims his ascension to the Chrysanthe-mum Throne at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday. (AFP)

Gulf / Middle East / World 09Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The historical moment was witnessed by political leaders and guests representing around 180 countries and institutions

Ex-military chief Benny Gantz is now expected to be given the chance to try to negotiate a coalition by President Reuven Rivlin

Natanyahu remains premier as long as no new govern-ment is formed

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri started meeting foreign envoys on Tuesday, his adviser said, adding that he ex-pected a very positive response to the cabi-net’s adoption of major economic reforms. Senior adviser Nadim Munla said Hariri had begun a series of meetings with key ambassadors in Beirut, six days into a mass anti-government protest movement, which

has drawn muted reactions from Lebanon’s top foreign allies. “We believe, after the announcement of the decisions of the cabinet yesterday, that we’re going to get very positive reactions from them,” Munla told reporters. “This has been the main de-mand by most of the members of the international community.” Munla also said he hoped the package announced on Monday would “lead to some positive reactions on the market”, ratings agencies having graded Lebanese sovereign bonds as “junk”. “The pressure that has been manifested over the last days and possibly weeks, personally, I believe it’s irreversible and it’s going to lead to very concrete laws,” he said. (AFP)

US to lift Turkey sanctions after Syria deadline if it respects ceasefire

AFPWASHINGTON

THE United States will lift recently imposed sanctions on Turkey after Tuesday’s deadline for Kurdish fight-ers to withdraw from a Syrian safe zone if Ankara respects the ceasefire, a US official said.

Kurdish fighters told the United States that they pulled out of the zone within a five-day truce period that ends at 1900 GMT, fulfilling a condition for a full end to Turkey’s incursion.

“We have a commitment once the 120 hours is over to roll back sanctions,” the senior official said on condi-tion of anonymity.

“That is a commitment we will live up to,” he said, without giving an exact tim-ing to lift the sanctions.

But he warned that Tur-key also needs to observe its promise to end the operation. “Any Turkish kinetic military operation that moves for-ward at the end of this 120-hour period... will lead to us concluding that the Turks have violated our agreement, with the inevitable sanc-tions,” the official said.

On October 14, Trump slapped sanctions on three Turkish ministers and raised steel tariffs before sending VP Mike Pence and Secre-tary of State Mike Pompeo to Ankara to negotiate a deal.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has author-ised $4.5 million in aid for Syria’s White Helmets group, famed for rescuing wounded civilians from the frontlines in the civil war, the White House said on Tuesday.

Trump ordered the funds “to continue US sup-port for the organisation’s important and highly val-ued work in the country,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.

157 dead in Iraq protests, says official inquiry BAGHDAD: The death toll from week-long anti-government protests that erupted in the Iraqi capital and other cities at the start of the month totalled 157, an official inquiry found on Tuesday. Baghdad accounted for 111 of the dead, nearly all of whom were protesters, the inquiry found.

Around 70 percent of the deaths were caused by bullet wounds “to the head or chest”, according to the findings.

The official toll included 149 civilians and eight members of the security forces killed be-tween October 1 and 6, during protests in Baghdad and across southern provinces. (AFP)

Erdogan and Putin announce deal for Kurdish forces to move out of border area within 150 hours

Lebanon eyes ‘very positive’ donor response to reforms

AFPLONDON

BRITISH Prime Minister Bo-ris Johnson said on Tuesday he will pause efforts to pass his Brexit deal, after MPs gave their preliminary approval for it but rejected his timetable to push it through parliament this week.

“We will pause this legisla-tion,” Johnson told lawmak-ers, adding he would consult with European Union leaders about a further Brexit delay but insisting Britain should still leave the bloc as sched-uled on October 31.

Lawmakers on Tuesday gave their initial approval to a law implementing Johnson’s Brexit deal, but could still derail his attempts to get the agreement passed in time to leave the EU on October 31.

Johnson won the first of two crucial votes in the House of Commons, which will deter-mine if he can fulfil his “do or die” promise to deliver Brexit next week.

MPs voted by 329 to 299 to approve in principle the With-drawal Agreement Bill, which implements the divorce treaty he agreed with European Un-ion leaders last week.

But they could still now vote against the government’s timetable to rush through the 110-page bill by Thursday evening, to allow its ratifica-tion before October 31.

The Conservative leader warned earlier on Tuesday that failure to pass the motion would see him abandon the legislation -- and instead seek to call a snap general election.

The prime minister was

forced on Saturday to ask EU leaders to postpone Brexit -- something he once said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than do -- after MPs de-clined to back his new deal.

But he could still avoid having to delay by getting the deal ratified by October 31.

Opening the debate, John-son -- a key figure in the 2016 EU membership referendum Leave campaign -- urged MPs to support the legislation so “we can get Brexit done and

move our country on”.If not, he said the “bill

will have to be pulled” and he would seek an early election -- although he needs the support of Labour to do this, and it has twice refused.

Opposition parties, many of whom dislike the Brexit deal, have said it is “ludicrous” to expect proper scrutiny of the legislation in less than three days. Labour leader Jer-emy Corbyn, who has called for a second referendum on

Brexit, said Johnson was try-ing to “blindside” MPs into supporting a “rotten bill”.

It “fails to protect our rights and our natural world, fails to protect jobs and the economy, fails to protect every region and every nation in the UK”, he said.

The Democratic Union-ist Party, Johnson’s Northern Irish allies, accuse him of dup-ing them about new trading arrangements for the prov-ince.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said he “nearly choked” when he heard Johnson’s assur-ances, adding: “The prime minister thinks I can’t read the agreement.”

The timetable motion is intended to ensure the House of Commons debates the bill quickly, allowing it to go onto the unelected upper House of Lords. Johnson warned that seeking further time would kill any hope of leaving the EU with a deal next week -- and risks a “no-deal” exit if the EU declines to approve a delay.

In Strasbourg, European Council President Donald Tusk said the other 27 EU leaders were mulling Johnson’s re-quest, but the result “will very much depend on what the Brit-ish parliament decides”.

He said the EU should be “ready for every scenario”, al-though he added on Twitter: “A no-deal Brexit will never be our decision.”

PM Johnson pauses Brexit bill after losing timetable vote

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the opening of the debate into the Brexit withdrawal agreement bill in the House of Commons in London on Tuesday. (AFP)

AFPOTTAWA

PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party held onto power in a nail-biter of a Canadian general election on Monday, but as a weakened minority government.

Television projections as of 2 am Tuesday (0600 GMT) de-clared the Liberals winners or leading in 156 of the nation’s 338 electoral districts, versus 122 for his main rival Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives, after polling stations across six time zones closed.

As early as Tuesday,

Trudeau will have to form an alliance with one or more smaller parties in order to gov-ern a fractured nation.

The first test of his future government will follow in the coming weeks with a speech to parliament outlining his leg-islative priorities and a confi-dence vote.

“From coast to coast to coast, tonight Canadians re-jected division and negativ-ity,” Trudeau said. “And they rejected cuts and austerity and voted in favour of a progres-sive agenda and strong action on climate change.” He reas-sured Quebec that his Liberal

government, despite an elec-toral setback in the French-

speaking province, “will be there for you.” He also spoke directly to a growing sense of Western Canada’s alienation within the federation, tell-ing those in Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces: “I’ve heard your frustration.” The 47-year-old former school teacher dominated Canadian politics over the four years of his first term, but faced a grill-ing during the 40-day election campaign, which he described as one of the “dirtiest and nas-tiest” in Canadian history.

Trudeau and Scheer ex-changed barbs as attack ads and misinformation multiplied.

Trudeau’s Liberals win Canada vote

AFPWASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the impeachment inquiry as a “lynching,” using explosive, racially-charged language to discredit the probe as a key witness who expressed con-cerns about political inter-ference testified to Congress.

Trump has relentlessly attacked the investigation as part of a broader partisan “witch hunt” against him.

But on Tuesday he used particularly inflammatory language to lay into his op-ponents, saying they were seeking to impeach him “without due process or fair-ness or any legal rights.” “All Republicans must remem-ber what they are witnessing here -- a lynching,” Trump raged, using a word that evokes the darkest days of America’s slavery legacy.

More than 3,400 African Americans were lynched be-tween 1882 and 1968, and congressional Democrats,

many of them black, reacted with collective revulsion.

“How dare you?!” seethed congresswoman Barbara Lee on Twitter as she assailed the “disgusting and ignorant message” from Trump. “That is one word that no president ought to apply to himself,” House Majority Whip James Clyburn, the most senior black lawmaker in Congress, told CNN.

“I’m a product of the South. I know the history of that word. That is a word that we ought to be very, very care-ful about using,” the South Carolina Democrat said.

Few Republican lawmak-ers have openly criticised Trump for his comment, but Senator Susan Collins, a moderate Republican and occasional Trump critic who is up for re-election in 2020, spoke out.

“’Lynching’ brings back images of a terrible time in our nation’s history, and the President never should have made that comparison,” she tweeted.

Trump blasts impeachment inquiry as ‘lynching’ as key witness testifies to Congress

‘No justification at this stage’ for new Brexit delay: FrancePARIS: France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday he saw “no justification at this stage” for an ad-ditional delay to Britain’s scheduled October 31 departure from the European Union.

“We’ve been waiting for three years for this decision. It’s important for it to be announced today because otherwise there will be no option except ‘no deal,’ which is not the solution we prefer,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers in parliament.

“The main question is for the British, that they tell us today, as soon as possible, if it’s yes or no,” Le Drian said. “It is obvious that the result of these consultations will very much depend on what the British parliament decides or doesn’t decide,” he told the European Parliament.

“We should be ready for every scenario,” he said. (AFP)

I’m the most promoted human being that’s ever lived: Trump

AFPWASHINGTON

PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Monday said his much-criticised attempt to stage the G7 at one of his golf courses was not intended to promote his business brand, arguing he’s too famous to “need promotion.”

“They say, ‘Oh, you get promotion.’ You don’t think I get enough promotion? I get more promotion than any human being that’s ever lived,” Trump said at a meeting of his cabinet in the White House. “I don’t need promotion.”

Trump’s latest defence of the now-scrapped plan to hold the international sum-mit at his National Doral resort in Florida next year

follows withering criticism.Opponents say the bid

smacked of corruption.Trump on Saturday tweeted that he was pulling the idea and would consider other sites, including the presi-dential retreat of Camp Da-vid, near Washington.

But Trump lashed out at accusations of corruption. He noted that he gives away his presidential salary of about $450,000 and insist-ed that being president has personally cost him between $2-$5 billion in lost business revenues.

“I don’t care. If you’re rich, it doesn’t matter,” Trump said. “I’m doing this for the country.” “I’m very good at real estate, very, very good, much better than you even understand,” he boasted.

KABUL: At least 15 police officers were killed in two Taliban attacks in Afghani-stan’s northern province of Kunduz, an official said on Tuesday.

The officers were killed when the Taliban attacked a checkpoint in Ali Abad district and, separately, ambushed Afghan security forces in the same area, provincial council mem-ber Ghulam Rabbani Rab-bani said.

According to Rabbani, 10 days ago the Taliban at-tacked another checkpoint in the area, killing at least 10 police officers. (DPA)

Taliban attacks leave 15 police officers dead in Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: One of India’s most wanted tiger poach-ers, who also had a fetish for eating the penis of sloth bears, has been arrested after being on the run for six years, officials said.

Wildlife officials in the central state of Madhya Pradesh formed a special task force in 2013 after several sloth carcasses were found with their repro-ductive organs missing.

The man arrested, named as Yarlen, belongs to a community that believes the penis of a sloth bear can cure ills including impotency. He admitted to police killing several tigers, many sloth bears, hundreds of wild boar and peacocks. (AFP)

Indian tiger poacher with ‘bear genital’ fetish’ arrested

News in brief

VICTORIOUS BUT WEAKENED

Prime Minister’s party wins 156 out of 338 seats, leaving them some 170 seats short of a majority government

Foreign diplomats taken to Neelum Valley to debunk Indian army claim of destroying ‘terror launch pads’

DAWN.COMISLAMABAD

A TEAM of foreign diplomats posted in Pakistan were taken to the Neelum Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to witness firsthand whether the Indian army had “smashed four terror launch pads” there early Sunday, Foreign Office spokes-person Dr Mohammad Faisal said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The diplomats were taken to the Nauseri, Shahkot and Jura sectors near the Line of Control (LoC), as well as the Nausada village, which has suffered severe damage in at-tacks by Indian troops. The trip was arranged so they can verify for themselves the claims made by Indian army

chief Gen Bipin Rawat.Inter-Services Public Re-

lations Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor briefed the diplomats and media persons about the situation in the area. The visitors were also shown remains of the artillery shells that allegedly fired by the Indi-an troops from across the LoC.

DG ISPR said that in 2018, there were 3,038 Indian cease-fire violations and 58 civilians were martyred while 319 were injured. In 2019, so far there have been 2,608 ceasefire vio-lations due to which 44 civil-ians have been martyred and 230 injured.

He said the difference be-tween the Pakistan Army and Indian army was that the for-mer follows military norms

and only targets Indian posts.DG ISPR added that the

foreign diplomats had visited Jura bazaar and met the local population and shop owners and witnessed firsthand the damage inflicted on the shops and houses that were claimed to be launchpads by India.

“It’s all innocent people being targeted by India,” he said.

No official from the Indian High Commission joined the team visiting the LoC today, Dr Faisal said.

“The Indian side has not joined us in the visit to the LoC nor have they provided coor-dinates of the alleged ‘launch-pads’,” the FO spokesperson tweeted. He added that India had also failed to share the co-

ordinates of launchpads which the Indian army claimed to have destroyed.

“’Claims’ by Indian Army Chief remain just that: ‘claims’,” he added.

Maj Gen Ghafoor — who had last night challenged Indi-an officials “to take any foreign diplomat/media to ‘prove’ [its allegations] on ground” — also commented on the absence of Indian officials: “What good [is the] Indian High Commission which can’t stand with its army chief?” “Indian High Commis-sion staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to LoC,” he tweeted. “However, a group of foreign diplomats and me-dia is on the way to LoC to see the truth on [the] ground.”

France drops 2020 tourism target because of ‘yellow vests’, Brexit

AFPPARIS

THE French government has abandoned its goal of wel-coming 100 million foreign visitors in 2020, blaming the impacts of months of anti-government protests and Britain’s looming exit from the EU, the finance ministry said on Tuesday.

“France still aims to have 100 million foreign tourists... nonetheless the goal has been pushed back, given cur-rent circumstances, to 2022,” the ministry said in a budget document posted online.

The previous Socialist government set the ambi-tious goal in 2014.

France remains the world’s top tourist destina-tion with 89.4 million visitors

last year. But the fierce “yel-low vest” protests that erupt-ed last November against President Emmanuel Macron made many tourists think twice as the weekly rallies of-ten degenerated into violence.

In Paris in particular, protesters often clashed in running battles with police, while stores were looted and cars set alight on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue and elsewhere. That led the au-thorities to lock down much of the centre of Paris and other major cities on Satur-days, until the protests died down over the summer.

Another factor likely to impact tourism is the weak-ening of the British pound against the euro as the im-pact of Brexit is felt across the UK economy.

NASA wants international partners to go to Moon too

AFPWASHINGTON

AS it looks to return to the Moon, NASA is open to the idea of international partici-pation, which could mean a non-American setting foot on Earth’s natural satellite for the first time in history, global space chiefs said on Monday.

“I think there’s lots of room on the Moon, and we need all our international partners to go with us to the Moon,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters at the 70th In-ternational Astronautical Con-gress held in Washington.

“If we can come to agree-ments on the contributions of all the nations and how they’re going to be a part of the archi-tecture, then certainly I would, I would see that there’d be no reason we can’t have all of our international partners with us on the Moon,” he added.

“We are in discussion also with NASA, so that we have European astronauts on the surface of the Moon -- this is of course the European inten-tion,” said Jan Worner, head of the ESA, at the same press conference. “2024 is for sure something which is purely American,” he later told AFP.

Earlier, MPs gave preliminary approval for Brexit legislation; PM insists UK will leave on October 31 but will consult EU first

Kashmir conflict

Asia / Europe / Americas10 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

CB net profit jumps 19.4% to QR1.5 bn in nine months

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE Commercial Bank has report-ed a net profit of QR1.5 billion for the nine months ending September 30, 2019, an increase of 19.4 per-cent compared with the same pe-riod of 2018, the bank announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Commercial Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali bin Jabor al Thani said, “Qatar continues to strengthen its position as a lead-ing investment destination within the Middle East region. We believe this trend will accelerate as the government introduces new re-forms designed to enhance Qatar’s attractiveness to entrepreneurs and international businesses. As a leading private bank in Qatar, Commercial Bank plays an impor-tant role in supporting these gov-ernment initiatives.

“Commercial Bank has devel-oped deep expertise in the market, enabling it to offer comprehensive banking and financing solutions for Qatar’s people and businesses. Commercial Bank’s operations have contributed to the country’s thriving financial sector which re-mains attractive to international companies setting up in Qatar.”

Hussain Alfardan, Commer-cial Bank’s Vice Chairman, said, “We continue to see our initiatives yielding strong results, as we pro-gress with the implementation of our five-year strategic plan.

“We have strengthened the foundation of our business and remain focused on bringing in-novative products and services to our customers, providing an ex-ceptional client experience and strengthening our position in the market.”

Operating profit for the Group increased by 14.6 percent to QR2.02 billion for the nine month, compared to QR1.77 bil-lion achieved in the same period in 2018.

Net interest income for the Group increased by 1.6 percent to QR1.93 billion for the nine months compared to QR1.90 billion in the same period in 2018. Net inter-

est margin (NIM) increased to 2.3 percent. The increase in margins is mainly due to asset book increase with higher yielding assets. NIM has improved quarter on quarter from 2.2 percent in Q2 2019 to 2.4 percent in Q3 2019.

Non-interest income for the Group increased by 21.1 percent to QR914 million for the nine months. The overall increase in non-inter-est income was due to increase in net fee and commission income, foreign exchange earnings and in-

come from investment securities.Total operating expenses were

tightly managed at a Group level, down by 7.6 percent to QR824.1 million for the period. Costs re-ductions were primarily driven by lower staff and administrative ex-penses.

The Group’s net provisions de-creased by 0.9 percent to QR625 million. The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio reduced to 4.9 percent, while the loan coverage ratio in-creased to 95.2 percent.

The Group’s balance sheet in-creased by 7.9 percent with total assets at QR145.7 billion, com-pared with QR138.7 billion in the same period last year. The increase was mainly in loans and advances and investment securities.

The Group’s loans and ad-vances to customers increased by 5.1 percent to QR89.1 billion. The increase was mainly in the govern-ment and public sector.

The Group’s investment secu-rities increased by 24.8 percent to QR27.0 billion. The increase was mainly in government bonds, the bank said.

The Group’s customer deposits reduced by 0.8 percent to QR74.3

billion as at September 30, 2019 compared with QR74.9 billion in the same period of 2018.

Joseph Abraham, Commercial Bank’s Group CEO, said, “Con-solidated net profit increased 19 percent for the first nine months of 2019 to QR1.5 billion, driven by an increase in operating income combined with a sustained focus on careful cost management. The results for the period demonstrate the strong execution of Commer-cial Bank’s 5-year strategic plan.

“Operating income for the first nine months of 2019 was QR2.85 billion, an increase of 7.1 percent compared to the same period last year. The increase was driven by gains in non-interest income, which was up by 21.1 percent to QR914.2 million, during the first nine months of 2019, compared to the same period last year. Gains in FX income and investment in-come, were up by 40.6 percent and 282 percent, respectively.”

He said, “The domestic bank reported a net profit of QR1.36 bil-lion during the first nine months of 2019, an increase of 18 percent compared to the same period last year. The improvement was largely driven by growth in operating prof-its.

“Operating profit increased to QR1.83 billion, up 9 percent, driven by an increase in operat-ing income. Loans and advances to customers increased 4.4 percent to QR77.1 billion, while customer deposits declined 3 percent to QR64.3 billion.

“Despite the depreciation of the Lira by circa 2.5 percent compared to the same period last year, Alter-natif Bank reported an increase in net profit to QR109 million, up 47 percent compared to the same pe-riod last year. Alternatif Bank grew customer deposits by 17 percent and loans and advances by 10 per-cent at 30 September 2019, com-pared to the same period last year.”

He added, “Our associate, NBO, performed steadily during the first nine months of 2019, re-porting a net profit of QR362 mil-lion. UAB continues to be an asset held for sale.”

Solid results The Group’s loans and

advances to customers increased by 5.1 percent to QR89.1 billion

Operating profit for the Group increased by 14.6 percent to QR2.02 billion

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

MINISTER of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari officially opened the eighth edition of the real es-tate exhibition and conference -Cityscape Qatar 2019 at the Doha Exhibition and Conven-tion Center on Tuesday.

A delegation of top-ranking officials, including Akbar al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways; Badr al Meer, CEO of Hamad International Airport (HIA), joined Kuwari during his tour of the expo, stopping for de-tailed briefings at a number of exhibitors’ stands, including Qetaifan Projects, HIA, Qatari Diar, Msheireb Properties, Bar-wa Real Estate and UDC, the organisers said in a statement.

Kuwari said, “Cityscape Qatar 2019 will be remem-bered as a breakthrough event coinciding with the recently re-leased real estate foreign own-ership law. The freehold and leasehold laws aim at creating a positive transformation in the real estate sector and support-ing economic growth in Qatar.

“With the regulation of real

estate brokerage, new stand-ards have been put in place to provide a suitable environment that will enhance the qualifica-tion of brokers by offering them special services, controlling speculations, and establishing a proper platform for the sector.

“Real estate brokerage companies have been classified in order to build trust between them and investors, and con-

tinuous investor education on their rights and responsibili-ties has been secured. Finally, electronic services have been made available to facilitate the completion of formalities and compel brokers to legalise their contracts.”

Chris Speller, Group Direc-tor of Cityscape, Informa Mar-kets, said, “There’s undoubted-ly been a positive atmosphere

this morning, and the show has seen a buzz of exhibitors, visi-tors and real estate profession-als eager to find out the latest developments and trends in the market.

“The positive sentiment has been encouraged by the Qatari government’s recent changes to the law allowing expatri-ates to purchase residential, retail and office freehold prop-

erty which will provide a huge stimulus to real estate develop-ers – especially as the country goes closer to the FIFA World Cup 2022.”

Following a recent an-nouncement launching sales for the first phase of Qetaifan Island North, Qetaifan Projects were out in full force on the ex-hibition floor to showcase the master development which is set to become the largest enter-tainment hub in the country.

“The Island’s location and its distinctive waterfront rep-resent a new and exciting way of life that symbolises vision and future ambition, offering its residents an integrated liv-ing experience,” said Qetaifan Project Managing Director and Katara Hospitality Deputy Chairman Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman al Thani.

Qetaifan Island North will serve as a central entertain-ment and leisure destination for the 2022 FIFA World Cup given its proximity to the Lusail Stadium – where the opening and final match of the competi-tion will be held.

Qetaifan Island North spans approximately 1.3 mil-

lion square metres, a tenth of which will be dedicated to a water park. The island will be filled with family enter-tainment attractions, distinct neighbourhoods, luxurious ho-tels, pedestrian friendly streets, gardens, a school and medical

centres.“It will have world class fa-

cilities that make it a modern, globally-competitive commu-nity with a unique design that is inspired by the rich culture and nature of the region,” add-ed Sheikh Nasser.

New regulations for real estate brokers will help build trust with investors, says HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari

Minister opens CityScape Qatar

Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari with other officials at the Cityscape Qatar exhibition in Doha on Tuesday.

RAHUL PREETH DOHA

TERMING Qatar’s real estate market as buyer-friendly, Minister of Com-merce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari said the prices in 2019 were be-coming more competitive, prompting buyer demand for higher quality.

The real estate transac-tion volume in Qatar in the first quarter of 2019 jumped 20 percent from that in the same period last year, the

minister said after inaugu-rating the Cityscape Qatar real estate exhibition in Doha on Tuesday.

Around 3,000 apart-ments and villas have come in multiple areas in Qatar in the first quarter of this year, the minister said, pegging the supply in the residen-tial property market during the period at 293,000 units. Around 10,000 new units are expected to be completed this year with 67 percent of them being in Lusail and The Pearl, the minister added.

Q1 real estate transaction volume jumps 20%: Kuwari

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019

Msheireb showcases unique offering at MDD PAGE 13

Draghi leaves divided ECB to Lagarde PAGE 14

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RAHUL PREETH DOHA

THE Qatar Industrial Manu-facturing Company (QIMC) on Tuesday unveiled its state-of-the-art flagship project, the Corniche Park Towers, at the Cityscape Qatar real estate ex-hibition that began in Doha on Tuesday.

Managed by QIMC’s sub-sidiary Tarweej Investment Company (TIC), the Corniche Park Towers is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021.

“Having launched the highly-anticipated project during the prestigious City-scape Qatar exhibition was a pivotal moment for QIMC,” said its Chairman Sheikh Ab-dulrahman bin Mohammad bin Jabor al Thani.

Once completed, the tower would cater to the increasing commercial, hospitality and tourism needs of the West Bay area, he added.

“We are certain that this flagship property will not only enhance our contribution to-wards the Qatar National Vi-

sion 2030, but will also place us within the global real es-tate landscape, especially as the country is witnessing a remarkable development in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup.”

Sprawling over 10,435 square metres, the Corniche Park Towers provide captivat-ing views of the adjacent wa-terfront.

The mixed-used develop-ment is a combination of three towers in one — a 24-floor of-fice tower, a 29-floor residen-

tial tower and a 38-floor tower for a five-start hotel and ser-viced apartments.

Once completed, the office tower will have a built-up area of 15,059.28 square metres. The residential tower, which will offer 122 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, will have a total built-up area of 22,464 square metres.

The 350-key hotel tower will have a total built-up area of 36,032 square metres. It will offer 140 standard rooms and 60 one-bedroom suites, besides 124 studio serviced apartments, 21 two-bedroom apartments and five three-bedroom apartments.

The towers will also have four basement and above-

ground car parking lots, of-fering a total of 670 slots and 14,150 square metres of retail area spread across four po-dium floors.

Permeated with ample landscaped areas and lush greenery, the Corniche Park Towers will provide an exclu-sive address on the north side of Doha’s Corniche waterfront.

The project is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021

QNA DOHA

THE United Development Company (UDC) is show-casing its various real-estate projects to familiarise inves-tors from Qatar and abroad with a range of lucrative in-vestment opportunities, at Cityscape Qatar 2019 exhibi-tion, which opened in Doha on Tuesday.

The company is launch-ing for the first time a limited number of beach villa plots in Gewan Island and Qanat Quartier Marina at The Pearl-Qatar.

UDC CEO Ibrahim Jas-sim al Othman said the company’s is showcasing its various projects and pro-gress made in the Gewan Is-land project, which the UDC announced in the previous edition of this distinguished exhibition, noting that the work in the project is well un-derway.

Othman said the UDC had announced sales opera-tions in the Gewan Island, and there are plots for sale with waterfronts, some of which have sea shores.

“Part of these lands have been sold and others are re-served, and there are other plots for those wishing to in-vest.”

He pointed to a number of projects that will be ready in 2022, including residential complexes in Floresta Gar-dens and another residential complex in Giordano Village.

Othman noted that the company is currently work-ing on opening of a number of hotels, including the Hil-ton Hotel Pearl before the end of this year, and the St. Regis Hotel in Marsa Arabia which will be ready before 2022.

“By the end of these phases, the UDC will have six international brands ho-tels of 7 and 5 stars located in The Pearl and the Gewan Island.”

Asked whether the prof-its were affected by the vol-ume of investment made by the company, Othman un-derlined that the profits are not affected by the size of the investment, especially as the investment gives the compa-ny continuity of profits.

In terms of supply and demand, he pointed out that the State of Qatar has put forward a very positive initiative, which is allowing non-Qatari ownership.

“Such initiatives pro-vides significant support for the sales in The Pearl and the Gewan Island or even in the freehold areas allowed for foreign investors, and create better business movement in

the real estate sector.”Othman said he is ex-

pecting a significant growth in real estate demand, espe-cially in light of the state’s readiness to host the 2022 World Cup, and other tour-naments.

The UDC CEO noted that the company seeks to create private communities in its projects, providing an inte-grated community life that attracts the population.

In this context, he re-ferred to UDC;s announce-ment of a project to con-struct the “United School International” at The Pearl, in addition to a project to develop a hospital which is still under study, noting that these elements ensure an in-tegrated society that attracts the entire population from all walks of life.

The Pearl also includes restaurants, shops and one of the most beautiful mari-nas in the world, making it a privileged place in the State of Qatar attractive for living, investment, entertainment and all needs, he added.

The UDC revealed its plans to develop the Gewan Island during Cityscape Qa-tar 2018. The Island is situ-ated next to The Pearl-Qatar, and will span 400,000 sqm. Once completed, the Island will accommodate 3,500 res-idents and a similar number of daily visitors.

Gewan Island will be home to 712 units, includ-ing 641 apartments, 20 stan-dalone villas located along a placid beach in a quiet and gated seaside community as well as 21 beachfront vil-las with private beach and 26 waterfront villas that are equipped with private pon-toons for private boats, in addition to 11,000 square meter of retail spaces and several multi-use buildings.

Meanwhile, Qanat Quartier Marina precinct will comprise of three pal-aces with private beach, 13 waterfront villas, in addition to a prayer room, landscaped areas and parking spaces for visitors.

UDC launches limited number of beach villa plots at Cityscape

UDC CEO Ibrahim Jassim al Othman

SATYENDRA PATHAK DOHA

QATAR Airways will take de-livery of over 40 aircraft in 2020, the highest ever by any airlines in the world in a year.

“Up to now we were get-ting around 35 aircraft a year. Next year, we are earmarked to receive the delivery of more than 40 aircraft, which is the highest in the history of Qa-tar Airways in a year. I don’t think there is any airline in the world that takes delivery of even 35 aircraft in a year,” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker said on Tuesday.

“Taking airplanes at this high rate does not mean that we are parking them. Qatar Airways has the highest utili-sation of aircraft. Our growth is higher than the capacity we deploy. This means, we are us-ing every aircraft that we get in our fleet,” Baker said.

“At a time when Qatar Air-ways is experiencing unprece-dented growth and expansion,

the need for efficient, reliable and modern aircraft has never been greater,” he said.

Despite the ongoing block-ade, Baker said, revenue of Qatar Airways is growing at a decent pace.

“While the blockade is put-ting pressure on our opera-

tional cost, the airline revenue wise is already up 20 percent compared to the first year of the blockade. It means we are growing, but our operational cost is increasing because of the blockade. We are flying on an average 25 minutes more every single 650 departures

and arrivals a day. So, one can imagine the rise in our opera-tional cost. Despite all this, we have succeeded in lowering the loss with increased rev-enue,” he said.

According to its Sustain-ability Report, Qatar Airways has an order of over 300 air-

craft worth more than $90 bil-lion.

The strong line- up of new orders matches the unprec-edented growth witnessed in past and firm expansion plans of the national carrier of Qa-tar, which is one of the fastest growing airlines the world.

“The numbers of planes we fly have the average age of less than 5 years and we take deliv-ery of one aircraft on an aver-age every 10 days,” Baker said.

Baker also revealed that the metro station at the airport is fully complete and it will be operational soon.

QA to take delivery of record 40 aircraft in 2020: Baker

Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar al Baker speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Cityscape Qatar expo in Doha on Tuesday.

I don’t think there is any airline in the world that takes delivery of even 35 aircraft in a year, says Baker

Cityscape Qatar12 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

While the blockade is putting pressure on our operational cost, the airline revenue wise is already up 20 percent compared to the first year of the blockadeQatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar al Baker

QIMC unveils flagship Corniche Park Towers

Once completed, the office tower will have a built-up area of 15,059.28 square metres.

HIA expansion plan shows Qatar’s economy is robust: Baker

PROVIDING details about the tropical garden, Baker said, “It will feature flora from sustainable forests and plantations around the globe selected to acclimatise to the airport’s indoor conditions. Walking tracks will weave their way around the garden, flanked by contemporary retail and dining concepts among other leisure attrac-tions and facilities.”

He said designers have de-veloped a column-free, long-span 85m grid shell roof with performance glass to control

and filter the light required for the trees to acclimatise to the internal conditions of the terminal and grow throughout the life of the airport.

The expansion plan in-cludes 11,720 sqm of land-scaped retail and F&B space, which will enhance the multi-dimensional offerings of the five-star airport by integrating world-class art collection and refreshing environment of lush greenery.

“The expansion of HIA is a vital part of the country’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup and beyond. It is also a strong sign that Qatar’s economy is robust and acts as

a further economic stimulus, providing immense opportu-nities for local and interna-tional contractors,” he said.

“We want to provide even better airport journeys to more people around the

world. The expansion will al-low us to do this,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, HIA Chief Operating Officer

Badr Mohammed al Meer said tenders related to sec-ond phase of expansion will be floated by the end of this

month or early next month. “The expansion has been

designed to seamlessly inte-grate with the existing termi-nal, allowing smooth passen-ger flow and improving the overall passenger experience by minimising travel distanc-es for connections and provid-ing clarity and intuitive way-finding,” Meer said.

The project will also add nine more gates for the twin-aisle aircraft which form the bulk of Qatar’s long-range fleet, while a new transfer area will reduce connection times.

“This will help shorten passengers’ connection times and will improve their overall

transfer experience at HIA as well as the central concourse that will accommodate nine additional wide-body aircraft stands,” he said.

Meer unveiled that HIA expansion will also see the construction of a new cargo terminal that will increase ca-pacity handled to an estimat-ed 3.2 million tonnes per year.

“The state-of-the-art ter-minal is slated to be ready by 2023, and will be a multi-level facility with 85,000 sqm building footprint, across three levels as well as three mezzanine levels providing approximately 323,000 sqm of gross floor area,” he said.

Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari visits HIA pavilion during Cityscape Qatar in Doha on Tuesday.

Continued from page 1 The expansion plan includes 11,720 sqm of landscaped retail and F&B space, which will enhance the multi-dimensional offerings of the five-star airport by integrat-ing world-class art collection and refreshing environment of lush greenery

Luxury tower The 350-key hotel tower will have a total built-up area of 36,032 square metres. It will offer 140 standard rooms and 60 one-bedroom suites, besides 124 studio serviced apartments, 21 two-bedroom apartments and five three-bedroom apartments

13Wednesday, October 23, 2019

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

MSHEIREB Properties show-cased residential and commer-cial offerings from Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD), Qatar’s latest destination for leisure, living and busi-ness, during Cityscape Qatar 2019 exhibition in Doha on Tuesday.

Potential residents, retail-ers and interested parties can visit the Msheireb Properties booth to meet with the team on the ground and learn more about unique opportunities on offer in Msherieb Downtown Doha at competitive prices, located in key locations in the

heart of Doha, the company said in a statement.

Following the successful launch of the development’s first residential building, Wadi 1, which welcomed residents in August 2019 and is now 95% leased, Msheireb Properties will be announcing the launch of two new residential proper-ties, Al Kahraba and Al Khail, at Cityscape.

In both residential allot-ments, the apartments range from 1 – 4 bedrooms featuring en-suite bathrooms and clos-ets, with duplex units available too. All buildings enjoy lifts, dedicated basement parking, bicycle parking and storage, 24/7 security and lobby, exclu-

sive amenities including pools for adults and children, gyms, clubhouses, and open terraces.

Al Kahraba units are posi-tioned and designed to meet with needs of the modern Qa-tari family, specifically incor-porating private majlis areas and other amenities. Al Khail units are designed to pro-mote the urban lifestyle, with large open kitchens, spacious rooms, and modern, smart amenities.

As a special promotion during Cityscape Qatar 2019, Msheireb Properties is offering one-month free rent to all resi-dents who provide registration of interest over the course of the three- day event.

The residential units are considered one of the smart-est in Qatar in terms of home automation and technology. Tenants can have full control with a touchscreen display, high-speed fibre network, en-ergy consumption monitoring, video and audio systems inte-gration, modern IP telephony, and video intercom systems.

Business owners and retail-ers can also make use of more than 300 units developed to suit all business needs. From food and beverage outlets and fashion shops to commercial and office spaces, clients can choose their ideal locations in either Galleria mall, the pedestrian streets, and other squares and piazzas within

Downtown Doha.Ali al Kuwari, Acting CEO

of Msheireb Properties said, “Msheireb Properties contin-ues to add value to the local market through its flagship project, Msheireb Downtown Doha. As Doha’s centre and latest destination, we are keen on providing the best residen-tial and commercial offerings to the residents and businesses of Qatar.

“Our state-of-the-art in-frastructure has been success-ful in attracting some of the largest local and international players, and we will remain committed to making the dis-trict a social, commercial and civic hub.”

The real estate firm is offering one- month free rent for residential registration of interest during Cityscape

Msheireb showcases unique offering at MDD

Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari visits Msheireb Properties’ booth at Cityscape Qatar expo in Doha on Tuesday.

Interior design expo INDEX Qatar opens its doors at DECCTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

INTERIOR design exhibi-tion INDEX Qatar 2019 has opened its door at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) on Tuesday.

Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar HE Fikret Ozer opened the expo in the presence of of-ficials, CEOs and top business leaders.

The opening of INDEX Qatar 2019 coincided with the launch of the eighth edition of Cityscape Qatar, co-located with the exhibition this year.

Following the opening ceremony, officials from Qa-tar National Toursim Council (QNTC), dmg events Doha visited some of the exhibitors from more than 20 countries including Qatar, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, China, Oman, France, and Lebanon.

QNTC as the strategic partner has endorsed the event and supported in bring-ing international buyers to attend the event and explore the opportunities offered in Qatar.

The high-profile three-day event is dedicated to the inte-rior design and fit-out indus-try, and features thousands of the latest products and solutions to meet the coun-try’s future demand for inte-rior products and services to complete stadia, hotels, and residential units ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The impressive diversity of exhibits at INDEX Qatar gives visitors access to several highly innovative and unique interior products and services. One such exhibitor is Public Art, which works exclusively on sculpture in public spaces and highlights an interesting combination of landscape, buildings, and humans.

Juanjo Novella, from Pub-lic Art’s said, “We welcome the opportunity to participate in INDEX Qatar 2019. The exhibition is clearly struc-tured, well organized and at-tracts an exceptional quality of exhibitors and visitors. We look forward to establishing more high-quality contacts with interior design profes-sionals and growing our busi-ness network in a competitive market.”

Hande Oguz, international representative of MOC Trad-ing and Contracting said, “MOC had no hesitation in participating in INDEX Qa-tar. Through our presence and participation, we ex-pect to have an overview of the current demands arising from Qatar’s mega projects, as we present our specialized products.

“We are hopeful of estab-lishing business contacts with the key decision-makers in the interior industry in Qatar. It’s what we have come to expect from INDEX Qatar.”

MOC and their interna-tional partners are specialised in designing, manufacturing and installations for mosques, palaces, hotels, villas, and of-fice buildings and will be pre-sent at INDEX Qatar at Booth (1D63).

Cityscape Qatar

Old airport to be reopened for passenger flights during World CupRAHUL PREETH

DOHA

THE old airport in Qatar will be reopened for passen-ger flight operations for four weeks during the FIFA World Cup 2022, a senior Qatar Airways (QA) official said in Doha on Tuesday.

The Doha International Airport (DIA), which is also known as the old airport, was replaced as the coun-try’s principal airport by the

Hamad International Airport (HIA) in 2014.

Now, almost all of Qatar’s passenger flight operations are run out of HIA, with DIA serving as an auxiliary airport mostly for military, royal or chartered flight operations.

However, with the world cup expected to bring in fans in massive numbers every day for a month between Novem-ber and December 2022, the services of DIA are necessary, QA Vice President for Strat-

egy and Customer experience Sujata Suri said.

“The old airport is very much being used,” Suri said at a conference held as part of the Cityscape Qatar real es-tate exhibition that began in Doha on Tuesday.

“Qatar Airways still runs its general aviation opera-tions out of there. Large part of the Amiri flight operations also function out of there. The military has taken over the eastern part of the run-

way for development for the military aircraft the country is going to acquire over the next few years,” she said.

“We have decided to com-

mission DIA back in action for four weeks during the FIFA World Cup because we intend to take the general aviation, the point to point traffic, back into DIA.”

HIA replaced DIA as Qa-tar’s main airport following a period of rapid development in Qatar’s aviation market, which saw the number of airline passengers coming in and going out of the country jump from 5 million to 25 million.

Peter Daley, the Project Director of HIA’s expansion project, said the original de-sign capacity of the Hamad International Airport was around 28 million passen-gers.

By attaining operational efficiencies, HIA can now handle more than 35 million passengers per annum.

In the next three years, HIA will be able to draw 30 percent more passenger foot-falls in the next as it readies

itself to handle an influx of visitors for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

HIA plans to increase its capacity to accommodate 53 million passengers annually by 2022, which is one of the several objectives of the sec-ond phase of its expansion project. The details of this phase were revealed to an in-ternational audience of real estate developers and inves-tors at the Cityscape Qatar exhibition.

HIA plans to increase its capacity to accommodate 53 million passengers annually by 2022, which is one of the several objec-tives of the second phase of its expansion project

Ezdan Holding sees huge turnout at its pavilionTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

MINISTER of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari, accompanied by a number of officials, VIPs, investors and businessmen visited the pavilion of Ezdan Holding Group during their tour of Cityscape Qatar 2019 expo, which opened in Doha on Tuesday.

The minister was briefed about the most important projects of the Group, includ-ing Ezdan Oasis mega project, which spreads over an area of one million square meters, and about the Group’s first-rate experience in hospital-ity sector by inspecting the five-star Ezdan Palace Hotel mockup, and Ezdan Mall (3) Al Wukair’s mockup, which features a distinctive design.

Ezdan stand has wit-

nessed a massive turnout by visitors, investors, and people of interest in real estate sector during the first day of the real

estate exhibition. The Group also an-

nounced a number of pro-motional offers on residen-

tial and commercial units in different parts across Qatar. Ezdan is showcasing its most vital projects in the residen-

tial, commercial and hotel sectors. .

Ezdan Real Estate Com-pany has recently announced

a series of competitive of-fers for a large number of its various residential and com-mercial units, in addition to

its promotional campaign for shops and outlets aimed at attracting small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, crafts-men, traders and investors, where it offers 15 months free rentals for two year contracts for shops in Ezdan Oasis pro-ject in Al Wukair.

“This campaign aims at realising high occupancy rates for commercial outlets that vary in business activi-ties such as restaurants, ca-fes, pharmacies and bakeries, within the project of Ezdan Oasis Commercial Avenue,” the company said.

Ezdan Oasis extends over a large area in Al Wukair re-gion, and offers a variety of multi-room apartments, furnished with brand new furniture, in addition to two schools, and Lulu Hypermar-ket. The project also features large spaces of green lawns.

Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari visits pavilion of Ezdan Holding at Cityscape Qatar expo in Doha on Tuesday. Ezdan is showcasing its most vital projects in the residential, commercial and hotel sectors.

The high-profile three-day event is dedicated to the interior design and fit-out industry, and features thou-sands of the latest products and solutions to meet the country’s future demand for interior products and servic-es to complete stadia, hotels, and residential units ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2022

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR National Bank (QNB) has announced the financing of subscriptions to the initial public offering (IPO) of Bal-adna Company.

The bank will finance 65 percent of the total value of shares that Qatari QNB cus-tomers wish to purchase, with the capability of providing them at 0% interest until the surplus shares are allocated.

Now, customers can com-plete the registration and subscription to the initial public offering with a simple process by visiting qnb.com/IPO available through the bank’s website and mobile banking services, the state-ment said.

Through this service, cus-tomers can now easily sub-scribe to IPO by using QNB internet and mobile banking before the opening or during IPO for themselves or on be-half of their relatives and chil-dren without the need to visit branches.

QNB starts financing Baladna IPO subscriptions

www.guide.com.qa

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Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida al Kaabi met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, in Doha on Tuesday. Szijjarto is currently on an official visit to Qatar. They discussed cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of energy, as well as other issues of mutual concern, Qatar Petroleum said in a statement on Tuesday.

Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Ali bin Ahmed al Kuwari met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Doha on Tuesday. They discussed bilateral relations and cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade, industry and investment and ways to strengthen and develop them. The meeting highlighted developments in the Qatari economy over the past years, and reviewed investment opportunities in all sectors. (QNA)

KUWARI MEETS WITH HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KAABI MEETS WITH HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Draghi leaves divided ECB to LagardeAFP

FRANKFURT

DEPARTING European Cen-tral Bank president Mario Draghi will leave a conflict-ing legacy after chairing his final governing council meeting, credited with sav-ing the euro but dividing the institution with his easy-money policy.

The gathering “is unlikely to be the good-natured cel-ebration of his achievements that he might have hoped for,” said analyst Jack Allen-Reynolds of Capital Econom-ics.

“Attention will focus on the growing divisions” among policymakers left by a Sep-tember stimulus package, he predicted.

Among the 25-strong council, “the loss of teamwork and comradeship has now burst into public”, agreed Dirk Schumacher of Natixis bank.

“That in itself is under-mining to some degree the effectiveness of the ECB,” he added -- just when it needs to convince watchers it can sup-port the economy in future.

Seen as a solo artist who succeeded in bending the in-stitution to his vision for the eurozone economy, Draghi is credited above all with saving the euro during its existential debt crisis.

That rescue came only with help from hefty cash injections and historic low interest rates -- earning him the ire of conservatives, espe-cially in Germany, who say he has harmed savers.

As he departs, Draghi leaves his successor Christine Lagarde to confront a euro-zone apparently running out of steam after five years of re-covery added 11 million jobs.

Last week, the IMF fore-cast eurozone economic growth of just 1.2 percent this year and 1.4 percent in 2020.

Battle lines Since 2011, Draghi has

lowered interest rates into negative territory, bought 2.6 trillion euros ($2.9 trillion) of government and corporate debt and issued hundreds of billions in cheap loans to banks.

An official account of Sep-tember’s governing council

meeting showed broad agree-ment on the need for further supportive steps, as the ECB’s own forecasts showed infla-tion falling short of its just-below-two-percent target out to 2021.

But disagreement erupted over how powerful the re-sponse should be.

Most controversial was re-starting “quantitative easing” (QE) bond purchases, which

had been idling since Decem-ber 2018.

The scheme, aimed at boosting growth and, indi-rectly, inflation, has always split policymakers.

This time, backers ar-gued it should “ward off fu-ture shocks affecting the eu-rozone, which raise fears of deflation”, while opponents including the German and -- unusually -- French central

bank chiefs believed it would have a “minimal effect”, Mira-baud bank economist Valen-tin Bissat said.

Capital Economics’ Allen-Reynolds warned that the acrimony “raises questions about the decision’s legiti-macy and whether the council could ever agree to expand its asset purchases further” if needed.

A need for increased stim-ulus cannot be ruled out in the coming months and years.

Meanwhile, Europe’s trade face-off with the US ratcheted up Friday as Wash-ington imposed new tariffs over illegal subsidies to plane builder Airbus.

And Britain’s exit from the EU remained mired in uncertainty after MPs refused to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal at the weekend.

Time for fiscal policy? As external headwinds

have grown fiercer, calls from the ECB for governments to loosen their purse strings have grown louder.

“The ECB is rightly wor-ried about the balance be-

tween monetary and fiscal policy” after years fighting its battles almost alone, econo-mist Christian Odendahl of the Centre for European Re-form told AFP.

With the governing coun-cil divided over further stimu-lus and threats from abroad, rather than at home, weighing heaviest, former IMF chief Lagarde “will have to call for fiscal support to fulfil the ECB’s mandate” on inflation, he added.

In her European Parlia-ment confirmation hearing last month, she harked back to Draghi’s 2012 promise to do “whatever it takes” to pre-serve the euro.

“I hope I will never have to say something like that, I really do, because if I had it would mean the other eco-nomic policy makers are not doing what they have to do,” Lagarde told the Brussels lawmakers.

Later in September, Ger-man Chancellor Angela Merkel said governments shouldn’t “overstretch” mon-etary policy in an appar-ent recognition of the ECB’s woes.

Outgoing European Central Bank President Mario Draghi with next president and former IMF chief Christine Lagarde

Economy & Business14 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

SC.QADOHA

FANS are one step closer to the action today with the opening of the Visa Presale for the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 presented by Alibaba Cloud.

As of 2:00 PM (Doha time), Visa cardholders can purchase tickets to see the club champions of each con-federation, along with Al Sadd SC representing hosts Qatar, battle for the highest honour in global club football.

This exclusive opportu-nity will be available at FIFA.com/tickets until 31 October at 13:00 CET (15:00 Doha time).

Tickets are affordably priced in three categories, starting at QAR 25 for Cat-

egory 3 tickets up to QAR 400 for a Category 1 ticket for the 3rd-place and final matches (a full overview is available here). Fans purchasing a single ticket for double-header matchdays will be able to attend both games at the stadium.

Re-entry will not be al-lowed. Ticket holders will be able to download and print tickets purchased from FIFA.com/tickets at home.

Visa, the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA, is the preferred payment method of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019™ and is delighted to be able to offer fans the first chance to secure their individ-ual match tickets.

The last-minute sales phase will begin in Novem-ber and will run until the end

of the tournament. During that period, tickets will also be available for purchase on

FIFA.com/tickets.Matches will be played

from 11 December until 21

December at three venues in Qatar. The full match schedule can be found on FIFA.com.

Visa presale offers fans first chance to buy tickets for FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019

A rendered look at Education City Stadium which will host the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 final.

AFC/TNNRIYADH

A spirited Al Sadd narrowly missed out on the final of the AFC Champions League de-spite beating Al Hilal 4-2 at the King Saud University Sta-dium in Riyadh on Tuesday.

In a thrilling encounter, Al Hilal advanced to the final with a 6-5 aggregate win over The Wolves, thanks to a first leg 4-1 victory in Doha.

Goals from Akram Afif, Nam Tae-Hee, Hassan al Haydos and Boualem Khouk-hi were not enough for The Wolves who needed one more goal to qualifyand avoid a second straight exit at this styage. Al Sadd were with-out Abdelkarim Hassan and marksman Baghdad Bouned-jah due to suspension.

With the advantage of a three-goal lead from the first leg and a huge crowd behind them, the home side took the game to their opponents from the start, and within five min-utes they had created their first big chance.

Bafetimbi Gomis shot wide on the half-volley inside the first 10 minutes, but it was Al Hilal’s second time of asking which produced the opening goal of the night 12 minutes in.

Yasser al Shahrani drib-bled down the left and crossed low towards the far post. The ball was cleared by the Al Sadd defence but only as far as Sa-lem al Dawsari who controlled and fired home to make it 5-1 on aggregate.

Three minutes later, Al Sadd were given a lifeline after Akram Afif was brought down inside the box. Afif stepped up to take the resulting penalty himself and drilled it into the bottom right corner despite Abdullah al Mayouf’s best ef-forts to save.

There were more goals to come soon after; Al Faraj was dispossessed near the halfway line and Nam Tae-

hee advanced into the penalty box, supplied it wide for Afif who crossed back into the box for Haydos.

Al Sadd’s number 10 set up Nam with a cute flick and the Korean midfielder controlled and finished with his left past a helpless Mayouf.

Haydos turned from pro-vider to scorer with Al Sadd’s very next attack. Shahrani failed to deal with a long ball, allowing Nam to advance on goal, his countryman Jang Hyn-soo made a tackle, but only managed to send the ball into the path of Haydos who drilled home Al Sadd’s third in the 20th minute to the shock of the near-capacity home crowd at King Saud University Stadium.

The mood swiftly changed from stunned frustration to unanimous joy followed by a collective sigh of relief as Gomis got on the end of a Sebastian Giovinco diagonal pass, guiding the ball home on

the half-volley to bring the ag-gregate score to 6-4 with just over an hour still to be played.

And if the first half was a festival of goals on both sides, the second was more of a dis-play of half chances and ‘near-ly’ moments.

As the final whistle ap-proached, Al Sadd were able to snatch a fifth goal through Boualem Khoukhi.

The defender rose highest to power home a header, put-ting everyone at the ground on their nerve for the remaining minutes of added time.

Al Sadd had a final chance to snatch the win but Nam’s last second free-kick was com-fortably held by Mayouf, con-firming Al Hilal’s place in the final for the third time after 2014 and 2017.

They face the winners of the Guangzhou Evergrande-Urawa Red Diamonds semi-final, with the first leg taking place in Riyadh on November 9.

So near, yet so far: Al Sadd win thriller 4-2, but miss out on final Wolves beat Al Hilal 4-2 in Riyadh but lose AFC Champions League semis tie 6-5 on aggregate

WASHINGTON: Iconic golf champion Arnold Palmer, a seven-time major winner and sports marketing pioneer, will be recognised with a US postage stamp in 2020, the US Postal Service announced on Tuesday. Palmer, who died in 2016 at age 87, was a four-time Masters champion from 1958-1964 who also won the 1960 US Open and 1961 and 1962 British Opens. He won 62 US PGA Tour events and was a 1974 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The US Postal Service will pay tribute to Palmer for his posi-tive impact and rise from humble beginnings to global champion, noting, “with drive and

charisma, he helped transform a game once seen as a pastime for the elite into a sport enjoyed by the masses.” The stamp, designed by art director Antonio Alcala, features a photo by James Drake of Palmer competing at the 1964 US Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, with Palmer’s name in the top left cor-ner. “To have my father celebrated in this way is a true honor,” said Amy Saunders, Palmer’s daughter and chairwoman of the Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation. “It’s something I think he would be proud of as both an individual and as an American and it’s a wonderful way to preserve his legacy.” The “Forever” stamp, set to always be equal in value to the US first class mail price, will be the second for a Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native after children’s television show host “Mr. Rogers”, Fred Rogers, was honored in 2018. An ex-act date and site for First Day of Issue will be declared later. (AFP)

US postage stamp tribute for Palmer in 2020 Big Honour

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019

Qatar’s Wadha al Abdullah wins epee bronze at GCC Women’s Games PAGE 18

Al Hilal defenders stave off an Al Sadd attack at the goal-mouth during the AFC Champions League second leg semi-final clash at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Al Sadd striker Nam Tae-hee in action during the match. He was named as the man of the match for his super performance.

Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.

Scoreline

Al Sadd 4 (Akram Afif 17’, Nam Tae-hee 19’, Hassan al Haydos 20’, Boualem Khoukhi 93’) bt Al Hilal 2 (Salem al Dawsari 13’, Bafétimbi Gomis 25’).

DPABERLIN

BORUSSIA Dortmund have returned to winning ways just in time at the start of a gruel-ling three-week period with seven matches against top teams in all competitions.

Dortmund beat Bundes-liga leaders Borussia Moe-nchengladbach 1-0 on Satur-day to move within one point of the top again, ending a run of three successive 2-2 draws in the league.

Next up is a difficult trip to Inter Milan in the Cham-pions League on Wednes-day, followed by the famous league derby with Schalke, a German cup trip to Glad-bach, a Bundesliga date with currently second-placed Wolfsburg, the return match against Inter and a November 9 Bundesliga summit against champions Bayern Munich.

“The next few weeks will be turbulent, we face many good teams in a short space of time. That will show the direc-tion in which we are heading,” forward Julian Brand said.

“It’s a good sign to win a game like this,” Brand said in

reference to the Gladbach win.Marco Reus, who scored

Saturday’s winner but will not feature in Milan owing to a bout of flu, spoke of “the first step in the direction we want to go.”

The self-proclaimed Bun-desliga title contenders had looked surprisingly vulnerable in the three previous draws, shipping late goals at the back and being wasteful up front.

While Dortmund are well-placed in a tightly-packed Bundesliga where the top nine are separated by just

two points, the two matches against Inter could be cru-cial to reach the knock-out stages in tough Group F that also features Barcelona and Slavia Prague.

Dortmund and Barca have four points each, with Inter and Slavia on one each, mean-ing that Dortmund could al-ready take a big step towards the last 16 with victory at the San Siro.

“The outcome of the game can be deciding for the outcome in the Champions League,” defender Manuel

Akanji said. Midfielder Axel Witsel

added: “We can win there, that would be a really good step.”

Dortmund won 2-1 in their last trip to Inter in 1994 but that didn’t help them as they went out 4-3 on aggregate in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. Inter were also on top in their only other tie, 4-2 on aggre-gate in the 1964 Champions Cup semis.

Inter are without a win in their last six Champions League matches and have lost their last four Euro-

pean home matches against German opposition.

Dortmund hope to make that five German wins at the San Siro, and coach Lucien Favre is expected to field Ja-don Sancho again after the English teenager was dropped from the Gladbach match squad and fined for returning late from international duty.

Reus and injured forward Paco Alcacer were not aboard Tuesday’s flight to Milan while goalkeeper Roman Buerki may recover in time from a knee capsule sprain.

Regardless of who even-tually is on the pitch, club officials have urged that the players must deliver again af-ter ending the negative trend against Gladbach.

“It’s no use if you win just one game,” sports director Mi-chael Zorc said.

The Germans begin a run of 7 important games in three weeks in winning fashion

Dortmund’s Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard during during a German Bundesliga match against Borussia Moenchengladbach in Dortmund recently. (AFP)

Dortmund enter crucial Inter date with fresh confidence

AFPPARIS

FIFA is hoping to renegotiate contracts already signed for the next women’s World Cup in 2023 as it looks to increase the amount of money going to play-ers, sources have told AFP.

“FIFA plan to renegoti-ate contracts for the women’s World Cup in order to offer much greater bonuses to play-ers,” a source said ahead of a FIFA Council meeting in Shanghai on Thursday.

Women’s football will fea-ture heavily on the agenda at the meeting as world football’s governing body plans to in-crease the number of compet-ing teams at the World Cup to 32, up from 24 at this year’s

tournament in France.Gianni Infantino, the FIFA

president, has already prom-ised to double the prize fund for the next tournament having initially raised overall contribu-tions from $15 million to $50 million in time for this year’s competition.

On Thursday, FIFA are also expected to rubberstamp plans already announced by Infan-tino to double funding for the women’s game to $1 billion over the next four years.

The money will come from the organisation’s vast cash reserves of more than $2.7 bil-lion. “We don’t need all this money in the Swiss banks, they have enough money,” said In-fantino in July.

In addition, FIFA are also exploring the possibility of cre-ating a women’s World League -- along the lines of UEFA’s Na-tions League -- as well as a Club World Cup for women.

A decision on the creation of these tournaments will be made in March next year.

Thursday’s meeting will also see FIFA appoint a host for the 2021 men’s Club World Cup, which will feature 24 teams for the first time.

FIFA plans cash injection ahead of 2023 Women’s World Cup

AFPPARIS

THE Diamond League inter-national athletics series will expand to 15 meetings next season with an additional event in China, organisers have announced.

The IAAF said in a state-ment that 15 meetings will be staged between April 17 and September 11, one more than this year with an additional date in China at a venue yet to be decided.

The Stockholm Diamond League meeting is retained de-spite a plan announced earlier this year to exclude it for 2020 in a bid to streamline the se-ries while widening its appeal.

A decision to replace the traditional two-meeting final of the league by one final meet-ing in Zurich is maintained.

The second event in China, scheduled for May 10 in addi-tion to the Shanghai meeting a week later, follows the an-nouncement of a new sponsor-ship deal with China’s Wanda Sports Group, the statement said.

The IAAF also decided to

cut the broadcast time of in-dividual meetings from two hours to 90 minutes.

“The Diamond League is our shop window and we want to attract new fans with a fast, ac-tion-packed format that is com-mercially attractive to broad-casters and partners,” said IAAF president Sebastian Coe.

“That approach has al-ready been endorsed by our new title sponsor Wanda.”

China gets second Diamond League meet

FIFA president Gianni Infantino

NEW YORK: The 2019-20 NBA season opens Tuesday with 108 inter-national players from 38 nations, including 16 Canadians a record for the most players from any non-US nation, the league announced. It is the sixth consecutive season the NBA has opened with more than 100 players from beyond US borders. The league set records with 113 global players from 42 non-US nations to begin the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. Nine Australians, eight Frenchman, seven Croa-tians and six Serbians are the biggest groups from other nations on NBA opening night rosters. Six Canadians were taken in June’s NBA Draft, breaking the record of five French players in 2016. (AFP)

NBA features 108 non-US players

Basketball

French court orders ASO to honour beIN’s exclusive contract

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

IN a legal ruling that will be noted across the sports in-dustry, the President of the Nanterre Commercial Court in France has ordered Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) – organizers of the Dakar Rally, Tour de France, the Paris Mar-athon amongst other events – to specifically perform its five year media rights exclusive agreement with beIN MENA LLC (beIN MEDIA GROUP’s MENA operation).

This followed ASO’s re-markable, unlawful attempt to unilaterally break beIN’s ex-clusive contract and give the media rights to Saudi Arabia.

Last year, beIN and ASO entered into a multi-million euro five year deal granting beIN exclusive media rights in the Middle East & North Africa to all ASO’s major events, including the Dakar Rally, the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Nice, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Le Critérium du Dauphiné, Paris-Tours and

the Paris Marathon from 2018 to 2023.

Earlier this year, ASO suddenly moved the venue of the Dakar Rally from South America to

Saudi Arabia from 2020 onwards. ASO then attempt-ed to exit beIN’s agreement to license the media rights to a Saudi broadcaster and, to that end, unilaterally termi-nated beIN’s five year exclu-sive agreement. Remarkably, ASO also refused to provide beIN with the satellite feeds to its events, for which beIN was the official and exclusive broadcast partner.

beIN immediately took ASO to court. The President of the Nanterre Commercial

Court, after ruling that ASO’s termination was seriously questionable, issued an in-terim order in favor of beIN ordering ASO to “continue the performance of the contract in all its stipulations”.

Underlining the impor-tance of the economic stakes of the unlawful termination of the contract, the President of the court also ordered a pen-alty of €10,000 for every day that ASO refused to give beIN the necessary satellite feeds, technical and operational in-

formation to ensure the legiti-mate broadcaster can trans-mit all the events.

Perhaps not uncoinciden-tally, ASO was represented by De Gaulle Fleurance & As-sociés, the law firm that rep-

resented Arabsat in the high profile French court case this June where the President of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris held that Arabsat – the Saudi-head-quartered satellite provider – distributes beoutQ on its satellites.

Despite this ruling, and notwithstanding a 158-page technical report commis-sioned by FIFA and all the major bodies in world foot-ball establishing Arabsat’s complicity in beoutQ, De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés said “This is a great victory for Arabsat who was wrongly accused. The President of the Paris civil court has clearly ruled that Arabsat is not in-volved in the beoutQ pirate TV channels.”

A subsequent report by Cartesian even showed that Arabsat had gone as far as dis-torting its technical evidence in that French case.

Caroline Guenneteau, Head of Legal of beIN

SPORTS France said: “We are pleased that the rule of law has prevailed and that commercial contracts cannot be torn up by undue inter-ference. This series of events gives an indication of the Saudi’s new strategy while its beoutQ transmissions remain down over satellite; namely, to illegally force its way into sports broadcasting through undue political and commer-cial influence.

“However, this French rul-ing sends a clear message that the pressuring of commercial partners to illegally break contracts will not be tolerated. beIN will relentlessly defend its commercial interests using the full force of the law.”

ASO unlawfully tried to switch Dakar Rally rights to Saudi Arabia

A difficult trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, followed by the famous league derby with Schalke, a German cup trip to Gladbach, a Bundesliga date with cur-rently second-placed Wolfsburg, the return match against Inter and a November 9 Bundesliga summit against champions Bayern Munich awaits Dortmund.

Rapinoe named but Modric, Neymar

miss out on Ballon D’Or shortlistAFPPARIS

WHILE Megan Rapinoe is the leading candidate for the sec-ond ever women’s Ballon D’Or, the holder of the men’s award, Luka Modric, and the world’s most expensive player Neymar missed out as France Football unveiled nominees in four cat-egories on Monday.

Modric, fresh from guiding Croatia to a World Cup final, broke the 11-year Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi, who are both included, stranglehold on the men’s award last year.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Ney-mar, who cost the French club 222 million euros in 2017, failed to make the 30-man shortlist after a year overshad-owed by injury, suspension and controversy for both club and country.

Messi has just collected the FIFA Best award, as did Rapi-noe, which split from the Ballon D’Or in 2016.

Rapinoe dominated the Women’s World Cup, on and off the field, in the summer.

She was joint top scorer and was voted player of the tournament as she led the United States to victory in

France in July. The 34-year-old Reign FC

playmaker, already a cam-paigner for LGBT rights and gender equality, made head-lines during the tournament by publicly taking on US President Donald Trump.

Last year, Norwegian Ada Hegerberg was the first wom-en’s winner.

The Lyon forward did not play in the World Cup but is among the 20 nominees as are stars who were present at the competition, such as Australia striker Sam Kerr, England’s Lucy Bronze and France cap-

tain Amandine Henry.Virgil Van Dijk, 28, who

has had an impressive six months with Liverpool lifting the Champions League, could become a rare defensive winner of the men’s award.

Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to win in 2006, and only the fourth since the award began in 1956.

Another nominee, Kylian Mbappe, the top goal scorer in Ligue 1 last season, would rep-resent a genuine change of the guard.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker is inelgible to defend

his Kopa trophy for the best player under 21 last year as he celebrates his 21st birthday on December 20.

This year also sees the in-troduction of the Yashin tro-phy, named after the only goal-keeper to win the Ballon D’Or, Lev Yashin of the Soviet Union, to give that ignored minority a chance to get their hands on a prize of their own.

The award winners will be unveiled on December 2 during a ceremony in Paris after a voting process in-cluding journalists from 180 different countries.

Lionel Messi, Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo are heavily tipped to win the men’s award.

2020 CALENDAR: April 17: Doha; May 10: China (venue to be decided); May 16:

Shanghai; May 24: Stockholm; May 28: Rome; May 31: Rabat; June 7: Eugene, Oregon; June 11: Oslo; June 13: Paris; July 4: London; July 10: Monaco; August 16: Gateshead, England; August 20: Lausanne,Switzerland; September 4: Brussels, Belgium; September

11: Zurich, Switzerland.

Doha leg on Apr 17th

BASEL: World number six Alexander Zverev lost a 7-6(9/7), 6-4 battle at the first round of the ATP Swiss Indoors to Taylor Fritz on Tuesday as the American hit 14 aces. The defeat for the German to the 21-year-old came barely a week after losing in the Shanghai Masters final to Daniil Medvedev. With Zverev next in the queue to qualify for November’s eight-man ATP Finals in London - two spots re-main open - the seventh-ranked player has his work cut out to make it into the year-ending showpiece. Zverev, a semi-finalist last year in Basel, fought in the opening set to take it into a tiebreaker but was overwhelmed in the second by his American opponent in 86 minutes. Fritz, ranked 31st and a winner at Eastbourne in June, saved both break points against his serve. Fabio Fognini picked up his London qualifying pace with a 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Australian Alexei Popyrin.The Italian winner reached the second round in 78 minutes to reinforce his year-end bid. (AFP)

Zverev crashes out in opening round at ATP Swiss Indoors

Tennis take

Sports16 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

COMMERCIAL Bank has en-tered a partnership agreement with Qatar Golf Associate to continue to be the official Title Sponsor for the tournament until 2022.

Education City Golf Club will become the newest Golf Course on the European Tour Calendar when it hosts the 23rd edition of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in 2020. Designed by two time Major Champion and World Golf Hall of Fame 2009 - Jose Maria Ola-zabal, the exciting new venue expects to not only challenge the European Tour stars but to entertain local and internation-al spectators with its unique views of the Doha Skyline and the 2022 Education City World Cup Stadium.

The highly-anticipated event is organized by The Qa-tar Golf Association (QGA), the Qatar Olympic Commit-tee (QOC), Education City Golf Club and long-term title sponsor, Commercial Bank. The tournament is considered Qatar’s annual ‘must-attend’ sporting and social event, first held in 1998 and widely known for bringing together the world’s best golf talent; the likes of Sergio Garcia, Rory Mcllroy, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson have all com-peted in past years.

Hassan Nasser al Naimi, President of Qatar Golf Associ-ation, commented: “On behalf of the Qatar Golf Association, we are truly grateful for the support of the Qatar Olympic Committee and our long-term title sponsor, Commercial Bank of Qatar which has helped us position the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters as a significant world-class golf event. We are also very excited about working alongside Education City Golf Club for the 23rd Edition and aim to continue its success”

Commercial Bank EGM, Chief Marketing Officer Hus-sein al Abdulla said, “Our fruit-

ful cooperation with Qatar Golf Association, the Olympic Com-mittee and Education city will certainly help us combine our effort to showcase to the world the countless opportunities that Qatar can present to the sports industry being a world-class destination for international tournaments. We are looking forward to widen the platform of this cooperation through supporting more sports activi-ties in the future. I am positive that our goals will become eas-ier to achieve now with the new remarkable facility of the Edu-cation City Golf Club opened. I thank the QGA for partnering with us once again and look forward to the next three years

of excitement.”The 2020 event will see Ed-

ucation City support and em-phasise community and family activities as it aims to encour-age young Qataris to take up the sport and to grow the game of golf in Qatar.

Speaking on behalf of Edu-cation City Golf Club, the Gen-eral Manager Michael Braid-wood stated, “Education City Golf Club is excited to be host-ing the 2020 Qatar Masters. We have recently opened our golf course and we have been delighted by the response of our clients on the quality and chal-lenge of the course. It will be interesting to see how the Euro-pean tour stars play the course.

The event is an ideal opportu-nity for us to further our goal in growing the game of golf here in Qatar and we aim to use it as a platform to get as many new people engaged in the game”

The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters was attended by thousands of spectators in 2019 and broadcast to a global TV audience of over 450 mil-lion viewers. For the 23rd Edition of the event, all eyes will be on Doha as the biggest names in the sport vie for the Mother of Pearl Trophy on one of the newest golf courses on the Tour.

The 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters will be held from March 5 to 8.

The 23rd edition of the tournament to be held from March 5 to 8, 2020

Education City Golf Club

to be the new venue for

2020 CB Qatar Masters

India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli walks with the trophy at the end of the third and final Test against South Africa at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday. (AFP)

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

HOSTS Doha Rugby Foot-ball Centre (DRFC) prevailed over the touring Sri Lankan team Kandy Sports Club 53-7 in a friendly match in Doha last Friday.

Over 400 Sri Lankan fans attended the match. Though they were disappointed with the outcome, they were thrilled at the rare opportunity to watch a superb rugby en-counter in Doha.

Kandy SC commenced the game in superb fashion when their half back Jensen creeped through the DRFC backline and Pita Tuilaga made no mistake in his defence to hold Kandy SC from scoring their first try.

The first 15 minutes of the

game were tense and both teams looked balanced until DRFC began controlling the game. DRFC ruled the first half leading 22-0.

Kandy SC finally got their act in the second half but DRFC used their power and strength to keep the momen-

tum high, forcing Kandy SC into making mistakes.

For DRFC, Wade Lotter and Pita Tuilaga scored two (2) tries each while Jacob Wright, Frank Hughes, Jonathan Mor-gan scored one (1) try each for DRFC. A special display was shown by Andor Benyi,

who with his left kicking boot converted three (3) tries, and Daniel Henderson kicked two (2) conversions and a penalty.

Kandy SC managed to score one (1) try through Heshan Kal-hara with Lakshitha Ranaweera taking the kicking duties.

The organizing committee (DSLRC) together with their main sponsors Mercure Grand Hotel Doha, Rayyan water, Rambler Qatar and Well On Restaurant aim to bring out more international rugby teams to Doha in the future.

Kandy SC’s rugby friendly with DRFC thrills Lankan fans in DohaAFP

RANCHI

SHAHBAZ Nadeem took the fi-nal two wickets in straight balls as India thrashed South Africa by an innings and 202 runs in the third Test on Tuesday to complete a 3-0 series rout.

The day’s play lasted just 12 balls in a triumph emphati-cally ramming home India’s feat in beating Australia’s re-cord of 10 straight home series wins, and consolidating their place at the top of the World Test Championship.

For South Africa, who lost two of the three matches by more than an innings, it was one of their worst series in decades.

“It’s been a brilliant series for us,” said India captain Vi-rat Kohli as he hailed the per-formance of his batsmen and bowlers who made 497 for nine declared in their first innings.

Kohli made South Af-rica follow on after they were bowled out for 162 in their first

attempt in Ranchi. Resuming on 132-8 in the

second innings, Nadeem got Theunis de Bruyn caught be-hind for 30 and then Lungi Ngidi for nought to dismiss the tourists for 133 on the 4th day.

“To be the best side in the world, you need to be multi-dimensional. All facets of your team have to fire,” said Kohli.

The series saw Indian bats-men Mayank Agarwal (215), Kohli (254 not out) and Rohit Sharma (212) all hit double tons against South Africa.

After big wins in the first two tests in Visakhapatnam and Pune, fast bowlers Mo-hammed Shami and Umesh Yadav again battered South Africa in Ranchi, this time tak-ing 10 wickets between them.

“The catching has been brilliant as well. It’s great to see when you operate in such a way,” said Kohli. “We be-lieve we can win anywhere in the world. England, Australia, South Africa,” he vowed.

India leave SA hurting with Test series sweep

Sports 17Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Hassan Nasser al Naimi, President of Qatar Golf Association, Hussein Al Abdulla, Commercial Bank EGM,and Michael Braidwood, Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager sign the agreement at the Education City Golf Club on Monday.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE Breeding and Show De-partment of Al Shaqab, mem-ber of Qatar Foundation, will be participating at the US Na-tional Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show in Tulsa, United States, which runs from October 18 to 26.

Considered as the most prestigious Arabian horse show in North America, it is a nine-day event featuring near-ly 1,800 horses, competing in different disciplines. Three days are devoted for the Ara-bian horse championship.

Al Shaqab will present four magnificent Arabian horses at the show. Among the

participants is Hariry Al Shaqab, a progeny of the leg-

endary Marwan Al Shaqab, out of White Silk.

The 2010 stallion will com-

pete in the Riding Class on Oc-tober 25, proudly displaying the native costume. Kashef Al

Shaqab, a 2017 bay colt, also sired by Marwan Al Shaqab, out of Psyrella, will be on show

on October 23. Zayne Al Shaqab, a 2017

filly, will be in the showring on October 25. Moaid Al Shaqab, a 2015 stallion, is also among the contenders.

The majestic Arabians of Al Shaqab have been enjoying success at various international shows held across Europe and the US this year. Despite a busy show season, they have contin-ued to win awards and notable positions at the shows in which they’ve participated. True to his lineage, Hariry Al Shaqab holds several titles, including: World Champion Stallion - World Ara-bian Championships, France in 2015. He was crowned US Na-tional Champion, twice; Scotts-dale Champion, twice; and Las Vegas Champion and Qatar Na-tional Champion.

Al Shaqab horses for prestigious show in US

Hariry Al Shaqab (left) and Kashef Al Shaqab will be among the Arabian horses competing at the US Na-tional Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show in Tulsa, US, which runs from Oct 18 to 26.

Bangladesh cricket boss

labels players’ strike a

‘conspiracy’DPA

DHAKA

A top Bangladeshi cricket offi-cial described the strike called by leading players as “part of a conspiracy” to destabilize the country’s cricketing.

“A handful of cricketers might be involved with it ... we will shortly be able find them out,” Nazmul Hasan, presi-dent of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), told a news con-ference in Dhaka on Tuesday, a day after the cricketers went on the strike.

Top players, led by cel-ebrated cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, announced the strike demanding a hike in their pay package on Monday.

The action comes ahead of the start of the National Cricket League season, scheduled for Thursday, and Bangladesh’s tour to India early next month.

The BCB chief said he was shocked by the cricket-ers’ decision as most of their demands had either been ac-cepted earlier or in the process of implementation.

It was an attempt to tar-nish the image of Bangladesh’s cricket, he said, trashing the players’ demand that they were poorly paid. The players’ pay package was raised significant-ly in the recent past, he added.

“It is not clear to me why the cricketers went on the sud-den boycott ahead of Bang-ladesh tour of India ... they could have discussed with us before taking any hard deci-sion,” the cricket boss said.

He, however, assured that the Bangladesh team would tour India as per their sched-ule, and other cricketing ac-tivities would go as usual.

Bangladesh, which became the 10th Test-playing country in 2000, are scheduled to play a three-match T20 International series and a two-match Test se-ries in India in November. The first T20 match is scheduled for November 3 in Delhi.

DRFC captain receiving the trophy from Mr. Fonseka. Rival captains of Doha Rugby Football Centre and Kandy SC greet each other.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKKUWAIT

QATAR’S Wadha al Abdul-lah claimed the bronze medal in the epee event of fencing at the sixth edition of GCC Women’s Games 2019 in Ku-wait on Tuesday.

Reem al Shatti of Kuwait took the gold medal while Al Anoud al Saadi of UAE fin-ished second.

In basketball, Qatar de-feated Saudi Arabia 63-41 while the Qatar handball team eased past Kuwait 38-12 on Monday.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s table tennis team arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday while Qatar the taekwondo team will be arriv-ing in Kuwait on Wednesday.

The sixth edition of Games is bringing together six GCC nations who are competing in 11 events.

Qatar’s Wadha claims fencing bronze at GCC Women’s Games

Wadha al Abdullah (4th left) along with the Qatar fencing team, coach and officials at the GCC Women’s Games in Kuwait.

Overdrive Racing reveals OT3 high performance vehicleTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

OVERDRIVE Racing has re-vealed more details of an excit-ing new rally machine, “OT3 by Overdrive”, which is set to take the Side-by-Side class in car rallying to the next level.

The OT3 by Overdrive is a six-speed, 1000cc turbo vehi-cle which outputs around 177 horsepower following FIA reg-ulations and is the first Side-by-Side (SxS) high performance prototype specifically designed for off-road racing in the world.

Side-by-side describes a special type of lightweight off-road buggy accommodating a driver and co-driver, capable of taking the fight to much big-ger vehicles.

Its carbon fibre and Kevlar

bodywork ensures an impres-sive power-to-weight ratio and greater stability for drivers over the changing landscapes of off-road events.

The OT3 comes with six-speed gearbox. The extended wheelbase of the vehicle also allows for greater stability, moving the centre of gravity of the car backwards to increase performance and balance.

The competitive debut for the new machine will be an-nounced shortly.

Cyril Despres, a five-time

Dakar Rally winner in the motorbike class and two-time Silk Way Rally Champion, who tested the OT3 in Mo-rocco recently, opined, “The OT3 really surprised me: the stability of the vehicle, as the engineers played with the regulations to have a 2.08-me-tre wide vehicle. And they also used their knowledge to make a really strong and rigid chassis, something which is normally missing from side-by-side buggies. It also gives you precision when driving on technical sections. The engine is powerful and the visibility from the cockpit is fantastic.”

Qatar’s Nasser al Attiyah, who is a triple FIA Cross-Country rally cup champion and three-time Dakar Rally winner, also tested the car and

said: “The OT3 test in Morocco proved to be a really good pack-age from the first kilometre. It looks like a good step for this vehicle. I am sure it will need more testing and more mileage but we have a good base.”

Overdrive Racing Direc-tor Jean Marc Fortin added: “We decided to build this pure prototype from a blank sheet of paper and it was our goal to explore the new regulations proposed by the FIA Technical Commission. OT3 is a rocket car designed to be powerful and lightweight: this is what we have focused on.

“We are excited because it is an innovative concept. The car is a proper prototype, with a special gearbox and a very light chassis of only 890 kilograms.”

FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 Doha

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE Qatar Swimming Asso-ciation (QSA) will organise the FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 Doha (QAT) next month, which will host the world’s best swimmers competing at the Hamad Aquatic Centre (HAC) in Aspire Zone.

The competition, which will take place from November 7 to 9, will be the last meet of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 series, involving sev-en cities. It will be the eighth consecutive year for Doha to host a FINA Swimming World Cup event.

Qatari capital, home to the

FINA World Swimming Cham-pionships in 2014, will also host the FINA World Aquatics Championships in 2023 – the sport’s spotlight event.

“Doha’s presence since 2012 in the World Cup circuit has assuredly reinforced the visibility of this top-notch event in the Middle East region. Af-

ter the successful staging of the 12th FINA World Swim-ming Championships (25m) in Doha, the legacy of Swimming has continued in this part of the world,” said FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione.

The FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 series started in Tokyo (JPN) while Jinan

(CHN) and Singapore (SGP) hosted the next two meets, forming cluster 1. Cluster 2 involved stops in Budapest (HUN) and Berlin (GER).

The stop in Berlin, which was held from October 11 to 13, witnessed Dutchman Arno Kamminga surpassing Rus-sia’s Vladimir Morozov to

win the second cluster. In the women’s events, Australia’s Cate Campbell surpassed Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu to win the cluster, taking an over-all lead in the series.

Swimmers will arrive in Doha after competing in the Kazan (RUS) meet – the first stop of the third and final cluster – which will take place from November 1 to 3.

Exciting races are on the cards in Doha, as it will show-case the cluster 3 winners and the overall winners. The over-all winners of the series will receive $150,000.

Morozov is ahead in the men’s overall rankings in the series with 264 points, fol-lowed by Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys with 177 points. USA’s Andrew Michael is third with 132 points.

Campbell is leading the women’s overall rankings with a total of 243 points, followed by Hosszu with 240 points. Sweden’s Michelle Coleman is

third on 135 points.With much at stake, the

Doha meet – one of the fa-mous stops for swimmers – is expected to attract all the big names of the sport, apart from the leading swimmers of FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 series. The list of the partici-pants will be finalised soon.

Many Qatari swimmers will also take part in the home event after showing outstand-ing performances at the 27th GCC Aquatics Championships in Kuwait, where they clinched 34 medals including 17 gold medals, 10 silver medals and 7 bronze medals last month.

Tickets for the three-day event can be booked at https://www.q-tickets.com/Events/EventsDetails/7281/fina-swimming-world-cup-2019

The races include morn-ing heats and evening finals. The heats will take place from 10:00am to 12:30pm while fi-nals will be held from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.

Ace swimmers to make big splash at Hamad Aquatic Centre soon

Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) will host the FINA Swimming World Cup 2019 Doha at the Hamad Aquatic Centre from November 7 to 9.

Doha meet to decide cluster 3 and overall winners

The prize distribution of the prestigious Qatar Airways annual cricket tournament was held at City Centre Rotana hotel. In the picture on right, QCA President Yousef Jeham al Kuwari and Ali Akbar Farabi, Qatar Airways’ Ticketing Operations Manager (Qatar) are presenting the B Division winner’s trophy to Redco captain Sattar. The champions and runners-up in the Premier, A and C Divisions were also awarded at the ceremony.

Qatar Airways Cricket Tournament Prize Distribution held

Qatar Sports Arbitration Foundation approves

transitional provisions

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR Sports Arbitration Foundation announced that the General Assembly has approved transitional provi-sions to cover the period be-tween its incorporation and the activation.

These provisions aim to protect the rights of any party who was not able to submit his requests to the Qatar Sports Arbitration Tribunal during the period prior to its activation.

The General Assembly’s resolution included a transi-tional provision extending the time limits stipulated in the Arbitration Rules and Regu-lations, where the last day for the submission of any request for arbitration will be Novem-ber 15, 2019.

In accordance with this resolution, all requests for ar-bitration prior to the QSAT’s activation will be registered until November 15, 2019, after which no requests for arbitra-tion will be accepted.

Furthermore, the time limit for filing the grounds for appeal shall commence from the date in which the request for arbitration is submitted for the transitional provisions’ duration.

In his statement Ibrahim Khalil al Muhannadi, Presi-dent of Qatar Sports Arbitra-tion Foundation, said that the resolution adopted by the General Assembly aims to ad-dress the period between the QSAF incorporation and its activation and to ensure that disputed parties’ rights are not lost.

Al Muhannadi added that these transitional provisions will apply on disputes prior to QSAT’s activation during which parties did not have the opportunity to bring their claims before QSAF.

Qatar Sports Arbitration Founda-tion President Ibrahim Khalil al Muhannadi.

QOA, Aljazeera Media

Institute sign MoUQNADOHA

THE Aljazeera Media Institute and Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday to achieve maximum benefit in the fields of media training and organise joint training programmes.

Executive Director of QOA Saif Mohammed al Nuaimi and Director of Aljazeera Me-dia Institute Mounir Daymi signed the MoU.

The MoU includes media and sports consultations, joint workshops, and seminars and conferences in sports media, as well as the exchange of equipment and technical ex-pertise in the processing of media institutions.

Executive Director of QOA Saif Mohammed al Nuaimi said QOA has offered many courses in the field of sports media in cooperation with the International Sports Press As-sociation (AIPS), which has been very popular over the past years, therefore, QOA decided to be more specialised in this area through this agreement with Aljazeera Media Institute.

Al Nuaimi pointed out that

through this cooperation, both institutions will work together to organize the most special-ized courses in the field of sports media in partnership to develop the competencies of human cadres inside and outside Qatar professionally and benefit from the expertise of Al Jazeera Media Network.

Director of Aljazeera Me-dia Institute Mounir Daymi expressed delight at signing the MoU with the QOA, which ranks among the 20 most ac-tive and influential Olympic academies around the world through its programs for the Qatari and neighbouring com-munities.

Daymi added that the MoU seeks to keep pace with the sports scene and Qatar, especially with the organis-ing of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and Qatar’s hosting of many international sporting events recently, most recently the 2019 Doha World Athlet-ics Championships and the ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019.

He looked forward to a more fruitful cooperation with the Academy shortly through the establishment of courses in the field of sports media.

Executive Director of QOA Saif Mohammed al Nuaimi and Director of Aljazeera Media Institute Mounir Daymi.

Sports18 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

WITH an aim to train the trainers, the Pa-kistan Arts Society-Qatar (PAS-Q), in

association with Pak Shamaa School, recently organised a teachers training workshop, ‘Teachers’ strategy for gain-ing and sustaining attention of students’.

The keynote speaker on the occasion was Malik Nasir Nawaz, a well-known inter-national inspirational trainer and motivational speaker. The interactive training session, according to the Pak Shamaa faculty members, helped them to build a positive attitude to-wards students and motivated them to achieve high results through different techniques.

The lecture by Nawaz, who is the CEO of MN Learning Solutions (MNLS) and comes with more than 20 years of hu-man resource experience, was not only enlightening but also helped the participants to re-discover themselves.

Nawaz, a renowned corpo-rate trainer, is highly proficient in developing, assessing, and delivering training solutions encompassing a wide range of corporate requirements and needs across all levels of staff while leveraging expertise in didactic, activities/role-plays and other delivery media to optimise trainee comprehen-sion and retention.

Nawaz has designed

numerous performance-ori-ented, customised training sessions that include Work Life Balance, Stress Manage-ment, Time Management, Selling Edge, Negotiation Skills, Team Building, Train the Teacher, Communica-tion Skills and other Influ-encing Skills at work.

The articulation tips pro-vided by Nawaz were help-ful in stimulating interest in learning and teaching. Moti-vation, he noted, plays a key role in attracting the attention of students.

He explained different learning styles and teaching methodologies and stressed that students should be taught with love and af-fection. The students, he said, learn best when they practically do something.

Nawaz, who re-cently moved to Qatar, under-lined the sig-nificance of e n c o u r a g e -ment and ap-preciation as these are the key factors in developing confidence and enhancing the learning process. He said parents shouldn’t im-pose their ideas

and ambitions on their wards and should rather allow them to take their decisions freely.

Highlighting the qualities of a good teacher, Nawaz said that informal ways of teaching could greatly help in achieving better results.

Earlier, PAS-Q Vice Presi-dent Taher Dilawar Hussain welcomed the guests and ex-tended gratitude to Malik Na-sir Nawaz, Pak Shamaa School management, participants of the session and General Man-ager of Qatar International Nursery Abdul Rauf Rashid.

General Secretary Adeel Akbar, who conducted the programme, noted that such

sessions greatly inspire the participants. He ex-pressed his determina-

tion to hold similar events in future as well.

PAS-Q Chairman M A Shahid and Vice

President Taher Dila-war Hussain presented

bouquets to Nawaz. Pak Shamaa School teacher Aimen Zeb introduced the key speaker to the guests. Prominent

among those who attended the event were Mala Waseem, a visual artist and art teacher, Rana Anwar Ali, ex-chairman of Sohni Dharti Forum, Fur-qan Ahmad Paracha, general secretary of Pak Bazm-e-Ah-bab, Aamir Saeed Khan, CEO of Business Partners Forum, Shabbir Siddiqui, future leader coordinator of Sohni Dharti and Jamal Uddin Haider, for-mer house keeping manager of Mercure Grand Hotel.

Speaking to Qatar Tribune,Nawaz thanked the PAS-Q for inviting him to share his knowledge and experience for the benefit of the Pakistani community and teachers.

Nawaz said his company plans to facilitate the business sector by providing practical, interactive, fun-filled and ac-tivity-based training through workshops and seminars.

Nawaz has spent most of his life in the US starting his professional career with the Bank of America in the US. Later, he worked in different financial institutions before joining Toyota Capital Motors as General Manager Sales in Pakistan in 1996. He remained associated with hospitality in-dustry in Pakistan for14 years in different capacities. He is a core member of Industry Ad-visory Group of National Vo-cational and Technical Edu-cation Commission Pakistan

(NAVTEC).While in Pakistan, he provided training to differ-ent companies, mainly in the hospitality sector. He visited different countries to train ex-ecutive managers while work-ing with a well-known chain of five star hotels.

“I am among the few civil-ians who have trained the per-sonnel of the Pakistan Army in different areas. Later in 2014, I decided to form my own com-pany. I started offering pro-grammes such as leadership skills, stress management, leader-versus-manager, com-munication skills, work-life balance, team building and ba-sics of customer services. The difference between me and a typical training company is that I customise the training courses accordingly. I inter-act with the top executive of a company about what they ac-tually want and then I custom-ise the course,” noted Nawaz.

His company also provides career development training. “The objective of our training sessions for career develop-ment is to fill the gap between corporate world and fresh graduates. As an exclusive fea-ture of our training, we offer career development support starting from creating an em-ployable resume to success-ful interview that makes the candidates ready to achieve the required results by the em-ployers,” added Nawaz.

Pakistan PrismReports by L N Mallick For events and press releases email qatar.editor@gmail.com or call (974) 4000 2222

19Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Well-known inspirational trainer Malik Nasir Nawaz was the keynote speaker on the occasion

PAS-Q hosts teachers training workshop at Pak Shamaa School

Malik Nasir Nawaz with some guests and PAS-Q officials at Pak Shama School.Malik Nasir Nawaz with Pak Shama School faculty members, guests and PAS-Q officials.

PAS-Q Chairman M A Shahid (left) presents bouquet to Malik Nasir Nawaz.

PAS-Q Vice President Taher Dilawar Hussain (left) presents bouquet to Malik Nasir Nawaz.

A section of the audience.

Renowned corporate trainer

Malik Nasir Nawaz gives presentation

at Pak Shama School.

MORE than 600 Paki-stani expatriates and their families from

Mesaieed, Al Khor, Dukhan and Doha attended a col-ourful event organised by the Pak Bazm-e-Ahbab fo-rum to mark Pakistan Inde-pendence Day and Defence Day, at Al Banush Club in Mesaieed.

Pak Bazm-e-Ahbab is a well-known sociocultural organisation of Pakistani ex-patriates working in differ-ent companies at Mesaieed Industrial City (MIC).

Community Welfare At-taché at Pakistan Embassy Hafiz Junaid Amir Sial was the chief guest on the day

while Supply Chain Manag-er of Qatar Fertiliser Com-pany (Qafco) Khalid Mo-hammad Abdulla was the guest of honour.

Furqan Ahmad Paracha compered the programme.

Clad in traditional dress-es, children delivered col-ourful performances much to the delight of the guests. A group of young children pre-sented tableaus on national and patriotic songs.

The other activities on the day included speeches, comedy act, bait bazi and sketch contest. Different games were also arranged for couples and guests were giv-en gifts through a lucky draw.

On behalf of Pak Bazm-e-Ahbab, Community Welfare Attaché Hafiz Junaid Amir Sial presented souvenirs to Pak Shamaa School Principal Nabila Kaukab, visual art-ist Mala Waseem and Qatar Urdu Radio Service (FM107) presenter Samia Tayyab, in recognition of their services in their respected fields.

The event concluded with a cultural dance on Jhoomar song.

Community Welfare Attaché Hafiz Junaid Amir Sial presents a souvenir to Pak Shamaa School Principal Nabila Kaukab.

Winners of sketch contest with visual artist Mala Waseem and Furqan Ahmad Paracha.

Presenter of Qatar Urdu Radio Service (FM107) Samia Tayyab receives a souvenir.

A cake-cutting ceremony was held to mark the event.

Young girls performs a cultural dance.

Visual artist Mala Waseem receives a souvenir.

Pak Bazm-e-Ahbab hosts colourful function to mark

Pakistan Independence and Defence Day

The Last Word20 Wednesday, October 23, 2019

AMIR GRACES JAPANESE EMPEROR’S ENTHRONEMENT CEREMONY

Amir’s visit cements bond of friendship between Qatar and Japan, says envoy

QNATOKYO

THE Ambassador of Qatar to Japan HE Hassan bin Mohammed Rafi al Emadi has said that the visit of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani to Japan is of great signifi-cance in terms of timing, content and ties between the

two countries.In an interview with Pan

Orient News, the ambassa-dor said that HH the Amir’s participation, with the Japa-nese people, in celebrating the beginning of the new im-perial era ‘Reiwa’, reflects the mutual trust and respect be-tween the leaderships of the two countries, which spans decades, and will further ce-

ment the bond of friendship between His Highness and Emperor Naruhito.

Emadi referred to a visit by Emperor Naruhito to Qa-tar in 1994, when he was the crown prince, in this context.

Describing Japan as Qa-tar’s leading energy partner, Emadi said the Japanese are highly appreciative of HH’s visit and participation in this

historic ceremony as they consider it a sign of strong friendship between Qatar and Japan.

Qatar’s relations with Ja-pan have made a quantum leap in the past few years thanks to the directives and vision of HH the Amir, and moved from the stage of co-operation to consolidated foundations of a comprehen-

sive strategic partnership, the ambassador said.

The envoy further pointed out that while Qatar and Ja-pan share strong multi-facet-ed relationship with bilateral agreements in different fields including defence, education, health, sports, tourism, sci-ence and technology as well as trade and investment, there is still a strong desire

for bilateral cooperation in other vital areas.

He said the commercial, economic and investment interests between Qatar and Japan have formed a backbone for the strong relations between the two countries.

Japanese companies were the first to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), and Japan

is still one of the most im-portant and largest partners in this area, the ambassador noted.

Regarding Japan’s stance on the Gulf crisis, the am-bassador said that Japan has always supported Kuwaiti mediation efforts and the settlement of the issue in a peaceful manner through dia-logue.

The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani attends, along with other heads of states, the enthronement ceremony of HM Emperor Naruhito of Japan, at the Imperial Place in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Call for cooperation among different entities for achieving demographic balance in Qatar

MERIAM JELLITI DOHA

UNDER the theme of ‘Population Policy between Reality & Hope’, the Permanent Population Com-mittee (PPC) marked Qatar Popu-lation Day at JW Marriott Hotel on Tuesday.

The PPC observes Qatar Popu-lation Day every year in line with the UN World Population Day.

The ceremony was inaugurated by HE Dr Saleh bin Mohammed al Nabit, president of PPC and Plan-ning and Statistics Authority, who welcomed the guests and wished the participants success in achiev-ing the objectives of Qatar Popula-tion Day.

Expressing pride in Qatar’s 37th ranking among 189 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) of the UN Development Pro-gram (UNDP) in 2018, Nabit said the population policy needs to be evaluated regularly.

Regarding population and workforce issues, Nabit noted that measures have been taken to achieve demographic balance, pro-mote modernisation to rationalise recruitment of unskilled labour, and to ensure suitable housing for different groups of the workforce.

In the field of education and health, the average number of years of schooling has increased along

with life expectancy. Maternal mortality rates have also dropped significantly.

He, however, noted that achiev-ing demographic balance in a short period of time is not possible be-cause of a number of factors.

On behalf of the Minister of Culture and Sports (guest of hon-our), HE Salah bin Ghanim al Ali, Advisor for Strategic Affairs to the Minister Mohammed al Ansari, called for cooperation between ministries and other institutions and authorities in the State to ensure a successful implementa-tion of the Population Policy pro-gramme. He also stressed the need

for focusing on development areas and the youth.

Aser Toson, UNFPA resident representative in the GCC Region-al Office, stressed the importance of cooperation between the PPC and UNFPA for the formulation of population policy and training of cadres.

The second session titled ‘The Experience of the Republic of Sin-gapore in implementation of Pop-ulation Policy’ was chaired by Dr Jamal al Yafei, assistant director of Strategic Planning Department at the Planning and Statistics Au-thority.

Dr Yong, professor of sociology

from the National University of Singapore, and Abdullah Moham-med al Hammadi, advisor to the Technical Office of PPC, took part in the session.

The third and final session was devoted to discussing the main fea-tures of the second phase results of the population policy implemen-tation follow-up. The session was chaired by Yousef Mubarak al Do-sari, expert in the technical com-mittee of PPC.

The celebration also saw hon-ouring of the former members of the PPC in recognition of their ef-forts towards implementing the Population Policy programme.

President of Permanent Population Committee and Planning and Statistics Authority HE Dr Saleh bin Mohammed al Nabit inaugurated the event in the presence of the guest of honour Minister of Culture and Sports HE Salah bin Ghanim al Ali.

QNL building bags ‘Excellence Award’

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR National Library (QNL) has been presented with the ‘Excellence Award’ by the American Concrete In-stitute (ACI) Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards. QNL’s building won first place in the ‘Decorative Con-crete’ category.

The library’s 45,000-square-me-tre building was designed by world-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas and features numerous custom-de-signed innovations that play an in-

strumental role in allowing the build-ing to adapt to the evolving needs of its visitors.

The Excellence in Concrete Con-struction Awards recognise concrete projects at the forefront of innovation and technology, and showcase such projects to inspire excellence in con-crete design and construction around the world.

Those projects considered for the award integrate creative techniques and technologies to keep up with ev-er-evolving economic, environmental and aesthetic demands.

Qatar National Library’s 45,000-square-metre building was designed by world-re-nowned architect Rem Koolhaas.

‘Doha Port all set to become to become cruise tourism hub’

“Doha Port is playing a key role in reinforcing Qatar’s po-sition as an attractive tourist destination through securing and receiving international cruise ships, as well as provid-ing all the facilities necessary for the growth of a sector that is considered a key contribu-tor to the economic diversity pursued by Qatar National Vi-sion 2030.”

He said that Doha Port continues to receive ships even as it undergoes a comprehen-sive development process that will see it becoming a unique and all-inclusive cruise tour-ism hub.

He added that the ministry has completed the dredging and digging works significant-ly increasing the port’s berth-ing capacity. Mwani Qatar, QNTC and other stakehold-ers continue to collaborate towards the larger goal of de-livering world-class services

to all passengers and ensuring swift and seamless flows into and out of the port.

Speaking to media per-sons, the Qatar Airways chief said they have a strategy to completely revamp the tour-ism industry.

“We have so much of treas-ure in the country for tourists that was hidden for so long and we were not marketing ourselves properly. But this is

going to change with the new tourism strategy directed by the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. It is my job to deliver on that strategy and hopefully we will succeed. We have to build on a strong foundation. It is now my man-date and duty to ensure that what we are doing reaps a lot of benefits for the GDP of my country.”

Despite this being a tem-

porary terminal in place, the cruise passengers will expe-rience the same level of ser-vices and facilities as Hamad International Airport, such as seamless immigration and customs, foreign exchange, taxi and bus stands, Duty Free shops, cafés, waiting areas as well as city tours and other tourist information services.

“We look forward to of-fering them a warm welcome

and a truly Qatari experi-ence,” he said.

Baker explained that this will be the first season in which Doha acts as a turnaround port for cruise ships, with pas-sengers beginning and ending their journey in Qatar.

The port will host 16 turna-round calls, giving passengers ample time to explore the des-tination.

In addition, nine ships

will dock overnight during the season.

“The process of helping hundreds of passengers fly in, start their cruises around the Arabian Gulf, and fly home from Doha is made possible by great coordination between the tourism, aviation and hos-pitality sectors, as well as im-migration and customs offi-cials. Thanks to the continued collaboration between QNTC

and our partners, Doha’s emergence as a turnaround port for international cruises will bring greater economic benefit as passengers spend more time in the country, and learn more about our offering as a destination,” he said.

As a result of various ini-tiatives by QNTC and its part-ners, Qatar’s cruise industry has seen remarkable growth during the last few years.

The 2018-19 season achieved 121 percent growth in the number of cruise passen-gers and 100 percent growth in the number of cruise ships, with over 140,000 passengers arriving aboard 44 ships, in-cluding 38 mega ships.

The 2019-20 season is ex-pected to be even bigger, with over 186,000 passengers and over 61,000 crew arriving on 74 ships. Four ships will make their maiden calls to Doha this season, including the Jewel of the Seas operated by the cruise line Royal Caribbean.

Mein Schiff 5 is the first of the 74 ships expected to visit Qatar this season, marking an increase of 66 percent in the number of ships over the last season.

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